"CLIMB TREES?"
"That's right!"
The three shinobi stood, all equally unimpressed which was probably entirely intentional. Sakura placed her hands on her hips, thoroughly displeased.
"How would that qualify as training?"
"Listen up you three. This won't be any ordinary tree climbing. You're not allowed to use your hands. Watch and learn." Kakashi put his hands in a sign to channel chakra and sauntered to a tree. He placed one foot on the trunk, and then the other, climbing up vertically, his crutches clopping along.
"He's climbing…"
"… With his legs and feet parallel to the ground!"
Kakashi continued up to a large branch, with his feet planted on the underside of it.
"That's it, in a nutshell. Focus all the energy of your chakra towards the soles of your feet and use that power to cling to the trunk. When you have full mastery over your own chakras, this is the kind of thing you can accomplish."
"But Kakashi sensei, how will learning to climb trees this way make us any stronger?"
"I'm just getting to that. Listen and learn. The point of it all, the goal, is greater mastery over the chakras. To use no more than is necessary, but to maximize its effectiveness in where and how it is applied. That subtle control is the most critical aspect of every justsu and technique you'll ever apply. It's also the most difficult skill for even a master shinobi to command. The type of tree-climbing we are doing here requires the most fine and delicate application of chakra energy imaginable. Especially because the bottom of the foot is an area where it is most difficult to manipulate one's energies. In other words, if you can master the control needed for this skill, no justsu should ever be beyond you. In theory anyway…"
Naruto had that gleam in his eyes, waiting for the word go. Nishira had experienced this lecture before, back in the village, but it was interesting to watch someone else try it.
"The secondary objective is to build up enough stamina necessary to complete your task once the chakra has been focused. If you think this looks hard, it's even more difficult to maintain your chakra when using ninjutsu. In battle, circumstances are constantly changing, and a true shinobi has to be able to manipulate and maintain his chakras on the fly, if he ever hopes to prevail. The time you need to just stand around and trying to summon and control your own powers is a luxury you won't have. So, while you're climbing those trees, you'll also be mastering skills that will probably save your lives. Now, no more talk. It's time for action." Kakashi pulled three kunai from his pack with one hand. "The only way to learn is by doing."
He threw them and they embedded into the ground before the three students with deadly precision.
"Use the kunai blades to score the bark at the highest point you can climb to. It will serve as a reminder for later. Your goal is to make a mark on a higher spot each time you climb. I don't expect any of you to reach the treetop on your first try. A running start will probably give enough momentum for a good first effort, all right?"
Naruto snatched up the kunai knife.
"No sweat! I could do this one before breakfast! I'm the fastest developing shinobi on the team!" Nishira chuckled to herself, his enthusiasm was boundless and it moved the heavy stone of anger in her chest ever so slightly, leaving a blooming warmth. She hoped Naruto would never outgrow his gusto, it was terribly contagious.
"Less talk and more action. Choose your trees and up you go."

The three stood holding their acquired kunai knives. They made a sign with their hands and spent a moment in quiet concentrating. The air around their feet became charged with energy.
"Ready or not! Here I come!"
All three sprinted towards a tree, as their feet made contact with the rough bark, this became the moment they put the theory into practice. Naruto's foot slipped off the trunk almost immediately, and his full weight fell, his head bouncing off the ground. Sasuke made six big leaps before his foot smashed through the surface of the bark, breaking the connection. He scored the surface with the blade and then flipped smoothly back down to the forest floor. He contemplated the task with renewed curiosity.
Too much force and the surface's own energy repels you. Too little and you'll never adhere in the first place, so you end up like Naruto.
The shinobi in question was rolling around in frustration, disturbing the local flora.

"This is easier than I thought."
Up on Kakashi's level, Sakura sat on a branch. She playfully stuck her tongue out.
"Well, now we know which of you three has the best control over her chakras. Our young lady."
Sasuke looked at the ground in frustration. Naruto jumped to his feet.
"INCREDIBLE! You go, Sakura! That's my girl!"
Sakura's head drooped. In her many daydreams it happened the other way aroumd, praise from Sasuke, but the only one who did was Naruto.
"Well, understanding the use of one's chakras and manipulating them, successfully, is quite an achievement so far. Sakura is probably the one closest to overtaking our leader, Lord Hokage, despite all of Naruto's boasts and aspirations. And the finest hope of clan Uchiha doesn't seem too impressive either."
Sakura sputtered in angry panic before scolding Kakashi, shaking her clenched fist at him. Naruto and Sasuke shared a beat of eye contact, ready to try again. Kakashi observed the exchange in quiet reflection. Sakura's control of chakra is advanced for her age. However, her chakra levels would be mediocre compared to those of Naruto and Sasuke. He knew with the right training, those two boys would be able to tap into those vast resources, and they would be unstoppable. He turned to look down at Nishira.
"Oh, you're not exempt from training, I'm going to try and teach you that new jutsu from before."
"In this condition?" She gestured to her whole body.
"Exactly. Precisely because of this condition." He came down the tree trunk slowly, only continuing when his feet were solid on the ground again. "Right, so tell me what you know about medical ninjutsu."
Nishira looked upward, eyes lost thinking about the question.
"Only that it's a specialized jutsu and that medical shinobi could train for years to master it. I read a journal that talked about the third shinobi war where one of the renowned Sanin shinobi, Lady Tsunade, called for every squad to have someone trained in medical ninjutsu after losing her spouse and younger brother due to no presence of a medical shinobi in the squads. They didn't teach much stuff like that in the academy."
"That is because it requires advanced chakra control that most shinobi at that age don't possess."
"Children, you mean most children don't possess that level of chakra control."
Kakashi's visible eye softened at the venom saturating the word. "Yes, you could say that. However, it remains that this is a hard task even for an adult without years of mastery of chakra. Medical ninjutsu is used for many different types of scenarios you might encounter in the field. such as removing poison, resuscitation of a colleague, field surgery, and what we will be focusing on which is physical healing of wounds." He gestured at the bandage around her midriff. "Which, lucky for you, is the easiest one. This is also one of the skills you'll learn in ANBU."

His hand reached up and plucked a large leaf from a nearby branch, removing a kunai from his pocket he slashed the bright green surface down the middle but stopped before completing the tear.
"Repair this leaf."
"How?"
"Make it whole again."
"That's it? That's all of the instruction?"
"Yep."

He watched her take the leaf from his extended hand and she frowned at it.
"You're not going to tell me hand signs or anything?"
"This is simple chakra manipulation. Like them, you have to learn to control it and weave it like you do your hand."
She frowned back down at the leaf, and the petulance from her bottom lip elicited a small smile creeping under his mask. Her one hand made a sign to gather chakra, before placing her other hand on the leaf. After a beat, raising her hand, she returned to pouting that nothing had happened. Kakashi turned to keep his surprising delight in her disappointment hidden.

After a while, Nishira flumped to sit on the ground, back against a tree with her legs splayed out and both hands in front of her as she shredded the leaf completely in her hand on the next try. She looked around for another leaf, finding one within reach, carefully slicing it, and then continued attempting her task, her tongue pushing out one cheek. Her hand glowed an ethereal blue, and for a moment, Kakashi wondered if she'd get it so quickly but when she lifted her one hand, it was still torn but the edges were darkened from the energy sizzling it. Nishira cursed and put the leaf down, her hand curled over her mouth as she absently nibbled the skin there, intently staring at and studying the damaged leaf. The gears were turning furiously in her head.

In the distance, an unseen visitor watched the party. Inari observed their exercises, each passing minute stoked the rage in his little heart, his fist balling at his sides. He left wondering what propelled them forward, why wouldn't they give up?

The sound of a hard boulder like object hitting the ground echoed through the forest, followed by grunts and cries of frustration and pain. The students were huffing from exertion. Sasuke frowned at his lack of progress. The scratches on his tree only increased by mere inches. Naruto even less. Sakura laid on the ground, the air she sucked in couldn't soothe her burning lungs fast enough. She glanced over to her comrades, both of whom were huffing, but still determined to keep going. A wry smile came over her face to see that Naruto was making no progress. She figured he would give up and throw a fit any moment now. Without another breath, Naruto stepped away from the trunk with a frustrated yell, shaking his clenched fists.
"I knew it, he's so predictable…" Kakashi began rolling his eyes.
"Hey, hey Sakura! Could you help me get the hang of this?"
Kakashi witnessed this exchange with curiosity. Before his eyes, in the short time they'd been together, he watched the shortest shinobi of his squad develop and grow. He wondered how strong Naruto would become. Kakashi knew for certain that his abilities would dwarf even those of Sasuke, and perhaps even his. A small smile sat invisible to the outside world at the idea their adventure would be a marvel, and even a pleasure, to witness. He turned to see Nishira still in thought.
"Talk me through what's in your head right now."
Nishira continued to frown at the leaf as though it would give her the answers.
"I'm still trying to figure out the mechanics. Do I use chakra like a thread and stitch it back together, do I change chakra into a glue to glue the bits back together, do I make the chakra into the leaf material like a patch? Maybe this is a bit too advanced for me."
Kakashi looked at her quizzically frowning at the torn leaf and couldn't help the corner of his mouth turning upwards.

"Come on. They'll be here a while. We have something else to do."

The two older shinobi made their way through town, walking at a glacial pace due to their combined conditions. They mostly strode in silence, Kakashi watched as his student turned to see, not the people who milled around them but those who sat ignored on the edge. All with a degree of poverty, Nishira's eyes didn't miss even one as they passed. Dozens of soggy boxes acting as shelters, and shredded sleeping bags, all owned by dirty anonymous faces. Some held their signs with calloused hands held out for whatever help a kind stranger could spare, letters scrawled in an illiterate clumsy mess. Men, women, and children who ran through the throngs. Nishira caught the wrist of one targeting Kakashi's pack on his hip. She wordlessly stared at the child who wrenched his skinny arm back, glaring at her with endless dark eyes before disappearing into the crowd.

Nishira rummaged in her pack for a long dark scarf and donning it like a hood over her head.
"What are you doing?"
"I saw someone, someone who didn't belong. I wouldn't be surprised if they were on Gato's payroll."
"You think?"
"A man like Gato," she gave a small shiver at the name. "A man like him would stop at nothing to kill this bridgebuilder to protect his interest. I wouldn't be surprised if on top of hiring Zabuza, he had a handful of backup plans. Most contracts like this are a free for all, whoever brings back the man's head or proof of the kill gets the bounty."
"Where would you go to get that kind of work. Would there be something around here?"
"Not likely, most bounty hunters have fixers or contacts that would give them the information and instructions. This keeps local law enforcement off their tails. I suspect that some here are monitoring the old man, either to report back the actual events of his assassination if it happens or are fixers trying to ensure their hunter gets the payroll, ensuring their cut of the bounty."
"So, what's with the scarf?"
Nishira squinted at Kakashi with his loose white hair and unique way of wearing his headband over one eye, he was a shining beacon to anyone looking for him. Of course, she thought, the audacity and arrogance of a man.
"Maybe because I don't want to be watched, I am fully aware about the bingo book and that you are most definitely in it. You on crutches and me injured, the last thing I want is for people to notice us. Not everyone can be the infamous copy ninja."
"Perhaps you have a point." Kakashi rejected her offered scarf with a motion of his hand. "However, I do have missions for you."
"Here? Now?"
"Once you figure out the healing jutsu, of course. I want you to track down these people and keep tabs on them, intercept any messages they send out."
Nishira nodded.
"And," his smirk confused her. "You're getting a part-time job."
"A job? Where?"
"Helping build the bridge, of course. Where else can you keep an eye on people spying on Tazuna than working directly beside Tazuna."

As they exited the small town, the two began following a winding path through the countryside.
"Kakashi sensei, where are we going?"
"Patience, we still have a way to go."
"I don't know if the doctor would approve this much walking." Kakashi smirked
"Where we're going was actually his suggestion. We're going to the hot springs, one known for its healing properties."

Their pace was slow and steady, barely interrupting the society of nature around them. Nishira and Kakashi wound through the thick forest until they came upon a dirt path that led further inland. They walked in a comfortable silence until the terrain became rocky with an incline. Nishira slowed to allow Kakashi and his crutches to set the pace up a steep hill, large rocks exposed from the earth gave their feet purchase. Way above the tree line Nishira stopped to take in the scenery. The fresh air crept along her skin in a ticklish embrace, the smell of lush air, soaked in the humidity of the bountiful water was refreshing.
"Come on, it's not much further."

Up ahead, Nishira heard the rushing of a water, a wide river, its call a soft roar in the distance. Around the bend of the uneven terrain that gave way to a clearing, she was greeted with a whirling pool of clear water. The steam from the heat rising in lazy tendrils into the open sky above them. Nishira let out a low appreciative whistle.
"Thanks, doc!"
Nishira stepped towards it, pulling off her jacket and shirt in a swift motion, ditching the items haphazardly on the barren stony ground. She kicked off one boot, but the other was stuck. She tried wrestling it off, hoping on one foot struggling. Nishira tossed her wrestled boot the to the side before reaching for her pants and making quick work until she was only in her plain undergarments and wrappings around her elbows. Looking back, she saw Kakashi struggle with the crutches as he tried to find a seat to remove his clothing.

Without a second thought, Nishira knelt to help with the shoes. Kakashi's breath stuttered as her gentle hands took them off, gently handling his limbs. Her head stayed bowed as she unwrapped the wrappings around his ankles, the light gleamed through her hair like a crown that sat atop her head. Kakashi followed the urge and placed his hand on her head with gratitude and caressed the skin along her chin to tilt her face up towards him. There was something delicious about her kneeling before him with a tender blush on her face.
"Thank you." His words, husky and low, furthering deepening the blush.
"Here, let me help."
Her hands went to the zipper of his vest, but his hand stopped her from reaching it.
"I got it."
Nishira waited patiently as he stripped the vest off and in a slow smooth motion took the long sleeve navy undershirt with it too, revealing the bare expanse of his chest. A giggle escaped when she saw that the mask was separate from the shirt and remained firmly over the lower part of his face.
"What?"
"Sensei, do you ever show your face? That must get hot."
"No, it's actually quite comfortable."
Nishira leaned down to let Kakashi lay his heavy arm over her shoulders and walked him to the edge of the pool.
"Whoa, I can't even see the bottom over there."
Nishira carefully lowered him to sit on the side, hissing slightly as the motion jarred her wound. As she slid into the water, pushing off into the deep end in a sleek motion, her hands the last to dip below the surface, disappearing in the murky water. Her lithe body soon came back into view as she pushed up to the top. She broke the surface with a refreshed sound, as she lay back in the waters to float.
"I haven't been to a hot spring in forever."
"Hmm…" Kakashi allowed himself to gaze at her thinly veiled breasts through her soaked undergarments and was grateful for the fabric hiding his face. Nishira breathed in the rich air, with the lingering scent of an earthy richness mixed with a bit of pungent sulphur, releasing the air in a big woosh, she realized she felt the relief in her muscles slowly relaxing into the support of the balmy water.
"The doc was right, this is nice."
She embraced the sensation of floating, the gentle lapping rocked her ever so slightly, a distant ripple from the coursing river nearby. After a few long breaths, deep and soothing, she was on the verge of dozing off.
"What you did, before, facing Zabuza. I wonder…" Nishira opened her eyes at Kakashi's voice, jarring her from dozing off, looking at him sitting on the side of the pool. "Maybe I've done you a disservice by keeping you separated from the rest of team seven. I think being part of a group might be good for you." His eyes were lost in contemplation, as he absently ran his hand through his hair, shaking some of the droplets that had formed on the coarse strands.
"Here's the secret to the healing jutsu. I struggled with the healing technique myself; shinobi are not instinctually healers. The instructor at ANBU, The Butcher, yes that's her name, she tried everything to teach me that jutsu, but I just didn't get it. I could make lightning from my hands, but healing was just something I couldn't get."
He looked at his bare hands, lost again in the memory.
"But it's mandatory as many of our missions are carried out with little support from support teams like healing squads, so you have to be able to patch yourself up to get yourself out."
His gaze connected with hers.
"I'd spent so long studying how to kill, that I never thought to use it to mend something. It wasn't until I went to the springs back home that I figured it out. Being in the water made it easier to imagine being in tune with chakra and using it with the physical parts of my own body. Your jutsu, I believe, is done at a very physical level. You don't use air to hide or shield you, I believe you become one with it. Think of the way you can manipulate your physical body like that and see if you can mend your own wounds, which are similar to the cuts on the leaf."
Nishira lifted her hand from the water surface, inspecting it and looking at her teacher, before holding her hand over the wound in her belly that bobbed just above the water surface. Quietly, she summoned chakra that sent small ripples along the surface on the water, and the blue glow that flooded from her hands flickered, as Kakashi waited to see the results. Nishira frowned in concentration and stayed there for a while, the chakra changing from flickering to pulsing, frowning as it changed, before relaxing as it stayed constant in a dr. Finally, opening her eyes to see if it worked, as her hand pulled away, Nishira seemed equally as surprised to see the scarring of the stitches looking months old instead of days, the center line a brilliant white surrounded by a layer of red surrounding it and the string that had been holding it together. The dark purple of the bruise had begun fading away. The shock dropped Nishira into the water, her arms flailing as she emerged, excitedly displacing the hot water as she did.
"Fuck! That worked, you genius man!"

Nishira whirled in the water with a boisterous laugh. Looking at him upright, she swam a little closer looking up innocently, marred by a devious little smirk creeping onto her face.
"So, what other secrets are you hiding then? Your methods are very clever; Tree climbing for chakra balance, water walking for control and finesse, swimming in hot springs to heal. It has to be the mask! Show me what's under there."
"What is it with all of you and my mask?"
"It's a mystery, you could be hiding three mouths or something. We don't know. Come on, show me!"
She reached up to grab it, hoisting herself from the water, her other hand resting on his bare thigh. He put his hand up and blocked her outstretched hand and she fell back into the water, still wearing the grin. Nishira drew her hand across the surface of the water, sending a wave of hot water at him and as Kakashi raised his hand to protect his face, he felt a hand snake and pinch the fabric at his nose. Nishira shorted as his large hand gripped her wrist and hoisted her up easily, but her fingers hooked on the fabric refusing to release it. With a giddy squeal, Nishira found herself on top of him, his mismatched eyes looking deeply into hers, searching for something. His hand let go of hers grabbing the crook of her neck and pull her in to his mouth. Her hand snagged the fabric out of the way as she allowed his lips to take hers, suddenly becoming aware of his hard body under hers, her hands pressing greedily to his chest as his hand explored the curve of her waist and down the swell of her ass.

From his throat, a guttural moan came as she grinded her hips against him, she felt his response, a hard swelling beneath her, insistent and flattering that she could provoke such a reaction. She ground down a little harder, his hips bucking in response, as she nibbled down his neck, letting herself get carried away.
"Nishira," her name came out breathy, egging her on, he was distracted by her breasts pushing onto his body. "Wait, Nishira, stop." She did at his request. His hands fell from her body as her confused face wounded him. "I can't! You're my student."
He expected her to be angry, to storm off, and Kakashi would not have blamed her for it, but what he wasn't prepared for was the full bellied laugh she gave, as her hand rose to cover her mouth and stop the sound.
"You are just the most baffling and courteous man I have ever known."
Kakashi felt the words stir a deep blush crossing his bare face. The shock gave way to a warm feeling at her free smile and softened eyes that glowed with a warm honey gleam. Her hair, slick from the water stuck to the skin around her face in loose crinkles, and he felt his heart hammer in his chest looking at her with a halo of sunlight, framing her youthful body. The smile faded as the moment ended; A sad look took over, the barriers raising again as her gaze turned away from his.
"I understand, Kakashi sensei. Here, let me help you up." She did and supplied him with his discarded crutches and helped assemble his discarded clothes. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up once I get all my stuff."
Kakashi frowned as she avoided his gaze and held one modest arm over her breasts, her face burning, lips pressed together. Kakashi's resolve threatened to collapse, tempting to reach out, but he remained still. Every time he let it slip, he hurt her again. Kakashi did as she asked and began the descent back to town, leaving her behind, affirming to himself to cast his resolve into iron.