A/N: Comment and review people, or I might just have to put this fic on hold ;P lol I joke, but really though, I want to hear your thoughts!

Though the group decided to go to the furthest of the available training grounds, it didn't take them very long to get there. Once they stepped into the clearing, Kakashi turned to Enta, arms crossed over his broad chest. He purposely positioned himself in such a way that put Arya and that teammate of hers, behind his back. Though his face remained deceivingly passive, he still had half a mind to punch the boy into the next millennium.

Trying to push all thoughts of murdering the chunin out of his mind, he raised an eyebrow at his long time friend.

"I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play Enta," he started as their combined squads started warming up in the clearing. "But whatever it is, I'm not interested."

Scoffing, Enta leaned back against a tree as he looked over to watch Zen throw a dandelion at Arya who only rolled her eyes, smirking as she continued to stretch in the grass. He then watched inconspicuously as Kakashi turned to follow his gaze, and barely contained a smirk as he watched the other man's visible eye narrow at the two chunin.

"Not interested, huh," stated Enta teasingly, drawing the silver-haired man's attention back to him. If looks could kill, Enta would be six feet under just then.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Kakashi, expression as cool and calm as ever. But Enta knew him better than that.

"Of course you don't," he said, straightening up from his position against the tree. "Just a side note though, quit glaring at Zen that way. Arya isn't going to appreciate it." And with a cheeky wink, he walked towards the six students. Behind him, Kakashi used the opportunity to glower at the other Jonin's back as he departed.

What the hell was his problem anyway, he thought, resisting the urge to punch through the tree behind him. It wasn't like him to be so…visibly bothered by someone. He was known for being able to hide anything and everything behind his mask of indifference. So how did a stupid little chunin elicit such a response from him?

As he mused about that, he looked over at where Enta was speaking to the group. The boy, or young man rather, in question didn't seem to be paying attention to what his sensei was saying. Instead, he leaned in close to say something to his two team members. The other man, Haru, flashed a grin, quick and boyish, but that wasn't what captured Kakashi's attention.

What caught his attention was the slow grin that appeared on the raven-haired Kunoichi's face. He watched from a distance as her eyes crinkled up in the way they did when her smiles were sincere. He watched the way two deep dimples appeared in her cheeks as her grin stretched wider. He watched the way the light breeze caught in her long hair and made it dance around her tall, gently curved form.

And when she lifted a hand to gently flick the brown-haired ninja's forehead with her finger, he watched the rare show of affection in her eyes. And as he fought the urge to scowl behind his mask, he grudgingly acknowledged what he'd subconsciously known since the moment the shadow ninja appeared in his village.

He was jealous.

Kakashi Hatake, the infamous copy ninja, was jealous of a man six years his junior.

That thought alone made him furious with himself. How the mighty have fallen, he thought ruefully as he continued to watch the young woman who was at the root of all his problems. He stared at her barely realizing that he was doing so, grateful for the fact that the others were all too occupied to look in his direction and catch him in the act.

He watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind the tiny ears he used to tease her about, and wondered how he ever thought that he'd gotten her out of his system. He hadn't seen her since she left the Leaf four long years ago. The distance allowed him to convince himself that he didn't care. Sometimes he even wondered if the whole ordeal was just a dream.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

But now she was back, and he was quickly realizing that he did in fact care. A lot. And he really wished he didn't. He didn't have the right, not after what he'd done to her. Logically he knew that their…separation was inevitable. It had to happen, for her sake, but she didn't know that. Instead, the then sixteen year old was on the receiving end of his brutal words, none of which he meant, but delivered with a cruel, vicious, indifference regardless.

Not even the death of his old teammate at his hands made Kakashi hate himself more than he did when he watched the tears stream down her pretty face. He saw that image in his head, her big grey eyes, filled with pain and tears, for months after she was gone.

It hurt, but he welcomed the images for that very reason. He deserved to hurt. He deserved every kind of pain for doing what he did. And he did hurt, for years. Her face haunted him wherever he went. He could barely stand to be in his own room for months afterwards because he'd always end up 'seeing' her lounging around the small space as she often did when she was actually around.

Kakashi sighed then, leaning back against the tree, staring up blindly at the leaves that danced in the wind. During those four years he found new ways to punish himself. It was almost ironic that it resulted in him becoming one of the most feared ANBU captains of Konoha. He was ruthless. He fought every battle as though he didn't care if he died, and he really didn't. It was a dark time, one that his friends noticed but didn't know how to help him through.

It'd been a year after she left when the Third finally had Kakashi step down as ANBU captain and take up his new role as Jonin-Sensei, which he approached in much of the same manner. But then he noticed the ill effects it was having on his squads, and he realized that he was punishing them for his own misgivings.

By the time he was assigned his current squad, Kakashi had reigned in most of his resentment with himself. Or at least he acted like he did.

Speaking of his squad, Kakashi could hear Naruto give a mighty yell and he looked over just in time to see the blonde teenager throw a wild punch at Zen, who sidestepped it easily. The Jonin shook his head slightly. Even after training with one of the legendary Sannin, Naruto could still be a hot head.

Instinctively, he shifted his eyes from the ongoing spar to look over at Arya, and he was slightly surprised to see her watching him from where she sat in the grass.

Arya bristled internally when Kakashi caught her staring at him from across the clearing. She'd been watching Zen and Naruto spar, but she couldn't help but glance over at him from time to time. He didn't seem to notice most of the time, since he seemed to be deep in thought, but her luck ran out when he did look over.

"Stay still!" shouted Naruto, and she used it as an excuse to look away from the older man and back to the pair fighting in front of them. Zen of course, stood there smirking like the cocky bastard he was. The Kureshi clan was known for their magnificent speed, and Zen was no different. In the time it took someone to blink, he could have them flat on their back with a kunai in their throat.

"Make me, kid," taunted Zen as he flashed to the side when Naruto charged again. Growling, the boy formed a couple hand signs. "Shadow clone jutsu!" he shouted and in the next instant, ten other shadow clones appeared at his side. Arya raised an eyebrow at that, it was pretty impressive.

Zen cursed under his breath and went on the defensive. The shadow clones began to vanish in puffs of smoke, and her teammate was so occupied with them that he didn't notice two of the clones standing to the side. They were doing something, a ball of blue forming in the hand of one of the clones.

Had they been in battle, Arya would have warned Zen, but they were sparring, and therefore she couldn't. Just as Zen destroyed the last clone, Naruto charged.

"Rasengan!" he shouted and Arya watched as Zen's eyes widened. A second later, the tree across from where the two had been crashed to the ground.

Naruto did a little happy dance, raising his fist into the air. That was, until he turned around and noticed Zen standing across from him, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He was tired, but otherwise unharmed.

Naruto's laughter died down as he gapped at the other man.

"But…how?" he sulked, crossing his arms and glaring like a toddler throwing a hissy fit. From where he stood, Enta chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright, that's enough," said the Sensei, nodding at the two men to sit down. Naruto began to protest, but Enta held up a hand. "You can have another go later, but for now we should give the others a chance."

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto stomped over to where Sakura was sitting and dropped down beside her. The pink-haired Kunoichi laughed at her teammates antics and patted him on the arm reassuringly. Sasuke, who was standing behind the two of them, leaning against a tree, only rolled his eyes.

"So who wants to go next?" asked Enta, rubbing his hands together while looking around at the group. After a moment of silence, Sakura jumped to her feet.

"I'll go Enta-Sensei," she said, her face lit in a passionate glow. Enta nodded at the girl and gave her a smile. "Wonderful. Arya, why don't you spar with her, hmm?" The older man turned to look at his student lazing in the grass and raised an eyebrow. The girl liked to pretend that she was disinterested in everything, and he never did understand why. She was a whole lot different before…well. Before the whole ordeal with Kakashi happened.

"Well?" he asked, crossing his arms, and Arya sighed before slowly ambling to her feet. She had an innate grace in the way she moved, whether she was fighting or just walking from point A to point B. Enta supposed it was the way of the smoke that was such an integral part of her. She flowed, he thought as he watched her approach him, her long limbs moving in a way that reminded him of dancing. Chuckling under his breath he acknowledged, for the umpteenth time, how she seemed to captivate others by barely doing anything at all. She did manage to capture the attention of the infamous copy ninja of the Leaf, didn't she?

Speaking of that ninja, he stepped up next to Enta just then, eyes focused on Sakura.

"Stay on your toes," Kakashi said to her, assuming a stance much like Enta's. Sakura looked at him and nodded before turning back to the dark-haired woman standing before her. She looked…bored, mused Sakura, and the thought of the other woman not thinking of her as good enough competition caused her anger to spike. She wasn't as good as Sasuke or Naruto, but she was far from the doe-eyed, emotional fool that she used to be. She was trained by Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, and she was a powerful Kunoichi in her own right.

She looked over her shoulder to where her teammates were. Naruto was beaming at her, "You can do it! Kick some ass Sakura!" he shouted and she couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face. She then looked at Sasuke who was watching the two of them intently. The smile slowly dropped off her face at the thought of not being able to prove to him that she was good enough. The other woman already intrigued him, and Sakura refused to make her look any better than she already did in Sasuke's eyes.

With a new surge of determination, Sakura turned back to Arya, eyes narrowing in concentration as she shifted into a battle stance.

Arya blinked slowly at the other ninja. She didn't know what was going through her head, but whatever it was, it seemed to give her a very…confident air. No matter, thought Arya as she pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. She sincerely doubted that the girl would put up much of a fight.

"Arya," said her Sensei, and she turned to him, raising an eyebrow in question. "No blood release," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"I know that."

"No dark release either," he said and Arya sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Alright."

"And no smoke release."

"You're such a buzz kill."

Enta chuckled at that, eyes twinkling in mirth. "Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu. That's all. I don't want you relying on your kekkei genkai, it's becoming a bad habit," he said, waggling a finger in her direction. Shaking her head, she turned to the other shinobi.

"Oh and one more thing."

"Oh for the love of Kami," she grumbled and Enta laughed out loud at the look on her face.

"Play nice," he said with a cheeky grin and Arya scoffed, unable to suppress the tiny smirk that appeared on her face. Enta was so annoying. But she loved him like the big brother she never had, so she tolerated it.

"I'm always nice," she said sarcastically, flashing a smile at him.

"Of course you are," he said and then nodded in Sakura's direction. "Don't keep your opponent waiting."

She nodded at him once and then her eyes drifted to the man standing beside her Sensei. He met her eyes briefly, but his face remained deceptively blank.

"Okay!" called Sakura, drawing her gaze away from Kakashi and back to the spar. Before she could orient herself, the girl came charging at her. "HAI-YA!" she shouted, and Arya dodged a fist thrown in her direction. The hand flew past her head, close enough that she actually heard a high pitched whirring sound. She turned her head, long hair whipping behind her, just in time to see Sakura's fist connecting with the earth.

Her eyebrows flew upwards as she watched the ground shake and crumble. Across from the destruction, Arya watched as Zen and Haru jumped in opposite directions to avoid the attack.

"Alright Sakura!" shouted Naruto, and Arya took a split second to analyze and file away the information she'd just learned. Half the reason why Arya was such a terrifying opponent was because she noticed everything. She registered everything. And she used all that information to her advantage.

Monstrous strength, which meant excellent chakra control, she deduced quietly in her head as Sakura turned around and charged at her again. Like the last time, Arya jumped out of the way just before Sakura made contact with a tree, snapping the thick trunk in half.

Perhaps she had written the girl off too soon, she thought as she watched her move. She was strong, yes, but she was slow. And she would use that to her advantage.

Sakura charged again, this time drawing two kunai, infusing them with chakra so they glowed blue. She ducked down and they flew over her head. In her crouched position, she quickly formed a couple hand signs. "Shadow flame jutsu," she said, touching both palms to the ground. Sakura instantly braced to go on the defensive, but…nothing happened.

Frowning, the pink-haired Kunoichi straightened up and looked at her. From across from them, she could hear Naruto laughing loudly, saying something about how her jutsu had failed. At that, she couldn't help a predatory smirk from forming on her face.

Sakura took a small step backwards without realizing it. The look on Arya's face was, well, to be simply put, scary. She looked almost feral. And, she didn't know if it was just her vision, but Sakura could have sworn that the other woman's usually clear grey eyes turned a few shades darker. She was wondering about that when she suddenly heard Naruto gasp and shout her name.

She was in the process of turning when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the flames coming at her from behind. She dove to the ground, but it still caught her. Sakura instantly rolled to her back, putting out the fire that caught on her clothes.

Arya watched, almost amused, as Sakura rolled to all fours, panting as her big green eyes stared up at her in shock. Across from them, she could see that Naruto was gapping at her while Sasuke watched her silently, eyes calculating. Her own teammates, however, conversed with one another casually, not paying her any attention. This was nothing new to them, and they had long since gotten used to her and her unconventional jutsu.

"Are you alright Sakura?" asked Enta, and Sakura nodded, slowly getting to her feet. "I'm fine," she said as she scrubbed at a bit of dirt on her face.

"What the hell kind of a jutsu was that?!" demanded Naruto, getting to his feet.

"Shadow flame jutsu," said Kakashi and Arya turned to look at him, but he was looking at Naruto. "A jutsu unique to the village hidden in the Shadows. The user makes the attack from one side, seemingly producing no results. The real attack, however, literally sneaks up on you from behind, like a shadow."

Having received his answer, Naruto turned his glare onto her. "What the hell were you thinking?" he shouted and Arya simply crossed her arms, watching him silently. "You could have killed her!"

"That attack wasn't enough to kill her, you idiot," she said calmly. "Even if it had hit her full on, she wouldn't have died. She would have been on fire, which is an easy enough issue to remedy. Believe me. If I wanted to kill her, she'd be dead."

Naruto gapped at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"You…you're a monster," he said finally.

A couple things happened at once.

First, Zen and Haru instantly stopped talking and scrambled to their feet, staring between Naruto and Arya. Simultaneously Enta cursed under his breath, and Kakashi's normally impassive face darkened as he glowered at his own student. From the middle of the clearing, Arya clenched her fists, and they began to tremble ever so slightly. Her eyes had darkened to almost black.

"What did you say?" she demanded, but the voice that came from her sounded different. Less human and more…demonic.

Naruto audibly gulped and began backing up. Even Sasuke gave up his uninterested demeanor and straightened up from the tree to stare openly.

"I didn't mean it!" said Naruto instantly, putting his hands up. "I swear, I was only kidding!"

Arya took a step towards him, heart thudding in her chest as the voice roared indignantly in her head. But before she could get far, she was stopped by Enta who appeared in front of her to put his hands firmly on her shoulders. He dipped his head so his mouth was at her ear.

"Come on now Princess," he said, voice light, but eyes hard. "You heard him, he didn't mean it, alright?"

"Yea! I swear! I didn't mean it. I mean, I was only worried about Sakura, I wasn't trying to offend you or-" Naruto's insistent jabbering was cut off by Kakashi who slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Just be quiet," he snapped, looking down at him. Naruto gave his Sensei an apologetic look and Kakashi felt bad for being so harsh. The blonde didn't know that calling Arya a monster wasn't exactly a good idea. But even then, Kakashi couldn't contain the instinctive anger he felt towards him for saying it. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi gave him a little smile, letting him know it was okay.

Or at least he hoped it would be.

Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at where Enta and Arya stood, huddled together as the man spoke to her. She was still glaring at Naruto, but then her eyes shifted up to his. Having seen her like this many times, he calmly looked into her dark eyes and watched as they slowly turned back into their usual slate grey colour.

Finally she sighed and closed her eyes. Enta beamed just then, patting her firmly on the shoulder before stepping away. Arya stood there for a moment longer before finally opening her eyes.

"I'm...really sorry Arya…truly," said Naruto softly and she sighed again, staring at a spot somewhere above his head.

"It's fine," she said curtly, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She then turned to Sakura, who had been frozen in her place for the duration of the entire ordeal. "I…apologize if I hurt you," said Arya and Enta raised a brow. She wasn't one for apologies.

Sakura shifted her feet and twiddled her thumbs, a blush rising to her cheeks. "No, don't apologize. I'm fine. Naruto is just an idiot," she said, turning to glare at the boy who had the audacity to look sheepish.

"Well," said Enta, clapping his hands together. "Now that the excitement is over, Haru and Sasuke, you two are up."

Arya began to walk to where her teammates were, and as Haru passed by, he touched her shoulder and gave her a smile. She found the energy to smile back at him before sitting by Zen. The brunette dropped down to lounge in the grass next to her. And though he said nothing about what had just happened, he bumped her shoulder playfully, rambling about something neither of them particularly cared about.

As Haru and Sasuke silently took up their positions in the middle of the clearing, Kakashi walked back to stand by Enta. "So it's still happening, huh?" he asked quietly, eyes on the two boys who began to circle one another. Enta gave a very small nod, his eyes also on the spar.

"She'll go months without him making an appearance, and then it'll happen. Certain things trigger it more than others. The meditation I've been teaching her has been helping, but still."

"She needs a stronger seal," said Kakashi, slipping his hands into his pockets as he watched Sasuke activate his Sharingan.

Nodding again, Enta ran a hand through his hair.

"Well it's half the reason we're here."

"When is-" cutting himself off, Kakashi turned to look behind him at the same time Enta turned in the same direction.

"Kotetsu," grinned Enta, greeting the newcomer. The man in question grinned and slapped Enta on the back.

"Enta. It's been a while."

"Sure has," he said nodding at the other man. "So, what brings you to our training session?"

"A message from the Hokage," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I've got a mission for you. Well, actually it's for you Kakashi."

Having heard the word 'mission' Naruto jumped up and dashed over to the trio of Jonin.

"Finally a mission!" he cheered, not noticing the sheepish expression on Kotetsu's face.

"Uh, sorry Naruto, you're not assigned to this one."

The blonde's face fell and he began to sulk.

"But why not? I haven't been on a mission in ages!" he whined and Kakashi patted his head sympathetically.

"I'm going alone I'm guessing?" asked Kakashi and Kotetsu shook his head.

"No, Lady Tsunade asked to see you and someone named Arya, although I don't exactly know who that is. Do you, by any chance?"

Both Kakashi and Enta were visibly surprised at the news. Arya being sent on a mission, just days after getting to the village? And with Kakashi no less. Recovering first, Enta nodded slowly.

"She's one of mine," he said and then looked over his shoulder. "Arya!" A moment later, the Kunoichi in question was at his side.

"You rang?" she asked dryly, raising an eyebrow and Enta grinned.

"You remember Kotetsu, don't you?" he asked her, gesturing at the other man. Arya glanced at him, looking him over, head to toe in a way that made his cheeks take on a faint pink hue.

"I remember," she said with a slight nod of her head. She'd seen the man a bunch of times before, though she was never close with him or anything. She'd mostly just known him because he was one of Kakashi and Enta's friends. He looked the same as he did four years ago, so she didn't really have any trouble placing him. "Hello."

"Still don't remember her?" asked Enta, slightly amused at the way Kotetsu was staring at her. He was a whole lot more amused at the subtle glares Kakashi was giving the poor man.

"No, uh, I remember her. It's nice to see you again, Arya," he said, and she flashed him a quick smile before turning back to Enta.

"You needed me for something?" she asked, and he gestured at Kotetsu.

"The Hokage wants to see you," he said and she frowned slightly.

"Why?"

"Because you're being sent on a mission."

"Oh. Alright, I'll get Haru and Zen." She was about to walk off when Enta tugged on her ponytail to stop her.

"They're not going with you, princess."

"I'm being sent on a solo mission?" she questioned, tugging on the hair Enta still held onto.

"No. I'm going with you."

At his words, Arya's eyes snapped to Kakashi. She stared at him for a long moment before looking back at Enta. "Seriously?" she asked incredulously, and if she'd been looking at him, she'd have seen the way Kakashi bristled slightly.

"Hokage's orders," said her Sensei with a casual shrug. "She requested the two of you."

"Well, can I refuse?" she asked, crossing her arms, and Kotetsu frowned, looking between Kakashi and Arya. Most people didn't know about what conspired between the two of them, but word travelled through the Jonin ranks. And from what he'd heard, he wasn't exactly surprised at her reluctance to work with Kakashi. But Tsunade, despite knowing about the issue, insisted on the two of them for the mission.

"You will not refuse," said Enta, the grin dropping off his face as he regarded his student seriously. "You will go and carry out this mission like any other shinobi in this village."

"Fine," she grumbled, finally succeeding in tugging her hair out of his grasp. "Are we going now?" she asked, turning to Kotetsu who gave her a boyish grin.

"Yes, you just need to go to the Towers to get your instructions. I'm sure Kakashi knows the way," he said, looking at the other man. Nodding, Kakashi turned to Enta.

"Oversee their training while I'm gone?" he asked and Enta nodded. "Alright. We'll see you later." With that, he disappeared in the direction of the village without sparing her a glance. Arya watched his retreating back before looking at Kotetsu who shrugged.

"Right. Well, bye," she muttered and then ran off in the direction Kakashi went, allowing Kotetsu to fall into step with her as they moved through the trees.

"Do you know what this mission is about?" she asked him after a moment of silence. It took the man a couple moments to even realize that she'd asked him something because he was preoccupied with staring at her through the corner of his eyes.

"What? Oh. No, I don't know anything about it. I'm just a messenger."

At that, Arya nodded and kept silent. She didn't know what the mission was about, but it couldn't exactly be great news if she was going to be stuck with Kakashi for the duration of it. Sighing to herself, she saw the village begin to appear in front of them. Whatever it was, she hoped it would be over and done with quickly.