Chapter 2: Boundaries

First off, I'd like to say that I am so, so, so sorry about disappearing! I had a lot of things going on with work (and I'm actually getting ready to move on to a different job)! But, thankfully, I am back and I will be able to make regular updates. I meant for this to be completed and posted Friday, buuut..

I'd also like to thank everyone that read, added this as a favorite, and everyone that reviewed. It means a lot to me! :)

Also – Windschatten recently updated The Tale of Two Leaves and I absolutely dig it. I adore how she spins a story together and generates so much intrigue and mystery with each chapter, while feeding the readers character development and cuteness as she goes. I definitely recommend it!

Chapter Summary: Arashi once again learns that nothing goes quite as smoothly as she hopes it will.

Chapter Song: Silversun Pickups – Skin Graphs

Chapter 2

Arashi woke up, face down in a pile of books. Her mind was in a haze. With a jolt she sat up and peeled a piece of paper from her face. She blinked a few times, trying to piece together why she was still in the library and why she was using a very old and very valuable scroll as a makeshift blanket.

Then it dawned on her – she had fallen asleep before she consulted Kakashi about her mission.

No, no, no!

She shot to her feet and began cramming everything back into place.

Dammit, ANBU-san, can't you take the time to at least nudge me awake instead of leaving me here all night?

It was far from the first time she had slept there. During her Chuunin Exams, she made it her home. As nice as it would have been for the agent monitoring her to wake her up instead of leaving her, he was not there to babysit her and she accepted that.

She drug a hand through her hair, her fingers catching in several knots, as she rushed from the building. There was no time to make sure she was presentable, as much as it vexed her. First, she needed to find Kakashi and speak to him about what the Third expected of her. With his cooperation, they were to look after Naruto and keep an eye on the seal that held the Kyuubi in check. They needed to come to an agreement about her cover story.

The sky was still dark as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop. She scanned through the signatures in the village until she located Kakashi – her throat tight with panic. Never in her life had she performed badly on a mission and they had all been B Ranked and lower. This was the highest ranking mission she had ever been assigned to and she felt like an amateur. Chuunin were rarely selected to handle something of such importance. She would have cut her own foot off with a blunt kunai rather than disappoint the Hokage and make herself look like an idiot to the Elite shinobi she had to work with for an indefinite amount of time.

I can't believe I've done this to myself.

She took a steadying breath.

Alright, I'll just go talk to him. I don't even have to explain what happened. I can just play it off like I was busy, maybe come up with a cover story concerning the hospital… something.

Arashi tracked her target until she came to an apartment complex. It was a fairly standard setup in Konoha, meant for shinobi use. She had never been inside this one, but most of the people she sensed within were ninjas.

Alright, this is one step out of the way.

She paused on the street and chewed on her lips.

What if he's asleep? Should I scale up the side of the building and tap at his window or should I knock on his door? I mean, what's the correct etiquette in this sort of situation?

She wondered briefly if his bed was near a window or if he was a deep sleeper and which method would seem more polite.

Now I'm just stalling. I'll just knock on the door.

The kunoichi squared her shoulders and found her way inside.

Arashi liked for things to be done in a professional manner. It was a preference instilled in her by her father, especially in recent years. She could never be sure, but she felt that Ookami sensed her need for stability after the massacre and proceeded to offer it to her as much as he could. In doing so, he took her more firmly under his wing in order to teach her more intricate medical techniques. Over the years, her father had become her dearest friend – which was of no surprise.

The time she spent working with him matched, if not outweighed, the time that she spent with her old teammates. Akio and Daisuke kept schedules as busy as she did, albeit filled with different work. Overall, the environments she inhabited the most were formal and businesslike.

When it came down to it, Arashi was a stick in the mud that liked to feel as if she was in control.

This is… this is just going to be such a great impression. The Chuunin assigned to look after his student, showing up on his doorstep at an ungodly hour, her hair in knots and her eyes wild. Great.

She ascended until she was on the appropriate level and then walked to his door.

What if he's a generally moody and unbearable person when he first wakes up?

Her hands found the end of her scarf and she worried at the threads with her fingers. If there was one thing she had learned about herself, it was that in all the things she did she was fierce. When she threw herself into research, she delved deeply and did not come up for air until she was finished – when she was angry it was white hot and the mood only passed away when it flared too brightly and it extinguished itself – when she cared for someone, she worried after them – and just as she did with the rest of her focus, when she worried she did so fiercely.

Her concern that he would be asleep was quickly swept away. She could feel his signature stirring within as he moved about in the apartment. It was like there was a lightning storm that coursed through his veins.

Was it like that before?

She had no memory of his signature being as vivid when she saw him during the finals of her Chuunin Exam. Then again, she was distracted and saw him only briefly. She had been near people with a natural lightning affinity many times before without paying much attention to whether it made her skin tingle or not.

Arashi blamed her nerves, shrugged the thought away and tapped several times on the door with her knuckles.

A moment passed before it opened.

One of the Jounin's eyebrows arched when he saw that it was her.

"Uh, hello." Arashi greeted him.

Kakashi crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. From what she could tell, he was ready to begin his day. He wore the standard flak vest issued to all Chuunin and Jounin, over a black shirt and pants. The hitai-ate covered one of his eyes, his mask was snuggly in place, and all of his pouches and bags were secure on his body.

Okay, so he's a morning person. She cleared her throat, "We need to talk."

She mentally prepared herself for some sort of remark or quip, but none came. The Jounin pushed away from the doorframe and went inside.

Alright. This is going along okay.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

It was a studio apartment that offered everything a single shinobi needed. In other words, it was a glorified closet. There was a bed, a desk, a plant, two pictures by the window, a kitchenette to the far left of the room, and a door that she assumed lead into the bathroom. The open floorplan did little to make it feel larger, but it allowed her to scope her surroundings with ease. She had vague memories of the house that he had lived in when he was fourteen and it was nothing like this. The only thing his apartment had that caught her eye was the wall that was converted into a bookshelf by his bed. One glance in its direction revealed a decent collection of various texts.

Alright, well read and very organized.

"Mah, for someone that wanted to talk, you're being very quiet."

She blinked out of her thoughts and mumbled, "Sorry, I'm sort of still gathering my thoughts."

Kakashi stood in front of the sink, washing a few dishes. The scent of his breakfast still clung to the air and her stomach clenched with hunger.

I guess he just finished eating. Arashi decided to keep their conversation centered on business, "Sandaime-sama advised me to speak with you about my mission. He said that he would brief you on everything, too."

"You're going to be monitoring Naruto's seal." he replied.

Her eyes fell on his hands as he dried a bowl. His fingers were long and slender.

"Yeah," she jerked her gaze up to his face when he turned to regard her. "I never thought I'd be assigned to do anything like this, to be honest. You're his Sensei, so I don't want to do anything you're not okay with. I mean, I don't want to smother your team and I don't want to be a nuisance, so my main concern right now is a convincing cover up story and some coordination between the two of us."

He leaned against the bar and once again crossed his arms, "I spoke to Sandaime-sama about that, as well."

"Oh? Well, did he have any good suggestions?"

"A few," his voice picked up an amused tone, "I liked the one that involves me introducing you as my overly eager kohai, shadowing in order to learn a few things."

She squinted at him, "With all due respect, no."

"Oh, well, what have you come up with?" He asked; his one visible eye half-lidded and bored.

The kunoichi adjusted her glasses and gathered her thoughts, "Well, I thought that I could pass it off as a study of sorts. Naruto-kun knows I'm usually busy with some sort of research, so he'd buy into it quickly."

"What kind of study would this be?"

"Erm, training techniques and the bonds between each squad in order to determine which methods are the most effective?"

"Why this year and not any of the previous?" He deadpanned.

"Well, if they asked that sort of question, I guess I'd just pass it off as being a new decision. If they continued to ask questions, I could tell them it was in part because most of the rookies that passed are from Konoha's notable clans – I really do think all of their parents had a pregnancy pact or something – and I'm sure I could get Iruka-san to accept a few reports from me concerning training techniques and lessons so it could be like a joint study for educational purposes." She explained – she more or less made half of it up as she went – and then watched him expectantly for a response.

The stare he gave her made her feel like she needed a reality check, "Pregnancy pact?"

"Um, yeah, just a theory." She waved it away, embarrassed. "Nothing we need to get into now."

"Mah, alright."

"Well?" She urged him. "What do you think of my plan?"

"It's passable."

Just passable? She frowned, "Okay, so we've agreed on that. When are you going to introduce me to them?"

He shrugged, "Sometime. I'm not really in a rush about it right now."

She hesitated for a moment, "I see."

The only thing she could assume was that he was not keen on the idea of her presence or the implications her mission could have on the dynamics of his squad. The role of Sensei was honorable and each Sensei played a key role in the continued function of their village's military. The bonds they formed with their students were of a special kind – just as she cherished her connection with Ibiki and still held him in high regards. It made sense that he would want to care for his squad on his own.

"I'm not looking to be invasive or to push myself into your business," she explained. "I know that you can handle everything. I believe that you're more than capable. My main duty is to look after Naruto-kun's seal. Sure we don't have much to worry about now and yes, seals often leak and show signs when they're weakening, but…"

"With fuinjutsu, the seal could come undone all at once and the Kyuubi will be free."

"Exactly." She nodded. "Like Kushina-san."

"She was a pregnant Jinchuuriki," Kakashi commented. "The demon was able to escape because her body was diverting focus to Naruto."

He's studied this before, She shook her head, "Yes, but we don't know how Naruto-kun is going to hold up over time. The Hakke no Fuin Shiki is strong and its design lends itself well to keeping the Kyuubi under control and just allowing minimal amounts of its chakra into its host's system, but there will definitely be future complications."

"Kushina-san's experiences are well documented and can be used as a good reference for what we might have to deal with in time."

It occurred to her that everything she was trying to explain, he already knew and if he did not then he followed along with the concepts with ease. She could not get a clear reading of the man, either. In fact, she was certain that he did not want to be read. His gestures appeared to be passive – too passive. The few signals he allowed her to see clashed with his stance and the flow of his chakra.

I guess that makes sense. I mean, he was in ANBU for how long? Sensei taught me how to analyze people, but how much has Kakashi dealt with him, directly? He's no fool. From what I can tell, he's very intelligent. She cleared her throat, "I apologize if I seem like I'm trying to give a lecture. It's not my intention. I'm just used to having to explain everything in detail. Do you have any insights or requests?"

"I want weekly reports concerning the seal," he drawled out in a bored tone. "According to some reports I read yesterday, you have a pretty good sensory range, so you won't have to be with us in order to keep a check on Naruto."

A chill ran down her spine. While she had been researching seals and Jinchuuriki, he had been researching her.

She nodded, "That's right, but I would still like to coordinate training exercises with you and your squad in order to reinforce my cover up story. Otherwise, when you guys go out of the village on a C-Ranked mission, it would be weird that I'm tagging along."

"You could always follow from a distance."

"Um."

Several scenarios played out in her head in that instant. Shadowing behind them would work for a while – until they gained experience, honed their skills, and got good enough to figure out that she was following them. It would take some time before they would be capable of that – or she would accidentally out herself like a moron and have to live with the humiliation.

"I'd rather go with the cover up and make my presence known on occasion."

Kakashi shrugged, "Well, if that's what you want to do. There's really not much of a reason for you to stress over it too much at this point. The first missions a team of Genin can take on are D-Ranked and if Naruto hasn't shown any problems with his seal yet, then chances are problems won't spike up while he's reading a grocery list."

"Yeah," her lips thinned into a line. "I agree."

"So, this gives all of us a little more freedom. At least for now, that is."

There was something about his tone that put her off – like he was smoothly working his way toward a point.

"Sandaime-sama seemed to believe the same thing."

"See? Which means you won't have to neglect your other responsibilities, like working in the hospital with your father or sleeping in Sandaime-sama's library."

Her face burned, "Oh, uhm, you know about that?"

He closed his eye in a smile – a gesture that rubbed salt in her stinging pride, "I thought that since you hadn't come to me to discuss this that I'd find you."

"You could've woken me up."

"Oh, I guess I could have," he replied, too sweetly, "But you looked so comfortable, wrapped up in the Scroll of Sealing, drooling on the little bit of information we have concerning Yagura."

At that moment, Arashi wanted to turn around and walk out of his apartment without another word. He was making her feel like she was once again a clueless six year old and not an established kunoichi that had stared death in the face and clawed her way out of numerous dangerous situations. She vividly remembered him as a boy, tying a bow back into her hair and her gratitude as he cleaned and bandaged her knees after Akio knocked her off a swing – but that boy was twelve years in the past and she now had to deal with the current Kakashi.

Several excuses came to the tip of her tongue. She could have tried to make light of it, but his manner of talking to her had taken her by surprise. One moment he was laid back, the next he was serious.

Arashi made a mental note to pay attention to how he teased her with his words – she needed to determine whether it was his way of being playful or of critiquing her and if it was the latter, then she wanted to know if it was meant in a friendly manner or if he was being underhanded. She was no stranger to sarcasm, thanks to Daisuke, but she had a hunch that this man was cleverer with his use of it.

With a deep breath, she chose to face her embarrassment before she drowned in it. She could not have him thinking she was irresponsible.

"I get too wrapped up in studies and I work myself too hard when I feel like I've hit a decent vein of information that I need," she stated, honestly. "I know that I've presented myself terribly as a first impression on this mission, but it means more to me than you know.

He was once a captain in ANBU. From her observations of Ibiki, she understood that each member was strictly disciplined, their missions carried a staggering amount of weight, and their lives revolved around their duties.

"Naruto-kun really is like a little brother to me and I've regretted that I've been unable to fill the biggest voids in his life. If anything, I want to be his most dedicated support as he learns and comes to terms with what was forced on him. That is why I became so obsessive as I read about what it is to be a Jinchuuriki and that is why I exhausted myself to such an extent that I fell asleep when I should have been doing other things. It is not because I do not take this mission seriously." She explained. "So, while I don't want to smother your squad and I don't want to step on your toes, I want to be present and I want to extend my help in any way that I can."

He waited until she was done explaining herself.

"Well, then, you sound dedicated." He straightened to his full height. "Now that we've talked about all of this, I think we should stop wasting time. If that's the cover story you're intent on using, you need to run it by Sandaime-sama and then work on establishing ties with Iruka to give it merit. I have some things I need to do this morning, so, if you'd leave, that would be nice."

"Oh, okay." She backed away from him, "But when are you going to introduce me to them formally so we can explain the situation to them?"

He sighed, as if it took all of his long suffering to deal with her questions, "Find me this evening."

For the first time during their entire exchange, she grinned, "Alright, Kakashi-san."

"You might want to take a shower and scrub the dried drool from your face, first."

The grin died on her lips and a scowl took its place.

He just had to get the last word in, didn't he?

Arashi walked through the still deserted streets of Konoha. Only now was the sky beginning to lighten with the promise of the coming sunrise. Normally, the air took on an almost magical quality as the darkness prepared to give away to the light of day, but she was too preoccupied to notice. Instead, she was analyzing the exchange she had with the Jounin in an attempt to pick it apart for more information on the man.

I pour a portion of my heart out to him concerning Naruto and all he has to say is that I 'sound dedicated'? If he looked at a report about me, maybe he should have taken the time to look at the show of dedication I've had on all of my other missions. Freaking jerk.

She turned down an alleyway she always used as a shortcut.

And the way he told me to leave? He could have been a little more polite. I mean, I get it – he doesn't see a point in me basically stalking his squad, but it's not like I'm too keen on the idea, either. The more I think about it, the more I pick up on some passive aggressive vibes coming from him.

On most of the missions she participated in, she was treated with a certain kind of respect because of her status as a medic. It was only during her earlier missions that she had to establish her place on a squad and that was because it was strange to see someone young as a taichou. As shallow as it was, she learned that shinobi judged each other just as civilians judged each other – just by different standards. Arashi had been judged for her age, the type of clothing she was drawn to, and the extents she went to take care of her appearance. Most kunoichi, while they did care, went for more minimalistic and practical things. It took years for her to come to terms and even agree with it, but she did still wear more makeup than the common kunoichi and she refused to wear the standard flak vest that was collecting dust in her closet.

She had toned her overall look down and accepted that a little went a long way. Looking back, she cringed at the amount of foundation she sometimes used – albeit unintentionally. She made herself look like a civilian that was trying too hard to grow up.

Arashi adjusted her scarf.

I've dealt with people more difficult than him before, I'm sure. She mentally encouraged herself. He'll come around. It might take a little bit of time, but I'm sure he'll come to terms with it. I mean, who wouldn't want a medic nearby to assist their Genin if something goes wrong during training or on a mission?

Despite her optimistic thoughts, she had a nagging feeling that it was not going to be that simple. They were now partners, even though most of his responsibilities in the matter centered around his new position as Sensei while she would carry most of the weight concerning the parameters of the mission. There would be no more C or B Ranked missions for her, unless she accompanied Naruto on his. She could no longer leave the village or take time off, because she had to be present enough to look after him – for an indefinite number of years.

She direly needed to form good connections with Kakashi or this mission would be unbearable.

Screw it. I've been walking through the village, fretting over all of this too much just because he embarrassed me a bit. I still don't know if he meant it in a teasing or underhanded way, but that doesn't really matter right now. I need to go home, clean myself up, and start working on my end of this mission.

Arashi was certain that Hiruzen would approve of the plan. It was simple and would not be hard to back up. After she came to an agreement with him, she intended to seek out Iruka to establish their coordination during her 'study'.

Way better than just presenting myself like some mouth-breathing fan that hopes her senpai will notice her or something.

When she stepped into her home, she was greeted by the smell of her mother preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Once again, her stomach clenched in protest. She had forgotten to eat the evening before.

Well, I got home at a pretty good time, I guess.

She removed her boots and poked her head into the kitchen to see what her mother had in mind for that morning.

Ookami and Kazika were already seated at the table. Her father was looking over some paperwork he brought home with him while her brother was pouring over classwork. Before either of them could greet Arashi, her mother turned from the stove to regard her and she froze. She knew her mother had something to say when one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose to form an arch or when her lips pursed almost into a pout.

"There you are! You didn't come home last night." Naomi eyed her from across the room, forgetting about the food she was tending to. "Somebody looks like a mess this morning. Never going to find a decent man looking like that, Sweetie."

"Yeah, yeah, Mom," Arashi mumbled, "I know."

Ookami glanced up from his work and took in his daughter's profile, "Late night?"

"Yeah."

Arashi would be eternally grateful that her father never teased her for her haggard appearance and that he understood what it was like to drag in at all hours of the night or in this case, early morning.

The middle aged man pulled a chair out for her, "Breakfast's almost ready."

She dropped into the chair and rubbed her temples, "Thanks."

"I just don't know why you do this to yourself." Naomi continued fussing, but turned back to the stove. "I mean, isn't sleeping in your own bed better than falling asleep over a book or… wherever it is you end up?"

"Of course it is, Mom." She sighed, "It's not like I do this on purpose. I'm awake one second and the next I'm waking up."

Naomi continued as if she did not hear her daughter's response, "Taking after your father like that – working too hard, too late, being gone all the time."

Ookami's brow creased and he glanced toward his wife, sheepishly.

Yeahh, Mom's not having a good morning, I guess…

"And you, Kazika!" The woman directed her displeasure to the last of the three sitting at the table, "Putting your schoolwork off until the last minute!"

For the first time, the boy tore his eyes from the papers in front of him in order to regard his mother with a wary expression. He almost said something, but a subtle shake of his father's head stilled the words on his lips. It was better to not talk back to Naomi when she was in this kind of mood, whether it was to justify, explain, or reason with her. The words would either not be heard or it would fuel her displeasure even more.

His shoulders sagged with a sigh of defeat and he turned his attention back to his work.

Kazika had grown a lot since he first started at the Academy. He had since grown taller, grew thinner, and no longer boasted the babyfat that once lured women to pinch his cheeks. His hair was still a natural mess and his eyes were bright and expressive, but he was well on his way to leaving his childhood behind.

Arashi almost missed how excited he used to be when she would make it home and how insistent he was that she played with him.

Those days are pretty much gone, though.

She overtly scanned what he was reading and frowned.

He isn't working on homework – he's studying for a test.

She was sure he would do well enough. His grades were good, even if he was never at the top of the class. He understood that he had to apply himself in order to make it out of the Academy and he typically did so.

"Do you want any help with that, Kazika?" Ookami inquired.

When Arashi was a student, he was always sure to help her when he could. Looking back, she could not remember a single time that she turned him down. He was intelligent and managed to explain some of the content better than the instructors in the Academy, without making her feel silly for not understanding something.

"No," Kazika shook his head, "I've got this. I don't need any help with it."

The man frowned and resumed what he was doing.

Arashi had witnessed that scene many times. At some point, Kazika had begun to seek independence. Ookami was a patient man, but sometimes she caught a slight gesture or frown that indicated how disappointed he was that his son never accepted his help.

That was one of the main differences in personality between Arashi and Kazika. She was willing to accept help and loved to work in tandem with someone in order to achieve a goal. Kazika wanted to handle as much as he possibly could by himself and shunned help, even when he needed it. From what she could tell, it was nothing personal against anyone else.

Like there's a chip on his shoulder or something.

It worried her and she could tell that it worried her father – even if he would not address it openly. She had never been happy that her brother chose to become a ninja, but against all of her hopes he was doing well with his studies and was on his way to someday graduating. If he accomplished that, then he would have to deal with the hard truths of being a shinobi.

And kids that want to handle everything on their own and push their teammates away are the ones that get the harshest wakeup calls.

Arashi pushed the thought away.

Her personal character had been a mess when Ibiki got his hands on her. In fact, the attitude of her entire team was a problem. With training and the guidance of a good Sensei, they had each grown and moved beyond that point in their lives.

She had a hunch that Kazika's future Sensei had quite the job cut out for him or her.

"You three had better not work too hard today," Naomi pointed a cooking utensil at them. "And be back at a decent hour this time!"

Ookami's shoulders sagged with Kazika's and Arashi sighed.

I guess I wasn't the only one that was late coming home…

Once she was done with breakfast, Arashi rushed upstairs to take a shower.

She had a lot to do that day. First, she had to see the Hokage and then corner Iruka to get him in on her plan. Once that was handled, she had to find Kakashi and pressure him into introducing her to his team and then explain the new 'study' she was over.

That's no big deal.

As she was putting her makeup on, she went over how she was going to present it to Hiruzen. The aged Sarutobi would likely have input for the plan and she was more than willing to accept any advice he had to offer. If she had learned anything about him, it was that he was a crafty old man and that 'coincidences' happened around him far too often.

Once she felt she was presentable and no longer the wild eyed, haphazard mess that stumbled into Kakashi's apartment that morning, she took a steadying breath and left her bright, floral room. On her way out she patted the head of the kunoichi figurine that sat on top of the music box she bought on her first C Ranked mission. At some point, she began to think of it like a good luck charm of some sort – even though she did not actually believe in luck.

It was just one of the many mementos and trinkets that decorated her cluttered bedroom with its floral curtains and girly knickknacks.

The chill of morning had passed away by the time she entered the streets of Konoha. The sun was now out and the village thrived with the rise and fall of the voices that mingled together. As much as she enjoyed the bustle of the civilians, she opted to take to the rooftops for the sake of easier travel.

I'll have to get with Dad after I have all of this worked out, too. I might not be able to shadow him quite as much as before, depending on how in-depth my cover up has to be.

Arashi was sure he would understand without asking too many questions. She might have brought it up to him at breakfast, but then Kazika would have picked up on her lack of details and the curiosity would have been too much for him.

He never would've stopped bugging me to tell him what sort of mission I'm on. Ugh.

She snorted.

Then again, as soon as I mention the words 'educational study', he probably would've lost all interest and left me alone. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Before long, she had requested a meeting with the Hokage and after waiting a short while with bated breath; she was ushered into a room with him.

Arashi bowed in respect and stepped forward. Smoke curled around the two shinobi, like a writhing serpent. The scent was rich and it elicited memories of the times she had spoken to him before.

He rested his chin on his interlocked hands and addressed her, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Sandaime-sama. I have a cover-up that I wanted to run by you."

He motioned for her to get settled, "Well, then, let's discuss it."

"Okay," she sat across from him and took a deep breath. "I thought about it for a while, and the best idea I could come up with was playing it off like a study. Since I will be shadowing and monitoring Naruto for a long time, I figured that a long term front would be required. I don't want everything I do to be a secret and I don't want to have to hide my presence and always be at a distance from him. The problem is if I go with that approach, then even with as oblivious as he can be, I know that it would only be a matter of time before he noticed something was up if I started accompanying him on his missions outside of the village."

"Of course. What is your solution?"

"Well, he knows that I'm always caught up in some sort of research and he knows that I've visited the Academy with you to do demonstrations for new students. My proposition is this: why don't we say that I am monitoring each rookie team of Genin from this class in order to study the techniques and methods in which each Sensei trains their students? I could then coordinate training sessions with Kakashi-san and mingle with each member of Team 7 and therefore, it would be less strange when I accompanied them on missions outside the village."

"All under the guise of isolating better training methods?" Hiruzen took a draw from his pipe, causing the burning tobacco to crackle in protest. "Does that mean you will be coordinating training exercises with the other two teams, as well?"

"In order to make the story more believable, I intend to." She replied. "It would not have to be too often, but if I made my presence known to each team and then if I could get some of the instructors in the Academy in on the study…"

"Then that would give your cover substance and depth."

She nodded.

"And, it could help the instructors in the Academy pick up better teaching methods. They could see which of their lessons worked the best with their students and how well it translated into their lives as Genin. Hmm…" The Third grabbed a scroll and began writing. "I approve of this idea."

Arashi blinked. I hadn't actually thought of how beneficial it could be outside of covering my end.

It should not have surprised her that he was thinking of it that way. Every person in the village was like an extended member of his family and they had all benefitted from the elderly man's thoughtfulness through the years.

She watched the strokes of his hand with confidence that the plan would all come together.

"Take this scroll to the Academy and explain what you're doing. Each of the Genin were primarily taught by Umino Iruka and I believe he would take a special interest in this."

"Thank you, Sandaime-sama."

Just as he said, Iruka was extremely interested in what she was doing.

Most of the times she had spoken to him through the years was when Naruto was in trouble for one reason or another and even though it tested her patience, she was glad that he linked her to the often out of control boy. It made her feel that even though she felt like she let the boy down as a type of big sister, that her efforts were at least recognized.

"So, you'll be able to keep an eye on Naruto-kun?" Iruka asked, his tone hopeful.

"Well, I'll do my best. He's a bit of a handful."

The Chuunin instructor laughed – that was an understatement and they both knew it.

There's no denying that this guy bonded with Naruto a lot. She grinned, "So, you'd like to help me with this joint study, Iruka-san? I'd love it if we could work together on this."

"Definitely. How often are we going to share reports with each other?"

"Let's aim for weekly reports. When they start taking missions outside the village, I might be a little delayed, but that's only because I'm going to try to escort them out some in order to see how it goes with a little more responsibility."

"Well, then, I'll see you in a week, Arashi-san?"

"Deal. I'll let you know how Naruto-kun's doing, too, okay?"

"I'd appreciate that."

It struck her as funny that he favored the boy as much as he did. Most people could not stand the ground Naruto walked on and most instructors would have favored the students that were sitting on top of the class in performance, but not Iruka.

She fully intended to use their mutual connections to the boy as a manipulation tool if she had to.

Okay, now that those two steps are taken care of, it's time to find Kakashi.

The advantage of being a sensor type was that it often did not take long for her to find who she was looking for. She approached their location with a sense of pride over what she had set up and the coordination that was being established between the Hokage, Iruka, and herself. Once Kakashi was added in, it would all run smoothly and she would not have to worry about coming up with weak excuses or being reduced to little more than a stalker.

At least today has gone by well, even if my morning was a bit unpleasant.

She traveled from rooftop to rooftop until she dropped down onto the street to close the rest of the distance. Since they were within the village and not on one of the training grounds, she assumed that they were doing missions together.

Kakashi must have expected her, because he met her before she had a chance to reach the Genin. He waited for her, casually leaning against a building with his nose in a book.

"Good evening, Kakashi-san."

He looked up from the pages to regard her, "Hey there, Arashi-chan."

Chan? She narrowed her eyes at him, "I spoke to Sandaime-sama and Iruka-san. Now I just need to meet your team."

"Hmm, alright, but I was thinking," he drawled out. "I'd like to set some boundaries before we start this."

She blinked, "Alright."

"You mentioned coordinating exercises, but I think we should take it a step farther. I'll let you know which missions are more suitable for you to tag along during. It's hard enough for me to get them to focus on tasks as it is and adding someone else into the mix will complicate things."

Arashi frowned, "You mean Naruto-kun, right?"

"He's a little odd," Kakashi admitted.

"Alright, that's fine. That will let you focus on training them without me being invasive, right?"

"Mhm." He turned a page.

Is he seriously butting me out? Her eyebrows knit together, "So, stay away until you tell me otherwise?"

"You get the gist." He answered noncommittally.

"And when you start taking them out of the village?"

"I'll let you know."

You've got to be joking.

Arashi's eye twitched, "So… am I allowed to meet your team today or will I have to schedule a meeting?"

He shrugged, "We just finished a mission, so I guess now is as good a time as ever."

She nodded and walked by him. As soon as the Genin came into sight, she slowed her pace in order to observe them. Any observations she made would be useful in her reports to Iruka.

Sasuke stood to the side, intentionally adding some distance between himself and his teammates. The only indication he gave that he acknowledged her presence was a sidelong glance before he went back to staring off at something else.

That's typical behavior from him. I remember when he was such a cute, wide eyed kid. I liked that Sasuke much better.

She tried to not think of the events that led to him developing the broody disposition he now operated in.

A few feet away, the pink haired girl watched him with adoration lighting up her green eyes. Arashi mentally sighed. A large number of Genin squads had that dynamic within it. There was most definitely something alluring about the boy that stayed at the top of the class for any twelve year old girl.

I just hope she knows what she's in for and she didn't stick with this just because she had a crush on a boy.

Lastly, there was Naruto.

He was dirty from his head, down to his toes and she could not figure out how he managed it when his two teammates managed to remain relatively clean, but she had learned that he could manage things that defied all reason. He stood between Sasuke and Sakura, shooting a displeased glare in the Uchiha's direction.

Maybe I should have a talk with him about wearing bright orange as a shinobi.

She looked over at Sakura.

And maybe I should talk to her about wearing bright red as a shinobi.

Arashi was all for people wearing clothing that they liked and not wearing a uniform day in and day out, but sometimes it was safer to wear either neutral colors or something that was dark enough to not stand out too much.

Eh, they're kids and I seriously doubt their aptitude is going to land them on any espionage missions.

Whether the rookies realized it or not, they would all be fed mediocre work missions until they had trained with their Sensei enough to be trusted with a little more responsibility – and those missions were often different depending on which Sensei they had. Arashi's first C Ranked mission concerned information gathering, tracking, and then a short burst of combat to get what they needed and to prove a point for their client. Ibiki was the head of Torture and Interrogation – which meant that his team quickly learned the importance of information and how well it could be used as a weapon. They were a team that was much more geared toward using their heads than outright fighting, even though they managed well enough in that department. They were fortunate enough to be a well-rounded squad, all things considered.

Other teams excelled in combat and others were much better at tracking and capturing. Most Genin followed in the footsteps of their Sensei and thus they were geared toward certain niches and pursuits.

Judging by what she knew of Naruto, she could only assume that they would naturally excel more with missions revolving around protection and combat. She knew precious little about Kakashi and could not make many assumptions based on him as their Sensei.

"Neh, when are we going to get a cooler mission than this, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto whined, his arms crossed and his eyes squinted shut. "I'm like, y'know, ready to fight some guys and save damsels in distress!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura hissed at him. "All you've done is complain!"

Arashi resisted the urge to rub her temples.

The boy opened one of his eyes to regard his teammate and blinked in surprise when he saw Arashi approaching with Kakashi.

Sakura offered a friendly smile to the medic, "What are you doing here, Arashi-san?"

"Well, she's here to have a little chat with you guys," Kakashi drawled out.

The medic squinted at the Jounin, Oh, c'mon, I was hoping you wouldn't push all of the explanation on me.

"Neh, neh! What's up, Sis? Did the old man send you to tell us we're going on a super cool mission? That would like, be so cool, y'know!"

Arashi stared at him, "Um."

Sakura looked at the boy like he was tearing through the last strands of her patience.

He's always had an overactive imagination, I guess. She cleared her throat, "Actually, I was going to let you guys know that you're all a part of a new study I'll be conducting!"

Naruto squinted at her, "Study? Like what?"

"Nothing too much." She replied. "I'll just be watching some of your missions, sitting in on a few training sessions, and even coordinating an occasional exercise that will let me watch the methods and techniques Kakashi-san uses to teach you guys."

Naruto's face lit up, "I like that, y'know! Like, when I become Hokage, you'll be able to tell everyone about my life's story and stuff!"

Sasuke snorted and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's not really meant for that." Arashi explained. "I'll be doing the same with the other two groups that passed this year, too, so I won't be around for most of your missions, but you'll get to see me here and there."

The young girl's eyebrows knit together in supplication, but she chose to not ask any questions.

She's curious.

Arashi wanted to ask Iruka for a report concerning each of the rookies to see what he had to say about their aptitudes and characteristics.

Sasuke gave her another sidelong glance when she mentioned tagging along with them, but he returned to being detached when she caught his gaze.

"Maah, now that we have that established," Kakashi interjected, "Let's get back to work."

Instead of scowling at him like she wanted to, Arashi smiled as pleasantly as she could, "Good luck, everyone! I need to go share the news with Kurenai-san and Asuma-san."

"Neh, can we get a better mission?" Naruto barked at his Sensei.

Arashi jumped onto a roof and fumed.

Kakashi, you'd better not make this mission a living hell on me.

So far, things were not going as smoothly as she hoped they would.

And that's it for Chapter 2! :) Thanks to everyone for reading! Let me know what you think of the interactions between Arashi and Kakashi. I'm still trying to get accustomed to writing him. If you have any opinions, suggestions, or criticisms then let me know in a message or a review!

Nameless: Ahhh, I'm sorry for the confusion! I should have put a note in the last bit that it would be started under another story. :(

And yes, Kakashi is back! Now to see how exactly that works out.

Thank you for the review and I hope that you enjoy the following chapters!

Guest: I don't know how much Arashi will want to claim him as a senpai after this chapter. xD

Thank you for reviewing!

Invit: I wanted to make people think that she betrayed Konoha, but mostly because I wanted to spook everyone. xD When it comes down to it, Arashi has too much to hold her in the village and she cares too deeply for her country. For all she knows, Itachi legitimately lost his mind and killed his entire family, so from a logical stance she would never side with him.

Thank you. :) I worked really hard to develop them gradually as it went on. Overpowered character that have no faults and no weaknesses aren't fun to write and I find them boring to read, so that was a huge goal of mine. Akio, Arashi, and Daisuke balanced each other as a team but they still had their weaknesses and it was fun to make them grow together from hating each other.

A part of me still can't believe I've finally made it to content with Kakashi. xD ah! Now to see how he and Arashi deal with each other.

Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

Castielshumanheart: I did post the first chapter early – and then I disappeared unintentionally. Sigh.

Arashi has too much holding her in Konoha and from all that she knows, Itachi went mad and killed everyone that was dear to him. Logically, she would never chase after him unless she had proof that he was innocent.

As for the Kakashi and Arashi interactions – after this chapter I'm starting to wonder if she'd sooner tear his hair out in frustration rather than offer him emotional support. xD I'm looking forward to writing how Team 7 as a whole reacts to her presence when it's more than just a passing greeting and it shouldn't be long until I get to write that content. I'm just going through the setup for it right now. As for Sakura, I do intend for Arashi to be a positive influence on her life but I won't say much about how I intend to incorporate that. Sasuke is.. difficult and there will be development there, as well.

Arashi was set up for a meteoric rise through ranks if she would have continued pushing herself as hard as she was when she was before the massacre. In a way, it's my way of showing that there were some definite and undeniable repercussions on her outlook and motivation from what happened with Itachi, even if she doesn't openly admit anything.

Her progress with healing and fuinjutsu will be shown. Those are two aspects that she hasn't slacked off in, at least! :)

Thank you for the review and I hope you continue enjoying each update!

Windschatten: I'm glad that you liked the cemetery scene. It might sound strange, but I find cemeteries to be very peaceful and sometimes it feels safer to speak to the departed than it does to speak to the living. Time can add uncertainty to events and memories of people and events and I was hoping that it would translate into that scene and her reactions. I'm glad that it sort of did. :)

I actually questioned whether I should have Kakashi actually pay for their meals or not, but I figured it was a special occasion and he'd do it – even if that might be the only time without some real manipulation from those kids in order to corner him into doing it. xD

I wasn't quite sure how to have Kakashi and Arashi really treat each other and now it's just turning into what happened in this chapter. I just don't even know.. xD I used to think "what if Arashi and Kakashi were the same age and they knew each other when they were both like 12?" I now know she would try to punch him in the mouth. Now to see how they treat each other as time passes..

Sasuke is relatively observant and he has a bit of a history with Arashi, even if they're not exactly on friendly terms with each other. I do intend to show a little more of what they think of each other and how they will treat each other as they interact more in upcoming chapters.

I've always thought of the Third as being very intelligent and calculated in what he does. 'Coincidences' happen around him all the time and more often than not they were quite intentional.

I'm glad that you liked this chapter and I always love your reviews! :)

a Wiccan: Kakashi that jerk, indeed. Dx But it's so fun to write. Haha

Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter! There's a bit of tension between Arashi and Kakashi and I'm hoping that it doesn't seem out of character or anything.

Osnapitzlivia: Yes, I got the first chapter out and then got abducted by real life and a busy work schedule. Dx Sorry.

Kakashi knew her as a little girl, even if it was relatively brief. Her bratty, spoiled tendencies of childhood give him a plenty of ammunition to use against her in teasing if he chooses to and it's something I on't pass up. xD I'm glad you liked it.

I really hoped that the cemetery scene would translate well and show that she is still affected deeply and feels quite a bit of remorse over what happened. I know that if something like that happened in my life, I wouldn't be able to just shrug it off and I couldn't see why Arashi would move on from it without any repercussions, either. And yes, I thought of making things smoother between Sasuke and Arashi, but when it comes down to it, he wouldn't really want to have anything to do with her.

He might not be mentioned in the main character list, but he won't be forgotten. :) Arashi certainly hasn't forgotten him and she definitely still has questions concerning him and the massacre. It might take a long time for some of these things to surface, but it's not something that I'm going to abandon.

Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!