Alright! I managed to get the second chapter finished much sooner than initially anticipated, which gives me until October before I have to worry about the next update.

As always, just skip to below the horizontal line if you don't want my notes (but I'll keep them short this time).

I want to say a thank you to user Kreatyve. She has been very supportive and has given me a great deal of feedback on what little I put up thus far (and she's entertained my insanity longer than anyone should have to. She's a saint!) I would also recommend that you go and read her story: Lets Play a Love Game. I find it delicious!

This chapter does a great deal of characterization (because I have so much of it to get through before all the action really starts), but there is also some history and backstory... I really liked writing it. It picks up immediately after chapter 1 (most of the chapters will do that). You get to see further into the personalities of a few of the kids, and I do my best to have their issues and personalities come across. Hopefully I manage (but you'll have to let me know).

Lastly, because there isn't too much more to say at this point, I've learned of an exclusive Naruto fanfic club. It's call the 1,000 reviews club. That is now my goal for this story (cause it is turning out to be a long one): I plan on getting 1,000 reviews by the end of it. In order to do that I'm going to need all the help I can get, so I'm going to be whoring my story out for shameless attention, I will be whoring my review skills/critiquing abilities (in return for your own thoughts, so if you want me to review your story... all you have to do is ask! XD). Also, I've finished my outline for this story up until the joint mission is completed, so things should flow very quickly. I'm still only claiming to do 1 chapter a month, but I feel confident that I can be more productive than that. Until next time!

Sarai

Naruto: Kurashio
Chapter 2 – Gentle Currents

The three idiots were currently arguing outside the gates of Konoha. The subject of their argument, if their students been privileged enough to hear it, would have seemed more childish than anything Sasuke had ever seen in his life. It was a very simple decision: did the teams travel together or not?

Naruto was currently arguing the benefits of three genin teams traveling together to reach their destination. After all, they didn't have any team-specific goals until they reached the city of Ishitohi, the industrial capital of Fire Country. Each team had been assigned a surveillance target; however, all three targets were located somewhere within the city, which was a day's journey away. Naruto's argument was in favor of traveling together, suggesting that it would keep the kids' morale up. Kakashi was against it, stating that nine children in one group would be an unnecessary distraction and could welcome unwanted trouble.

As far the Uchiha was concerned, he didn't care either way. Admittedly, having Naruto along would keep the genin in good spirits. The man worked wonders with kids, which is probably why the blond never seemed overwhelmed with three of his own. Sasuke was still constantly fighting the urge to pull his hair out some days. Three boys were a nightmare on the best days. How Naruto managed it, Sasuke would never know. He did know that he wouldn't mind going on a mission with Naruto, mainly because they hadn't been on an assignment together in months, and the Uchiha was eager to see how much Naruto had improved. The blond was always improving, as was Sasuke.

Kakashi, however, had never been one to do things for someone else, simply for the sake of being nice. The silver haired main liked certain things, and he enjoyed doing those things his own way. Having Naruto and Sasuke around would potentially undermine his authority, or at least keep him from being an obnoxious pervert. These were largely the contributing factors to Kakashi's resistance, and Sasuke knew it. When it came to wanting his way, the silver-haired jonin was worse than a child in that aspect.

"You're just being stubborn, Kakashi!" Naruto growled, "There's no reason to go three different ways when we are all headed to the same place."

"Naruto-kun," Kakashi lectured, "We are supposed to be ninja. Ninja are stealthy. No matter how good you are, it is impossible to completely hide a group of twelve ninja when they are traveling. We could be attacked."

Naruto laughed, "And who would be stupid enough to attack a group of twelve ninja, especially when there are three jonin present?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this; Naruto made a good point. If this was a surveillance mission, then it was highly unlikely that anyone would want to attack them. In the first place, it was even more unlikely for anyone to know they were coming. Apart from Kakashi, Naruto, and himself, who were dressed in the typical jonin vest and jumpsuit, the genin were dressed in their everyday outfits. It would look like nothing more than an outing, perhaps a field trip to outside observers: a bunch of kids who were enjoying a night camping.

"It might actually make a better cover," Sasuke mused aloud, "If we stuck together, anyone we came across wouldn't think much about three jonin escorting a bunch of kids."

"See!" Naruto pointed victoriously, "Sasuke agrees."

"It doesn't matter if Sasuke agrees," Kakashi said bluntly, his features completely emotionless despite the fact most of them were hidden by his mask. "I hold seniority."

Sasuke bristled at this comment, and apparently Naruto felt offended as well.

"Who says?" the Blond challenged, "I'm just as strong as you, Kakashi!"

"You're actually stronger," Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto had never fought with Kakashi outside of training, but the raven-haired knew he was more than capable of taking down the elderly Hatake. In terms of sheer strength, Naruto was the most capable ninja among the three of them.

Kakashi shrugged, "Age before beauty, Naruto. Your teams are welcome to travel together, but mine will be going alone."

"But…" Naruto deflated, a sorrow creeping over his normally vibrant eyes.

All at once Sasuke understood why Naruto had been fighting so vigorously for this: he wanted to spend time with the boys. Not just one of them, not just two of them… but all of them. This was one of the few, rare instances where they could all be together like a family. Yes, they had some time at home together, but generally one or more of them were away on a mission. Naruto desperately wanted this, and Kakashi was stopping it from happening. Sasuke held nothing but respect for his old, perverted sensei… but no one, and he meant NO ONE, made his dobe sad.

"You actually don't have seniority…" Sasuke interrupted, fixing Kakashi with a dark glare, "You retired, remember? When Tsunade reinstated your status, you didn't go back to being Jonin Commander… just jonin. You're the same rank as us, and technically we have more field time logged. Therefore, not only do we out vote you, but we out rank you. The teams travel together, Kakashi."

The older man raised his one visible eyebrow in surprise. Normally Sasuke wasn't this verbal, and he normally didn't take sides in an argument. "You may be my equals now," Kakashi smiled, "But I control my squad, not either of you."

Naruto looked as if he was going to yell something-or-the-other, but Sasuke held up a hand to stop him. The old jonin was attempting to bait a reaction out of them. Kakashi loved playing mind games as much as he enjoyed writing perverted novels… well, Sasuke would just give the geezer what he wanted.

Taking several quick steps forward, Sasuke closed the distance between himself and Kakashi. They were merely inches away, staring into each others eyes. The creeping silence threatened to drag on forever, and there was a great deal being said in that silence, challenges made and memories reviewed, before Sasuke finally spoke. His voice was barely audible, heard only by Kakashi, but it held far more weight than any whisper could hope to carry.

"Listen to me well, Kakashi," Sasuke let a hint of venom into his voice, "My son is on your team, and as such… it makes what you do my responsibility. This is only his second mission, and, seeing as it's a joint assignment, Naruto and I have just as much or more say about what you do with our son. You will travel with us, and you will cooperate. End of discussion."

Kakashi took a step back, evaluating Sasuke with a rapidly roaming eye. "Very well…" Kakashi finally sighed, raising his hands in defeat as if he were too lazy to be bothered any longer. "We may as well get moving. I swear, you two have always tried to waste my time." The man turned and walked back to collect his squad, and Sasuke watched him until his silver hair disappeared around a corner.

"Wow…" Naruto interrupted the silence. "That whole… intimidation thing was pretty hot, Sasuke." The blond came prancing over, exuberance back in his feature. "So what did you say to get ol' pervy pants to agree? Huh? Huh?" A pair of blonde eyebrows waggled at Sasuke suggestively.

"I told him that if he agreed," Sasuke smirked at Naruto, "Then he could use you as a character in his next book."

Naruto's face froze in horror, his jaw dropping, "Wah-wah-what? Sasuke! You didn't!"

"Heh," the Uchiha's smirk only got bigger as Naruto panicked. He gave the blond a wink before walking off to collect his own team, leaving Naruto to believe whatever he wanted.

[…]

"Ugh… we've been walking for hours!" Chino complained loudly. The robust kid's stomach soon growled loudly, accentuating his statement. "I'm starving! When are we going to make camp?"

Hana regarded the boy with an amused grin before pouncing on Chino's back and hanging onto him as if he were a tree, "You're always hungry, Cheenie! Why should now be so special?"

"Ow!" the boy exclaimed upon feeling Hana's fingernails latch onto him, holding her in place on his back. It's not that it was particularly painful, but rather that the pressure was unexpected and it didn't go away… gravity was making certain of that. "Get off me, Squirrely!"

Hana's chattering laughter rang in his ears as she nimbly back-flipped off of him and landed somewhere beyond the boy's line of sight. Chino continued to grumble, pulling his large, brown coat around him tightly as he trudged up the road, listing off an entire month's menu that he would prepare after this torture was over.

Ignoring her hungry teammate, Hana instead turned her conversation to the animals seated upon her shoulders, "He's a bit grumpier than usual." Ying, her albino squirrel, gave a singular squeak and nodded in agreement. She caught the movement out of the corner of her right eye.

The black squirrel on her left then chattered a string of sounds, which sounded like an explanation, and shook a fist at the white one. Hana laughed merrily, "I take it you both agree… and that you are hungry as well, Yang?" She smiled at the black squirrel. Yang merely nodded and turned his nose up at her.

"Aw… don't be like that," Hana frowned in feigned disappointment. She then took a running leap and tossed the squirrels onto the nearest tree branch, "Go bring us back a snack then!" The two were gone in flurry of white and black fur, squealing loudly as they started bickering with one another, yelling squirrel insults which brought Hana to fits of laughter.

"I don't get how you understand them…"

Hana turned to see who had spoken, although she knew the voice. "Well, Jira," Hana smiled coyly, "It's really simple…" She walked up to him and batted her eyes lightly, "It's because I'm smarter than you."

Jira raised an eyebrow at this, his pale eyes widening just a fraction. Hana liked this reaction from her cousin. With a wink and a smile, she turned and continued to follow the path, and Jira made no attempt to continue the conversation.

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Hana let out a soft sigh. It was difficult being on a team with Jira… his father had been very close with her mother, and, even though Hana had never met her uncle Neji, she had seen enough family pictures to notice the resemblance. Jira looked like a blond-haired, photocopy of her uncle, although his eyes were a bit different… and that Neji hadn't actually been her uncle, rather a cousin, but Hinata had always thought of him like her brother.

Her mother had often told stories about Neji, especially about the times when Hinata had been a girl. From those stories, Hana had learned that her uncle had been a very powerful ninja… and Neji and her mother had not always gotten along. They had fought often, mostly over insignificant things: like who was better equipped to carry the family name. It was all stupid, but apparently the village elders, and the influential members of the family, put weight on such issues back then.

And things hadn't changed much from the past. Even though her uncle Neji had patched things up with Hinata, allowing her to take over as head of the family, and had ended up practically married to her Senpai, the village still placed a great deal of honor upon strong family members. It was customary, and assumed, strong members of the bloodline were supposed to inherit the power of said family. It had strained Hinata and Neji's relationship… and it currently strained Hana's teamwork with Jira.

Jira wasn't technically a member of the Hyūga clan, and his father did not seem interested in making him part if it. But, because Neji had been one of his parents, Jira had inherited the Byakugan, and that made him of great interest to the Hyūga elders. Byakugan was a ninjutsu specific to the Hyūga bloodline, and it didn't show up in every child. Because it was such a rare ability, every child possessing it was prized by the Hyūga clan. Hana had inherited this jutsu as well, along with her father's ability to communicate and mimic animals. Because of this, she was primed to one day take over one or both families… a great deal was expected from her.

But Jira was much more promising for the Hyūga… and, as it always happened time and again, Jira was constantly compared to famous uncle Neji Hyūga—a prodigy. Hana couldn't keep up with Jira no matter how hard she tried… not with the Byakugan and not with the Gentle Fist taijutsu. Every day she would dedicate to training, Jira seemed to grow three days worth. Their level of discrepancy was painfully evident, and people in the Hyūga family had made their concerns known on more than one occasion: they wanted Jira accepted into the clan.

There was only one thing stopping this from happening: Naruto-senpai.

Hana thanked the ancestors daily for her adopted uncle/godfather/teacher/father-away-from-her-annoying-biological-and-overtly-loving-father. It's not that Hana didn't love her parents, but seeing as how both of them were heads of important ninja clans, constantly bothering with family and village politics; it was nice to escape to Naruto's house, to hang out with her friends, and not feel any pressure... even if it meant spending time with Jira.

She felt bad now, for not liking her cousin. Jira had never once rubbed his abilities in her face, nor had he asked for admittance into the Hyūga family… but Hana couldn't help it. She didn't like being compared or viewed as weaker, because she was so much more than people and their opinions… "But he is even more than that," she thought dejectedly.

There was a light taping sound to her right, and Hana looked up to see Naruto's concerned features looking at her, "You alright, kid?"

"I'm not a kid…" Hana mumbled.

"You fit under my elbow," Naruto smiled at her, "You're a kid." Having said that he pulled her into a one armed hug and ruffled her hair.

"Senpai! Stop!" She pushed him away giggling. The reaction caused her teammates to look at them, but no one said anything.

"Alright, alright," Naruto held up his hands, proving that he was stopping. Hana laughed again, thankful that her teacher had managed to break through her sullen mood.

"Ok, you three, listen up," Naruto called out, "Sasuke's team is about to return from their exercise, and this isn't a field trip. Even though we are traveling together, you have to stay alert… so here is your exercise: I want to take up surveillance on Sasuke's team… watch for an opening, and grab their headbands…" he looked at the three of them and smirked, "Think you can do it?"

Hana's eyes widened for a moment, then they narrowed slyly together as she began to formulate her strategy. Her teacher was a troublemaker, and he knew this would be annoying for the other team, but it was also a perfect preparation exercise for the mission, "Any rules?" she asked.

"If you get caught before grabbing a headband," Naruto grinned mischievously, "You have to eat Sasuke's cooking, but, if you all succeed, I'm cooking tonight!"

There were conjoined moans of despair and delight at the possibilities. They had all eaten over at Jira's house before, and Hana knew how horrid mister Sasuke's cooking could be… but she also knew how delicious uncle Naruto's food always turned out. Judging from the look of fire in Chino's eyes, he also knew what was at stake.

"I won't fail!" Chino proclaimed.

"Then get hidden and take up positions," Naruto smirked, "Chino you take Gakira, Jira you take Sainō, and Hana… you take Kit." There was a demented look of glee in Naruto's eyes as he gave the last target.

Hana wanted to moan out loud; she could not have been given a worse draw. Of all the young genin, Naruto's children were pretty much the tops, which was hilarious if you took into consideration her mother's stories. According to Hinata, Naruto had been almost dead-last back in the day, barely mentionable as a genin; however, he had managed to become stronger than most of the ninja in the six villages. That strength had passed onto his children, and given their bloodlines… all three boys were incredible opponents.

The ancestors hated her; Hana decided this as she dashed off into the trees. She was definitely going to be relying on luck and a cunning strategy now... but mostly luck.

[…]

The clearing for the campsite was deserted as Team five made their return. Sasuke rated the three genin on their performances, giving them fairly decent praise, while at the same time managing to make them all feel like amateurs. He was a hard teacher to please. Kit was brooding about the results of their exercise as he dropped his bag on an unoccupied space of ground, claiming it as his for the night.

He lifted a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing a bit of the tension away while he watched his team members begin to wind down for the evening. Kit sighed and lowered himself into a cross-legged position next to his pack. Teams three and seven were currently off on some exercise, which was a little odd considering that it was about to get dark. The sun had already disappeared behind the tree line, and the last rays were just beginning to flicker and die as they turned into twilight.

"Dad's still here," Kit mused, "So his team can't be too far away. He's a bit carefree but I doubt he'd let them run off."

Then again, they could be doing whatever they wanted to. Naruto was a much more lenient leader than Sasuke, and he didn't push his students as hard. Unlike Sasuke, who refused to be anything but stern in his tutelage... especially where his stepson was concerned. Kit anguished daily about his predicament, having to be on Sasuke's squad and still see him when he went home. It wasn't that Kit hated being under Sasuke's leadership… but he, well, hated it. His stepfather was very strict when they were in the field, and there was no exception for family.

It wasn't that Kit was asking for special privileges, but sometimes it seemed as if Sasuke was especially hard on him just because they lived together. Kit wondered if his teacher expected him to do better than his other two teammate simply for that reason alone, or if he was going out of his way to show that Kit wasn't his son? Each mission, Sasuke would place Kit in the lead and expect him to perform every duty required… and if he messed up, then he was punished with even more work, exercises, or training. It never got easier...

Suddenly, the redheaded boy found his thoughts violently punctuated as a screeching blur of white and black landing atop his head. At first Kit sat rigid, uncertain as to what as going on in his hair. Then he was jolted upright as two squirrels ripped his headband off, along with several strands of hair, before darting into the woods.

"What the—?" He made to run after them when he was suddenly approached by a girl, about his age, with wavy brown hair and startling silver eyes.

"Oh, Kitaka…" she mumbled hurriedly, bowing to him politely, "Sorry about Ying and Yang! I'll get it back for you!"

Kit watched the girl in confusion as she suddenly ran off into the woods. Wait, the girl was Hanawai Hyūga… what was Hana doing back in camp, and where was Jira? He spun around trying to locate his brother, but he saw nothing, save for Sainō and Kira snickering as they failed to contain their laughter at his predicament.

Their laughter was cut short; however, when there was the unmistakable sound of metal flying through the air. Saino was instantly pinned to the ground by a dozen expertly thrown senbon needles, and Kira was pinned to a nearby tree with several kunai. There was a rush of leaves and wind, and Kit was barely able to pick up on the movement of two bodies… Before he could make out who they were, they had vanished back into the forest.

Kit was on his feet in an instant, only seconds after Sasuke, both on full alert. In fact, Kitaka was about to draw a weapon of his own, when Naruto's laughter filled the clearing. With an angry glare, Kit turned to look at his father, who happened to be rolling on the ground with glee.

"You should see your faces!" Naruto howled.

Sasuke's glare was much sterner and infinitely more effective than Kit's. The redhead almost was afraid for his father's safety as his raven-haired teacher loomed over Naruto. The Uchiha looked murderous.

"Dobe!"

Naruto looked up at the sharp word, directly into Sasuke's stern eyes, and began howling again, "You were so shocked!"

With a growl, Sasuke turned away from the blond, knowing that his words would have no effect at the moment. Sasuke proceeded to remove Kira from the tree she was pinned to, while Kit went over to help Sainō. For all intents and purposes, the hyper-child was unharmed, rather, he was marveling at his current situation.

"Hey, Kit! Can you see this!" he exclaimed, "Whoever threw these didn't even hit me, and they came from the far end of the clearing! That's… like eighty feet! I can't even move!"

"I can see that," Kit muttered, pulling the senbon out of the dirt and tossing them to the side. It was quite tempting to leave the boy pinned for the rest of the night. With some clever taping, Sainō could be rendered motionless and silent; but, Kit doubted if his parent would approve. He wasn't even paying attention to the weapons, as he removed them, focusing all his attention upon ignoring the annoying chatterbox with brown and green hair. Sainō never stopped talking, or at least it seemed that way. Even on missions like this, the boy was loud. Kit was afraid that one day it would get them killed.

As he pulled the last senbon out, freeing his teammate, Kit finally took a look at the weapon, and shock was the only feeling he could register. The needles were dark crimson in color.

"Hey!" Sainō whined, "I know who uses those…"

Kit nodded, "Jira."

"Why'd he attack me…"

Kit was about to shrug when he noticed something else amiss. "Hey, Sainō… where's your headband?"

"Huh?" the nymph-like boy's hands suddenly shot to his head, feeling around for the accessory that obviously wasn't there, "Gah! It's fallen off! Where is it!"

"Mine's gone too!" Kira exclaimed from next to Sasuke. The girl was wildly looking around at the base of the tree, attempting to locate her headband as well.

Kit frowned; his headband was also missing. It had been taken by Hana's squirrels... and Jira had attacked Sainō. This whole thing smelled like a prank cooked up by his father, and, judging by the look on Naruto's face and the glare from Sasuke… Kit felt his suspicions were accurate.

"Ok, guys," Naruto said cheerily, crossing his arms, "I guess you can come out now."

A form dropped out of a tree to Naruto's right, and Kit noticed that it was Chino, his presence announced by a rather loud noise as the large kid hit the ground. It was often surprising to many of the genin, just how agilely and gracefully Chino was able to move... especially when considering his large frame and muscular bulk. The boy was by no means fat, but he was huge. He literally towered over the other kids-a good three inches taller than Jira, who was the oldest among them… well except for Kakashi's student, Ame, but no one really knew much about him.

From Naruto's left, Hanawai exited the forest. Both of her squirrels were perched on her shoulders, and she had Kit's headband held in front of her, both hands grasping it tightly. The girl looked at him apologetically, and Kit didn't really know how to respond. He had assumed the incident had been an an annoyance at first, just a mere accident, but now found himself impressed with her acting abilities and a little more than irritated that he'd been duped.

The last member of Naruto's team to appear was Jira. Kit watched his older brother seamlessly appear next to their father, a simple grin on his face as he handed the headband to Naruto.

"I believe that is mission accomplished," Jira said, taking a step back and crossing his arms.

Jira was what everyone considered to be the top genin. He'd been number one in his class, and most of his teachers suggested he should have immediately tried for the chunin exams. Naruto has refused though, stating that Jira could wait and train. Jira had gotten lucky enough to be put in their Father's team to receive that training. Kit supposed he should be thankful to have Sasuke as his team leader. The Uchiha was almost as powerful as Naruto, so it should have been a good thing. Kit knew he should have been as happy about this as Jira, but somehow his experience was different. Jira seemed to enjoy his missions, never complaining when his team was assigned to go out on one.

It was an entirely different feeling for Kit. Each new mission meant more time away from Jira and Naruto; it meant more time with Sasuke… more expectations... while Sasuke never gave him a reason for the stern demeanor. Kit never complained, though. Something inside him wouldn't give his stepfather the satisfaction, because he was certain that was what Sasuke was after. All Kit needed to do was complain, then he'd get removed from the team, and Sasuke could train precious little Fumato… the other prodigy.

Kit knew his eyes were very thin at the moment, glaring at Jira and his teammates for their little joke-mission. It only further pointed out how much his life sucked. Jira was a prodigy, a perfect son. Naruto seemed thrilled with every single action he took, and Fumato was exactly the same for Sasuke.

So... where did he sit? Kitaka had no idea why, but he never seemed to get any recognition, and he was just as good as Jira.

He found himself wishing, now more than ever, and much more frequently, that his other parent hadn't abandoned him. He hated Gaara even more than he hated his current position. Kit had this feeling, deep down, that if Sasuke had never shown up… then Gaara would look at him the way Naruto was looking at Jira, and not only that, they would have been equals. People would have looked at Kit as if he were a prodigy... and... they'd still have been a family. Everything was his stepfather's fault! Why couldn't Naruto see that?

Jira was giving him a raised eyebrow, that wasn't a good sign.

Quickly turning his gaze to the ground, Kit decided it was better not to make eye contact with anyone. Jira had this way of knowing when he was in a bad mood, and Kit preferred not to have to talk about it. Sometimes, it seemed as if Jira understood perfectly. As if he thought Sasuke was the source of their problems too… but every time Kit would mention Gaara, there was a strange coldness that would come over Jira, and the conversation would end.

Jira also refused to let Kit plot any sort of mischief against Sasuke, which Kit didn't understand. If they both didn't like the man, then why didn't they just get rid of him? Jira wouldn't explain; he never did. He always repeated the same thing: "dad's happy."

Kit didn't have any comeback to this. Their father had been happy, and it was a good thing. Naruto always took care of them, and despite Kit's anger… he had to admit, Naruto had always treated him and his brothers the same. They were punished the same, rewarded the same… and they all were the center of his attention when they were at home. Naruto was the best dad he could hope for... but he was only one of two dads currently in the mixture.

Secretly, because he would never admit this for fear of seeming cruel, Kit loved any time when Sasuke and Fuma weren't there—such as Gaara's last visit. It had coincided with Team Seven's first mission, and Sasuke had been off on a jonin assignment-which meant it had been just like old times. Kit and Jira had Naruto all to themselves, and Gaara was there as well. They had eaten dinner and watched movies; it had been perfect… like nothing had ever changed.

His memories of Gaara were few, but Kit always remembered them with clarity. He'd been two when Gaara had left them, and he hadn't understood it at all. One day his dad had been there... the next day he never came back. He'd been sad, and Jira had been angry; they'd both taken it out on Sakura... but before that day, Kit could easily remember all the smiles and laughter and games. Gaara had loved him, and still did, otherwise, why would he keep coming back.

The short weekend had also been torture once it had ended. It reminded Kit of everything he had lost when Sasuke showed up in their lives. The only reason Gaara didn't stay with them was because of Sasuke!

"Um… Kitaka?"

The redheaded boy looked up and saw Hana standing before him. Her silver eyes looked at him quizzically as she handed him something, "Here's your headband…"

The girl looked like she wanted to say something more, but Kit just snatched the headband away from her, turning his back to her as he reattached it to his forehead. He was in no mood to pretend tonight and had no desire to be polite.

"Um… I am sorry," she tried again, "For tricking you… It was just the only way—"

"I could tear you apart," Kit said coldly. This caused the girls breath to hitch. "I wouldn't even need my hands to do it. So... I understand why you did-what you did... just don't insult me or yourself by apologizing." He turned and fixed her with a cold, emotional glare of emerald eyes.

The girl nodded and turned away from his intense gaze, hurrying quickly away. Kit went back to his own thoughts, glad no one had witness the exchange… but then again, he wasn't the most observant person at the campsite that evening.

[…]

Kitaka had missed the knowing look with which the Uchiha was watching him. Sasuke had noticed Hana's departure, and was more than capable of putting two-and-two together. His leading genin was feeling sore about the whole "training" incident with Team Three, and, if Sasuke was being honest, he was a little sore about it as well. Naruto should have had the courtesy of at least informing Sasuke about his little exercise, to let him know that his team would be targeted, but that was the one part of Naruto that refused to grow up: his prankster side. He was a perpetual child when it came to planning the next joke.

In many ways, Naruto had grown up to become quite sensible, which was a vast improvement over his youth. Naruto managed a family with three children, while at the same time carrying a genin team and S-level missions; however, Naruto could still be that hyperactive boy from their past, this was both an endearment and an annoyance for Sasuke. Thankfully, that nature had been tempered in Naruto's three sons. None of the boys, not Jira, Kit, or Fuma, were predisposed to practical jokes… though Kit did have a wild side to him which only Naruto understood.

It was this wild side which worried Sasuke. Not because he was afraid of the boy, or because he had any particular feelings against him. Sasuke just didn't know how to handle Kitaka. Communicating with the boy was difficult, and keeping his attention focused was nearly impossible. Sasuke knew beyond a doubt that Kitaka had great potential, after all his fathers were both incredibly powerful, but Sasuke doubted if he was the best teacher for Kitaka.

"I can barely handle the, dobe…" Sasuke sighed to himself, "How can I manage a minature version of him and Gaara?"

He often found himself frustrated, and the only way to get Kit to focus was to place him in a situation where he had to be. This required being extra firm on the boy, which he didn't necessarily enjoy doing, but Sasuke was not going to coddle him either. Kit had everything in him to be great, just like Naruto... the only difference between them wast Naruto had fought for every scrap of acceptance he'd ever achieved, and Kitaka acted as if he was owed that acceptance. Sasuke wanted to teach him that respect and power, such as Naruto's case, had to be earned... it wasn't freely given. The lesson didn't seem to be taking.

Sasuke sometimes thought being a parent to the boy would be easier than teaching him. Perhaps he could help Kit more if he wasn't his teacher? Perhaps their relationship would be better... it would definitely be less stressful. It was a simple solution, the easy way out, but Sasuke had promised to never run away again. This challenge was no different. If Sasuke gave up on Kit; he was, in essence, giving up on Naruto. The raven-haired man refused to do that.

"Oy, teme, you have a headache?" Naruto was leaning toward Sasuke with a concerned look. The two of them were seated next to the fire, watching their six genin eat while they waited for Kakashi's team to return. Sasuke hadn't even realized that he'd slipped into "brooding mode" as Naruto enjoyed calling it.

With a firm shake of his head, Sasuke let Naruto know that his problem wasn't a headache… at least not a physical one.

"What's wrong?" Naruto's eyes grew concerned.

"Damn…" Sasuke inwardly seethed. Naruto was becoming steadily more perceptive the longer they were together; of course it went both ways—Sasuke could read Naruto like a book, but his Uchiha nature wasn't fond of being read by the blond in return.

"Come on, Sasuke… spit it out."

"You never think things through…" Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto cocked his head, looking confused and twelve years old once again, "What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't take everything into account, especially with things like the training exercise you pulled earlier tonight."

"It was a good exercise," Naruto frowned, "They had to follow your team undetected for an hour, and they had to take headbands from three very capable targets."

Sasuke smiled at the off-handed compliment, but that still didn't change things. "Yes," He agreed, "It was a good exercise for your team…" He placed emphasis on the pronoun, trying to drive his point home to the thick-headed blond. It didn't seem to fully make its way into that skull. With a sigh, Sasuke continued, "…did you ever stop to think how it might affect my team? Your other son? Or even me? I almost attacked Jira tonight, because I thought for a moment this was an actual threat!" Sasuke didn't raise his voice, but there was a definite hurt and anger in his words.

Naruto's face fell into deep consternation as he contemplated Sasuke's words. "I should have let you know…" the blond said finally, "I didn't think about that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. Normally there would have been an argument before Naruto gave in. Was he ok?

"What?" Naruto whined, "I can't admit a mistake?"

"No…" Sasuke breathed out, "It's just that you normally don't want to, especially not to me."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, "That's because you're my rival, Sasuke. I can't be making mistakes around you."

"We stopped being rivals years ago, dobe," Sasuke dark eyes glittered with playfulness, "As you so enjoy… repeatedly."

Naruto blushed, quite visibly even in the flickering glow of the firelight, "Yeah…" He then cleared his throat and changed the subject back to the previous topic, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of the children, "But still, you point it out constantly, and Neji used to say the exact same thing: I don't think things through. And I don't! I just jump in once I think it's a good idea, and I don't look at all the angles…"

Naruto was babbling at this point, and Sasuke had tuned it out upon hearing Neji's name. The Uchiha was always given these reminders, obvious highlights where he had failed to think this own actions through. Naruto didn't do it on purpose, and Sasuke knew it was said only in passing... but he still loathed hearing about it. The thought that anyone other than him, that another person had placed their hands on Naruto… another person had made Naruto happy, it killed Sasuke on the inside.

Sasuke was a very selfish person; he would be the first to admit it. He had sworn to work on it, and he had been getting better… but it never got any easier. Especially when reminders of the past kept showing up... two of them living, breathing reminders. The past was inescapable; his mistakes constantly there. It make the Uchiha furious. Sasuke never got angry at Naruto, not once... just at himself. He would always be angry with himself; mainly because he had made too many mistakes, foolish mistakes, and they could never be erased.

"Which is why I need you…" Naruto's words pulled Sasuke out of his brooding once more.

"Come again?"

Naruto chuckled, oblivious to the fact Sasuke had been in his own head... or perhaps all too aware? The Uchiha would never know for certain. "I said," Naruto smiled at him, placing a blond head on Sasuke's shoulder, "You keep me balanced. You help me to see things I miss, or if I get lost with a one-track mind… which is why I need you, Sasuke. You keep everything balanced."

"Hn," was the smirked response as Sasuke leaned against Naruto, "You need me for more than just that, dobe."

"Shh…" Naruto chided quietly, "Don't ruin the moment by revealing your hidden pervert."

Sasuke found himself wanting to retort, but he was much too comfortable to bother thinking of something witty. He sat there, contented to breathe in the smells of the night: Naruto's soft scent as it mixed with burning wood and cool nightfall. Everything was perfect. The genin teams were chatting away happily with one another, the six of them laughing or grinning… even Kitaka was out of his funk it would seem. All they needed was Kakashi to bring his team back, and then Sasuke and Naruto could spend some time with Fumato as well. But, all together, things couldn't have been better than this exact moment.

"Hmmm…" Naruto sighed contentedly, mumbling as he slightly dozed off, "Always were right… Neji."

Sasuke frowned, more out of concern than anything. He shook the blond gently, "Naruto… are you there?"

The blonde's eyes looked up into Sasuke's face, those sapphire depths glazed over and shining like gems in the moonlight. It was only there for a moment, but Sasuke could tell that Naruto was registering something else entirely. Immediately, the blond snapped out of his daze and rubbed his eyes with the back of his free arm, the one not wrapped around Sasuke.

"Mmm, sorry, Sasuke… must have dozed off," Naruto said shamefaced.

"No, don't apologize," the dark-haired man let a weak smile show, trying not to make it look forced, "Just get some rest… I'll wake you before Kakashi gets here."