Author's Note: Technically second (or third, going by chapters) update for today. This chapter ended up being completely different from what I'd originally planned. Well, it did take certain sections of it, but, between trying to decide whether to change up their first C-rank or not, I ended up getting buried under a pile of Kakashi- and Kohaku- related plunnies (trolls, just like their owners, the lot of them!), and here we are.

A couple of flashbacks in this one, which is something I'm doing for the first time in this series. Hopefully they're acceptable though. Also, an unrelated side note: the only reason Iruka hasn't appeared yet is because his actions and reactions so far has been 'according to canon'. Like, exactly so. I'm not going to write or over in detail anything that basically happens 'according to canon'. Especially exact canon. Sure, I might occasionally do thoughts and things if I think they'll be different or even fit, but anything that is 'exactly the same' will be left out or implied. (edit:: I might end up including him in an Interlude/Omake though, who knows.)

And as usual, 1. I don't own NARUTO. I am not its original creator, and 2. This story is self-beta'd but I think that's as good as saying it's not beta'd at all. So if anyone catches any mistakes, please let me know! I try to check after posting and fix anything that's just minor grammatical errors, but...well, I'm only human. I miss things too!

Also, thanks to everyone who favorited and followed this budding story, as well as MidnightDusk2104 and randomy for their reviews! The latter of which even pointed something out that completely slipped my brain, whoops! Thanks again! :)

And now back to our irregularly posted schedule of chapters.

edit:: thanks to the guest reviewer for pointing out an error. Still ended up re-checking everything though, and so everything is now up-to-date and fixed. Yay? Hopefully I can get the next chapter fixed up soon. I'm probably going to have to scrap the original and break it into parts like the Bell Test if I can't do everything in a chapter, though...

edit2:: Updated as of 04/24/18

Chapter 5 (Genin Days, aka: D-Rank Hell)

D-ranks turned out to be very, very…boring. Or rather, more accurately, they were tedious as hell. Naruto really hadn't expected such a terrible fact to be until they'd had to actually go through them. They weren't even missions! Just stupid chores and things civilians couldn't be bothered to do —or to hire actual experts for (like, fixing a roof or a wall or something, seriously? Just ask a carpenter, datte bayo!) just because they were 'more expensive' than hiring genin most of the time.

Honestly, they could have been using that time to— to train or something! The blonde thought, scowling as he carelessly swiped a brush across the wooden picket fence they were supposed to be painting. Even worse, Kakashi-sensei had forbidden him from using his kage bunshin to finish up faster! This was such a waste of time, damn it—!

Taking a deep breath like Kohaku had shown him (not in so many words, since she'd...kinda stopped being as talkative as she had been during the bell test, but enough to get the information through) for when he felt himself getting too aggravated. It didn't always work, seeing as he didn't always remember to do it, but it had turned out to be kind of useful —especially after catching that stupid cat, Tora! He swore that thing was out to get them, the blonde thought-grumbled, calmer than he had been before, but still irritated as he carefully painted over the messy portion he'd simply swathed the fence in when he finally noticed it.

No re-doing work on a stupid D-rank for him! No-siree! Bad enough that they spent most of their time waiting for Kakashi-sensei just to show up only to take a bunch of useless D-ranks that they didn't want to to begin with. And all their stupid sensei did was watch aside from maybe explaining every now and then or showing them what to do the first time if they had no idea how to do it (which was rare, as it was, but still! That slacker)!

No-no-no, Naruto stop. Stop thinking about that —think positive! You don't want to have to more D-rank work on top of what you already have! The blonde reminded himself, taking a deep breath...and holding it until his brain felt like a balloon, airy and light. Which...really wasn't what he was supposed to be doing, but he felt like it was easier to let go of the bad mood he had when his brain was feeling too light to hold onto the heavier feelings.

Exhaling in a single large gust-like burst of air, Naruto fixed the mess he'd started making again while trying to think of good things.

"Uh, let's see...Ramen...Ichiraku Ramen…Iruka-sensei…Gramps…" he muttered, only half concentrating on what he was doing as he carefully painted his portion of the fence. It'd still get checked over, but the less mistakes there were, the less time it would take and the sooner he'd be free of the stupid fake-mission! Seriously, this wasn't even training!

No-no, not again. C'mon, Naruto! You can do this! Only a third of a section left and you'll be home free! He reminded himself, shaking the distractions out of his head as he covered the fence in white paint. At least, uh, at least he still got some training in? The blonde reminded himself, the statement sounding more like a question to him than it should have.

Waiting for Kakashi-sensei was damn boring, and the trio had taken to training together a bit in the mornings upon finding out that their sensei had a habit of being chronically late.

Or, well, actually, it'd started out with Kohaku going through some kinda Kata or something, and the other two watching in curious silence until Naruto hadn't been able to take it anymore and spoken up to ask about it.

"Hey, hey, Kohaku, what're ya doing...?" asked Naruto, watching as the sleepy, typically stone-faced (though the previous day had proved otherwise) brunette went through a strange set of taijutsu movements. Definitely not the standard Academy version...one that Naruto still couldn't really do right, to be honest.

Beside the blonde, the last Uchiha sat as well, arms crossed as he watched the —unbeknownst to them— kunoichi of the team move through a set of kata that looked like it had been all but ingrained into the child.

"...Training," was all she said, not even bothering to explain her reasoning or anything as she moved into a slow lunge, movements sure and steady as she went through the set to make sure she hadn't started picking up bad habits (though it was unlikely considering that she did this pretty much every day) without realizing it. It was a bit awkward with movements that were supposed to be quick like the lunge, but she still managed it somehow.

Not surprising considering that it was something that she'd been doing since quite literally just before starting the Academy.

Of course, she knew a lot more of the kata than she had before, but that was kind of moot point considering that six years had passed in the meantime.

After a while, seeming to realize that she wasn't going to say more, the blonde sweat, deciding to prod some more to get the answers he wanted. "What, uh, what kind of training?" he asked, arms no longer crossed as he planted them on the ground to support himself so he could lean further in towards her, seeming far more relaxed that he had earlier.

Then again, Kohaku didn't care enough about their arguments to stop them unless it looked to be getting too far (something that happened just as often as it didn't), or too loud (apparently she had sensitive ears), which let them get their aggression out for the most part since it'd be 'too much effort' trying to break them up when they'd end up stopping themselves half the time anyway.

Thus leading to the current scene, something most of the Uchiha's fangirls wouldn't have expected as the two males sat placidly next to each other, for once not goading the other.

"Taijutsu," was all she said, earning a snort from Sasuke and another sweat drop from Naruto.

"Well, uh, yeah, I knew that," he said, shooting a glare at the raven-haired avenger, but not doing much more than huffing and sticking his tongue out since he had something else to focus his attention on right now. "But why? And how come it looks so different from all the other kinds we've seen so far?" he asked, practically blurting the questions out.

As the girl finished the last movement of the kata she was on, she sighed, slowly coming to rest before looking at him. By this point, she'd pretty much figured out that the blonde wouldn't leave well enough alone unless she answered the question. At least, not until she did so to his satisfaction, anyway.

Most annoying genin of their class, indeed.

Not that she'd say so. It'd only ensure that blonde got even louder with his words.

"That's because it's a family style," she explained, making sure her words were clear and concise so she wouldn't have to repeat them. "I'm practicing because Hatake-sensei has a habit of being late to everything. It'd be a waste of time to simply sit around doing nothing," she explained, earning a nod from the Uchiha, though the dark-eyed boy did end up scowling at the fact that Kakashi was apparently perpetually late as well.

"What?! Seriously?!" Naruto exclaimed, but that meant… "You mean we're going to be stuck here for hours?!" he cried out, horrified. Hours of just sitting there, doing nothing. Every. Time.

Wait…

"Wait, wait, so— is that why you're training?" the blonde asked, the question rhetorical as he quickly figured it out for himself.

"Hn. That's what he just said, Dobe," came the sneered response of the boy beside him, earning raised hackles from the blonde.

"I know that! It was a rit...retired…" aha! "It was a rhetorical question, Bastard!" the blue-eyed genin shouted, waving a fist at the other boy. "That means it wasn't supposed to be answered, Stupid!" he added, proudly tacking on the information that Iruka-sensei had told him just to show off.

Scowling in response, Sasuke nearly continued the argument as he stood. Only to calm himself since he didn't want to make it seem like the blonde could affect him as much as he could (not that Kohaku and Kakashi, at least, didn't already know considering how much the two fought and argued as it was).

"Hn, glad you know and understand such a 'big word' then," he sneered, unable to resist getting the last word in as he turned to the amber-eyed brunette whose mind had begun to wander while they had been preoccupied. "If that idiot teacher of ours is going to be late, it'd make sense to get some training in," he finally announced, ignoring the blonde's protests, as he began walking away.

He couldn't afford to lose any time training and Kohaku had brought up a good point. It would only aggravate him more if he'd ended up waiting hours upon hours for their lackadaisical teacher to show up doing nothing. And if he was going to be late all the time, he might as well put the extra time to good use. "I'm going to practice over here," he told them, all but dismissing the others, as he got into the starting stance for what he remembered and had read of the Uchiha style of Taijutsu.

"Teme—!" the blonde yelled after him, waving a fist before huffing and turning away, deciding to be the larger man here. "Whatever, fine!" He scowled, turning back to the brunette who had been watching the scene with seemingly little interest. "Hey, hey, Kohaku!" He grinned, doing a full 180 as he spoke, "Will you help me practice my Taijutsu too, then? It's better if we know how to fight together, right?" he added, almost hopefully.

"...A...practice match, then?" she offered at last, thinking about the question. It was true that having an opponent was the best way to practice —and she'd be able to figure out where she was leaving holes, too… Besides, practicing against different styles was supposed to help, right?

"Alright! Yeah, definitely!" exclaimed the blonde, cheering excitedly.

…

It definitely wasn't because of the damned puppy eyes the blonde had employed, of course not.

Shifting back into a starting stance as she waited for the blonde to calm down, she nodded when all he did was grin and ask if she was ready before moving with a yell.

Kou...Kou would definitely end up regretting giving in to the blonde. But at least she would be getting the practice she probably did need against different styles (even if Naruto's style wasn't so much a style as a botched amalgamation of the Academy's style and straight-out street brawling). And it wouldn't be too long, either, before Sasuke joined in, stating how pathetic Naruto's stances were and to 'watch what a real Taijutsu kata looked like'.

Needless to say, the entire thing had nearly devolved into an all-out brawl, even as it cemented the budding 'tradition' of self —or group— training in the hours that the last Hatake made them wait.

Black eyes ignored the rest of his team to get the repetitious and tedious chore of getting the stupid fence in front of him painted. He really couldn't help but to scowl at the hands-off approach that Kakashi had taken for the most part. Yes, he now knew that the last Hatake was actually far more skilled than he portrayed, and that, yes, the man had previously been in the AnBu corps (though he seriously doubted the whole captaincy claim considering the idiot Jounin's habits), but that didn't mean anything to the last Uchiha if he couldn't freaking teach properly.

Embarrassing as it was, he was learning and gaining more from practicing with his so-called teammates than from the man himself. Tree-walking? Apparently a low-ranked chakra-control exercise that was just above Academy level. Something the Scarecrow probably should have been teaching them, but hadn't. Instead, he'd had to find out from a member of his own graduating class about it.

Of course, it had apparently taken the brunette a while to master it and the raven-haired avenger had been determined to get it down faster—and absolutely before that idiot blonde. But that still didn't change the fact that it was a jutsu that another genin his age had already known. Especially when their Jounin sensei wasn't teaching them any real jutsu as it was.

Oh, he'd stopped by or appeared during breaks and made comments but that was just about it. The man had kept a 'hands off' approach to it all, and damned if the Uchiha wasn't starting to get pissed off by it. Scowling as he heard the man's annoying voice from the other side of the fence that he was in charge of, the boy couldn't help but to wonder just what else he didn't know that was supposedly 'elementary ninja jutsu'.

On the other side of the fence, unaware of the dark aura that the last Uchiha was currently exuding, Kohaku continued to carefully paint while just as carefully listening to the man that was their Jounin sensei as he spoke.

"Hmm… Maa, well, I suppose it'd be more accurate to say… it's not?" The last Hatake mused. (Ah, what irony that their cell seemed to be full of the 'last' members of the family or clan that they'd come from.)

Seeing the inquisitive blink he got in response to his not-answer, the man almost chuckled, instead simply giving the other a bright smile.

"Hmm, well, y'know, it's sort of like...that, you know? That," He said cheerfully, purposely leaving his answers vague. Even in the face of the unimpressed deadpan that his cute little student was wearing. (All three were his cute little students, of course, it was just that he was talking to this cute little student at the moment. Even if he were to have a favorite...well, he didn't. They were all equally cute in different ways, although it was amusing that the other two still seemed to think that the last member of their group was a boy. He almost felt sorry for the day they figured it out.

(As it was, he definitely wasn't going to be the one to tell them. It was, after all, something they should have observed or figured out anyway… And totally not just for the former AnBu's own amusement. Nope, of course not...)

"Ahaha~ Well, better check that Naruto hasn't made a mess of his portion of the fence!" He mused, trying not to sweat when the stare continued to bore into him even as their owner continued to paint her portion of the fence in meticulous strokes.

And of course he wasn't avoiding Sasuke because of the killer intent that seemed to be leaking towards him either, nope~

Walking away, and replacing himself with a conveniently nearby rock behind the boy, he hummed and leaned right into the boy's ear.

"Ah, Naruto-kun~ you missed a spot there~~"

(Nor was he totally just trying to get away from that somehow judgmental stare.

(Nope, definitely not.)

"AGH—! WHAT THE HELL, SENSEI?!" was the only response he got to 'surprising' the whiskered blonde —well, aside from the sound of some things either falling or crashing to the ground.

Ah…

Sweet, sweet music to his ears~~

The day had started...pretty much the same as the previous few, honestly...

And the week before that...

And thus the entirety of the month —one and a half, nearly two to be exact— since graduating that eventful day.

As much as she might want to say that all the socializing she had to do was annoying, the fact of the matter was…

She was getting used to it.

She was getting used to being around the rest of her team, or having to 'explain' things to one, or the other, or both, when she had to.

As it was, it was somewhat aggravating that the two seemed to be getting things faster than she was most of the time. Granted, they were older, and...well, aside from Naruto, all of them had much better chakra control from before, but that didn't mean it didn't still grate on her a bit.

Still, there were times that she found herself looking...almost fondly on the other two. It was…Well, it was definitely something she wasn't used to.

Outside of her uncle (who was also her guardian, and pretty much a single-father figure to her), Kohaku had not— She'd never—...

Tsukino Kohaku had always been a loner, apparently taking after her uncle in that regard.

What little she knew of her parents… Well, they had very clearly been a set of touchy feely and— and emotional people. Something that Kohaku wasn't used to dealing with, especially in herself.

Oh, she'd observed other people, using the time to 'people watch' for lack of a better term, doing her best to see underneath the underneath and all that, but without it being vocalized in those that she didn't know…

Well, it was just difficult overall to connect.

The only reason she could with her uncle was because he'd practically raised her, after all. Even if some of it had been done herself once she'd started Academy and her uncle had deemed her old and mature enough to be able to take care of herself. Something that meant he could leave on much longer missions that could last weeks instead of a few days or so at most. Especially when there wasn't anyone he could really trust to watch over her. (Apparently he was doing his utmost best to keep his old teammate away from her for whatever reason. Something about 'bad influences'...? She didn't really get it, but if Uncle said it...)

She couldn't deny that it had been...nice...however, that he'd taken the time to ensure he'd be there for her after graduation. Whether she passed or failed, she was sure he would have done the same. (The pleased twitch of surprise on his otherwise slate-like face had been absolutely genuine, after all.)

As it was, she had spent the time she had with him either relaxing or learning as much as she could that he was willing to teach her.

(And if she clung a little more, or was a bit more attached to him in general during the stay... Well, neither were very vocal people to begin with, and no one would say anything about it.)

Almost smiling when she caught sight of the 'present' he'd gotten for her graduation, she couldn't help but to remember when it'd happened.

She was tired. Having had to run around and deal with their new sensei as well as talking so much —not even mentioning the little outburst that had happened near the end of it all— had been beyond stressful. Even if she hadn't really realized it, so much as having been hit with it all at once when the adrenaline and everything else had calmed down.

Barely even thinking by the time she got to the three bedroom apartment that she shared with her uncle (the third being a guest room that mostly doubled for storage, especially since it wasn't as if either of them were social people), she mechanically removed the belt and almost obi-like cloth that she kept wrapped around her coat. Shedding that only moments later as she automatically folded and placed them on the counter of the little drawer-cabinet set that sat just inside the doorway.

It was only the sound of keys jingling as they shifted under her outer layer, as she muttered the usual "Tadaima" that was always muttered whenever she got home that something made her pause.

Turning back to check the little alcove that footwear was worn, shed, and kept, she nearly gave herself whiplash.

Heart skipping a little when she saw the by-now familiar house slippers that her uncle wore missing —as well as the larger set of shinobi footwear that sat beside to her own— the girl had had to refrain from dashing into the house.

Muted steps (ones that had been silent prior to her arrival —more out of habit than anything) approached her even as the girl's eyes sought the man that was like a brother and a father to her. Eyes bright and far more animated than one could have expected from the previously zombie-like child, she zeroed in on the man that had stepped out of his room with a yawn that was quickly covered up upon hearing the lock of the door shift.

A tiny smile on an otherwise inexpressive face and eyes just like hers, if sharper and under a darker head of hair. Longer and messier hair that had always seemed to have a single, neat braid kept swept behind a slightly pointed ear that was one of the possible inheritable traits that signified being of the bloodline they both shared. "Welcome back," he told her, voice lower and softer than most people could hear. Not for them, though —or any Inuzuka, if any of them were around, let alone paying attention of course.

Barely even twitching as a fluffy haired bundle all but rammed into him, Mikazuki Totsuka —Jounin and still-active member of AnBu— easily remained still and balanced as he caught his projectile niece in deceptively slender arms. A discrete application of chakra keeping them both from toppling over and softening the force of the blow as she rammed into him, childish hands tightening their hold as a small face buried itself into his waist.

A soft expression rarely worn outside present company appeared on a face many had claimed was like stone, the adult easily translated the muffled words said in response to his greeting. Debating for a moment whether to have the child clean herself up a bit first, or to simply enjoy the presence of his brother's child, he gave a light, stalling hum in response the words he'd translated.

Though it still made him uncomfortable being so… touchy-feely...for lack of a better expression, it was something he'd slowly become accustomed to over the years he'd shared with the child. Tactile and Verbal expression were all supposed to be important to the health and growth of a child's mentality and psyche, after all.

"Hard mission?" She'd asked, removing herself from him almost reluctantly. Though also not a very social person by nature, she couldn't help but to crave the tactile comfort that the man provided, taking in the comforting scent of family and shared blood that had taken such care of her —was taking care of her, even now.

Of course, she wasn't nearly as tactile as her parents had been (something her uncle could only be grateful for, honestly speaking). That didn't mean she wasn't tactile at all, however. Something that had probably been inherited or so ingrained in the few months she'd had with her actual parents that it clearly showed in instances like this, he mused.

Understandable, considering the circumstances.

Even when they'd been alive, it had been quite difficult to remove the elder Mikazuki from his person and it wasn't like the other had wasted any time in trying to 'get even closer' to his by far 'too stoic, serious, and oh-so precious little brother'. Miho-san, Kohaku's mother, had been the same. And when he'd had the (rather unfortunate and extremely dubious) luck of ending up on the same team as the always lovey-dovey duo after having had to split from the remainder of his own genin team back then, he'd cursed his luck. But now, well, now he was grateful. Even if he might never admit to it.

It had just left so many more precious memories that he could —and would— eventually share with his niece, after all.

But that none of that was important right now. More importantly...

Shrugging as the two disentangled themselves, he ruffled the girl's hair, earning a slight pout of protest of the action though no complaint.

"It was fine," he told her, leading her further into the house with a light hand at her back. "You passed?"

Kohaku nodded, huffing as she remembered the day's events. "Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hatake-san," she informed him, sure that he would understand without needing clarification over just why it bothered her.

"Ah," he nodded, aware of just what kind of person Hatake Kakashi was, "I'll be here for a few weeks unless Hokage-sama has any other need for me," he said after a moment, "Clean up and change? Got something for you," for graduating didn't even need to be said. "Dinner'll be heated once you're back," he promised, ruffling her hair again despite protest and pushing her towards the direction of her room so she could grab something clean to wear for after.

Seeing her perk up, eyes bright and eager as she nodded, he chuckled as she scampered off. Hopefully she'd like the bracers he'd picked up for her before a while back. They should fit or at least adjust so that she could wear them comfortably. And he was sure she'd enjoy learning a few more jutsu…

Perhaps it was time to move on to certain skills of the bloodline while he was still here, as well. She's need to know certain things eventually, after all.

Heading to the kitchen, he pulled out a few pots and pans to reheat the food he'd picked up before returning to the apartment, earlier on. It'd be better and healthier to reheat it all on the stove rather than just sticking it all in the microwave anyway. Not to mention that it'd barely even take a little bit more time, as well.

Kakashi had to admit, he was —kind of, sort of, maybe a little— proud of his kids. (Yeah, his kids, got a problem with that?) He'd never thought he could get so attached to a trio of brats, and so quickly at that, but...looking back, he wasn't quite sure just what he'd even been doing before (or even when) he'd taken said 'brats' in.

Oh, he'd done his job. Gone on missions, trained a bit, trolled around a bi— ah, no, did he say trolled? He meant hung out with his, uh, acquaintances… (tentative friends?) a bit.

Definitely not trolled. Aha...hahaha…(And that wasn't even including the fact that he so often visited the Memorial Stone. Something that he preferred not to think of when it wasn't 'time to visit', seeing as it tended to make things worse for himself…or his mental state, anyways.)

Ahem.

Anyways, he'd done quite a bit —and he'd admit, hadn't done quite a bit as well— but, well, watching his kids training together in the hours he spend doing other things or just… watching them (while reading his precious Icha Icha, of course, Jiraiya-sama was a genius). He couldn't help but feel almost...well, he'd already said it, hadn't he?

And to think, he'd barely had to do much about it either! Despite her taciturn and unsociable nature —well, for the most part, anyway— Kohaku had become something of a catalyst for the other two. He had no doubt that they would have ended up wasting their time loitering about, waiting for his ever late appearance otherwise.

After all, while Naruto wasn't quite...stupid, per say, he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the set either.

Aside from his apparent genius at setting pranks (gods, those had been the days. While it'd been annoying when he'd been a participant of it, it had been amusing as all heck to watch all the other AnBu running around trying to catch a bright orange strip of a lad…), something that Kushina-san would have been proud of, no doubt (and nope, nope, didn't hurt, he wasn't thinking about that or everything else about it). In fact, Minato-sensei would have likely been proud even as he pretended to be disapprovingly stern at the same time. Kakashi was certain of it... Ah, but he was digressing—

Anyways, while Naruto wasn't a total idiot, he wasn't very smart either (he really took after his mother more, if he were being honest, but he wasn't thinking about that, because it would hurt too much to remember, and— shhhhhh, nope. Not thinking about that. Quit it, Hatake). And there was no doubt he'd never have thought about it. Or, well, he wouldn't have until much, much later, anyways.

And while Sasuke was...intelligent...for a certain definition of the word, at least... He was just as broken (if not more so) from the betrayal of his brother, and, well, he tended to obsess over it...and his supposed revenge, but…

Yeah, he would have probably spent his time brooding and never realizing that he could be training in the extra few hours he (deliberately, mind you) gave them before deciding it was time to show up.

Still, they'd made remarkable progress so far.

Especially considering that Kakashi himself wasn't really doing anything to help on that front (aside from showing up just a little earlier or later depending on whether they were on a roll or were overworking themselves).

'Maybe I should start training them a little bit,' the man mused, watching from a nearby tree he'd perched himself in as his cute little genin finished up their second-to-last D-Rank for the day. Or, well, it would have been based on their usual 'schedule' if the son of the White Fang hadn't come to a decision as he shut his precious copy of Icha Icha Violence, only the latest of the Jiraiya-sama's Icha Icha series.

Besides, no doubt Naruto would be itching for a C-Rank soon, and while he was sure they were more than ready, the ex-AnBu captain had never been anything but cautious on his own missions —and he wasn't going to disrespect his cute little hardworking genin by not ensuring that they had the unspoken basics of shinobi skills taken care of, as well.

(In another world, Hatake Kakashi would have simply left his genin to their own devices. But here, with all the 'hard work' his kids were putting into their training and trying to get better —flashbacks of 'YOUTH!' aside— the man couldn't help but to feel that he wanted to have at least taught them something of use in their time with him…

(And so the world continued to shift and change with every little difference that occured...or didn't happen, as the case may be…)

Three genin stared at their so-called Sensei with surprised and dubious expressions.

"Wh—Wha— What did you say, Sensei—?!" And of course, the first to voice their disbelief was one Uzumaki Naruto, as said pervert-sensei sweat, the previous crescent-eyed smile disappearing into something a bit more… well, not a smile.

"Come now, Naruto, surely your hearing's not that bad~?" He mused, quickly smoothing the brows that had furrowed at the exclamation. "But if you really need me to say it again… We're going on a camping trip~!" He exclaimed, just as cheerfully as he had before, though the cheer quickly faded to a twitch when the blonde burst into yelling again.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO OUR SENSEI?!" he demanded, pointing a finger at the man who just had to be an impostor! There was no way their Kakashi-sensei would just up and suddenly decide to do some kinda training exercise outside of all those stupid D-ranks! He was too lazy to do that!

On either side of him, the two darker haired members of the team could only agree as they watched a scene that looked like it'd been out of the legendary Twilight Zone almost warily. Slowly inching towards the most vibrantly haired member of their team, the two exchanged a look.

It... was...an impostor, right? Definitely an impostor?

Or maybe he was sick, or something? It— It couldn't possibly, really be their Kakashi/Hatake-sensei…could it?

Standing before the three genin, Kakashi sweat at his team's antics.

"Hey, now… Just what is it that you think of your poor Sensei, huh?" Was it really that difficult to believe he'd want to take them on a training trip? He hadn't really come off as...well, whatever they had previously thought about him considering the disbelief they were showing now...had he?

The trio seemed to exchange a glance, looking unsure as the finger pointed in his direction began to waver.

"I, uh, well...uh," Naruto started, clearly still the most vocal of the trio (how they survived as a group for so long, Kakashi really wasn't sure, to be honest). "Well, I guess… you're kinda lazy…?" he started, not sure whether it was really safe to say such a thing.

"Useless," added Sasuke, eyes narrowed as he tried to pick out any discrepancies in the man. He'd already tried discreetly casting a Kai earlier and nothing had changed, so he doubted it was a genjutsu. Was this a trick, then?

"...Hatake-sensei is always late," Kohaku added, deciding to go for a fact rather than following her teammates words.

After all, if the man actually heard those words... Well, most people got upset when they thought they were being insulted or disparaged...right? (Or so she'd assumed from all that she'd seen, her teammate's interactions only cementing the idea in her mind.)

"Ah! And he's definitely a pervert!" Naruto exclaimed, nodding to himself as well as in agreement to everything that had always been said. "He's always reading those stupid perverted books!"

"..." Kakashi... Kakashi wasn't sure whether to be upset or insulted. "Do you really think so little of me?!" He all but cried, a cloud of gloom and depression falling over his visage even as he tried to resist the urge to find some sort of corner or secluded spot to… do something. He really wasn't sure, though from what he'd heard there was a ninja with a bloodline that tended to start sprouting mushroom or fungi or something when depressed, he absently mused.

Who was it...? Some earth or rock ninja or something…?

Ah, well, that wasn't important right now. More importantly—

His kids' apparent impressions of him.

"Ah, and to think I thought you were such cute little genin," he all but sobbed, a weak genjutsu making it seem like tears were forming in his singular, visible eye. "Ahh~ah~ And here I was, planning to reward such cute and obedient little genin with a few tips and tricks (and jutsu). Maybe even a few skills (and jutsu) to go along with it by taking them on a training trip..." He fake-sobbed, creating a false sense of growing distance as he crouched and poked at the ground, using a stick he'd created through illusions. "Ahhh, woe is me~ such cruelty…such hate…" he continued, really laying it on thick as the trio watched, sneakily glancing back at them as he turned away to play the poor, depressed little man who had done no wrong and yet still was being wronged.

"...Maybe I should just let them take D-Ranks for the rest of their lives…?" He 'muttered', deciding to go in for the kill when the trio didn't really react much, aside from the strange, weirded out expressions two thirds of them wore, while Naruto, for once, just...stared. "Ah, maybe they'll appreciate me better if I give them more D-ranks!" he said a little louder, pretending to perk up —or possibly even have cracked— emitting a strange laugh along with a dark aura.

"H—Hey, hold on! W—We never said we hated you!" Naruto exclaimed hastily. No way he wanted to risk even more D-ranks! They already were in D-rank hell even if he got to train with his...his...friends…?

Even Sasuke nodded beside him, not wanting to be stuck with more D-ranks.

"...Liar," Kakashi pretended not to believe them, secretly having too much fun and trying too hard not to snicker as everything went to plan.

Ha, suckers! Honestly, he really did have such cute, cute genin. So naive. So easily manipulated by his tricks. (It was something he should probably fix, but… ehhh, it was amusing, and it wasn't like they wouldn't be able to survive and still thrive even despite it, so why bother? Well, unless he absolutely had to, anyway…)

"N-No way! It's true, dattebayo! R-Right, Sasuke?" he sweat, nope-nope, hell to the no, no way was he doing any more D-ranks than he absolutely had to!

"...R—right," the last Uchiha practically had to choke out, clearly hating every moment of it as he forced an awkward laugh." You're... not really that... that useless," he promised, feeling almost like puking even as he forced the words out of his mouth.

Oh god, he was seriously going to puke a little, this was pathetic, what the hell was wrong with him…

But, for the sake of learning more jutsu…

"R-right?!" Naruto laughed, "An— And you're really strong, right guys?! It'd be amazing if we could learn some— some real skills from a ninja like you!" The blonde exclaimed, laying it on as thick as he felt comfortable doing, "Right, Kohaku?" He asked, turning to their third member almost desperately.

Kohaku would help...right? Kohaku was nice?

"...He's still always late, though…" The girl muttered, expression blank though she tried not to be too obviously suspicious or dubious. And it's not like the other two had denied that the man was a pervert. Honestly, she would prefer training with her uncle than the famed son of the White Fang.

Nothing against him, of course, she just…

She wasn't really sure if the man could actually teach, considering he hadn't really done much of it in the month or so that they'd been him. Silence met her statement as the other three stared. Was she...was she serious?!

"Kohaku! Why did you say that?!" hissed Naruto, "We're trying to get him to train us, not give us more D-ranks!" He reminded the startled brunette. Even Sasuke was looking a little… Well, that definitely wasn't as expression she hadn't seen before, even if there was also a similarly strange expression pasted on the face of their Sensei.

"...But, it's true?" she blinked, confused by this change, deciding to clarify since they didn't seem to understand what she was actually saying. "He is a skilled shinobi, true. But he's always late and we don't know if he can really, actually teach or make things worse…?"

Really, what was wrong with what she was saying…?

A groan met the logic response that she gave them, even as their teacher sweat. Yeah, okay, so it was true that he hadn't really taught them anything...except maybe teamwork (technically, speaking)...but, well, that had been an explanation and a half that he hadn't shared until after he'd passed them.

And yeah, sound logic, but that was… This was just…

He gave the girl an odd look —was she unaware of certain social cues and such? It wouldn't be surprising, but after the skills she'd shown so far (aside from the reluctance she'd shown in socializing in the very beginning and still showed on occasion)...

"I— Was that...wrong...?" she asked, clearly still confused as her teammates resisted the urge to bury their faces into their hands.

Well, whatever. Taking pity on the group, Kakashi spoke up again with a cough.

"Well, it is true that I haven't really taught you much, I suppose," he mused, genjutsu gone as the boys jumped, surprised that he'd 'gotten so close' again and so quickly as he stood right in front of them.

He did, of course, ignore the mutter of "You've never even taught us anything," that followed as he continued on.

"Alright, how about we take this break for me to teach you some things then?" he smiled, eye once again curved into a cheerful crescent. "Even if you find that you don't like my teaching style, you'll at least have some valuable experience~ There are C-ranks where you'll have to hunt and catch your own food among other things —though I'm sure you all know the very basics, already~" He hummed, didn't genin have to go on that camping or survival trip at least once during their attendance? He mused.

"It'll be valuable information working as a team as well, since you'll have to split everything evenly and keep an eye on your surroundings, even as you take care of your client or whoever it is you have to escort in certain cases," he added.

"At the very least we'll know if you're ready for a C-rank mission~" he finished, tacking on the actual bait he'd planned for. (Hook.)

At the word 'C-rank' all three of them paid full attention to him again. (Line.)

"R-really?! We'll be able to take a C-rank if we pass?" Naruto grinned, eyes bright as he tried not to cheer. A C-rank! No more dirty D-rank missions for them! When he got a nod in return he really did cheer, "Whoo-hoo! C-rank! C-rank!" He grinned.

Beside him, even Sasuke looked somewhat pleased, nodding in agreement. Being able to take C-ranks sooner would help him get stronger for sure. And it was true that knowing whether they'd be able to work together when they had to would be important...he supposed.

It definitely was not because he was absolutely sick and tired of the D-Rank Hell they'd been put through.

(And Sinker.)

Kohaku, however, was still a little reluctant. Oh, she was fine with the logic, it all made sense after all. (None of them were aware that while Kakashi agreed that if they went they'd be able to take a C-rank, he hadn't actually said that they would take one.) But...she was still hesitant. Why? Well, there was really only one reason, if she were to be honest about it.

She… still wanted to train with her uncle while he was still here.

And if they took the trip, it'd be a minimum of a few days to a full week, which meant that much time missed if they did go.

But she couldn't very well just ask to postpone it, after all, especially not when the others were so excited about it. It was selfish, anyway, and…

"Kohaku?" Startled, she blinked, backing up when she found herself staring directly into too-close blue eyes. "Hey, you're back! What were you thinking about? We've been calling you for ages and you haven't answered!" the blonde grinned.

"Uzumaki-kun—" "It's just Naruto, 'tte bayo, geez!" "Uzumaki-kun," she continued, trying to get her words out as the blonde finally silenced himself. "My apologies for...zoning out," she said at last, quickly changing the subject to avoid any more questions. "When are we going?" she asked, hoping it would distract the blonde.

It did, as the blonde perked up, babbling a mile a minute as he tried to explain everything in his own words, all interjected by ramblings of excitement and everything before he was finally shut up by the team's raven-haired Uchiha.

"We're going to be going tomorrow," Sasuke told her, cutting across the blonde and ignoring the dirty look said jinchuuriki gave him. Looking to Kakashi, the dark-haired genin gave the man a look.

Apparently understanding, the man took over, a cheerful look taking over the calculative one he'd hidden under a mask of curiosity. "We'll be meeting tomorrow at noon at our usual place," he smiled, "Don't be late and make sure to bring full gear~ We'll be treating this like a mission, after all!" he finished, waving and disappearing in a puff of smoke once he did.

Whether it was to ignore the muttered responses or reactions that followed his statement wasn't clear, but it still didn't change the fact that it happened either way.

"Stupid Sensei, 'don't be late', my ass!" The blonde muttered, even as the Uchiha gave a 'hn' and nod in agreement.

"Anyways, I gotta go find my stuff and pack so I'll see you guys tomorrow!" The blonde grinned, once again full of energy and wearing a bright sunray of a smile. "Can't wait for the trip, see ya!" He exclaimed, waving and running at the same time.

"Hn. See you there, Tsukino," on the other hand, was all that she got from the brooding avenger.

Nodding in response, and waving until the blonde was completely out of sight, Kohaku blinked, staring down at the hand that she'd raised without even thinking.

"...Tomorrow, huh…"

She wondered if her uncle would be upset about the fact that they wouldn't be able to do as planned for the next few days. Especially because the weekend would be hitting soon, and they'd planned to take the full day to do some training…

(Unbeknownst to her —for the moment, at least— the 'camping trip' would end up coinciding with an important AnBu-related mission he'd receive from the Hokage, causing the 'training day' to be postponed regardless.

(It was something that would both relieve and disappoint the young genin as they both ended up packing their things for their respective 'trips'.)

Posted: 05/10/16; Updated: 04/24/18; unbeta'd, Word Count: 7,532; Paragraph Count: 186; 16.7 Pages.