"Run! We got our stash!"

Chouji could not believe this is what his life had recently become. But, at the same time, he could not say he was totally surprised with the turn of events that had led him to a point in his life that had him running away from Kiba's favorite meat stand with bags of stolen food tucked safely under his arms.

"Catch those kids!"

He did not stop running, even when he heard whistling behind him. Even though the authority figures around him might try and stop him, he knew that Kiba and Sakura had his back and would create all necessary diversions so he could get away with their newest loot.

Admittedly, this would be their boldest move ever since they had first learned how to steal from Kuzu. All of the prior times they had practiced the skill of thievery, they'd actually tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible so they would not get in trouble with their parents after they were found out.

But Kiba had wanted to get this meat. And Sakura had been all on board because the meat stand had a dessert stand right beside it, so her eyes had been filled with sweets rather than imminent danger. And Chouji had just followed his friends' plans because… Well… It might be a good idea to learn how to get away in broad day light when a score went wrong?

They weren't stupid. Even though they had no idea how to use elaborate genjutsu to be able to disguise themselves, they had still covered up their faces and worn dark clothing so they would not be easily identifiable. So, hopefully, they would not be getting in trouble for pulling off such a risky trick in broad daylight.

As he rushed down the crowded Konoha streets with his stash, Chouji was able to hear the sounds of struggling, things crashing, his friends whooping, and the dismayed groans of adults.

When they had reached the outskirts of the market, Chouji made a beeline straight for their hideout. Because Kiba had taken them there so many times before, he and Sakura were good at staying on the path he always took them down, so now he didn't need his best friend around to guide him through the motions.

By the time Kiba and Sakura caught up to him, Chouji had already reached their favorite tree. He had busied himself by pulling off the dark scarf that had hidden most of his face, except for his eyes, the gloves Sakura had swiped for them during their first lesson in this skill, and the long jacket Kiba had given him to make him seem even bulkier than he actually was.

"That was great, Pork Chop!" Kiba's fangs glinted in the dim sunlight that barely broke through the dense foliage of the surrounding trees. "I don't think I've ever seen you running so fast before!"

"Well, we hadn't done anything this risky before." Sakura offered, pulling off the straw hat she had used to obscure her extremely conspicuous hair. "And now that we've managed to get away with it, I don't really think we should try and do something like this again."

Kiba undid the knot that had held the scarf he had used to cover the bottom of his face, then shrugged and nodded softly, "Yeah, guess you're right. Next time we'll strike at night."

Chouji allowed a breathless and kind of annoyed chuckle to leave him as he grabbed the bags that held their loot. Then he handed one over to Kiba, who immediately thrust his hand inside to grab at the food. Sakura loomed over his shoulder, patiently waiting to be able to get her hands on a proper lunch before she sank her teeth into the bag of sweets.

The three fell into an easy silence after this, munching happily on their stolen meals. They spread out around the tree, getting into their most comfortable places so they could fully enjoy their time together.

Chouji did not feel particularly good about the fact that the food was delicious and he was thoroughly enjoying it. He knew that this was because he had stolen this food, rather than paid for it. But it was also because he didn't feel all that bad for having stolen it… It's like he didn't feel too bad and that made him feel extremely guilty for not feeling any worse or having tried any harder to stop his friends from coming up with this plan.

"No, but, seriously, I think we're going to be the best team around if we get put together when we become genin." Kiba muttered as he munched on his rice ball, a proud smile on his lips.

The comment was sudden, but nothing new. They'd had a conversation like this plenty of times before.

A couple of weeks ago, Iruka Sensei had explained to them how genin teams worked once they graduated. And the fact that they were teams composed of three that would stay together until they at least passed the Chunin Exams had filled Kiba's eyes with stars and given them all hopes of being able to work together as actual shinobi.

"Right now, Kiba, we're all taijutsu specialists." Sakura sighed, "We can't all be on the same team."

"Then you've got to start training in genjutsu or something, Pinkie." Kiba rolled his eyes, as if his words were the only truth they needed to follow. "Ain't that hard."

"If it's not that hard, why don't you specialize in genjutsu?" Sakura huffed in indignation, only to receive a snort from their friend.

"'Cause I'm an Inuzuka. Duh."

Chouji smiled softly at his words as he picked up a piece of beef teriyaki. Before he ate it, though, he offered, "There's more to ninja life than just genjutsu or taijutsu, guys."

Kiba was currently hanging upside down from a tree branch while Sakura and Chouji sat on a large root that allowed them to see him without too much difficulty.

It was because of the angle they were in that Chouji was able to see how Kiba suddenly tensed and his eyes narrowed, worry striking him.

Chouji was about to ask what was wrong with him when he heard a branch snapping beneath someone's foot.

Immediately, Kiba jumped down to stand in front of him and Sakura, all the while both of them stood up and moved to back the Inuzuka up.

Their defensive reactions were for nothing, though. The warmly smiling face of Kiba's father appeared from the dense foliage around them, his two dogs padding behind him softly.


"The Forest of Death… I should have known this was where you kids spent your days."

Sakura liked Kiba's father. He was a very nice man that would sometimes bring them sweets if his job at the hospital didn't have him too busy. Although, recently, Daichi Inuzuka had not been as kind as she had grown accustomed to him being in the past few years. He had not brought them any sweets in a while and he didn't seek them out too much.

Even though Kiba would never admit it, Sakura knew that this was something that really bothered him.

"Forest of Death?" She asked quietly, head cocking to the side, "Is that this place's name?"

Daichi's left eye was soft and kind, just like the smile on his lips.

"Did Kiba never tell you kids about how dangerous this place is?" He asked, voice slightly exasperated, but mostly fond.

It was weird to suddenly hear him sounding like this… The last times Sakura had seen him, the man had been frowning in clear frustration. Of course, that had been when she'd seen him having to go down to the Academy to answer for Kiba's behavior, but… it was still weird to see him happy.

"Wasn't necessary. I know all the safe places. As long as they don't veer off from where I tell 'em to go, they'll be safe." Sakura heard Kiba murmur as he shrugged his shoulders, then her friend asked, "Dad, what're you doing here?"

Sokudo and Chikara walked up to her to sniff her and allow her to pet them. Then, once they had finished receiving the pets they wanted, they moved on to Chouji to repeat the process. As the large dogs did this, Daichi sat himself over on a large root in front of the one they had been using as their seats.

"Finally got a break at the hospital. I decided to hunt you down and find out where it is that you always disappear to."

The Inuzuka continued talking together, but Sakura was much too caught up wondering over Daichi's words. The Forest of Death? That didn't really sound like a place she should be frequenting…

"I overheard your conversation, by the way." Daichi suddenly sounded more energetic than before, and when Sakura looked at him, it was to see his eye positively twinkling. "And Chouji's right, there is more to being a ninja than just taijutsu or genjutsu. Have you kids forgotten about the important role medics' play?"

"W-well, no, Sir." Chouji mumbled softly as he picked at his bit of teriyaki. "But we haven't really been taught anything about medical ninjutsu in the Academy… Yet."

"Seriously?" Daichi asked, sounding legitimately surprised. "I already knew lots of stuff by the time I was your age... Well, do you kids want to learn a bit about it? I've got time off from the hospital."

Kiba, for once, didn't make the decision for his friends. Instead he glanced back at each of them, silently asking them if they wanted to.

Sakura didn't know about Chouji, but learning medical ninjutsu from an actual medic sounded like one of the best opportunities she would ever be given in her life. Especially from a medic that had as good a reputation in the field and in the hospital as Kiba's father.

It seemed Chouji shared the sentiment, because Kiba breathed out softly and nodded, "Sure, dad."

"Good! Now, pack up. I've got books over at the house; I can teach you there."

A trip to Kiba's house?

Were they really about to go to Kiba's house?

Sakura turned to look at Chouji, only to find that his eyes were just as wide as her own.

They were going to finally get to see Kiba's house!

Wasting no time, she packed up all of the snacks they had not eaten and pulled the strap of her bag over her head so she could carry the food without difficulty. With that finished, she smiled at Daichi, excited over finally being able to see Kiba's house.

The fact that all of their food was clearly too much for them to properly eat without chancing stomach aches was never mentioned. Daichi merely smiled at all of them as he waited for them to pack up the loot Sakura seriously hoped he wouldn't question as to where they had gotten it from.

They had never seen his house before. He'd never invited them over and Sakura's mother had always told her that she couldn't invite herself over to other's people's houses, no matter how much she really wanted to go.


When they entered his house, Kiba did his best to hide the wince he really wanted to release.

His friends were immediately met by all of the dogs they kept inside of the house. With wagging tails, dogs from all corners of the house ran up to the door to greet the visitors they'd wanted to come visit them for two years now.

There was a reason why Kiba never invited his friends over. And it wasn't just the dogs.

The Inuzuka Clan Compound wasn't like the Akimichi or Nara ones. It was a large stretch of forest, like the Nara, but the buildings were rugged and built for sturdiness, not beauty. And, unlike Sakura's clean, really nice house, the houses here weren't taken care of to be nice looking. They were taken care of to last and to keep roofs above the heads of the members of the Clan.

In his eyes, his home was embarrassing when compared to the ones his friends lived in. It was broken down, ugly, and filled with people that were just as embarrassing and humiliating as the rest of his home.

Scratch and bite marks were the norm, dog fights and shouting matches their entertainment, and things being in their place by being out of place was the decorations. There was no beauty to be found here. Just disorder and chaos of the worst kind.

"Just follow me, kids." Daichi called out among the barking and loud panting as he formed a path through the excited dogs, "The study's on the second floor."

Kiba closed the door quietly behind him as his friends animatedly pet the dogs that sought the most attention. He shuffled his feet as he waited for them to follow his father, suddenly feeling much too small.

He knew his friends liked him. He knew they considered him pack. But he was terrified of them judging him for the conditions he and his Clan lived in.

He'd never cared about this kind of thing before he'd gone to their houses. If he had brought them here before he'd gotten to know them, he was sure that he would feel no kind of embarrassment now. But he hadn't. And he knew how clean and quiet their homes were. So he knew that they most probably wouldn't be the biggest fans of his house.

After his father and friends had gone to the second floor, Kiba still remained by the front door. He was frowning softly, a heavy feeling of despair nestled deep in his stomach. He didn't know if it was right to call it despair... But he was terrified. His stomach felt heavy, and he knew that it wasn't because of the stolen food.

"Pup! You comin' along?"

"In a minute!" He called back, then took a shaky breath and pushed away the snouts of dogs that wanted him to pet them. "G'way." He hissed out, only to receive a growl for his troubles.

He loved his dogs. But sometimes, he just wished he was a normal kid without ties to an insane Clan like the one he did belong to.

With a heavy sigh, the young boy dropped the bags of loot, hissed at his dogs that whoever took them would find an unholy amount of fleas on their fur, and trudged his way up to a place he certainly did not want to go to.

When he arrived at his father's study, it was to find the incredibly messy area covered in dogs, books, and two chairs utilized by his friends as his father dug through his favorite chest so he could find whatever boring book it was that he wanted to find.


"Now, medical ninjutsu is a very delicate yet completely important brand of jutsu that can be the difference between life and death in the field. A team of shinobi out on a mission without a member that knows medical jutsu is a team destined to death. Have I been understood?"

Both he and Sakura nodded eagerly at Daichi's question, but Kiba merely rolled his eyes.

Chouji couldn't understand why it was that his friend was acting so oddly. It really was nothing like him to have such little interest and energy in anything he did. Especially considering how it was his father that was giving them the lessons... Wasn't he supposed to be really happy over them finally being able to see more about his life?

... Maybe he hadn't wanted them to come here in the first place? Clan Compounds weren't really places were non-Clan affiliated people would hang out. The Akimichi didn't mind Kiba and Sakura going in there all of the time because they were his great friends. But just because his Clan didn't mind it didn't mean that the Inuzuka were the same.

For all it was worth, though, Chouji liked the Inuzuka Compound. There was a sense of freedom and happiness around here... But that may have just been what he assumed because of how happy all of the dogs that had greeted them earlier had seemed.

"The most important requirement for a medical ninja is to have a steady hand. Shaky hands in the middle of a procedure make any kind of procedure a thousand times more difficult. So the most important thing to first learn when beginning training for medical ninjutsu is how to maintain a steady hand under all circumstances. That is what you will start on today."

Kiba's father's smile was kind and assuring. His eye was bright and eager. And Chouji had never seen him looking as happy before as he did now.

Maybe he liked teaching people about his profession?

Sakura raised her hand and made Daichi point to her and ask, "Yes, Pinkie?"

She pulled a face at the nickname that Kiba had given her, but quickly asked what it was that she had in her mind, "How are we supposed to learn how to keep a steady hand? And should we even begin to learn? We're already pretty advanced enough in the Academy..."

Daichi smiled broadly at this, "And it's great that you three have such great grades. Don't worry, though. The more you know, the better equipped you are to be an active ninja." Then he looked down at the books he had pulled out of the chest and picked one in specific, opened it, and showed them a page that showed a drawing of a person performing different exercises. "You train by acquiring strength. First, push ups."

"What? Physical labor? Dad!"

"Drop and give me twenty, pups."

Kiba growled while Daichi smiled. Sakura merely shrugged at Chouji and found a place to set up and begin to do her push ups.

Chouji followed after her in very little time. Even though he had no idea just how in the world doing push ups would help them gain steady hands, he was sure that Daichi wouldn't have them doing such a thing without a reason. So he'd do as he was asked.

Kiba growled and hissed at his father for a couple of seconds before he huffed and joined them on the floor.


By the time they had finished with all of the exercises Kiba's father set out for them, Sakura felt as if her arms could fall off. She wasn't completely certain just how in the world her grip was supposed to become steadier if she couldn't even properly feel her hands. But Daichi smiled at all of them with a glint of pure pride in his eyes that she could not ignore. He had never looked like this before, and, quite frankly, it felt as if she'd just gone through the greatest, most grueling training regime and ended up on top.

"What you kids have just done aids in building strength. A strong hand goes- and pardon the pun- hand in hand with a steady one. Strength gives you the best base to keep a good balance in your work." As he said this, the man began to flip through the pages of the very book he'd opened before to show them the exercises. Now he opened it on a page with the drawing of a person writing something. "Now, onto the steady bit of your workout."

Once again, Sakura raised her hand. Once again, Daichi smiled at her and nodded for her to speak up. "This is really fun, really... But shouldn't we learn at least a little bit about medical ninjutsu before we actually start working on it? We could maybe not like it and then all of the training would have been for nothing..."

"Not at all. Just like taijutsu and genjutsu, knowledge in medical ninjutsu should be enforced in every ninja." It was odd... The man's smile stayed in place... But it didn't look as happy as it had before. "Knowing how the body works and how to aid in healing it, even in the most rudimentary of ways, can be the difference between life and death in the field without a proper medical ninja on your team."

He closed the book he had opened now and looked over the large piles of books and scrolls scattered all around, keen eye running over the spines at a speed that Sakura found breathtaking.

Daichi Inuzuka was one fast man.

"Here it is." He smiled broadly as he pulled out a scroll from the dredges of a pile- an area that Sakura would never even have thought she would find anything of importance. "But I won't tell you you're wrong in telling me you should know something before you start up on practicing this skill. Here's the same scroll I used to begin training back in my pre-genin days. How about you all look it over? Then, if you're really interested, you can come back to me and I can properly teach you everything you need to know."

He offered her the scroll and Sakura blinked down at it, her brain working rather hard to make a connection between his words, his actions, and what he wanted her to do. It took Kiba nudging her with his elbow for her to finally move. And then it took a couple of seconds more to grab the offered scroll and hold it in both her hands.

Medical training... It had always sounded pretty cool to her. Being able to save her teammates out in the rush of battle? What better way to keep her friends safe, right?

Iruka Sensei had told them that they would be able to become specialized in their skills later on in their years, if they so wished- after they were genin. At the moment they just had to focus on understanding the basics.

Wouldn't having a great medic like Kiba's father helping them learn, though, be one of the greatest opportunities a medical ninja-in training could ever get?

"Now, would you kids like something to eat before you leave?"

"Nope. We got that covered." Kiba suddenly piped in, moving quickly to leave his father's study. "Come on, guys. Let's split."

Sakura stared after her friend's retreating form, completely caught off guard by his hurried movements. Why was he acting so oddly today? Hadn't it been a good day?

The pink haired girl made a checklist of the good things that had happened in the day:

1. They were able to meet up with each other at the break of dawn, which had meant they would spend a lot more than just a couple of hours together.
2. Taijutsu training with Kiba in Chouji's backyard had meant that they had gotten to practice this skill and not fall behind on it.
3. Lunch from Chouji's father. Delicious. Dessert from Chouji's mother. Breath taking.
4. Came up with a plan to steal meat and sweets from the vendor's market and it had gone off without a hitch- miraculously enough.
5. Finally, they had been given this little training session from Daichi and had finally been able to see Kiba's house.

Blinking at the mental list she had made, Sakura could honestly not see just why Kiba was in such a foul mood.

The Inuzuka Compound was exactly what she had pictured in her mind. And, quite frankly, she loved it. There were dogs everywhere, there didn't seem to be any rules to impress guests with faked politeness and grace, and it was nice to be in a place where it didn't seem to matter that she was a civilian. Daichi and the dogs still had treated her rather nicely.

Daichi sighed heavily, immediately catching Sakura's attention.

Suddenly, the man didn't look as happy as he once had. If anything, when she turned to look at him, he seemed as if he had just finished a long work day that had drained him of all energy.

"Are... Are you okay?" She asked softly, which earned her a sad, lopsided smile.

"Of course. It's... I'm just worrying over my son, is all." He admitted, standing up. He looked over at Chouji and ushered him to stand up, then at Sakura. And once they were standing up, he led them outside of his study. "Kiba is a good kid. But I just have no idea how to reach him... But it's nothing for you kids to worry about."

He suddenly stopped walking, a glossy look in his eyes. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes, then over at Chouji in a slight panic.

Was this normal? Were people supposed to suddenly freeze like this? Was he in trouble?

Chouji looked just as confused as she did.

"Listen up, honorary pups."

Sakura didn't even try to suppress the relieved sigh that left her when Daichi began to move again.

The man knelt down so he was mostly at eye-level with them, offering them both a sad smile before he continued to speak. "You kids are Kiba's greatest friends. I value that. And I value the loyalty you three show each other. Promise me one thing?" He didn't even wait for them to properly respond. "Don't ever forget that you're Kiba's pack. Can you do that for me?"

There was a pained look in his only visible eye that made Sakura's heart squeeze uncomfortably.

"But..."

"What's the hold up?"

Daichi squeezed them both on one shoulder, smiled, and stood up to face his son. "Nothing, pup." Now he pushed them both towards Kiba and the stairs, "Now on your way you go. Don't get in any trouble, you hear? And Kiba?"

Kiba looked at him with a cross between a glare and a sneer and Sakura had only ever seen her friend looking like this when around people he didn't like. But there was no way he didn't like his father. No way. None. Nope. Not possible.

"I won't tell your mother how you spent this day. But don't make a bad habit."

Sakura's heart dropped.

He knew!


Kiba's eyes widened and he tried to keep an unimpressed look on his face. He nodded, though, and turned around, signaling for his friends to follow.

Of course his father would know that the food they had with them was stolen. He was a great tracker, after all. And to reach the Forest of Death from the hospital, the shortest route would be to go through the market. If he had taken that route, then he must have heard about the three unknown hellions that had managed to steal supplies.

But he wouldn't tell his mother. And that saved him from a beating.

When they were finally far away from his home, Kiba was able to breathe easier.

His home was embarrassing. It was broken down, his father was weird, and his dogs were overwhelming. He knew that Sakura and Chouji wouldn't call him out on any of this because they were too nice... But... Hopefully, they wouldn't stop being his friends. And if they didn't, then he would just never let them go back to his house to make sure they didn't have a reason to stop being his friends.

They walked in silence. Sakura had opened up the scroll his father had given to her after they had crossed the threshold between Inuzuka land and the rest of Konoha. She'd immediately lost herself in learning, which had left Chouji and Kiba with nothing much to say. Chouji had then busied himself with listening to Sakura whenever she blurted out anything she found important about learning the basics.

He didn't understand why anyone would want to be a medic. It wasn't an exciting life. And it could mean being cooped up all day in a hospital. Even though his father loved that life, Kiba could never see himself actually ever holding someone's life in his life. Especially if it meant having to work in the worst hell hole in the world- the hospital.

"This is all extremely fascinating!" Even though he'd never admit it out loud, Kiba loved it whenever Sakura got like this.

Passion was something he knew how to value. And Sakura's passion burned like no other when she found something that was actually worth her time. Whenever she got like this about their taijutsu lessons, Kiba felt something within himself screaming at him to push and become even better. Because if Sakura could be so impassioned, he could too.

"It does look pretty cool." Chouji admitted, "But I'm not sure an Akimichi would be the right person for this kind of thing..."

"Nonsense, Chouji! If Kiba's father can be great, you can too! We'll all be great!"

Kiba wanted to tell her to slow her roll; what is this we you're talking about? Because he certainly would not be wasting his time on medical ninjutsu.

But he didn't say it. Because he knew that, just as Sakura could be greatly impassioned over certain things, that passion didn't necessarily last the test of time. She'd once felt strongly over history and becoming a logistics ninja. Then she wanted to be the greatest taijutsu specialist in the world. Then a genjutsu specialist. Now a medical ninja.

This was just another phase she was to go through before she actually found something that stuck.

"How about we go back to our hideout for target practice?" He offered after a couple more minutes of wandering around aimlessly while listening to Sakura and Chouji whispering to themselves. "We have to be perfect for the Old Man."

They agreed without needing much more convincing.

..~..~..

Hope you all enjoyed this! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!