It was the first day of training for Team Seven. The three shinobi stood waiting on the bridge for their new sensei, Kakashi. There was little conversation as they waited, but each had their mind racing with what he would look like.
Was he tall? Short? Was he loud like Naruto? Or quiet like Sasuke? Maybe he was handsome, Sakura wondered as she swooned over Sasuke.
Minutes turned into hours. "He probably ditched us," Sasuke huffed.
Finally, they heard a cheerful shout and up strolled two sensei's.
"Well, sorry to keep you all waiting," the silver haired masked stranger piped. "I'm your sensei, Kakashi Hatake. And this- " he motioned to his companion- "is Haito Tenara. He was just accompanying me along the way."
Haito made no notion he heard Kakashi. He was almost twice the size of their sensei, with jet black hair and piercing red eyes. After eyeing they students before him he muttered a farewell and walked off.
They began awkward introductions and spent the rest of the afternoon getting acquainted.
The next morning, they received their first mission: as fabulous as trash picking sounded, only Naruto opened his mouth.
The days following were the same. They would group in the morning for their small missions and head out. At the end of the day, Iruka would treat his favorite pupil to a bowl or three of ramen.
The last mission of the week involved picked herbs on a small hill on the outskirts of the village. The hill, though, was frequently visited by bandits and thieves for the rare herbs.
Team seven headed out and sought their way up the hill. They went to work picking small red tufts of leaves and yellow stems.
With a goofy grin Naruto began to pluck every last stem and tuft, until there was one last bright red leaf near the edge of the hill. His hand shot out for it but instead made contact with another.
Naruto looked up to the form of the strange girl plucking the last red tuft, half her body over the edge of the hill. Her eyes flicked up towards his, hidden behind the red glass of the goggles over her eyes.
With a quiet grunt she snagged the tuft between her teeth and let herself fall from the hill, but not before Naruto saw the conflicted expression that fell across her face. He sat there confused for a moment before shrugging it off and returning to the village with his team.
As per usual Iruka treated him to ramen, where he told the sensei how his mission had gone and the incident with that weird girl.
Iruka listened quietly to the tale, and offered his input between bites. "Well, it certainly seems you've taken an interest in this young girl." He smiled wistfully.
Naruto downed the rest of his bowl trying not to choke, setting it down with a noticeably red face. "Blech, not at all."
He was quiet for a moment, staring at the empty bowl lost in thought. He didn't notice as a new one was placed in front of him.
"Naruto?" The sensei gave him a worried look.
"I still dream about her Iruka," Naruto murmured quietly.
Iruka gave him a mournful look, full of understanding, and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You need some closure Naruto."
His student looked up at him.
"I don't know what happened to Hikari," he continued softly, averting his eyes, "but continuing to go on like this no good for you. It seems to me this new girl has some weird effect on you. Why don't you try to talk to her? Maybe. . . maybe you'll learn something new."
Naruto said nothing. He let his sensei's words sink in. With a soft thanks he got up and left, eyes following his retreat.
Iruka let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
Teuchi, who was quiet all this time, finally spoke up. "This all sounds pretty fishy to me." Iruka eyed him thoughtfully.
"But," he continued, "I suppose it's none of my business what goes on with you shinobi. Whatever secrets you all hold, do you really think it's best to keep them, for what its's worth?"
Iruka shook his head and smiled sadly. "It's not our place to say anything. When they're ready, everything will come out into the open. Until then, it's best left to fall on deaf ears."