Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Team 7's Ascension
Chapter VI - Plant the Seed VI
The rustling and shuffling of paper could be heard in the highest, most guarded room of the Hokage Tower – the Sandaime's office. It was accompanied by a rueful sigh as he shifted a few scrolls to the left and still didn't find the important papers he needed.
Why was it always the crucial paperwork that suddenly remained illusive? It was something he had to check in on soon – his paranoid mind wouldn't let him sleep in peace otherwise.
Sarutobi glanced to the corners of his office. On a day such as this, his ANBU protection detail knew not to disturb him unduly. It was a good feeling to know that Konoha still had such disciplined shinōbi, especially in these trying times.
Clang.
The two Chūnin he had hired as glorified secretaries however knew nothing of such restrain. Without wasting any thoughts about their Kage's misery, they continued to shovel mountains of his worst enemy into his office.
It was mind boggling that he'd even prefer a political discussion with the Tsuchikage over his menial duties in peacetime. Alas, there was no way around it. Sarutobi was about to gently tell the Chūnin that their over-eagerness wasn't nearly as appreciated as they thought...
Clang.
… when the door was opened a second time.
"You wished to speak with me, Sandaime-sama?"
Kakashi had entered the office right behind the two Chūnin and suddenly stood in front of Sarutobi's desk. His stance was aloof and his orange book was safely secured in the breast pocket of his Jōnin-vest.
That alone was a reason for the Hokage to narrow his eyes slightly. A swift glance toward the clock told him even more – the Jōnin was punctual, something that hadn't happened since his last S-ranked mission a few years ago.
It wasn't an imposter, however. Sarutobi had extended his senses the second Kakashi entered the room, and it's been a long time since his senses were easy to fool.
That left only two possible explanations: either his scolding during their last meeting had affected the Jōnin more than Sarutobi anticipated – which wasn't nearly as probable as the wizened Kage would like it to be – or Team 7 had actually managed to somewhat pull the Hatake out of his funk.
That, too, would be unexpected... but with the composition of said team not impossible.
"Indeed," Sarutobi said at last and snapped his fingers, indicating for the hidden ANBU and the two Chūnin to leave.
Silence...
"Can you guess why I called for you?"
Kakashi needed barely a second to think things through – there was only one issue the Hokage needed to discuss at the moment. "If it isn't a high-profile mission, that just leaves my team."
Sarutobi suppressed a smile and cleared his throat – that my had sounded more than just a tad possessive. Then he answered, "Team 7... you're right. Tell me, how are they now?"
The Hatake took a moment to ponder the current strengths and weaknesses of his team. "I concentrated on the basics for the most part..."
"There's no one else in the room, Kakashi. I haven't given you that much time for a few basics. Speak clearly."
"Mah... the foundations I drilled into them should easily make them available for C- and B-ranked missions," Kakashi replied, justly proud of his team – even though they'd never know it. "In the next month I planned to expand their Jutsu repertoire... that should easily make them eligible to take on most Chūnin – with teamwork, even a weak Jōnin."
The scarecrow looked at his leader after he had finished his explanation and sighed. "I take it the last month won't happen exactly as I planned it? Excuse my directness, Sandaime-sama, but the only reason why you'd inquire about them one month early would be if there's some trouble ahead."
"... and you would be right in making such an assumption," said the wizened man, after exhaling a few puffs of smoke that now trailed through the air. "The graduation class of Team 7... is very special, in more than one regard. Naturally, with so many heirs in one class, everyone is interested in the teams that have been formed."
"Political pressure?" Kakashi asked.
Sarutobi smiled grimly as he answered, "Not political per se... but Konoha as a whole has taken an interest in those Genin – more and more, the continuous absence of your Team starts to confuse not only the civilians, but the shinōbi as well."
"Not a good thing, I take it?"
"It wouldn't be so bad if Naruto wasn't on the team. Prejudice is a vicious snake though, and already I've heard of rumors that blame him for the team's absence..."
Kakashi groaned. "The whole matter gets even worse because his teammates are the last Uchiha and Haruno's daughter, of course."
"Exactly. Reputation is a fickle thing, and Naruto's is bad already. There's no need to add to his burdens with something like this."
"What's the verdict then? I don't believe you'll pull Naruto from Team 7, Sandaime-sama."
"Indeed. I won't," Sarutobi answered. "During the next month, Team 7 will simply do what every other Genin squad had to do – D-ranked missions. I will make sure that the ones you get include high visibility in the village. Your overarching goal is to show presence, to make sure that no one believes in those rumors about Naruto."
"They're over-qualified for D-ranks," Kakashi replied sullenly, already uncomfortable with how his team would take it.
"That's irrelevant. You'll do them."
"Hai."
"... and don't be so glum, Kakashi," the Sandaime said with a teasing smile. "You can still teach them in the afternoons and evenings. If you manage over twenty-five D-ranks in the next month, then you get C- and B-ranks afterward."
Kakashi had assembled his team on the eve of the same day, as the sun slowly started its descend and made way for the moon to rise. The Genin stood at attention, stoic expressions plastered over their faces as they faced the large fence of Ground 44.
The large, dark trees rustled ominously in the wind, and all three suppressed the shivers that threatened to surface. The place was a a cruel one – reigned by brutality and filled with misery – and even after all that time spent training in it, they hadn't become used to it.
Rather, every time it looked as if they had become accustomed to the large area, their Jōnin-sensei had reminded them harshly that in the world of shinōbi, might made indeed right. Again and again he showed them why the forest had been aptly titled the Forest of Death.
The Hatake had pounded that point into their skulls rather forcefully.
Kakashi, like any other shinōbi who had served under the veil of ANBU, had a darker side in his soul – and if you wanted to make it through alive, you learned to accept it. It was not known widely, perhaps only to Gai, Inoichi, and the Hokage... but Kakashi's soul was darker than most others.
Brutality, brief glimpses of insanity and sadism, chained and bound by a personal creed and the village's rules.
In rare moments of clarity though, when the darkness receded – if only for a few hours – he was honest enough with himself to recognize why he trained Team 7 as harsh as he did. The loss of his sensei, of Obito, of Rin... it had broken him, worsened his already bad mental state after the suicide of his father even more.
He let his gaze wander over his charges and to them unknown emotions flickered through his eye.
These moments of clarity... he experienced them more often now; and, with this insight, his fondness of his Genin grew.
Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke... if they died too, Kakashi acknowledged, perhaps he would follow in his father's footsteps then.
Although Konoha always preached about teamwork, there were some who believed Kakashi's creed to never abandon your comrades nothing but an empty phrase he used to honor the dead. They couldn't be more wrong.
He had a team again. His clarity of mind slowly returned... and he swore himself that he'd never let anyone of them die as long as he was still alive and kicking.
Kakashi had steeled them. He had molded and formed them... not into elite warriors, that would come later, but into survivors.
And he would continue to do so to the best of his abilities, because in his mind – twisted after years of bloodshed and danger – he knew that he too would die if he lost any of them, not by his Kage's hand, but by his own.
His thinking went against the shinōbi code, but he didn't give a rat's ass. Team 7 wouldn't die. They would become a group so strong, so cohesive... his thoughts momentarily floundered, then he picked up the trail and continued with his contemplation.
Kakashi never noticed that this time, his Genin could identify the emotion in his eye. It surprised them, because the thousand-yard stare lost its coldness and had suddenly gained a bit more warmth.
They would become family – scarred as they were – at least to each other, Kakashi decided.
… and perhaps, there was also place for a fourth person in such a family; place for him, a man who needed healing desperately.
It was Naruto who started fidgeting first, after another fifteen minutes went by and nothing was said. Old habits died hard, even though the blond had curbed them to an incredible degree already.
"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, what's our plan for the next month?" Naruto asked.
The Hatake had nearly forgotten that he was still in the presence of his Genin, but quickly concealed his surprise at being addressed. "Well... originally I planned for each of you to learn a new Jutsu, further your basics even more, and spar with you until you puke from exhaustion," he replied cheerfully.
"Originally?" Sasuke inquired. A new technique sounded good to him, but his sensei seemed to have some reservations.
"Hai, originally," Kakashi repeated. "The Hokage has another plan though."
"You've met Hokage-jiji? What did he want?"
"... Team 7 is forced to complete one D-rank mission a day for the next month. I drilled the village rules into you, so you know what that means."
Neither the lone girl, nor the two boys on the team were happy with that order. In plain terms it meant that the Hokage had ordered them to shovel shit, carry groceries and build fences during the next thirty days.
Had the order come directly after they left the academy, they probably wouldn't have fussed so much... but now they had five months of soul-crushing and murderous training behind them – all that, it seemed, for missions which weren't important in the least.
D-ranks... menial tasks at best.
Naruto looked at the Jōnin and frowned. The only thing he could discern from his sensei's face was that he looked just as glum and equally disturbed by the notion.
"But why?" Sakura asked, quickly quieting down though after noticing how impertinent that sounded. "I mean, weren't we given the six month period to become strong enough for C-ranks?"
Kakashi saw that Sasuke nodded at the question of his female teammate, and the Jōnin sighed before explaining, "It's not really the shinōbi way to question the orders from our Kage... but I guess you've got the right to know why the sudden change of plans."
He then looked at Naruto. "It also concerns a secret that still stands between this team," Kakashi said, surprisingly gentle. "These missions are for us to show presence in the village. Our prolonged absence has been noticed by a lot of people and there are certain rumors spreading, especially as this is a team with such prodigious heirs."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the sound of that. His gaze wandered over to his male teammate. He had always been somewhat observant... it definitely hadn't escaped him that while not outright shunned, Naruto was largely ignored by Konoha.
… and that not with the usual type of ignoring someone, but with a cold, dismissive kind. Something, a few pranks, no matter how grand, could have caused.
"Rumors?" he asked. "What kind of rumors?"
"Certain elements of Konoha think that Naruto is a bad influence on the team and probably has done unspeakable things to you... just rumors, of course, but damaging nonetheless."
Sakura looked stunned after receiving that information and walked over to Naruto who's eyes were directed to the ground. He looked incredibly dejected by the news. She had never thought she'd do something like this for the blond – at least when she was still in the academy – but very gently, she took his hand in hers and made him look up.
"What is this secret Naruto? Why do the people in Konoha think so badly about you?"
"Hn... don't be scared dobe," Sasuke added his two cent from behind Sakura. The word dobe spoken more teasingly than anything else. "We've known you for years, even more since the academy... whatever it is, it won't send us running."
Naruto looked up in surprise at his teammates' proclamations, but then gulped when the thought about how he'd tell them.
"... during the night of my birthday, something happened in Konoha. Something big..."
"Your birth-" then Sakura stopped her sentence abruptly and became silent.
Her grip strengthened around his hand though. She was the foremost expert on their team when it came to academics and had spent years of her life behind musty old tomes... she had read the term jinchuriki more than once in her research about the Elemental Nation's histories and knew what it meant. In combination with Naruto's birthday... it made sense.
A frightening amount of sense, to be honest.
How could they've been so naive to believe that a single person, no matter if it was the Yondaime or not, had been able to kill the Kyuubi. How could she, a person who prided herself on her intellect, not have noticed the connections before?
Pity welled up in her, but she squashed the feeling. Pity wouldn't help Naruto. Compassion instead... compassion and understanding... in one move, she threw her arms around the blond and gave him a hug that crushed the living daylight out of him.
Sasuke took a bit longer to comprehend the whole thing. First – and somehow he felt like a dick for it – he had to remember when the blonde's birthday was. After that, and only after that, did he connect the date with some obscure references about jinchuriki he had read in the Uchiha archives.
His expression froze momentarily as he ran scenarios through his head.
As he spoke, his voice was completely neutral. "Is it a good seal? Will it hold the Kyuubi at bay?"
Kakashi was the one who decided to answer that question. "It is, and it will. The Yondaime wasn't just Konoha's premier seal master, but arguably the best seal inventor in the whole Elemental Nations. There have been many jinchurikis in the past, but none of them could boast with a seal even a quarter as good as the one Naruto has on his stomach."
"That's all I needed to know," Sasuke said, and his expression eased considerably.
He was surprised to find that Sakura had glared at him after he had asked the question. Sasuke shrugged and replied to her nonverbal reprimand, "Naruto's no demon, we know that already. I was just concerned whether or not the Kyuubi could influence him in the future."
"He can't," confirmed Kakashi. "Naruto gets more chakra and healing abilities, but the seal is airtight when it comes to shielding him from the biju's influence."
"Well, then that's cleared. Naruto is Naruto." Sasuke finished his statement and crossed his arms in a relaxed manner.
"... and the villagers think..." Sakura began hesitantly.
"They think he's bewitching you, or torturing you, or whatever they can come up with. The rumors aren't wide-spread yet, luckily, but that's the reason why we're going on very public D-ranks from tomorrow morning onward."
Kakashi gave each of them a rare, true smile. "Show them that you've got no problems with Naruto. That you're normal and most of all that you trust him – rumors without fertilizer..."
"... are just mad ravings after all," Sasuke finished the sentence. Then he noticed that his teammates, and even Kakashi was staring at him.
"What?" He asked defensively. "... my father used to say that."
"Ah, that explains it," commented Kakashi. "It was one of Minato-sensei's favorite sayings. Makes sense that your father picked it up when he was on the same team."
Naruto, who had been silent so far – being quite a bit shocked by the easy acceptance – smiled. "Thank you, guys," he said, smiling gratefully.
Telling his team about his secret, his burden... it had been the stuff of his nightmares. His imagination had come up with so many ways on how they would reject him, that the possibility of their acceptance had never even crossed his mind.
His mind... well, it was figuratively blown at the moment.
Then he remembered their current location and looked at his Jōnin-sensei. He was suspicious, even though Kakashi had really helped him out with his explanation of the seal.
"Why are we in front of Ground 44 though? I thought we have to do the D-ranks till the end of the month."
"Oh, that?" Kakashi asked and grinned. "I just figured you'd like to see it a last time. I mean, it was your home for a while now and you'll probably not see it again for quite some time."
The mean intentions of their sensei went right over their head. All they had heard from his short explanation was 'a last time'.
"Really, you mean it?" They asked, excitedly.
"Of course I mean it. Have I ever lied to you?"
The blank stares he received in response were just as gratifying as he thought they would be. Hey, he was speaking the truth after all. He never outright lied... he had only misled them a few times.
"So... D-ranks... when will we meet for them?" Sakura asked after the stare-down.
"Eight in the morning. In front of the Hokage Tower," Kakashi replied easily.
One...
Two...
Three...
With glee he mentally counted down and saw the barely hidden relief in his Genin's eyes. His easy grin changed into a malicious smile. "You still won't be going home for the month," he added at an opportune moment when he thought their happiness to be at a peak.
"... I knew it," Naruto grumbled.
"Hn."
"Ah, don't be disappointed! There's more... we're still going to train. Isn't that wonderful? D-ranks in the morning and my special course Hatake-style in the afternoon, evening and night."
"Now remember," Kakashi continued. "You don't have to hold your excitement in. Celebrate as much as you want, I won't be angry."
The Genin of Team 7 looked at each other and shook their heads. Kakashi-sensei had way too much fun with this, but sadly, running away wasn't an option. The Jōnin had shown them quite clearly that he could always find them, no matter how far they'd run.
Suddenly three Kakashi's popped up behind them and in perfectly timed swirls of leaves, took them away from the Forest of Death and toward another place.
"Welcome to Ground 12. Your knew home," Kakashi said as soon as they arrived.
Team 7 looked around frantically, expecting to be attacked by gigantic snakes, bears and tigers at any moment, but when nothing happened they relaxed a bit and took stock of their surroundings. There were no deadly animals visible... but this sparsely vegetated wasteland they had landed in wasn't that much better.
It stretched for a few miles in every direction, but wasn't nearly as large as Ground 44. Approximately a mile away from them to the north, they saw a long range of wooden obstacles. It looked like a rather simplistic trainings gauntlet, but they had long learned that appearances could be deceiving.
… especially when it came to their sensei.
"Well, that's it for today. We'll meet tomorrow, and immediately after that you are to return to this ground... as I said, this is your new home."
When their teacher had finally left, they let themselves fall to the ground and their shoulders sacked in relief. They had – in all honesty – expected to run the gauntlet during the night. It seemed as if somewhere beneath that Jōnin-vest, their sensei had a heart buried – unfathomable as it sounded.
"Guys," Sasuke suddenly exclaimed sharply, making his teammates look up in worry. He had the Sharingan activated and scanned the horizon intensely. "There's no water here... absolutely none."
"Nothing at all?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing. Not even a puddle."
Immediately, they realized the deceptive nature of their new home. Food and water would become a problem in the coming days, for sure.
"These D-ranks really are chores," Naruto said tiredly, sitting around a small camp fire they had made with some dry bristles.
It was a few days after Kakashi had sent them into Ground 12, and the search for wood alone took most of the night. Sakura, who had taken on that job was glad for every bit of vegetation she found in the barren surroundings.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted and bit into his meal... a third of a snake, stuck on a wooden stick and roasted over the open fire. He was the one who had become responsible for getting them food, however disgusting it may be.
After the first fruitless day when they had all gone to sleep hungry, he had sworn to never again take his Sharingan for granted. It was an invaluable tool when it came to finding small animals... even if it were snakes.
As long as it was edible at all... anything went.
Another problem was that they had virtually just the night to hunt, gather, and otherwise survive. During the day, after they finished their missions, Kakashi ran them through the gauntlet that was as horrible and deadly as they had expected it.
Additionally, he watched them like a hawk whenever they were in the village, making sure that none of them dared to buy food or water. Not even the fact that he had promised to teach them a new technique each in the coming days was cheering them up. There simply was nothing cheerful to be found in such a location.
"Naruto/Dobe?" his teammates called him after finishing their part of the snake, and Naruto slowly stood up.
"Hai, just a moment..."
He took the several inch long, hollowed-out bark of a tree and carefully put it in front of him. Then, after carefully gauging the amount of chakra, he used his Semai Mizushuuha to fill it with water.
It was a miracle that never ceased to amaze his teammates... how he simply poured tons of chakra into his technique – especially in a dry place like this – and practically made water out of nothing. According to Naruto's own experiences with the technique, he admitted that it cost him less and less chakra with each try, and that the Jutsu slowly started to become easier for him.
After the bark was filled, the Genin of Team 7 greedily drank from it, asking Naruto to refill a few more times during the evening.
That they actually had been able to get the piece of bark was a miracle in its own way. It showed them that even Kakashi was human... because he was so focused on making sure that no one bought food, that he hadn't noticed how Naruto used a kunai when they were in the village to chip the bark out of the tree.
They thanked Kami-sama for small favors.
Another short moment of triumph, had been heartwarming, at least for the blond maverick. In one particular boring mission when they had to clean up Konoha's general library, Sakura had managed to pilfer some basic scrolls about Fuinjutsu.
She later gave them to Naruto with the reason that he should take an active interest in the art that actually kept his burden at bay. The scrolls contained just beginner instructions, not even enough to make his own Kibakufuda, or Storage seals, but it was the gesture that counted.
They knew that they'd probably never find anything truly dangerous written on scrolls in a public library. Fuinjutsu was an art that had to be discovered either on its own, or through the guiding hands of a mentor. Not through scrolls.
Still, after the trouble Sakura went through just for him, Naruto had attacked the scrolls with an academic vigor so foreign to him that even the stoic Uchiha had let out a chuckle. It also helped that the times when Sakura and Sasuke berated him for his lack of knowledge were long past, and that they now helped him to understand certain phrases that made no sense to him.
Rather than laughing, they started to slowly fill the gaps in his punctured education. Something he'd be eternally grateful for.
Naturally, they weren't sure whether their small victories were truly victories, or if Kakashi knew and simply didn't bother.
Who really knew what went on in that man's mind...
It was Sakura who broke the companionable silence after they had drunken the water.
"We have to do something about our hygiene..." she suddenly declared.
Sasuke and Naruto looked at her funnily at first, but then understood.
Once again they hadn't showered for days – they weren't allowed home, after all – and today had been the first mission where a client actually wrinkled his nose in their presence, simply because they reeked.
"I know, but how? We'll have to endure it somehow," Sasuke answered.
"Yeah. Bastard's right. We've done it before, after all."
Sakura sighed, but then shook her head and spoke again, "You don't understand... it's not because we're not able to. It's because we have to. The whole point of these missions is to repel those rumors about Naruto. If we continue to stink even worse each day, the rumors will simply go into another direction."
It was an angle neither of the boys had considered. They looked down on the ground and frowned, both searching for possible ways to overcome to problem.
"... we don't have to smell like roses," Sasuke concluded in the end, then sighed. "We just have to get a large amount of water somehow."
Naruto then had an idea and looked up, clearly uncomfortable.. "I think I've got a way, but we have to compromise and it might be a bit... well..."
"Let's hear it. Anything's better than nothing."
"Okay, here it goes..." Naruto replied. "If I gauged my reserves correctly after all the time I used my Jutsu, well... theoretically I have enough chakra to overpower it to such a degree that I can give a shower for one or two minutes. I know it's not much and once a day is my limit if we still want to drink..."
"That's... that could actually work," Sasuke said. "You're right. We'd have to compromise and take turns... a shower every three days should be enough not to make the clients too uncomfortable."
Sasuke looked up after noticing the silence of his teammates and saw the red hues around their noses. Then it clicked for him, too.
"Right... a shower while wearing clothes is useless," he mumbled, suddenly sporting a small blush of his own.
"I..." Sakura floundered a bit, then visibly steeled herself. "I'll do it. We've got to get rid of those rumors."
"Sakura..."
She saw the astonished faces of her boys, but nonetheless continued, "After what I've read it stands to reason that we'd eventually see each other naked anyway... things like that don't stand between a team, right?"
After her resolute finish, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't really say anything else and simply nodded.
"Well... then... who goes for the first day?" Naruto asked, directing the question purposefully at his teammates.
It would made the most sense for him to be the first one – the rumors were about him, after all – but he could already foresee some complications when it came to showering himself with his Jutsu. Something his teammates obviously hadn't thought about just yet.
Naruto looked to Sakura and quickly continued, "No offense, Sakura... but I think Sasuke should go first. He's the last Uchiha and the most prominent member in our team. You could shower tomorrow then."
Sakura, who was still quite overwhelmed with the whole situation, even though she had managed to retain a somewhat cool head, nodded dumbly. The Uchiha simply shrugged his shoulders and grunted.
He rose from his seated position, and before even a tiny bit of doubt could creep into his mind, pealed himself out of his clothes – all of his clothes. Sakura simply looked on, shell-shocked. She hadn't anticipated such a quick realization of their plan.
Naruto likewise stood and was already forming the seals. "Two minutes, Bastard. Make the most of it... Suitōn: Semai Mizushuuha!
The stream that shot out of the blond's mouth was so much stronger and bigger than the small attempts he had used before to give them something to drink. It hit Sasuke straight in the chest, and the boy did his best to scrub himself clean with his hands as fast as he could.
Two minutes weren't much to shower, but they'd make due with it – they were Team 7, after all.
The curious thought that he could claim himself as a member of Team 7 – and that with pride – flittered through his mind. His smile was miniscule, but it was there... despite their current situation.
Sakura who had read so many trashy romance novels in her short life that she lost count, continued to stare unashamedly at the last Uchiha. Perhaps she was a pervert? Who knew...
Then her senses actually picked up the gargantuan amounts of chakra Naruto pumped into his Jutsu and her gaze involuntarily switched over to him. She recoiled in shock – blue wisps of visible energy were wafting around the blond, who had a look of utmost concentration plastered across his face.
After a minute and a half, Sasuke quickly looked to Naruto and shouted over the noise of the stream, "Dobe! The last thirty seconds on my clothes!"
Naruto who noticed his reserves rapidly approaching their end, quickly acquiesced to the request and watered Sasuke's clothes, until they were completely drenched. Then, after the end of the second minute the stream ended abruptly and Naruto collapsed on the ground, landing painfully on his knees.
Sakura was instantly by his side. "' you alright, Naruto?"
He grinned tiredly up to her concerned face. "I'm fine, no worries. Just utterly spent..."
"Can you give us an estimate how much chakra that actually cost you – compared to Kawarimi, for example," Sasuke said.
Sakura and Naruto looked over, and while the former blushed, the latter nearly chocked and instantly concentrated on the last Uchiha's face. Sasuke had used some of the larger sticks and a bit of wire to hang his wet clothes next to the fire, and sat in front of them completely naked.
Sasuke let none of his discomfort show on his face, and for the first time Naruto was actually jealous not to be an Uchiha, or better said, not to have the seemingly inborn stoicism of one.
"Can't say for certain," Naruto explained tiredly, looking anywhere but at his teammate. "I guess about a hundred Kawarimi? Maybe more... I'm not sure."
After such an eventful night, it took the trio quite some time until they managed to get some sleep. Something that was repaid brutally by Kakashi's insane training during the next day.
Two days later, a similar situation arose during the night. The day before, Naruto had showered Sakura and her clothes, even managing to hold out for a few precious seconds longer and it burned itself in their minds just as it had happened during Sasuke's shower.
The boys had tried to be gentlemen, but in the end lost the fight against the natural order of life and started to look. Perhaps they could have hold out, but Sakura – with a bright, red face – had said that it was okay. After all she had done the same... and she was tired of the fact that they didn't look at her when they talked afterward.
A real problem though, came once it was Naruto's night to shower. Just as he had foreseen, neither of his teammates had thought about the logistics of it.
For him to overpower the Jutsu, he had to concentrate extremely hard and he had to hold the hand seal while he spat out the water... something that wasn't really productive if he simultaneously wanted to scrub himself clean of all the dirt.
That night, was probably the most memorable one in his life till date. As per agreement, they compromised... just was it a tad more personal and close up than for the other two.
Sasuke had vehemently protested – and was loudly supported by Naruto in his decision – not to get involved in scrubbing the blond. Sakura however, had more compassion and the fact that Naruto was helping them so much, and wasn't bad looking either didn't hurt.
In one of the most awkward moments of his existence, Sakura had scrubbed him from head to toe while he spit the water into the air, letting it rain down on them. His concentration had wavered something fierce during the two minutes – especially because Sakura's soft fingers touched his bare skin.
It was a simple fact that he was a teenager – they all were... and as puberty and circumstance demanded from him, he got a boner. It wasn't the first one, definitely, but hell if it wasn't the most mortifying one as it had poked into Sakura's thigh on accident.
They soldiered through in the end, and – after all – something good came out of the whole matter: never before had they seen Sasuke so thoroughly amused. The carefree laugh of his had been a completely new experience for the other two members of Team 7.
AN: And that's it. Ha, you won't believe how much fun I had to write this chapter. Puberty is such an awkward time, it's unreasonably funny to write about it... then again, maybe I'm just touched in the head.
Used Jutsu:
Suitōn: Semai Mizushuuha – A small stream of water (D-ranked)
Trivia about Konoha & the Council:
The structure of command in Konoha goes as follows: The supreme leader and dictator of the village is the Hokage. His word is the law, and should it get broken heads start to roll. As his advisers he has his old teammates, who are each the 'chairman' of a (one) council (I use the term lightly, as it isn't a legalized institution, but more of a forum that has formed itself over the course of Konoha's existence).
The advisers are his link to the population of his village.
Mitokado Homura is the 'chairman' of the shinōbi council – a bunch of representatives of the major clans who discuss issues concerning their clans, and nothing else. 'Legally' they have no power, but as it consists of the clans that provide a large part of Konoha's forces, there would be a certain danger involved if one simple was to dismiss them as inconsequential.
For the most part, Homura manages the meetings and should a truly troubling issue arise, he consults and informs the Hokage. Otherwise – and that's were Sarutobi's endless paperwork comes in – he simply writes up reports about the issues and gets them shipped to the Sandaime.
Utatane Koharu is the 'chairwoman' of the civilian council – like their counterpart, a bunch of representatives of the major civilian clans, and those people with a certain influence and clout (mostly through money). Sakura's father, as the representative of the Haruno clan has gotten himself a seat in this council in the last years, because his business took off and the financial might of the Haruno's isn't to be underestimated. That council, too, has no real legal power, but serves as a forum for the civilian's problems.
The same as for Homura goes for Koharu. If something truly pressing comes up she contacts the Hokage; otherwise she simply writes up reports.
No matter what happens: the Hokage is and always will be the highest power in the village. Nothing those councils decide is legal in any way until the Hokage says it is – again, paperwork. But, they are invaluable as they help him to keep his ear on the ground.
So, to summarize, in my fiction I hope not to fall into the old cliché of the all powerful council that can outvote their Kage. Also, while Homura and Koharu aren't the friendliest people in the world, they aren't political enemies of Hiruzen either. They do their job, and they do it well. Otherwise they would have been given the boot long ago.