As soon as the shoji doors snapped shut, the room seemed to drop a few degrees as the two shinobi made eye contact. The table between them didn't seem to be enough space to keep Kakashi from tensing further—he was trapped. Yes, he could leave if he wanted to, but it was his duty to meet with his student's new teacher, no matter how much he didn't want to. Even though he could feel his body coiling and preparing for an attack, Orochimaru looked far too calm as he sipped his tea.

"You remind me a lot of your father, pup."

Jerking in surprise, Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Nobody had called him that name in a long time.

"Really." He spoke evenly, even though he wanted to bare his teeth and growl. Why was he acting this way? Orochimaru wasn't going to actually attack him, but that was just it. He wasn't harming him in any way, but taking something away from him—one of his first students. They hadn't been a team for long, nor him a good teacher, but it was hard to let go of pack.

"In many ways, yes," Orochimaru nodded and set down his cup delicately. "However, in the aspect of being a sensei, he was superior."

It would have hurt less if Orochimaru had simply stabbed him with Kusanagi. There had been many nights he had stayed awake thinking about this very thing; he knew he was utterly useless at being a sensei and wished he could ask his father for advice. But, as it stood, that was impossible. The image of his father's cold body, laying in a pool of his own blood, flashed through Kakashi's mind.

"I do not think this is necessarily solely your fault," Orochimaru continued. Kakashi's head snapped up to stare at the man. His gaze was piercing, but somehow sympathetic as he explained. "I know you, Hatake Kakashi. You are a product of war, and it was ridiculous for the village to assume you could easily become something you were not trained to be. Others have taken to the peace well, but you have never stopped fighting. Minato-san should have known better than to give you a genin team soon after taking you off Anbu missions."

"I should have been able to handle it," Kakashi's voice rung with bitterness. He could feel his nails cutting into his palms harshly as he glared down at his tea. Maybe Orochimaru was going to be merciful and simply poison him, finally end this embarrassment.

"With barely any help?" Orochimaru snorted derisively. "You were a child for a handful of years, and a warrior for the rest of your life. You had no idea how to train younglings that didn't already have a dozen kills under their belts. You were an Anbu captain, not an Academy teacher. Your own sensei should have been guiding you, but in the same vein, you did not seek any help to become a better teacher for your students."

Kakashi clenched his jaw and refused to meet the judgement that was coming off Orochimaru.

"You are best friends with Maito Gai. There was never a time you couldn't have asked him to have a joint training session with you and give you an example of how to be a proper sensei. You could have asked just about any of your jonin companions, and yet, you didn't." Every word was a precise strike into his ego, sharply cutting him like the expert swordsman Orochimaru was. "Do you realize how far your students could have come if you had put more effort into them?"

"Sasuke and Naruto have grown a lot," Kakashi said sharply. He wasn't going to argue he hadn't tried, but his students had come far.

"Have they?" The Sannin raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly to examine Kakashi. "From what I saw, young Naruto still uses the fighting style of his parents and the shadow clone jutsu that he acquired before becoming a genin. Uchiha Sasuke has an impressive grasp on his clan's jutsu, but neither boy have shown much growth beyond what their families have taught them. And, we haven't even mentioned my newest hatchling."

Bristling, Kakashi wished he could lash out. If only he could smack that mocking sneer off the other man's face, then maybe he could pretend he hadn't failed his students.

"She has learned nothing under your tutelage. We both know that she is incredibly smart, and yet you did not challenge her at all."

"She showed no drive to actually learn," Kakashi defended himself, even if it sounded weak to his ears.

"Then, as her sensei, you should found a way to motivate her," Orochimaru said sharply. "If she had refused, then you could have taken her off your team. Instead, you wasted six months of your students' time, and sent them into the Chunin Exams when you knew very well none of them could handle it."

"Their teamwork was good enough to take them to the final rounds."

"If the little Uchiha is willing to kill her over misplaced jealousy, then I do not think they had any kind of teamwork to speak of," Orochimaru hissed. "My own team is considered to be the most stubborn, constantly deadlocking team to ever been produced, but even we are able to put our feelings aside when the time calls for it. What I saw between your students was not teamwork."

"Then what do you want from me?!" Kakashi felt his patience snapped. He refused to sit here and be berated by someone willing to throw around his father's memory! "I was left with three squabbling students who I knew wouldn't be mine for long! The Uchiha hate me, and they wouldn't have allowed Sasuke to be my student for long. And we both know Minato-sensei wanted Jiraiya to be Naruto's teacher since he was born. What was I supposed to do when I was a simple place holder?!"

Panting, Kakashi found himself leaning across the table, a low growl vibrating in his throat. His cup of tea had been knocked over from the impact of his hands slamming on the table, but he couldn't care less. He was beyond furious at this whole situation. He already beat himself up for his failings, he didn't need a stuck up, condescending superior laying them out for all to see.

"Like I said, Kakashi-kun," Orochimaru's voice was softer this time after he let Kakashi gather himself. "You were not given the right tools, and this should not have been your first team."

Taking deep breaths, Kakashi nodded. At least someone agreed with him that this whole thing was unfair—not only to himself, but his students as well. They didn't deserve to have him as their sensei. Maybe then Sasuke wouldn't have tried to kill Sakura, and she would have been able to grow as she should have been since the very beginning.

"That being said," Orochimaru continued, and Kakashi reluctantly met his eyes. Only to feel dread wash over him at the sadistic gleam in the older man's eyes. "I have suggested a different teaching position for you, and Minato-san seems to think it would do wonders for you."

Not trusting himself not to say any unsavory words, Kakashi settled on glaring at him Orochimaru. What was the man up to?

"I have looked into the Academy's supplementary programs for their civilian born students, and I think that would be a much better position for you. You will not be expected to train them in anything other than the Academy three, Konaha's history, and simple chakra exercises. It is minimal training, so it should not take away from your jonin duties."

"Why…" Kakashi was lost for words. He couldn't believe a word coming out of the snake's mouth.

"It is obvious you see your students as students simply playing at being shinobi. If that is how you see them, then maybe you should spend time with students that are actually that."

"You can't do this."

"I haven't done anything," Orochimaru shrugged, but a smug smirk grew on his lips. "I suggested the idea to Minato-san, and it will be his decision to assign you to such a position."

It felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him as Kakashi gaped like a fish. He didn't know how much influence Orochimaru truly had, but with his ability to create elaborate tests at the drop of a hat, play with clan politics like it's nothing, and still have his way in every situation, then Kakashi didn't doubt that his fate had been sealed.

Shoulders dropping, Kakashi felt numb.

"If you need any help or advice in dealing with little ones, Kimimaro will be interning at the Academy this upcoming semester. And, of course, my door is always open to you, pup."

He could only stare straight ahead, desperately trying to chase away the cold that had entered his entire being. Time and time again, he had heard the rumors to stay away from the Legendary Sannin; all three of them meant trouble and brought chaos in their wake. Now, here he was, reaping the consequences of dancing so close to such danger. He should have known better.

"Sakura-chan!"

Tenzo's surprised shout just barely broke through Kakashi's mental fog, and he didn't know when he had jumped to his feet and was halfway out the door towards the pair. Rushing down the engawa, his eyes located them, only to see both unharmed. In fact, Sakura had a wide smile on her face and a branch in her hands. Scanning her over, he was about to relax, when he saw—

"Sakura!" He couldn't help the strangled scream that got caught in his throat. The branch! The branch was growing in her hands! His heart threatened to jump out of his chest as he stared at the soft, pink petals that littered the ground around the girl. Her big, emerald eyes stared at him in fear, and he could only stare back with the same expression.

"Looks like I will have my third mokuton using student."

Whipping his head around, Kakashi stared at Orochimaru as if he had grown a second head—which wouldn't be that shocking when it came to the snake Sannin. How could this be? Sakura was from a civilian clan! There was no way she had gotten the wood style kekkai genkai without being a Senju. But, as that thought ran through his head, his heart dropped, and he looked over at Tenzo.

Unless…

"Will we be visiting Nawak-oji, Oro-sama?" Tenzo called out. He was holding Sakura's hands in his as he gently stroked them. The panic in her eyes had ceased as she stared down at the flower petals with awe and confusion. Had she even known what she was doing?

"That would be wise," Orochimaru hummed in thought next to him. "He will no doubt try to adopt you into the Senju clan, but we will gently refuse his offer. His mokuton isn't as strong as Tenzo's since of his injuries, but he will be pleased to meet another user."

"What!" Kakashi whirled on the Sannin, hissing in his face. "How does she even have it? Did ROOT grab her?"

"ROOT was dismantled years ago," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in warning. "I am not totally sure on why she has this ability, but Tenzo and I have hypothesized that a person with a perfect balance of water and earth chakra could potentially produce the mokuton."

What? How did he know her chakra affinity if Kakashi himself didn't know? He didn't think of finding his students' affinities until after they passed the Chunin Exams. It was too dangerous for genin to know their affinity, just in case they got the bright idea to practice jutsu too advanced for them. There were too many cases of genin being too cocky for their own good. Hell, Kakashi had been one of them!

"This can't be possible," he settled on. He had gone from crushing guilt and shame at failing his students to shock and panic at seeing his student producing a jutsu previously thought nearly extinct. Ever since Orochimaru had stuck his nose into Kakashi's team, everything had stopped making sense; Sakura was a prodigy, Sasuke had nearly become a traitor—what was next, Naruto having a monster inside of him? Oh, wait, that one was real. Shit.

"Come, pup," Orochimaru spoke lightly. "Let's finished our discussion."

Not fighting the strong grip on his arm, Kakashi wished he would wake up from this nightmare.