Whomever saw Iruka that evening did their utmost best to not get in his way. The teacher was on warpath. The Third Hokage saw civilians and shinobi alike flatten themselves against the walls wherever the furious Chuunin went and sighed behind his window. He knew only his rank and the respect of Iruka towards him- damaged it may be now, kept him off the man's hitlist.

(He knew exactly who was on that list and he wondered if Inoichi Yamanaka could be bribed into taking Ibiki's work after the latter was mauled by Iruka.)

He sat down on his creaky chair and reached under his desk for the extra strong sake Tsunade send every now and then as a sign of life. It was also a bribe to get his help to prevent a diplomatic brawl over something she drunkenly caused. Again. He poured himself a generous cup and settled to wait for the panicking Chuunin to run in his office. Again.

Below, in the dingy streets of Konoha's grimy suburbs, Iruka made several right turns and burst through a Genjutsu with vengeance. He knew the route by heart and his hyper-focus combined with his raging chakra kept the ANBU off his path.

The door to the secluded bar was plastered with paper seals and wrapped in wire. One corner hid behind pages of a Make Out Paradise book and the other had a lovely rose. Iruka suffered a minor burn to the palm of his hand as he pushed too much chakra in the recognition-seal pasted on by Kushina Uzumaki herself and hissed in pain. It took a few extra codewords to unlock the door and he cursed under his breath as he went through the correct keys. The lock opened with a soft click.

With a grunt, he finally slammed the door open. The room fell silent. In a shadowy corner, shielded with a variety of bottles, sat his target. Iruka clenched the file in his hand tighter and marched to the corner.

"IBIKI!"

Said man jolted and a shot glass went flying. It crashed against the ceiling and bits of glass and vodka dripped down. Ibiki turned around for help but all the Jonin and Chuunin coincidentally had their backs turned towards him or just ignored him. So much for protecting comrades. Iruka stormed towards him, Killer Intent rolling off him in waves.

Ibiki clenched his jaw.

There was only one topic that the man would want to yell at him about. And indeed, Iruka looked straight in Ibiki's eyes and held up a file. One that the Jonin had written himself no less than four hours before. It was wrinkled now, the cover bent to reveal Ibiki's handwriting.

"What the hell did you do to those kids?!" Iruka slammed the file down on the bar. The wood groaned. Ibiki stared at the file with thinly veiled despair. The drunk part of his brain urged him to open it and see if the words had changed. The sober part told him to buckle up and get ready to be skinned alive.

By now the other shinobi had stopped pretending and were gathered around them. Ibiki saw the faces of his friends through a blurry haze that was either alcohol or exhaustion. He had been hearing bad news all day long, apart from the moment he saw the girls exit the forest alive, and it made him feel disgusting.

His coat was abandoned at the dry-cleaners, where he had paid extra to get rid of the terrible, nauseating scent of burned flesh. Ibiki had taken two showers, one at the T&I office and one at his small apartment, and he almost felt like he was back at his early days as interrogator.

In the blur that was the hour between dropping the girls off at the hospital, getting chewed out by the medic-nin in charge, and arriving at the Hokage tower for his report, Ibiki felt the ground tilt under his feet. He knew he would feel guilty right from the minute he told them to meet at the damned forest, but seeing the three twelve-year-olds passed out on hospital beds made his stomach lurch. Somehow, his treacherous brain had connected them to a mental construction of his little brother with gruesome wounds.

The Hokage had listened to his report and told him that he was to treat them well and act as a proper sensei. Ibiki swallowed a scream and requested for a week off. He went to the office, then to his house before his feet dragged him back to the hospital. He stayed there slumped on a chair until a nurse gently chased him out. He then went to the bar and had been ordering drinks ever since.

Ibiki was tough and the nature of his job always led him to be careful around alcohol or drugs lest he might reveal something. Today, he didn't give a damn. He was pretty sure the bartender filled his glasses with tonic water, but he wasn't going to call him out on it. He didn't have the energy. The other Jonin and Chuunin had given him odd looks but had not questioned him.

Not until the Academy teacher had stormed in, of course. Ibiki could feel Kakashi's gaze on him and even Guy looked serious for a change. He didn't dare to look at Kurenai. Young and inexperienced but still a deadly shinobi with the tendency to hold grudges and take personal offense to adults hurting children.

"I- They passed." He eventually answered, carefully evading the blazing eyes.

"Passed?" Iruka hissed, and yes, Ibiki was going to die now, "How was this a test?!"

The room fell into a tense silence. The last time anyone had heard him this enraged before was when Naruto had collapsed with fever and and no one had noticed for two whole days. Asuma, sensing danger, stepped forward and pushed the seething teacher away from the Jonin. Ibiki swallowed. He felt naked and unprotected without his coat.

"Iruka, calm yourself." Asuma held a firm hand on the shoulder of the shorter man and faced the other. "I suggest you tell us what happened before I let him go."

Ibiki signaled the barkeeper for another round and sighed. "Like I said before, I had to test them, just like you. However, because of Chi-" He trailed off and gratefully accepted the large glass from the barkeeper. He wanted to get totally wasted. His throat and stomach protested but he shut them up. "-it became more of a punishment to them."

"How come?" Asuma's grip on Iruka had not lessened one bit, "You said B-rank, right?"

Iruka's eyes grew wide at that. Asuma send a stern look at the younger man. Ibiki bit back his anger.

"Lord Danzo..." He managed before gulping half of it down, "He planned it."

The temperature plummeted. All the shinobi went tense. Kakashi's eye was narrowed, even as he was still seated behind his table with his book in hand, "Is it because of her bloodline?"

"Bloodline?" Genma interrupted, alarmed, "Hang on a second, I thought the Ketsueki just had some weird clan jutsus?"

He looked between the Jonin. Ibiki's expression turned grim, but he focused on his beer for now. Kakashi looked at Ibiki, who determinedly continued to poison his liver, and closed his book with a snap. When he spoke, his voice was slow and calculating, "They have a bloodline. Not much is known about it, but their bodies allow them to do pretty much everything with blood."

"How does that even work?" Genma all but cried out, running a hand through his hair. Not all Jonin were privy to all the classified files and he had definitely not been visiting the archive since his last D-rank. He should probably change that now.

Iruka paled when the name of Danzo was mentioned and collapsed on a chair. "Crap. He wants to make sure that all loose ends are gone."

Ibiki nodded, his eyes dark, "Ketsueki are strange people- or were. They were only loyal to people they choose with a general exception of the Hokage. They were... Well, crazy. There was something wrong with most of them but no one could tell what it was. I'm surprised Chi is so collected, to be honest."

Iruka waved his hand wearily, "Severe trauma and neglect, Inoichi-san already told me that during her psych-evaluation. Same thing with Sasuke and Naruto. It just manifests differently."

The shinobi let that sink in for a moment. They had their fair share of trauma themselves, some more than the other. Kakashi felt uncomfortable as he always did when dealing with emotions.

Genma looked between the group, "So how does their bloodline work?"

"Ah that," Ibiki began, scratching his head, "well they drink your blood and then they can control you."

Genma's face went white. Kakashi felt the need to intervene,

"Maa, it's not that simple," -it actually was- " they use the chakra-residue in your blood to connect it with their own chakra which is completely mixed with their blood. Then they- ah, control you..." he finished lamely.

Iruka rolled his eyes and mouthed 'Good job' at him. Kakashi opened his book again with an indignant huff. Genma ordered a cocktail, his guilty pleasure (Inoichi called it his 'emotional support beverage'). It was pink, fluffy, sweet and as strong as hospital-grade disinfectant.

Ibiki spared Kakashi a brief glance, before clarifying, "It's a bit more complicated than that. They can control you, but they can also provide you with chakra and communicate through blood. There are records of an ANBU who was basically a human-charger for his squad."

"What happened to him?" Asuma wondered.

Ibiki grimaced, "Drained his teammates after they bullied him."

Genma, just returning from the bar, made a U-turn and ordered another cocktail. To everyone's surprise, it was Guy who spoke up next,

"The clan was slaughtered one year after the Uchiha, if I remember correctly. They say it was an inside job as well."

The spandex-clad man had never looked this serious before out of a battle and it unnerved several of his friends. Kakashi remembered that day. Both of them actually. As elite of the village and still in the ANBU at the time, he got send out to both compounds after the massacres. He didn't get in the Ketsueki-district, no one did, but the scent of blood was enough to confirm the deaths.

"Yeah, the clan elder brutally killed all of the members inside the district with the exception of Chi." Iruka sighed and massaged his forehead. All the fight had left his body, "Before, she used to be much like the other clan members. Always scaring her classmates with her jutsu and driving us teachers mad."

He paused wistfully, "Then the massacre happened and she became quiet. She had already befriended Naruto and helped him with his pranks sometimes. She helped him with a lot of things..."

Kakashi made a mental note of that. He also decided to re-read the files he got on his students. He probably missed a few bits about their psychology as he tended to instinctively skip that word. Certain things he could guess, like Naruto's mismatched vocabulary or Sasuke's anger that always simmered just below the surface. If any of those files contained any hints how to help Sasuke with his trauma, Kakashi would take it.

Iruka sat up and looked at Ibiki, "Did you know she has an eidetic memory?"

Ibiki paused with a fresh glass halfway to his face, "No? I thought she was second-last of the entire class."

"Well," Iruka slumped forward again and scratched at his scar, "she is but that's not because she doesn't know the answers. She can memorize an entire book in minutes but all that information just gets lost somewhere in her mind. It's really unfortunate."

Ibiki nodded slowly to himself. He was sure the combined genius of Nara and Yamanaka could work up an exercise in sorting Chi's memories. He just needed the right bribe for each.

"So what did you do to them, Ibiki?" Asuma asked, bringing the previous subject back. The shinobi had seated themselves in a semi-circle around Ibiki's table. The latter felt like a conductor of sorts.

He finished his glass and answered, "I had to break them and make sure that they would never become shinobi."

Kurenai frowned, "To some degree I get trying to keep Chi out of the Corps- I still don't agree with the methods- but what about the other two girls?"

"They were just unfortunate enough to end up with Chi in their team." Ibiki sighed, "I made them gather in front of the Forest of Death at midnight and had a trio of undercover ANBU chase them. I was hoping that they would get too scared and run off, failing the test. But they stayed and put up a good performance. So... I had to comply with Danzo's plan."

Ibiki's only pleasure was that he didn't have to call the man with the honorific. His fingers clenched around the glass, cracking it. With a morose glance, he dropped it and fought the urge to fiddle with the edge of the file still on the table. Just say it, Ibiki. He forced his eyes up and met Asuma's worried stare.

"The girls got captured and trapped in a torture cell."

Kurenai's eyes widened and she grabbed a pale-faced Asuma's arm for support. Kakashi sat frozen in his chair. The words hung in the air. Ibiki pushed the file away with a scowl, "The ANBU tortured them for two days before they had to change plans."

Iruka's eyes snapped up, that part hadn't been in the report. It was an off-the-records report from Yatshushi to Ibiki. Ibiki nodded gravely before continuing,

"Chi managed to severely injure Owl and had to be knocked out. Then they were put under Genjutsu. That lasted for another two days before Chi, again, used one of her clan's jutsu and made Owl help them escape. Owl got knocked out by rubble. The kids escaped and I went to meet them. Shinji was the one who figured it all out." Smart kid, that one.

"And now?" Kakashi asked carefully. He wasn't even pretending to be distracted.

"Now..." Ibiki trailed off, thinking of the three little figures in the beds and felt his stomach clench again, "Ryuya has been healed for as far as possible but it's bad. We'll need someone on Tsunade-sama's level to get her back to her previous state. She has third- and fourth-degree burns and needed a skin transplantation. Her muscle tissue has been partly destroyed and they almost had to amputate her arms and legs. Her parents are lucky that they don't have to pay the hospital bill."

"How did they respond?" Kurenai asked softly.

Ibiki shrugged, "They want to kill me, as expected."

A lot of people did, but very few deserved it like they did. He ran a hand over his face before continuing, "Shinji will have many scars and suffers from severe loss of blood, but she'll be fine. She had some infections but they got taken care of too. Her parents were an odd bunch. Like... Dolls. Stiff and her father was extremely white."

Ibiki frowned, "They must have had some sort of training because her father's chakra was above ordinary civilian levels."

"Samurai." Iruka supplied, "Maybe some obscure clan somewhere?"

Ibiki hummed and leaned back.

"Chi's case is just strange." He turned his glass, making a droplet inside twirl around.

"They even had to wake her up for an explanation. Apparently, she can prevent any wound on her body from bleeding. It's not even a conscious thing, it's her body's automatic response. Her skin can renew itself, like a snake."

Anko stiffened at that and took a swig of whatever potent concoction she had the bartender make her. Ibiki send her an apologizing glance and she flipped him off. He huffed quietly.

"Chi will suffer from psychosomatic pains and loss of muscle control." Ibiki continued, "Too many damaged nerves and stuff. Chi herself told me that her other injuries will recover over time. Her chakra is doing most of the work anyway."

"She does have a lot of chakra." Iruka mused but his eyes were somber.

Silence fell over the room. The Jonin and Chuunin were lost in thoughts. Not many of them had worked closely with a Ketsueki before but the ones who did, regretted it. Now these kids would experience why and it was up to the Jonin teachers to keep them sane.

"What are you going to do now?" Kurenai broke the silence.

Ibiki stared in his glass and when he looked up, a tiny smile formed on his lips,

"I am going to create a trio of tiny, psychotic little demons who will give Danzo a heart attack every time they get within a ten meter of him. They will be the most dangerous weapon in T&I, aside from Anko." he added hastily as the latter rose to protest. She gave a thumbs up and stole Ebisu's beer.

"Is that a challenge?" Kakashi's eye curved up and Ibiki just knew that the masked man was grinning.

"If my rival takes this challenge, then I must also do so!" Guy declared and struck his signature pose, "My team shall give Lord Danzo two heart attacks upon sight! If they can't, I shall run two hundred laps around Konoha whilst juggling five kunai, with my feet!"

The room groaned but no one was really bothered. The tension was relieved. Iruka was no longer on warpath and Ibiki could breathe a little.

"We'll see about that, Guy." Asuma grinned and lit up a cigarette. It was plucked out from between his lips almost instantly by Kurenai (who nodded coolly) and she soaked it in his drink. The room burst out in laughter.

Genma looked at the shinobi gathered through the hazy mist that always appeared when he drank his favorite cocktail. The uneasiness they all felt when they thought of this year's rookies was understandable. After all, they consisted of various clan heirs, a jinjuuriki, the last loyal Uchiha and the last known member of a creepy clan. These Chuunin exams were going to be the most exciting ones in years he thought, before he fell over, right into Kakashi's lap.

Later that night, after everyone had left for the comfort of their homes, Ibiki received a message from an ANBU. Some unknown ninja had tried to get in the Ketsueki compound but hadn't counted on the thousands of traps and alarms. The boy was found struggling his way up a ditch filled with hollow stakes. Why the stakes were hollow was a question no one wanted an answer to. It was reported that the ninja was taken to the T&I building and it was up to Ibiki to get an explanation out of him.

Ibiki sighed and pulled a spare coat on. He wouldn't get much sleep tonight and tomorrow he was going to the hospital for a visit before going out to gather information on teaching a Genin trio. Because he sure as hell wasn't going to fail them. Or scare them to the point where they would go to Anko for advice. Definitely not Anko...

He crossed the dark streets swiftly and without a second glance. It was time to prove once again, why he led the interrogation unit.

Apartments of the Jonin-teachers, later~

Asuma stared at his headband. His own eyes looked back at him. Judgmental as always. His fingers closed around the metal plate. He had a photograph of Team 10 on his lap, all smiles of various levels of enthusiasm. He himself towering over the trio, trying to keep everyone in the frame.

His team was the latest generation of the Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi trio. They had enough training at home. He just had to be there for them. To train them in the general arts and to become their mentor. Easy enough right? At most, he would need to kick Shikamaru awake and moving. Or make sure no one mentioned the F-word around Choji. Of course he also had to keep Ino from neglecting her studies in favor of ogling boys.

Asuma grimaced and threw himself over his bed, pulling a pillow over his head. He was going to be fine. Just fine. Perfectly fine. Fine!

Kurenai thought so. She was new and inexperienced as a Jonin teacher, she knew that. But she had experience with being a mentor. She especially requested for the Hyuuga heiress to be in her team so that she could help her overcome her insecurity. The boys in her team didn't seem to be much trouble either. Sure, Kiba was a bit... Much. And Shino was a bit... Strange. And Hinata was just a tiny bit... Shy?

Nothing she couldn't fix. She had attended all the courses and memorized the files of the kids. She swore every morning since she met them that she was going to protect them with her life and teach them the Will of Fire. Yes, Kurenai would be fine.

A few blocks further in a tiny, dim apartment, Kakashi looked at his team's picture. His masks were down and he chewed on his pencil. Pakkun was no help at all, curled up on his only drool-free pillow. His notes were minimum. The files on each of his students were spread all around him. He had come to a few conclusions as the alcohol burned away.

Sakura needed a wake-up call. Sasuke needed a therapist. And his sensei's carbon copy needed some love.

He might be able to give Sakura what she needed, but he feared he'd end up pulling an Ibiki and scar the girl for life. She was studious and smart, but not mature enough to see what she was throwing aside for the affections of a boy.

He pulled their photo towards him again, studying their faces. Sasuke needed someone who could deal with the many layers of grief and anger the boy had bottled up inside. He was much like Kakashi in that regard.

Kakashi's eye lingered over Naruto's face, printed on their painstakingly taken team-photo. It actually hurt, seeing the embodiment of the love between two of Kakashi's most precious people. It hurt even more knowing that the kid grew up isolated with his only friend being another traumatized kid. It hurt that he was so ignorant of his heritage, that he didn't know who Kakashi was and that Kakashi was forced to face that fact every single day.

He looked at the other picture on his night-stand. It was the one with his own team. Team Minato. The Cursed Team. The mental image of the new Genin merged with the picture and took Kakashi's breath away. Those three can not become like us. Never ever. His eyes burned and he fought the urge to go and wash his hand.

He knew what was happening. He was spiraling again. The problem was, he didn't know how to stop. Kakashi swallowed and buried his fist in his mattress. How am I supposed to be their teacher? How can I of all people teach them about teamwork and friendship when I broke the most important promise in the worst way possible?

Kakashi fell on his bed with the picture clenched in his shaking hands. How can I?

Outside of his lonely apartment, the rainy night sky was giving way to a sunny morning, oblivious to the worries of the teachers.

It had been a long night not only for the Jonin, but for the hospital staff as well. The tallest of the trio of girls in the hospital had been relocated in the Intensive Care after a sudden drastic drop of her blood pressure.

After some investigating, it was discovered that her IV-drip had been replaced with a heavy sedative that was not known to the staff. All the signs showed an attempted murder. The nearby ANBU had immediately arrested the nurse who had entered her room last and barricaded the hospital.

It took five hours before Chi was deemed stable enough and in the meantime, the Hokage had barged in looking enraged. Ibiki had arrived shortly afterwards with a report and an angry glare at the ANBU guards, and left with the suspects in tow for another round of interrogation. The remaining people hoped that their colleagues (both ANBU and the nurse) would come out with just psychological damage.

The guards that were replaced with more refreshed ones, reported all their information to their captain and the Hokage. Said Hokage was rigid with anger. It was only after he was allowed inside the room of the girl when he calmed down. He entered and closed the door, leaving a bunch of elite shinobi sweating rivers with shaking legs behind. The nurses fainted on the spot.

Chi was laying on her back. If it wasn't for the bandages, infuses and the beeping machines, Hiruzen would have thought she was asleep. He sat on a nearby chair and looked at the girl. He was all too aware of the many complications in her past and present. And to top it off, she befriended Naruto, a boy with even more secrets.

I am getting too old for this.

"Hokage-sama?"

He looked up to see a nurse standing in the entrance.

"Yes?" He sat straighter. She bowed and walked in the room, a notepad pressed to her chest.

"Regarding the patient." Nurses and doctors in this section weren't allowed to disclose information to anyone without special permission. At least they did this right.

"We had her checked by a specialist after we discovered that her chakra reserves weren't restoring. It turns out that a portion of her chakra is constantly drained. We have checked her teammates as well and discovered that they both have a seal on their heads. We do not know the purpose of these seals and have no idea what kind of effect they have but they are still active because of the patient's chakra." She looked mightily apologetic.

Well, fu-

"Can you wake her up?" I need to interrogate a brat.

"Not without supervision, sir."

"Then get supervision this instant." Idiot.

The nurse jumped at the order and hurried away. Hiruzen sighed and looked at Chi's still form. This damned clan is more trouble then they're worth... And this is just one member. He had met plenty of her clans-men when they were still alive. There was only one he came to like and that was because the boy was an expert in diffusing arguments with his clan.

Supervision arrived in a record time of twenty seconds and stood there for a moment to catch his breath. The Hokage managed to not roll his eyes and gestured towards Chi, "Wake her up." Now please.

The man gulped and nodded "Y-yes, Hokage-sama."

He nodded again and quickly went to do something about the sleeping patient. They waited for a short while until her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes. Much to Hiruzen's relief, her eyes were the color of dried mud. She stared at the ceiling with a blank face.

"Good morning." He greeted her and signaled for the doctor to leave. The man complied and soon they were alone.

Chi's eyes moved to him, scanning him carefully. He felt her chakra coil around her like an thick snake. It was cold and bitter. No doubt that as an adult, Chi's Killer Intent would be enough to bring opponents down to their knees.

"H-hokage-sama...", her voice was croaky with disuse. She still had vivid bruises painted over her skin. Thick bandages were wrapped around her wrists and ankles and the room smelled of alcohol. Hiruzen's eyes softened.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.

Chi blinked at him. She looked around the room slowly before coming back to him. There was red hue appearing in her eyes. "G-good, I guess." She answered carefully.

"Slept well?"

She nodded, vaguely alarmed at this conversation. The Third cleared his throat and folded his hands on his lap. The seconds ticked by without a word. Chi was staring at him with wide eyes. She had always been skinny, one of those kids that just wouldn't gain any weight, but the few days without food had robbed her of whatever fat she had build. Hiruzen knew she didn't really need to eat, she just did for the sake of flavor, but the lack of food did affect her body.

"Eh," Chi finally began, "did- did you need something, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen smiled at her, "I heard you put a seal on your teammates?"

He could see the moment the memories arrived in Chi's brain because her mouth opened several times before she settled on: "Crap..."

"Is it something bad?" I swear, if it is I am so going to-

"No, no!" Chi coughed and continued "It's just- I thought- my teammate got captured and we released her. Then she told us that they wanted information about Sa- someone. So I placed a seal on them so that they wouldn't be able to tell anything."

Chi flushed under the stern gaze of the elderly man. She had almost slipped and revealed the name of her classmate. It had been one of the lessons from Iruka that stopped her just in time. The Hokage allowed an approving smile.

"So you prevented them from speaking about a certain somebody?" Is that even possible? Wait. Danzo did it too. Damn. The former ROOT operatives that were living freely now still weren't able to say anything about their lives there.

"Y-yes." She frowned for a moment and then nodded reassuringly.

Relieved, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. Honestly, too much trouble. "Can you remove the seals safely?" You'd better.

Chi perked up, "Of course! It's easy although..."

Don't you dare tell me you put a seal on your teammates that fried their brains because I can and will assign you to catch the demon cat for the rest of your career-

"They won't be able to stop thinking about that person for a good couple of days... As if it wasn't bad enough." she muttered darkly and Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle.

His poor, old heart calmed down again. You brat. What is wrong with you Ketsueki? Always finding new ways to scare the daylights out of me and potentially bring the Apocalypse to Konoha. "Then I'll make sure that you can remove them as soon as possible and then you can recover fully as well."

He reached out and patted her head. Cheeks flushing, Chi grinned weakly, "I'll be fine Hokage-sama. I am a Ketsueki after all."

"Yes. That is exactly why I am so worried." He replied blandly and left the spluttering girl to her own devices. The nurses and guards in the hall had assumed what they must have thought were neutral poses. Hiruzen gave them a long look and resolutely turned away. One frail looking nurse dropped the potted plant she was holding over her colleague's head. This was going to be the problem of a Nara.

In the stairway, he stumbled into a large bouquet of flowers that looked almost exactly like the ones the Yamanaka clan-head grew in his private gardens. The whole hall was filled with their perfume. Hiruzen peered around the the flowers to see Naruto's impish smile.

"Hello."

Naruto grinned cheekily, "Hi gramps, how are ya doing?"

The Third gave an indulging smile, "I am doing well, how are you?"

"Super great, y'know!" Naruto all but shouted back, "We did two missions today and I carried almost as many boxes as the super big builders there! Then Kakashi-sensei went to eat ramen with us, but he ran off before the bill arrived..." he trailed off dejectedly.

Hiruzen made a mental note to check with the mission desk, and then stepped around the boy and his giant bouquet.

"Nice flowers, Naruto." he commented lightly.

Naruto flushed deep red, "Yeah, they were... really expensive y'know."

For all that the boy was street-smart, he was a terrible liar. Not that it could have been any different, with his parents.

"Hmm," Hiruzen stepped passed him, "stealing is a crime, Naruto. I told you that."

Naruto's nose crinkled in distaste, "I didn't steal, I told Ino I was going to get some flowers from her."

Another mental note to check in with the Yamanaka's and pay them for the missing flora. Hiruzen nodded and left. Naruto breathed in relief and raced ahead. He passed Shinji's room on his way and decided to peek in.

Shinji was swathed in bandages but looked mostly fine as she babbled to the ANBU guard stationed on the side. There were heaps of flowers and books on the desk besides her. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the ANBU, he looked miserable.

The next room was Ryuya's and he could only tell because of the scent of icing sugar drifting from the room. Boxes filled with her family's pastries and cakes were stacked on her desk. Two young boys were playing in the corner, under the watching eye of a woman. Ryuya's bed was hidden behind a large, white tent. He could see Ryuya's silhouette behind the canvas.

The final room was Chi's and he burst in without bothering to knock. There were a lot more guards here but that was probably because the Hokage just visited this place. He slammed the door shut behind him and turned so he could look at Chi.

Chi was gawking at the flowers and dragged her eyes over to her friend, "Did you steal these?"

"Duh." Naruto laughed and dropped them on her bed. The little rope he had tied around the stems fell open and colorful flowers spread out over the pristine white sheet.

Chi eyed it with a frown, "It looks like I'm being buried."

"You are almost a vampire."

She slapped his arm when he got too close. Naruto plopped down in the chair and put his feet on her bed. "When are you going to be out?"

Chi shrugged and pointed at the notepad hanging from her bed, "It should say there."

Naruto didn't bother getting up and Chi leaned back as well, grimacing at the pulls of the needles in her arms. Without prompting, Naruto launched in a detailed tale of what he had been up to with his new team. Chi listened wistfully, momentarily forgetting the regular spasms running through her body. The bed was soft and the bandages were nothing like the chains of the cave. Her teammates were just down the hall. She was safe.

A series of snapshots of the following month~

Eventually, all the Genin team had to believe it and began their summers with a variety of chores spread over the village. Officially, they were doing missions, but after the first two 'missions' the excitement wore off. Their Jonin teachers meandered behind them and shared long-suffering glances whenever their paths crossed each other. The grumpy Genin trailing behind them traded insults with a passion that ran out in front of the Mission Desk.

Team 11 was discharged because there really wasn't much else the nurses could do for Ryuya and the other two recovered steadily. Chi removed the seals from her teammates, and the sudden surge of chakra got her on the blacklist of a Hyuuga-doctor. Ibiki somehow knew this would only be the first of a very long list of shinobi Chi could no longer go for help to.

Ibiki escorted them to the Mission Desk and witnessed the very moment his team realized they had graduated to become glorified servants. The joy it caused reached deep in his blackened soul and Ibiki finally knew why so many Jonin became a teacher. The punishment Iruka gave Shinji for swearing out loud was the cherry on top.

Their first mission was to deliver the post throughout the village. Ryuya couldn't do much physical activities so she sat at the top of the wagon, sorting through the mail, navigating and letting her team pull her ahead.

Team meaning Chi.

She was saddled with the heavy work because 'I let you drink my blood!' while Shinji delivered. Shinji's freshly scarred cheek drew attention from the civilians but she didn't let it bother her too much. Every time she felt like crying, she reminded herself that this was a battle scar. Besides, it could have been worse. Ryuya's arms and legs were wrapped in thick layers of gauze and Chi wore metal braces. At least her scar was cool.

Chi dug her heels in as Shinji returned from another house. The wagon was old and rusty and the wheels needed an extra push to turn properly. It moved with a loud creak when Shinji generously pushed from behind. The undercover ANBU assigned to watch over them in Ibiki's stead was enjoying the sunlight and reminiscing the days where he had to do the same chores. He did almost fall out of the tree when Shinji pointed at him and said, "Get down and help us. Please."

Chi glared at him with yellowing eyes and so the ANBU had to believe it too and dragged the wagon ahead.

Just outside the village, Team 7 waited for Naruto to reappear from the minefield the Inazuka bull had dragged him in. Sakura and Sasuke agreed that it was his own damn fault and Kakashi wondered how the kid managed to have his mother's personality without her intelligence. After the first two explosions left their ears ringing, the trio decided to call for their wayward teammate. The bull appeared first. His leash swung behind him with no one on the other end. All they could do at that point was pray for Naruto to turn up in one piece.

He did.

Eventually.

Kakashi decided not to offer to take the leash of the bull to save the kid's pride and surreptitiously pinched out a flame dancing on the blond hair. Sakura alternated between scolding and worrying over him. Sasuke stared between the enormous bull and his cable-sized muscles and Naruto's scrawny arms wrapped around the bull's neck and failed to do the math.

Team 10 was cleaning the house of a wealthy old lady that smelled like soap and wilted flowers. Ino had promoted herself to be the interior designer. No less than five curtains, four vases, a couch and two pillows were sacrificed in the quest to make the house look 'fancy-casual'. Choji naturally went for the kitchen and Shikamaru resigned himself to the bathroom. Asuma sipped at his sixth cup of jasmine tea while his body yearned for nicotine.

Team 8 had the honor of catching the cat of the Daimyo's wife. Kurenai decided not to tell them about the cat-candy they had received from the wife. It would be a valuable lesson in preparation for the screeching Genin.

In the evening, all the rookie Genin delivered their reports to the Hokage Tower and unanimously decided to wait for each other in front of the building. Shikamaru noted the strategical positions of Team 7, specially designed to keep Sasuke from walking off. Sasuke glared at the ground.

"Alright kiddos, we're done!" Asuma greeted them first. The Jonin were done with their reports as well and he personally couldn't wait to get out of his estranged father's sight. His fellow teachers followed him suit.

Kakashi, with his nose buried in his book, saluted, "Team 7, same place and same time tomorrow." -and he was gone.

Naruto made a face at the few leaves that drifted down on the empty spot and Sakura rolled her eyes. "If only he was on time as well."

Asuma chuckled and looked at the group, "Same goes for us."

He nodded at his team who barely paid him any attention. Kurenai slapped his arm and faced her group, who were actually looking at her.

"Let's gather at the gate at nine, okay?"

Akamaru barked and the rest nodded. The two Jonin left, Kurenai calm and Asuma sulking.

A cough got the attention of the Genin. Team 11 looked up at their sensei who just arrived. He was holding a copy of their report and frankly, looked amused. However, 'amused' on a face like his was just wrong. Amused on his face meant someone was dying a gruesome death, involving a cactus shoved somewhere it didn't belong and at least two fires. The Genin shuffled closer to one another, pushing Team 11 forward.

"You brats." Ibiki began, "You can't just put comments on the envelopes."

Shinji shrugged, "Sensei, we were helping those people!"

"You told four people to get a divorce!" Ibiki waved the paper. He requested a copy after reading it. Office wasn't always that exciting and this would certainly make his day.

"But sensei," Ryuya blinked up, "did you see what that last one looked like? I'm trying to help the future of Konoha."

"You're being a brat." Ibiki corrected. "You need to apologize to them."

Shinji's cheeks were bright red. Chi looked uncomfortable. Ibiki frowned, "What's wrong?"

Chi looked at Shinji and then at Ryuya before clearing her throat, "Eh, we had more reasons..."

"And?" Ibiki urged when it became clear that was all they were planning to give. He must have used his serious tone because suddenly all the Genin were very tense. Shinji deflated like a balloon,

"They were cheating with each other!" she burst, "The wife of number 5 with the husband of number 12."

Ibiki allowed himself a moment to let that sink in before nodding, "Alright, that makes sense then."

The girls looked up in surprise. He continued, "But what about this one,"

He held up their report and read out loud,"Please stop wearing red, it makes you look like a boiled lobster."

Ibiki rose his eyebrows and the girls shuffled. Behind them, Ino and Kiba were biting their fists. Naruto didn't bother and just laughed, forgetting about his own adventure today.

"She really does!" Shinji claimed, eyes wide like dinner plates, 'I thought she was wearing a costume at first."

Ibiki shook his head. The entire report was filled with these things. This was just their first month. They could only be described with one word,

"Hopeless." He flicked his wrist and left.

"What did he do?" Chouji wondered out loud. Even Sasuke looked up at the move.

"It's sign language."Chi explained, "Ibiki-sensei is teaching us so that we can work at the office better."

"Office as in the ANBU headquarters?" Shikamaru drawled, eyes sharp.

Ryuya nodded and shrugged, "It's just paperwork. Nothing special."

She send a glance at Sasuke. It never reached him because Chi intercepted it and returned it with a glare. Ryuya stuck her tongue out but didn't look again.

"Who cares!" Naruto shouted, "Let's go eat!"

Agreements rose from the group.

"Together?" Ino asked hopefully.

HELL YES! Now I can eat with Sasuke-kun! Was the collective thought of three girls. Sakura, surprising herself, was the only one of the regular Sasuke-fan-girls that didn't share the joy. She looked at the grumpy boy and only felt a pang of disappointment.

"Yeah! The more the merrier!" Kiba exclaimed.

"But no ramen!" Sakura hurriedly added, ignoring Naruto's crestfallen face while she examined Sasuke's expression. He was still here and didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, but his face was closed off as always. Inner Sakura sighed in relief.

The past two weeks had been strange. It was obvious to everyone that Naruto was trying his hardest to not insult Sasuke and he kept biting his tongue near her. Kakashi even asked him if he was constipated. After some needling he finally admitted that Chi had threatened to burn his ramen-supply if he didn't play nice with his team.

Sakura had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised by the blond, though he was still loud. Very loud. Sasuke had yet to say a kind word to either of them. It irked Inner, much to the shock of both Sakura's. Kakashi had worded her feelings and all Sasuke could say was that they were annoying. Kakashi had not been very happy with him.

The raven haired boy had to run around the training ground during lunch after that. Still, Sasuke claimed that it was a better way to spend his time instead of talking with them.

Naruto had all but exploded afterwards and had taken to punching holes in a tree. He leveled the massive tree in three punches. Sakura remembered feeling both smug and guilty when Sasuke's mouth fell open. Kakashi had looked at them and dismissed them, his voice cold as ice.

Sakura left and in a fit of sadness (or rage?) started to run until she was too tired to be confused. The next day, their sensei lightly commented on Sasuke's bandaged hands. Neither she or Naruto looked at them or at the damaged tree that was still standing. After that it was walking on eggshells again, trying to keep the balance. Naruto had no such qualms and bounced back faster than anyone else possibly could.

The group started walking in the direction of a restaurant Choji recommended. Said boy lead the way with a proud smile. Right behind him Naruto and Kiba were in a furious argument about the big bull. A few paces behind the group was, Shikamaru half asleep and muttering 'Troublesome' under his breath.

In the center, Ino was fruitlessly trying to catch Sasuke's attention. He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground. Shinji and Ryuya went close to him once and received a punch from Chi who from then on dragged them ahead. Hinata and Shino walked in silence.

Sakura realized with a start that she was walking alone. Normally she would be walking next to Sasuke, asking him for a date. She found that she didn't feel like it. She liked him, she always would, but right now she was mad at him. He clearly didn't think much of her or Naruto. Her fist clenched and anger boiled up when she realized how close to tears she felt.

Why can't I be as good as them? Everywhere she looked, someone had a special skill. Ino had her family's jutsu's and was destined to inherit the position of clan-head. Even Naruto had an insane amount of chakra. It's not fair. Everyone has a special ability or bloodline or something, but I don't have anything.

Her parents were retired Genin, essentially civilians now. Shinji and Ryuya were more or less in the same boat, she knew that. But she had also seen the change in their eyes. They had been told that Team 11 had a very hard and cruel first test but no one wanted to explain it beyond that. All that she could guess was that they were marked permanently because Ryuya had to be carried most of the time and all three wore long sleeved clothes.

Shinji's scar on her face was prominent and fresh. Ino told her to put some lotion on it while Sakura recommended make up. She still remembered how her face grew hot when both girls looked at her.

Ino told her that make up would cause an infection and Shinji remarked that she was a shinobi and not a model. Whatever changed her that much in just one week was a mystery that Sakura didn't try to solve. She could still be pretty and a shinobi!

A bright light shone in her eyes and she squinted. They had arrived at the restaurant. The scent of grilled meat wafted outside, making her stomach rumble. She felt a presence next to her and noticed that it was a very subdued Naruto. He hid behind her until they arrived to their table and then proceeded to sit at the very end, squished between Shikamaru and her. Said genius raised an eyebrow at him.

"Heh... I once swapped their fish for toads, y'know." Naruto explained sheepishly and quickly turned his attention to the menu, lifting it to hide his face.

Sakura frowned at him. It was very obvious that the villagers didn't seem to like Naruto, but again no one would tell the kids why. Her stomach rumbled again and the card was pressed under her nose. When she looked up she saw the half-lidded eyes of Chi.

Sakura accepted it quietly and decided that she could indulge tonight. When the waiter arrived she ordered the juiciest meat she could afford, ignoring the stupefied look of Ino. She was going to enjoy her meal, she deserved it.

Naruto nudged Shikamaru and whispered something in his ear. The boy frowned but didn't say anything. When it was his turn to order, Naruto was pretending to pick up a napkin while Shikamaru ordered enough to shock even Choji, who until then had believed that he was just too lazy to eat more.

But why only the cheap stuff?

Chi ordered the same, nodded almost imperceptibly at Naruto. The waiter left and Naruto emerged. No one knew how to comment on that and they just tried to hold a conversation. Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto.

The same thing repeated itself when their food arrived and this time they demanded an answer. Naruto evaded them with surprising ease. If he had kept it up, Sakura feared even Shino would get mad.

"Just tell them." Chi suddenly interrupted the group.

Without another word, she put half of her food in front of Naruto and busied herself with her remainders. Naruto poked his rice, looking more sullen than they had ever imagined possible. When he looked up, however, he had his big, annoying smile on.

"They just can't take a joke! I only pranked them once."

"After they accused you of breaking that vase." Chi muttered under her breath. Naruto's glared at her and she stared right back until he went back to his rice.

Kiba's eyes narrowed but the smell of meat drew his (and everyone else's) attentions. Without exception they, even Sasuke, began chowing down. Dinner was spent happily and in the end they even got a discount since the restaurant was owned by Akamichi.

Tomorrow they had another long day of D-ranks and training but for now they were enjoying themselves. When they had to part, they shouted their goodbyes disguised as insults and ran off laughing. Sakura couldn't remember a time where she had been happier. She skipped home laughing and waving at Ryuya and Kiba who lived in the same direction.

It was only at night, when she was tucked away under her blanket, when she realized no one had tried to talk to Sasuke. Everyone, even Ino, had been too distracted by the food and jokes. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy it. His shoulders were low and his face relaxed. Sakura clenched her fists. Sasuke didn't allow himself to enjoy it.

Somehow, that was even worse.