Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Kale's POV

"I see…" Lady Tsunade looked over our team "Well?"

"We're not giving up." Naruto told her.

"Good." She smiled "Cause I've already got another mission on the horizon…you're dismissed, Kale you stay."

The other stepped out and I took a seat.

"So…is it genuine?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Sai."

"Well he saved Naruto's life." I said "He seemed serious when he said he wanted to help us…yes I believe him."

"Good, cause he already requested to be made a member of the team." She smiled "He's still close to Danzo so keep an eye on him, but give him some slack."

"Yes Ma'am, is that all?" I asked.

"No…the report, was Sasuke as bad as it sounds?" she asked.

"It…was pretty bad." I admitted "Had Orochimaru not stepped in I don't think we would have made it back. He was serious about killing us."

"I feared as much." She said.

"If I can make a confession…" I sighed "I think this is a time Danzo is right, Sasuke…may be better off dead."

"You'd say that about a friend?" Tsunade asked.

"The Sasuke I knew is long gone." I frowned "I'm not like Naruto and Sakura, I just can't hold out hope for someone like that, the look in his eye…he's fallen."

"I'll keep that between us." She smiled "But for now we stick with trying to turn him back to the light."

"I understand." I nodded.

"And one last thing." She said handing me a package "You were promoted."

"HUH?! I coughed "But we failed!"

"With Sai close to you Danzo's vote changed." She laughed "Congratulations, you're a Jounin."

"This is gonna mean a lot of extra work isn't it?" I sighed.

"You sound like Shikamaru." Tsunade laughed "But still…this is a sign that we of the village recognize your strength as both a leader and shinobi. You're still allowed to work with Team Kakashi though so no worries."

"Great…you know Naruto's gonna kill me when he hears about this." I said ditching my robe and throwing the more elaborate flak jacket on.

"Oh but that's half the fun." She snickered.

"Old hag…" I grumbled.

"By the way." She said as I tried to leave.

"What now." I groaned.

"You've been placed on the Jounin council as well, as a Jounin of one of the vilalges major clans your voice will carry weight at meetings."

"Can't Uncle do that crap?" I asked.

"He's not clan leader." She said "And you father doesn't want to go so you're next in line."

"Jerks." I growled "Fine whatever."

I stepped out into the hall where Naruto, Sakura and Fu were.

"What did she want?" Fu looked at me.

"Nothing about you." I told her "Umm…I got promoted."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked "Come again?"

"I'm a Jounin now." I told them.

"AWW COME ON!" Naruto yelled.

"Aww calm down you Genin idiot." I smirked "it's not gonna change us, so who really cares, Kakashi-Sensei will still be in charge."

"Well this is important!" Sakura cheered "Let's go celebrate!"

A few days later.

Sakura had come to get me saying she and Sai were going to meet up with Naruto to see Kakashi-Sensei and wanted to know if I wanted to tag along. I said sure and went to grab Fu so we could all hang out.

"Naruto." Sakura waved as we got close to where he was waiting.

"You brought all them, this was supposed to just be me and you, like a date." Naruto grumbled.

"You're an idiot if you think Sakura's ever gonna do that." I laughed.

"You shut up!" he yelled.

"Now is that anyway to talk to you superior…Idiot Genin." I stuck my tongue out.

"RAHH!" Naruto groaned "Someday I'll be Hokage and I'll demote you or something!"

"This is fun." Fu giggled.

"Umm…may I join the conversation as well?" Sai asked "I read a book about getting to know people, it said I shouldn't be formal and try using things like nicknames.

"I didn't know you cared about stuff like that." Naruto laughed.

"Well I thought about it but I couldn't think of any good nicknames." Sai frowned.

"They kinda just happen." Naruto told him "Don't stress about it."

"Try using some characteristics." Sakura told him "For example Naruto could be Stupid Naruto, or Idiot Naruto."

"Imbacil, dumbass, block head." I added.

"These are all putdowns." Naruto frowned.

"Fu thinks it's funny." The girl giggled.

"Not you too Bug Brain." Naruto sighed.

"See even Fu got a nickname." Sakura laughed.

"Okay…" Sai said thinking and looking at the pink haired girl "I think I'm getting the hang of it…Ugly."

"RAHHH!" Sakura tried to attack Sai in a rage and Naruto held her back.

"Not really on point there Sai." I sighed.

Later

"I see, so this is the new guy?" Kakashi-Sensei looked at Sai "Well nice to meet you."

Sakura had to explain that Sai and Naruto were fighting and that's why they were all bruised.

She did that…

"Also congratulations." Sensei looked at me "I heard you got called up to the big leagues."

"Please Sensei you're embarrassing me." I mumbled.

"Umm our last mission." Naruto mumbled.

"I heard everything from Yamato, even about Sasuke." Sensei spoke up.

"We don't have much time left." Naruto sighed "and where we are right now, none of us could take on Sasuke, he's gotten a lot stronger."

"Well in that case you need to get stronger too." Sensei told him.

"His power growth was exponential." I said.

"Fu has never met Sasuke before." The bug girl said "But even she could tell he was strong like her…stronger."

"After talking with Lady Tsunade she thinks he may be using a Jutsu or drugs to accelerate his training." Sakura explained "With Kabuto working with him that's not out of the question."

"In that case we'll need a Jutsu to keep up with him." Kakashi-Sensei said "I haven't just been sitting here sleeping, I've been thinking you know. The method I've thought up will really only work with Naruto, it's something only he can do. This training may let him surpass even me."

Surpass even Sensei…

"I'll be with you when we do it." Kakashi-Sensei told him.

"What are we gonna do?" Naruto asked.

"Develop a new Jutsu all your own." Kakashi-Sensei told him "Even greater than the Rasengan. This stuff isn't gonna happen overnight though, it will take time. But I do have a way to do it in record time."

"How?" I asked.

"Well…"

"Hello!" Asuma-Sensei yelled entering the room with his team.

"You should knock first." Ino scolded.

"Hey." Shikamaru shrugged as he came in and looked at Sai "You're that guy…"

"Hello." Sai smiled "It's nice to see you."

Sai introduced himself the others, he was clearly interested in making friends with them.

"Hey I heard about your last mission from Tsunade." Shikamaru whispered "Listen the exams are over so if you guys need something just ask, I'll help you out."

"Thanks." I nodded.

Asuma suggested we all go out for lunch to celebrate my promotion again. I got dragged along to another free meal before going off to train with Fu. I was having her release small amounts of Beast Chakra so I could work on developing a way to seal it if she should ever become like Naruto did at the bridge.

"Can Fu…take a break?" she panted.

"Yeah that's enough for today." I smiled "I think we're getting somewhere, I was able to stop a one tailed form with a pentagram seal."

"Fu is nervous." She sighed "She lost control for the first time in years…Akatsuki is targeting her…soon everyone will know and start to hate Fu."

"No." I put my arm on her shoulder "Why do you keep saying that, even if the truth comes out no one will judge you. You have friends here, stop worrying."

I looked up as saw a bird flying in the sky.

"Come on Fu, we've gotta go." I told her.

"Why?" she asked.

I looked at her "The Twenty Platoons are being summoned."

AN

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Till Next Time!