AN:Oh. My. God. Guys, we topped 60 comments last chapter. That is literally /the most/ comments I have every received. Thank you guys SO MUCH. On another note, trigger warning for panic attacks in this chapter. it's not much, but I figured I should at least warn you guys in case it does set someone off. And again, thank you everyone who has reviewed, favorited, subscribed, bookmarked, and posted about this on tumblr (I've seen your posts. I love you). So without further ado, enjoy!

Sakura was sitting up in her bed when the door to the hospital room slammed open. Everyone's eyes shot to the doorway to see a breathless looking Kakashi-sensei standing with the Anbu Cat, looking more worried than he'd ever seen him. Her sensei's eye flew across the room frantically before landing on the three of them.

They were all in beds, covered in bandages and in varying degrees of alertness. In the furthest one from the door, Naruto was out cold, right arm wrapped tightly in cast and chest bound from the few fractured ribs he'd collected. Next to that was Sakura, and closest to the door was Sasuke. Around the walls two Anbu stood at attention, watching over them while a medic worked on Sasuke, having already treated the other two. Upon seeing his team safe and alive, Kakashi-sensei's shoulders sagged in relief, and all the tension draining away from his expression.

"You three," he sighed, stepping into the room. "Are going to be the death of me."

Behind him, Cat followed and closed the door behind him, taking up his place as guard along the wall.

Instead of speaking right away, Kakashi-sensei's eye moved between his three students, inspecting their injuries. His gaze landed on Naruto's cast for a long moment, grimace forming under his mask. Sakura didn't miss how he winced slightly either. Appearing to shake himself off, he moved on to the other two. He noted how Sasuke was covered in various bandaids from all the cuts and burns he'd gotten while Sakura's hands were wrapped in tight bandages, blood just barely seeping through. They looked like they'd completed an A rank mission, which they might as well have.

Glancing around the room, he looked at all the Anbu carefully, as if judging their character. "Sakura, Sasuke," he started, not looking at them. "Have you spoken to anyone about what's happened?"

Cat answered for them. "Not yet, Hatake."

Kakashi-sensei looked ready to roll his eye at the formal use of his name. Then, shooting his two conscious students a firm look while addressing the Anbu, said, "Everyone out."

For a second, none of them moved. Then, "We're under orders not to leave them," Boar said from by the window, sounding oddly unsure of himself. Sakura watched as Kakashi-sensei's eye narrowed dangerously, staring the Anbu down threateningly.

"I said," he reiterated sharply. "Leave. I wish to speak to my students alone." Still no one moved. Although there was some uncomfortable shifting around the room. Finally, seeming to have had enough, Kakashi-sensei snapped, "Now."

Immediately, all the Anbu shunshined out, leaving just a rush of wind behind. Only Cat remained by the door, looking indecisive about leaving. Sakura blinked, surprised. She knew Kakashi-sensei had been Anbu, but he wasn't anymore, so didn't they technically outrank him? Which left her wondering why they followed his orders.

"You too, Tenzō," Kakashi added in a softer tone, not looking back at Cat.

If he hadn't been wearing the mask, Sakura was sure she would have seen the man roll his eyes.

"Stop calling me Tenzō, senpai" the Anbu just muttered back, moving out of the room.

"Then stop calling me senpai," Kakashi-sensei shot back halfheartedly. It sounded like a practiced script the way they said it, making Sakura wonder, just who was Cat?

Well, Tenzō, apparently, she thought to herself. But who the hell is that?

"Alright," Kakashi-sensei said, closing the door behind the Anbu. "We're alone now. You can relax." How he knew that having the Anbu around was making them tense baffled Sakura. But she didn't question it.

"Cat told me none of you would talk," he started, eyeing the two of them. "I thought I trained you better."

"You did," Sakura said. "It's just…" We haven't thought up a good story yet… Naruto was supposed to help downplay it… it wasn't supposed to end this badly.

"We're still… processing it," Sasuke jumped in. The grateful look she shot lasted not even a second, but she was sure he saw it. "That man was terrifying," he lied. "It's hard to just think about."

Their sensei seemed to accept the answer though, nodding sympathetically. "Understandable," he hummed. "I won't make you give your reports today." Sakura's shoulders sagged a barely hidden relief. At least they now had more time to think up a plausible story.

"But," their sensei added. "You will have to eventually. He's an S-class rogue ninja; what he was even doing here is a mystery that we need to solve as soon as possible."

Sakura blinked in surprise. Have they not found the scroll? She thought, remembering the falsified scroll detailing the Suna/Oto alliance. Or maybe they have and he just hasn't seen it yet. Yes, that made more sense.

"Alright sensei," the two genin nodded.

Kakashi-sensei seemed to be pleased by their answer, closing his eye in what looked like relief.

A long moment of silence stretched between the three of them, wherein Kakashi-sensei just stood there, observing them. His lone grey eyes swept over to Naruto again, this time locking on instead of glancing over him. Slowly, Sakura watched as their sensei made their way across the room to stand over his conscious student, guilt etched onto his face. He looked like how he had when he'd brought Naruto back after his and Sasuke's fight when the Uchiha had deserted. Broken. Grieving. It was a painful sight to see on someone you looked up to.

"What happened?" He finally asked, eye still trained on Naruto. His voice almost sounded horse.

Whether he was talking about the battle in general or about Naruto she couldn't tell. She decided to answer both.

"We fought really hard," she offered. "But I guess he figured Naruto…" She trailed off.

"He was in his way," Sasuke finished somberly.

"In his way of doing what?" Her sensei asked, barely suppressing his wince.

Sakura quickly shared a glance with Sasuke, as if to ask him if it was a really a good idea to tell their sensei. Sasuke just gave her a small nod in reply. "My eyes," he said cooly. "He wanted the sharingan."

The sickened look that flashed across Kakashi-sensei's face reverberated deep in Sakura's bones. She knew that feeling. Had lived with it for three years before she heard the snake sannin had died. Absolute and utter disgust.

"The sharingan?" He echoed. Sasuke nodded. "What for?"

Honestly, Sakura didn't know. She always figured he'd wanted it to be stronger. To be the perfect shinobi. Or maybe there wasn't a good reason and it was just the desire of a power hungry madman.

"No idea," the Uchiha answered. And that was that.

The disgusted look in their sensei's eye slowly turned somber as his gaze landed back on their third teammate.

"And Naruto?" He finally rasped out.

"He protected us," she offered. "He used this… orange chakra," she continued, trying to sound ignorant. "But then Orochimaru did something that shut it off, so he used his chains." Then, in afterthought, added, "Even though he'd already used them six times."

They all knew the implication of that. The chains took up an eighth of his total chakra stores each time he used them. They weren't like his shadow clones which just divided themselves equally. Meaning Naruto very well could have died of chakra exhaustion today. The thought was terrifying.

Kakashi-sensei's head dropped towards his chest, eye squeezed shut. Sakura could recognize his easy breathing as a grounding tool, taking note of his clenched hands at his side. It was all the signs of an impending panic attack.

"I'm glad you're all alive," he breathed, voice just barely staying level. "I don't know what would have happened if…" He didn't need to finish the thought. Then, straightening up suddenly, he said, "I'll be back soon," and swept out the door.

Sakura and Sasuke could only stare at the door as it was closed behind him.


Rocks. Dust. The smell of blood. It was all swimming in Kakashi's mind as he stumbled through the hospital corridor. Leaning against the wall, he could feel the onset of a panic attack, something he hadn't had since his days in Anbu. Sakura's words had shaken memories loose that he'd tried not to touch for a long time.

Obito.

Damn Minato's son. Why did he have to be so much like his idiot teammate? Self sacrificial bastard.

Logical he knew Naruto was fine and alive in the hospital room, but all his mind could see was Obito pinned under a boulder. A boulder that had been meant for him.

Naruto could have died. Minato's son, his legacy could have died. And Kakashi couldn't have done a thing about it. And to learn he'd used to Kyuubi's chakra to stay alive… Kakashi wasn't sure if he was greatful or terrified.

Letting out a shaky breath, Kakashi loosened his fists, forcing himself to relax. He was a jonin. An ex-Anbu commander. He had to be in control.

He had to calm down. Somewhere preferably with lots of distractions. Those usually helped him get his mind off whatever his troubling him if his books couldn't.

Making up his mind, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed forward. Lobby it was then.


It had been almost two hours before Kakashi started to feel normal again. Stupid PTSD. He was reading his book in the lobby (partially because he loved fucking with people, partially because why not) when a shrill voice distracted him.

"Please, I just want to know where he is," the voice pleaded from the lobby. Kakashi looked up curiously to see a young girl with bright red hair looking up at the nurse manning the check in station with wide red eyes, practically in tears.

"I'm sorry but that's confidential. Only family members and Anbu are allowed there," the nurse apologized. Hm, so she was hoping to visit one of his students. Probably a Sasuke fangirl.

"But I am family!" The girl cried. "I'm his cousin!"

Cousin? That piqued Kakashi's interest.

Pushing off the wall, Kakashi walked up to the argueing duo, not paying attention to their conversation anymore. Bright red hair, not an Uchiha, talking about a boy… Kakashi knew exactly who this girl was.

"Excuse me," he interrupted, stepping into the conversation. "But I couldn't help but overhear you were here to visit your cousin." The girl looked up, startled. Kakashi noticed the tear tracks that ran down her face, some old some fresh. She was wearing a Kusa headband, indicating she was here for the chunin exams. She looked like a mess. "Uzumaki, I presume?"

Slowly, the girl nodded, looking rather timid while doing so.

"Naruto…" She started uncertainty. "I heard he was in here and I wanted to see him. But no one's letting me through!" She looked down at her feet, distraught. "I just want to see if he's okay."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully in response. She didn't seem like a threat, or a spy. And she looked genuinely shaken up. Besides, if it had been a farce, Kakashi would know.

"I'll take her back," he told the nurse suddenly. Below him, the girl perked up in startlement.

"Are you sure, Hatake?" The nurse questioned, glancing nervously towards the girl's headband, obviously concerned about a foreign ninja becoming involved with their jinchuuriki. Kakashi just crinkled his eye up into a smile in response.

"Don't worry about it," he said lightly. "I'll keep an eye on her." The nurse looked doubtful, but ultimately couldn't oppose him. He was a jonin after all.

"Just sign here," the nurse murmured, pushing the sign in sheet towards her. Kakashi watched her as she scratched the name "Karin Uzumaki" onto the paper. So her name was Karin, huh?

"Follow me," he said lazily, walking away from the nurse's station. He heard a scrambling of feet behind him before he felt her presence at his side, nervous and small. He pushed through the double doors into the hallway and listened as she followed along. The two walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke up.

"So, Karin," he started, making her look up. "How did you meet Naruto?"

"Uh, he jumped in my face and said we were family," she said in a small voice. "Then he took me out to ramen and told the Hokage he wanted me to live with him."

Kakashi sighed. Sounds like Naruto.

"When did this happen?" He asked. Surely he would have heard about it if it had happened before the exams started. Naruto could never shut up about whatever he was excited about. And he was sure he'd have been very excited about finding family.

"Before the first exam," the answered. "I don't know how he knew. Maybe he could feel my chakra too and figured it out."

Too?

"So you're a sensor?" he asked lightly, already knowing the answer. Minato was a sensor, but he was pretty sure the young blonde didn't have such an affinity. It was only one more question utop the ever growing pile his genin were throwing at him.

"Yeah," Karin answered. "And his chakra feels really nice," she admitted. "It's really warm and bubbly. Not like my teams. Theirs is coarse and dry."

Kakashi hummed. An powerful chakra sensor then.

They took a turn down another corridor, approaching the closed off wing the Anbu were watching.

"So, what happened to him?" She finally asked, referring to Naruto.

No point in sugarcoating it, Kakashi thought morosely. "He was attacked," he supplied succinctly. "Buy a very powerful rogue ninja."

"How!" Karin gasped, whipping her head around.

"We don't know," he admitted grudgingly. "During the second exam his team was ambushed by the sannin Orochimaru, forcing them to fight for their lives. He broke an arm and suffered chakra exhaustion from overusing his kekkei genkai." Among other things, he added mentally, remembering the seal placed over the kyuubi's. "He's still recovering."

"Kekkei genkai?" She whispered, partially amazed and partially confused.

Kakashi just nodded in response. "It's a rare Uzumaki trait," he said. "Who knows, maybe you have it," he mused offhandedly. "But it's very chakra intensive. He isn't supposed to use it more than eight time a day. Four or five in a fight."

"How many did times did he use it?" Karin asked.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Seven."


The two shinobi entered the closed off ward under the Anbu's watchful eyes before arriving at team 7's shared room. Easing the door open, Kakashi let Karin slip in first. Hesitantly, she stepped into the room, eyes drifting around before settling on Naruto, who still appeared asleep.

Sasuke immediately sat up at attention at the sight of the redhead, but calmed down once he saw rush over to Naruto's side.

"I found her in the lobby," Kakashi offered lamely as Karin started looking her cousin over. "Figured she wasn't a threat."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sasuke muttered quietly. Only Sakura heard him, and she shot him a withering glare in response.

"You're Naruto's cousin, right?" Sakura asked, turning to Karin. The girl in question nodded, not looking up from Naruto.

"He'll be alright, won't he?" She asked nervously. Sakura let out a small chuckle in response.

"It's takes more than a broken arm and some chakra exhaustion to take him down," she said warmly. "He heals fast anyway." But still… he could have died. She pointedly refused to acknowledge the memory of squeezing his heart just to keep him alive. She didn't need to think of that right now. Or ever.

"Honestly, I'm surprised Kakashi-sensei hasn't exploded yet," Sasuke commented from the side. "From Naruto being such a dumbass."

"Oh believe me," Kakashi spoke up. "Once he wakes up, he'll be in for an earful." Sakura smiled cheekily from her bed, glancing over at her blonde teammate. Getting chewed out by Kakashi-sensei was never a fun thing. She didn't envy him.

After that the group lapsed into silence. Karin sat by her cousins side, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Occasionally she would rub absently at her arms, frown decorating her face. Sakura knew she was thinking about all the bite mark scars, having seen a few of them herself. Was she thinking about letting Naruto bite her? From the pained expression on the Uzumaki's face, Sakura assumes that she was.

Eventually, the redhead looked up from her worrying and at the rest of the team.

"So um, would it be alright if I maybe stayed with you guys… for a little bit?"

"Like in the hospital?" Sakura asked. Karin shrugged, embarrassed blush turning dr face red.

"I was thinking just like, in general…" she trailed off, eyes dropping down to the floor. Sakura saw the moment for what it was. She remembered the Kusa genin she'd been with throwing a fit before the exam, pissed at their teammate for not showing up. She understood if Karin wanted to be as far away from them as she could.

"Yeah, I think that'd be fine."

The small smile Karin offered was enough to let Sakura know just how grateful she was.

Eventually the three kids slipped into casual conversation, attempting to make jokes and bitch about teammates. It was awkward, but they were making it work. At some point Kakashi was called out by an Anbu to come look at some evidence they'd found. Something about a scroll. He left Karin with the other two, trusting them not to let her get into any sort of trouble. He wasn't worried though, she seemed stable enough. He spared them all one last glance before closing the door behind him.

They were all smiling. All roughed up of course, and one still sleeping, but smiling and talking. In that moment he realized just how proud of his team he was. He really did love them.

AN:Thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much. Also, this will be the last update for a while (like, until Christmas at the earliest). It's because I'm starting tech school in two days (September 4th) and I will have literally NO TIME to work on this. That does NOT mean I plan on abandoning it (I mean c'mon, I have to get to the one plot point this while thing is based around). I hope you all understand and can be patient with me. You guys are amazing, I love you all 3