Hey there, you awesome people. Welcome to the next chapter of The Shadow's Apprentice. Y'all have been crushing my feedback goals every other time I turn around, so I sincerely thank you for that. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but if you follow my page a bit, you'd see I've been…preoccupied lol. At any rate, you didn't wait patiently to hear me prattle on about my scatterbrained nature. Please enjoy, and I'll have a tiny surprise for you in the ending note.

Chapter 7: A Refresher Training, The Triad Convenes

The team had wanted to press on throughout the night to gather up as much distance as they could between them and their pursuers, but Kakashi eventually decided that doing so ultimately wasn't worth the risk. While it wasn't known exactly where their hideout was, it was a safe bet The Triad wouldn't be that far removed from the land where they knew the terrain and capabilities of the best. The closer they got to Tazuna's home, the more likely it was they'd face an attack. And this time, there was a decent chance that it wouldn't simply be a lackey of the group, it might very well be one of their best. So, whether they wanted to admit it or not, the kids needed rest, and Tazuna wasn't exactly a spring chicken. They settled their camp in a small clearing, off the main road enough so they wouldn't be immediately visible to passerby, but close enough that, if they needed to, they could have a quick escape route without having to fight through the thicker parts of the surrounding forest. Once the tents were set up, they passed around some of the small meal packs that Sakura had brought along. They were like the little boxed lunches that Kakashi had teased them with, and they tasted good, though just about anything would have with how hungry they all were after a full day of walking. Tazuna went to get some sleep with hardly a thank you, of course, but none of them expected one. He'd been more than a little vocal about stopping in the first place, so the old man was grouchy as ever. Sasuke tossed his empty box into the pack and leaned back, staring at the campfire.

"I couldn't eat another bite if I wanted to," Naruto said.

"Oh? Where was that energy when I was going broke at Ichiraku exactly?" Kakashi said, a bit sourly which made Sakura giggle.

"Hey, that was different. We were celebrating something!" Sasuke rolled his eyes before looking at Sakura, smiling gratefully.

"Man am I glad that we left you in charge of that, Sakura," he said with a bit of a chuckle. "It beats the food pill rations that most people are usually stuck with. Maybe if Itachi and the other ANBU ate those he wouldn't be so angry all the time" he said. Sakura shrugged, though she smiled when Naruto and even Kakashi nodded. "If Naruto had been left to worry about the food, we'd be up a creek. He'd probably only take along those little mini cups of ramen he never shuts the hell up about," he said, throwing a smirk towards his friend who stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, I don't literally eat only ramen, thank you very much," he said. "I just…. prefer it to most food. It's simpler, and cheaper," he added. He nudged Sakura in her side and smiled, "Thanks for giving me the one with the little slices of pork, though. I don't mind beef or fish, but if you give me the option I'll go with pork every time," he said. Sakura laughed, a little nervously now and drummed her fingers along her wrist.

"W-Well, I remembered that pork was your favorite, so it really wasn't a big deal," she mumbled. A comfortable silence filled the group then, the only sounds being the distant chirping of crickets and the faint crackles of the fire. Sakura scooted a bit closer to Naruto, checking his arm for him to see to changing the wrapping and putting a new batch of antiseptic on it. Her eyes widened a little as she examined the wound. The claw marks were still visible, but it looked like the skin around the immediate area was starting to scab over a little. It surprised her. Wounds that deep typically took a few days to reach that point, according to her father anyway. "I guess it wasn't as bad as it looked," she said, quickly wrapping his arm again. "Just tell me if it starts to hurt again, okay?" he nodded and smiled back at her. The tone that settled in with them was almost like they were simply on a day trip together, but none of them really minded all that much. With the task that was set before them, they could all use at least a few quiet moments here and there while they could get them. Naruto didn't want to think too hard about it, but the thought of jounin level ninja strong enough to threaten a Kage having them on their radar was a grim prospect. After a few more minutes, Kakashi clapped his hands together and stood.

"Well, now that we've all eaten and had some time to let it settle, follow me if you please." The team exchanged a look before slowly lifting themselves to their feet and following him a little way away from the camp, though still within eyesight just in case. "As you all know, I said that we'd be getting some training the instant we had some free time. Well, no time like the present, right? One thing stuck out to me when I read the results of your academy tests from back in the day. You all know a decent amount of jutsu to get by on, but to one degree or another, you all struggle with chakra control. Naruto, no disrespect but you were the worst for it. Sakura your about middle of the pack, and Sasuke, even though you're the best of the three you could always use a refresher. You never stop learning, after all. One day out here, with things really on the line? That's worth a week in the academy. I'd hoped you wouldn't have had to experience it this early in our time together, but this is the hand we've been dealt. So…. we're going back to basics. See these three trees? I want you to climb them, using only the chakra that you gather up in your feet. Observe," he said. He walked over to the nearest tree, making a hand seal, his feet began to glow, and he slowly, almost casually ascended the tree without a second thought. He didn't even have to use his hands to steady himself as he climbed onto the top branch. "Simple as that." He jumped down, landing on the ground with a soft touch. "Now, let's see you do it."

'Simple as that' he said. Yeah, right. Naruto attempted the exercise five different ties, cracking his skull more than once, and landing on his hurt arm once. Despite Kakashi's comments about Sasuke's natural control being the best of the three, he fared little better. Sakura on the other hand, this exercise seemed made for her. She fell the first two tries, but on her third, she walked up the tree with ease, not getting quite as high as Kakashi had, but still it was remarkable when compared to how her teammates were doing. "Wow, Sakura! I always knew you were awesome, but man, this beats it all," Naruto said with a grin. Sakura's face turned a bright red, and she quickly hid her face, making Naruto raise an eyebrow. "Did I say something wrong?" he mumbled to Sasuke who had to visibly resist the urge to facepalm, grabbing his left arm with his right. These two were going to drive him insane if they kept going like this, he thought. Kakashi chuckled and motioned for Sakura to follow him back to the campsite. There wasn't much sense having her repeat the exercise if she was just going to ace it this fast. If anything, it was a good motivator for Naruto and Sasuke, who shared a determined nod before going right back to it.

"Sakura, if you want you can catch some sleep, you can. Those two will be at it a while, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep anyway, so I can take first watch," Kakashi offered. Sakura chewed on her lip, glancing back in the direction of Naruto and Sasuke and shook her head.

"No, Sensei, it's alright. I want to stay up in cause he-they need me," she amended quickly. Kakashi caught on, of course, but he spared her any embarrassment by not pointing it out. It was endearing in its own way, the care Sakura showed for Naruto and Sasuke, though her eyes seemed to drift towards the former more often than the latter. From what he gleaned from Iruka shortly during the talk right before he'd taken his spot as their teacher, the three of them had been inseparable in the academy after Naruto and Sasuke had stuck up for Sakura. It made sense that she'd want to repay that now that they were a team, and she had a chance to do so properly. This was good. A lot of genin teams tended to fall apart when you had a lack of care for each other. He hadn't been kidding when he'd told them that people who abandon their friends are lower than scum. He'd seen it firsthand, the damage that being too by the book and lacking a proper bond could cause. He was thankful that he didn't have to worry about it with his own students.

Hours crept by, and eventually Sakura couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. When she awoke, noticing the sky was only just now starting to lighten ever so slightly, she peeked her head out of the tent and saw Sasuke on watch, Kakashi tucked away on his own, his eye closed and his chest rising and falling. "Sasuke?" she said, yawning. "Did you and Naruto get finished with the exercise?" she asked, stretching her arms over her head. Sasuke nodded.

"Sort of. I finished a little before midnight, I think. I took watch after that, letting Kakashi-Sensei sleep. I would've said something to you, but I didn't want to wake you. Naruto is still over there, far as I know. He's having some problems, and he won't rest until he's done it," he said. Sakura's eyes widened.

"He's still over there?" she said

"Yeah…I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how stubborn he can be." Sakura nodded, sighing before heading over to where they'd started last night. What she saw made her stomach twist a bit uncomfortably. Naruto was in a sitting position, his jacket removed and off to the side revealing the black shirt underneath, and his arms and neck were covered in scratches, likely from several failed attempts. And he looked exhausted. Small wonder, considering he'd been up all-night training after a full day yesterday. Sakura glanced up at the tree he'd been using and saw that he'd made a lot of good progress, but from the kunai marks he'd not quite made it yet. She walked over and sat beside him, not saying anything right away, just letting him acknowledge she was there. She knew if she just dove into a lecture, Naruto would get defensive, and they'd get absolutely nowhere with this. Finally, he looked at her and gave her a tired smile.

"Morning, Sakura. Did you sleep well?"

"Alright, I guess. Better than you, obviously." He looked away, and she sighed. "Naruto, you don't need to overdo it, you know. We won't be able to be at our best if you're falling over yourself like this," she said. "It's not the end of the world if you don't get this exercise down on the first night."

"You and Sasuke did."

"Okay, but it's still not the end of the world. You don't need to judge yourself based on anyone else. Besides, it's not like you have a lot left to figure out. Your close, you just need another little push. That's good enough for now," she said. She could tell by his face that he didn't believe that though. Naruto had been like this since she'd known him. He always held himself to the sort of standard that, if he couldn't get something down, he would wear himself to the bone until he managed it no matter what. She admired that, but she also hated to see him be so hard on himself. "Naruto…why do you push yourself this hard?" she asked softly. He sighed and folded her arms over his knees, pulling them closer to his chest as he looked up at the tree.

"You know about how I was raised right? The old man watched over me, and I had Asuma and Iruka-Sensei around?" Sakura nodded. "Well…I know I don't talk about it a lot, but while I was growing up, I always had to deal with people in the village having one of two reactions. They either looked at me like I was bringing shame to the Hokage because of my pranks and things like that, and then there were these others…they looked at me like I was a monster. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that. They called me that to my face, they never cared about subtlety. If someone from my household wasn't around to set them straight, they got really nasty about it." Sakura's eyes saddened at this. She'd heard a little from others, even her parents when they found out he was on her team, that there was an opinion amongst a certain group of people that viewed Naruto in such a way. She couldn't imagine the pain he felt. The pressure to live up to the people he was raised around, being labeled as a monster, especially when you didn't know why…it had to be a crushing weight at times. "So…I guess that's why I push so hard to try and become strong as fast as I can. I need to be Hokage one day. There's not a path before me that can lead anywhere else. They think I'm a disgrace to the old man? They think I'm some worthless monster? They'll see one day how wrong they are," he muttered. Sakura took a breath before slowly reaching out and putting one of her hands over his. Doing this normally might've caused her to get embarrassed, but she did her best to stay calm. Naruto needed her right now.

"Naruto…those people are wrong. I don't know why they view you as a monster, but it doesn't matter. You could never be one to me. Your one of my best friends, your someone who's been there for me, for Sasuke, for a lot of people no matter what without so much as a second thought. As for being a disgrace…I can't for the life of me think of why. So, you like goofing off, so you like pulling pranks sometimes. So what? Not everyone grows up to be exactly like the people their raised around. I know Lord Hokage is proud of you all the same, and shouldn't that be all that matters? You are your own person, Naruto. And whatever people in the village might think…I know that I wouldn't want you to change for anything," she said, smiling. Naruto's eyebrows went up a bit, his eyes watered a little and he felt his chest tighten. Wiping at his eyes with his free hand, that famous goofy smile of his came back and she knew he'd finally brightened up a bit. Good. Something about Naruto being sad just felt…wrong to her.

"Thanks Sakura…I-I really don't know what to say," he said softly, giving her hand a light squeeze with his own. That caused her cheeks to redden a bit, in spite of trying to keep cool and she giggled just a bit.

"You can say you'll come and get a least SOME sleep. Because Kakashi sensei might be up soon and then it's straight to walking again. For me, please?" she added, and Naruto knew he was sunk…he couldn't say no now, even if he wanted to. He pulled himself to his feet, using their entwined hands to pull her with him.

"Alright, alright…but only because you said please," he joked. Sakura rolled her eyes, quickly letting go of his hand and the two of them headed back to the campsite. Naruto didn't know if he felt all the way better about this, but Sakura had helped.

-Unknown Location-

The cloaked figure slowly walked through the dense fog that constantly surrounded the building, appearing as if a phantom were working its way throughout the mist. The covered-up sword that rested on the figures back cast an intimidating shape, making it so his very silhouette would likely send a chill up the spines of even the bravest of men. When he reached the door, he looked up and saw another man with a scratched out Hidden Mist headband leaning against it. "Your late, Zabuza," he said flatly. "You know, it should be common courtesy that if you're going to call a meeting, you should be the FIRST one to arrive, not the last."

Zabuza Momochi lowered his hood, his dark, cold eyes boring into the man before him. The man known as 'The Demon of The Mist' wasn't one to trifle with, and yet this little punk who was little more than a door guard for their group wanted to mouth off. Mastering his anger for the moment he merely headed inside, glancing over his shoulder. "Your fortunate that Kai favors your service. If not, I would have cut you down long ago. Pray you never lose that favor," he growled before walking further inside. He heard the door close behind him, closing out the light from outside, leaving the hallway bathed in only the dim flickering light of the candles that lined the wall. Good. Kai's friend or not, he might not have been able to stop himself if the man said even one more word further. The hallway emptied out into a large chamber with an ornate table in the center of it. Around which sat the other two members of the leadership. To the right of his chair, sat Kai Fushigoro. He was a little taller than Zabuza, a full head of spiky brown hair with bangs that sometimes concealed the icy blue eyes that were the last thing so many people had seen. His sword, smaller than Zabuza's but no less powerful, sat leaning against the table, its curved hilt and backwards blade striking in its design. To the left of his chair was Ozaki Yamashita. If Zabuza was the demon, and Fushigoro the tiger, Ozaki was best described as a viper. He and several of his subordinates were avid poison users, and if the cleaver of his sword didn't cut you in two, the wounds would soon fester from whatever poison he decided to use on you that day. The three of them combined were a truly fearsome threat alone, never mind when they teamed up. As he sat down, he looked at Kai, his eyes narrowed. "You need to keep a leash on the mouth of your people, Fushigoro. I grow tired of hearing him every time I'm here."

"Apologies, Zabuza," he said though his tone certainly portrayed no apology, only amusement. "The boy is certainly stubborn and a bit headstrong, but he's a good worker. Now, would you kindly tell us why you sent a recall notice this fast?" he said, folding his hands over one another atop the table.

"Indeed. I've been rather curious myself; you certainly had a note of urgency in your writing," Ozaki said. Zabuza let out a grunt.

"Trust me, it's no fun for me dropping what I was doing, either. But we've encountered a potential problem with one of our assets," he said. The two of them leaned forward, not speaking but eyes narrowed as they pondered what that could mean. "The bridge builder. He's gone to the Hidden Leaf and hired a protection detail to escort him to the bridge, and to watch over him while the project is finished. Gato, as you can well imagine, is furious. Doing our part to make sure the Hidden Mist doesn't interfere directly isn't enough anymore If he's wiling to go to this length to make sure he has shinobi protection. He wants them dealt with, and the old man killed at once."

"Can we not simply cut ties with Gato? 'Encouraging' the Hidden Mist to stay out of it is simple because we get most of our work from the same region. But it it's discovered that we killed Leaf shinobi, we might be bringing down a landslide atop ourselves. Their Hokage won't stand for it, and he'll demand the current Mizukage deal with us. However weak the old man may be, he won't risk a war with The Leaf. He'll clamp down, and our lives will be all the harder," Ozaki said.

"I wish it were so simple. Gato is a slimeball even by our standards, but he's also our biggest bankroller. 'Rogue' shinobi or legitimate, you can't do a damn thing in this world without some sort of money coming in. And if we lose Gato, were in for it. As it is, we barely break even," Zabuza said. Kai frowned, his fist clenching a little as he heard this. Of the three of them, he enjoyed having to associate with Gato the least. He'd never explained why, but it's not like it was worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things. Zabuza and Ozaki also had grudges they didn't make known; every shinobi had their secrets. He closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "And what's more, I've yet to hear from the Demon Brothers. I think, whoever these Leaf shinobi are, they are more of a pain than we might be giving them credit for. So…which of us will be the one to go first?" There was a long, drawn-out silence that, frankly irritated Zabuza, but at last, Kai stood.

"I'll go."

And that is a wrap on chapter 7! I appreciate all the support you guys have bee giving me. I've been struggling a bit with some personal issues but seeing the feedback y'all give me has been just what the doctor ordered to get me back in the fight so to speak. If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, it really does help a ton, favorite, and follow, all that good stuff. And hey! If you've followed this story for a bit, and want another fun story of mine, be sure to read the first chapter of "The Fox, The Hound, and The Flower". It's my secondary story, a Naruino one, that I'll be rotating updates with. So next chapter on the agenda is heading towards that one.

Now for that tiny surprise. Someone in my DM's said it might be a neat idea if I preview my chapter titles before I write em. Build anticipation like a 'Next time on Dragonball Z' type scenario lol. So I'll be doing that going forward

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Next Time: The Tiger of The Mist Strikes

Till next time, fellow readers!

-Elise