IN A TRAINING FIELD SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY
"Alright brats, now for our first teamwork exercise, trust." Kakashi eye-smiled.
"What are we gonna do? Throw a ball around? Trust falls? Use this as a bullshit reason to call you a bad teacher?" exclaimed the knucklehead, dobe, chakra monster, freak child, that didn't deseve love.
"No Naruto, we're building trust off of telling each other's deepest, darkest secrets."
Sasuke looked visibly disturbed, Sakura scared, and for the first time since they had seen him, Naruto had become incredibly shy and reserved, almost drawing in on himself.
"Sensei do we have to do this?"
"Not up for debate, if you have to trust each other with your life surely you'd like to know about said life?"
"I refuse." Sasuke grinded out.
"What part of 'not up for debate' didn't you understand Sasuke?" A heavy weight settled on the training grounds. Waves of power emanating from Kakashi.
"This is not a request. I am not asking. This is an order from a superior officer. If you don't fall in line I will make you. Do not, test me."
Severely cowed and now somewhat understanding the force of nature that is Kakashi, the three genin sat down, mute, with their heads staring at the ground. Who would be brave enough to start?
'Not me.' all three genin thought at once.
All of a sudden the pressure lifted, it became easier to breathe, and the sky became brighter.
"As your sensei, I will of course relinquish my past first, its only right I show you how it's done after all. However, be warned, my tale is a grizzly one. There is no happy ending, and it's fraught with despair and loss. This is your one chance to turn back, if you do, know that you forfeit the right to this team. I will not put my life in the hands of someone who doesn't know it."
When he had seen that none of his three students had refused or left he began. He told them everything, him walking in on his father's corpse. Finally finding a team that he accepted, only for both of his teammates to die within months of each other. He told them of his depression and almost suicidal work rate in the ANBU corps. How his new sensei became a father figure in his life, his girlfriend like a sweet older sister. Then, a year later, the kyuubi attacks and kills them both.
All 3 look visibly uncomfortable at this stage, Sakura has been crying for a while. Naruto simply looks down at the ground, idly ripping grass from the field, obviously shaken by these revelations.
"How... How did it get better sensei?" surprisingly it was Sasuke who asked this. Maybe not so much seeing as the two had quite a bit in common.
"Calm down Sasuke-chan. I'm getting to the good part."
He continued, explaining to them how he worked himself to the bone, completely suicidal at this rate and on the way to either an early burn out or death.
"You know what saved me?"
"No?"
"Trust. trusting the people around you, especially those closest to you. I made an inner circle, we know every last detail about each other. It freed me of my burden, and that's what I'm trying to impart on to you, young ducklings."
He told tales of a man called Gai, challenging him to ridiculous trials every week, each task getting more ludicrous each time. Explaining how eventually these insane challenges would be the reason he would want to come home from missions, just to beat Gai one more time.
"He kept me sharp, and I him. It's why we are both considered the two major frontline threats of this village."
"Now I have one question for you Gaki's. Why would the villages two strongest shinobi and war deterrents be teaching kids?" Kakashi stared them down, waiting for an answer.
Quietly, ever so quietly Sakura spoke up "Because we have the talent to surpass you both."
"Exactly. Our departure from the frontlines will be noticed, and noticed very soon. The enemies of Konoha will rear their heads, probe our frontlines and meet less resistance than normal. It will make them brave, but most importantly, it will make them stupid."
"Why are you telling us all this sensei?"
"You three are going to be the frontline team that leads this generation. Every 10-15 years Konoha has led the line in terms of sheer strength in shinobi, its how we stayed on top. You think the hokage teaching three genin hopefuls wasn't incredibly calculated? They turned into the three sannin, and severely turned the tide in the second world war."
Sakura thought about it and realised it was true of every generation.
The first hokage trained his successor to the title god of Shinobi who led the village through two world wars and it's best ever prosperity.
That same man taught the Sannin, Three S-rank ninja ready to go toe to toe with most kage.
Then came the scariest individual of them all. The man trained by Jiraiya. Minato Namikaze.
The man who made the grim reaper look slow, single handedly destroyed the pride of Iwa. So terrifyingly strong that he was the first shinobi with a run on sight order.
And then that man taught their sensei, their overwhelmingly strong sensei. Still in his mid 20's and already villages grew nervous when he was on the battlefield.
'She had to be stronger than him?' It was inconceivable to her. What did he see in her? All she had was booksmarts. She couldn't fight at this level!
Kakashi saw his least confident student shrivel and withdraw within herself. He immediately understood the thoughts going through her head, how would she ever be that strong? How would she surpass her teacher who seemed unbeatable in front of them? After all, how couldn't he relate with Minato Namikaze as his teacher.
"Sakura, calm down. These teams were meticulously picked, if you didn't even half of the potential we see in you I wouldn't be anywhere near this team."
Sakura visibly relaxed and sit up a bit straighter, her chin slightly higher in the air. It wasn't boastful but she was no longer falling into herself.
"Sensei, why us?" an abnormally quiet Naruto asked.
"From what we observed. A girl with incredible intelligence and extreme chakra control. An Uchiha with the drive to succeed in every aspect of fighting. And a physically monstrous chakra battery, not to mention your tenant."
"Tenant?" Sasuke inquired.
Naruto had turned ghost white, visibly shaking and tears brimming in his eyes "Kakashi please don't..."
"It's your turn Naruto, take the floor."
They all sat in the training grounds one silence until Naruto regained a bit of his colour and his bravado. Silently, almost whispering his words Naruto opened up about his life. [About how the Fanon kyuubi hunting parties prodded and poked the living nuclear bomb, how a ninja village wasn't taking care of it's future frontline fighter (aight fuck this let's get back to the actual story lmao)]
He explained to them about his childhood, how he was shunned everywhere he went, how every friend he made all of a sudden were no longer allowed to play with him because he was 'dangerous'. He told them of his loneliness, his need to be seen and his loud personality, and finally after lot of coaxing and prodding from Kakashi. Naruto told his two teammates of the burden he received as an infant.
By the end of it all team 7 was in a state of shock. Kakashi briefly put his head down in shame, knowing he could have done more, as quickly as his shame came he threw it away, there was no point in dwelling on the past, he of all people knew this very well. Now his job was to raise these 3 into the sword and shield of Konoha, he'd make up for lost time spending it training these upcoming shinobi into the ground.
Sasuke was shocked, he knew Naruto didn't have a great life but for it all to be put on a plate like this shook him. So lost in his own grief he couldn't see anything around him. For a member of one of the most perceptive clans in konoha to be so blind was shaming his ancestors. 'Maybe I will make tomato ramen as an apology. Ancestors forgive me, the almighty Sasuke-sama was blinded by his own emoness to never be able to see the sadness around him.'
Sakura was the most visibly shaken up of them all, she sat, mouth agape, staring at Naruto, tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god." she whispered. 'why am I in the fucking most depressed team in konoha the fuck' her poorly written character trait thought.
"So are you all going to abandon me now? Like everyone else? The truth is out, I'm just a monster like your parents warned. Stay away, I'm the unwanted kid."
Then something entirely unexpected happened. Sasuke punched Naruto.
"HEY, I'M THE EMO ONE IDIOT, NOBODY TAKES THAT FROM ME. Anyway how could we hate you dobe-Baka-yarou-kono-baka."
"Yeah like Sasuke-kun said, you're still our idiot teammate, we're team 7 now, we can't run away anyway. Idiot."
Naruto let a small smile show. "Thanks guys, even if you are assholes about it."
"Now, Sasuke your turn."
"Hn."
Sasuke. Do I have to make myself serious?
That's all it took, slowly but surely Sasuke opened himself up, explaining in meticulous detail how his life went from a dream to a nightmare on that one fateful evening. How his older brother, his Nii-san. The person he looked up to most in the world, took everything he loved from him. How he tortured him, showed him how he killed his cousins, aunts, uncles, and finally his parents.
"Okay Teme you can keep your lord emo status, just know it makes you no different."
"Sasuke-kun." Sakura was lost for words, she already knew most of what had happened, but now she had a truer understanding of why Sasuke was the way he was. Why he had this single minded dogged determination to become stronger.
Sasuke let a small smile slip at Naruto's idiocy. However he wouldn't allow them to see it, not yet. He had to keep up his Lord Emo status after all.
"Now, Sakura, last but not least."
Sakura felt out of place, she had a relatively easy life compared to her three teammates. What would they think of her problems that were blessings in their lives. Quieter than ever before she explained how since a young age she was bullied for her strange hair colour and her kage forehead. How she lost her best friend in a silly rivalry over some boy.
Sasuke visibly grimaced at this.
She laid out her insecurities as a kunoichi, how she felt she didn't deserve to be on this team with people that were clearly going to change the world with their power.
Naruto protested at this but it fell on deaf ears.
Sakura continued on her self destructive rant until Kakashi stopped her.
"Sakura, I've said it once before. You were specifically chosen for this team because of your skill set and your potential. You were not a random choice, team 7 has led the line of konoha's attack force for multiple generations. It was no mistake you were chosen." Kakashi calmly explained to the lone kunoichi on his team.
He was proud of them, they clearly had a lot of baggage, and none knew how to deal with it. This would change, it would take time, but by Kami he would make this team legendary.
"I'm very proud of you all, that took a lot of courage. We have a lot of work ahead of us. As you are you may be able to take on a chuunin as a team. Being honest, thats kind of pathetic, Chuunin are somewhat better than fodder. I am here to ensure you three become army killers. This wont be a one day process, it will take time."
"Sensei how long do you expect it to take for us to get to your level?" Naruto eagerly asked, excited by this training.
"Years, and thats being generous. The rank I have achieved was through 2 decades of hard work, if you want to get to my level you'll all have to hit S-rank first. Then we'll talk about the possibility of you guys getting to my level."
Kakashi sensei... how strong are you?"
"Sakura there are only two people in the world alive that know the asnwer to that. Hopefully you three won't have to see me display that level for a few years."
"Alright then lets get to training D A T T E B A Y O!"
"Calm Naruto, I hadn't finished. I've pulled strings and we wont have to take missions for a few weeks while I'm whipping you into shape. Don't worry about expenses, as your sensei and now guardian I will cover any and all expenses you need, shinobi tools and living expenses included."
"Sensei that doesn't seem fair."
"Sasuke there is no need to worry. The village has put a lot of faith into this team being the leading team in the next 3 years. Yes that is the time frame, so we have a lot of work to do. Speaking of, its training time, first and foremost, we're getting you into shape."
"But sensei we managed to get a hold of you and surprise you with our speed, surely we're in okay shape."
An incredibly menacing aura started emanating of Kakashi.
"While you may have caught me off guard with your stealth, surely you dont think I was being serious do you? Its time to show you the difference between training to become stronger and training to be strong. I will forge you three into deadly weapons, if it kills you you will come back to life. Not even the death God can save you!" Kakashi eye-smiled.
"Now, little fledglings, run."
And so the torture (read, training) began...
So I got inspired and shit out chapter 4, a lot less 4th wall breaking and more in depth analysis of my characters. Keep in mind these are not the same people tou saw in the show. Kakashi is far, far stronger. This will be shown as the story progresses.
BLM!
Join the bloody damn Discord Server. Invite code is StPc5V
Thanks for reading! Leave a review telling me you hate me, any guest reviewers I will fight IRL no cap. Anyway SEE YA NEXT TIIIIIIME