A dialogue-heavy chapter to slow things down after the hectic action of the previous chapters. Also, a variant of fanservice.

There's also a respectable amount of Kakashi in there, too; blame the Kaleidophoneix. :P

JigokuShoujosRevenge: Places. The story's going places. As for Kimimaro... Well...

InsaneisBestSane: I actually didn't predict that possibility. Had you gone through with it, I'd feel terribly silly.

Guest: Thanks! I wish more people just gave it a shot, despite the non-traditional format of the story.

Narutofreak99: Thank you! Keeping the characters in character and making them flow naturally is something I work hard on!

Rude: I miss it too, but alas, there's a whole world out there, and I'm all Zabuza'd-out. :D Thanks for dropping the review, and I hope you'll keep finding the ride enjoyable!

El Don Juan: I appreciate the praise! Seeing as this is the kind of story where major characters will die, I'm glad to know that I've been building up to it properly so far :)

Outcast001: Notice me senpaaaaaai!

"Hatake, if I knew that the only thing necessary to kick you into gear was a few stern words, I would've called you out months ago," Tsunade mused, finishing her draft of a temporary law she was about to pass over to the registry.

"Oh I wouldn't want you to have to worry about us, Lady Hokage," the copy nin answered with an eye-smile, "just being a good shinobi here, nothing more than that."

She raised an eyebrow at him, standing up from her desk, "Within 12 hours of chastising you, your team comes to me with a request for an independent operation, manages to scrounge up a promising task force from available genin, and not only thoroughly trashes Orochimaru's spy squad, but also manages to bring one back alive, in addition to an exceedingly rare DNA sample – that's not being a good shinobi, that's being an outstanding one."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow of his own at that; they collected a sample from the Kaguya? That was a respectable move – even if nothing comes of it in the short term, decoding the genetic sequences of shinobi bloodlines is a goal all hidden villages aspire to.

From his adequately vast experience, Kakashi knew it was only a matter of time until someone like Orochimaru managed to crack the code; though their own Hokage could make headway, had she the time for such academic pursuits.

"Follow me, will you? I think you'll appreciate the minor changes I'm about to implement."

Giving a nod, the silver-haired jonin fell in line behind his village leader. They meandered through the few hallways of the Hokage's tower, arriving into a small, circular chamber with a handful of seats arranged around a central table.

As he stepped in, Kakashi took notice of the present faces. Some people he expected were absent, such as Chouza Akimichi and Hyuga Hiashi, were present, despite having pressing matters to attend to in regards of rebuilding the village. The Yamanaka and the Nara were represented by their respective clan heads, Inoichi still wearing his T&I sweats, looking as if he just only arrived moments before the Hokage and Kakashi himself.

Also present was Shimura Danzo, the man who held the voting rights of the Uchiha Clan. Why that was so was anyone's guess, but seeing as the Third Hokage himself approved of the warhawk's assuming of the responsibility, no one was particularly interested in making a problem out of it.

Danzo might not have been the most popular of the influential village elders, but he was still well respected for his years of service to the village, especially as the voice of cold reason in the decades when the Hokage was a Saturobi – the difficult calls made in the third's regime was almost all sponsored by the eyeless elder.

The old wooden chair groaned as the lady fifth all but crashed into it, shoving the drafted document to the nearest person next to her, who was, in this case, Shikaku Nara. The man's tired, but ever-alert eyes scanned the document for a few good seconds before a small smirk appeared on his face, the document being pushed over to the next member of the Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Lady Hokage. I cannot, with respect to tradition, endorse something like this."

"And were it not for said tradition?" the blonde inquired, leaning forward and interlocking her fingers.

"It might work," he replied, not terribly convincingly.

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud, Shikaku, this looks promising!" Inoichi added, handing the document over to Choza, "it's just for a little while, anyways; it's basically a field study."

"One that uses the genin, Inoichi, our sons and daughters."

"Your very own son just spearheaded an operation that seized the very same prisoner I was prepping to interrogate before we were summoned here! They are more than ready for the responsibility of testing this method of field operation."

There was a low whistle from the colossus of a man that was Choza Akimichi, and the document was slid over across the surface of the table towards the next council member in line – Hiashi Hyuga.

"It's…new?" the final member of the Ino-Shika-Cho offered, watching with unhidden amusement as his two oldest, closest friends began bickering again, much like they always did when in the same room for longer than three minutes.

It was a dynamic so very typical to their family trios; the Nara, logical and efficient, would say or do something that doesn't sit well with the empathetic and emotional Yamanaka, forcing the Akimichi member of the squad to step in and play peacemaker.

They couldn't really get into serious fights; a Nara was never that cold, and a Yamanaka was always far more capable of translating emotions to reason than anyone would ever give him credit for.

But ultimately Choza had to admit that the only thing that couldn't be denied about the Hokage's proposal was that it was exceedingly bold.

"Preposterous!" came the Hyuga patriarch's conclusion, "shame to whoever put you up to this, Lady Hokage!"

"Now, now… It's bad form to speak ill of the dead," Kakashi cut in, fairly smug about the fact that he can lay it on the uptight Hyuga, having realized the truth of the situation quicker than the other shinobi present, "Especially when the person in question is the honored Third Hokage."

As expected, the entirety of the table shot Hiashi a set of dirty looks, varying from disapproval (in Tsunade's case) to outright hostility (in Danzo's case). The Hyuga clan head, ever-dignified, merely straightened himself, muttering a brief apology to no one in particular.

Kakashi, completely ignored by the council, simply leaned back against his wall. The copy-nin harbored a secret dislike for the Hyuga ever since he was seven years old, when the constant pressure exerted on his father drove the once unflinching man into the depths of despair, and ultimately, even suicide.

Hiashi himself wasn't old enough to partake in his family's political and social manipulations, but he was still the figurehead of a regime that prioritizes the same corrupt and misguided values that the Hyugas of the White Fang's time ran, and that alone was reason enough to use every given opportunity to put the stuck-up clan in its' place.

Sighing, Tsunade cleared her throat before addressing the entirety of the table:

"Right now, I don't have the time to bother with a lack of tact at the council table. All I'm looking for are the votes of the council-bound clans of the Leaf village."

She waited for Danzo and the remaining clan heads to look over the document, taking it back once it made full-circle around the table, "So the voting will begin right away."

"What is the opinion of the Nara, Shikaku?"

"I cannot approve of something that so directly goes against a tradition nurtured for generations, Lady Hokage. I am against this."

"And of the Yamanaka, Inoichi?"

"As I've said so before, Shikaku's being a stiff for no reason. The document clearly says it's experimental. Representing the Yamanaka, I support this."

Tsunade barely had to turn to the Akimichi to hear his reply.

"I'm with Inoichi on this one, if both you and the late Lord Third consider this worthwhile, then I will do so as well. I will support this."

Giving a nod, the Hokage made a point to skip over the still withdrawn Hyuga, turning to an elderly man seated between Hiashi and Danzo.

"What is the opinion of the Inuzuka clan, Gaku?"

Gaku Inuzuka, a man in his early sixties, gave a deep nod, cracking a smirk and speaking in a deep, tired voice, "Everything about this proposal is true to the ideals of my clan, I'd be a fool not to support it, Lady Hokage."

"Hiashi, am I to assume that you're against it?" Tsunade pressed on, smirking now that the numbers were obviously on her side.

"Yes."

"Shibi, please speak your mind," she continued, unperturbed.

"I will abstain from this vote," replied the pride of the Aburame.

"As is your right…" she trailed off, locking eyes with the sole remaining council member, "which leaves only the Uchiha vote. Danzo, what is your opinion?"

"May I inquire as to where you came across this idea of Hiruzen's, Lady Hokage?" the warhawk was ready with a question of his own, peering tirelessly at the other council members, most of whom were basically staring at him, expecting a swift answer.

"His office safe," the woman replied, successful at keeping the annoyance from seeping into her voice.

"Yes…" the old man drawled, giving something akin to a smile, "he would write his outlandish ideas somewhere, after all…"

"Alright, but what's the stance of the Uchiha clan, for whom you were chosen to speak until such a time that its' heir is of age?"

"I too will abstain from this vote."

There was a moment of notable silence, as everyone present tallied up the votes, coming to the conclusion that the suggestion laid out by the documents would be accepted by the council – with the Sarutobi clan's vote-bearer absent on some kind of secret mission, the Sarutobi will abstain from voting, as is village law, retaining the ability to bring the issue to a vote once again at a time when the vote-bearer is present.

Though, everyone that knew Asuma knew that clan politics were about as low on his list of priorities as that list would go.

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade nodded, standing up:

"It's settled. The latest generation of genin, in addition to one team from the previous generation, will be rearranged into four-man squads for a period of six months. Their progress and efficiency will be tracked and monitored; should they prove to be more effective, the matter of including a steady roster of four-man squads will be brought to this council."

Those seated at the table all gave a collective nod, though some were less enthusiastic about it than others.

"Alright, then. This council is dismissed, you may return to your duties. Hiashi, you stay."

Kakashi made his way down the street with a swagger, feeling satisfied in more ways than one – his team launched an impossibly stupid independent mission and their performance was stellar, and he also managed to take a potshot at a Hyuga. Seriously, there was hardly a thing that could ruin his mood…

"Hatake! There you are!"

…Or maybe not.

"Anko. Long time no see."

"Yeah, I missed you too," she winked, smiling at the copy-nin, "is it true?"

Kakashi, having never once broken his stride, sighed, realizing that he would have to pay the woman her due, "Is what true? There's a great many things I know, so I'm having trouble guessing what you're referring to."

"Yeah, yeah. Kakashi the wise, heard all about it. I'm talking about splitting up Kurenai's team, dumping her kids on you other jonin."

"Well, you're almost a jonin yourself, Anko. In fact, I remember suggesting you try and get your own team years ago – it's a lot of fun, you know."

"Pass," the woman yawned, plucking an apple from a fruit vendor's stand, chucking a handful of coins at him once he protested, "too much trouble."

"Ah well, that's a shame. I feel that you'd be an excellent role model," Kakashi shrugged, noticing that the hospital was now within sight range.

"Pfft, as if," she rolled her eyes, offering the now half-eaten apple to the Cyclops, "want a bite?"

Yeah, just strut around the village without a care in the world when you know that the snake mistress is on the prowl – Kakashi Hatake, for a man who's been through the things you've been, you genuinely are an idiot at times.

"I'm allergic to apples," he deadpanned.

"What, afraid of cooties? You go around the village with that smut of Jiraiya's, and still you shudder at the mere thought…" she paused, tracing a line across her chest to emphasize, "…of a woman."

Unpeturbed, Kakashi spoke: "I didn't know that you were on a first name basis with master Jiraiya."

The cocky grin of the snake mistress faded right quick after that, playful amusement giving way to a guarded look of annoyance, "Old habits."

They walked, in silence, for a while longer, right up until they were standing in front of the hospital. It was unusual, but Kakashi genuinely felt bad for (as unintentional as it was) provoking the young woman. He made a mental note to be friendlier towards her the next time she inevitably catches up to him.

"All right, I guess I'll be taking my leave here. There's a shinobi Team waiting for me to whip them into shape," he spoke, giving a friendly wave as he made his way towards the white building's double doors.

"Yeah… sure thing… talk to you soon," Anko saw him off, still dazed and stunned by the ease with which he threw her off her game; Kakashi was good…

As she watched him disappear into the building, a thought came to mind…

"Hey… You didn't answer my question, Hatake!"

oOoOoOo

Honestly speaking, Sasuke was disappointed. He'd expected that his 'beloved' teacher would at least bother to destroy another door before stealing him from the hospital, literally hours after the resident medic told him he'd be confined to bed rest for at least a week.

"Kakashi," he greeted.

"Arm-Breaker," Kakashi replied, not missing a beat.

"You too? Seriously?" the boy questioned in disbelief, unable to decide if he should be frustrated or amused.

"It's a good name. Beats 'copycat ninja'," said copycat ninja deadpanned, walking over to the room's large panoramic window.

Huffing, Sasuke got up from his bed, hardly sparing a glance at the bandages his freshly-healed hand was currently wrapped in. Taking position next to the copy-nin, he joined his teacher in silently observing the village, realizing that there is a strange tranquility to be found in the act.

It was late in the afternoon, the very same day of the clash in the shadow of the Rashomon.

He was ushered to the hospital, along with Choji and a thankfully living Kiba and Akamaru, while Naruto, Shikamaru, and the Suna siblings made a beeline to the Hokage tower to make their reports.

As far as Sakura, Neji and Lee were concerned, however, Sasuke was in the dark. He assumed they were alright, but so far there was no sign of them. Still, they're capable… mostly capable shinobi… they should be alright.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, taking notice of how the Uchiha district seemed even more empty when observed from above.

"The plan?" Kakashi parroted the question, still staring at whatever he was staring at, "Shouldn't you take the day off, celebrate your victory?"

"No," Sasuke deadpanned, mimicking his teacher's lack of reaction.

"…"

The silence stretched out, but neither of the two were willing to break it. Having given his answer, Sasuke would wait for his assigned mentor to react in some way, hoping that he won't just forget the whole 'team meeting' thing and the promise he made there.

"Maa.. I just had to go and give you my word, didn't I… Alright, let's go get the other two."

"Already here, Kakashi-sensei!" came a cheer from behind the two, but surprisingly enough, neither of the Sharingan bearers gave any sign of reacting.

"Naruto," They both greeted.

"Seriously?" the blonde pouted, crossing his arms, "I'm all kinds of awesome back there, and you just... don't say anything?"

"You were helpful, Naruto," Sasuke immediately replied, shrugging.

"Eh?" the blonde stared, slightly slack-jawed.

"Why Sasuke, did I just hear you acknowledge something Naruto did?" Kakashi cut in, amused.

"He blew 211 clones trying to keep the Kaguya away from the rest of the team. Not having to dodge a murderous bloodline user was convenient."

"That's a lot of clones," the copy-nin observed.

"Hell yeah it is. And I'd go through twice as much if I had to; I told you I'd help you out, Sasuke. Even if you don't think you need it."

"I genuinely don't, Naruto."

"While it's magnificent to finally see you trying to get along, we're kind of on the clock here, boys. Let's go find our Sakura," Kakashi interrupted once more, ushering the boys out the door.

"…"

oOoOoOo

In the end, Sakura's thorough exhaustion due to her solitary transport of a valuable prisoner prevented Team 7 from practicing that same day. According to her parents, she showed up at the door in the company of Izumo Kamizuki, apologized for sneaking out, then promptly collapsed on the living room couch, forcing her father to carry her up the stairs.

With no other choice, the copy-nin had to turn to using his sublime skills, deciding to placate the boys by buying food – copious amounts of it.

Since any food trumps hospital food, even the ever-grumpy Sasuke decided to put his desire to train on hold for the evening, retiring to his clan's estates before the sun even began to set. It would be a remarkably easy night for the boy, as he would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Naruto, however, wasn't so lucky – Kakashi made good on his promise, and had him visit Iruka and get all his old textbooks the same evening. They spent half the night going over exciting topics such as history, applied calculus and anthropology; it was the 'best' night of Naruto's life.

Kurenai Yuhi wasn't a morning person.

Unfortunately for her, she was also a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village, and that meant being a morning person when the Hokage demands it of you. Technically there was that bit about nurturing the Will of Fire and whatnot, but most of the time, it was just getting up early in the mornings.

She had gone to visit her student, but was chased off rather quickly by his numerous family members, most of whom came in and out of the hospital in regular rotating shifts, balancing their shinobi duties with an apparently overwhelming need to watch over one of their own as he recovers.

When she asked the medic, she was told to thank the on-site medic who applied the first aid and stopped the initial bleed – were it not for him or her, Kiba would most certainly be a goner. Accepting this new information, Kurenai made a note of asking the Hokage about this 'on-site medic'.

Finding Hinata and Shino was easy enough, both of them having returned to the village early in the morning. They were slightly exhausted, but other than that, they were fit for whatever Lady Fifth had in store for them – fact was, Team 8 was summoned by the Hokage, and such summons are never ignored.

It wasn't long before they stood in front of the Hokage's office, faced with the fox-masked ANBU who usually watched the office door.

"Team 8, here to see the Hokage, as per her request."

The ANBU operative stared at the woman for a good couple of seconds, then nodded, slipping into the office. He closed the door behind him, then did what few ANBU did in the line of duty:

"Damn, Tsunade, the women of this village get better-looking every time I come back."

For this wasn't actually the ANBU operative assigned to the identity of 'fox'; this was the unmatched legend of the hidden leaf, the one destined to find the chosen one, the Leaf's most illustrious author – Jiraiya.

As expected, Tsunade wasn't amused.

"Damn it, Jiraiya, where the hell's fox?"

"I gave him the day off," the old man shrugged, taking off the mask and letting his manly mane flare out across his shoulders and neck.

"I could have you executed for that," the Hokage deadpanned.

"Please don't?" her former teammate offered with the best innocent smile he could manage.

"Just let them in."

Sighing, the toad sage did as he was told, reducing himself to a lowly doorman. Having done so, he stepped to the side, nodding at the two Kunoichi and bespectacled boy that entered the office.

"Wait… master Jiraiya? Why are you…?" needless to say, Kurenai was confused.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, my dear. I'm just here to make sure the big bad monsters don't eat our precious Hokage."

"Jiraiya, I will kill you."

"On second thought, she's a tough gal, she can handle herself," the sannin switched his story in stride, turning on his heel and leaving the office.

"And you better-" Tsunade began, only to be interrupted.

"… send the ANBU back. Gotcha!" Jiraiya replied, disappearing around the corner.

"Idiot," the Hokage muttered, shaking her head.

"You called for us?" the Yuhi scion quickly recovered, doing her best to bring the irritable Hokage's focus back to the summons.

"Yes… yes I have," she sighed, pushing away her ink and quill,"Effective immediately, Team 8 is temporarily disbanded."

"But why?" Hinata gasped, quickly averting her eyes upon realizing that her reaction could be nothing else but bothersome to the Hokage.

"Good question," Tsunade replied, giving a smile in hopes of soothing the unusually jumpy girl, "I will be reassigning you to your fellow genin teams."

"Lady Hokage, I wish to ask something," Shino spoke, seizing his opportunity.

Kurenai stared daggers at her genin, who seemed to be doing their best to emulate their unavailable teammate's general lack of tact - she was completely ignored.

Tsunade, amused by the jonin's reactions, allowed the boy to ask away.

"Reassigning us implies transferring us to the corps, and such a decision would be inefficient. Why? Because we are a specialized tracking team. As individual agents, we wouldn't be nearly as effective."

"Which is why I'm assigning you to the other teams. You will be assigned to Teams 10 and 7, respectively."

"Four man squads?" Kurenai cut in, completely forgetting her own tact.

"Yes."

"And what about…"

"I need you on a newly made task force, the details of which you can get from Asuma."

"But Lady Hokage…"

"T-Team 7..? But that means that I'll be on the same team as…" Hinata began stammering, blushing further and further.

"Naruto Uzumaki, yes," her teammate replied, as even and steady as ever, "and I myself will be shoehorned into the delicate balance of an Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"… which is why I made that call. Now, escort your genin to Kakashi and Shikamaru, respectively. Report back here when you're done," Tsunade finished, nodding at the still-open door.

Reciprocating the gesture, Kurenai Yuhi motioned for her genin to follow, and left the Hokage's office. In the hallway window, she took notice of the fact that the sun was barely up, and was quickly reminded of a well-known fact; she was most definitely not a morning person.

"Hi Sasuke!" Sakura greeted cheerfully, watching as the dark-haired Uchiha made his way across training ground 3, smiling upon noticing the timid wave he sent their way.

"Finally! You keep this up, Sasuke, and you'll be no better than Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grinned, then turned his attention back to the book placed on his lap.

"Book study?"

"Yeah… I kinda have to do it before he shows up, and Sakura-chan's offered to help me," the blonde explained, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Because I'm a good teammate, and I care about your progress… nothing more," Sakura added with a huff, prompting the blonde to frown.

Sasuke smirked, slightly amused by the bantering of his teammates, giving the surroundings a good, long look before speaking:

"Naruto, give me a dozen clones."

"Why?"

"For me to beat on, of course. If I wanted an actual challenge, I'd make my own."

"Hey! Screw you!" the blonde snarled, only to be kept in place by Sakura's outstretched arm.

"Play nice, you two! Sasuke, ask nicely; Naruto, if he asks nicely, you kindly oblige… we're teammates."

"Fine," came the identical reply from both boys.

"Naruto… could you please provide clones for me to beat?" the Uchiha spat out, intentionally avoiding eye contact.

"Sure, Sasuke. I'd be delighted," the blonde hissed back, giving a forced smile that looked more axe-happy than pleasant.

Sakura shook her head, appalled by the amount of venom dripping from the boys' version of 'niceness'. Still, Naruto was true to his word, as he usually was, and quickly surrounded Sasuke by a dozen or so of his doppelgangers.

"Hold!" came a voice from across the field, and all three turned to see their teacher casually making his way over to them, accompanied by Hinata Hyuga, of all people.

"We'll be needing those clones!" The copy-nin continued, coming to a halt a short ways' off from the wooden pillars.

"Hey Hinata!" Naruto greeted, putting aside his book and standing up, "what's up?"

"Um… I was... I was actually…" she began, only to trail off, pushing her fingers together and blushing furiously.

"Assigned to Team 7," Kakashi finished, placing his hands behind his back, "we're part of an experimental program now, and that means we'll be adding a fourth member for the foreseeable future."

"Okay… Welcome to the team..?" Sasuke offered, still leering at the clones that still watched with varying amounts of amusement.

"Well, aren't you being Mr. Team Player all of a sudden, Sasuke."

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted, swinging his arm at the nearest clone, dispelling him with ease once said arm connected with its' face.

"But seriously, welcome to the team, Hinata," Sakura offered, stepping down from the pillars and nodding her head at the Hyuga, "I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Thank you…" came the girl's weak reply, only for her to straighten up a bit right after, collecting herself.

"Alright then, Naruto. Please coordinate with your clones and attack our new teammate," Kakashi instructed, walking up one of the pillars and perching himself up there, arms still behind his back.

"Wha-? Do I have to?" the blonde protested, looking up at the scarecrow.

"Yes you do. I'm fairly sure I know what I'm doing, being an elite jonin operative and all."

Nodding, Naruto turned to the dark-haired girl, offering an apologetic smile, "guess this is how it has to be. Don't hold back, Hinata!"

Sasuke and Sakura stepped off to the side, watching as the clones began moving in, only for the first batch of them to get rapidly dispelled by a uncharacteristically aggressive display from the Hyuga.

Strike after strike landed on exposed vitals, the chakra-laced blows of the Juken being more than enough to disrupt the blonde's shadow clones – she didn't enjoy having to attack what was essentially Naruto himself, but if she was to prove herself to someone of the copy ninja's reputation, Hinata had no choice but to go all-out.

"Whoa! I forgot you were this fast!" Naruto cheered, stalking the periphery of the closing ring of clones, "Ack!"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Hinata kept apologizing, never once slowing down. Her strikes were quick and true, and it was a matter of seconds before she felt the solid hand of Naruto Uzumaki stop her assault, the last of his clones having been dispelled by her unyielding assault.

"Easy. You got 'em…" he smiled, "You got me!"

"I… I did? Oh… Alright then," Hinata stuttered a bit, then turned her head up towards the copy ninja, "was my performance satisfactory?"

"I never once doubted your capabilities, Hinata. I just wanted to see Naruto getting kicked around a bit…"

"Hey!"

"So, as this squad's assigned jonin instructor, allow me to welcome you. Hinata Hyuga, you are now a member of Konohagakure's Team 7, I have no doubt that you will do Team 8 proud."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," the girl replied, bowing her head far more than necessary.

"In that case, let's go celebrate with a D-Rank! I'm behind on rent!" Kakashi cheerfully announced, chucking a mission scroll to the pinkette before readying a hand sign, "meet you there!"

MrBright01 (who authors a fic which is on par with this one, if not better) was kind enough to offer some sage advice on improving this fic, so anyone who bothers to re-read this fic might notice some slight changes, the most jarring of which is the removal of the entire second chapter. Hopefully, he will continue consulting.

Also, if there's a TVtroper somewhere among you, I'd so very much appreciate getting this fic recommended on that site - it's great exposure, and I can't do it myself.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!