In Kakashi's defense, the last month has been more than a little bit rough. He's been away from Konoha and his own home for several weeks, wounded in battle against Momochi Zabuza - the Demon of the Mist himself - and almost lost both of his remaining students on multiple occasions. To top it all off, Naruto and Sasuke have been arguing more or less nonstop for the entire journey back home.
In other words, it has been an emotional roller coaster on top of the physical trials and he is definitely allowed to be in a bad mood. Especially when the Hokage, once the immediate verbal report have been finished and Naruto and Sasuke have been dismissed, has the nerve to say;
"Well done, Kakashi. The Land of Waves is strategically important and thanks to you we now have some leverage in future dealings with them."
Because yeah, Kakashi has almost lost his entire team (again!) but what really counts is that Konoha now has a nice and cozy cushion/puppet state between themselves and the Land of Water.
Not a word is said about the fact that Kakashi should have realised that the mission was misranked the moment they were attacked by the Demon Brothers - chunin from Kiri, certainly not the kind of opponent one would expect to face on a simple C-ranked mission - and taken his students as well as the client back to Konoha. Not a word about his multitude of fuckups that only further serves to prove how unsuited he is to be responsible for a team of genin. Only a "well done" because what matters is the success of the mission and the advantages it brings to Konoha, not two genin or even Kakashi himself.
Kakashi is as loyal as the dogs he contracts with but dammit he can't deal with this! He's not ready to risk losing another team! He won't! These two boys are the only thing that remains and he'll die protecting them if he has to, even if it means that he has to protect them against the convoluted politics of the village!
The silence stretches, almost deafening, as the Hokage gives Kakashi an encouraging, disturbingly grandfatherly, smile. Kakashi does not return it. Instead he makes a point of slouching, hands in his pockets and his gaze focused a little bit to the Hokage's left.
"Are we done here then?"
The Hokage's jaw tenses just enough that Kakashi is barely able to perceive it, the smile slowly fading away. Mentally he pats himself on the shoulder.
"Before you too are dismissed, there is another issue which we need to discuss. About your third student, Haruno Sakura."
Kakashi does not startle at that only because he saw her earlier, coming out of that restaurant with Asuma and his team. Still wearing her headband and her shinobi gear, looking nothing like a little lady about to be married off to a noble. Seeing her, and thinking about her now, makes him feel … uneasy.
On the one hand he had almost forgotten about her - between Momochi Zabuza and his apprentice, his own injuries, trying to keep Naruto and Sasuke moderately safe and the overall just kind of hellish mission, who can blame him? Mentally she has already dismissed her as a non-issue: no longer a shinini and no longer his problem.
On the other hand the way she quit still doesn't sit quite right with him. For all of her faults Sakura has always been very much polite and proper in their interactions: conscientious about rank and propriety, typically careful in the way she speaks and always ready to offer a reassuring smile. With the exception, of course, of yelling at Naruto for annoying Sasuke. Too much of that seems to Kakashi as feigned sincerity, which is part of Kakashi's problem with the girl. However, she has never stricken him as the kind of person to quit without so much as an apology or an explanation. Which is why Kakashi planned to go and see her.
… Except it has now been a full month since her apparent retirement and, really, to follow up with her now seems almost redundant. Too much time has passed and most problems tend to solve themselves if given enough time, at least in Kakashi's experience. So up until he saw her coming out of that restaurant Kakashi was planning to continue to ignore the issue. After all, she's no longer his.
The Hokage's next words officially render that tactic null.
"Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication regarding her decision to retire from shinobi duty. What she really wanted was some time off, to deal with her mother's passing."
Which means - and Kakashi's surmising that Sakura is now to return to team 7 - that he now has an entire team of orphans. Which is just … great. Wonderful. Who needs parents, right? Those are probably just optional anyway. Not the kind of protection factor that contributes to the mental health of young shinobi or anything. Definitely not another unwanted responsibility laid on Kakashi's shoulders despite him obviously not being remotely ready to deal with it.
"She's been doing missions with team 10 for the last couple of weeks. I'm not personally familiar with the specifics, so Asuma will report to you on her progress as soon as possible."
Beneath his mask, Kakashi makes a face. He'll make sure to avoid Asuma then. Which is sad, because Kakashi could really use a drink or two with his friends after this mission. But if those drinks are going to be followed by a lecture from Asuma on the eating disorder or lazyness or whatever of a twelve year old girl, then he'd rather just avoid it altogether. On top of everything else, Kakashi most certainly does not have the energy to deal with that right now.
"Oh, and your uncle wants to have a word with you as well, when you have the time," the Hokage says, frowning lightly.
Kakashi ignores the words completely. Kichiro should know better than trying to contact him for anything but to give the joyous news that his aunt has finally kicked the bucket, which is sadly unlikely to have happened just yet.
"You're dismissed," the Hokage sighs.
Kakashi leaves through the window, because his mood is still bad and the Hokage's disapproving scowl is just soothing. Then he takes off over the rooftops towards his own apartment, carefully only thinking of how nice it'll be to have a nice, hot shower and to sleep in his own bed. Nice, neutral thoughts that won't force him to deal with his own mixed emotions.
Yeah, the Yamanaka Mind Healers probably wouldn't agree with such strategies, but Kakashi has been studiously avoiding them for a decade now, so he's fine.
Perfectly fine.
Fine with a capital F.
Though he's honestly not sure at all what to think of this new turn of events.
It is insane that the Hokage still believes him suited to care for genin. This mission, if nothing else, should have proved as much. But no, the Hokage still seems hellbent on having Kakashi traumatise the next generation of shinobi. Someone should really have the Hokage investigated for dementia. Too bad the only medic likely to be able to force such an investigation hasn't been in Konoha for over a decade. Where is Lady Tsunade when you need her?
Then again, he's not sure that he would let the kids go even if the Hokage did decide to try to remove them from his care. At least not the boys.
Naruto and Sasuke have grown on him More than he'd like to admit, honestly. Despite their arguing and inability to see eye to eye most of the time they cooperated beautifully when it really mattered. First against Zabuza, then later in their fight against the apprentice. Both fights which they should, realistically, have lost, based on sheer skill and experience. Fights that should have killed them, because Kakashi was too weak and too busy with Zabuza to save them. Yet, they emerged not only mostly unscathed but even moderately victorious from both fights.
Some small, naive part of him, buried under a literal decade of cynicism, mistrust and experiences of the worst parts of humanity, wants to believe in them. Wants to think that they can do it. That they, unlike Obito and him, can break through whatever curse it is that seems to surround Kakashi and affect everyone he cares for. That their growing friendship will grow to outshine their rivalry and drive them to achieve their immense potential.
Because there is plenty of potential in both of them. Sasuke may not be another Itachi but he's a genius in his own right, plenty capable even without the sharingan he has now developed. And Naruto has the Nine Tails within him but also that stubborn urge and ability to connect with people that is entirely him. Kakashi won't be surprised if he does achieve that dream of his and becomes Hokage one day.
He wants to see it.
He wants to see them succeed where he and Obito failed.
Sakura, however … It is becoming more and more clear to him just how ill suited she is to be on this particular team. Rin was different. She was a medic, competent in her own right in a way Sakura is not. Able to soothe the tempers of both Kakashi and Obito, whereas Sakura seems unable to see beyond her own crush on Sasuke.
She's a hindrance for their success. A distraction the boys do not need.
Not to mention, of course, that she has none of the potential that the boys have. None of the drive, either. Kakashi might forgive her lacking skills if she at least had the urge to improve, to become the best she can and at least not weigh the team down. But her complete lack of drive sits badly with him and he does not care for it at all.
Her stupid diet is only the tip of the iceberg.
Even if some of her quirks are explainable by her losing her mother, there is still a childishness in her that just doesn't rhyme with the boys and their recent growth. The thought of what might have happened had she not quit and instead joined them on the mission to Wave makes him shudder. At best she might have been essentially useless but smart enough to keep out of the way. More likely she would have failed to realise her own limitations and tried to intervene in fights where she would have been outclassed - thereby not only risking her own life but also that of her teammates.
Against that backdrop, having her come back feels like doing the team a disservice.
Still, orders are orders, whether implied or not, so Kakashi will give her a second chance. He's not happy about it but he'll do it.
As he arrives home he checks his mailbox, noting a couple of bills and an angry note from his landlord about being late with the rent again. He makes a mental note to go see the old lady as soon as possible and almost puts the mail away, before spotting a letter with the Genin Commander's logo on it.
He puts the other letters down on his kitchen table and continues to stare at the letter, an uncomfortable lump in his throat. First the Hokage, now this?
How long has it been since he last heard from Kichiro anyway? There haven't been any letters for … well, over a year at any rate. Longer, even.
For good reason, he abruptly reminds himself. There haven't been any letters because Kakashi has made it abundantly clear that he does not want any letters.
That he doesn't want anything to do with what remains of his clan.
Not with Kichiro, not with Gina and certainly not with his aunt.
He'd tolerated Kichiro's interference when he had no other choice; back when he was just six years old and a genin and still trying to figure out how to manage on his own.
He'd reluctantly tolerated the apartment that had been forced upon him after he left the clan, determined to live in a tent if he had to if it meant that he didn't have to see his aunt anymore.
He'd tolerated the food packages left in his refrigerator and later, when he'd gotten better at setting traps in his apartment, on his doorstep, because he had honestly needed the food.
He'd tolerated it all because Kichiro didn't force his company on Kakashi, didn't try to force him to see his aunt and because he had needed the help even if he had been too proud to admit it. But as soon as he'd been able to afford it he had made a point of getting a different apartment on his own; made a point of throwing away any food packages that were left for him because he no longer needed the help.
And the other apartment had quietly been rented out to other tenants, and the food packages had stopped but still the occasional little note with the Hatake crest would appear in Kakashi's mailbox. Always with kind words and familial sentiments he didn't care for. He'd never replied and eventually he had even stopped reading the notes altogether.
With a scoff he balls the letter up and throws it into the bin.
Whatever well meaning attempt at rekindling their connection Kichiro is trying, Kakashi isn't interested.
Without so much as a second thought to the letter he heads for the shower.
If someone knocks on his door while he's in the shower, he pretends not to hear it. Asuma can wait until tomorrow.
The next morning, after a suitable amount of time spent staring at the memorial stone and mentally apologising to Minato-sensei for his continued failures, Kakashi arrives at the bridge where the team usually waits for him to find all three of his students there. He's not sure how he was expecting Naruto and Sasuke to react to Sakura's return, but whatever awkwardness there might have been seems to have already been overcome, because the three look perfectly relaxed and comfortable together.
Naruto is talking, vividly explaining how he himself fought down an army of thugs, gesticulating wildly as he shows how he saved both Sasuke and the client from certain death. Kakashi hangs back a moment, intrigued by the pure bullshit of the bragging.
"Yo," he interrupts when Naruto starts to try to spin a tale of outshining even Kakashi in a glorious battle against multiple S-ranked enemies. "Sorry I'm late, I was-"
"YOU'RE LATE, KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
Naruto points an accusatory finger at him, cheeks red with embarrassment. Sasuke makes a wordless noise, his annoyance seemingly torn between Naruto and Kakashi. It is however Sakura's reaction which fascinates him the most, because whereas she previously would have glared angrily at him, too polite to voice her annoyance, today she just gives him a weary look.
Perhaps she has matured somewhat during their absence, after all.
Then again, the ridiculous yellow and purple dress she's wearing doesn't exactly scream "serious shinobi" either. The outfit is almost as visually loud as Naruto's, and far more impractical.
He suppresses a sigh.
Orders are orders, he reminds himself. He'll give her a chance. But his patience is wearing thin and only really extends so far. If she can't prove herself serious - if she can't convince him that she wouldn't have been a burden, an added risk, on a mission like the one to Wave - then he won't tolerate it.
The Hokage can say whatever he wants.
There is too much potential in the boys to have Sakura's presence potentially jeopardize their growth. Or even their lives, if push comes to shove and they land themselves in another mission like that.
She has to be secondary to that. The Hokage said so himself, when presenting Kakashi with the team. The village cannot afford to lose the last loyal Uchiha or the Jinchuriki. If the price for that is Sakura being pushed into the Genin Corps prematurely, then Kakashi is happy to do that.
He's done far worse things in service of his village.
"I hear you're joining us again, Sakura-chan," Kakashi says, mostly managing to keep the sharpness out of his voice. "Welcome back."
She flinches and looks away before visibly forcing herself to look back at him. There's something hard in her eyes, an edge that he hasn't seen before. Perhaps she has changed for the better after all. A little bit, at least.
Only one way to find out.
"I hope you brought lunch, Sakura-chan. You've got a lot of catching up to do, and we've got a new, exciting mission."
"What? Whatwhatwhat?" Naruto asks excitedly. "Another escort mission? Who are we guarding this time?"
Sakura meets his gaze with determination, nodding quietly. Sasuke straightens expectantly.
Kakashi smiles his most sadistic smile.
"Catching Tora and bringing her back to Madam Shijimi. Again."
There is a collective groan that soothes Kakashi's nerves as he happily leads the team on their mission. Being a jounin sensei does have its occasional perk after all, he'll admit that much.
However, as the morning progresses it becomes more and more clear that whatever changes Sakura may or may not have undergone does not translate into better teamwork.
Their first attempt at catching Tora is thwarted because Naruto is too busy trying to chat with Sakura about what she has been up to while they were gone to notice how Tora literally escapes between his feet. Sakura at least notices the cat, but because Naruto is in between her and it she fails to capture it.
The second attempt is thwarted when Sakura angrily yells at Naruto to stop asking her questions and focus on the mission instead. A sentiment Kakashi shares, but the shouting gives away their position and allows Tora to escape before they're anywhere near close enough to stop her.
For the third attempt they track Tora into a busy market place, where she's almost trampled by a carriage before escaping with a shriek.
For the fourth attempt Sasuke has clearly lost patience with the task and hurries on ahead, which of course triggers Naruto's competitiveness and leads to the two of them almost trampling Tora as they try to outrun each other. Sakura tries and fails to keep up with them.
The fifth attempt is ruined as Sakura tries to whisper apologetically to Sasuke about not being able to join them on the mission to Wave. Tora is alerted and tries to run, and Sasuke pushes Sakura into the river in an attempt to catch the cat.
Then Sakura's squelching sandals give away their position, then Naruto yelling at Sasuke for pushing Sakura into the river, then Sakura yelling at Naruto for yelling at Sasuke, then Sasuke yelling at Naruto and Sakura for their incompetence.
Kakashi is just about ready to dump all three of them into the river and declare the mission a failure, when-
"I'm in position."
"Me too."
"Me three."
At last it seems as if they might succeed, Tora surrounded by Sakura on one side and Naruto and Sasuke on the other. They crouch, hidden in the underbrush, Kakashi watching from a nearby tree as Tora suspiciously sniffs in Sakura's direction.
Just a little bit more.
Just a little bit.
Quietly.
And then, without so much as a signal Naruto and Sasuke both move in, forcing Sakura to hurriedly follow.
Their target jumps and manages to escape at the last moment. Sakura throws herself after it but its tail slips between her fingers.
"Sasuke!"
With no other prompting Sasuke grabs a hold of Naruto's arm, swinging him around and sending him careening through the air towards Tora. Naruto makes the hand signs for the shadow clone jutsu and suddenly there's an army of Narutos in the air.
Not even Tora can escape that many.
Their teamwork is, as always when they manage to put their differences aside, perfect.
Sakura, by comparison, might not even be there for all of the difference she makes. Judging from the pleasant smile on her lips she doesn't seem aware of it though.
"Oh, you found my darling Tora!" Madam Shijimi exclaims as they deliver the cat back. "Marvelous!"
Kakashi tries his best to shut out the high pitched voice whilst simultaneously paying the wife of the Daimyo the respect she is due. Naruto and Sasuke are already backing away, glaring daggers at the cat currently struggling against Madam Shijimi's hold of him against her bosom.
"You know, Tora has been inconsolable since my Hidetoshi's tragic accident," Madam Shijimi continues as Kakashi nods and pretends to listen. "They were practically inseparable ever since he was a little boy, and Tora just can't seem to settle down. I'm so relieved that you were able to bring her back, because I don't know what I would do if I lost Tora on top of losing my son!"
Madam Shijimi dabs at her teary eyes with an expensive silk handkerchief and Kakashi takes the opportunity to guide his students - including a bowing Sakura - to the door.
"I will call on you again, if Tora manages to escape!" Madam Shijimi promises.
Kakashi suppresses the urge to shudder and closes the door behind them, sighing in relief once they're out on the street again.
"Stupid cat," Naruto grumbles. "Hey, Kaka-sensei, I'm better than this! Give us a real mission already!"
Sasuke makes a wordless sound of agreement.
Sakura pulls disgustedly at her still damp dress.
Kakashi ignores them all in favour of glancing up at the sun. It is already mid-afternoon but team 7 have not had lunch yet. His stomach growls at the reminder
"For now, let's get some lunch."
They make their way back towards the training ground, Kakashi already considering what kind of gruelling exercises he might force them through as payback for the headache he's currently nursing.
They settle down in the shade of a tree, next to the river, pulling out their bento boxes and digging in with minimal talking. Glancing over at Sakura he notes that she does at least have a bento box with actual food in it, which is at least an improvement. It is, however, not the kind of lunch he would expect from a serious shinobi. It looks positively spartan, just some rice, a grilled fish as well as some green leaves for vegetables. He suppresses the urge to sigh and roll his eyes.
"Remember our talk about nourishment, Sakura-chan?" he asks pointedly.
"Yes, sensei?"
She gives him a sheepish smile, as if she can't possibly imagine why he's bringing it up now.
"You need to have a variety of foods," he reminds her, unable to keep the sigh out of his voice this time. "Salads are good for you, but your body needs other nutrients as well."
Her fingers clench around the chopsticks she's holding and she averts her gaze, glancing in the direction of the boys.
"You know, sensei, I don't think I have ever seen Naruto eat anything but ramen," she comments, her voice deceptively light but pointed nonetheless. "And look, I don't think there's a single vegetable in his lunch today."
"Why would I want that stuff anyway?" Naruto says, grimacing in disgust. "Ramen's tons better than rabbit food! Unless it's, like, in the ramen y'know?"
She has a point, but not the one Kakashi is trying to make at the moment. As she arches her eyebrow pointedly at him he stares her down, refusing to allow her to distract him with her petty tricks.
"I've had words with Naruto about his diet," he calmly states, and it's even true. "Currently, I'm talking to you about yours, which needs to improve if you want to be taken seriously as a shinobi."
She averts her gaze again, smile fading as she picks at her lunch and her shoulders start to hunch. When she speaks her voice is almost too quiet to be heard above Naruto's loud eating.
"I know, Kakashi-sensei. I'm trying."
Which is, apparently, as good as it is going to get at the moment. Kakashi decides to let it go, mostly because he doesn't really want to deal with this at all, but it's a stack against her in his book.
Once they have finished eating Kakashi stands in a swift movement, watching his students do the same and hurriedly put their bento boxes away. Sakura, for some reason, is carrying a backpack that seems to contain all of her shinobi gear.
"Hey, Sakura-chan? Why're you carrying that whole thing around anyway?" Naruto asks, surprising Kakashi with his attention to detail and putting words to Kakashi's own thoughts. "We don't really need all our stuff just for training and boring D-ranks anyway."
"I, uh," she stammers, her cheeks growing red as she suddenly finds herself the centre of both Naruto's and Sasuke's attention. "I just wanted to be prepared, you know? In case there's another mission outside the village."
"Ma, Sakura-chan," Kakashi says, patting her on the head and purposely ruffling her hair, "I promise that if we have a mission that requires more than basic equipment I'll make sure to give you an hour or so to let you pack your dresses and girl things before we leave."
Sasuke scoffs and Sakura ducks her head guiltily, trying to straighten out her hair again as she does so.
"Now, back to training," Kakashi says, clapping his hands. "As I'm sure the boys have told you, we ran into a bit of trouble during our mission. They have faced an actual battle and gained experience for it. On top of that, they have mastered an essential shinobi skill as well. One that helps with chakra control and will help them survive in the future. I expect you to at least catch up by mastering that same skill."
They all pay him their attention. Kakashi is satisfied to note the determined glint in Sakura's eyes. Good. At least she has some urge to catch up to the boys then, even if Kakashi truthfully isn't expecting much.
"Naruto, Sasuke, start warm ups. we're going to revisit the basics."
Naruto, he has noticed, has some really shabby kunai-work, and Sasuke tends to focus too much on offense and not enough on defense when fighting.
"Sakura, with me."
In order not to have her distract the boys he leads her away, into the forest where she will be out of sight but close enough that he'll still be able to notice if anything goes terribly wrong.
"Do you know what chakra is?" he asks her as they walk.
Behind him he can hear the boys already arguing. He has better make this quick then, if he wants to avoid a fight in between them.
"Of course. Chakra is ..." She rattles off what she knows. Basic Academy understanding of chakra, but she seems to have a good enough grasp of the theory and that is plenty enough to carry her through this particular exercise.
"Good," he nods to her once she is done. "The purpose of this exercise is for you to focus chakra into your feet and to use that to climb this tree." He follows the words with a brief demonstration on the skill in question.
She gapes at him and he is once again reminded of her civilian background. Most likely she has read about similar skills in her theory books, but she doesn't seem used to seeing shinobi doing such things. Which is honestly, just, kind of mind boggling considering the fact that she lives in a shinobi village. Kakashi can't even imagine what it must be like to be so far removed from shinobi life that seeing someone walk up a tree is something extraordinary.
Well, that's a mindfuck that is better visited another time.
"It'll be easier for you to run in the beginning," he explains once he is on the ground again. "Use a kunai to mark how far you get, and try to get higher the next time."
The arguing of the boys is increasing in volume. Distractedly he looks in their direction but there are too many trees in the way for him to see anything.
"Come get me if there's any issues, alright?"
And with that he leaves her to it. Naruto and Sasuke practiced a lot on their own, after all, while Kakashi recuperated. She's close enough that he'll be able to smell if she accidentally manages to draw blood or something. Which Naruto and Sasuke might just do, if he doesn't intervene soon, so, you know, priorities.
He arrives back to the boys just in time to prevent a brawl and instead sets them to running laps around the clearing. Once they're suitably calmed down he has them face each other again and set to work on improving their fighting skills.
He doesn't expect Sakura to master the skill immediately. That would be entirely unreasonable of him. It took the boys days to master it. Given that she has a more limited chakra supply, and therefore most likely can't hold on for as long in training, it might even take her weeks to catch up to them. What he wants to see though is her taking the task seriously and applying herself to it.
If she does that he'll keep her.
If she does that there's at least some potential in her.
If she does that, there's at least some reason for her being on the team, even if she will never be able to keep up with the boys in the long run.
Much to Kakashi's disappointment it is just a little over half an hour before she returns to the clearing, looking a little bit sweaty and disheveled but nowhere near worn out. Though, perhaps she just wants to ask a clarifying question, he thinks. Perhaps she's just struggling practicing on her own. The boys had each other for company, after all, the other's progress urging them to continue trying. Perhaps she hasn't given up already.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
The boys pause in their sparring but Kakashi waves at them to continue. He turns to her, keeping them in his periphery.
"Yes, Sakura-chan?"
"Is there a second step or something to the exercise?"
So she wants clarification of the instructions then. A little disappointing, but not too much. His voice is light when he replies.
"It's usually best for the student to figure out for themselves how to focus the chakra to their feet. It's not really something that can be explained, but rather a skill gained through trial and error."
"No, ah, I meant, after the tree climbing? Like, what do I do next?"
Drawing from his quickly draining well of patience he gives her a placating smile.
"Don't worry about that for now. Just practice tree climbing until you've got it down."
She frowns, frustration evident on her face. He frowns too. What is so difficult about his instructions? Or is it that she expects him to spoon feed her the knowledge? Because if she is she's in for a rough awakening.
"I think I've got it down pretty good, Kakashi-sensei. That's why I want to know what the next step is."
He blinks at her then, tilting his head a little as he gives her a doubtful look.
"You have mastered the exercise already? Show me."
She hesitates but slowly takes a deep breath, turning towards a nearby tree and half-runs towards it. And, surprisingly, her feet actually stick to the tree and she makes it all the way to the top before slowing down, turning around and slowly walking back down to the ground.
"That's amazing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheers once she is on the ground again.
Both boys have stopped their sparring to watch her instead. Kakashi frowns. It's not an illusion, that much he can tell, but he doesn't buy that she mastered the technique in less than an hour. Even he had to practice for half a day when he first learned it, and he still surprised Minato-sensei. Granted, he'd been six at the time, but still. The tree climbing is a technique that demands advanced control of one's chakra, which is why it isn't taught in the Academy. Most people take days or weeks to master it.
Which just leaves one other explanation, he realises. It leaves a foul taste in his mouth.
"Asuma taught you while we were away," he states.
"What? No, he didn't. We mostly did sparring and conditioning."
She sounds sincere, giving him large, innocent eyes. Briefly he closes his eye. Headache indeed, he thinks as she somehow manages to once again underwhelm his already low expectations.
"Lying will do you no favours," he tells her seriously. It is the last warning he'll give. "There's no shame in needing time to master a new skill, but there is in lying to your superior and trying to make yourself look better than you are."
"I'm not lying, Kakashi-sensei."
Her gaze meets his, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. She's a good actor, he'll admit. Lying can be an essential skill for a shinobi, so at least she's got that part down. Her failure lies in setting a believable bar for her supposed achievements. Perhaps that's just her civilian background though. Perhaps that's why she doesn't realise just how preposterous the idea of a twelve year old mastering the tree climbing exercise in less than an hour truly is.
But Kakashi is abruptly entirely certain that he is done with her dramatics. He doesn't want to deal with her ridiculous diets, her lackluster efforts or, as of right now apparently, her lying to him. A subordinate that lies cannot be trusted, and Kakashi isn't willing to potentially put the lives of Naruto and Sasuke at stake for someone who won't even be honest with her team.
He's done.
This is it.
Kakashi is drawing a line in the sand and standing by it.
"Admit that you're lying, or you're off the team."
The ultimatum weighs heavily in the air. The boys gasp in surprise. Sakura doesn't gasp but her mouth falls open in surprise. Kakashi isn't even sure if it's feigned or not, which only infuriates him further. Tears pool in her eyes but Kakashi isn't about to let her manipulate him: not through her lies and not through her tears.
"I'm not lying, I swear! Please, Kakashi-sensei ..!"
He doesn't verbally answer, just continues to give a long, cold stare that has made grown men give in before him.
The tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Kakashi steels himself against it. He's not going to let her manipulate him.
"Kakashi-sensei, please, I promise I'm not lying! Asuma-sensei taught me some katas and warm up exercises, that's all! Ask him if you don't believe me!"
"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei, you can't kick Sakura-chan off the team, right? I mean … we're a team!"
And ordinarily Kakashi might agree with Naruto. Genin teams are composed of three man squads for a reason. And even with a team as unbalanced as team 7 her presence might still be good for the boys, reminding them that not everyone will be able to keep up with them and grounding them to reality. With the right attitude, she might even serve as a glue between them, much like Rin did with Obito and him back in the day.
But Kakashi's objective when taking on this team was clear: he is to focus on Naruto and Sasuke. The village needs them. Compared to that, Sakura is secondary. So Kakashi will do what he can for her, but he will not jeopardize Naruto's and Sasuke's growth for her. Especially if she won't even be honest with them.
He won't stand for it.
She sniffles, giving him a pleading, desperate look that Kakashi refuses to be fooled by. He has laid down his ultimatum, and she has clearly made her choice.
"Go," he tells her. "Don't come back unless you're ready to tell the truth."
"You can't just throw me off the team! I worked hard for this!"
"Then tell me the truth."
"I'm not lying!"
He just points her in the direction of the exit of the training ground and finally, after more tears and theatrics, she leaves.
"Kakashi-sensei … You didn't mean that, right?" Naruto asks hesitantly.
Even Sasuke looks uncomfortable, shooting a look towards where their former teammate disappeared.
"Let this be a lesson," he tells them. "Honesty is essential between teammates."
He's not surprised when Asuma visits him again that evening, knocking on Kakashi's door incessantly enough that his neighbours get annoyed.
"I know you're in there, Kakashi!" Asuma shouts, ignoring the angry neighbours.
"Well, hello to you too, what a nice surprise to have you here on my doorstep" Kakashi says sarcastically, finally giving in and opening the door. "Why yes, my mission went well. Just had to fight down an S-rank missing nin and his tracker-nin companion, thank you very much for asking."
"You threw her off your team?" Asuma asks, completely ignoring Kakashi's sass. "She just lost her mother, Kakashi! Give her some slack!"
"Well, you see, the funny thing is that neither of my other students have parents either, and yet they're actually applying themselves towards becoming proper shinobi," Kakashi points out, leaning on the door and pointedly not inviting Asuma in. "And they're not lying to me either."
"Is this it then? This is your true self?"
Asuma eyes him up and down, as if checking him out.
"You disappoint me, Kakashi."
Ouch. Kakashi winces beneath his mask but does not avert his gaze, taking in the honest disappointment in Asuma's eyes. The two of them have been friends for quite some time. Almost as long as Kakashi and Gai has, even if Asuma left for a while to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja. In other words, Kakashi trusts Asuma more than most.
Wordlessly he takes a step back, allowing Asuma to enter. It's not an apology and Asuma won't take it as one, but whatever else is going on Kakashi respects Asuma enough to hear him out when he's this upset. Even if Kakashi is like 99.9 percent certain that he's in the right and Asuma is wrong.
"Why?" Asuma asks when they are in the living room, seated on opposite sides of the small coffee-table. He's a little bit calmer now. "I admit it was only for a few weeks that she tagged along to my team, but I saw nothing that would warrant throwing her off of the team."
"Because she has no real ambition of becoming a shinobi. Between her lackluster efforts, her stupid diet and her fawning over Sasuke …"
"She has her quirks, I'll admit that." Asuma looks up at Kakashi. "But at least she's trying to be healthy, and it's not like kids her age don't do stupid shit anyway."
Kakashi takes a deep breath, trying to contain the frustration he feels. Specifics, he tells himself. Asuma will want specifics to understand Kakashi's reasoning.
"She's insisting on that stupid diet of hers. What she brought today was admittedly better than the nothing she used to bring before, but all she had was-
"Grilled fish, rice and some bare greens?" Asuma guesses. "I know, Kakashi. It's not the best, but at least she eats. And frankly, whenever I've treated her for dinner she'll eat just about anything that is served to her, so I wouldn't worry too much about that diet of hers."
"A twelve year old shinobi on a diet is just ludicrous, Asuma, even if she doesn't always stick to it. You know that as well as I do."
"I know, Kakashi. I know, trust me."
Asuma meets his gaze calmly but there is something sad there that catches Kakashi's attention. He snaps his own mouth shut, frowning at Asuma. The other man sighs and leans back in his seat, and when he speaks his voice is reluctant.
"I know, Kakashi, alright? When I first got my kids, Ino was the same. Wouldn't eat unless you forced her to, would complain about how fat she'd get, wouldn't stop counting calories and whatever. And then I pressured her about it and she ate and I thought it'd be fine, but then I caught her sneaking away to throw up afterwards."
Asuma sighs, shaking his head tiredly. Kakashi swallows, unsure of what to say.
"At first I thought Sakura was the same," Asuma admits quietly. "And I was damned worried about it. But if you give her food she'll eat, happily, and she won't try to throw it back up afterwards either. She's not really watching how much or what she eats or counting her calories or anything. Apart from anything too spicy, she'll eat just about anything."
Asuma meets Kakashi's gaze again with a firmness that Kakashi almost finds difficult to stand.
"So yes, Kakashi, I know what a little girl with an eating disorder looks like and trust me, I have watched her. Whatever is going on with Sakura, I don't think an eating disorder is the real issue. Her lunch boxes aren't good but they aren't horrible either, so don't try to come here and say that's the real issue you've got with her."
Kakashi blinks, finally averting his gaze and swallowing. His throat should not feel this dry. What is he supposed to say to that, really?
"Perhaps you should have a conversation with whoever prepares her bento boxes," Asuma adds as an afterthought. "I haven't really wanted to get into it, because she's not really mine and, like I'm sure you understand, I've got enough to deal with anyway."
"Maybe I will," Kakashi reluctantly agrees.
"So you'll take her back then?"
Which abruptly brings Kakashi back to the real issue at hand. Troubling as it is to know about eating disorders, that is not the main reason why he chose to throw her off of the team this afternoon. It is only one of multiple annoyances with her.
"She's still not really applying herself," he explains. "She's too busy worrying about her looks or fawning over Sasuke or-"
"That's just part of being a normal kid," Asuma interrupts, smiling a little. "We were different at their age because we had already been to war. They haven't, so they haven't had to mature prematurely. She'll grow out of it."
Kakashi frowns again, because Asuma's points are starting to seem more and more valid and Kakashi isn't sure that he likes where the conversation seems to be going.
"She's lying to me."
"And that's the core of the issue at last," Asuma states, leaning forward in his seat. "What is she lying about?"
So Kakashi tells him about the day, about how she'd pretended to master the tree climbing exercise in a laughably small amount of time and then continued to stick to her lies even when Kakashi pressured her about it.
"That's strange," Asuma admits when Kakashi has finished speaking. "And worrying, if she is indeed lying."
"You didn't teach her?"
Asuma shakes his head, to Kakashi's confusion. He trusts Asuma. Asuma wouldn't lie about something like this, even if it was to save a little girl he might have grown inexplicably fond of over the last month. But if Asuma hasn't taught her, then-
"Then who taught her?" he asks. "No one masters it that quickly. It's impossible!"
"I don't know. She's spent most of her time around me and my team, so I don't really know when she would have had time to practice anyway. Nor meet up with another teacher either."
"But she can't have-"
Kakashi doesn't finish the sentence, because the mere idea that a genin fresh out of the Academy might be capable of such chakra control and not have "chakra genius" stamped in big, bold, red letters all over their file is just … absurd.
"I agree, it's unlikely," Asuma states. "Then again, she does not strike me as the kind of person who would lie about it either."
And Kakashi really doesn't have a good answer to that, because when he looks at her file and at her previous behaviours he has to agree. She's childish and immature, but usually obedient and respectful to authority to the point of even sucking up sometimes. She might try to hide a failure or lacking knowledge, but she's unlikely to outright try to falsify skills in the manner it now seems she has.
Kakashi closes his eye, knowing what will come next.
"Either way, unless you can prove that she's lying I don't believe you can actually throw her off the team."
Feeling defeated, Kakashi nods. Asuma stands and moves to leave, patting his shoulder as he passes by, but pauses in the doorway.
"Who knows, she might even end up surprising you."
Kakashi snorts, because that is unlikely to ever happen. When he opens his eye again Asuma is gone.
The next morning she's there again, waiting with the boys. The look she gives him is openly challenging, daring him to tell her to leave again. And perhaps there is something unifying about her after all, because Naruto is glaring as well and even Sasuke quietly positions himself behind his teammates, adding to their glaring.
Kakashi ignores her and the glares.
"Alright, team 7, we've got a mission," he says, addressing the group as a whole rather than the elephant in the room. "We've got a cat to catch. Again."
They set out on their mission and he makes sure to keep an attentive eye on her, watching for slips ups. Sooner or later there will be a hole in her facade and when there is, Kakashi will be sure to draw out the truth.
Kakashi is a patient man.
He can wait.
Drawing out secrets is a speciality of shinobi, after all.
And if boring D-ranked missions isn't enough to provoke such a slip up - well, the Chunin Exams are just around the corner.
Thank you for all of the lovely comments :) I love reading them!