WAVE COUNTRY MISSION: SUCCESS!

Kakashi and his Genin were surprised when their mission turned out to be more than was in the original job description… but after Tazuna pulled out some emotional blackmail, they couldn't find it in themselves to quit. And Kakashi managed to snag a few pictures with the two Chunin they tied to a tree.

"No hard feelings," he had said, smiling at the brothers, "I just wanted something to show my little one when I get home… Do you think I could take that bladed chain of yours?" Kakashi mostly wanted it so they wouldn't have a weapon to attack anyone else when they were taken in custody by whatever Hunter-nin found them, but a souvenir never hurt.

His students had laughed while Tazuna looked at him like he was crazy, and he actually did walk away with the chain in his possession.

Then, things became even crazier when they learned the name of who was after Tazuna and ran into Zabuza Momochi once they reached the Land of Waves.

In the middle of his fight with the Nuke-nin, Kakashi had casually asked while lazily pulling the camera out of his weapon pouch, "Hey, Zabuza, do you mind posing with me for a picture for my little boy?" His question was met by a swing of Zabuza's executioner's blade, right before the Nuke-nin froze when what Kakashi had said sunk in.

"You mean there's a mini-Copycat running around the Leaf?..."

"Well, he doesn't have my Sharingan… for obvious reasons, but yes, I have a child… a son who is about to turn two in a few months."

"..." Their fight had halted for a moment as Zabuza was trying to process that bit of information. And then Kakashi smiled.

"So… Picture?"

"... This stays between you and me, Copycat….. You tell anyone and your kid will grow up without a dad…..."

"It's for my son, you know. And he's actually found my Bingo Book of other ninja… He actually likes your photo in there, for whatever reason..." Kakashi said, rolling his eyes as he said this, and pulled a small pamphlet out of his weapons pouch, opening it to show Zabuza what was inside, "This is my wife and my son, Aoi and Satoshi."

Strangely enough, the kid had apparently swiped his father's headband, and was wearing it sideways like Zabuza did as he held his tiny hand in a victory sign at whoever was holding the camera. "... Cute kid. Now, let's finish what we started, eh Hatake?"

"Just a second," Kakashi said, turning on the camera and standing in front of Zabuza and to the side, "Smile for the camera!"

Zabuza didn't smile. However, he did do a small victory sign, just because he knew that Kakashi's kid apparently liked him, and he wanted to make a semi-good impression. The camera shutter clicked, and Kakashi instantly jumped away, putting the camera back in his weapons pouch as he took up a fighting stance.

"Thanks for that! Now, let's get back to this…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The third surprise Kakashi and Team Seven got on that mission was the mysterious masked hunter who had faked Zabuza's death with Senbon Needles before Kakashi and the Nuke-Nin's fight could continue; giving Kakashi some time to train his students about how to send chakra to their feet and other basic parts of chakra control before a fight broke out on the bridge Tazuna was building.

After he and Zabuza had exchanged blows, as well as between his two male students and the masked boy who was just three years older than Sasuke and Naruto, Gatou had shown up with fifty or so thugs he had hired to kill whoever had won the battle.

"Well, Zabuza…" Kakashi said, drawing his words out in a bored-sounding way, "These guys seem to be intent on killing us anyway, no matter who wins… How about we team up?"

"Sounds good to me… that guy was getting on my last nerves…" With Kakashi of the Sharingan and the Demon of the Hidden Mist, the fight didn't last long; Kakashi leaving his students out of it to patch up any wounds they had from the Senbon Haku had been fighting them with.

"Now that's over… where were you planning on going after this, Zabuza?"

"Eh… I guess me and the kid were gonna roam around and find other work…" Zabuza said as he rubbed the back of his head, though unsure of what they would actually do. As a enemy shinobi of the Hidden Mist, it's not like there was anything for them here since Hunter-nin would continue to follow after them… and that wasn't the life he wanted for Haku. The boy deserved so much more that what Zabuza could ever hope to give him...

"You could always come back with us," Kakashi offered, smiling. "You already broke off from your own village, so I'm sure that once the Hokage knew your situation, he would allow you to join our village. Granted you would be on probation for a while, but….Who knows? You might even be able to teach your own team at some point. Don't worry, I'll vouch for you and the kid too."

"... Thanks.. That sounds like a good enough idea for the time being…. HEY HAKU! We're leaving with the Leaf Team, so pack it up and hurry your butt over here!"

"Yes, Zabuza…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Returning the Hidden Leaf with two Mist shinobi was… an experience that Kakashi would never forget, nor ever live down.

He had actually found out he had a lot in common ninja wise with Zabuza, the two bonding over their preferred fighting styles and other things while the kids all seemed to get along as well; Haku being the voice of reason whenever Sasuke and Naruto started arguing and Sakura's pleading didn't work.

"How do you ever put up with three of them, Kakashi?" Zabuza asked, his left eye twitching as he heard yet another argument start up behind them.

"Hehe… you get used to it." Kakashi was really used to it, given how bad is own team had been; he and Obito had been much like Sasuke and Naruto, constantly in each others face, though Sasuke was a little easier to provoke than he had been. "Though its nice that Haku is so well behaved… I assume that's because of your training?"

"Yeah… didn't give him any excuse to slack off his studies, just how I was always taught…" Slacking off in any way in the Hidden Mist was just asking for someone to kill you or prevent you from becoming a ninja in the future; less competition that way. "Though that never hindered Haku's natural kind heart… you won't believe how many small critters he brought me to heal when he found them…"

"Sounds like he's got the natural trait of a healer, then." Kakashi said, laughing at the face Zabuza made.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So…. I see your mission was successful Team Seven…." The Third Hokage said as he blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe, eyeing the two other ninja in the room. "More than successful even…"

"Lord Hokage, would you allow these two to become a part of our village?" Kakashi asked stepping forward. "If needed, I will personally take on responsibility for keeping them in line while they are on a probationary period, but they feel that they can never return to their homeland."

"Well, that is a given, since Zabuza Momochi is a Nuke-nin and the boy his accomplice…" Another puff of smoke as old eyes looked the two up and down with sagely knowledge behind them. "But…. if you're absolutely sure of this Kakashi… I'll allow them to remain in the village under strict watch for the following two months. If they do anything that would endanger the village… their lives are forfeit. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"You hear that, Zabuza! We can stay!" Haku smiled up at his mentor innocently as the former-Mist ninja tsked, turning his head so his student wouldn't see his face… which was kinda starting to blush. The kid was just too cute for his own good, sometimes…

Yup, the mission was a success, and in more ways than one!