Chapter 3: Growing Concerns

Alright, so this was a quicker update. I meant to have this chapter done and posted yesterday since it's a little shorter than the first two, but stuff came up and blah. I'd like to extend a thank you to all of the people that have continued to read, favorite, and follow this project. :) It is always greatly appreciate.

I also apologize if this chapter feels a bit like filler. It's not meant to. Dx

Chapter Song: Daughter - Human

Chapter Summary: Arashi feels like a stalker and tries to cope with the cover story she chose.

Chapter 3

Arashi's hope that Kakashi would not make things difficult was hollow.

She was reduced to feeling like she was stalking his team, instead of feeling free to approach them and strike up a conversation like she could with the other two squads. Without a doubt, the Jounin had established his dominance. She was able to still monitor Naruto, but it was far from convenient and it was not what she had envisioned.

Really, what was even the point in me setting this kind of cover story when he was just going to turn around and do this to me, anyway?

Iruka had held up his end of the bargain and supplied her with copious amounts of information about the Genin she shadowed after and of the methods being used in the Academy. The reports she had offered back to him were in-depth, but she was sure to not mention that much of the information she had on Team 7 was gathered through a pair of binoculars and supplemented with the information she pumped out of Naruto when she caught him outside his apartment for a quick chat to see how everything was going for him.

Maybe today will be different?

Arashi liked Team 8.

Kurenai was a friendly and empathetic woman. Even though she had not been a Jounin long and her students had not been under her care for any considerable time, the medic could tell that they were forming healthy bonds with each other.

Her squad was comprised of Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba.

When she first approached them about her study, they were the most receptive. Since then, she had organized one training exercise with them and now she was going for a follow up to see if they had improved any on what they were focusing on the last time she saw them.

A quick round of questioning and a friendly exit. That's all I need to do and then I'll head on to Team 10.

Arashi followed their signatures until she found them on a training ground, on the outskirts of the village. She preferred training away from people and had visited this spot several times on her own. In fact, this was where Satoshi had found her before their match and Itachi had faced him until he backed down.

The memory was bittersweet.

With burning lips, she wished she could take the latent questions and remorse and let the wind sweep all of it away, just as it gathered and swept away the leaves that rushed by her in an abrupt gust. She pushed it to the side. Years of events now separated her from then and she had things she had to focus on in the present.

Kurenai watched over her students and instructed them through a sparring match. Hinata and Shino faced each other, while Kiba sat off to the side to watch. From what Arashi could tell, they had yet to begin fighting and by the timid and hesitant expression on the Hyuuga's face, she doubted the girl was in a hurry to begin.

The girl's pale eyes wavered from the Aburame and focused on the medic as she approached. She dropped from her stance and fidgeted, a stuttered greeting dying on her lips.

I'd expect that kind of suppressed behavior in a member of the branch house – not coming from Hiashi's daughter.

It did not surprise her, since she had seen the same behavior the previous times she had spoken with the squad. It did, however, perplex her.

Seeing Hinata's shift in attention, Kurenai and the two boys turned to see what she was regarding.

Arashi raised a hand to wave, "Good morning!"

Akamaru, Kiba's ninken, barked and bolted away from the Inuzuka.

"Akamaru! Stop that!" Kiba jumped to his feet.

"It's alright!" Arashi called back. "I'm pretty good with animals!"

In truth, she had wanted to pet the small dog since she first saw him weeks before, but she never asked if she could. The Inuzuka were particular about their canines and she did not want to come across like she did not take them seriously. They were not pets.

Akamaru circled her legs, snuffling loudly as he checked her out.

But this one time, I'm going to pet him.

Then, before her hand could ruffle his white scruff, the dog hiked his leg and a yellow stream of urine sprayed across her boot.

Arashi froze.

…really?

She was so caught off guard that she stared as the dog finished and pranced back to his master, pride adding extra bounce to each step. The medic looked up at the Inuzuka that was scolding his ninken in hushed tones and then toward Hinata and Kurenai. The Hyuuga had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with sympathy and surprise. The Jounin's eyebrows were knit together and her mouth was slightly open, but she recovered the fastest.

Shino watched without a sign of any reaction. He reminded her somewhat of Akio – except he had a friendlier disposition. Akio had an intimidating undertone to his movements, even when he was in a good mood. The differences in their personalities were stark and it intrigued her. Even though it was hard to tell under his coat, she noted that Shino also appeared to be somewhat thinner and frailer than her old teammate.

"Sorry about that." Kiba apologized.

He was loud and his appearance was unruly, but from what the medic could tell, he was a good kid. His feral features were twisted in embarrassment, and his dog whined from his place under Kiba's arm.

Arashi stepped out of the small puddle that collected under her foot and tried to not show how disgusted she was, "It's alright. I've had worse on me."

It was not a lie. She had seen and unfortunately worn many nasty fluids and substances during her shifts in the hospital. That fact failed to make her current situation feel any better.

Now I'll have to clean these or I'll smell like pee everywhere I go.

Kurenai shifted forward and the sympathetic expression dropped from her face, "Did you come to follow up with your research?"

One of many mental notes that Arashi had made the last times she spoke with this woman was that she was engaging to interact with. A few minutes of dialogue revealed an honest attitude and a sharp mind.

"Yes, I planned on checking up on everyone today."

Kurenai nodded in understanding.

"Th-there's a stream nearby," Hinata stammered. "If you want to clean your boot, first…"

"I think I will, actually."

They waited, sheepishly, until she was done. When the medic returned, she was holding a clipboard with a questionnaire that she intended to go over.

"Alright, I know last time you were all going to work on figuring out your weaknesses, improving those, and working together as a cohesive team." Arashi recapped. "I prepared some questions to ask you all, individually, and then I will talk a little with you, Kurenai-san. This shouldn't take long and then I'll be out of your hair. Is that okay?"

"Sounds good to me," the Jounin agreed.

The color of the woman's eyes interested Arashi – it was definitely not every day that she came across someone with red eyes. She had to admit that the woman's natural features, coupled with her choice in clothing and makeup, made for an attractive genjutsu specialist. She wondered briefly if Kurenai would object to a shopping trip with her sometime in the future.

I wonder if she incorporates herself into her illusions? Sometimes Daisuke will, but I've never thought to ask him what the advantages are to self-projection when weaving a genjutsu. Is there an advantage or is it personal style?

She could not help but remember Itachi and Shisui, their eyes flaring brightly with the Sharingan when she thought of red eyes and illusions.

"Okay, let's go through this so I won't hold you up any longer..."

Arashi's next destination was an area within the village that was packed with restaurants. Even without sensory skills, she knew that it was the likeliest place to find Team 10 at that time.

While Kurenai reinforced and guided her team with the care that one would expect from a big sister, Asuma resorted to a different method. She realized from their initial meeting that Ino-Shika-Cho had an excellent dynamic to hold them together, except two thirds of the group lacked self-motivation. In short, Sarutobi Asuma bribed his students to make them actually try.

It was inside Yakiniku Q that she found them, gathered around a table.

As soon as she stepped inside and Asuma noticed her approach, he stood and placed an unlit cigarette between his lips.

Arashi waved, "Hello-"

He walked toward the exit and motioned for her to follow him.

"Um, okay."

Once they were outside, he lit his cigarette, took a deep draw and exhaled.

She shifted her weight between her feet and asked, "Needed a smoke break?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Asuma was a tall man. Arashi had a hard time believing that he was Hiruzen's son when she thought of the difference in their statures. Looking beyond that, he did share certain features with the elderly kage and even some habits.

"You here to talk to Loud-Mouth, Lazy, and Glutton?"

He was also a blunt man.

She bit back a laugh, "Still calling them that, huh?"

"It's what they are."

The medic glanced inside to make sure his students were still pre-occupied and not listening, "They're yours, though."

His eyes lit up with amusement, "No doubt about that."

If the last times she had dealt with them were of any indication, she understood how they could be a handful.

"I just wanted to go over a questionnaire with them today. Won't take too long." She explained. "Then, I'll go over a few questions with you and we'll be done."

"Don't worry about rushing through it. It always takes Choji a while to eat."

Blunt and the son of a kage, but laid back and pretty down to earth. She nodded, "If you want a bit longer of a break, I can take my time."

"It's whatever you want to do."

She shrugged, "I'll probably order something to eat for myself while I'm here."

It was far better than ramen.

She stepped inside and approached the Genin of Team 10 – Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji.

The girl, Ino, was the best female student in her class. She bore a striking resemblance to her father, Inoichi. Arashi was well acquainted with this girl. She bought flowers from their flower shop on a semi-regular basis. The medic had seen a broad spectrum of the girl's attitudes, which mostly comprised of confident, arrogant, intelligent and, undoubtedly bossy.

Her father had spoiled her rotten.

Still, she displayed talents and aptitudes that were commendable for a girl of her age. It was a safe assumption to make that she would follow after her father and use the Yamanaka's Clan secrets to aid and further Konoha as she matured.

Shikamaru was one of the students in Iruka's class that was described as being one of the 'dead lasts' in a report she scanned through – along with Kiba and Naruto. That surprised her. She knew who his father was and the idea that the son of Konoha's Jounin Commander would drag through the Academy was bizarre to her. There was something in his eyes that was uncannily intelligent.

Then again, he was also the laziest child she had ever met.

In Iruka's report, there were notes stating that it was common for Nara clansmen to have that personality type and that it often did not indicate that they would do poorly as shinobi. While there was stressed a measure of difficulty in getting the boy to even pick up a pencil or participate in anything, there was also a vote of confidence. The Nara Clan consistently served Konoha well.

Lastly, there was Choji. Just as his father before him, he was meant to be the brute strength that balanced out the finesse and brains of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination. He was also the reason she knew she would be able to find them in this restaurant, in particular. As difficult as it was to motivate Shikamaru, it was a simple matter to bribe Choji into action with the promise of food.

There was nothing specifically negative about him in the reports she received from Iruka. She gathered that he seemed a nice enough person.

Each of the three Clans had a unique bond with each other. Being the heirs of the Clan Heads, it only made sense that they would be placed on a team together to re-establish Ino-Shika-Cho and to reinforce the traditions between their clans.

They were her second favorite squad to visit.

Arashi placed her order and slid into a seat at the table the Genin were eating.

"Oh, good evening Arashi-san!" Ino greeted her with a wide smile.

"Good evening, Ino-san." She returned the gesture.

"Oh great, what are you going to make us do now?" Shikamaru sighed.

The young kunoichi's eyes narrowed and she hissed in a shrill voice, "Shut up and stop being rude, Shikamaru!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he mumbled and slouched over his food, like the effort of being there was more than he signed up for.

Choji continued eating without acknowledging Arash's presence.

"Okay," Arashi cleared her throat. "I just wanted to go over some questions with you guys."

"Sure thing." Ino nodded. "We've been working really hard with Asuma-Sensei to perfect our-"

"What a drag. Questions?" Shikamaru interrupted her. "I was hoping we left all of those troublesome tests behind us in the Academy-"

"As, I was saying," Ino raised her voice over him, "We've been working with Asuma-Sensei to perfect our teamwork and coordination as Ino-Shika-Cho."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Do you have to be such a brat?"

The girl looked to be a few comments away from a tantrum.

Choji finished the last of his meal and looked around, "When are they gonna bring out more food?"

Arashi could see why Asuma needed a smoke break.

Finally, Arashi closed in on Team 7.

She shouldered a pack that contained a snack for that evening and a pair of binoculars. Whereas she had attended a mission, organized a training exercise, and did a follow-up with the other two teams, she had yet to formally do anything with Kakashi's squad. She wished she could blame it on something other than the stubbornness of the strange Jounin, but there was little reason for him to haze her in this manner. She gave him reports on Naruto's seal once a week and if he was feeling magnanimous that day, he would excuse himself and leave. Sometimes he simply vanished in a poof of smoke that left her coughing.

Instead of developing a healthy work relationship, she was left to hide on a roof with a pair of binoculars to stalk them for enough information to fill in a report for Iruka.

If I had known that he was going to be this way, I never would have set this up. Does he think I like visiting a bunch of rookies and filling out reports about them? Does he think I'd rather be doing a study that isn't really needed? I have ten other things I'd rather be doing right now.

Despite no longer taking missions outside of the village, Arashi was spending less time pursuing her own research and studies. The medical field required a constant upkeep on procedures and techniques, while her interest in fuinjutsu was often just as complex.

The kunoichi huffed in annoyance and grabbed a scroll to begin preparing a report about Team 7.

She lied about doing a training exercise with them and now she had to answer her own questionnaire through observation. If Kakashi would have been more willing to work with her, then she would have worked with them on forming more cohesive bonds in their group and addressing their weaknesses. If they had been through that, she would have let them know to work on it so that when she visited them the next week, they would have better progress to show – just as she had with Team 8 and Team 10.

Whatever. I'm sure he's doing his job and working with them, anyway. That's how every Sensei is. They push bonds, they push loyalty, and fresh Genin are usually more than willing to bend to those teachings. That's just how it is.

She was not sure why Kakashi was pushing her away in this manner. He had never been thrilled to see her when she was a child, but he had also looked after her to an extent – which was probably in order to help Kushina. The only reason she met him before Hiruzen gave her this mission was because of the fiery redhead and her husband, Minato.

Is that one of the reasons he doesn't want to have much to do with me? Do I remind him of what happened to his Sensei and his Sensei's wife?

She chewed on her lip.

I guess that would be kinda like how I feel about Sasuke. Every time I look at him, I think of his brother.

Arashi shook her head.

Yeah, but I don't even know if Kakashi's that kind of person. Some people aren't sentimental and caught up on things as easily as I am. For all I know, he just doesn't want me messing with his squad and he'd rather me do my mission and leave them alone as much as possible.

With one more resentful look toward the list of questions she had beside her, she lifted the binoculars to her eyes and searched for her targets.

Team 7 was currently on a mission.

From what she could gather, they were cleaning the local playground and surrounding streets.

Yup. Typical beginner mission right there.

Naruto rushed ahead, trying to collect as much trash as he could. His eyes flashed with determination to do as well as he could. Sadly, his rush made the task sloppy. Arashi frowned. He was too eager to show that he was capable – more capable than a certain Uchiha.

Sasuke gathered trash with an utterly disinterested expression on his face, but he managed to keep pace with Naruto while making it appear effortless. The medic snorted to herself. It was the same dynamic she had seen while they were in the Academy. The ease in which Sasuke was able to excel while Naruto struggled with all of his might but fell behind reminded her of how Itachi out-performed all of his classmates.

Except Sasuke's not like his brother. Itachi was in a completely different league.

The Uchiha glanced over his shoulder to check Naruto's progress and subtly picked up his pace.

Wait. Arashi arched an eyebrow. What was that?

After a few moments, Naruto looked over to check Sasuke's progress and forced himself to work faster, but even sloppier than before.

So, Sasuke doesn't only tease Naruto. He's totally in on their rivalry.

The notes that Iruka included about Sasuke and Naruto mentioned their rivalry as being one-sided, with the Uchiha disinterested in the affair.

But that's not quite true.

Arashi turned her attention to the third member of the team, Sakura.

The girl kept herself busy, but watched Sasuke and to a lesser extent, Naruto. She continuously looked at their progress and then compared it to her own. When she thought no one else was paying attention to her, her forehead creased in what Arashi assumed was frustration.

So, either she's comparing herself to them or she's frustrated for some other reason.

Lastly, Arashi checked to see where their Sensei was during all of this.

Oh.

Kakashi was sitting on a bench, reading his smut of choice.

Alright. I'm just going to accept that he'll read that kind of stuff in front of kids while keeping a completely straight face. Erm, at least I think it's straight. I mean, no one can really tell since he wears a mask all the time. What's up with that anyway?

She frowned.

Unlike the other Sensei, he kept himself at an undeniable distance from his students. Asuma might have wanted to smoke a cigarette in peace, but he was right back with his students once he was finished. From what Arashi had seen, Kakashi maintained a sense of detachment from his Genin and there had been no improvement from the first day she had watched them to now.

Naruto was still sloppy and overflowing with energy that needed to be directed with a heavy but gentle hand – which Kakashi was not doing.

Sakura spent more time watching Sasuke than she did actually working, which meant she needed direction – which Kakashi was not offering.

Sasuke did well enough, but she had a hunch that he needed an attitude adjustment and a positive role model to help him connect with other people since the loss of his family – but Kakashi was busy reading a book, instead.

A few weeks in and they're basically the same. Is this just how that man is? Distant?

Her frown deepened.

I mean, he practically refuses to have anything to do with me and maybe it is because I bring up old memories or whatever, but he doesn't seem to want to bond with his Genin, either.

Kurenai was actively seeking to help her students, just as Asuma was trying to find ways to motivate his students to achieve as much as they could. They were what she would expect of a Sensei and she was sure their students would have an unbreakable bond once they were done with them.

But Team 7? I'm not so sure.

With a sigh, Arashi began to answer the questionnaire. She wanted to be brutally honest, but she found herself trying to find good ways to describe her observations. Instead of neglectful, she used 'pushes self-reliance within their teamwork'.

He was a strange man and she felt like she knew him no better after all of her observations than she did outside the ramen stand.

Intelligent, organized, keeps a clean home, minimalist, well read, very hard to read, extremely distant, and… he might have some control issues, if how difficult he's been about letting me do anything with his group is of any indication.

She placed the binoculars down and dug through her pack for the food she brought along.

Her brother's signature entered her range.

Wait a second, shouldn't he be in class?

She blinked when she realized it was later in the evening than she first thought.

I guess he just got out or something, but he should be going home or staying with an instructor to train a little more or something.

Their home was in the opposite direction.

She swallowed a bite of her food and packed the rest away. Curiosity pricked at her thoughts.

What is he doing? Is he looking for me or someone else?

His pace was not rushed.

I'm assuming it's not an emergency.

With a sigh, she stood and went over to the side of the building so that she could be seen from the street. After a few minutes, the boy appeared below her.

"What are you doing?" She called down to him.

He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up at her, "Just thought I'd see what you were doing this evening."

"Stuff."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Sensei mentioned a new study. I thought maybe I could help?"

"There's not much more for me to do today, honestly. You could just go practice kenjutsu, if you wanted to."

The boy's face contorted into a frown and he shook his head.

Oh. Okay.

Kazika looked around until he saw a safe path for him to jump up to her position. He jumped toward the building beside her and then bounded off the side to his destination.

Arashi realized that when she was his age, she knew how to focus her chakra to her feet and walk up the side of a building – something her father had shown her.

Kazika grinned at her, toothily, "I thought I'd just hang out with you and then maybe we could get some training in?"

It was rare that she trained with him. Typically, it was because she kept herself so busy that she never had the time to do so. The few times that she had, she felt awkward. Something about a child half her height coming at her with a tanto made her uncomfortable.

"Ah, after I finish up with these observations, I have to finish writing a report and make sure it's ready to hand in to the Academy tomorrow."

Kazika looked at her like he was fully aware that she was trying to dodge him, "So, observations?"

"Yeah."

His eyes fell on the binoculars beside her pack, "You're watching them like that?"

"Um," she adjusted her scarf. "Yeah."

"If you don't feel like watching them and you need a break, I can watch them for you."

Geez, he's determined to do something with me this evening. She relented, "Alright. Watch them and tell me what they're up to."

His face lit up and he bounded across the roof to snatch the binoculars up.

"Oh," he hesitated, "so, you're watching Naruto."

"Right now, yes. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke."

"Mm."

Arashi could not pinpoint exactly when, but her little brother had formed a dislike for the Uzumaki. Whether it was because of the general consensus about Naruto or if it was because Kazika was jealous of the time she put into checking up on him, she was uncertain.

"Do all beginning missions suck this much?" Kazika mumbled.

"Pretty much."

"That blows."

"You don't even know, yet. Wait until that's all you can do for a month or two. Maybe more, depending on your Sensei."

Kazika went quiet and Arashi began working on the report again. As annoying as her current situation was, she did not want to say anything negative about Kakashi's methods. Especially if he managed to see those reports after she turned them over. The last thing she needed was for him to have a real reason to dislike her and give her a hard time.

Perhaps the training he did outside of missions was much more impactful than she realized. D Ranked missions were hardly something to get worked up over.

"That Jounin's just sitting over there reading." He muttered. "Must be a pretty interesting book."

"Erm, yeah, I guess so."

Arashi frowned. She looked forward to seeing where Team 7 would be in a few months. From what she could tell, they were willing and ready to be trained. With such a highly esteemed Jounin as their Sensei, she hoped they would each have a bright future.

"What was your Sensei like?"

She snorted, "Strict, very involved in our training, not very talkative but got his point across. He was an excellent Sensei."

Kazika put the binoculars down and looked over at his sister, "What was his name?"

"Morino Ibiki."

"I wonder what my Sensei will be like…"

Arashi shrugged and continued writing. Her brother was a talkative boy.

"Why are you frowning?"

"Just thinking about aptitudes and trying to figure out how I'm going to word this stuff."

"Theirs?"

"Yeah. Sasuke was the top of their class, Sakura's very smart and would possibly be suitable for genjutsu, and Naruto's determined enough to not let his shortcomings define him."

"Oh." The boy thought for a moment. "What about mine?"

Arashi paused and regarded him. His expression was guarded, but she could see the curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Well," she ruffled his hair, "If you'd let Dad help you, then you'd be surprised at the things you could already pull off!"

Kazika pulled away from her and looked away, thoughtfully, "Yeah, but he's always busy and it makes Mom sad. I'd feel bad if I made him work even harder and took even more time from Mom."

Arashi blinked, "You know, he'd love it and Mom would understand. You're not always going to be with them."

"You still live with them." He retorted.

Her eyes narrowed at him, "Don't you sass me."

At the age of eighteen, Arashi was still comfortably living with her parents. She had yet to find a reason to move out, since she and her parents got along very well. In fact, any comment she had made in the past about finding an apartment made her father worry and her mother fuss about how fast her daughter had grown up.

It was becoming more and more apparent that they intended to keep her until she met "Mr. Right". Naomi was beginning to mention grandchildren. Arashi was convinced she was going to die single and alone, instead.

Kazika stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'll hide your tanto again."

If looks could kill, she would have died twice.

They continued working together and bantering until Team 7 disbanded for the evening. Kazika left for home and Arashi gathered all of her things together with the promise that she would be right behind him after she handled something else.

She was tired of knowing nothing about Hatake Kakashi.

He was in ANBU for what? Ten years? That means, Ibiki-Sensei has to know at least a little about him. She chewed on her lips. If I could manage to get a hold of his file and really get a good look into what makes him tick, I'd be ecstatic.

Arashi entered the Intelligence Division and was escorted to Ibiki's office.

It was not an uncommon sight to see the kunoichi waiting to have a conversation with her Sensei. Protocol dictated that she was to be monitored, but most of the agents were familiar enough with her that they left her alone once she was seated.

Most people don't remain in Black Ops for that long. Most people get themselves killed or maimed if they don't retire first.

As soon as the door opened and Ibiki entered, he announced, "I've already eaten."

Arashi huffed, "I don't only come here to force feed you, y'know."

The man grunted and sat down behind his desk.

Nine times out of ten, the kunoichi did go there just to make sure he had eaten a decent meal. She always made sure she had another reason to support her visit, but her ulterior motive was more often than not to check on the wellbeing of her Sensei. She knew he worked long hours and that the kind of work he did was not pleasant.

"Well," he crossed his arms and looked her over. "What is it?"

"What can you tell me of Hatake Kakashi?"

"Why?"

She shifted in her seat, uncomfortably. Most people would agree that Arashi was a nosy person. If she was interested in something or someone, then she would research and dig for as much information as she could get. The reason she was that way was because of the man that sat across from her.

"Well, I'm doing a study on the rookie Genin this year. Everything's going fine with two of the Sensei, but Kakashi is giving me a hard time. He's not complying, being difficult, and I honestly feel like he's not taking me seriously. I don't like being treated like this. Usually I can read a person and figure out how to deal with them, but this guy isn't an easy case, y'know? I thought maybe you could share a little information with me."

"We attended the Academy around the same time." Ibiki replied. "When he first became a Genin, he was strict about following rules and often clashed with teammates on missions."

"It doesn't surprise me that he had issues with other people," she mumbled.

"Beyond that, he was a good ANBU captain. Went into retirement after the Uchiha Incident."

Even years after the event, the Incident still felt like a bad dream to her.

"What do you know of him, personally?"

Ibiki shrugged, "Why don't you look into finding his file under Standard Forces?"

"Well, I will, but I thought since so much of his career was spent with ANBU, that talking to you would be a better lead." She admitted. "I mean, if you could slip me his ANBU file…"

Ibiki laughed – in her face.

She sighed. The information she wanted was prohibited from her and she knew it. He was not the type to spoil anyone, not even his students. Even if he could have slipped her the information without anyone knowing, that was not the kind of person he was.

"It was worth a shot, y'know."

He stood, "I have work to do."

"Thanks for talking to me, Sensei."

"I'll give you some advice. Don't let him get to you or figure out how you tick. He's smart and he's been through a lot. I worked hard on thickening your skin. This is no time to forget that – even if all of this is about a petty research project."

Her lips thinned into a line. She wished she was given permission to share her mission with a few people. If he knew what her real situation was, then he might have been more willing to give her information.

"Yes, Sensei."

Nonetheless, his advice was true. She could not let him get to her. She had to do what was necessary.

Arashi was now determined to figure Hatake Kakashi out. When she next handed in a report, she would track him and hound him until he gave in, if she had to. One way or another, they needed to see eye to eye, even if she felt like she needed to be respectful to him because she was of a lower rank. Her purpose was not to be pushy, it was not to remind him of unpleasant memories, and it was not to undermine his personal capabilities.

And that's it for chapter 3. There was no direct interaction between Kakashi and Arashi, but there will be some in the next chapter. If anyone has any suggestions, criticisms, opinions, etc. – please feel free to share them in a review. I love all forms of feedback and I'd like to know what you all think of the direction part 3 is taking so far.

Windschatten: I am so, so, so happy that you enjoyed their interaction! I was very hesitant about it and I wasn't sure if I was getting Kakashi's character right. I have to admit that the kind of jerk Kakashi can be is definitely the kind that I like. xD haha

Kakashi is a character with a lot of layers and a lot of depth. I do intend to delve into why he's being difficult to such an extent, but it's true that Arashi can do her mission without being invasive. She could have chosen to stay in the shadows and not shown herself to Naruto. Ultimately, while he is being difficult, he's not actually making it impossible for her to do her mission. He just has his reasons for wanting to keep her at a distance. :)

I'm glad that you enjoy the bits and pieces that I add in concerning the other people in Arashi's life and the bonds that are connected to each of them. It's a lot to keep up with, sometimes, and I always worry that I'm boring the readers with it. Still, I choose to include those details because I hope that it will add a bit of life and a little more depth to the story.

I intended to include brief scenes with Kurenai and Asuma before you even mentioned this and that's what I did. :) They are kinda short, but I wanted to give a glimpse into their teams and show Arashi's observations about each of them in order to highlight some of the differences. I really do have a lot of characters to juggle, but I'm determined to touch bases. Chapter 4 should feature Daisuke and Akio to sort of show what they've been up to and how they're doing. xD and I' glad you find them adorable.

Thank you so much for the review and I hope you like this chapter. It's not quite as long as the two before, but I didn't see much point in stretching it out. The next one will likely be longer. haha