Against her will, Nishira's body slumped to the floor, letting go of her hold on Kakashi's legs, he landed awkwardly over her, powerless to move. Thumping ungracefully onto his side with what little strength he had left, Kakashi lay almost nose to nose and watched a trickle of blood running down her open mouth to the ground, her body trembling. She coughed, expelling bloody flecks of the hot liquid splattering across the exposed part of his face. Her wide stare held his gaze captive, a flicker of fear reflected in the whites of her eyes, a stark contrast to the rich bronze sheen of her irises. Kakashi spoke her name like a prayer as the blood came squelching out of the fabric of her saturated clothes from her body weight that had soaked in for the long trek there, like a sponge being wrung over the sink. He looked back up to her frightened gaze as she sputtered "Ka-kashi… sensei" her mouth hung open in soundless words, her teeth stained a horrid color from the blood.
"Why? Why didn't you say anything."
She gave a weak smile at the break in his calm demeanor. "The mission, sensei."

"Tsunami! Go fetch the doctor." The daughter, a young dark beauty, sprinted out the door from Tazuna's hoarse yelling. She went as fast as her tiny slippered feet would take her.
"Kakashi sensei, I don't understand, I thought… I thought."
Kakashi looked from Nishira's stare as it started to glaze over as the girl began to black out, to Sakura's terrified face balling her small fists under her chin, shock freezing her to the spot as her words deserted her.
"I don't know, but the mission came first, and she helped get us here. Now all we can do is hope the doctor can do his job. Naruto, Sasuke, move my legs from on top of her, and then roll her over… Gently!"
Kakashi supervised as they gently rolled Nishira over, her head tilted back in an unnatural angle as they did. Her eyes had finally closed, her face slackened in a false look of quiet serenity, except for the splatter of blood dripping from her mouth. Sakura took it on herself to cradle Nishira's head, frowning deeply from the helplessness she felt in that moment, unable to do anything else. Her hand brushed through the dark fine hair, sweeping the bangs to the side, revealing the headband underneath. Her face, that Sakura thought when they met as too serious, appeared to her in that moment as pale, clammy, but delicate and small, her head almost fit completely in Sakura's hands. She kept her emerald eyes trained on the unconscious woman and anxiously waited for the doctor. They heard the thumping of feet pounding on wood and the front door crashing open announcing the arrival of the doctor with Tsunami in tow.

The flurry of disorganized and frenzied movement that followed began with Kakashi being aided onto a stuffed mattress and swaddled in blankets so as to be comfortable. Kakashi watched from afar, completely immobile, as his student was lifted onto the swept clear wooden table at the heart of the room. The doctor removed the ineffectual bandage that no longer shone pure white, instead it came out as a slimy eel of bright ruby red from being soaked in her blood. Her pale face was unreactive as the doctor hurriedly dug into her body cavity, expertly cutting and pulling out her amateurish stitches. Wordlessly, he finished restitching and mopped up the bloody gauze, disposing his gloves into his leather bag he'd brought.
"Those field stitches probably saved her life, who did them?" Those who knew the answer simply looked at the unconscious girl, and the doctor turned to make sure he was reading the gesture right. "On herself? That takes gumption. Either way, the bleeding has stopped, and she needs plenty of rest and fluids. But she'll be just fine."
Sakura let out a relived sigh. Nishira lay unconscious, but the emergency was over. Tsunami stood over Kakashi, her hands on her hips, flustered by their unorthodox entrance.
"Are you all right, sensei?" Kakashi avoided her direct eye contact with Tsunami as though embarrassed as his hostess stood over him, hands on her hips.
"No, but I will be in about a week."
Sakura sat in between the two mats, no one could convince her to move from between the two injured members of her team. "The sharingan eye is an incredible power. But doesn't the strain it puts on your body makes you wonder if it's worth it?!"

"What? You've never seen it either?"
Nishira shook her head, tucked in snugly on her own mattress. Sakura had idly started chatting as she woke, Nishira powerless to stop her. But as the sun rose to shine the first dregs of light invading the tiered shudders, the shinobi with a halo of angelic hair the colour of a ballet slipper had a gentle laugh, and her whimsy attempts to bond were becoming less and less annoying and more and more welcome. Nishira could see the gears turn as her thoughtful comments were engaging and curious. She hoped Sakura would always have that curiosity with her. The question at hand had been about what was under Kakashi's mask.

The girls looked over the see Naruto quietly giggling to himself as he crept closer to the sleeping form of their sensei. Sakura was about to stomp on Naruto's face when Nishira grabbed her wrist.
"Wait! I want to see. Don't you?"
That statement caught Sasuke's attention, and the three younger shinobi crowded around the sleeping form, Nishira propped up on her elbows, ignoring the twinge of pain from the new stitches, intent on seeing. Kakashi's breathing was slow and even, with the slightest edge of a snore. As Naruto reached out, his hand trembling as he was attempting to pull it down, Kakashi's eyes flew open. Sakura and Naruto shrieked in panic, Nishira startled before being punished for the sudden movement by the wound in her belly.

Kakashi sat up, rubbing his nappy hair. The thought that had startled him awake was troubling.
It's odd, I know that Zabuza is dead, but I still can't shake the strongest feeling there's something we overlooked! Something big! Something just doesn't feel right… could it be? Is it possible I've overlooked something?
"Hmm of course. The shinobi hunters who manage corpse disposals are supposed to destroy the bodies of those they kill at once, on the spot." It seemed like Kakashi wasn't talking to anyone in specific. Sakura couldn't help but respond.
"So what?"
"Don't you get it? How did the kid in the mask dispose of Zabuza's corpse?"
"How should I know? He took the body with him." Sakura shrugged.
"Yes, he did. Even though all he needed to take home as proof he'd made the kill was the head! And there is a mystery surrounding the weapons that the hunter used to dispatch his prey."
Sasuke pondered this, visualizing the metal needles the boy had used. "… no way."
"Yes way! It's likely that Zabuza is still alive!"
Tsunami looked on, confused by the sudden drop in mood in the room.
"What the heck are you talking about?!" Naruto shouted. Always on the ball that one, Nishira thought.
"But Kakashi sensei! You checked to be sure Zabuza was dead, didn't you?" Sakura and Naruto thrummed in panic, while Sasuke looked on, attempting to maintain his stoic exterior.
"I made sure of it. But a deathlike trance could have created a very convincing illusion of the real thing. Those acupuncture needle weapons that shinobi hunters used can be deadly if they hit a vital spot. If not, the mortality rate is surprisingly low, and remember they were originally designed as medical treatment tools. Shinobi hunters and all members of any village's corps must possess an intimate knowledge of human physiology. It would be simple for one of them to place a person into a near-death state. First of all, the masked boy went to the trouble of lugging off Zabuza's heavy carcass. Secondly, the acupuncture needles he used as weapons, while potentially deadly, can also be used to non-mortal injury. These two points suggest that the kid's objective was to give the illusion of killing Zabuza while he rescued him. Things may be just the way they seemed, but we have to consider the other possibility."
Tazuna frowned at the group of shinobi.
"Aren't you just complicating things by over thinking them? Shinobi hunters are supposed to hunt outlaw shinobi, right?"
"Usually, but ignoring something that smells fishy is a great first step to being caught completely unprepared. And preparation is a shinobi's most important skill. Oh well! Whether Zabuza is dead or alive, there may still be more and even deadlier shinobi in the service of your enemy, Gato."
Kakashi looked over to see that Naruto seemed to vibrate of the prospect. Sakura did not look quite so excited.
"Sensei, you said 'preparation is a shinobi's most important skill', but right now you can't even move. What are you going to do?"
Kakashi chuckled to himself.
"I'm going to increase your training schedule."
"But Kakashi sensei! What will a little extra training now matter with what we're up against?! Our opponent is a ninja so powerful that even with your sharingan mirror eye power, he almost defeated you!"
"And when I was beleaguered and Nishira unconscious, Sakura, think about who it was that rescued me… you three all are maturing progressing rapidly, your powers growing exponentially. Especially yours Naruto! You've grown the most!"
Sakura frowned as she looked at Naruto's lit up face. She didn't see that much of a growth in him, he was still the loud-mouthed jerk who didn't know when to shut up.
"But! That being said. The skills I teach you now will be an interim thing only, to tide us over until I recover enough to take over."
"But sensei, even if Zabuza is alive, how can we just train without knowing when he may return and strike again?"
"An excellent question. But once a person has been placed into a near-death trance, it is quite some time before their body returns to its previous state of health and readiness."
Naruto balled his fist and could barely contain his smile.
"So we'll train while we're waiting! Could be fun!"
"It won't be fun for you"
All present turned to see who had spoken the last phrase. There stood a little squirt of a kid with a bucket hat and nappy hair poking from under the brim. His overalls threatened to encompass his whole body and his shoes were a size too big so that he'd grow into them.
Tazuna opened his arms with a happy shout.
"Inari! Where have you been?"
"Welcome home, Grandpa!" Tsunami looked at the child sternly.
"Inari, greet our guests properly! They're the esteemed shinobi who brought your grandfather safely home!"
Arms wrapped around his grandfather; Inari looked at each guest. He then let go of Tazuna and pointed at them.
"But mama, they're all gonna die."
"LISTEN, YOU LITTLE TWERP!" Naruto leapt to his feet before anyone could collar him.
"No one can beat Gato and his men." The statement was delivered in a matter of fact tone.
Sakura had a hold on both Naruto's arms to keep him from doing something incredibly stupid and immature in her opinion. He eventually managed to break free and pointed at the child.
"Right. Hey pal, pay attention little guy. I'm a superhero who'll someday become the most extreme ninja. My name will be Hokage! Gato? 'Gateau'? this guy's named 'cake'! you can't seriously expect me to be afraid of that!"
Inari was not so easily impressed.
"'Hero'? you're dumb! There's no such thing!"
Naruto started to screech unintelligently, and Sakura snagged the back of his jumpsuit.
"If you don't wanna die, go home now. I'm going to watch the ocean from my room."
The door slammed behind him with vigor. Tazuna looked to Naruto.
"Please forgive him."
Naruto didn't wait for an explanation; he went after Inari. He stomped up to the second level, but before he could rip open the door that separated him from Inari, he paused at the sounds of sobbing, wretched and raw. Only one word in the heaving grief was intelligible. Daddy. Naruto turned from the door and went back downstairs quietly.

After a day of rest, the group of shinobi travelled to a secluded area of the forest. The towering trees gave them shade and danced as the wind sprinted through them. Nature's orchestra was glorious, accompanied by chittering, proof they weren't alone. The underbrush gave the overwhelming fragrance of moss and the local flora, all bright colors like jewels, crowned by the deep emeralds of a thriving ecosystem. Their pace through it was achingly slow. Kakashi had wagged his finger in her face sternly, telling her to not overdo it this time, and she bit her lip to keep from retorting, but privately his doting and stern face melted the stubbornness that still lingered under the flush in her cheeks. She obediently obliged and assisted Kakashi with his crutches.

When they reached a suitable clearing. Kakashi had them stop.
"The new training regime begins today. But first let's discuss the basis of your shinobi powers. The body energies known as chakras."
Naruto had the wherewithal to look a little embarrassed.
"Uh… right. So um, cattra… what are those again?"
Sakura scolded Naruto at length, while Kakashi slumped in disappointment. He pointed at Sakura and motioned for her to go ahead.
"Pay attention, Naruto! It's a pain, but I'll try to keep it simple! Try to find some storage space for this information somewhere in that shiny, smooth brain of yours. Chakras are, to put it simply, the energies that a shinobi requires in order to perform ninjutsu. Basically, these energies are: one, those of the body, drawn from each and every one of the approximate 13 trillion cells that are believed to make up the human body… two, those of the mental and spiritual energy acquired over the course of much training and experience… together, those two forms of energy are what makes up the chakras. In effect, all the arts and techniques of the shinobi are born of a combination of those two energies, brought forth from the body and the spirit – in what is called 'manipulating the chakras' – and focused on the mystic process known as 'weaving the signs'."

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.
"Iruka sensei really does have some excellent students."
Sakura beamed in pride. Naruto turned from the lecturer and teacher pouting.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! I don't do so well with long explanations, but if you could just show me, my body can learn it!"
"Naruto's right, we all already employ the ninja arts and techniques." Sasuke looked resolute in his statement.
"Wrong" Kakashi looked at all of them. "None of you yet has full mastery of your chakra! Now listen, as Sakura said, manipulation of the chakra refers to summoning physical and mental energies and combining them within your own body. Depending on which technique you wish to employ, the amount of energy you'd need to absorb would vary. As would the makeup of elements you'd need to combine. Right now, none of you are using your chakras effectively. No matter how great the amount of chakra you summon and manipulate, if you can't maintain your balance whatever the technique, not only will the effectiveness of your maneuver be cut in half, but you could blunder so badly the spell may not be released at all. And because you end up squandering your energies, you not only lack the stamina for a protracted fight, but you also develop significant vulnerabilities."
Naruto ruffled his hair.
"So… uh… what do we do?"
"You learn to control your body through the harshest training. Go out on a limb and learn from the experience! How? We climb trees!"