Chapter 6

The Land of Waves Arc Begins

I am genuinely sorry that it has taken me so long to finish this chapter and post it. It has basically been done, except for a few additions and a little editing, for roughly a month. In my defense, I purchased a house, did some remodeling, and moved, so my life has been busy. D: Still, I hate randomly becoming inactive.

I would like to thank everyone that has read and reviewed. It's greatly appreciated.

Anyway, this is the beginning of the Land of Waves Arc. Arashi's a little late to the show, but not by much. Again – if you're just now joining for Part 3, I would recommend reading the first two parts. I know that it's a lot of content to cover, but it will explain a lot for Arashi and some of the other characters.

Summary: Arashi catches up, meets Tazuna, and isn't very happy about the situation.

"Akakakakaka!"

Arashi glared at the falcon.

"Akakaka!"

"Are you going to keep laughing at me all the way there?" She yelled over the wind.

"You should pay better attention, little meal."

"Seriously?" She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Why didn't he just find me to let me know?"

"Why fret over what was already done?"

He had a point. With a sigh, she gave up on venting. They were well on their way to the Land of Waves. From their position far above the ground, everything appeared to move slowly, but she knew that each beat of the falcon's wings covered more distance than a civilian could hope to achieve even at a run. If not for her concern about being as late as she was, she might have found it to be relaxing.

After the first ten or so minutes, once her skin was numb from the wind, anyway. Her first time riding the bird had been terrifying. It took several more excursions with Sukai to make her more comfortable, but if their velocity was ever more than a lazy glide, she reverted back to a death grip on his feathers. It was hard to hear, smell, or keep her eyes open when they were in a rush.

The thought of flying is better than the experience.

"Ak? I this mission important?"

"Not really. Just a C."

"Then why the stress? What is the point of it?"

"It's their first mission above a D and I was supposed to be there with them."

Despite his assistance on many of her own assignments outside of the village, he was disconnected from the purpose. He understood the rankings and different types, but none of it applied to his personal existence. His disinterest in shinobi affairs was frustrating, but he had proven to be invaluable to her.

"Their first?"

"They're relatively new Genin."

"Ak! Fledglings!"

"Basically."

"Will they be as green as you were when you jumped on my back with that contract in your hand?"

"Uh," She chewed on her lip. "I had way more experience by that point."

"Ak! Then worse!"

She sighed, but he paid no attention to it.

It was mid-day when she sensed Team 7's signatures and what she detected made her mouth thin into a line.

Kakashi's chakra was low, but not dangerously. Naruto had used a portion of his, while Sasuke and Sakura were without much change. There were three other signatures she did not recognize. One felt like a civilian, the other two were unmistakably shinobi from the Hidden Mist.

"We have a problem!"

"Ak?"

"I think they're fighting with other ninja – there shouldn't by shinobi conflict on a mission like this!"

"Should we hurry?"

"Yes, but I'll need you to stay high enough from the trees to not be a target. I only sense one person from the Mist engaging, but there's another one nearby. I want to get a better assessment of what's going on before rushing in."

The falcon picked up his speed.

Arashi squinted. They were drawing close to one of the many islands that comprised the Land of Waves. On their right side was a bridge of impressive proportions. Littered across it was proof of ongoing construction. Even with the obstruction of mist from the ocean, she was impressed to see a structure produced by a place that had little to boast in the way of an economy.

Her thoughts raced. The three Genin had only been on missions equivalent to chores. Even with training up to this point, they were not ready for shinobi combat. As skilled as Kakashi was reported to be, his notably small reserve of chakra worried her.

What is going on?

Sukai soared over the last of the bridge and veered away from the buildings and gawking civilians that caught sight of them. She directed him toward a wooded area in the direction that she felt surges of ninjutsu coming from.

Kakashi's burning through his chakra faster than I'm comfortable with.

Despite one of the foreign signatures partaking in the fight, she noted that the second one stayed at a distance. It felt calculated.

"How should we approach?"

"Let's circle the area. I want you to let me off a short distance away from them."

"Ak."

At her indication, Sukai dropped to just above the trees. A cyclone of water ripped through the area, narrowly missing them. Arashi took a breath and jumped from his back, landing on a branch with a dull thud. The bird rose in elevation and returned to a safe position.

She peered in the Jounin's direction, His chakra is low, but I think he'll be fine. He hit that guy with that jutsu, right on point.

Her target was not the shinobi that was engaged, but the one that was lurking. With a frown etched into her face and a kunai in hand, she made her way toward the signature. What she found was a boyish figure, wearing a mask.

A mask that she recognized as one worn by the Mist's tracking squad.

Her heart dropped as she peered at him from behind a tree. No one like that had any business near a squad of Genin. If she were to guess, she assumed he was a year or so older than Naruto, but she was hesitant to make a move. Age could not be used as a means to gauge someone's strength – she was not naive enough to believe she could take a member of that organization – but beyond that, he had not made any indication as to why he was there.

A short distance away, a shirtless man was pinned against the trunk of a tree as water rushed around him. Before he was able to regain his senses, several kunai pierced into his arms. His response was to scream and slump back. The sword tied to his back was now useless.

He clearly has not had a good time.

Kakashi landed on a branch above the man, his hitai-ate shifted up to his forehead to reveal his Sharingan. From her vantage point, she was able to make out Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the man she assumed was Tazuna. Beyond a few cuts, bruises, and being wet, they appeared to be in good condition.

"It's over." Kakashi informed him, his eyes no longer drooping in disinterest, but sharp and in the moment.

"How?" The man's voice was strained with disbelief. "Can you see the future?"

"Yeah," The Jounin drew a kunai. "You're going to die."

The masked boy drew senbon, leapt to another branch and threw them.

Arashi tightened her grip on her kunai, but the tension was replaced by confusion when she felt the other Mist shinobi's signature go out. Naruto's squeal of surprise echoed her own opinion.

Why needles? She peered down at the corpse. Why the neck? I mean, that takes a lot of skill to take someone down with such an inefficient weapon, but…

The boy chuckled at everyone's surprise, "You're right. He's dead."

From his voice, it's definitely a male and definitely young.

Kakashi dropped to the ground and checked the man's pulse. After a moment, he turned his attention to the younger Mist shinobi.

"Thank you, very much," he bowed, politely. "I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."

Arashi's eyes narrowed. Then why not wait until he was dead? Why step in right before Kakashi could kill him?

"That mask," Kakashi commented. "You're a Mist hunter nin."

"Impressive. You are correct."

Naruto stepped in front of his teammates and bristled, "Hunter-nin?"

Sakura muttered something at the blonde that the Chuunin failed to hear.

"Yes. My duty is to hunt down missing ninja." The boy explained. "I'm a member of my village's hunter-nin team."

If Arashi had learned one thing, it was that banter was often used as a means to bide time and distract. She continued to keep her senses pinned on the area for any additional signatures. There was something about his lone presence that nagged at her.

Meanwhile, Naruto stepped forward, his eyes bright. He looked at Zabuza and back at the boy. Anger, shock, and frustration made his entire body shake.

"What the hell!" He pointed at the hunter-nin. "Who are you?!"

Kakashi rose from his crouch and began to walk back to his team, "Don't worry, Naruto. He's not an enemy."

"I'm not asking that!" The Uzumaki screamed, his face twisted in a scowl. "Zabuza – that guy – a guy that strong was killed! A guy that strong was killed by a kid! By a kid not much different from me! We look stupid!"

"Well, I know how you feel, but," Kakashi placed his hand on his student's head. "It is also the truth. In this world, there exists kids younger than you, yet stronger than me."

Naruto averted his gaze and stopped yelling, but the same frustrated energy kept him tense.

The hunter-nin disappeared from the branch he stood in with a burst of ice cold wind that swirled around him. The hair on Arashi's arms stood on end – the boy had a kekkei genkai. She knew from the cold breeze that caused her glasses to fog over. The reaction that caused the jutsu was a combination of water and wind chakra, resulting in ice. Despite how subtle it was for a bystander, she was too aware of each chakra type, how they felt, and how they reacted to brush it off as a coincidence.

Still seemingly unaware of her presence, he appeared in front of his target and lifted the body partially onto his back, "Your battle is now over and I must dispose of this body, since it contains many secrets. Farewell."

He formed a handseal with one hand and was gone with the same vortex and icy wind. A short distance away, she felt him reappear, but turned her attention to the scene at hand.

Kakashi pulled his hitai-ate down to cover the Sharingan, "Now we need to get Tazuna-san back home. Let's go!"

With how low his chakra is, I don't see how he's still walking.

The man she assumed was Tazuna let out a bellowing laugh, "Thanks, guys! You all can come over to my house and relax for a while!"

Kakashi took one step forward and fell on his face.

Oh. That's more like it.

The kids ran to him, Naruto and Sakura yelling his name while the old man paled.

I need to make sure he's stable and figure out what's going on.

Arashi dropped from her perch and ran to them, "Hey!"

The blond gaped at her. "Sis? Why are you so late? Like, you know, this is bad! Like, real bad!"

"Sorry – move," She pushed by him and kneeled by Kakashi. "Let me take a look at him and then we'll talk."

Sakura grabbed Naruto and pulled him back, "Give her room!"

The medic flipped Kakashi onto his back and held her hand over his chest. After gathering chakra to her hand, she channeled it into his systems, checking for damage and assessing his body's current state to get a better idea of his condition – which culminated to bruised ribs, a lacerated hand, and a severely over used chakra system.

Even if I transfer some of my chakra to him, he's not going to be feeling well when he wakes up. Her eyebrows knit together. Definite damage, but I need to make sure his body doesn't go into shock.

A shinobi dying due to chakra depravation was not a pretty sight.

Each of the Genin gathered around her. Sakura had the appearance of someone trying to be brave, but her rigid posture and the hand over her mouth betrayed her fear. Naruto was an open book – scared but mesmerized by what she was doing. Sasuke had a better poker face than the other two, but he failed to hide the concern and uncertainty in his eyes.

Arashi closed her eyes and focused on the Jounin. Instead of maintaining the distance she had while examining him, she pressed her hand against his chest and flooded it with her chakra. The sensation of his wet clothes, along with the rise and fall of his chest helped her to block out everything else around them. She might not have been able to assist during the battle, but she was able to help now.

Carefully, she sent her chakra through his system, mapping out his pathways and testing his tenketsu. Their signatures mingled as she tested the flow of his chakra and she could not shake the tingling sensations that ran through her hand and up her arm during the process.

What she found as she searched revealed to her that even with the Sharingan covered, it continued to pull chakra from his system. Normally, such demands would not equate to much, but the particular way that it strained his system threw off the balance. His body was not meant to house a doujutsu and its presence affected its equilibrium in a negative way.

"Why the serious look, ne, Sis?" Naruto asked, his voice shaky.

"He's going to be fine; however, he's done a bit of damage to himself."

"So? You're a medic." Sasuke interjected. "You should be able to correct it."

"True, but he's physically fine." She replied.

"Then, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. "If he's physically fine, that means he's okay, right?"

The Chuunin sighed. "Except, he's not. It's his chakra system. There can be repercussions from draining your chakra too much, too fast. The 8 gates are fine, but the tenketsu have seen better days."

"Tenketsu?" Naruto repeated, squinting at her.

"Think of your pathways as an electrical system. Tenketsu are nodes that control the flow, acting like circuit breakers. They're all working enough to keep him alive, but some of them are essentially fried from over exertion."

"What does that mean?" Sasuke demanded. "How long will it take for him to get better?"

Arashi shrugged, "Everyone recovers differently. It could take a couple days to a couple weeks."

"Well," Tazuna scratched at the back of his head. "I feel pretty guilty, but at least everyone's okay."

The Chuunin paused for a moment before she looked at him. The smell of sake wafted from him like cheap cologne and there was something desperate in his eyes and face that his straw hat and many wrinkles could not hide. His clothes were patched and sewn together, implying that he could not afford to replace them and his hands were calloused from hard work. He was poor and scared.

After years of contact with Ibiki, she had learned to keep her eyes open for any detail that could prove useful. Due to that, she had a hunch that their client knew why they were attacked.

"Why do you feel guilty, Tazuna-san?" Arashi asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Did you know this was going to happen?"

"Er, well," The old man stumbled over his words.

Naruto shoved a finger into the man's face, "He knew! He knew the whole time, you know!"

"So, you requested an escort for a low level mission when a shinobi was after you?" She stood and took a step toward him but kept her voice even. "Why lie – I know you must have, they never would have categorized shinobi conflict as a C – why not be honest and get proper protection?"

He averted his eyes and pulled his hat down to hide part of his face. "I couldn't afford anything more."

"Obviously. I'll also assume that you were hoping for this situation. How lucky, really. You got a Jounin for a fraction of the price – to hell with his students."

Tazuna bristled like a dog that had been kicked, "My country is dying! I'm the bridge builder and if the bridge isn't completed, everyone here will be trapped under Gato's heel!"

Another thing she had learned from her sensei was how to manipulate people into talking. She might not have been as gifted with it as he was, but she managed.

"And who is this Gato?"

"The shipping tycoon, Gato. He's extremely dangerous and he's out for my life. He's been dealing in drugs and contraband, policing these streets with thugs. With his business, he controls what comes in and what goes out. Our only hope is the completion of the bridge!"

Arashi blinked and took a moment to think about what she had just been told. It was not a habit of hers to keep up with businessmen or businesses in general, but she knew that her mother sometimes had supplies shipped by Gato's company. Not only was he well known enough that shady activity would be looked over, but he was wealthy enough to get away with it, even if he was caught in illegal activities.

"I have no idea how you managed to make an enemy like that, but I have half a mind to take this squad and their sensei and leave you here. Clearly, he has the means to hire more experienced shinobi and if he hired a rogue nin, that means the full price of the assassination was never paid. That's part of the benefit of going with rogue shinobi – you don't have to pay them the full price up front. He'll just hire a new one the moment he figures out you're alive and it won't even put a dent in his pocket."

"How can you be so heartless? My daughter, my grandson, all the people here are depending on my survival!"

Arashi threw her nose in the air. "Because, the wellbeing of the shinobi of my village take precedence over a lying, old man."

She walked back to the Genin, motioning for them to follow her. They gathered together in a small circle and she looked over them. They were shaken by the exchange, but appeared to be recovering from the shock of their sensei collapsing.

The Uzumaki held a hand over his mouth to whisper to her, "Ne, maybe we should help? It's like, y'know, what a cool hero would do."

Arashi shook her head. "It's not that simple."

"She's right, Naruto." Sakura backed her up. "Gato can hire more people to come after him. We're just Genin. We're not ready for this."

"Well," the Chuunin rubbed her temples and looked toward the Uchiha. "What was your Sensei's plan?"

"To see Tazuna to his house," he replied.

So, Naruto wants to keep going, the girl would be willing to turn back right now. Even Sasuke looks a little uncertain.

At that point, she figured she would try to impart a lesson to the children, since their sensei was currently unconscious.

"Well," she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "As shinobi, you will be faced with rough situations – situations that turn out to be more than expected. As you take riskier missions, you will have to fight other ninja and find a way to overcome the odds." She pointed to the Jounin. "Continuing with an injured member of your squad is not uncommon. Your client lied, but how we deal with that information should be up to the team's taichou. In this situation, your sensei." The kunoichi paused to eye each of them. "So, what will we do from here?"

Sakura was the first to respond. "Wait! You're of a higher rank than us, so shouldn't you make the decisions?"

"I'm not a member of your squad. Really, I'm just supposed to be here to observe. You've been dealt a poor hand of cards, but it will serve as a learning experience. I get that you're shaken, but letting fear dictate how you handle a mission has no place in a shinobi."

The girl drew back to consider the words, her pride stinging.

"I think we should keep going, you know!"

"Noted, Naruto. Just make sure you consider the mission's dangers and the likelihood of failure. We're not immortal. Keeping a calm head and not being controlled by our emotions will increase our chances of success."

"Kakashi-Sensei decided to see Tazuna to his home. As our taichou, we should accomplish that and wait for further instructions." Sasuke stated.

"Yeah," Sakura rushed to agree with him. "What Sasuke-kun said!"

"Alright." Arashi looked over at the old man. "We'll escort you home. The final decision depends on Kakashi-san."

Their client breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun – each of you, get a leg. I'll get his arms. Sakura-san, make sure I don't run into anything. Tazuna-san is going to show us to his home and devote his time to being an excellent host, aren't you?"

"Er, yes, of course!"

Sukai continued circling far overhead.

Guess it should be fine for him to do his own thing for a while.

Arashi removed her hitai-ate and used it as a reflective surface to send a signal to the falcon. After a moment, she heard a shriek of recognition and he poofed away.

The three kids and the old man gave her an odd look, but she waved them away. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

The boys grabbed a leg and helped her lift the Jounin off the ground. The best grip she could get on him was beneath his arms, which put her in an uncomfortable position in which his lolling head kept bumping into her. There was no doubt that the man was down for the count.

I really don't like this. One person left Kakashi in this state. What happens when they send more?

The medic had been on dangerous missions, but being unprepared as a team vexed her. It was not in her nature to let her companions fight without her assistance, but she was unsure of how much help she would be during any battles that might occur. She would be able to treat wounds, but that meant that the Genin would have to show enough skill and battle prowess to not die before they could have a chance to be treated. A Jounin level shinobi would be able to take them out with ease.

"You missed it!" Naruto pulled her from her thoughts. "Kakashi-Sensei pulled out his Sharingan and there was like mist so it was hard to see, you know, and Zabuza had a huge sword, and thy kept tricking each other with water clones which was really cool. Then, Zabuza kicked Sensei through the air and he hid in the water and Zabua found him and locked him in a water prison and like—"

Kakashi's upper half hit the ground with a thud and Arashi stood over him with a dumbfounded expression.

"Wait. He jumped in the water with a water ninja?"

Sasuke stared at her, his eyebrows knit together in annoyance. "He was kicked into the water."

She cleared her throat and lifted the man, again, "Don't tell him I dropped him."

Naruto continued, unaffected, "Yeah, but I came up with this super awesome idea, you know, and Sasuke did exactly what I needed him to do and we got him out. Then there was like, super awesome jutsu and Sensei was about to finish Zabuza when that other kid showed up and then you."

"That's, uh, really cool, Naruto-kun. I'm glad you were able to get him out and assist."

The Uzumaki beamed.

He's not going to be too thrilled if we have a long way to carry his sensei…

Tazuna's home was quaint. It was built over the water, with two stories and a deck that wrapped all the way around it. From what Arashi could tell, it was more or less near the outskirts which would be both an advantage and disadvantage. Less people would know he had made it back and that would, in turn, aid in keeping word from getting back to Gato. Conversely, there weren't as many witnesses around for if something did happen.

The kunoichi chewed on her lips as they made their way up to the main entrance. The Jounin was still out and dangling, limply. Getting to carry him all the way there made her realize that although he was trim and fit, he was all muscle and bone. Not a bad thing, except it was a pain to carry that kind of deadweight.

There's water on basically every side, too. I can see why he went with a Mist shinobi. Very advantageous for them in this country. Fortunately, I haven't noticed anything suspicious.

Inside, she could feel two people. Tazuna opened the door and ushered them in. After an awkward moment, Arashi and the boys were able to get the Jounin inside without bludgeoning him on the door frame.

"Where would be a good place to put him?" Arashi asked.

"Let me get my daughter." Their client answered while slipping out of his sandals. "Tsunami, I'm home!"

A moment later, a petite woman with dark eyes and hair appeared from another room. As soon as she saw the unconscious man they were carrying, her relieved expression was replaced by concern and mild horror.

"What happened? Is that man dead?"

The medic shot the old man a look and waited for him to reply.

"Eh, we ran into some trouble along the way and these guys need a place to put their sensei. He's alive – don't worry." Tazuna explained. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami."

"Hello, Tsunami-san. I'm Ran Arashi. This guy here," She shook the Jounin, "Is Hatake Kakashi. The blonde is Uzumaki Naruto, the other boy is Uchiha Sasuke, and the girl is Haruno Sakura. If you could point us to a room, it would be greatly appreciated. He's a little heavy."

"Of course." The woman replied, her forehead creasing as she considered how they were going to house a group of people. "I believe we have spare bedding you can use."

Once they had Kakashi settled into a room, Arashi turned to the Genin. They stared back at her, waiting for direction. Tazuna hovered nearby, in case they needed something, while his daughter was busy in another part of the house. The other signature in the building had yet to budge from a room upstairs.

"We need to set up a watch rotation." She began. "Other shinobi will be our greatest concern, but keep in mind that our client and his family are civilians. A simple street thug can be just as dangerous to them. We need to assess the house and the most vulnerable areas that our enemies might take advantage of."

"Ne, I'll look outside to secure the area, sis!" Naruto volunteered.

As much as she cared for the boy, she knew he was more oblivious than the others. "Wait. You're really good at creating traps. You embarrassed your instructors enough over the years to prove that. I want you and Sakura-san to go through the house, reinforcing defenses. Sasuke-kun I want you to assess our location and vulnerability from outside."

Naruto wanted to complain, but his ego was stroked enough to keep him quiet. There was also something else – a type of appreciation as he looked from Sakura to her, grinning the entire time.

"On it!" Sakura grabbed the Uzumaki and pulled him behind her. "Let's get to work, already!"

Oh yeah. He likes her. Heh.

The Uchiha turned to leave without a word.

"Be safe out there and keep your eyes open. I want to know your opinion on everything."

He looked over his shoulder at her. "What? Are you worried? I'm not like Naruto."

"You know that doesn't matter."

He snorted and started on his way out of the room. "Besides, I doubt you'd be this calm if you sensed any threats around."

She blinked. He just sassed me.

He was a far cry from the sweet boy she once knew.

The kunoichi entertained the idea of kicking the kid into the ocean, but reminded herself she had other things to concern herself with. There was more information she wanted to know.

"Tazuna-san, do you know of anyone that might report back to Gato? Do you have any specific enemies?"

"Many enemies, but none to name. Word will travel by gossip and they'll see me working with a crew on the bridge, regardless."

"Fair enough." She sat down by Kakashi's side. "Thank you for opening your home to us."

"Eh? It was the least I could do after the mess I made."

"You had your motivations."

"Yeah." He sighed. "How long do you think it will take for him to wake up?"

Arashi shrugged. "Not sure. When the Genin come back to brief me, I'll organize a watch schedule with them. Despite my reservations about this, they'll get a taste of what is really expected of them, at the very least."

"About that – I'm glad that you didn't refuse to let them go any farther with me."

"It's Kakashi-san's mission and his decision." She replied, calmly. "If he chooses to continue, then I will remain to help."

"Thank you for being civil."

She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "Could you get some water for me? He'll be thirsty when he wakes up."

"Oh, uh, of course."

She held up her canteen for him to take. It was a tense exchange and he appeared more than happy to shuffle out of the room. As much as she valued a cohesive group where they could get along with their client, she refused to let him believe his actions were forgiven.

Besides, making him uncomfortable is kinda fun.

Now that she would be alone for a moment, she wanted to figure out a course of action. The Genin would have to hone their skills and be cautious enough to stay functioning. They would be useful in fending off non-shinobi enemies. For anything more, though, she needed to find a way to get Kakashi on his feet. It all depended on his chakra system and how quickly it could recover.

She chewed on her lip and pulled a scroll out of her back.

Written on the parchment was a fuinjutsu she had been tweaking for years. She was unsure of whether or not it would suit the situation, as it was meant to work in tangent with the Fuin Shugotenshi, but she had a hunch that with the right modifications, it could prove useful. Despite her work on it, she had yet to test it on a live host and was uncertain of what the results would be.

One to heal the physical and one to help with addressing the spiritual?

Applying either of the jutsu to a body was a tricky process – she had to make sure that nothing overlapped and that it was entwined in the body in a correct manner. It required an intimate knowledge of the host's body and his chakra system. The other drawback was that the application was painful enough to keep someone down for a couple days.

Good thing he's already down, right?

She placed her hands on Kakashi's body again and began channeling her chakra into his system. The sensation of her chakra mingling with his and the static-like tingle that vibrated in her hands made a chill run down her back. If she was going to test out a jutsu that could help him – while also furthering her study – she would need to familiarize herself with him.

As much as she did not want to admit it to herself, she liked his signature.

By the time Tazuna came back with her canteen, she was so engulfed in what she was doing, she did not notice him place it by her side and leave the room.

That's the end of Chapter 6. The next chapter follows along with events in the canon, but with an overly concerned and somewhat pushy medical shinobi hanging around. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, or concerns, please feel free to let me know in a review or in a message – I love all forms of feedback and I will take everything into consideration. Let me know what you guys think of the situation, how you think Arashi and Team 7 will react to each other, and what you think of Kakashi (although he is currently out of commission, he'll be back next chapter).

Windschatten: As always, I greatly appreciate your continued reading and reviewing. It always makes my day to see what you have to say about this project.

It dawned on me that it had been a while since I had included a medical scene with her father and it felt appropriate to show more of his sense of humor. He is, after all, the person she reveres as her hero and the reason why she pursued the medical field. I also like incorporating her family in the story - I gave her a normal family, why not use it? Naomi will probably always been one of my favorite characters to write. Once Kazika's a shinobi, I'll probably use him a bit more, but neh.

Arashi's going to be around for quite a bit in the Arc. I just felt that having a sensor type tagging along the entire time would throw off the dynamics of the beginning of the arc. She would have sensed the brothers, she would have sensed Zabuza, and she would have stepped in to help free Kakashi when, really, Sasuke and Naruto needed that moment to work together and develop. I didn't want to steal that.

Thank you so much for your kind words! :)

Nejnarinu: I'm glad that you've liked it up to this point and it flatters me that you blew through all of the parts to this point! I do apologize that it has taken me this long to post this update, but I do hope that you continue to enjoy it.

Reader-anonymous-writer: Arashi got Sukai in part 2 of this fanfiction. They don't have the most stable or caring relationship, but I enjoy writing them. Mostly, he's transportation, but eventually will be used in more combat.

I'm actually going to address the miscommunication a bit more in Chapter 7, when Kakashi is awake. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy this update!