My favorite chapter so far, I love it.

The first thing Kakashi noticed as he started to wake up was a beautiful woman patting his head with a cold washcloth, her face was taunt and pointed and tanned with bluish black hair falling down either side of her face. She smiled at him kindly as she continued to pat his head, her presence warm and soothing,

"Your awake." Her voice was rather motherly. "I wondered if you'd wake up."

He offered her a smile, pushing himself to a seated position. "I've been better but I..." the Jonin froze. "I actually don't feel too terrible, why is that? My ribs are not sore at all."

The woman smiled. "The boy, girly one, he said that he healed you with this green light. It was interesting to watch."

He smiled. "The boy, Mika, is a medic and that was the Mystic Palm jutsu, a rather difficult technique. I know how to use it, but even for me, it is a struggle. That he has mastered it enough to heal bruised ribs is remarkable."

Kakashi turned just as his three students plus the new boy came along, all smiling at him. Mika was carrying tea, likely some kind of tonic. Naruto spoke. "The sensei is awake!"

Mika gave him an evaluating stare. "You look better, you have some color to you."

"Thank you for caring for me, Mika, I feel much better..."

Mika handed him the tea. "Drink this, it is a mixture used for chakra exhaustion as you have. Think of it like a really weak food pill, it's a rather ancient creation. It helps the body regulate its chakra and increases the body's function to create more chakra without being too harsh. I have enough for six doses, it should be enough to cut your recovery time from a week to maybe two, three days depending on your natural recovery speed."

Nodding, Kakashi grabbed the tea and sipped it before turning to Sakura as she moved towards him. "Listen Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and everything but if it puts that much strain on you, maybe it's not worth it."

Mika sighed. "It's only because it is not natural to his body, if it was he'd have a far easier time. It is siphoning a vast quantity of chakra just by being implanted, without that, he'd have at least double his reserves." The boy turned to Kakashi. "So what happened to Zabuza, last I recall before I took Tazuna away, Kakashi was getting his ass kicked."

Cringing, Kakashi explained to the boy what happened to the letter.

The boy listened well, then his eyes widened. "Kakashi... Hunter Ninjas often start out as Healers! We are taught about them in our medical training for that reason, plus the uses of senbon in acupuncture... if what you say is true then Zabuza, he might be alive." Everyone gasped.

"Surely you are overthinking this!" Tazuna said.

Naruto gaped. "Yeah, he's right!"

Mika shook his head and Kakashi followed his line of thought without words. "Senbon rarely kill, they are more meant to disable by poisoning your foes or by hitting pressure points. A Hunter Ninja is a master of anatomy, medics are too. With that skill, they could easily disable a ninja with two senbon. I can't do it, it's beyond me, but I know the principle... more than that, Hunter Ninjas are supposed to dismantle the body right there, where it falls to lessen the chance of DNA spreading or them being taken. No... Zabuza has to be alive and based on what you said, he'd recover in,... around seven to twelve days, depending on his vitality."

"What are you all yammering about, you annihilated that assassin?" Tazuna looked confused but again not afraid.

"No, we didn't... Kakashi fought him but he did not kill him. Shinobi can heal almost anything. For example Lady Tsunade, a legendary Kunoichi and healer could save almost anyone from any wound regardless of it being physical or spiritual. She is single-handedly responsible for our village's winning of the Second Shinobi war, that was how good she was and her methods are still used today around the Elemental nations. If the Ninja that took Zabuza was a healer, which is likely as Hunter Ninjas start out in medical training, then it's possible that Zabuza is not only alive but still at threat."

Kakashi shuddered. "Can you bolster my healing?"

The boy sighed. " No more than I have, the medicine I gave you takes herbs I simply do not have. What you need is rest, a diet high in carbs and protein, and some meditation to soothe your stressed chakra coils. I think some massaging will help too, tension impedes chakra flow. I can help there, Since I had a year start on the academic part, I learned a lot from my teacher." "

"Come your over thinking this, aren't you?" Tazuna seemed almost desperate for this.

Kakashi shook his head. " When encountering suspicion the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation brings disaster."

"Sensei you say prepare quickly, but how can we do that and actually manage to fight Zabuza?" Sakura finally spoke up, her voice trembling with either rage or fear." I mean a little last minute training will not make us stronger, I mean you could barely beat him even with your Sharingan."

"Sakura why was I able to stop Zabuza because you've all helped me. Naruto you've grown the most."

Naruto made a hehe sound, before flexing a little, obnoxious as usual. "So you noticed Sensei, everything's going to be better, believe it."

"I don't believe it and nothing's going to get better." An obnoxious voice entered the room alongside a very annoying-looking boy with a large hat on.

" Who are you?" Naruto bellowed.

Tazuna's arms went wide. "Inari where've you been?"

"Welcome back grandpa!" The brat, Inari, rushed over to embrace his grandpa.

"Inari that is very rude." The woman, whose name Kakashi still didn't know, walked over to her son. "These ninjas helped your grandpa and brought him here safely."

Inari frowned. "But mom, don't you see, these people are going to die. Gato and his men are going to find them and wipe them out."

"What did you say brat?" Naruto jumped up.

Mika sighed. "We are all well trained, have some faith kid."

"Faith is for morons, you're just going to get yourself killed." Turning around, Inari turned on heel and headed out to the door.

"Inari!" Tazuna yelled. " Where are you going?"

"Out to look at the ocean, I want to be alone!" Then he slammed the door like a brat.

:::

Mika frowned. "Kakashi, what did you have in mind for teaching us?"

The man smirked. "Tree walking."

"You do realize I am a medic, I can already do that and water walk..." Mika's frown deepened. "Wait, you put them on a C Rank without teaching them basic chakra control?"

The man just gave a sheepish grin that left Mika caught between rage and hate. "You really don't care, do you?" Kakashi just gaped but before he could respond, Mika just sighed. "It doesn't matter, let's get just busy."

:::

"Alright, training starts now."

Kakashi's words had a great effect on his student, he could clearly see as much. Even Sasuke, who was quiet and closed off, showed a sign of excitement in some minute twitching of his hands. It took all of his ANBU experience to see it but Kakashi could see it clearly. Sakura was quivering with some fear but a great deal of anticipation. Then there was Naruto, who was bubbling with so much excitement he reminded Kakashi of a Puppy.

Mika just looked annoyed.

"RIGHT!" Naruto barked out, making Kakashi smile inside.

"First we will begin with a review of chakra a ninjas basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential."

Sasuke, ever the sarcastic one, bit out. " We know that."

"he's right, a long time ago we learned about... catra?"

Mika groaned at the ignorance. "Kakashi... let me explain." Turning to Naruto, he gave an explanation. "Chakra powers jutsu. It has two halves, physical and spiritual. Physical is from food and the strength of your body. Spiritual comes from training, experience, and whatnot. When you combine these two things, you get Ninja power and can do jutsu. By mixing them in varying amounts, you get different jutsu. Simple. Handsigns help focus and channel this power, which is why we learned them in the academy." He turned to Kakashi. "He is going to show you lot how to climb surfaces with your chakra, which helps you to control and maintain your chakra, a basic technique really. Primative but important."

To make his point, the boy walked over to the nearest tree and climbed it without effort, Kakashi felt not a single trace of chakra. It was perfectly done, as expected out of a capable medic.

"Wow, without his hands!" Sakura's shrill voice echoed into his ears.

"Wow!" That was Naruto.

"Focus the chakra towards the soles of your feet and use it to connect it to the tree." Kakashi said, throwing kunai at them.

Sakura looked outraged. "That's a nice trick but how does it help us to fight Zabuza!"

"By giving you greater mastery of your chakra." Mika said. "I am a medic, without high control healing Kakashi would have been utterly impossible."

Sort of proud, Kakashi nodded. "Yes, that is the idea. You see if you master this you will learn to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point. This is difficult even for advanced Ninja. This type of climbing requires a subtle mixture of spiritual and physical energy. The soles of the feet are the hardest point to draw from and too. Are you getting the picture Sakura. If you master this you can master any jutsu… in theory anyway.

The second point is to maintain your chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle it is even harder to control and maintain his charka levels. A deadly mistake. To avoid this maintaining chakra must become second nature. Effortless. Well, I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills will it. You need to apply chakra, through training."With blinding speeds, Kakashi threw three Kunai at the feet of his students. "Use the Kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb without using your hands. Then try to get past that mark the next, then the next. First, you need to run at the tree so the momentum can take you as high as possible. At first. Ready!"

Naruto nodded. "Alright, I got this believe it!" Closing his eyes, Naruto focused his chakra creating a physical wave of energy before shooting across the clearing and making his way up the tree... only to fall off and land painfully on his head. "OWWWW!"

Sasuke and Sakura both shot up their own trees, with Sasuke making it just under halfway and Sakura...

"This is fun!" Sakura cheered from a spot all the way up her tree, a happy gloating grin on her face.

"Well it looks like the female of the team has the greatest chakra control."

"Good job Sakura." Naruto said smiling.

Mika sighed and Kakashi turned to him. "Yes, Mika?"

"Again, I know this exercise. and I have a mastery of six other chakra control exercises, each miles ahead of this paltry exercise"

Naruto turned to him. " What?"

"Naruto, I am a medic, my chakra control has to be perfect so I do not kill people. I can do the mystic palm, that's why I was allowed on this mission at all. That requires control even better than Kakashi is likely to have." He shrugged. "I am not as great a fighter as Sasuke, nor do I have Sakura's clearly innate talent for chakra control, but my powers are molded through effort and training. Unlike you lot, I have dedicated myself to mastering this path, and damn it is has bore me fruit!" Kakashi felt bad, at least slightly. It was true that he should have taught his team this technique before, and it was true that Mika had helped him to recover far faster than he would have without his aid. He really ought to give him something... "Kakashi?"

He turned to Mika, who was looking at him with intrigue. "Yes?"

"Your eye, it copies jutsu right?" Kakashi nodded. "Did you copy the Hidden Mist Jutsu?"

Kakashi beamed. "Why yes, I did."

"Would you, please, teach it to me? It expends little chakra, it uses a water element which I have, and it will give me an extra oomph in my combat style which to be frank i would likely struggle to get otherwise. So, what say you?"

"I would be honored. Follow me and I will show you what to do." They both move, well Kakashi hobbled, away to the left where there was a small pond. "All Water techniques are easier around water or with moisture in the air. This technique is actually rather simple, it is not at all different from that Water separation you did when you became a medic. It is the reverse of that. There are two forms, one where you simply expend your chakra into the air and gather the mist or where you breathe out the mist.

The Handsigns are Ox, Snake, Ram. If I were you, I would focus at least an hour a day on water control exercises when you get back to the Leaf. This technique is a D-ranked Jutsu, so it should be really easy to learn. Likely, from what I can tell, the struggle will be controlling your chakra as it expands from your body. Now I won't do it, I can't afford the chakra, but you should be able to figure it out. Mold the chakra into your lungs, and push it out but be careful to not choke on it. I would master both the chakra expansion and the breathing trick, for one is useful in places like this dense with water the other is better in arid places."

Mika nodded and focused, going through the handsigns, his chakra flaring slightly. There was a pause before he whispered. "Hidden Mist Jutsu." And breathed out a thin, fine mist about five feet wide. He coughed a little, then smiled. "That wasn't too hard, I think I can master that... stay for the other one, then you can watch the others." Mika closed his eyes and pulses his chakra out, going through the handsigns as he did so. This time a much thicker, denser mist covered his entire body. "That was ten times easier... I like that. It really is very simple."

Kakashi smiled. " You really are quite the capable ninja, learning a technique that fast, even if it is a D rank... if you can master that, and the Silent Killing if that is your goal as I suspect, you will be quite a bit deadlier."

"That is indeed the goal."

"Very good... and when you are done... could you do me a favor?"

Mika nodded. "Sure, depends on what it is."

He sighed. "If Tazuna's tale is as true as he leads us to believe, there is likely a lot of wounded, starving, sick people. I have seen how people like Gato treat the world when they hold a monopoly on everything. It would be cruel to let them linger in such pain when we can undo it. Can you try and heal people here, patch them up, and so on? It would be great practice and likely give some moral to a place badly beaten."

There was a moment of silence, and Mika just stared at Kakashi before nodding. " Not so much I am chakra exhausted or unable to take care of you all. You and Tazuna are my priority."

"Agreed."

"Then I will do what I can. I could use the experience anyway and it will help me, a clanless ninja, get some freaking recognition for once..." he whispered that last part, making Kakashi sigh.

"It sucks, right, not having any name for yourself, no access to powerful jutsu and so on?"

"Very much so. It's partially why I became a medic outside of my genuine interest in the field."

"It really was a good choice... and I guess I am glad to have taught you the Hidden Mist Jutsu. I can't show you the Silent killing, that would take too much time, but I am sure you can manage it. You seem to be exceptionally intelligent. Now, I have to go back to my students. Work hard but do not exhaust yourself."

"I won't. Thank you, Kakashi."

:::

Mika sighed, settling himself and his chakra as much as he could. "I can do this, I can master this technique and I can learn the Silent killing... It will become my bread and butter in combat. I got this." And so he focused, hard and continued to train... it wouldn't be for another four hours that he got comfortable enough with the Mist's potency and tired enough from jutsu use, that he stopped and hurried back to the house. Oddly the technique was harder than the Mystic Palm, the issue was more a unique style of control and that was something interesting... and very, very fun!

Who know what he could do with it, with or without Elemental training?

He could not wait to find out!

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a blast to write, I really loved this chapter. Now you know both reasons Mika is on this mission.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.