Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
---
"Rebellion."
---
Sarutobi frowned, leafing through the papers.
Truth be told, he didn't need to read them, or even look at them again. He knew each and every word they contained, having read through them at least twice.
"This is... highly unusual Kakashi," Sarutobi said finally. "The girl aside, the whole mission, even the..." The old man shook his head. "One A-class, a bonus, Two B-class, and a C-class. This is akin to an ANBU squad status report, not a genin team mission summary."
"The contracted C-class mission turned high A due to the presence of Momochi Zabuza. The fulfillment of the contract and elimination of the upper level A-class nukenin ranks high A. Demon Brothers were considered low B-class nukenin. As such, they are outside of the specified contract, making their elimination a B-class bonus," Kakashi stated calmly. "Contract was to protect Tazuna himself, hence the protection of his family for the duration is worth a C-class bonus considering all team members had been engaged in it at one moment or another. Assassination of Gato and subsequent eradication of the mercenary force that was a threat to the stability of the region ranks as a mid B-class assignment."
Sarutobi blinked.
For a moment, he would swear it was like listening to Kakashi from his ANBU days. The calm assessment, the lazy, but far from apathetic drawl... Give the man the drab grey armor and the ceramic mask and there would be no difference.
"I don't question your assessment, Kakashi." Sarutobi raised his hand in a placating manner. "However... this is a large amount of money, especially for a country in a bad economical situation. If what you say is true then they might not be able, or even willing to pay, especially since there were multiple missions. One A-class in the situation like that, possible. But several missions?"
"They will pay." Kakashi said stoically.
"Are you that sure?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.
"They will. I negotiated the fees after the mission was completed. It will take some time, but with trade picking up due to the bridge and the empty niche left by Gato, the Wave will be more than able to pay its dues."
"Negotiated..." the Hokage frowned. "Surprising, Kakashi."
The jounin looked at his leader.
"In a situation like that, I would have expected you to turn back. Or at least call for back up."
"As a team leader with elite jounin status I have-"
"...The authority to decide on the mission parameters in the field. Yes, yes." The Hokage waved his hand with irritation. "Don't qote the rules to me, boy. Especially rules that I helped to create, if you would be so kind." He glared at his subordinate.
He was old, not senile, for kami's sake!
Kakashi closed his mouth.
Sarutobi sighed.
'And of course, as good as the fact that Wave will pay is, I now have to pay for all of this from Konoha's coffers.' The old man rubbed his temples. 'And that's not even the major problem.'
Sarutobi took one of the sheets, looking at it thoughtfully.
"This... Haku. Who exactly is she, Kakashi?" he asked after a long moment.
"Former subordinate of Zabuza's, she is an expertly trained in-"
"I didn't ask what kind of ninja she is, Kakashi." Sarutobi looked at the Copycat sharply. "I asked who she is."
"...I don't know."
Sarutobi put down the paper to look at his ninja.
"You... don't know," he said calmly, "You have no idea. Yet you allow for her to follow him like some kind of lost puppy? A kunoichi as combat capable as you describe her?" The Hokage asked dangerously.
"She won't harm him." Kakashi looked at the Hokage without flinching. "She is... well, I guess the best term would be a 'follower'. Though given her commitment, I'd say fanatic would be more appropriate."
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Sarutobi-sama... Last time I have seen a kunoichi this devoted to her superior was during the War. She is a kunoichi. The old school one in some respects. Many of them, in fact." Kakashi pressed. "The report won't give you the full picture, and I apologize. But... when you will see her, you will understand that right away. She is no threat. She will die before she allows Naruto to be harmed."
Sarutobi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"As much as I'd like to be happy for the boy... she is dangerous, Kakashi. And not just physically. Does Naruto even realize just what kind of danger she is?"
"I wouldn't worry about that, Sarutobi-sama. The boy has charisma. He swayed her utterly."
"And that's what I am afraid of." the old man admitted with worry.
"Ah." Kakashi nodded slowly in understanding. "But Sarutobi-sama... As much as I understand, that is his choice in the end. Besides..." Kakashi shrugged. "This might be for the best."
Sarutobi's eyebrows shot up.
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Kakashi?" he snapped.
"Hardly, Hokage-sama." The Copycat shrugged again. "He is an adult now. And with his... burden, can you see any other chance as things are now?"
"People change." Sarutobi pointed out.
"Not that much." Kakashi said flatly.
The old man stared at his ninja for a long moment, before sighing.
"I believe you are underestimating him, but that's neither here nor now." He looked at the paper thoughtfully. "This girl will be a problem, Kakashi. Her blood limit is powerful. Very powerful. Her previous... association is not a problem. She was never a Mist shinobi, there isn't even a bounty for her. However that blood limit..." Sarutobi shook his head. "The very moment she joins the Konoha ranks and the Council sees the blood's potential..." He frowned. "I can stall, but eventually she will have to do something about it." Sarutobi halted abruptly, before looking at Kakashi. "Or... Kakashi... what did she think of herself in regards to Naruto?"
"The words she used were 'weapon'." The copycat frowned. "I asked her some questions, but that's basically the way she thinks. Zabuza brought her up that way. A living tool."
"A living tool. A weapon. A possession..." Sarutobi murmured thoughtfully. "Oh yes. That will work... Indeed it will."
The Copycat blinked owlishly.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. It is something between Naruto and me." Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively. "Now about that request."
Kakashi nodded.
"I want to request taking off Team 7 from the mission roster for the next two months."
Sarutobi stared.
"Excuse me?" he said finally. "I was under the impression that your team has no need for medical leave."
"They do not." Kakashi nodded. "However, I still would like to request the two months leave."
Sarutobi frowned.
'If not for medical purposes, then why? Is he dissatisfied or is there something I should know? Naruto? Or the young Uchiha?'
"Explain." Sarutobi said curtly.
"I believe Team 7 has potential. However, there are aspects both in case of teamwork and individual combat capability I would like to address. D-class missions, however necessary, are not exactly a good way to gauge and train the genin I have."
Sarutobi's eyebrows shot up.
Training genin through the low-intensity missions was a time honored practice. Besides, taking out one of the genin teams would open a hole in the schedule, no matter how small.
"Sarutobi-sama, the team I have is... far from ordinary. They have potential, but also issues that need to be addressed or the team as a whole will be flawed." Kakashi looked at Sarutobi seriously. "I need time. Two months. And then I promise you Team 7 will be back on the rooster."
The old Kage looked at his subordinate for a long moment, lghting his pipe.
"Well now... At least your unusual request in regards of the money makes sense, considering they won't be taking the missions for the duration," he said exhaling the smoke. "I imagine you also want full use of one of the larger training grounds?"
"71, Hokage-sama. If it is available of course."
"71..." Sarutobi frowned. "The Waterfall Course, Kakashi?"
The jounin nodded.
"The water will be useful for what I have in mind. Besides, it gives Haku the ready source of water for the Suiton and Hyoton."
"Nidaime's old training ground, hmm...?" The Hokage exhaled the smoke. "Yes. It is free. Had been for a long time. Almost nobody trains there anymore. It is too far for most to bother. I can give it to you for the duration if you need it."
"I would be grateful, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded. "About Haku..."
"The girl will be free in a few days. She is just held for questioning." Sarutobi waved the question away dismissively. "Just questions, she is well treated." The old man smirked. "After all, we can't alienate our future shinobi and newest member of Konoha's clan community, now can we?"
Kakashi smiled.
"By your leave then, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi nodded.
Kakashi poofed away with a quick shunshin.
Sarutobi looked at the space taken by the jounin not to long before for a long moment, puffing his pipe thoughtfully, before he smiled faintly.
"Who would have suspected..."
The old man chuckled.
"I should have forced him to pass a team years before." he muttered, getting back into his paperwork in a surprisingly good mood.
'I wonder if teaching can have effects on others.' He bit his pipe thoughtfully. 'I wonder if assigning a team to Anko would-' He paled, imagining three white-coated, snake-summoning, dango-addicted genin.
'...on the other hand, maybe not.' He shuddered. 'At least Kakashi's genins won't inherit his little manias.'
---
Sakura giggled, blushing faintly as she sat on the branch.
'Oh my... so limber. I wonder if it's possible?' her blush got even deeper as she turned the page. 'Maybe Kakashi-sensei knows?'
She giggled as she read another page, Inner Sakura out cold long ago. The morning was crisp and surprisingly cold, though not as much when she mastered the little trick that Haku taught her during the return from Wave. Still, it was too cold for her usual dresses. On the other hand, the outfit from Wave, considering it had a jacket, was more than enough. Besides, it allowed her to store Icha Icha better.
Sakura patted her jacket's inner pockets affectionately.
She wondered how she could ever begrudge Kakashi-sensei the precious little orange books.
Why, it was ART!
...well, it was porn. But it was well written, very fine, very good porn. And she read it for the romance and the plot.
Not for porn. Of course.
This didn't stop her from hiding the precious books from her mother, but oh well. One had to suffer for the true art, right? Besides, the first person to get her books would get a kunai in the face. Seriously.
Art needed to be protected from the simpletons that didn't understand it and couldn't give it the reverence it deserved.
"...kura-chan! Sakura-chan!"
The pink haired girl blinked owlishly, turning to Naruto.
"...you said something?" she asked with confusion.
Sasuke snorted from his perch on the tree above her.
The blond just sighed heavily, muttering something about 'contagious perverts' and looked at her.
"I asked if you knew anything about Haku. I mean, the ANBU took her after we reported to the Old Man... And she's been gone since yesterday..." Naruto fidgeted.
"Don't worry. She's all right. She is a guest of ANBU, they just need to answer her a few questions. It's the procedure."
Team Seven blinked collectively.
Three pairs of eyes looked to the side.
Kakashi blinked.
"Is there something on my face?"
"...You are..." Naruto said incredulously.
"...on time...?" Sasuke finished dumbly.
"Sensei, did something happen to your Icha Icha?" Sakura asked with creeping dread.
'No! It can't be true! The fates can't be that cruel!' Screamed Inner Sakura.
"Don't worry, Sakura," Kakashi said cheerfully, "Icha Icha is safe. I would never let any harm befall The True Art."
The girl slumped with relief.
Kakashi patted his student on her arm.
"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said solemnly, "I should, of all people, have understood. Please, forgive your sensei. Here." He pulled a small orange book from his vest, patting Sakura's head. "Enjoy."
Sakura's eyes widened.
"For me?" Her eyes sparkled as she hugged the book. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi smiled cheerfully.
Naruto palmed his face while Sasuke just stared.
"What?" Sakura said defensively, hugging her book to her chest.
---
"Welcome to the training ground 71, otherwise known as the Waterfall Course."
Team Seven took in the view.
The area was a forest clearing, deep into Konoha's forest, far enough from the center to be almost outside the village. It was surrounded by mountains on one side and forest on the other. The clearing was large, far larger than their usual training area and filled with several waterfalls, as well as a moderately-sized river flowing through the middle of it.
"The name, as you can see, is self-evident. This training ground, despite its number, is one of the oldest in Konoha. In fact, it is almost entirely artificial, created by Shodai Hokage for his brother. This is where Nidaime honed his Suiton from before he was a genin to the time he was Hokage. It had been sporadically used by Suiton specialists, but our village doesn't have that many..." Kakashi shrugged. "Anyway. From today, this is our training ground. Your home away from home, you might say. I expect to see you here the very moment after you are awake and this is what you will see when you go to sleep."
"Um... Sensei?" Sakura raised her hand. Training was good, but... "What about missions?"
"For the next two months training is your first, last and only occupation," Kakashi said flatly.
Sakura blinked owlishly.
"...huh?"
"Each of you has potential as a shinobi. Each of you has some skill. Some talent. But you hardly use it." Kakashi explained patiently. "Each of you has holes in your skill set. It is not really your fault in most cases. You can't expect the Academy to cater to the needs of each individual genin hopeful. But that needs to change."
He looked at the stupefied team.
"You have proven yourself in Wave. You have proven your potential. But you have also proven that you have a long way to go and had made some elementary mistakes that you shouldn't."
He reached into his flak jacket, withdrawing two sheets of paper.
"Sasuke, Naruto. Your chakra control improved a great deal, however it would do with some fine tuning. Expanding also wouldn't be bad. Naruto, you already know water walking from what I saw. Show Sasuke the basics and then I want you to complete the exercise set I have written out for you."
"Heh heh." Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "Who's the better ninja now, bastard?"
"Feh." Sasuke snorted, "As if a dead-last like you can teach me an-"
"I don't want any bickering, you two." Kakashi looked at his genin. "You are a team. Act like it. Part of teamwork is learning from each other. Good ninja are always ready to learn."
Naruto and Sasuke grumbled, but complied.
"The fourth waterfall from the left. The one with the larger lake that the river goes through." Kakashi pointed. "You should use that one. Follow the instructions and you should be fine. Don't try it all at once. And remember to rest. This is not something brute force alone can accomplish."
The two boys walked away.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei...?" Sakura looked at her teacher.
"This exercise is not for you, Sakura." Kakashi shook his head. "There is nothing that you'd learn from it, your control already surpasses theirs several times over. You'd pick up water walking immediately but otherwise it would be a waste of time." the jounin explained patiently. "I will teach you water walking soon, but for now there is another aspect we must address. Those two lack control but have something that you lack - brute force. Their chakra reserves are far bigger than yours, by several orders of magnitude."
"But, sensei, aren't kunoichi naturally weaker than men in that?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
Kakashi sighed.
"I have to introduce you to a woman named Mitarashi Anko someday, you'll change your mind quickly, but yes. Generally it seems like that, for reasons I won't go into right now. But it isn't like you have a set amount of chakra, Sakura. You simply need some intensive training to increase the reserves."
"Oh." Sakura closed her mouth, feeling stupid. After all, Iruka-sensei often told them chakra was like a muscle. The analogy was obvious.
"But before that..." Kakashi reached into his vest, taking out a long, thin scroll. "There is something I think you can use."
Sakura looked at the scroll seriously as Kakashi unrolled it, making several seals.
A second and a small poof of smoke later there was a long, slender wooden box on the ground.
"Both Sasuke and Naruto have natural advantages," Kakashi said, sitting on the ground and motioning for Sakura to do the same. "Things they were born with, things that any ninja would like to have. For Sasuke it is his sharingan, a powerful blood limit despite its drawbacks, if he can use it right. Naruto is gifted with incredible stamina, his chakra capacity is far higher than mine will probably ever be and his recuperative powers are nothing short of miraculous." He looked at Sakura. "Sakura, as you are, you are the weakest fighter of team 7." The girl flinched, and Kakashi continued, "While this will be addressed in training, here is something that might very well be your advantage." He unfastened the lid, sliding the box to Sakura.
The girl, blinked, opening it and looked inside curiously.
She frowned, looking t the elegant, simple shape of the sword inside the wooden box.
'Katana...? No. Too short. Longer than a wakizashi. Ninjato... or kodachi.'
She looked at her teacher questioningly.
"Take it. It's for you." He said simply.
Sakura nodded, puzzled.
She had been trained in the basics of ninja weapons, but a kodachi was not among them.
'Why would Kakashi-sensei give me a sword?' she thought with confusion. 'I mean, it's not like it can help me like Sasuke-kun's sharingan or anyth-'
Her eyes widened as her fingers closed over the hilt. She gasped, stiffening as something akin to an electric shock went through her body.
It was... weird.
Like the first time she had performed a jutsu, like the first time she accessed her chakra. Not identical, but similar.
Kakashi stared.
He knew that girl had great control, but he didn't count on much. At worst, his pupil would have a very good quality chakra sword. With her control and some training he could give her, it would be a very useful asset to the young kunoichi. And it's not like he used it much anyway after he had it reforged.
But this...
Sakura got her bearings, finally managing to focus as the odd feeling subsided.
She blinked, looking down.
"Ah... Sensei...?" she asked puzzled, "Is it supposed to glow white?"
---
Jump.
Slide.
Wheel left. Kick off from the rock. Land on the water.
Slide.
Jump on one leg.
Sasuke sweated as he went through the seemingly idiotic routing of random jumps, sprints, walks and other things shown in Kakashi's instructions.
They seemed idiotic.
They were, really.
He felt like a hundred percent idiot going through them for the first time on the dry land.
After Naruto had showed him the water walking exercise, however, Sasuke discovered the exercises were not only idiotic - they were incredibly hard to do while practicing the newly learned skill.
He fell in more often than not. He had yet to complete even one full routine. Which galled him, since Naruto already completed one of his. Just one, though. And the idiot did know water walking first.
Though Sasuke didn't want to think about it.
He really didn't. Each time he did he ended up in water again.
He'd have scoffed at the 'training' before the whole tree walking episode. But now, he knew that as pointless as it seemed it had a reason.
He winced as his legs lost their balance and he fell, face-first into the water.
'It BETTER have a reason...'
He pulled himself up using the nearby rock and took a deep breath before jumping back into the routine.
The thing was far harder than it looked. Just standing was difficult. Running at varying speeds, jumping, and 'sliding'... Well, now that was bloody hard. He could feel his chakra leaking away as if it was the water soaking his clothes.
Sasuke gritted his teeth as he saw his blond teammate complete a surprisingly graceful, if not as good as his, flip and land on the water easily, breaking into a run.
He was NOT going to be worse that some dead-last idiot!
The Uchiha scion gritted his teeth and leaped into the routine.
---
"This is the White Fang." Kakashi looked at Sakura. "It was my father's chakra blade. It is unique, the only weapon of its kind and one of the most powerful and precise chakra blades in the world."
"Your father...? But...!" Sakura blanched. "Kakashi-sensei, it... I can't take this!"
"You will." Kakashi looked at the pulsing white glow. "Sakura, for me White Fang is just a sword. A very good, very sharp chakra sword. In the hands of my father it was a legendary blade, unbreakable, indestructible. In mine?" He shrugged. "I broke it."
Sakura blinked.
"For all my skill, I can't make it behave that much more than any chakra blade. It takes most of my chakra to get a faint white aura of it." He pointed at the blade. "The one the White Fang is giving off right now dwarfs mine roughly thrice. And I can barely feel any chakra used."
Sakura stared at the blade with fascination.
"It feels... odd," she muttered, "I know it is a sword but..." She slid her fingers over the blade. "It feels almost... alive. Like a part of me. An extra hand or something," She said, puzzled.
Kakashi nodded slowly.
That was how his father described it. Kakashi tried to look for that deep connection many times, but he never even came close.
And Sakura just touched the blade once...
'Remarkable...' He smiled faintly. 'Sword. The girl really is a sword. Who would have thought?'
"As a chakra sword, White Fang has several useful abilities, like channeling jutsu, but that we will get into later." The jounin looked at his student. "For now, you must know that the sword you are holding is far sharper and sturdier than any other normal weapon. There is very little this fang can't cut when used properly. Also..." he frowned thoughtfully. 'How did the old man put it? "Sakura, could you touch your thumb on the blade? Very, very gently. I want to check something."
Sakura nodded, touching the blade.
She frowned.
'Wasn't' it supposed to be sharp?' She pressed the finger with puzzlement. 'It's like pressing blunt wood. Or some pipe. Weird.'
The pink haired girl turned to her teacher, opening her mouth, only for her eyes to widen as Kakashi calmly slid a thick branch over the edge.
Stunned, Sakura watched as the sturdy wood fell to the side, neatly cut in half.
"'Fang does not wound the master.'" Kakashi said thoughtfully, "That's what my father used to say." He looked at Sakura with a smile. "Seems like it found itself a master now, hmm?"
Sakura just stared at the glowing weapon.
---
Sakura looked at her two teammates, or rather the unconscious sacks of flesh balanced on her sensei's shoulders.
"Seems like they ended up making it some sort of a contest," Kakashi said cheerfully. "I had to rescue them or they'd have drowned."
Sakura blinked, before sighing heavily as Kakashi laid the two genin on the grass.
'Sasuke-kun... Naruto... Why are you so stubborn?'
She wiped the sweat from her brow.
Kakashi worked with her through some basic chakra weapon exercises. First and most basic one was reducing the odd glow of the weapon. It lessened the power slightly, according to Kakashi, but with such a rapport as she had with the weapon she should be able to keep the power flowing without problems. And it wasn't like she could always allow the blade to glow like that.
Sakura swallowed, looking at the tree she hacked to pieces.
'If that's 'low power'...'
Still, the blade was incredibly demanding. Holding it was okay, but using it a completely different matter altogether. Also, it tended to drain power at incredible rate.
Kakashi just smiled and advised her to hold the blade on her person at all times and pump chakra to it constantly as a part of her chakra expansion regimen. He gave her a sheath to contain the glow when she was too tired to control it herself.
This was harder than it looked. Comparing to that, the tree walking was a breeze.
And she really didn't like that 'strength and speed training' bit that her teacher mentioned offhandedly.
"So what now, sensei?"
"Now, we wait until they wake up." Kakashi shrugged, reaching into his vest. "You are too tired to go on as well for now."
"Ah." Sakura smiled happily, reaching into her jacket and snapping open her own book.
"No, no, no." Kakashi tsked, "You are wasting strength and making noise. That's no good for the poor book." The copycat pressed his thumb gently, snapping the book open. "See? Easy. Quick. No fuss. The grip is solid, but loose, to prevent cramps. You can turn pages with the same hand just by using the thumb."
"Oooh." Sakura nodded, trying to copy her teacher.
With dignity the master and student sat, their backs pressed on the same stone.
A second later two giggles, one male and one girlish, could be heard.
---
Naruto winced, rubbing his arm.
He liked the fact that Kakashi-sensei started to pay attention to them. Sure the not-lateness was... just plain weird, but cool. Still, as much as he thought that their teacher was 'not quite there' with his quirks before, he was now sure that Hatake Kakashi was nuts.
Each day, for the past week, he gave them some weird-ass routine and ordered to run through it until they both dropped. And they did.
'As if I'd let that bastard be better than me!' the blond scowled.
He didn't know what the point of the jumping, flipping, and running shit was, but he had to admit that the stuff was tiresome.
Especially since the time Kakashi ordered them to train on the waterfall.
Running water was not fun.
Cold running water even less. Especially when you fell in it time and time again.
And the less said about the day that Sakura went through the same routine like they did almost as an afterthought, the better.
Naruto always knew Sakura was awesome, but he had no idea just how much.
'Well, Sasuke-bastard did say she mastered tree-walking right away.'
That sword thing Kakashi-sensei gave her was just plain cool. Though getting hit by a mutilated trunk of a falling oak was less so. That White Fang thing was fucking deadly - he sincerely prayed he didn't piss Sakura off now. She just might pull it on him.
The boy watched the gate of the building open and banished thoughts of stupidly sharp chakra blades from his mind.
Haku, her kimono immaculately white as always, walked out of the office building, a large bundle that was Kubikiri Houcho under wraps and on her back.
There was no hitai-ate, mask, or any accessory that identified her as a ninja. She, for all intents and purposes, looked like an attractive, normal girl with something large on her back.
She bowed with a smile.
"Naruto-sama."
"Geez..." Naruto rubbed his head in embarrassment. "You don't need to call me that. Just Naruto, okay?"
"As you wish." Haku nodded.
"You... well, you okay?" He scowled. "Those ANBU guys didn't...?"
"They were polite." She shook her head. "Very... to the point, but polite. I wasn't even held in a cell. They just asked some questions and dealt with procedures. Nothing more."
"Oh," Naruto sighed with relief, "Fine. That's fine."
Haku smiled faintly.
While there was no need for him to worry about her, it did feel... nice.
---
The black haired young woman put her (it was so odd - hers, it was Zabuza-sama's prized sword and now it was hers) zanbato carefully by the wall, looking around.
The apartment was fairly small, just a small kitchen, two rooms, where one was little more than a large closet, really, and a bathroom. That was it.
The furniture was simple and obviously not exactly new, but the whole flat was surprisingly neat and well kept for one boy living alone.
"Well... it ain't much but..." Naruto said embarrassedly, "It's home, I guess."
Haku smiled.
Their last place with Zabuza-sama was luxurious comparing to the lodgings they were used to, but the life of the fugitive taught her to value every safe place with a bed as a luxury.
"It is fine, Naruto-sama. More than fine, really."
Naruto glared.
"Naruto." She nodded apologetically. "Forgive me."
"Eh. Nothing to forgive," he muttered, "But Naruto-sama feels... weird"
"I can imagine." She looked around, noticing the lack of second bed. "Will I be sleeping with you?"
Naruto blinked, before reddening.
"Wh- whee wha?! I mean... no!" He sputtered.
Haku blinked.
"Is there a problem?" She asked.
"Yeah! I mean, no. I mean..." He scowled, looking at her twitching lips. "You set me up!" he said accusingly.
Haku nodded, a faint smile on her face.
It wouldn't do to tell him of more... delicate things. For now.
But then, he was a young man. She was an attractive young woman. Life on the road didn't exactly help in honing the kunoichi skills, especially when passing for a boy, but she knew what her duties were.
Zabuza-sama wanted just a weapon but if he wanted more... well, she was a tool. And a tool had to serve its master to the best of its abilities. So did she.
For now, though...
'For now.' she thought privately.
---
"Yo!"
Naruto almost chocked on his morning ramen.
"Good morning, Kakashi-san." Haku nodded at the older man.
"I see Ibiki let you go." Kakashi smiled kindly, "Good."
"Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto frowned. "Training's not for half an hour yet."
"Oh, nothing important. Just here to drop off your paycheck." Kakashi shrugged, giving the paper to Naruto.
Naruto's jaw dropped and even Haku was impressed.
"...daaaamn... Now that's... a lot of money," the blond whispered in awe.
Kakashi nodded.
"Keep in mind that you won't be getting more for the next two months." he cautioned. "Though you can safely spend some of it without problems on non-essential things, be careful. You won't be getting another one like this for quite a while."
"Sure thing, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grinned. 'Ramen... so... much... ramen...'
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, hearing the somewhat demented giggle and sighed when he heard 'ramen' as the boy went out of the kitchen.
'So predictable.' He looked at Haku. "I see you had your talk with Sandaime-sama already."
The girl nodded slowly.
Kakashi looked at her thoughtfully.
"Did he talk with you about your position?"
"I will be a joining the Konoha ranks after a probationary period of three months and a placement test."
"So you are free." Kakashi cocked his head to the side. "Would you be interested in helping Team Seven?"
Haku raised an eyebrow.
"As long as it helps Naruto-sama."
"Oh it will." Kakashi smiled. "Believe me it will."
---
"Good morning, my cute students." Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "I'd like you to welcome our newest addition to the training regime."
Haku smiled, bowing.
"Sakura, you will be working on speed with Haku today." He pointed at the nearby river. "There should be more than enough water for your blood limit, Haku."
"Indeed," she nodded, "Shall we, Sakura-san?"
The pink haired girl looked at Kakashi.
"Umm... Kakashi-sensei... Haku-san is fast enough to match Sasuke-kun's sharingan. I am nowhere near that fast." she said hesitantly.
"Of course not. Not yet." Kakashi nodded sagely. "That's why you will be dodging."
"Dodging?" Sakura blinked.
A single needle of ice formed in Haku's hand.
Sakura paled.
"Now, run along and have fun!" The copycat waved them away cheerfully watching as the gently smiling Haku led the stiff, pale girl away.
"Now Sasuke, Naruto. The waterfall routine you will be d-"
"No."
Kakashi blinked, looking at Sasuke.
The Uchiha scion had a scowl on his face, fists clenched.
"I won't do it."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" he said calmly.
"I said I won't do it," Sasuke growled. "This whole jumping... running... I feel like an IDIOT. And I mastered it anyway. You said you'd train me? Then train me. I need to learn jutsu. I need power. I need to master my sharingan. Not jump around like some idiot!"
"Oh?" Kakashi looked at Naruto, pocketing his Icha Icha. "Naruto, can you go ahead and start the exercise without Sasuke? He will be joining you shortly."
The blond nodded, going away.
"Mastered it, hmm?" Kakashi looked at the Uchiha, before setting into a loose stance, motioning for the boy to come at him lazily. "Come on. Show me, then."
Sasuke smirked.
He knew he had no chance against Kakashi for now, but fighting strong opponents was what he needed now.
'Besides, I might see how he makes his sharingan work. I have my own now, I can force him to reveal it,' he thought smugly, before charging the older man.
"This won't be like before, Kakashi!" he growled, activating his blood limit. "I have the sharingan now! Your moves, I can see them all!"
Kakashi leaned back avoiding the kick, and then weaved out of the punch. He ducked, before straightening up and calmly planting the open palm in Sasuke's gut.
The Uchiha's eyes widened as the air escaped his lungs with a hiss.
Viciously, Kakashi pulled at Sasuke's arm, spinning him right in the way of his knee.
Sasuke screamed as the knee impacted his kidneys, before he slid down.
"Can you, now?" Kakashi said, letting the Uchiha fall down. "Want to know something interesting, Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi put his hands in the pockets, leaning on the tree lazily as he watched the boy struggling to get up. "I'm currently using around the same amount of chakra that is expected of an ordinary genin to enhance my speed and power. Meaning below yours. I'm not using jutsu. I'm not using weapons. And I still managed to beat you. Imagine that."
Sasuke coughed, getting up, spitting the blood from his split lip, glaring at the jounin hatefully.
"The famed Uchiha Kasen Ryu's blows are supposed to be like its name - deadly arrows of fire." Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Exaggerated, I see, hmm? What a shame."
Sasuke paled.
To be compared to the ordinary riffraff was one thing... but insulting the noble Uchiha style...!
His fingers made the seals nearly without thought as the Goukakyu no Jutsu came out purely fueled by rage.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the blaze suddenly exploded with greater intensity than he expected.
"Burning a Kawarimi log from such a close proximity has that kind of effect." Sasuke screamed as Kakashi's elbow struck his back, only to be followed by leg sweep and a kick.
The Uchiha shook his head, trying to spit out the sand and blood as he crawled to his feet.
"Wasting so much chakra on barely a C-class technique..." Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha lazily. "Seems like you didn't master your training after all."
"Then teach me..." Sasuke coughed, spitting the sand. "Teach me!"
"That's exactly what I am doing, Sasuke. Only you don't want to learn. Nothing I can do about it," the jounin said, looking up from his Icha Icha. "I can't force you to learn. You must want it. Otherwise my hands are tied."
"Then teach me! I need that power! I need jutsu! I need my sharingan as strong as it can be!" Sasuke clenched his fists so much his knuckles were white. "I must be stronger! Stronger! Stronger that HIM!" The sharingan spun like mad as the boy looked at Kakashi, hate burning in his eyes. "Don't you see?! POWER! Only power can allow me to kill that bastard and avenge my family! I must be better than him! I must be stronger than him! How can some childish jumping help me in that?! You have the sharingan, you know how powerful it is! I NEED that power! You must teach me how to handle it, how to get it!"
Kakashi looked at the raging Uchiha for a long moment, before closing his book and putting it inside his vest.
"Sharingan, hmm?" He sighed, before looking at the sky thoughtfully. "Did you know that Itachi was my subordinate?"
Sasuke blinked.
"He was. In my ANBU days. I was his mentor then - he was my vice-captain for a while." Kakashi looked at the Uchiha. "He had his sharingan mastered by then. He was barely eleven, too."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, looking down.
"But... there was one interesting thing about Itachi." Kakashi muttered thoughtfully. "Did you know that he almost never, unless it was life-or-death, used his sharingan to copy jutsu?"
Sasuke looked at Kakashi without comprehension.
"...But... that's the Uchiha way..." he said dumbly, "To counter the opponent's best with... but he knew so MANY jutsu and..."
"And he learned them all the old fashioned way." Kakashi said calmly, "It was a little quirk of his I couldn't understand at first. Why learn jutsu, any jutsu, when your sharingan can copy it, add it and lets you never forget?" He tapped his temple, the side of his head where his own sharingan rested. "That is how I did it. A thousand jutsu? More. I sometimes lost track of how many things my sharingan copied. But Itachi... he didn't. No matter how much work it took, he always learned the jutsu the hard way. Why?"
Sasuke stared.
It was illogical. Sharingan could copy hundreds of jutsu effortlessly. All Uchiha with mastered sharingan were walking jutsu libraries - they saw jutsu, it was theirs. It was so much a habit that any Uchiha who learned the jutsu normal way was pitied, from what Sasuke could remember. Only jutsu library Uchiha had was the Katon and their taijutsu style, designed to work with sharingan. No more. It was the point of pride to them, the highest art. Predict, avoid effortlessly, and kill the enemy with their own prized jutsu. It was the Uchiha way.
Why would the strongest Uchiha in generations learn the jutsu like some third-rate commoner...?
"I can tell you why." Kakashi looked at Sasuke calmly. "Sharingan copies. You can perform jutsu perfectly, but that's it. You don't know how it works. Why. How it can be perfected. If you want to master it, you need to pull it apart. Perform it hundreds of times. Learn it. Itachi's genius wasn't his sharingan, Sasuke. It was his ability to learn. To understand jutsu. That is why he was so strong. Part of the reason, at least. It was hard work. Itachi spent his every waking moment training - he worked himself to the bone day in day out. He clocked more time on ANBU training fields than whole squads combined."
Sasuke stared at Kakashi, eyes wide.
"The only person who came close is a man named Maito Gai, for whom training is like religion. When Itachi was too tired to train, he forced himself to go to the jutsu library and spent most of the time there. It was so frequent he slept in his ANBU office because it was easier to train that way." Kakashi sighed. "Chasing after the sharingan won't let you beat Itachi. Chasing blindly after 'power' without understanding or skill to handle it won't help you either. Oh, you will become strong, yes. But Itachi will crush you no matter how much 'power' you will get."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke expressionlessly.
"Why? Because when you use a grandiose jutsu, he won't need his sharingan to understand it. He will see it. He will analyze it. He will find its weak points. He will find your weak points. He will see through your strategies. He will see holes even you are not aware of. Then he will use them, and he will kill you." Kakashi snapped his fingers. "Just like that. There will be no grand battle, no speeches. No righteous vengeance. Just Itachi seeing through all your power and calmly ending your life with a snip of the kunai without missing a step. That's Itachi's way."
Sasuke looked at Kakashi, his eyes wide and disbelieving, frozen.
'That's... no... that... it can't...' he thought desperately, looking at his calm teacher. 'He lies, I... power... With power when...'
He shook his head desperately.
'With power I can...!'
But... the Uchiha Clan had power, right? And Itachi killed them all... Itachi who was an S-class nin. Itachi who was stronger than any Uchiha before he was fourteen.
And as much as he hated that, he remembered. Itachi. Itachi who, during his chuunin exam, calmly went around the older chuunin-hopeful, around his Doryuudan - the jutsu that shocked even judges, and touched his dagger against the older man's throat.
Just like that.
An A-class jutsu versus a simple kunai.
'Irony...' Sasuke felt ash in his mouth. 'Itachi... he always loved irony...'
'Live in an unsightly manner...'
Sasuke closed his eyes.
He slumped forward, his eyes unseeing.
"...I... will... match... him... I can," he whispered, "The power... But... what else...?"
"You have potential, Sasuke." Kakashi laid a hand on the broken boy's arm. "You have potential. More than just potential of an 'Uchiha'. Or Itachi. With right attitude, you can surpass him."
Sasuke looked at Kakashi, his eyes unfocused.
"You have something Itachi never had Sasuke. And because of that you will surpass him."
Sasuke blinked.
"Something... Itachi doesn't have?"
"Fear." Kakashi looked at Sasuke calmly. "You know fear. And that's precisely why you will surpass him. Skill and power... those I can teach you. You will surpass him."
"That's... ridiculous..." Sasuke muttered. "Fear... how does fear help me?"
Kakashi's eye 'smiled'.
"You will learn, Sasuke." He hefted him up. "For now..." He pointed at the river. "Go. Naruto is several sets above you now, hmm?"
Sasuke nodded dumbly.
Kakashi looked at his student's back.
'Sasuke... you will soon learn that single-mindedness for all of its rewards, limits a person. Focus is necessary, but it can be a trap for the mind. Itachi never could understand it. You will,' he sighed.
With a poof of Shunshin, he was away.
---
The Copycat stood in front of the memorial stone, posture slumped.
'I haven't talked to you guys in a while. Sorry.'
He sat on the ground, for once not reaching for the book.
'Obito, Rin... Minato-sensei... I have passed a team. You'd... like them. Those guys... they are so nostalgic.'
Kakashi looked at the engraved names.
'I never expected a lot out of them. They have potential but...' He rubbed his temples. 'You'd like them, sensei. The arrogant asshole, the loudmouth and the fan girl. Of course, the fan girl is focused on the arrogant asshole and the loudmouth isn't just loud, but... yeah. I think... you'd like them.'
He smiled faintly.
'Rin... you'd have loved Naruto. He is everything you liked about men. Confident, never goes back on his word and can't seem to stand still for a moment. If he'd been there with us, well... I think you'd have a world sized crush on him.'
He chuckled.
'Obito... Sasuke is... Unlike you, to say the least. Looking at him I see... an angrier version of myself. Not as cold, but one as arrogant. Remember that guy? The fucker too cool to say hello? Well...' Kakashi shrugged. 'It's like deja vu, really. Maybe why I can understand him so well.' He straightened up.
'Sensei. Sakura... Sakura I think you'd like a lot. You'd love to teach her. She is just a girl. She seems like an ordinary teenage girl but... she can be so much more. Weak, but strong. Sword... she is like a blunt sword. But I will sharpen her. All I can, all I have to teach... I will give her. Them. Like you gave me. For us all, Sensei... please. Give your blessings to Team Seven. Forgive me. It will be some time before I can visit you all.'
The Copycat bowed his head.
'I was... afraid of them. They look... so much like us. It's like a dark mirror. A cruel reflection. But...' Kakashi's hands clenched. 'But... Fate... that ugly thing. It can be changed. It can. I saw it with my own eyes now. So please... watch over us.'
He stood up slowly.
Oddly enough, for the first time, he felt... good. Light. Without that odd weight on his shoulders as he straightened up to his full height.
"I'm... off." He nodded to the memorial, for once not seeing Obito's crushed body, Rin's tears, or his sensei's corpse.
He saw Obito's determination, Rin's hands glowing green with healing power, and sensei's smile even as he fell, his life claimed by the Shiki Fuujin.
'I... with my own hands I swear I will change this fate!'
With a swirl of leaves, Hatake Kakashi went back to his students.
---