I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The tour with Genma hadn't been marginally as torturous and awkward as Tenzou assumed it would have been. Partially, he realized, because Genma merely chose to be insane when it suited him. In the right occasions, he was downright normal. Not that there was really a 'normal' when it came to high level shinobi; the kind of stress and guilt they had to deal with for decades (if they were lucky) warped their personalities into something entirely their own, and not necessarily easily categorized. Was one nuts, ultra quirky, or just constantly fucking with you? Sometimes it was impossible to tell. With Genma, Tenzou assumed it was the third option. He was far too put together when he chose to be.

As for Gai and Kakashi, well...the jury was still out.

"So, if you ever get REALLY bored, you can simply leave headquarters. Just don't forget to change out of your ANBU uniform when you do. Oh, and don't worry about your mask. I saw you fiddle with it on the way out. We're all a big, comfy...well...we're kind of a family here. Kind of. Some of us aren't exactly cuddly, but most people will become your brothers and sisters, and our identities are kept very closely to each others chests. The only time you're required to wear your mask is when you're outside in the sparring rings, or the training grounds. No one from 'outside' is allowed there, but you never know who could be watching. Any questions?"

Tenzou mulled on the thought for a second, before beaming a cheerful smile at Genma and shaking his head. "This has been really informative, thank you very much."

Genma laughed loudly, which startled Tenzou, and smacked him roughly on the back. "Man, we have GOT to wring that polite attitude out of you, buddy. You're so...formal."

For the second time in just over an hour, Tenzou had no idea if he was being thoroughly insulted or not. This time, he felt slightly more comfortable expressing himself. "I don't understand why that is a bad thing. Were we not all taught to -Mmphh!"

Stumbling back, Tenzou realized he'd just been attacked with a sweet bun. He looked down at the bundle of bread sticking out of his mouth, then darted his eyes back to Genma incredulously. The other shinobi simply laughed and took a bite out of his own morsel of food. Where he had procured these delights was lost on Tenzou and slightly worried him.

"Sorry, buddy. I figured maybe hunger was rotting your brain." Genma explained, winking to take the sting off. "For your own safety, I strongly advice roughing yourself up a bit. No offence, 'cause I'm pretty sure I like yah, but you are WAY too easy to mess with. There are probably only a handful of people in this entire building who WONT take advantage of that."

Despite himself, Tenzou felt his throat constrict around the bun still protruding from his down turned mouth. Great. He was here for not even two hours and was already target practice.

He stiffened slightly as Genma took a step forward, extending his arm and poking Tenzou lightly in the forehead. "And our captain? He's one of the majority. Don't let him get under your skin, because he's going to try. Honestly, you're doomed, because he's brilliant. But, still. A little forewarning never hurt anybody. Oh, and Gai? One of the handful. He's probably the most genuine person you will ever meet in your entire life. I don't think I've ever heard him say one fowl word about anyone, EVER. And I've known him since we were pre-genin."

This warmed Tenzou, as his impression of Gai hadn't exactly been the best one. He didn't know what to make of his antics, but he supposed he was just as mentally rattled as most of the best shinobi out there. He finally took a large bite out of the bun and pulled the rest out of his mouth, smiling again at Genma. The other shinobi laughed, shaking his head. He turned and motioned for Tenzou to follow him back to their room, which he did without a word.

When they got back to the room, Kakashi was STILL reading his book, and Gai was sitting at the lone desk scribbling furiously onto a scroll. Tenzou assumed it was a mission report, and was slightly confused as to why Kakashi wasn't the one filling it out.

"Yo!" Genma called in a general greeting before flopping down onto his bed. "Guess we missed a party in here, eh?"

Gai looked up from his handiwork and grinned. "The essence of our youthful teamwork being recorded permanently into the marvellous history of our village is a party, indeed!"

Unfortunately, Tenzou was not good at taking preemptive advice, and opened his mouth before he could help it. "Is the team captain not the one to fill out the mission reports...?"

Gai blinked, Genma snickered loudly and Kakashi glanced up from his book with a lazy flick of his eyes.

"I told you, Tenzou-kouhai, we do things differently in this squad."

The mokuton user pursed his lips, utterly unimpressed. His CAPTAIN was too lazy to fill out a simple mission report? To the point where he actually rationalized dumping the duty onto someone else? Especially someone as 'genuinely nice' as Gai?

Kakashi seemed to sense his kouhai's unease. He could have left him alone. He COULD have.

"Is there a problem, solider?" The copy-nin asked, his voice smooth, cold and piercing. Tenzou could have sword he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, so he glanced into one of the mirrors before him to see Genma shaking his head vehemently at Kakashi. He assumed this meant he could be in for a serious mental smack-down. Unfortunately, when Tenzou's anger was spiked, his sense of formality vanished with the wind.

"Well. If you are alright with...reassigning your duties to others, I'm not sure there's a point in discussing it. You are obviously going to do whatever you wish."

Tenzou couldn't help glancing back into the mirror again. Genma's jaw was hanging open and his mouth formed a charming little 'o'. Hmm. Perhaps he shouldn't have said that.

Kakashi did not look phased in the slightest, however.

"Maaa. It's mildly impressive that someone who looks like they were figuratively and literally born yesterday can address me with so much self-assured sass."

It was all in Tenzou's willpower that he didn't sputter indignantly. As it was, he stiffened to rod-straightness and looked just as confused as he felt.

What the FUCK is that supposed to mean?

"I...born YESTERDAY?"

Kakashi gently placed his book page-down on his bed, swung his legs around and gracefully stood to his full height. He was only a couple of inches taller than Tenzou, but the way he carried himself, it seemed like two feet. He came to stand before his kouhai, his expression completely unreadable.

The fact that half his face was covered did not help much.

"Are we going to have a problem, kouhai? I'm sure that is exactly what the Hokage wants to hear."

Tenzou took a deep breath to calm himself, and standing so close to his superior, he felt slightly schooled. Yes, Kakashi was...well...not ideal thus far. However, he was still his captain, and people were not promoted to captain in ANBU for shits and giggles. He was obviously skilled, and perhaps there were things he did for his team that made it slightly ok for him to pawn some of his duties off on them. He really didn't know, and shouldn't assume.

"No, Senpai." he answered resolutely, and Kakashi could tell he had resigned himself. However, he hadn't resigned himself out of fear. The thought process he had gone through was clear as crystal in his big, bright eyes, and Kakashi felt himself respecting Tenzou for his guts and his obvious ability to think for himself. One of the things Kakashi valued the most in a fellow shinobi was his or her ability to think for themselves.

"Good." the copy-nin breathed, and Tenzou felt himself react despite his anger. Kakashi sure had a way with the few words he chose to use, that was for sure...

His captain turned lightly on his heel and walked back to his bed, but before Tenzou could exude a deep sigh of relief, he saw Kakashi glance at him over his shoulder.

"Clean the bathroom."

Tenzou blinked. "I -what?"

"You didn't think you'd be able to talk to me like that and get away with it, did you? Your punishment is cleaning the bathroom. Be thankful it isn't something worse; I can be very creative."

Tenzou's shoulders slouched, but he wasn't about to argue with Kakashi again. "Yes, Senpai..."

On his way to the bathroom, Tenzou had a moment to remember that other people were in the room with him. He quickly glanced at his teammates, and noted the amazed looks they both wore. He had a feeling he'd just dodged a literal kunai somehow, and perhaps people did not ordinarily talk back to Kakashi. He had a strong feeling he was going to find out why at training.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He was right.

A cloud of dust billowed up into the air as Tenzou's body slammed into the dirt ring. He was up in an instant, but damn was he ever hurting, and they'd only been at it for ten minutes. He wasn't entirely sure what sparring had to do with his Mokuton, as that was what Kakashi said their main goal would be, but he had a sneaking suspicion Kakashi merely wanted to beat the snot out of him.

An attack cut through the dust and Tenzou barely blocked the punch from landing on his kidneys. He shoved Kakashi back and sprung forward, swiping at his feet. Kakashi dodged, but it gave Tenzou the opening he needed. He landed a powerful kick to Kakashi's side, and heard his captain grunt in response. Thankfully for him, his taijutsu was pretty good, and his speed was impressive.

A second later he was slammed into the ground again, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs.

Unfortunately for him, Kakashi was definitely faster.

"Up." he heard the command come from the masked figure, and glared blatantly through his own porcelain. The nice thing about masks was that you could express yourself with absolutely no rebuttal from the figure you directed your hatred towards. He resisted the temptation to stick out his tongue, though. You never know with Kakashi.

Flipping up to his feet, he prepared himself for another round, but the attack never came.

"Rest for five minutes."

Tenzou relaxed as Kakashi turned away from him and sat down on a large stone, procuring his water bottle. The mokuton user followed suit, and lifted his mask just enough to squirt deliciously cold liquid into his parched mouth. He was pretty proud of how he'd kept up with his captain, although he was sure Kakashi could do much worse to him if he really set his mind to it. As it was, he was feeling pretty 'ok' except for his back. His captain had dealt a harsh blow right between his shoulder blades with his elbow, and Tenzou's entire upper body was screaming mercy at him with such relish he was afraid he'd start to slouch.

After far longer than five minutes, Kakashi swiftly stood on the spot. Tenzou followed suit, and there was a moment where Kakashi merely watched Tenzou with his hands on his hips. Finally, he dropped his hands and walked casually towards his kouhai.

"You're in good shape." He commented airily, as if it wasn't actually that big of a compliment. "And your combat skills are acceptable. A few rounds with the rest of the team on a regular basis will have you up to par."

Tenzou realized he would have to get used to not knowing if he was being complimented or insulted, so he just decided to take it as positive reinforcement for his own sanity. He resist the urge to say 'thank you', in case Kakashi came back with 'that wasn't a compliment' and crushed his blooming ego.

The copy-nin stopped a comfortable distance from Tenzou before he continued talking.

"What can you do with your Mokuton?"

Tenzou stiffened. What could he do, indeed...it was always so hard to describe.

"Ah, well. Mostly I can form tendrils of wood, some objects, and I'm getting really good at shaping shelters and small shacks." A brightness began to bloom in Tenzou's voice, and Kakashi could almost see him smiling happily beneath his mask. "I actually managed to make a sauna last week when I was particularly sore after a mission. It made me curious, so I went out into the woods and tried my hand again, and I made a shelter big enough to fit me and my team. I've been looking at architecture books, and I think within a month, I could form an entire building. It really just comes down to getting the framework right and-"

"-Tenzou." Kakashi interrupted, but not unkindly. Actually, he was smiling as well. At least Tenzou had some passion about his gift, even if he was hesitant to accept it.

"Uh, right, sorry..." The mokuton user stammered sheepishly, but he recovered quickly. "As for attacks, I can also manipulate natural, living wood quite easily. I've also adapted it to be useful for scouting."

The excitable young man held out his hand, and within seconds, little seeds began sprouting and popping into his palm. Kakashi had to admit he was completely intrigued.

"I just drop these around the ground. They are infused with my charka, like a shadow clone. Wherever they go, I can sense it."

And Hiruzen-sama wanted me to train him WHY...? Kakashi thought to himself, utterly confused. It seemed Tenzou embraced his bloodline limit and was actually making good use of it. Building an entire house? The copy-nin couldn't even picture it, but Tenzou sure could. Kakashi took a moment to rub at the chin of his mask thoughtfully. Hiruzen rarely, if ever, did something for no reason. There had to be an important component of the Mokuton that Tenzou was not utilizing.

"...However, that attitude holds him back from truly mastering his bloodline limit. One of the things you will have to show him is not to be ashamed of what he's been granted."

Kakashi remembered Hiruzen's words, and instantly, something clicked in his extremely sharp mind.

"How far have you pushed yourself?"

Tenzou blinked. "Ah. I'm not sure how you mean?"

Kakashi took a small step forward, putting himself just a fraction into Tenzou's personal space.

"Your Mokuton. Have you discovered its limits? Have you pushed it to the extreme?"

Kakashi saw Tenzou's entire body stiffen, and he knew he'd hit the jackpot.

"Well. Yes, I've gone as far as I've dared to go."

"Dared? Are you afraid?"

Instead of being insulted, Tenzou merely deflated. He honestly didn't know how he felt. He didn't entirely understand his powers, and there wasn't a soul alive who could teach him.

"I'm...afraid of making a mess."

Kakashi laughed lightly. "You aren't going to destroy the village if you play around with your mokuton, Tenzou."

"And how do you know that?" he snapped, and instantly regretted it. Tenzou dropped his head lightly in shame. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I didn't mean to be rude."

Kakashi stared hard at his kouhai, everything falling into place quite neatly in his head. So, the problem was that Tenzou was terrified his Mokuton was some terrible, destructive force if pushed too far. He was probably afraid that if he lost control of it, no one would be able to stop him. And maybe there was more, as well. Hiruzen had mentioned the council...he said they were afraid. Had they shown this fear to Tenzou? Had THEY taught him to be afraid of himself? From what Kakashi knew of the Shodai, nothing bad had ever come from the Mokuton. Tenzou was no Hashirama, but the power itself was not rooted in evil. What was the worst that could honestly happen; they would have a few days of weed whacking and tree trimming? Kakashi had seen a LOT worse in his short life.

He took another short moment to decide how best to go about what he was planning on doing.

"Tenzou."

The shinobi in question glanced up with slight hesitation.

Kakashi turned and pointed at the centre of the training grounds. "Hit that spot with everything you've got."

"...What do you mean, everything?"

"You know what I mean." Kakashi's voice was hard, but warm. Tenzou was amazed at how many times he could flip between characters in such a short amount of time.

"S-senapi. I...don't know how to do that."

"Yes, you do. You're telling me you could figure out how to craft a building, with floors, ceilings, rooms...and you can't throw 'everything' at one simple spot? Who are you really trying to fool?"

Tenzou actually jerked back slightly, as if he'd been hit. He stood, rooted on the spot, obviously conflicted.

"I am your captain. Do as I say."

That seemed to shame Tenzou into action, and he nodded slightly in acceptance. Taking a long, shaky breath, he clasped his hands together and concentrated. Kakashi dropped his gaze to their targeted area in anticipation.

After a few moments of tense silence, the ground literally exploded. The entire training grounds shook violently, and the few people who were making use of it whipped their heads around and unsheathed their weapons. Kakashi raised an arm and addressed every single one of them silently. They all knew him, and instantly they calmed, but stayed alert.

Giant, twisting, groaning tendrils of wood erupted from the earth and soared into the sky. Kakashi could hear Tenzou gasp lightly as he fought for control. After a second, the wood arced sharply and hurled down towards the spot Kakashi had pointed to. When they landed, the grounds shook again, and two colossal trees sprouted out from their resting place. A second later, dozens of tendrils spewed into the air, twisting and turning, slithering around each other, until they formed one massive tree that towered stories over the ANBU headquarters. There was only a small perimeter of the training grounds left, and the rest was encased in wood.

Kakashi, and the rest of the ANBU, stared in awe. Hell, all of Konoha could probably see the tree. Kakashi turned to Tenzou, and jerked over to his side in alarm. The young man was bent over, hands on his thighs, panting heavily.

"Tenzou, are you alright?"

"Haaaa...haaaaa...y-yes..."

Kakashi rubbed Tenzou's shoulders, trying to get him to relax. He inwardly berated himself; he better not have given the poor kid chakra exhaustion.

"You did really well. Not only is it beautiful, but its harmless. As you can see, we're all still here."

Tenzou jerked his head up at Kakashi's comment. Under his mask, be blushed brilliantly. It was as if Kakashi had read his mind, and completely understood his hesitance.

"S-senpai..."

"You're extremely talented. If you accept what you can do, you will be a valuable part of our team. You could help ensure the safety of your teammates, as well as the rest of your village. Isn't that what you want?"

Not only was Tenzou struggling with himself (and with breathing), he also could not understand his captain. How could someone be so condescending and lazy, yet so compassionate and considerate? Tenzou had never felt like this in his life. He had literally thrown down nearly every ounce of chakra he could spare, and yet the entire village hadn't collapsed in on itself. He felt like an idiot, if he was honest. His biggest fear had just been snuffed out in under two minutes, by the person he had assumed would be the bane of his ANBU existence.

"T-thank you, Senpai..." Tenzou breathed, and he gazed up into Kakashi's mask. Through the holes, their eyes locked, and Kakashi could see how truly touched his kouhai was. They both froze, caught in an indescribable moment, and Kakashi found himself warming all over. He couldn't remember the last time he had looked into a ninja's eyes and seen such open emotion. Tenzou had the most captivating eyes...

Suddenly, Kakashi jerked up. It was like breaking a spell, and he took but a moment to clear his head.

"Its my job." he deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Hokage himself left you in my care. I can't let the Hokage down, now can I?"

Tenzou merely stared at Kakashi in response.

So...'nice Kakashi' has about a five minute shelf life. Noted.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Despite the swift return of Captain Douchebag, his Senpai helped Tenzou back to the room, as he could barely muster the energy to walk. As soon as they were through the doors, two bundles of energy nearly knocked them back into the hallway.

"HOLY ASSCRACK!" Genma shouted, jabbing his finger south-west ish. "Is that YOU, Tenzou!?"

Following his excited digit, Tenzou saw a giant, elegant tree towering over the compound out of the window of their humble abode. He groaned.

"Ah...yes, that was me..."

"DAMN!" Genma nearly snapped his fingers in a wide arc above his head, he was so energized.

"Tenzou, that is truly magnificent." Gai, surprisingly, was composed. "And, I suppose, taxing."

"Speaking of." Kakashi interjected, then quite literally deposited Tenzou into Gai's surprised arms. "I have to go and speak to the groundskeeper about taking care of that tree. It will probably take a few well placed seals, which he is horrible at. Tah."

With that, he disappeared.

Tenzou decided he wasn't going to think about it.

"Come in, Tenzou my man. Lucky for you, we just grabbed some lunch. Looks like you need it."

With a truly grateful smile, Tenzou followed Genma and Gai back into their room. The smell of fresh food was pretty much the only thing that had the power to keep him from diving face first into unconsciousness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Someone.

Someone...WAKE UP.

Tenzou leaped into the air, smashing his palm directly into the mass hovering above him. He heard a loud grunt, and felt the presence move away from him. He rolled to the side, grabbed his kunai off the night stand, twirled around mid air and landed in a crouch on his knees. He had a kunai in each hand and he was fully prepared to use them.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted. They felt heavy and thick with sleep, and it was pitch black in the room, but it only took him a few seconds to orient himself.

Kakashi was standing before him, rubbing his chest idly. He looked like he was pouting.

"Oww."

Tenzou stared, aghast.

"S...Senpai?"

"Yes, 'Senpai'. Who did you think it was?"

The poor mokuton user was almost speechless.

"I...well, I just felt a presence...what were you doing?"

"Giving you a goodnight kiss."

Tenzou stared. He stared.

Kakashi sighed.

"I was checking your pulse, you idiot. You did see the size of the tree you produced today, right? I wanted to make sure you weren't in a coma."

Tenzou relaxed his pose, feeling slightly bashful. "Ah...well, thank you, Senpai..."

"PFT. Don't let him guilt trip you, Tenzou. Sneaking up on a ninja in the middle of the night is just plain stupid." Genma snickered, sitting up in bed. Kakashi shot him a bored, uncaring glare.

"What must one do to recharge one's youth through the night without being disturbed!?" Gai bellowed, adjusting his green and orange sleeping cap. Seems Gai was not a morning person.

"You can blame Kakashi. He tried to fondle Tenzou, and nearly got his head cut off as punishment. It was actually completely awesome."

"Ah...youthful desires..."

Tenzou could do nothing but stare around the room in shock. Kakashi certainly hadn't tried to fondle or kiss him, so despite his teammates teasing, he was still slightly touched that his captain had risked his neck to check on him. That, or Kakashi didn't want to embarrass himself by killing his new charge on the first day, and was certain Tenzou did not have the skill to hurt him if he did end up waking on instinct.

The second option seemed more realistic.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is so much fun to write, haha, so I hope ya'll enjoy!