Previously:

"All right. Sasuke, you take point, follow Tazuna-san's directions. Sakura and Naruto, I want you to guard from the sides. I'll follow from behind with Sensei." April instructed them, carefully but quickly hoisting Kakashi up and over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Let's go!!" She said with a determined gleam in her eye.

'This girl… is super manly.' Tazuna thought as he and Sakura sweat-dropped. Personally, Naruto thought it was cool.

"Hey, should you be carrying him like that with your wound?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"I'll be fine." April said reassuringly. "When Zabuza kicked me, I focused my chakra in my torso to protect my organs. That blood I coughed up was from when I accidentally bit the tip of my tongue as I hit the ground… Sorry if it freaked you out." She apologized a bit sheepishly. There would probably be some bruising, but nothing too serious. The others all sweat-dropped. So they had been worried about her this whole time for nothing? Suddenly, they were perfectly okay with the idea of making her carry 67.5 kg of dead weight the rest of the way.

Chapter 16: Preparation For Battle

It turned out Tazuna-san had some pretty sweet digs. His house was right on the waterfront and next to a nifty little windmill.

"Are you all right, Sensei?" Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami-san asked as she stared down at the jōnin they had tucked into one of the guest futons. She had been really surprised when her dad had returned home with four kids and an unconscious adult in tow. She had already given the guys a lecture for letting April carry a grown man the whole way on her own. The girl looked positively exhausted! In fact, she had sprawled herself out haplessly on the floor the moment their sensei opened his eye again, and she felt safe enough to relax, like a lazy cat that couldn't be bothered to move another centimeter.

"Yeah… I just can't move for a week or so." Kakashi answered a bit sheepishly, embarrassed to have everyone making such a fuss over him. He had woken up in the middle of the lecture, so he already knew pretty much everything that had happened while he was out. April really was something else…

'A whole week!?' April thought, flinching in shock in her spot on the floor. And she had thought being useless for a whole day whenever she tried to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu was bad…

"What?" Sakura said in disbelief. "The Sharingan is incredible, but… if it puts that much stress on the body, I guess you have to think before using it."

"Well, we defeated that strong of a ninja this time. We should be safe for a while!!" Tazuna said, laughing it off. He was just glad to have been able to make it back home in one piece!

"By the way, who was that masked kid?" Sakura asked.

"That was the mask worn by Hidden Mist's special Hunter-nin team." Kakashi replied. "They are also known as body erasers. Their duty is to completely dispose of the body without a trace. A ninja's body holds within it secrets of the ninjutsu, different chakra types, herbs, and other things that would reveal information about their village. For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed. If you aren't careful, there's a danger that the enemy will steal your jutsu. A ninja's body can reveal important information. So, by killing and disposing of the missing-nins who have abandoned their village, the hunter-nins protect the information from getting out. They are specialists who guard the secrets of their village." He explained. "No sound, no smell… That is a ninja's end."

"So that Zabuza has been chopped up and disposed of? Scary!!" Sakura said with a shiver.

"…" April frowned slightly as she stared up at the ceiling.

'What is this? Zabuza is dead, yet it feels like I'm missing something important…' Kakashi thought as his eyes began to close, about to drift off to sleep again, when April spoke.

"Hmm… Somehow, it doesn't feel like it's over… I almost wish we had seen the body being disposed of…" She thought out loud. Maybe then, they'd have gotten some kind of closure. Kakashi suddenly opened his eye again and shot up into a sitting position, surprising them.

'She's right!!' He thought. His eye widened in realization. That was it… They hadn't seen the body being disposed of!

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Did I say something weird?" April asked, blinking.

"Well…" Kakashi said, holding a hand to his head. "… body erasing teams usually dispose of the body of the person they killed right there." He explained.

"!" April gasped as her eyes widened in realization, and she also shot up. 'Eh? Wait, then… isn't that bad!?' She thought, alarmed.

"Huh? So what?" Sakura asked, wondering why April suddenly looked so freaked out about something so minor.

"Don't you see?" Kakashi asked her and the guys. "How did that masked boy dispose of Zabuza's body?"

"Ha? How could we know?" Sakura retorted with a shrug. "That masked guy took the body with him."

"Yeah… if he needed proof of his work, he could have just taken the head." Kakashi said.

"And the weapon that he used to kill Zabuza…" April added, holding her chin, as she furrowed her brow.

"…" Sasuke also furrowed his brow slightly as he thought it over. 'It was just a couple senbon needles…' "!!" Sasuke gasped as he realized what they were getting at. His eyes widened. "… No way…" He said, suddenly understanding why April had freaked out.

"Yeah… exactly." Kakashi said, running a hand through his hair.

"?" Sakura and Naruto said, still not getting it.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tazuna asked. The serious expressions on their faces were starting to make him nervous.

"Most likely… Zabuza is alive!" Kakashi stated grimly. Tazuna, Naruto, and Sakura all gaped at him as their jaws dropped, completely gobsmacked. Beads of cold sweat formed on their brows as they continued staring at him, frozen in shock.

"?" Tsunami said, wondering why they were all so freaked out. They hadn't gotten around to explaining just how dangerous the mist ninja was to her yet.

"What the hell do you mean!!?" Naruto demanded incredulously.

"Kakashi-sensei, you checked and said he was dead!!!" Sakura reminded him, clenching her fist.

"Yeah, I did… but that was most likely… just a momentary death. The needle weapon that hunter-nin used… unless it hits a vital organ, has a low probability of killing an opponent. It's an item that's even used by doctors in acupuncture therapy. Hunter-nins have a thorough knowledge of the human body's structure. Putting a person in a momentary death state is probably easy for them." Kakashi explained. April nodded in agreement. Something like that was possible even in her world. "First, he went through the trouble of carrying away the body of the much heavier Zabuza. Second, he used a weapon with a low probability of killing. These two points indicate that his motive was… not to kill Zabuza, but to save him. We can't ignore that possibility."

"Aren't you thinking too much?" Tazuna asked. "Hunter-nins are supposed to kill missing-nins."

'That's assuming that boy wasn't a missing-nin, too. The two of them are probably working together. He didn't attack Zabuza until Kakashi-sensei was about to kill him. We assumed he was a hunter-nin because of his mask, but they could have taken it from one they defeated before.' April thought, furrowing her brow.

"No… with all the suspicion… we will prepare before it's too late." Kakashi said thoughtfully. "That's a shinobi rule."

"Plus, whether Zabuza is alive or dead, we have no guarantee that Gatō won't hire an even stronger shinobi." April added, causing Sakura to sweat-drop. She really didn't want to think about that possibility…

"!" Kakashi noticed Naruto was actually shaking with excitement. 'Heh, he's actually happy that Zabuza might be alive…'

'Bless his heart…' April thought, smiling fondly at her weird little friend. It would be better for their mission if Zabuza really was dead, but she could understand his desire for a rematch.

"Sensei, what do you mean by preparing before it's too late?" Sakura asked. "You can barely move." Kakashi laughed.

'Uh-oh. That's the same look in his eye as when he told us about the survival test…' April thought warily.

"You guys will receive training." He stated seriously.

"Huh? Training?" Sakura said, surprised. "What's a little training going to do!!? Our enemy is a ninja you struggled against even with the Sharingan!!" She reminded him anxiously. 'Cha!! Are you trying to get us killed!?' Inner Sakura shouted incredulously.

"Sakura…" Kakashi said calmly. "Who saved me while I was struggling? You guys are growing rapidly. Especially Naruto!!" He added with a smile, surprising the boy. "You've improved the most."

"Isn't that great? You got praised!" April said with a proud smile, giving the grinning Naruto a pat on the back. Her little boy was all gown up and kicking butt!

'Well, he does seem better than he used to be, but…' Sakura thought, blushing slightly as she eyed Naruto dubiously.

"But, obviously, this training is just until I get better." Kakashi said. "You won't be able to defeat him without me."

"But, Sensei, if Zabuza's alive… then couldn't he attack at any time?" April asked.

"About that…" Kakashi said. "A person put in a momentary death situation… should take a while before their body returns to normal."

"So we train until then!! Sounds like a lot of fun!!" Naruto said excitedly.

"That's not fun." A little boy said bluntly, butting into their conversation.

'Is is just me… or does this kid look kind of like L from Death Note?' April thought, raising an eyebrow as they turned to look at him.

"Who the hell are you!!?" Nartuo demanded indignantly.

"Ohh!!! Inari!!" Tazuna said excitedly, looking ecstatic to see the little boy. "Where were you!!?"

"Welcome back, Grandpa…" Inari said, walking over to hug the old man.

"Inari, say hello to these people." Tsunami chided her son. "They're the ninjas who protected grandpa."

"It's okay, right, Inari?" Tazuna said affectionately, patting his grandson on the head. Inari stared at the four genin and their teacher.

"Mom… They're going to die." Inari stated rather bluntly.

"!!" Sakura and Naruto flinched in shock.

"Haha… Your grandson is just like you, Tazuna-san." April stated with a flat laugh.

"Hehe, right? He's super cute, isn't he?" Tazuna said proudly.

'No, I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment…' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"What did you say, you little brat!!!" Naruto shouted incredulously, ready to kick the kid's ass.

"There's no way you can win against Gatō…" Inari said grimly.

"…" Tazuna and Kakashi said as they stared at the boy.

"You brat!!!" Naruto yelled angrily, rolling up his sleeve. "I'll…!!!"

"Why are you getting pissed at a child? Idiot!!" Sakura snapped while April held him back.

"Hey, Inari!! Listen!!" Naruto said, ignoring the girls' attempts to calm him down. "I'm a super hero who will one day become an incredible ninja called Hokage!!! I don't know this Gatō guy, but he's nothing against me!!" He declared boldly.

"Pft… What are you stupid?" Inari asked condescendingly. "There's no such thing as a hero!!"

"What!!?" Naruto exclaimed incredulously with a vein throbbing on his temple.

"Stop it!!" Sakura yelled, giving him a solid whack on the head. April sweat-dropped. She thought that was a bit much…

'Well, I guess it's better than letting Naruto loose on the kid. It's true that he's acting like a brat, but I get the feeling the situation's a little more complicated than that…' April thought. His expression reminded her of when kids who used to be ecstatic about Santa coming for Christmas finally learn he isn't real. Often the ones who went around ruining the magic for everyone else were the ones who had really wanted to believe in the jolly old elf's existence the most.

"If you don't want to die, you should leave…" Inari said grimly as he turned away.

"…" April frowned and furrowed her brow slightly at that. She didn't like the look in his eyes… Why was this kid so convinced they would die? You would think he'd want them to win, since they were protecting his grandpa.

"Where are you going, Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"To look at the ocean from my room." Inari answered curtly as he slid the door open and left.

"Sorry…" Tazuna apologized on behalf of his grandson. Naruto was gritting his teeth in annoyance and frustration.

"… Is he all right?" April asked. Something must have happened to make him that way. Inari was too young to be that jaded.

"Eh? Oh, yes. Don't worry about it!" Tazuna told her, though his smile seemed a little tense, like he was forcing himself.

"…" Kakashi said, quietly watching the whole exchange. It would seem something had happened…

"Dammit!! Where's that little piece of shit!!" Naruto fumed as he climbed the stairs in search of Inari to tell him off. "He needs to learn a lesson…" He stopped when he reached the first room on the second floor, about to open the door when he realized he could hear someone crying inside. "!!" Naruto said, taken aback. He peaked in through the crack and saw that Inari was clutching an old photograph as thick tears streamed down his face.

"Uu… Uu… Dad… Uu…" Inari sobbed painfully. Naruto's anger immediately left him. He turned and left without saying a word. There was no way he could bring himself to yell at the kid while he was like that.

—∞—

"Ok, we will now start the training." Kakashi said the next morning once they had all had a chance to rest, leaning on his crutches for support.

"Hell yeah!!" Naruto cheered excitedly while April rolled her neck and rubbed her shoulders. She was still feeling a little sore, but she was looking forward to it as well.

"But before that," Kakashi continued, "let's have a review about the base for all shinobi abilities, chakra."

"Umm… Umm… What's chakra?" Naruto asked with a look of complete incomprehension on his face. He was pretty sure he remembered hearing about that somewhere before, but…

"…" April sweat-dropped as they all stared at him while Kakashi dropped his head with a sigh.

"You're a ninja, and you don't know that!!?" Sakura shouted incredulously. "What did you learn in school!!?"

"Hehe… I used to sleep during the hard classes…" Naruto admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

'This is bad…' Kakashi thought, concerned by his lack of understanding of such a basic concept. If he thought this was difficult, then…

"Naruto…" April said with a slight frown. "How many times have I told you not to do that? You especially need to pay attention to things you think are difficult, because they're harder to learn on your own. If you're going to sleep, do it during the easy classes!" She lectured him. Even the people in her world couldn't normally use it, they still at least had a basic understanding of the concept of chakra as spiritual energy.

"No, you shouldn't be sleeping at all." Kakashi corrected her with a straight face. "Fine, Sakura-kun." He said, gesturing for the young kunoichi to explain.

"Listen, Naruto!!" Sakura said firmly, stepping up the plate without batting an eyelash. "I'm going to explain it simply. Somehow try to remember it with that slow brain of yours!!! Chakra is the energy a shinobi needs when performing a justu. That energy has two parts: the physical energy that is present in every cell of the body, and the spiritual energy gained through training and experience. These two parts are combined. In other words, the energy to use jutsus comes from these to energies that are squeezed out of the body and molded together… This process is known as molding the chakra. And with this chakra, you can execute a technique by forming a seal with your hands." She explained easily.

"Exactly." Kakashi said with approval. "Iruka-sensei was blessed with a nice, student, I see."

"Heh." Sakura said proudly with a smile, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hmm…" Naruto said, frowning as he furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side. He still didn't get it. "I didn't understand that complicated explanation…" He said, glancing at April, who let out a sigh. Personally, she thought Sakura had done a pretty good job keeping it simple, but she had been prepared for this.

"Then try thinking of the energies as soft-serve ice cream." April told him. "The physical energy is chocolate, and the spiritual energy is vanilla. Both are good by themselves, but if you put mix them together in equal parts, then you get a chocolate-vanilla swirl, which has the best of both. It's like that."

"April, I don't think…" Kakashi started to say, worried a metaphor might confuse him more, but he was instantly proved wrong.

"Oh!" Naruto said, lighting up with comprehension, as he hit his hand against his palm. "So, in order to make chakra, I'm just mixing the physical and spiritual energy together and squeezing it out like soft-serve ice cream? Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" He asked Sakura, causing her twitch in annoyance as a vein throbbed on her forehead. She did say that!!

'She understands him really well…' Kakashi thought, glancing between April and Naruto. Maybe next time he should just have her explain from the beginning…

"And when you put it like that, isn't that something you can just learn with your body? Aren't we already doing that?" Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto is right." Sasuke agreed boredly. "We can already use jutsu."

"Nope!" Kakashi said bluntly before they could get ahead of themselves. "You guys are not using chakra properly."

"!" Sakura and April said, surprised.

"What!!?" Naruto shouted incredulously.

"Well, listen… as Sakura and April said earlier, to release chakra means to bring out spiritual and physical energy and mix them together within your body. And based on what justu you use, the type and amount of chakra that is released will be different." Kakashi explained calmly. "You guys are not using chakra effectively yet. Even if you are able to release a high amount of chakra, unless you control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened or not work at all. And by wasting energy, you won't be able to fight as long. These kind of weaknesses will appear." April furrowed her brow slightly. She recognized that weakness in her own jutsus… Hopefully this training would help her correct it.

"So… What should we do?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Learn how to control it." Kakashi stated simply. "Through very tough training."

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked a little nervously.

"Hmm…?" Kakashi said, holding up a finger. "Tree climbing!!" His students blinked as they started up at him.

"Tree climbing!?"