Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

P Value

A P value is a statistical measurement. Once calculated, it signifies the probability of finding the desired results. If its value is less than your significance level, the null hypothesis can be rejected. If it is not, then you are working with coincidences.

Kakashi did not pass out from chakra exhaustion. Meaning there was no respite when we reached Tazuna's house. Thinking he needed to have us ready to ward off gangs of hired goons, Kakashi only allowed for brief introductions and a quick meal before ushering us to the woods for training.

"He could have at least let us wash first", Sakura grumbled as she tried to comb her fingers through her grimy tangled hair.

Yawning, I shoved my hands deep into my pockets so my twitching fingers couldn't be seen. "Why?" I asked as I stared at the backs of Kakashi and the boys. "You'd just need another one after we're done with whatever Kakashi-Sensei has planned".

Sakura frowned as she continued her grooming, but didn't respond. My eyes danced through the tree branches stretching over our heads. Left. Right. Forward and behind. All the while my fingers continued their twitchy patterns in my pockets. If Haku wasn't with Zabuza, where was he?

Up ahead, Naruto chattered away. He went back and forth from asking questions about what we'd be doing to trying to debrief about the fight. Just like with the two chunin, Naruto hadn't gotten the chance to be in the heat of things. So, he was raring to go. Even if no one was listening to him.

It wasn't until we found our way to a clearing that Kakashi stopped. He turned around and waited for Sakura and me to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the boys before saying anything. His shoulders weren't slumped and he held himself tall and straight. That should have been more telling than anything else. But I didn't notice right away; still searching the trees for bad news. "Shinobi rule fifteen. Sakura, recite", Kakashi barked; his voice immediately jolting his students into attention.

For me, it was more like a nagging voice on the edge of my awareness demanding that I straighten up. My fingers continued to twitch in my pockets as my eyes narrowed and I forced them to focus on Kakashi. "Shinobi rule fifteen", Sakura started; a few octaves higher than normal. "A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions".

Sakura was right. But Kakashi gave no indication that she was. Instead, he barely turned his head as moved on. "Naruto, who is your commander?"

As soon as he heard his name, Naruto started sputtering. "Uh… Uh… The Hokage!" Yeah… Pop quizzes were never his forte.

Kakashi let out a long sigh that was mostly covered by his mask as Naruto derailed his… whatever this is. I found my eyes taking in the surrounding foliage. Though this time I wasn't searching for hidden dangers. Being from the hidden leaf, I've spent a lot of time in forests; training, relaxing, camping, hiding, sleeping. It was an environment I knew well. But the trees in the land of waves were different than the ones we had at home. They were shorter. And their canopies were thinner. If I looked up, I could probably see patches of sky.

From the other side of Sakura, Sasuke scoffed; eliciting an angry growl and glare from Naruto. Which delayed Kakashi's main point even further.

"I'm your commander, Naruto", Kakashi explained before the boys could be entangled in a fistfight. His voice sounded exasperated yet resigned. It was a tone only Naruto could provoke. But Kakashi regained himself with a small shake of his head before he moved on. "When I ordered you to run with Tazuna, what should you have done?"

It was an open question. Unassigned to anyone specific. So, naturally, no one stepped up to answer. Sakura stared at her sandals. Naruto grumbled to himself as he jammed his hands in his pockets. And Sasuke stared; a frown etched on his face.

"No one?" Kakashi asked, a mocking lilt in his voice that hadn't been there before. "Did you not understand the question?"

Sasuke broke first. "Our odds were greater staying put", he argued.

I imagined Kakashi was pursing his lips under his mask. As it was, it took him a moment before saying anything. "The odds. Hmmm. Rion, your file says you're a mathematics aficionado. Tell us, were the odds worth insubordination?"

Hearing my name was enough to pull me back from my study of the trees. What were the odds? I thought as I blinked; staring in Kakashi's direction. Sakura was wringing her hands together and I could hear Sasuke grinding his teeth. To calculate odds in this situation an odds ratio from a logistic regression would be more on point than a straightforward probability. Meaning the formula would be: odds=p(1-p). And, of course, consideration to the effect of covariates and predictor variables on the logistic scale needed to be given. But… "Like… Actually? Or was that rhetorical?"

Now it was my turn to feel Kakashi's exasperated stare. Which I learned was nearly as ineffective as Shibi's disappointed stare. Still, with Kakashi's eyes on me, Naruto felt safe speaking up. To argue. Like an idiot. "You said only scum abandon their team. We couldn't just leave you there!" Either brave, moved by his own words, or both; Naruto took a step forward as he gestured with his arms.

"I am not your teammate", came Kakashi's response; his tone now clipped. Gone was the mocking edge he wielded only a few seconds before. His voice made both Naruto and Sakura flinch. "I am your teacher. Your commander. And when I tell you to run, you do it because that's how I fulfill my responsibility as your teacher. That's how I uphold the mission". Kakashi paused to let the full weight of his words hit. Because it was clear he wasn't done. Only Sakura was looking cowed at this point. Unfortunately considering that she wasn't the one who needed this lesson the most. "Speaking of teamwork", Kakashi continued. "Would anyone like to tell me how they worked together during our last fight?"

I directed my eyes back to the leaves hanging over our heads to avoid rolling them. This questions-and-answers routine was starting to feel old. Predictably, no one from team seven immediately stepped up to their defense. But this time, Kakashi didn't call anyone out. Therefore, not making the uncomfortable waiting short-lived. Instead, we were all stuck, surrounded by trees, as we hoped someone else would cave first.

Boringly… maybe even predictably, it was the person who had the least to answer for that broke first. "I…I listened to Sasuke", Sakura defended herself meekly. Her hands were back to combing through the ends of her hair as she stared at the ground. Pathetic. I bit my lip. It was the kind of pathetic that made people die avoidable deaths.

But Kakashi chose to ignore that issue in favor of addressing another that was more on topic with what he was trying to get at. "Yes", Kakashi agreed in a slow drawl. "But you didn't listen to the others".

Or contribute anything at all, I thought as I swallowed a yawn. Instead of staring, Sasuke was frowning at the ground. While Naruto's arms now hung limply at his sides. Both waiting for their turn. Kakashi took his time to let each of his feel the weight of his unimpressed stare until he was finally forced to pick someone. Otherwise, we'd been stuck standing here until dark.

"Sasuke", Kakashi called. "You may have taken charge, but like Sakura, you didn't listen to the input of our teammates. Would you have cared if the others hadn't followed your lead?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Too busy scowling to be bothered. "Rion didn't listen to anyone either". Sakura pointed out; her voice slightly baiting as she came to her beloved Sasuke's rescue. It was an action that had me scoffing up at the sky in annoyance. Sure, blame the gutter rat. There's no way precious Sasuke could do worse than the Aburame bastard. Iron and gold. Looking at their market value, there's no point in even thinking about their value.

Kakashi tilted his head slightly until his eyes were focused on me. Great. "Rion, want to add anything?"

Exhaling loudly through my nose, I directed my eyes away from the sky and decided to not disappoint. "I don't listen. That's common knowledge. And I don't like being a part of a team. That shouldn't be surprising. So, no I didn't follow orders. No, I didn't prioritize teamwork. And I don't care".

Sakura flinched at my harsh words, though that wasn't enough to hide the relief in her shoulders. While Naruto suspiciously shook; his whole-body tremoring. Well, I suppose it is his turn next. Once Kakashi's done dissecting what I said. Of course, Naruto couldn't manage to restrain himself long enough.

Naruto jumped to spin around as quickly as possible. "But that's not true!" He accused, pointed finger included. "You stopped Kakashi-Sensei from going into the water".

Clicking my tongue against my teeth, I raised my eyebrow in challenge. "I knocked us both out of the air. I was in the way". I argued, speaking each word very slowly.

Growling in frustration, Naruto ignored me in favor of swinging his accusing finger in Sakura's direction. "And- And she did try to follow orders. Rion wanted to run. We didn't…" Naruto's energy died as he slowly lowered his hand; his face perplexed as he mulled over his own words.

"Exactly, Naruto", Kakashi said as his posture relaxed ever so slightly. The change was barely visible. Not something anyone would see unless they were looking. Good. I take that to mean this lecture would be over soon. The land of Waves was slightly colder than Konoha. And standing here was starting to make me shiver.

"You didn't listen", Kakashi rephrased. "You didn't do anything. You watched".

As Naruto's frustrated energy gave way entirely to lethargic gloom, Sasuke decided to snark, "Get to the point. What do you want us to do?" Apparently done with this teachable moment.

Kakashi kept himself natural as he responded. Seemingly unresponsive to the mocking irreverence altogether. "Shinobi rule fifteen: follow orders". Really walked into that one, didn't they?

Glancing down the line at the others, I saw team seven all staring at their sandaled feet. One by one, I took in their slumped shoulders and somewhat defeated expressions before turning my head to look at Kakashi. Only to find his attention already on me. I shrugged at his staring; questioning what he wanted. Did he want me to accept my faults like his students were being forced to? Well, too bad for him. Because I don't care.

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. But he didn't say anything. Not to me specifically. "You can start following orders right now". He said instead; addressing everyone. Sakura was the first to tentatively raise her head. "Zabuza may be gone, but there will be other threats before Tazuna finishes his bridge. We'll need to be ready. You'll need to train".

Naruto and Sasuke lifted their gazes simultaneously. "What?" Naruto asked; his energy and enthusiasm back. It was like he had a built-in anti-depressant in his system. "What are you going to teach us? Cool new jutsu? Powerful techniques? What are we doing?"

Closing his one visible eye in his personal expression of amusement, Kakashi answered, "We're going to climb trees".

"Rion, come with me". Those were Kakashi's words. The only thing he said once the others were hard at work mastering tree walking. It had been a few minutes after he cut us loose to figure out chakra control on our own. Naruto had allowed fallen on his head a couple of times. Sasuke was already losing his patience as his kunai mark on his tree never progressed past a certain point. And Sakura was already making visible gains with the skill. I, on the other hand, had already learned tree walking while under the very disciplined and dedicated eye of my brother. Therefore, I only had to walk up my tree once. Just to prove I could. And that meant Kakashi could and did separate me from team seven.

Rion, come with me. It was a simple sentence; his words. But they had my jaw tensing as I obeyed; staring at his back as he casually lead us deeper into the wood. If he wasted so much time telling us about shinobi rule fifteen, I suppose it's too soon to defy. Pity. If we weren't so far from home, I might have tried… although the attempt may not have been worth the effort.

"Wait! Where are you going, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura called from the lowest tree branch on her tree.

Kakashi didn't turn around. All he did was raise a hand. "Keep training", he instructed. "We won't go far". Which was nonchalant and vague, and I didn't appreciate it. But at least he was honest. When Kakashi stopped, it was close enough that I could still hear the others; Naruto's complaining exclamations as he kept landing on his back and Sakura's praise and criticisms of her teammates' efforts.

Just as he had done when we first reached the woods, Kakashi turned and stared; only an arm's reach away. Remembering the short moment I spent looking into his Sharingan eye, it was a challenge not to fidget as I stared back. What was he searching for? Or rather, what was he hoping to see? I don't think I'll ever have an answer to those questions. Maybe I don't want any.

"You acted on your own", Kakashi finally said; staring unrelentingly. Turning my gaze to a spot over his shoulder, I tried to school my face. Here it comes; round two. And a private scolding. Aren't I special? "Ignoring your teammates, you made your own decisions and failed to communicate your intentions".

Nice of him to pull me aside before listing all my faults, I suppose. But, still. I had to wonder. Why not do this during the whole group dressing down? Not following orders, insubordination, bad teamwork; sounds like it would've fit in beautifully. Was it because I was the only one who didn't repent? Was it because of those things I said about not caring? Hmm… yes. I can see how that could be taken as a challenge…

"And when you did try to utilize Naruto and the others, you couldn't get them to work with you".

Yes, yes. Rion's terrible. Rion doesn't play well with others.

"So, what did you do? You disobeyed orders yourself".

Rion can't be trusted. Too hostile. Too much trouble. Might as well just-

"Good job".

Wait. What? My eyes swung back to Kakashi as he reached out and placed a gloved hand on top of my head; disturbing loose hairs in the process. My eyes widened at the unexpectant contact. I'd seen Kakashi do the same thing to Sakura. In both praise and reassurance. The weight of his hand on my head reminded me of Shibi when he attempted to parent. Except, Kakashi wasn't pushing my head down as a part of a forced apology. Nor did it just sit there in some sort of silent claim. What was this? … I mean, I know what this is; what Kakashi is doing, but why?

"By trusting your instincts, you managed to strike one of Zabuza's clones and you intervened at a time when that fight could have turned out differently if you hadn't". Kakashi explained as he kept his hand on my head. A grounding weight. One that was impossible to ignore. "And when you wanted to follow orders and the others wouldn't, you stayed and supported them. I'd expect nothing less from a kunoichi of the hidden leaf".

Suddenly I was moving. "Shut up", I interrupted as I smacked Kakashi's hand from my head. Followed by one big step back just in case he tried to do so again. "It wasn't anything special", I declared. My eyes lost their wide-eyed surprise in a favor of a more familiar glare.

"You read the needs of your teammates and mine". Kakashi didn't react as he returned his hand to his side. "By calling out to Zabuza, you bought time. Time I used to give further direction to Sasuke and Naruto.

"I did that for myself", I blurted out as I took another step back. "I bought time for myself". Despite the fact that calling out to Zabuza meant his attention was on me. Making it a useless way to add time to one's clock. "I don't like teams. Remember? I didn't do anything for them".

"When Zabuza attacked with killing intent", Kakashi went on. Damn. Why was he refusing to let this matter close? It wasn't like pushing was going to force anything beneficial to happen. "Not only did you not succumb to it, but you also spared Sasuke from feeling it".

"No, I didn't", I argued a bit too loudly. Careful. I reminded myself as Kakashi remained unphased. Volume could be more telling than word choices. If I sounded bothered, he'd know. Besides. How did Kakashi even know about that? I mean, the fog had been dense then. He hadn't been anywhere near us when Zabuza's killing intent had hit. How could he know what I'd done? Sasuke sure hadn't reported it.

Kakashi was relentless. "You tried to prepare him too. Before the fight", Kakashi said as I stared at him a little slacked-jawed. "When you shared your bingo book with Sasuke".

My fingers itched with the suppressed urge to run a panicked and exasperated hand over my hair. Why? Why did he notice that? Or better question, why was my luck so stupidly awful?

"I don't know what you're talking about", I tried to save.

This time, Kakashi didn't respond right away. Instead, he adopted this strange look as his stance softened but his gaze remained directed. It was uncomfortable. Differently so than when he had been reminding us all of shinobi rule fifteen. It was the type of uncomfortable that made me want to hide.

Off in the distance, there was a loud thud followed by Naruto's loud exclamation, "Ah! Not again!". At least it was enough to break Kakashi out of whatever… this was.

"Maybe you don't". He allowed. "Back with the others, you said nothing to defend yourself. And when Naruto disagreed with Sakura, you challenged him. Why?"

Grinding my teeth, I lowered my head until I was glaring at my sandals. "Why don't you tell me?" I growled. "Seems like you already have a narrative you like".

But Kakashi didn't give me one. Choosing instead to leave the question out in the open air. As if it needed to be thought about. As if it needed to marinate. "I'm not sure you are aware. But before Naruto graduated last minute, you were assigned to team seven". Kakashi shared.

Of course, I'm aware. Why? Because I pay attention. And because Iruka-Sensei practically said so when he announced team assignments.

"Aburame, Rion", Kakashi kept going. Why does he keep going? What was this supposed to accomplish? "Originally selected for team seven because you already knew how to work with Sasuke. According to Umino, Iruka".

Shocker.

"It was also thought that a lot of exposure between yourself and Sakura could spark a rivalry that would have balanced the two of you; challenge Sakura to push herself and help you find value in our way of life".

Scoffing, I looked up; reminding myself that eye gaze and its direction were also very telling. "The value in this job is the same as any other; how much money one can make".

I was ignored. "It was also thought that out of the jonin attending to take on a genin team at the time, I was best suited to make you toe the line".

Yeah, I figured out that one too.

"I was warned about you. Told to expect sabotage attempts. Mutiny. Anything that would purposely anger me. I disliked you before I met you".

"Aw, we had that in common". I interrupted. It was almost impossible not to. As a well-known emotion swirled in my gut, it at least became easier to school my features. To stare at Kakashi directly. It was a small gain.

But again. I was ignored. "When Naruto graduated, it was decided that he was a better candidate for team seven".

Gee, I wonder why. Though in this context, a more appropriate word choice for better would've been safer. Naruto was a safer candidate.

Kakashi relaxed his back into his normal slouched position. "I was fine with that decision", he admitted. "While sudden changes to genin team assignments are unusual, it meant less work for me. Teaching a disenchanted genin to appreciate their village and position never interested me".

Well, at least he was being honest with himself. I thought as I made an annoyed half-gesture with one of my hands. What was the point of telling me all this? I'm already aware that most people don't like me. But thank you so very much for pointing it Out.

"Now, I see you don't need to be taught dedication and duty. What you're lacking is an entirely different lesson".

"Great". I said; flapping my arms at my sides to show how over this conversation I was. Of course, it wasn't great. I didn't have enough data on Kakashi to find a pattern in this exchange. There was no discernable meaning as far as I could tell. I don't understand. "I'm not as big as a screw-up as you feared. Why pull me away from the others just to tell me that?"

Despite my agitation, Kakashi stayed cool and collected. A fact that only irked me more. "Because, Rion Aburame, while they need to learn tree walking, you need to learn the opposite. You need to learn how to fall".