Chapter 21

As the weeks passed Kakashi could see a subtle shift in his Genin. Specifically Sakura. It would seem that the conversation that Keiko had with her really did strike a chord with the young Kunoichi. She was taking practices more seriously than she was before and while she did have a long way to go to catch up with her teammates he was proud of her progress. Sakura was beginning to come into her own and it was not lost on her teammates either.

Naruto noticed that Sakura didn't hit him as much as she used to and didn't ignore him either. She was still scary but Sakura didn't loose her temper with him as quickly as she did before. Sasuke also noticed a change. He saw that she wasn't as useless as she used to be and was actually starting to improve. Maybe she would actually be able to do something on one of their missions for once. There was one thing that bothered Sasuke. Sakura would try to bring up things about his past. He recalled one conversation they had not too long ago...

~0~

"Sasuke?" Sakura said as she walked beside him. She had insisted on walking with him at least until they had to go their separate ways to go home.

"What is it?" He responded nonchalantly.

"I..." She paused, a blush coming to her cheeks, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

He darted his gaze to the side toward her, a little taken aback. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Why?"

She looked down, feeling sheepish at what she was about to say. "Keiko Sensei took me to your clans memorial."

Sasuke had stopped walking. His eyes were wide as he looked out in front of him. What was he supposed to do with that information?

Sensing her teammates disapproval she sputtered, "She painted everything in a whole new light for me. I know I haven't been the best teammate to you or Naruto but I want to be someone that both of you can rely on." She paused, unsure what Sasuke was thinking since he hadn't moved or said anything. Her gaze wandered as her words ran away from her, "I never imagined that you and Naruto would have such similar backgrounds."

Sasuke turned on her then, his eyes piercing her like daggers. "I don't know what Keiko told you." He paused, turning his body more to face her, "But, don't ever compare me to him. He has no idea what I've been through. And, neither do you."

Her eyes grew wide. She hadn't meant to upset him so much! "S-Sasuke! I-I didn't mean- What I mean is-" She struggled to find the right words to come out. She sighed, hand running through her hair as she tried to calm her nerves, "I know I don't know. But..." She forced her gaze to meet his, searching within her for every ounce of resolve she could muster, "I don't need to understand you to be there for you."

The young Uchiha didn't say anything as their gazes locked for several long seconds. The breeze brushing their hair side to side before Sasuke scoffed and walked away.

~0~

Sasuke hadn't spoken to Sakura much since then and he could tell that it was bothering her but he couldn't bring himself to care. She had yet to prove to him that she could actually be useful in a fight. If they ran into another Zabuza or Haku, she would be doomed and he or Kakashi would have to save her. Just like how they would need to save Naruto.

He looked at his two teammates while he leaned against the fence. Sakura was scolding Naruto firmly for trying to do a cool move with a kunai knife that nearly severed his finger. The two of them were hopeless. How much longer did he need to keep doing all the heavy lifting? His eyes narrowed at Naruto who scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Just then, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, hand raised in greeting. "Ah, right on time, everyone."

Sakura whirled on her Sensei and pointed an annoyed finger at him, "Kakashi Sensei, you were supposed to be here over an hour ago!"

Kakashi chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, well, you see. I was caught up helping-"

Naruto crossed his arms, "Save it, Kakashi Sensei! Keiko told me all you give is excuses when you're late."

The Jonin deflated a bit and his shoulders slumped, "Well, they're not always..." He trailed off, knowing full well that most of the time they were just excuses. Scratching the back of his neck he looked to the side. How could Keiko sell him out like that? It wasn't like they really believed his excuses to begin with, but still...

"Whatever," Sasuke pushed off of the fence and stood with his hands in his pockets, "We're due for another mission, right?"

Kakashi straightened, "Right down to business as always." He nodded, "Yes, we'll be receiving another mission today." The faces of his students all perked up the smallest bit and he smiled with his one visible eye toward Naruto. "Please, don't make a scene."

Naruto grumbled as they made their way to the briefing room. He never caused a scene!

On their way they spoke amongst themselves. Naruto was hoping for something more than the lame D-rank missions they always got while Kakashi and Sakura scolded him about his expectations. Sakura frowned, "Naruto, you know Iruka and Keiko Sensei aren't going to give us any big missions like that. It feels like every time we get a mission you fight it. When are you going to learn?" Her brow twitched and she restrained herself from throttling the blond next to her.

Naruto's hands clasped behind his head, "Keiko isn't even going to be there. She left yesterday on some mission."

"Oh," Sakura felt a little bummed at not being able to see her, "did she say what she was doing?"

Before Naruto could answer, their Sensei interrupted, "A Jonin's mission should stay secret at least until it is finished. Even then, some missions should never be spoken of." The three Genin were silent and they all exchanged glances before he continued in a not so serious manner, "I'm sure Keiko will be back in no time. For now, we should focus on our own mission."

They could all agree on that. When they reached the briefing room the Hokage and Iruka were seated going through their paperwork. After a bit of small talk, the Hokage smirked and eyed Naruto knowingly. "I do believe, that you will find this one a bit more enjoyable."

Naruto perked up and grinned widely, "Bring it on! I can take anything you dish out, believe it!" Sakura and Sasuke rolled their eyes respectively while Kakashi was a bit surprised. Was the Hokage throwing Naruto a bone? "Well, come on! What is it?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You will be escorting someone to a nearby village." This warranted a few gasps from the team and even Kakashi silently gawked at the Hokage. "I have taken extra precautions to ensure that this escort mission will not be the same as your last one. You will escort her there were she will be reuniting with her caravan."

Naruto nodded his head in excitement, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Bring it on!"

Iruka slammed his hand down, "Naruto, don't get carried away. Frankly, after what happened last time I can't believe the Hokage is approving this."

The Hokage chuckled, "I think Team Kakashi is more than capable of this task."

"You hear that Iruka Sensei! Even old man Hokage knows I can do it!" A hand came down on his head as Kakashi waked him. This kid and his mouth, what was he going to do with him?

"Here she is now." The Hokage gestured toward the side door that opened and a woman stood in the doorway.

She wore a plain green yukata that covered most of her figure and traditional sandals. Long chestnut brown hair was pulled to the side and pinned into a messy bun on her shoulder with bangs that swept to the side, covering one of her eyes. The one eye they could see was hazel and the hint of green within them was accented thanks to her green eyeshadow. The woman gave a soft smile and in a meek and airy voice introduced herself. "I'm Lynn Ito. It's nice to meet you all." Her gloved hands folded neatly in front of her as she gave a small bow of her head.

Naruto's eyes widened at seeing the pretty woman in the door and he grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm gonna make sure nothing happens to you, believe it!" He thrust his fist out in the air in front of him in a promise.

~0~

As the group made their way down the road toward the village, Lynn watched the group of Genin with interest. The Genin were a few yards in front of her as she walked behind them, their Sensei walking about six feet away from her to her side. She looked over toward him and tried to spark up a conversation, "The Hokage told me they're your students, right?"

Kakashi looked over at Lynn and nodded before he too watched his students.

She gave a soft chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand, "I never imagined that children so young would become ninja." Her hand rested on her cheek as she gave Kakashi a soft and almost flirtatious smile, "I expected someone a bit more like you."

Without skipping a beat Kakashi responded, "Don't let their age fool you. All three of them are capable in their own right."

Lynn's eyes shifted toward the three of them, "It's reassuring to know you believe in their abilities."

"If I didn't, what kind of Sensei would I be?" He thought of his own Sensei. How even though Kakashi felt Rin and Obito were inferior, Minato Sensei believe in them. He had helped them all to grow as a team by believing in their abilities. At times, Kakashi knew he could do better, but he was trying. He wanted to make his own Sensei proud and prove that he could help each of them reach their full potential.

Kakashi and Lynn blinked when they noticed Sakura turn back and give Lynn a cold glare before returning to her conversation with Naruto. Lynn smiled awkwardly, "Did... Did I do something to upset her?"

The Jonin wasn't sure himself. It wasn't like Sakura to do something like that. He sighed, at least she wasn't acting out at every little thing Naruto did anymore. Once again, he said a silent thank you to Keiko. The image of her flashed in his mind as he thought that he might be getting more help from her than he first realized.

The journey had been smooth. They had left the Village Hidden in the Leaves late in the morning and it was nearing sunset by the time they arrived. When the Hokage had explained the mission, Naruto had been disappointed that they weren't traveling very far. It made the mission feel underwhelming and not as grand as he would have hoped. Lynn had explained that she had been in Konoha to make a few trades with other merchants. Her father had come with her but he needed to return to the caravan before her trade could be complete. Knowing that she would be carrying highly valuable material he left her with enough funds to get an escort back to meet him.

It was a simple enough mission and the Hokage had done digging into her background, reassuring Kakashi that this would not be another incident as the Land of Waves was.

When the five of them arrived to the village they began to look around for any signs of the merchants. Lynn looked around and sighed, turning to her escorts, "I'm sorry. I thought they would be here by now. Perhaps we should get a room at the inn for the night. It's getting a bit dark."

"Not yet! We haven't searched everywhere, they could still be around!" Naruto declared.

"Naruto," Kakashi said gaining his attention, "Lynn is tired. Right now your mission is to her wellbeing."

The Genin looked toward Lynn and could see her weary expression. Naruto, for an instant, felt bad. Maybe he had gone a little too far.

Kakashi continued, "Its possible they will be here tomorrow morning. We should continue searching then."

Lynn cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the shinobi before her. "Thank you for the concern but I see you all have much more energy than I do. Perhaps, we could split up?" There was a pause before she continued, "Three of you could continue to search while myself and one of you could go get a room reserved at the inn."

It wasn't a bad idea... Kakashi thought about it for a moment before Naruto loudly proclaimed, "Yeah, leave it to me! Let's go get that room reserved."

Sakura had been holding herself back all day and finally her resolve ran out and her fist connected with Naruto's shoulder. "Weren't you just saying we should keep looking?!"

Naruto shouted in alarm and pain before rubbing his shoulder tenderly. What had gotten into her all of a sudden?!

"How about you, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha looked up in a little surprise toward Lynn. The other members of his team followed shortly after. Naruto casting an aggravated glare toward Sasuke. Why was it always him getting the attention?

Lynn continued, "You can accompany me to the inn while your teammates continue searching a bit longer."

Sasuke shot his Sensei a glance. Seeing Kakashi nod in approval the groups went their separate ways. Lynn and Sasuke slowly made their way to the inn and on the way she tried to strike up a conversation with him. "You are certainly quiet compared to your teammates."

He scoffed, "They're a couple of loudmouths is what they are."

Lynn tilted her head in curiosity, "You seem to have such a negative view of them. Any reason?"

Sasuke remained quiet for a moment, growing mildly irritated but refusing to show it. He was on a mission. "That's none of your business."

She nodded, "No, I suppose it's not. I just noticed that all day I could count the words you said on two hands. You're even quiet toward your Sensei."

His jaw clenched. This wasn't something he wanted to talk about with this woman. His problems were his own and no one else's. Not to mention he was still bitter about Kakashi. He needed to know how Kakashi had gotten the damn Sharingan when he wasn't even a Uchiha. He had tried to bring it up when the two of them were alone but Kakashi always seemed to find a way to dodge the question. It was infuriating. On top of that, he had Sakura and Naruto breathing down his neck nearly constantly.

Sasuke finally responded, "There are things about me that they will never understand. They don't need to. I'm on a path I need to walk on alone."

Lynn sighed, thinking over his words, "I see." She paused before continuing, "I can tell they all want to be there for you. Sometimes, the worst thing we can do for ourselves is push others away. The bonds of friendship can be some of the strongest out there."

Sasuke paused as they entered the lobby of the inn. He studied her for several long moments as Lynn spoke to the clerk. His eyes narrowed. There was something off about this woman. Who did she think she was trying to give him life advice? What would a merchant's daughter know about ninja life anyway? Her words bounced around in his head. It was like she was speaking in vague riddles to him.

He had bonds. He was forever bound to his brother. The cause for his suffering. The one who took away everything from him. Sasuke could still remember the feeling of excitement he would get when Itachi praised him. Little did he know, those same hands that held him and protected him through his childhood would be the ones to sever all other bonds he held dear. He had to avenge those he had lost. He couldn't allow himself to rest or try to replace them.

His mind wandered to the other members of his team, Sakura and Naruto. They were only a distraction from his goal. He couldn't allow them to cloud his judgment, no matter how much they were starting to grow on him. His fists clenched at the thought. They were his teammates and through working with them he couldn't deny that there was some bond forming between them.

Sasuke thought of Keiko for a moment. She had tried to say similar things over the years to him as well but he had shut her out. It annoyed him that she was butting in with their team. She was a constant reminder of his past, a past that he didn't want to be reminded of. He was weak back then and he needed to get stronger. His fists balled tightly and his nails dug into his skin, nearly breaking through.

She had been fine. After Itachi murdered everyone and left him behind, Keiko acted as though nothing was wrong. She only babied him and treated him like he was weak. Sasuke thought that Itachi had been a close friend of hers. He thought that, if anyone understood him in the slightest it would have been her, but he was wrong. She smiled and moved on like nothing happened. Her smiling face crossed his vision and he could feel the anger beginning to bubble within him.

Why did he have to be the only one to suffer from Itachi's actions?

Lynn returned to the boy and smiled softly but faltered. Her visible eye widening for a moment at the boys dark expression. "D-Did I say something to upset you?"

Sasuke breathed in sharply when he was taken from his own thoughts. The Uchiha quickly shook his head and remained quiet, signaling to Lynn that he wasn't going to be talking with her any further.

~0~

That night, the team decided to relax by partaking in one of the inns best features, the hot springs. Lynn and Sakura were in the women's bath and they were happy to have a bit of time to relax. Sakura did her best to relax and just enjoy the water. Her eyes darted over to Lynn who leaned her back against the side of the rock, everything below her shoulders underwater. Her brown hair was pulled up into a large messy bun on the top of her head to keep it dry.

When they were the only two in the springs Lynn opened her eyes and looked over to Sakura with a small smile. "So, what's it like being a ninja?"

"Well," Sakura began, "it's definitely a big job, but it's nothing I can't handle." She spoke confidently, even though there was a part of her that felt inferior in comparison to Naruto and Sasuke.

Lynn nodded in understanding, "Seems like you have a pretty good relationship with your team at least."

Sakura sunk into the water a little further and sighed. She supposed her relationship with Kakashi Sensei was the average Sensei-Student dynamic. She looked up to and respected him and he looked after her. Though, she would be lying if she said he gave her equal attention. He seemed fixated on Sasuke and Naruto most of the time and she was almost just an afterthought.

Sasuke was ignoring her. She wouldn't give up on having him notice her, even if it was only as a friend. Her heart would still flutter when he was around and he gave her that anxious feeling in her stomach she was used to but she tried not to let that do the thinking anymore. More than anything she wanted Sasuke to see how much she had improved but he didn't notice.

The person who did notice, was Naruto. He was praising her and asking her for advice almost constantly. Sakura realized now that he was so hungry for attention because he didn't really get any growing up. She tried her best to give him some of that attention but sometimes it was definitely forced. He was still an annoying knucklehead but slowly she was starting to see that he wasn't as dumb as she first thought.

Bringing herself back to the present she nodded, "Yeah..." She watched Lynn rubbing her own shoulder to loosen up some sore muscles and Sakura cleared her throat. "By the way, Miss Lynn..."

Lynn perked up, "Yes?"

Sakura's eyes shifted away from the older woman, "You should know something." Lynn stayed quiet, waiting for the girl to tell her what she meant. "Kakashi Sensei is taken."

The woman's body stiffened and her eyes widened. Her already flushed cheeks taking on a deeper shade of red, "S-Sakura, I don't-" She coughed, looking away, "Who on earth would that be?"

Sakura pursed her lips, her inner self chastising the women in front of her. "A Kunoichi. They've worked together for a long time and I've seen the sparks between them." She remembered the night Kakashi had reached out for Keiko's hand. It was something she wouldn't have believed if she didn't see it for herself. Keiko's father Musashi and herself had tried to get the two of them alone together since then but each time they had failed.

The romantic in her swooned at the thought of the two together. They were the perfect opposites! Kakashi was somber and mysterious and Keiko was bright and warm. She couldn't deny that her desire to see the two of them together was only strengthened by Musashi. Sakura just chouldn't get the thought of a beautiful baby with white hair and clear blue eyes out of her head. It would be adorable! Not to mention, if two opposites like them got together, it was only natural that she had a chance with Sasuke!

Sakura shook her head and laughed awkwardly, "Sorry, Miss Lynn, you're very pretty but I don't think you're Kakashi Sensei's type."

Lynn smiled awkwardly, "Y-yeah..."

~0~

Hiruzen sat in his office a few days later going over reports and documents when he looked over at the window. A figure clad in green pushed the window open. The Hokage leaned back in his chair and set the documents he had been looking at down. "Ah, you're back. How was the mission?"

The woman openly smiled, chestnut brown hair resting on her shoulder. Hazel eyes shining as she stood before the Hokage's desk. She opened her mouth to speak in a light and airy tone, "I was able to successfully locate the material." She paused, holding up her hand as she cleared her throat before talking in a lower and more full tone, "Sorry, Lord Hokage, speaking in a false voice for three days can make you forget your real one."

He nodded in understanding, "I can imagine it is quite the strain, Keiko."

Keiko smiled and relayed the details of her mission to the Hokage as she took her hair out from its bun, allowing it to fall naturally around her in waves. When her briefing was complete, Hiruzen motioned for her to sit in a nearby chair, which she obliged. Keiko tilted her head back and reached for her eyes, taking out the contacts. She blinked several times, ice blue flickering where hazel had once been. "Oh, that feels amazing." She sighed, relieved to have the contacts out of her eyes.

Hiruzen chuckled, lighting his pipe and taking off his large hat. Once the pipe lit he took a puff, "So, did they recognize you?"

She smiled, "No, I even managed to fool Kakashi, and I was petrified that he would see right through me." Keiko's heart had been pounding when she was introduced to them as Lynn Ito, someone who didn't actually exist. She altered her appearance drastically; dying her hair with temporary hair dye, colored contacts, makeup, and even changing her voice. To top it off, she had even worn perfume to trick Kakashi's sharp sense of smell.

"I do hope it was worth the trouble, you did request it after all." When he had given Keiko the mission to locate and acquire the stolen material, she had requested to have Team Seven escort her while she was disguised as Lynn. Keiko wanted to see how they were behaving around each other on a mission without herself getting in the way. It had been well worth the trouble. It was refreshing to see the subtle changes in them. They were starting to become a team, even if Sasuke couldn't come to terms with it yet. She was especially happy that it seemed her conversation with Sakura was really making a difference in how she treated her teammates.

She chuckled, remembering her interactions with the Genin as Lynn. It was fun to talk to them as a stranger and even more than that, she tried to have a bit of fun with Kakashi as well. What Sakura said still bounced around in her head, Kakashi Sensei is taken. Stranger still, was that it sounded like Sakura was talking about her. Keiko wasn't sure what Sakura had seen to make her think that her and Kakashi were together but the idea sent her heart into a frenzy.

Keiko smiled at the Hokage, "It was worth all the trouble. I look forward to seeing them progress even further."

Hiruzen grinned, "You won't need to wait long, the Chunin Exams are right around the corner."

OVER 100 FOLLOWS! Thank you so much everyone! It makes me so happy to know people enjoy my story.

Show of hands, who guessed that Lynn was really Keiko? No lying now! I'm trying to dig deeper into the dynamics of the other characters, we focus so much on Naruto in the show/manga (Duh, its named after him) I want to develop Sakura and Sasuke a bit more. I'm giving some special attention to Sakura as her character is so unexplored in the first series and I think she could be a much stronger character. I hope the way I have her grow is something you guys enjoy seeing as much as I do.

Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!

Posted - 7/22/21