Chapter 5: Team 7's First Week of Training

"You passed?" Hiroto laughed, before taking a drag from his cigarette.

Jun looked up at his landlord leaning against the wall behind the stairs. He stopped and frowned for half a second before feeling the headband on his forehead. "Huh? Oh... er... yeah."

"Didn't think someone like you had it in ya'.'' he sneered.

'Guess I did.'

Jun ignored his comment and continued up the stairs, trying not to let Hiroto ruin his day for the billionth time. Especially today of all days. He'd finally become a genin; the first step to getting out of this dump. As he got to the top and turned towards his apartment door, he heard Hiroto shout out and laugh again.

"Don't think yer' a bigshot now 'coz ya' made it to genin, boy!"

'Fuck you.'

Jun shut his door and turned the locks. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

"Seriously?! Again?!" Naruko asked. "What's your excuse this time?!"

Kakashi smiled. "Sorry I'm late guys, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way."

Satsuki and Jun stayed silent.

Naruko, on the other hand, didn't. "We were here at 9 waiting for you, and now it's 12! If you make this a habit, I'm going straight to daddy!" she threatened, her finger pointed at him.

Kakashi waved his hands as if to shoo her off. "Ah, well, maybe you should go do that."

Before Naruko could explode, Kakashi made a hand sign, a clone popping into existence beside him, and spoke. "Congratulations to all of you for passing yesterday," he said. "It was no easy feat, trust me. No other team of mine has ever made it past the bell test. You guys are the first!"

Naruko beamed while Jun gave a small smile. Satsuki looked impassive.

"But now that you're officially genin, it is my responsibility to oversee your growth as ninja. As such, today marks the first day of Team 7's training."

He watched as all three of his students perked up at his comment. "We're going to run through a month-long training session polishing up any remaining flaws from your time at the academy, and, learning a few new tricks beyond that. For the first week, we'll focus on chakra control. You've already learned the Leaf Concentration Exercise with Iruka, so next wi-"

"If you're talking about the Tree Climbing Exercise, I already know how to do that." Satsuki interrupted.

Naruko put a hand up. "Me too!"

Jun felt 4 pairs of eyes on him and a burning in his ears. "I... don't."

Kakashi smiled and turned his attention back to the team. "That's no problem. Naruko, Satsuki, you two can start working on the Water Walking Exercise then. Jun, you'll be with me."

"Sounds good, Kakashi-nii! Good luck Jun!"

"Hn."

Naruko and Satsuki left with the clone, making their way to the lake situated in the training ground. Jun watched as they did, following the real Kakashi to the edge of the forest. Kakashi removed a kunai from his pouch, throwing it to the top of the tree they had stopped in front of, before turning to face Jun.

"The Tree Climbing Exercise is a training method used to gain more skill in chakra control. It involves focusing a fixed amount of chakra on the bottom of one's feet, and using that to climb a tree without using one's hands. If the stream of chakra is too weak, the user will lose their footing on the tree and fall off. If it is too strong, the user will be pushed away from the tree, causing the tree to fracture around the point of contact, and the user will fall. With me so far?"

Jun nodded.

"Good. The kunai is your target. Reaching it is your goal, and will show you've mastered the exercise. You can begin whenever you're ready." he finished.

Jun looked up at the almost daunting size of the tree, embarrassment flooding his body. 'Naruko and Satsuki already know this. But I don't. God, why was I put on this team? Of course they would be this far ahead of me already. The Hokage's daughter, the Uchiha heir and me.'

Jun shook his head. 'Whatever.'

He glanced at Kakashi, who was currently reading his book, before taking a step back and running straight at the tree. He focused his chakra towards his feet, trying to feel how much would be an appropriate amount and started to run up. It wasn't long before his second step had him launching backwards, falling on his ass and cracking the bark.

"Fuck."

"Language." chided Kakashi lightly, still nose-deep into his book.

Jun dusted himself off. 'Let's try that again.'

He took off towards the tree once more, but this time focusing less chakra towards his feet. He felt his feet attach to the bark and he started to run up. One step, two, thre-.

Jun felt his feet slip and he grabbed at the air before he fell on his ass again. "F-" he began to say, before looking at Kakashi.

"Thank you."

This was going to be a long day.

"Ahahahahahaha!" laughed Naruko, holding her sides.

Satsuki pulled herself out of the lake, her long, wet hair sticking to her face while looking at Naruko with anger, which only served to make her laugh even more.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

"Shut up, loser." she seethed.

Satsuki had fallen into the lake on her first step, ignoring Kakashi's clone and trying to complete the exercise straight away. If she could walk on trees without thinking, water shouldn't have been an issue, right? Wrong.

Kakashi's clone looked amused. "As I was saying, the Water Walking Exercise is similar to the Tree Climbing Exercise, in that it's a training method also used to gain better chakra control. To do this the user has to be emitting a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet and using the repellent force to walk across the water's surface. However, this technique is more difficult to master because the amount of chakra that needs to be emitted changes constantly. Eloquently shown of course by our very own Satsuki."

Naruko snorted at Kakashi's comment and Satsuki narrowed her eyes. "Do you even know what eloquent means you idiot?"

Naruko paused and Satsuki waited for her usual outburst. Instead, she pointed and started to laugh again. "Ahahahaha! You looked like a fish!"

"That is it!" Satsuki growled, her eyes flashing red.

Before she could throw a punch, Kakashi blocked her way. "Now, now, there'll be plenty of time for sparring in the following weeks. For now, let's focus on chakra control, shall we?"

Satsuki's eyes returned to their normal black and she gritted her teeth. Sparring Naruko was going to feel more satisfying than usual. She could wait.

Kakashi faced both of them and continued. "Over time, the more one trains this technique the closer they reach a state where they are able to stand on water without even noticing it or trying. It also doesn't have to be just at the feet. A user under water can focus chakra on their hands or any other body part that makes contact with the water's surface. If they were submerged, they could climb atop the water as if they were climbing out of a pool."

Naruko nodded and looked at Satsuki. "Thank you for the very informative lecture Kakashi-nii," she said, a sly grin on her face. "I'll take that information and use it to show ya' how it's really done."

Satsuki looked on with narrowed eyes as Naruko walked to the edge of the lake. She watched as Naruko tested the water first, placing her foot on and off until she could stand with it, and then doing the same with her second. Once she was confident she could stand with one foot each, Naruko moved on to both. She again did the same, testing on and off and, once she felt it was secure, she placed the other foot on the lake at the same time. She slowly stepped forward and turned around.

"See Satsuki? That's how you're supposed to do it." Naruko said. She took a few more steps towards the centre of the lake and turned around with a devious smile. "Ya' know, you're too cocky for your own go-"

Naruko flailed her arms as she toppled over into the lake.

Satsuki smirked. "Hn."

6 hours had passed since Team 7 first started their exercises. They'd separately taken a lunch break around 3pm. Kakashi, and his clone, had pulled out lunches from a scroll as they hadn't packed any of their own. They'd quickly chowed down and resumed their training, not wanting to waste any time.

Jun had opted to take his jacket off 30 minutes in, as the combined annoyances of it being a dust magnet, breaking his concentration when it flapped into his arms and the heat of training, was getting to him. He was happy he'd made some headway on the Tree Climbing Exercise at least. By early evening, he could make it to around halfway up the tree's height before feeling his feet slip. He'd decided early on he'd rather have a stream of less chakra than more; at least that way he wouldn't launch back on his ass and he could land on his feet.

Jun ran up the tree once more, knicking the bark with his kunai an inch above the last mark before landing back down on the ground. He was distracted from his heavy breathing when he heard Kakashi's book snap shut.

"That's enough for today. Let's get something to eat." he smiled.

Jun nodded and let out a 'sure', picking up his discarded jacket and tying it around his waist. He followed Kakashi back to the main area of Training Ground 7 and spotted Naruko and Satsuki walking towards them, alongside Kakashi's clone. It was only when they got closer he realised they were soaked from head to toe.

Jun stifled a laugh. "What happened to you guys?"

Naruko and Satsuki stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Uh... never mind." he said, fighting the smile on his face.

Kakashi's clone puffed away in white smoke and they all turned their attention to him.

"How does barbecue sound?" he asked. "My treat."

Yakiniku Q was a hotspot for any lover of barbecue, casual or superfan. The large restaurant attracted numerous customers, especially for celebrations or nights out. Jun had often passed by its large windows, glancing inside to see gatherings of friends and families spending time together. He'd always wished he was in there with them, with his own friends, or his own family.

On the way there, Naruko and Satsuki had dried up considerably and had lightened up. Each member of Team 7 conversed with each other about their day. Jun had laughed at Naruko's recounting of Satsuki's first step on the lake, and then again when Satsuki fired back with Naruko's own fall. He'd told them about his own progress to which Naruko gave reaffirming praise and Satsuki nodded. By tomorrow, he knew he'd be able to scale the full thing.

Jun looked around at all the people in the village. It was a Friday night, and as such, the Leaf was dense with civilians and shinobi alike. Groups of friends, either male, female or mixed, families and couples were all out tonight. Bars, clubs and restaurants were all bustling with noise and business. For once, Naruko wasn't the loudest person around.

Jun tuned out the anxiety he felt at such large crowds and washed away the thoughts of whoever owned Yakiniku Q. He'd only been with Naruko and Satsuki the last time he went to Ichiraku's, and that had gone without a hitch, sort of. With Kakashi here too, he was sure everything would be fine.

Before he knew it, Team 7 had arrived at their destination. Jun had often passed by Yakiniku's large windows, but he had never stepped inside. While Kakashi talked to the waitress, Jun took in the interior; multiple green-seated booths with tables that had a built-in charcoal brazier, and menus plastered all over the walls. He noticed some customers seated on the floor with green cushions as their seats, laughing and drinking as they ate.

"Naruko? Satsuki? Hey, what are you guys doing here?" a muffled voice asked.

Team 7 looked to see the one and only Choji Akamichi, stuffing his mouth with barbecued meat. Alongside him were Shikamaru and Ino, and further along Asuma Sarutobi. It was Team 10.

Naruko jumped towards them and waved. "Hey, Choji!" She looked over to Shikamaru and Ino. "Hey guys! We're just getting some dinner. We've been training all day and we're starving!"

Satsuki stepped forward. "Some more than others."

"Hey!"

Asuma looked over to Kakashi. "Why don't you join us? We just got here."

"Sure."

"Hey, another round of the special platter, please! And 4 more plates!" Asuma called out to a waitress. She nodded and immediately walked away, returning with 4 plates and 4 pairs of chopsticks.

Team 10 stood up to make space for Team 7. Naruko immediately sat beside Ino who was beside Choji next to the wall, while Satsuki and Jun took places on either side of Shikamaru opposite them. Kakashi sat beside Jun and Asuma beside Naruko also facing each other, nearest to the edge. Team 7 each put a slice of raw meat onto the grill, giving it a few minutes to cook.

Ino was the first to speak. "So you've been training all day? Your sensei is so harsh Naruko! We've only just graduated!"

"Ugh, tell me about it," Naruko replied, rolling her eyes. "Kakashi-nii gets to our training ground three hours late and then makes us train for another six! And he was three hours late yesterday! Can you believe it?"

Asuma chuckled. "Oh, that's not new."

Naruko turned her head to face Asuma. "Wait, so he's always been a lazy bastard?"

"Language." chided Kakashi.

Naruko rolled her eyes again and turned back to Ino.

"What were you training today?" she asked.

"Chakra control!"

"Chakra control?" asked Ino. "We all know how to walk on trees thou-" Ino felt a kick under the table and glared at Shikamaru. "Hey, what the hell was that for?"

'Oh, for fuck's sake. The last thing I need right now is attention for how weak I am.'

Naruko looked back and forth between Ino and Jun meekly. "Erm... well... yeah the Tree Climbing Exercise is good for chakra control... and... stuff. But well... Jun doesn't know it so... that's what he was practising today. Me and Satsuki were practising water walking."

"Smooth." said Satsuki.

Naruko glared at her.

"Oh," said Ino, realising why Shikamaru had kicked her. "Right, yeah. Sorry about that... Jun. I guess I just assumed everyone knew it."

The awkward silence was broken by Choji's munching.

Jun waved a hand and gave a fake smile, noticed by the two jonin, Shikamaru and Satsuki. "No worries Ino."

He reached out with his chopsticks and took the meat from his grill, Team 7 did the same.

Ino continued on as if nothing had happened. "Water walking though? Wow! How does that work?"

"Well," Naruko started confidently, "It's really the same as tree climbing, you focus chakra at your feet but it's different because... erm... the water... changes?" she trailed off with a puzzled look.

"Idiot." said Satsuki.

"Shut up, you bastard!" shouted Naruko. Then, she smirked. "At least I didn't fall straight in."

It was Satsuki's turn to glare at Naruko. "Tell me who nearly drowned again?"

"Okay, okay, enough." Kakashi said. Jun noticed his plate was empty. When had he eaten?

"Whatever." Naruko replied.

A waitress walked over to the booth, her hands supporting a large tray of various meats alongside bowls of rice and vegetables.

"One special platter!" she called out.

Asuma nodded and she placed it down on the table. This time both Team 7 and Team 10 picked at the platter, the last nearly finished thanks to Choji.

"So, what did you guys do today?" Naruko asked, glancing at Team 10.

Ino twirled a lock of her light blonde hair and laughed. "Literally nothing. Just getting to know Asuma-sensei a bit more."

"Lucky," she replied, taking some rice and placing it in her mouth. "Kakashi-nii doesn't tell us anything."

"Yeah, he was telling us stories about Lord Third." said Choji, picking up some meat from his plate.

"Wow!" Naruko's eyes sparkled and she faced Asuma. It was no secret she was a big fan of the Hokage, especially the Third. "Tell us one! Tell us one!"

Asuma chuckled. "Maybe another time."

"Aw, man."

"Other than that, Shikamaru and Asuma-sensei played some shogi and we did a bit of cloud watching. Boring." Ino said.

"Tch."

"I really don't see what you get out of it." she said to Shikamaru.

Naruko giggled at the interaction.

"Well, if he likes it, he likes it right?" mumbled Choji, reaching over with his chopsticks to place some meat on the grill.

"Ugh, Choji!" Ino remarked, hitting him lightly on the arm. "You gotta back me up too sometimes ya' know!"

"Ow!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and turned to Jun. 'Troublesome women.'

"So, Jun. How are you finding Team 7?" he asked, stealing some food from Choji's plate.

Jun looked up from his own plate to see the whole table focused on him, followed by a wave of anxiety. 'Fuck, I've got a problem.'

"Yeah, it's... cool." he spat out awkwardly. He cringed inwardly and continued, hoping he could save some face. "Kakashi-sensei is a pretty good teacher and Naruko and Satsuki are fun to be around."

Naruko beamed. "Thanks, Jun! You're fun to be around too!"

Satsuki stayed silent, quietly eating some salted tomatoes.

'Only you think that.' Jun sighed inwardly. Well, at least Naruko was a genuine person. He couldn't fault her for that.

"How are Haruki and Ema doing? Have you talked to them since graduation?" asked Shikamaru.

Jun was momentarily taken aback by the question. How did he know their names?

"Who are they?" asked Ino.

'That's more along the lines of what I was expecting.'

"His friends. They're on Sakura's team." Choji said, speaking as he ate.

Ino gave a look of realisation.

"Best friends." blurted Jun, as if to defend them. "Um... but, yeah, no, I haven't talked to them yet."

"Ah, well, I hope they're okay." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, me too."

The rest of the evening went on smoothly. Team 7 ate more of the second platter than Team 10 did, their hunger apparent from the day's training. (Jun still couldn't figure out when Kakashi was eating, as he never saw him pulling down his mask). Naruko and Ino carried on their conversation, moving onto different topics every 5 minutes, from their parents to family jutsu to the 'good old days' of the academy and how they were growing up. Choji chimed in here and there while Jun, Shikamaru and Satsuki remained mostly silent. Asuma and Kakashi engaged in their own quiet conversation so as not to disturb their students 'team bonding'. Before they knew it, dinner was over.

After Asuma and Kakashi paid the bill, both teams walked out together, making their way through the busy district while they listened to Naruko's ramblings, their senseis following a few feet behind.

"-and then he sealed away the Nine-Tails forever! That's why he's one of the greatest Hokage to ever live! He saved the Leaf!"

"You know, so did your dad Naruko." Ino said.

Naruko blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, him too."

"He's probably my favourite Hokage." Jun said quietly.

"Who? My dad?" Naruko asked.

Jun nodded.

"No way, you're embarrassing me ya' know!"

"No really! He-"

"OI!"

Jun turned his head.

"Yeah! You!"

Both teams had passed a bar. A very clearly drunk man had sauntered out, beer in hand, his finger pointing directly at Jun.

'No, please, no. Not today, not right now.'

"Yeah, yeah, am talkin' to you!" he said again, his finger now jabbing the air. "What the FUCK do you think yer doin' here?!" he shouted.

"What the hell is his problem?" Ino whispered to Naruko.

Shikamaru and Satsuki glanced at Jun, not that he saw them do so.

Jun spoke up. "It's nothing. He's drunk. We should just go." he said, walking ahead.

The man staggered towards them. "Don't FUCKING WALK AWAY FROM ME! You little shit!" he shouted, throwing his bottle at Jun's feet.

Jun paused and looked down at the broken glass surrounding him. He turned back.

"Hey get away from us, you freak!" Ino said.

"Yeah, you're drunk as hell you old bastard!" Naruko added. "Get lost!"

"Why don't yer tell that lil' fucker to get lost instead?! Huh?!" he said, pointing at Jun.

Naruko raised her voice. "Jun? He hasn't done anything to you! What's your problem?!"

The man swayed before finding his balance. "What's my problem?! Oh, I'll tell ya' what my problem is!"

"You're going to want to stop talking right now." Kakashi's cold voice pierced the air.

"Huh?" The man turned around until he was face to face with Kakashi and Asuma. "Aw, shit. Yer- yer-"

Kakashi pulled in close, his face inches apart from the man's. "Say one more word about Jun and I'll be forced to ram a lighting blade through your heart. S-class secrets are S-class for a reason." he said in a low voice.

"What's Kakashi-sensei saying?" asked Choji. No one answered.

The man stumbled back. "It ain't even- It ain't even- fuck it!"

He turned around and staggered back towards the bar, falling down into a seat.

Kakashi turned around with a smile. "You know how drunk people can get sometimes. C'mon, let's get you guys home. It's late."

The rest of the walk home was sombre. Even the usual hyper Naruko was muted, stealing glances at Jun as she tried to come up with a way to comfort him. She had been terrified during the interaction herself; she couldn't imagine how Jun must have felt. But no matter how hard she tried, she knew there was nothing she could say. She glanced once more at Jun, slightly relaxed by the fact Kakashi was walking right next to him.

Eventually, both teams reached a 4-way junction. There was a tentative unease in the air, but nevertheless, Ino hugged Naruko goodbye while everyone else gave a small wave. Team 10 left together as their clan compounds were all situated right next to each other, while Team 7 split off to their homes in different directions. Satsuki left without a word, while Kakashi reassured Jun about tonight's events before leaving himself. Just as Naruko was about to leave too, Jun decided this would be the perfect time to thank her.

"Hey, Naruko?" Jun said, approaching her hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Naruko asked softly. He noticed her blue eyes almost glow in the dark.

"Thanks. For before."

Naruko tried to fight the smile on her face to no avail. Immediately, she jumped towards Jun and squeezed him in a hug. "Of course, Jun! We're teammates after all!"

Jun's body tensed up and he blushed a deep red at the physical contact. "Y-Yeah, teammates." he stammered.

Naruko removed her arms and stepped back, her long blonde hair framing her face. He couldn't stop the thought forming in his head. 'She looks beautiful.'

'Well, I better get home before mom shouts at me. She can get scary when it's late ya' know! Get home safe Jun!" Naruko waved goodbye and started to run home.

"You too." he said quietly, giving back a small wave, his face settling into the first real smile of the day.

Jun turned in the opposite direction to Naruko, hands stuffed in his pockets, as he tried his best to get Naruko's face out of his head. 'Teammates, huh?'

"Shi-"

"Thank you."

Jun looked up from Kakashi to his latest mark in the tree. He'd just made it past 3/4 of the way. He seemed to be averaging around 25% of the tree's height every 3 hours, and it was 4pm right now. He didn't want to wait until 7, so by 6, he'd have it down. The sooner he could finish this exercise, the sooner he could start water walking, and the sooner he could catch up to Naruko and Satsuki. However, there was a nagging thought in the back of his head that by the time he caught up to where they were now, they'd already be further ahead.

Jun flipped back onto his feet and readied his kunai. He darted towards the tree, barely focusing on directing the chakra towards his feet, he could do it nearly without thinking now, and started his ascent. He made sure the stream of chakra was constant, not too much, not too little, and, step by step, he quickly scaled the tree. As he went further and further up, he could see his latest mark coming into view. He felt the stream to his feet slip for half a second, but he gathered it back and climbed further still. He pushed his feet against the tree and stretched his arm out, digging the kunai into the bark as he felt his feet slip entirely. Another inch gained.

Jun landed back on the ground.

"How do you think Naruko and Satsuki are doing?" he heard Kakashi's voice ask.

Jun turned to his sensei. "Huh?"

"The water exercise, how far do you think they've gotten?"

Jun felt anger rise up in him, the comparison to his teammates fuelling his insecurities. "I don't know."

"Hm."

Jun tried to ignore his teacher's question and readied himself again. He darted towards the tree once more, again easily directing the chakra towards his feet, and starting his ascent. Just like before, he quickly scaled the tree, the mark coming into view. But Kakashi's question slipped back into his mind. 'How far do you think they've gotten?'

Jun's foot slipped at the halfway point and he fell back to the ground.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" he shouted, hammering the ground with his fists.

"Language."

Jun gripped his kunai tight. "Fuck your language! I've been at this for two days and I still can't get it! Naruko and Satsuki probably learned it in one night!"

"So?"

"So?! So why are you asking me about the water exercise?! I'm aware I'm behind, but I'm fucking trying!"

Kakashi set down his book and stayed silent. His lone eye bored into Jun's. "It's not about who you are right now. It's about the potential of who you can be in the future."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means. You were put on this team for a reason Jun. It wasn't luck. Iruka was right when he told you Lord Hokage put these teams together himself. Especially Team 7."

"Yeah, because his precious daughter's on it."

"Do you have something against Naruko?"

Jun's eyes softened as the memories of last night entered his mind. "I... no...I don't. I'm sorry. I'm just... angry. Not at her though, or anyone else really. I'm angry at myself. It's not a pleasant feeling, being... like this."

"Like what?"

Jun paused for a second. "I... Nothing."

"Like what?" he asked again.

Jun looked straight at Kakashi. "Like this. Like me. Weak, alone, and behind. Trying to be the best you can be but watching everyone else around you have it better. At least they have a family. At least they get to go home to someone every night. I live in a dump. Every month I have to scrape by. I feel like a nobody, surrounded by everyone who's anyone. Naruko and Satsuki seem so far ahead of me, that I have no idea if I'll ever catch up. The Sharingan, Fireball Jutsu, Shadow Clones, Naruko's bloodline limit and the fact her father is one of if not the most powerful man alive. And all of their friends come from clans. I don't belong here. I don't fit in with these people. Do you think they'd ever be spoken to the way I was by that drunk guy? The way they looked at me like I was some - some charity case. I mean, you saw what Ino was like the other day. She looked at me like I didn't even matter. "

"No, Jun. She looked at you like she didn't know you. Because she doesn't. None of them do. You get too much into your own head sometimes. You're not weak Jun. And neither are Naruko and Satsuki. They've worked hard to get where they are. They're training just as hard as you, even harder when they were younger. Nothing they have was handed down to them on a silver platter. Yes, they come from renowned clans, and yes their families are well known throughout the leaf. Someone from your background will see that as a huge headstart, but you have to understand it's not all sunshine and roses. I know how you view the other teams. The students who come from clans? They don't have it as easy as you think. It's a lot of pressure to be the heir to your clan. To train every day since the age of 4 so you can make your family proud. Their status doesn't change who they are as people. Get to know them first, before you make your judgements. Did Shikamaru not speak to you? Was Choji not friendly? Have Naruko and Satsuki ever shown you hostility?"

Jun stayed silent.

"Your past doesn't dictate your future Jun. It didn't dictate it for Lord Fourth, or for Lord Jiraiya, or... for me."

"For you?"

"I lived alone too. From the age of 6. I was bitter, resentful and full of anger like you. I know how that feels. If I had continued down that path, I wouldn't be here today. My friends, my comrades, they were the people who helped me when I needed it most. You need to let those feelings go. The same way I did. Or it'll destroy you from the inside. Trust in your comrades. After all, we're in teams for a reason."

There was a long pause between the two. The chirping of crickets and the fluttering of leaves were all that could be heard for a while. Jun replayed Kakashi's words over and over in his mind. He couldn't fault them. So caught up in his self-loathing he realised he hadn't given his teammates a fair chance. He had to stop competing with them like this.

Jun bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry."

Kakashi waved his hand sheepishly. "That's okay." he smiled. "Let's get done with the Tree Climbing Exercise, shall we?"

Jun gripped his kunai tightly again, but this time in determination instead of anger. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruko dodged Satsuki's swipe and jumped backwards. "Come catch me, bastard!"

"Shut up loser."

Satsuki chased after Naruko, determined to be the winner of today's tag game. Kakashi had told them to try catching each other once he deemed them sufficient enough to walk on water without falling into the lake. By focusing more on 'tag', they would focus less on the chakra stream to their feet. That way, their ability to water walk without thinking would be quicker to attain. Both girls had fallen in a few times once they sped up, but they quickly learned to focus chakra onto their hands before they completely submerged, dragging themselves out using the surface, and continuing the game.

'The first week of training is coming along nicely.' Kakashi's clone thought to himself.

He watched as his students ran after one another. Right now Naruko was 'it' and Satsuki was getting as far away as she could. The clone pulled out an orange book, paying no mind to the 'Tag!' he heard from Naruko, and continued from where he had left off. The real Kakashi wouldn't mind, right?

'A couple more hours and we'll be done for the day.'

'Nearly there.' Jun smiled to himself.

It was coming up to 6pm, and Jun had sped up his progress. His last mark had been a foot away from Kakashi's embedded Kunai. This run would be his last. He'd been increasing his height in inches so far, but this time it'd be a foot. Maybe more.

Jun sat down for 5 minutes, catching his breath and moulding his chakra. He'd have to push if he wanted to complete the exercise right now. He'd catch up to Naruko and Satsuki soon enough.

Jun stood up and dusted himself off, for what he hoped would be the final time, and gripped his kunai once more. He took a deep breath and bolted towards the tree, no thought involved in directing chakra to his feet. He knew the stream of chakra was constant, and, step by step, he quickly scaled the tree once more. As he climbed further still, Kakashi's kunai came into view. His goal wasn't the mark anymore, it was the kunai. Jun pushed himself further, clearing his mind of any doubts and pressed hard against the tree. He felt the force of his chakra pushing him away and allowing him to take the next step, and the next, and the next. He rushed past his last mark, eyes only on the kunai. It was all or nothing. Jun's insides felt excited. He was actually doing it!

Jun reached out and felt Kakashi's kunai brush against his fingertips. In one swift motion, he grabbed and pulled it out of its hole and ran on further still, emboldened by his success. He couldn't stop the laugh from escaping his lips.

Just as the tree trunk ran out of length, Jun increased the chakra output to his feet ever so slightly, launching himself back as he flipped over onto a branch. He let himself slide around, firmly planting his feet on its underside, his black hair and long headband hanging towards the earth as he held himself upside down.

"YEAHAHA!"

Jun drunk in the upside-down view of Training Ground 7. He could see the massive plain field, noticing the patches of dry sandy earth where ninja had clearly trained. He saw Naruko and Satsuki on the lake off to the right (or was it the left?), and further beyond the many trees that made up its surrounding forest. He let the elation run through his body as his eyes scanned the landscape. Once his heart rate had slowed, Jun cut off the chakra to his feet and felt himself falling down. He slowly flipped his body the right way up and landed on the ground with his knees bent to a resounding thud.

"Well done." came the calm voice of Kakashi. Jun's infectious smile had worn off on his teacher and for the first time, Jun felt like Kakashi's smile was genuine.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei," he replied, holding out his kunai. "Here, this is yours."

Kakashi waved his hand down. "Keep it. It's yours now."

Jun nodded, smile still on his face, and pocketed both kunai.

"So, can I move onto water walking tomorrow?" he asked.

"Take your time Jun! Or you'll fall in like this bastard did." Naruko snorted.

"I'm going to drown you."

Jun looked up at Naruko and Satsuki standing on the lake, and then back down to its edge. On his right was Kakashi, no clone around this time, who was busy reading his book again.

"Try one foot first, and then the second," he said. "It worked for Naruko.'

Satsuki glared at her sensei. "You're not funny, Kakashi."

"That's Kakashi-sensei to you." he replied, unperturbed.

Jun hovered one foot on the surface of the lake and slowly lowered it until it made contact. He pressed down lightly and felt his foot stick to the water. Not wanting to take more time catching up to his teammates, he immediately placed his second foot onto the lake.

"Well done Jun!" said Naruko.

"Careful." Satsuki added.

Jun tentatively took a few more steps forward. 'Huh,' he thought, 'This seems easier than it was made out to be.'

"Wow, you're really good at this!"

"Thanks, Naruko."

'Kakashi was right. I do get into my own head too much sometimes.'

"Really?" Satsuki asked. Jun looked up and followed her line of sight to Kakashi, who was holding a small stone in his hand.

He watched as he threw it beside him and heard the splash of the stone disturb the lake. He felt the lake move beneath his feet, and without even thinking, as if his body was naturally attuned to the water surrounding him, his chakra stream automatically changed to match the slight waves caused. Jun didn't even notice it happening.

Everyone was silent.

Jun looked at his team. "What?"

"How did you not fall in?" asked Naruko.

"He was trying to make me fall in?! Kakashi-sensei, you're kind of an asshole."

"How did you learn to change your chakra stream that quickly?" Satsuki asked.

"Change my chakra stream?"

Satstuki rubbed her eyes. "Nevermind."

Naruko ran over to Jun and pulled his hand, a slight blush forming on his face. "C'mon let's play tag! Winner gets to choose where we eat tonight! Kakashi-nii's treat. Right?"

Kakashi sighed. "Sure."

"We are not eating ramen." Satsuki said, running after her teammates.

Kakashi watched his students chase each other over the lake, his mind occupied by Jun's fast grip on the Water Walking Exercise. 'How interesting.'

The rest of the week continued on similarly. More water-walking, more tag and Kakashi had introduced light sparring while on the lake near the end. Jun won almost all of the tag games, while Satsuki came out on top in the spars. By next Friday, Kakashi was confident they had mastered chakra control, plus, they could walk on trees and water now. That was enough for fresh genin.

Next week would be taijutsu.

So originally I was going to split it up into first day/first week/first month of training but then decided to just put it all into one month. Halfway through writing it, I realised the chapter was going to be upwards of 20k words alone and so then decided I should probably just split it into 4 weeks. Too bad I pre-planned all my chapters because now I'm going to have to sort them all out again. Fanfiction really needs a drop-and-drag style order system.

Thank you so much for your patience, I know I've been taking a *really* long time but as always thank you for reading!