A/N: Well, this is going to be filler mostly so… the poll is still on because the battle on the bridge hasn't started yet. At least not in my story. I know that using the English versions of the techniques is kinda cheesy, but, sad to say, I don't know Japanese.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. K.I.S.S. (Kept it short & sweet.)

Chapter 11: Zabuza's still Alive

Minato found himself on the roof of Tazuna's house, star gazing. He had spent the past hour beating himself up about letting his former student suffer from chakra exhaustion. He had foreseen it, so why didn't he help battle Zabuza on the lake? 'It's all my fault. If only I had killed Zabuza then and there, Kakashi wouldn't be in this state. We wouldn't be in this mess.' Minato thought, trying to find constellations in the stars, and hopefully, a sign. He sighed and got up, the tiles clacking as his feet made contact with them. He walked over to the edge and launched himself off, landing soundlessly on the ground, a halo of dust rising around his feet.

He opened the door to Tazuna's house and ambled in, closing the door behind him. He stalked over to the room Kakashi was currently occupying, and entered, hearing a click as the door shut. Guilt bubbled in his chest as he stared at the prone figure of his former student. It had been a day since they'd arrived at Tazuna's house, him carrying Kakashi with Tazuna leading the group. He plopped down beside his student's limp body and watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't help you this time. It's all my fault you're having chakra exhaustion right now." Minato whispered to Kakashi's sleeping form, wanting to get it off his chest without Kakashi actually finding out anything.

"Oh really, the way I see it, you were actually pretty amazing out there." Minato jumped, kunai in hand, before turning his attention to the figure on the futon. Kakashi's eye was open and staring directly at him.

"Don't scare me like that!" Minato said, heaving a sigh of relief.

"What did you mean by 'this time'? You've never helped me with anything in particular to my knowledge." Kakashi asked serenely from his position on the futon.

"Really? I thought I helped you when I got you out of Zabuza's water prison."

"Aside from that."

"How about that time I got Tora off of you?"

"And that."

"And when I carried you here."

"That too."

"Hmm… I can't think of anymore."

"So tell me. What did you mean by that?"

"What are we talking about again?" Minato played dumb.

"I swear. Talking to you is like talking to an old lady sometimes." Kakashi slapped his forehead.

Minato chuckled and stood up. "Glad you're awake sensei." He smiled, leaving the room.

Kakashi lay on the futon, his eyes following his blond student as he made his way out of the room, smiling. Like his sensei used to. 'No. Don't think about that. It'll only hurt you. Sensei is dead and nothing will change that. Nothing can change that.' He let his eyelids fall and began to think about their battle with Zabuza. Now that he thought about it, 'Naruto' had been unnaturally fast during the battle. He had managed to stop Sasuke from trying to attack Zabuza which would definitely have ended with him caught and hurt, possibly killed. His blond student had to have moved incredibly fast to have achieved that, but that speed was definitely unattainable for a Gennin. And yet, as if to prove it wasn't just a fluke, he'd done it again with the windmill shuriken, if it could even be called that. How many windmill shuriken were built for surfing on? There was something going on with 'Naruto' and he was determined to find out.

Minato walked out of Kakashi's room and into the corridor. He made his way to the room he shared with Sasuke and saw that his room mate was already asleep, if the light snores were any indication. He crossed over to the window and slipped out, walking over to Sakura's window. He ran off into the forest after seeing her sound asleep on the futon. He didn't know if Kakashi was asleep, but he was not about to take the risk and find out.

He hopped from tree to tree until he reached a clearing large enough for him to train in. He went about his routine, the moon strung high above him in the heavens, casting light on the world. By the time the sun had started to push its rays through the thick clouds, Minato was lying on the grass, drenched in sweat, his breathing laboured and pained. He struggled to push himself up, his arms shaking under the strain. When he finally got up, he summoned his chakra and used Hiraishin to get himself back to the house. He had stowed a few tri-pronged kunai in his weapons pouch and was relieved no one had gone riffling through his stuff.

He brought a towel, soap and fresh clothes into the bathroom and struggled to unstick his damp clothes from his body. When he finally managed to do so, he sealed them into a scroll and stepped into the bath. The water was refreshingly cool and each droplet that landed on his skin seemed to send a shock of energy through his aching body. He took a quick shower and shut off the water. The pipe shuddered and he stepped out of the shower room, picking up his towel as he did so. He dried most of the water from his body and slipped on a new set of clothes.

He felt tired, sleepy, lethargic, but these feelings weren't foreign to him. He hadn't slept the night before but sleep was not a luxury he could indulge in, knowing that Zabuza was still alive. He knew that he used to be Hokage, but he couldn't get conceited. Zabuza also had territorial advantage because they were in the Land of Waves, Waves meaning there was water, and lots of it. He sat on the floor, book in hand, and waited for his team mate to rouse.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window and Sasuke felt the rays pierce his eyes, even through his eyelids. He opened his eyes and winced, instinctively bringing a hand up to his stinging eyes to shield them from the harsh sunlight. He bolted out of bed and saw his blond team mate sitting beside him, reading a book. So 'Naruto' had gotten up earlier than he had. He stood up to change out of his pyjamas and saw 'Naruto' turn away from him, his eyes never leaving his book. Sasuke shrugged and when he was fully dressed in an outfit that did not belong with a teddy bear, the two boys made their way to the dining room for breakfast, 'Naruto' stowing his book in his weapons pouch prior.

Sakura looked up from setting out the cutlery and greeted them followed by an eye-smile from Kakashi who was leaning on a pair of crutches. Breakfast was rather joyous until Kakashi's words dispersed the happy atmosphere. "Zabuza is still alive." Silence dominated the room.

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whispered, recovering from her shock, her spoonful of cereal halfway between the bowl and her mouth, forgotten.

"I mean what I said. Zabuza is still alive. That Hunter-nin was probably working with Zabuza and just put him in a state of false death (?), meaning his heart stopped, but only temporarily. Sakura! What weapon did he use?" Kakashi quizzed.

"Senbon." She replied instantaneously.

"Correct. And what's wrong with an Oi-nin using it? Naruto!" He fired another question. "They can pierce deeply, but they rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ, like the heart. There are, however, no real vital organs in the neck that can be struck to kill Zabuza. They are actually modified from needles used in medical treatment like acupuncture. Vital organs are protected by bones in the body and even if their aim is very good, it would not be a choice weapon because there is still a chance that the target would survive." Minato rattled off.

"Right. Trackers are trained to know every detail in the human body, and to deal with the body immediately. How did the hunter we encountered deal with Zabuza's body? Sasuke!" Kakashi directed another question. "He took the body away. He didn't deal with it on the spot. And since he/she is a hunter who is very knowledgeable about the human body, causing the heart to stop temporarily while keeping the body alive shouldn't pose a challenge for him/her." Sasuke answered, understanding flickering in his eyes.

"That proves my point." Kakashi said, and they stared at him, their breakfast forgotten.

"What are you waiting for? Eat your food! If you even want to hope to fight Zabuza, you have to regain your energy." Kakashi eye-smiled. The reaction he got was his students slowly going through their breakfast. The atmosphere was tense and strained silence hung in the air.

"By the way, during our fight with Zabuza, I was wondering how you got to Sasuke before Zabuza, Naruto." Kakashi broke the silence.

"I ran." 'Naruto' replied simply.

"No, I mean how did you get there so fast." Kakashi pressed.

"I ran." 'Naruto' repeated.

"Yes, but how did you get there so fast."

"I ran."

"Sasuke was falling."

"Your point is…?"

"Sasuke can fall faster than a normal Gennin can run."

"I'm hyper. What can I say?"

"I agree with sensei. You reached the clone and destroyed it faster than my eyes could see." Sakura joined in their conversation.

"All the carbohydrates from the ramen have to go somewhere." Minato answered cryptically.

"I saw it too. When you hit Zabuza's arm with the windmill shuriken, all I saw was a blur." Sasuke backed.

"I'm hyper. End of story." 'Naruto' finished, shovelling cereal into his mouth. It was clear that they wouldn't be getting anymore out of their enigmatic team mate. Sakura and Sasuke swivelled their heads in Kakashi's direction, searching for answers. Kakashi just looked at them and shrugged, shaking his head to show that he didn't know anything.

Once the cutlery and crockery were cleared, Kakashi made an announcement, "Now that we know Zabuza's alive, we're gonna be training. Follow me." He led them outside but did not stop there. He continued on to the clearing Minato had used as a training ground. "Hmm. Seems like someone's been working hard." He said when he saw the fresh gouge marks and footprints from the night before. "Anyway, we're going to do tree climbing. Only you can't use your hands." Kakashi stated as he walked right up to a pine tree and proceeded to casually walk up it with the help of his crutches, as if he were just walking to the corner shop. "You just channel your chakra to your feet, but be careful. Too little and you slip off, too much and you fly off. Now pick a tree and use a kunai to mark your progress. I'm going back to the house to rest. Be back for dinner and don't kill yourselves. I'll come check on you once in a while." With that, he hobbled off, leaving the three Gennin standing around the clearing with kunai in their hands and trees to climb.

Minato wordlessly walked up to a tree and started running up it, only to fall down on his behind when he deliberately channelled too little and slipped. Sasuke smirked and followed suit, not faring much better than his blond team mate when he, true to Kakashi's word, had flown off the tree trunk. There was a large indent where his foot had sunk in and a line carved into the tree a few inches above that. This continued on until the sun started disappearing beyond the horizon.

Sakura had already gone up and down the tree several times, with Kakashi praising her skill in chakra control. Sasuke and Minato were still battling for dominance, trying to outdo each other. Minato egged his team mate on by launching himself off the tree or slipping up on purpose. So far, the raven haired boy was making considerable progress considering the amount of chakra he had. Finally, the two of them managed to make it halfway up the tree.

Sakura was leaning against the tree, panting doggedly, sweat dripping off her chin and sliding from her hairline down past her temple. The three Gennin decided that it was time to head back and acted on it. They showered and changed into clean clothes before assembling back in the dining room for dinner having had lunch in the form of the bento Kakashi brought with him when he checked up on them. Dinner was a tense affair and a young boy wearing a bucket hat and a grumpy expression had joined them for the meal. Minato had seen the little boy lurking around the house. Behind doors, furniture and the like. He always seemed to be sulking and grumpy, for what reason Minato did not know.

"Oh, Inari! Nice of you to join us." Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, smiled at the new arrival.

"Everyone, this is Inari, my grandson." Tazuna introduced. Minato looked into the boy's eyes, and saw a sadness that should not have been present in someone so young. 'If I had not taken Naruto's place, would he have ended up like this?' Minato looked away, trying to chase this thought from his mind. They ate their dinner in silence, Inari glaring at the team throughout the meal. Minato glanced at the photo in the room, of Inari, his mother and Tazuna. There was also another person in the picture, but their face had been crudely torn out. He wondered if Inari's sullen disposition stemmed from the person in the picture.

After dinner, everyone went to bed, but not Kakashi. He was thinking about his blond student. 'He was never this good before. Could he be hiding anything else? I'll just go ask him then.' The silver-haired man concluded, reaching for his crutches and slowly getting up from the futon. When he was finally upright, he hobbled over to where he knew 'Naruto' to be. When he opened the door, he realised one thing. 'Naruto' was missing. Kakashi left the house, deciding that he must have left to train. When he reached the clearing, he saw 'Naruto' running up and down the trees, trying desperately to reach the top, only to slip or be launched off. Kakashi entered the clearing, determined to get some answers.

Minato had been training with his tanto when he sensed Kakashi leaving the house and heading towards him. He sealed his tanto and proceeded to run up the tree and repeat what he had been doing during the team's training session. Falling off trees. Finally Kakashi arrived at the clearing before hesitating. He stopped on the outskirts and lingered among the trees before hobbling into the light. "What are you doing out of bed Naruto?" Kakashi asked casually, shooting him his signature eye-smile.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to train." Naruto replied, his brows furrowed in concentration before he slipped and plummeted to the ground, landing with a thud. A dust cloud exploded around him, obscuring him from view, but when it dissipated, it revealed 'Naruto' on the ground in an awkward position, struggling to get up, a blush making its way across his cheeks.

"I just wanted to ask you about the battle-" Kakashi began, but was cut off by an "I'm hyper," from Minato.

"That's not what I meant sensei-" Kakashi was interrupted yet again.

"Sensei, I know you're injured and all, but I really hope you're not sleepwalking because I have bad experiences with somnambulistic people." Minato forced his body to shudder.

"What?" Kakashi asked, dumbfounded.

"You called me sensei, sensei," Minato answered, "and I have no recollection whatsoever of having taught you. You're also… how much older than me?"

"Right… Don't worry, I'm fully awake and lucky for you, I don't sleepwalk. Well, go back to your training, but make sure you get some sleep. Don't exhaust yourself too much." Kakashi said as he hobbled away, leaving Minato alone in the clearing. 'That was close.' Minato released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He sensed his sensei re-entering Tazuna's house, and continued training, deciding to return to the house and get a little sleep that night lest his sensei got worried, suspicious, or both.

Kakashi opened the door and entered, his crutches making a thudding noise on the floorboards which reverberated through the silent house. He thought about what he'd accidentally called his blonde student. 'Why did I call him sensei? Is it because he looks and acts so much like sensei? I've got to get my act together. The only reason is that he's sensei's son. That must be it.'He was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he didn't realise that he'd reached the door to his room and had stopped outside. He opened the door and hobbled inside, collapsing on the futon.

'I think he's hiding his true abilities. He must have a reason for not telling me. I really hope he'll trust me enough to tell me on his own terms.' Kakashi concluded. With these last thoughts, he drifted into the sweet, comforting embrace of sleep.

A/N: Well, this chapter is, as I've said, mostly filler. Please don't hate me. I'll try to put the Haku-Naruto encounter and hopefully the battle in the next chapter. Someone please tell me what Haku did to Zabuza when he threw senbon into his neck, because I seriously don't know. I'm sorry, and thank you for supporting my story thus far. Please review, thank you.