Wave Mission (Beginnings)

"…And that is why he's so bitter. Again, I'm sorry for his behavior," Tsunami sighed.

"Yikes," Sakura winced. "I get it, but yikes."

"Maa, it is understandable," Kakashi hummed, leaning back.

"Kill Gato," Sasuke shrugged. "That's my plan."

"Why is that your plan?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, deadpan. "Someone killed my father, so I'm gonna kill him."

"Ooh, right."

Sakura blinked. "No, that's fair, Sasuke-kun, if my father's killer wasn't already dead, I might do that."

"Wait what."

"What?"

"What?"

Naruto pointed amongst himself, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Do none of the three of us have dads, 'ttebayo?"

"No."

"Congratulations, you three have something in common!" Kakashi said, dryly genuine.

The three newly-linked Genin turned to their Sensei.

Sasuke smirked. "Four. Right, Last Hatake?"

"Sasuke-kun! That's rude!"

"But he's right, isn't he, 'ttebayo?"

"…Yes. BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT, IDIOT!"

"Hn."

Kakashi purposefully stayed on the far side of the room from the three Genin, who were conspiring about something. He did not know what, nor did he particularly want to know what, so he instead focused on gathering his chakra and falling asleep. Recovery from chakra exhaustion was aided by food, but it still took annoyingly long to recover from.

Naruto carefully tapped on the door that he'd (with Sakura's help) tracked Inari to. Turns out he was really good at sensing! "Psst! Hey Inari!"

The door opened a crack, Inari glaring out at the trio. "What do you want?"

"A sleepover!" Naruto grinned. "It'll be fun, dattebayo!"

"Why?"

"We're Team Dadless now, apparently," Sasuke grumbled, having been the last one to agree to the name.

Sakura grinned. "Why not?"

"What?"

"None of us have dads, idiot."

Sakura punched Sasuke for that one, making the boy weighed down with two futons bounce slightly against the wall.

"Hey!"

"Sorry!"

"Okay…" Inari pulled the door open further. "Alright.

"Awesome!"

"SHHH!"

Naruto winced, dragging the three sleeping bags inside. "Sorry Sakura-chan!"

Sakura and Sasuke followed Naruto into the room, dragging the three small futons along and lining them up beside each other in the middle of the floor at Sakura's orders.

Sasuke pulled his sleeping bag back from Naruto, sitting down on one corner of the futon pad.

"So…" Naruto wrapped himself up in his own sleeping bag, handing Sakura's back to her. "What does one do at a sleepover?"

Sakura stared at Naruto, aghast.

"Are you kidding?" Inari asked, crouched on his bed.

Naruto pouted. "No! Team Dadless, remember, 'ttebayo? I've never been to a sleepover!"

"Hn," Sasuke agreed.

Sakura facepalmed. She'd quite honestly forgotten about that. "Well, usually Ino and I would try and stay up all night, and play games or do our hair."

"Well, the first part of that's easy, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned. "What games though?"

"None we have," Sakura muttered dejectedly.

Inari shrugged. "We have some card games?"

"Hey Sakura!"

"Eh?" Sakura glanced up from her hand (she only needed one more three to finish her set and immediately end the round) at Naruto. "What?"

"You said you and Ino would do your hair at sleepovers, right, dattebayo?"

"Yeah?" Sakura drew a card, switching out the blue eleven that Sasuke could use for the yellow seven that Sasuke did not have a use for, smirking when Sasuke grumbled and drew a card. "Why?"

"Can you do mine, 'ttebayo?"

Sakura considered. "I can try? It's a bit short for me to do much with what I have now…"

Naruto considered this, taking the green seven that Sasuke put down and replacing it with a blue nine. "If it was longer though you'd be able to do something though?"

Sakura shrugged. "Probably."

"Is Sasuke's long enough?" Inari asked, putting down a set of four and a run of five, discarding a blue five and leaving one card in his hand.

"Nice." Sakura drew a card, putting the red six down immediately. "Probably. At least the front."

"You are not touching my hair until Naruto's is long enough," Sasuke muttered, taking the six. "Also I'm done." He put down a set of four and a run of four, placed two twelves onto Inari's set of twelves, and discarded his final card.

"Dammittt!" Naruto groaned, dropping his cards. "I was so close, 'ttebayo!"

"You're also three phases ahead of the rest of us," Inari pointed out.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm good at card games!"

"How are you not tired at ALL…" Sakura yawned.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't get tired easily, 'ttebayo!"

"Is that why you were always up so early on the way here?"

Naruto nodded. "I can't go back to sleep, and the night wakes me up! Usually I go watch the stars in Konoha but that wasn't really an option since I didn't want to wake you guys, 'ttebayo."

"Wish I needed that little sleep," Sasuke muttered, scrubbing at his eyes to stay awake. "Be useful."

Inari nodded in agreement, almost dozing off for the third time. "Agree…"

Naruto shrugged, huffing his hair out of his face. "I just don't need much sleep! Also sleeping in the mornings is better."

Sasuke and Inari nodded again.

Sakura abruptly lifted her head from her crossed arms again. "Is THAT why you were always late to the Academy?! You slept in the mornings!?"

Naruto nodded. "Duh."

"NOT 'DUH'!"

Sasuke smirked. "Duh."

Inari giggled. "Duh."

Naruto grinned. "Duh!"

"You're all nuts," Sakura muttered, huffing lightly and putting her head back down. "Absolutely nuts."

When Kakashi woke up, the three Genin were absent, as were their sleeping bags and borrowed futons. Huh… Odd. Hopefully they had just changed rooms.

Kakashi pulled himself upright, grabbing the crutches and heading out into the hallway, making his way toward the main room of the house. He could hear who he assumed was either Tsunami or Tazuna moving around in the kitchen, though nothing else despite Naruto usually being at the very least awake by this time, if not playing around. "Maa, good morning, Tsunami-san!"

"Good morning!" Tsunami smiled, sliding a cup of water over the counter.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are, do you?"

Tsunami laughed quietly. "It seems that they and Inari decided to have a sleepover."

Kakashi blinked. That was not what he had been expecting. "I see."

Naruto grinned, poking Sakura's shoulder. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" Sometimes he really loved his oddities.

Sakura grumbled, curling further into her sleeping bag. "Whazzwan'ruto?"

"I think my hair's long enough for you to do something with it now, 'ttebayo!"

Sakura blinked before shooting upright, head knocking into Naruto's.

"OW!"

"WHAT?!"

Sasuke and Inari also shot awake.

Sakura stared at Naruto in disbelief, rubbing at her forehead where she'd knocked into him. Bright blonde spikes now reached slightly past Naruto's shoulders. "How- how did you do that?!"

Naruto shrugged. "I just can, 'ttebayo!"

Inari grinned. "Cool."

"That's insane."

Sakura nodded in agreement with Sasuke's deadpan observation. "Absolutely."

Naruto shrugged again. "Also this means Sasuke's gotta do it too, 'ttebayo!"

"Hn."

Inari laughed. "Kaa-san should have breakfast ready soon too."

"Great!" Naruto hopped to his feet, stretching. "Let's go, 'ttebayo!"

"Wait up, Dobe," Sasuke muttered, rolling up his sleeping bag.

The four headed downstairs, following the smell of eggs to the kitchen. "Morning, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura greeting brightly. "Morning, Tsunami-san!"

"What's for breakfast!?"

"Dobe for breakfast."

Naruto stared at Sasuke. Sasuke stared right back at Naruto.

"Both of you are gonna sit down so I can do your hair!" Sakura ordered, pointing to the bench and heading down the hall.

Naruto whooped, dragging Sasuke over to the bench.

Kakashi stared blankly at Naruto. What… the hell… Since when was Naruto's hair so… long?

"How was your sleepover?" Tsunami asked, glancing over her shoulder at Inari.

"Good!" Naruto grinned. "Inari taught us how to play the Phase Game!"

"And then you won twice in a row, by at least two phases," Sasuke retorted, smirking.

"I'm good at card games, dattebayo!"

"So you said," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura returned with a hairbrush and a handful of cords. "I don't have any elastics, so it's cord today. Take your pick."

Naruto took a red one, and Sasuke took a white one.

Kakashi stared blankly at the trio of Genin, who were, one, far more amicable with each other than the previous day, two, Naruto inexplicably had long hair, and three, they were all amicable with each other. "Naruto."

"Hm?" Naruto glanced over, mostly keeping his head still while Sakura brushed his hair.

"What happened to your hair?"

Naruto shrugged. "Grew it!"

What.

"How?" Sakura spoke around the cord in her mouth.

Naruto shrugged again. "I just did! I mean, I know I could stop my hair from growing cuz it's annoying to cut on my own, 'ttebayo, so it made sense I could make it grow too, dattebayo!"

"You're nuts."

Naruto grinned.

"Hold."

Naruto took the brush that Sakura shoved over his shoulder, fiddling with the tines while Sakura started braiding his hair.