One week to the day after her arrival in Konoha, Lady Tsunade is formally inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. The ceremony itself is simple - with the village still under reconstruction and resources still being somewhat scarce there just isn't time to make it as grandiose as such an occasion deserves to be. So, though there is no ceremony where the new Hokage is formally draped in her own Hokage-cape, she still stands before the people of Konoha with the hat of her predecessors and gives a small speech.

"From this day on I will protect Konoha as the fifth Hokage!" she finishes, and the masses of people cheer.

Sakura stands in the streets below the Hokage building and the mountain. Beside her, Hajime, Tomomi, Aimi, Takeshi and the other genin are cheering. Something swells in Sakura's chest as she looks up at their new Hokage - a kunoichi as famous and revered as her male teammates. There is pride, in her Village and in being a part of such a grand occasion but also something else.

She wants to be like that. She wants to be strong, and confident. Someone people can look up to, and rely on.

Someone who won't be dismissed by her teammates. .

Glancing around, she looks for the boys. Naruto's blonde head is visible way up on the balcony, behind the Hokage. He stands with a tall, broad shouldered man with white hair that she now recognises as Jiraiya of the Sannin. Sasuke is more difficult to find, but at last she catches sight of Kakashi-sensei's white tuft of hair in the crowd, and there next to him is Sasuke.

She looks away again, up at the still smiling Tsunade, who is now waving to the crowds. Around her, people are still cheering but the crowd is thinning now, as people slowly return to their duties or to celebrate the inauguration of the new Hokage. Asuma-sensei, followed by Ino, Choji and Shikamaru, are already heading in the direction of Yakiniku Q.

A chill runs down her back and for a moment she feels as if she's watching it all from a great distance. Watching something she is not really a part of. Alone.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" A hand lands on her shoulder, shattering the mental glass cage she has trapped herself in. Hajime smiles at her and tugs gently on her arm, pulling her away from the crowd. "Time to celebrate!"

"Get drunk is what he means," Tomomi says, voice disapproving but with an expression of fond resignation on her face

"Of course! It's time to drink in honour of our new Hokage!"

She smiles, the chill already gone. She's not alone, after all.

They choose a nearby restaurant, settle down and order their food and plenty of sake.

"And pop soda for the kids," Tomomi adds, with a pretend-stern look. "No sake for you yet!"

Sakura laughs, because while she as a shinobi may be legally allowed to order the stuff she has no real urge to do so anyway. She's perfectly happy with the cherry pop soda that the server places before her.

They eat, and the adults drink, and they talk and laugh and have a thoroughly good time. Sakura splurges and orders herself a second dessert when the adults order more sake.

By the end of the evening neither Hajime nor Tomomi are walking properly, and Hajime leans heavily on her as they make their way back towards the Genin Corps Dormitories. As they pass by the large square before the Hokage tower she glances up towards the now empty balcony where Lady Tsunade stood just hours ago. The cliff behind the tower still looks the same - it will be months, if not years even, before they can have her face properly carved into the mountain.

Sakura won't give up, she promises herself. She'll become strong, some day. Somehow she'll carve her way to strength.

And then she'll beat both Naruto and Sasuke into the ground.

And maybe Kakashi-sensei too, for good measure.

Sasuke resists the urge to scowl at the people around him as he makes his way up the stairs of the Hokage Tower. Administrative assistants and genin messengers scatter before him, chunin step aside with annoyed scowls and jonin look vaguely amused as they let him by, setting him further on edge.

He growls, quietly, as he reaches the area before the Hokage's office and is met by the sight of her assistant.

"Tsunade-sama is busy," she tells him without even looking at him, apparently too occupied with paperwork. "Take a seat."

For a moment he plays with the thought of stalking past her anyway. She doesn't look like she could stop him. But that might be counterproductive towards his main goal for even being here, so he resigns himself to the wait. With annoyance he crosses his arms, impatiently looking around the room.

He's startled and annoyed to notice that he's not the only one waiting. Sakura sits on a bench by the door. He should have noticed that as soon as he entered the room, not just stalked past her without even noticing her presence.

"Hi Sasuke," she greets him as she notices him looking at her.

Out of habit he makes a vaguely acknowledging sound in his throat, not quite a greeting as he doesn't want to encourage her too much but enough that he also isn't completely socially incompetent. Then he frowns at her. Something is different.

"How are you doing?"

His frown increases further, because it sounds like her yet not like her at all. A memory flashes before his eyes, permanently burnt into his memory thanks to his sharingan; her, appearing where the idiot was just a moment ago, eyes full of both terror and determination alike as she does the seemingly impossible and redirects his attack. Mentally shaking his head he focuses on the present again.

"What are you doing here?" he finds himself asking. If he comes across as rude she doesn't seem to take it personally.

"Oh, I just … I wanted to talk to Lady Tsunade about something. What about you?"

It's a deflection as clear as day. The lack of answer does annoy him more than it reasonably should, even if he doesn't press the issue.

"Same." He looks away with disinterest, done with the conversation.

They wait in silence. The only sound in the room is the ticking of the clock and the scratch of the pen against the paper as the assistant writes. The sun is shining in through the window and the room is just a little bit too hot.

Impatient and bored, he allows his eyes to wander around the room until he catches himself looking at her again. She looks similarly bored, one leg slightly bouncing up and down as she stares emptily at a spot on the other side of the room. She's wearing that awful, light blue uniform again and he scowls at the sight of it. He'd rather die than be caught wearing that, he thinks. She might be happy settling for being a genin, but he has too much else to do. Like killing his brother.

Memories of that last, disastrous meeting with Itachi flashes before his mind. He tries to push the thoughts away, channelling the humiliation and frustration he feels into burning hatred in his chest. Hatred is strength. He needs to get stronger to get his vengeance.

He'd thought he'd grown. He was wrong. There is still so much growing he needs to do before he can even hope of making Itachi suffer a smite of what Sasuke has suffered.

The door opens and a string of people wander out, among them the familiar faces of two of his old classmates. Aburame Shino, the bug guy, and Nara Shikamaru, the second worst student, just after Naruto. Sasuke feels his eyes narrowing as he spots the green vests they're both holding. How the fuck did that happen?

He doesn't comment. Instead he bites his teeth together hard enough that it hurts and looks impatiently at the assistant.

"Lady Tsunade will see you both now."

"Both of us?" Sakura asks, mirroring his thoughts.

"Both of you," the assistant repeats, her tone of voice enough to forestall any arguments. "Tsunade-sama has a lot of work to do."

Awkwardly they shuffle through the door, into the Hokage's office, and come to stand before the desk, side by side. Sasuke makes sure to leave enough room between them to make it clear that they're not here together.

"What do you two want?"

They awkwardly exchange glances. He nods, signalling for her to go first. Since whatever her reason for being here can't possibly be as important as his, she should go first. She hesitates, but then the Hokage clears her throat impatiently and she steps forward.

"I wanted to make a request, Hokage-sama." Her voice is quiet but clear in a way Sasuke isn't used to.

"What is it?"

The Hokage doesn't even look up from her paperwork and Sasuke smirks to himself, looking away towards the window to hide the expression on his face.

"I would like to become your apprentice!"

His smirk falters and he turns to look at her again, unable to quite hide the incredulousness on his face. What?! his mind stutters, angry and confused at the same time.

The Hokage pauses too, dropping her pen and looking up at them. At her, stapling her fingers before her and making a little sound, as if she's actually considering the madness!

"Why would someone want you for an apprentice?!" he asks, unable to stop himself.

"Sasuke-kun -" she turns towards him, and the hurt expression on her face only infuriates him further.

Pathetic, he thinks. Weak. Annoying and useless. She is everything that he strives not to be, yet here she is having stepped directly into his way! And how is it that she keeps doing that? First it was her stupid squabbling with Kakashi, then her throwing the Chunin Exams for them, her getting in the way of his fight with Naruto and now this?!

"If you are going to take anyone as your apprentice it should be me!" he says, turning towards the Hokage. "I'm stronger! I deserve this more than she does!"

From the corner of his eyes he can see her looking as if he has slapped her but he only has eyes for the Hokage, who has raised her eyebrows in surprise at his outburst but still hasn't said a word.

"I've got better chakra control," Sakura says.

Sasuke grits his teeth, because she's right dammit. "Having good control can't be that difficult considering how little you have. Who needs a medic who can only heal scratch-wounds without running out of chakra?"

She takes a step back, as if he has physically hit her, and he uses the opportunity to step closer to the Hokage. Her eyes meet his, visibly unimpressed, and he tries with all of his being to show her how serious he is.

He needs to get stronger, and if one of the legendary Sanin can do that to Naruto of all people, then it only makes sense that he apprentice himself to the other one.

Even if she is a woman. And a medic. She's the Hokage for crying out loud, that should mean she's the strongest despite all that! And Sasuke needs that strength!

"Take me as your apprentice!" he demands.

"But I was-"

Annoyed that she's still interrupting, Sasuke physically shoves her aside. Towards the door, so that she might just catch the hint and leave. But it seems that she's even more thick-headed than the idiot, because she quickly turns back around and-

Slap!

Her open hand smacks his cheek hard enough that his ears are ringing with the force of it, and for a moment he can only stare. Furious eyes meet his, and he can clearly read the promise of more violence in them.

The air seems almost too thick to breathe. His mind short-circuits, scrambling for something to say or do.

Vaguely, he's aware of the sudden sharpness of the world, the clarity with which he suddenly sees everything. The anger in her eyes, every stupid, pink eyelash, the way her fists are clenched, her body tense and ready to fight.

He's absolutely certain that he's never seen her like this before.

Then the Hokage speaks, pulling his attention elsewhere.

"I don't have time for your squabbling."

"But-"

"Don't you dare use those eyes of yours in my office, boy!"

With a blink, the sharingan is gone, but she continues to meet his eyes with disapproval.

"The answer is no. If you want to become medics, feel free to apply to the hospital. I don't have the time to deal with either of you."

It's as if someone has slipped a rug out from beneath him. This is it. His one hope of ever getting strong enough, gone.

"Now get out! Both of you!"

With great reluctance he does as he's told, incredulous that somehow it is once again Sakura that manages to mess up his opportunities!

"This is your fault!" he tells her as he pushes past her, hurrying out.

If she apologises he's already too far away to hear her.

"Mission accomplished," Kakashi reports that evening, placing the mission scroll before the Hokage.

It's late, he's tired and his body is still bloody aching from the after effects of Itachi's genjutsu. He's only been out of the hospital for mere days and he's allowed to be cranky, he thinks.

Lady Tsunade does not look like she agrees but she isn't berating him for his insolence either, which is practically the same as agreement in Kakashi's book.

"Any chance I can get you to submit to another medical check?" she sighs, leaning back in her seat and giving him that look that makes him feel like he's just a kid again.

"Nope," he cheerily replies, already reaching for his book. "Now, if we're done here-"

"We're not."

His hand pauses on his pouch, fingers already brushing against his favourite book, and he reluctantly returns his attention to her again.

"Two of your brats were here today."

He pulls his hand away from the pouch.

"They both made requests to become my apprentices. Which makes me wonder, Kakashi; are you as bad at updating their files as you are at handing in your mission reports, since neither of their files suggest that they harbour such interests? Or are you simply such a bad teacher that they're all desperate to get away from you?"

Kakashi sighs, headache already building behind his eyes. He longingly thinks of his bed, resigning himself that it will have to wait a bit longer.

"A bit of both?" he admits, the truth of it stinging. "Which ones were here?"

"The Uchiha and the girl."

Tilting his head a little, Kakashi considers the information. Perhaps it's not so surprising after all, that Sasuke and Sakura are the ones to seek further tutelage away from him. Naruto is, as of yet, more or less satisfied with Jiraiya, but both Sasuke and Sakura are left without as much guidance. Kakashi has tried to make time for Sasuke, if only to make sure that the boy won't do anything enormously stupid, and Sakura …

Actually, Sakura might just be a good fit for learning from Lady Tsunade. Yeah, Kakashi could see that happening. She could learn to utilise both that chakra control and that brain of hers, all in a nice, safe non-combatant role.

"What did you tell them?"

"That I don't have time for their squabbling and that they can apply to the hospital if they want to become medics."

Looking out the large windows, out into the village proper where the streets have come alive with light, Kakashi ponders the situation.

"It might make sense for you to accept them," he says at last, reaching for his book, opening it and staring emptily down at the pages. He's not sure that he likes the mental image his mind is drawing up.

"How so?"

"Hm. Well, Sasuke's particularly vulnerable at the moment and in need of guidance."

"You mean that he's rude, arrogant, self-assured and would make a bloody awful medic."

"That too. He has a thirst for power and revenge for his clan. He needs to feel that he's on the path to achieving that."

"And what'll happen if he thinks he's not? Do you think he'll turn against Konoha?"

Memories of the Uchiha massacre flashes before Kakashi's eyes. So many dead, and all of it at the hands of one thirteen year old boy he'd called a comrade. Much like Sasuke.

"I don't know what he'll do if he thinks we're holding him back. I do think, however, that him reaching out for your tutelage is him telling us that he needs more opportunity to grow. With me out of the village so much, it might do him well to have an apprenticeship in the village."

Especially since Naruto's been working with Jiraiya as well, Kakashi thinks. That's probably a large part of it too.

"And might also tie his loyalty more closely to Konoha," Tsunade sighs, echoing Danzo's words from earlier.

"Maybe you'd even be able to humble him a little." Kakashi raises a suggestive eyebrow, looking at the Hokage over his book. "Just think what you can accomplish with a young mind like his to mould."

Lady Tsunade snorts at that, but she's smiling too.

"And what about the girl? You said it would make sense for me to accept them both?"

Behind his mask, Kakashi's smile fades. Lady Tsunade is a very busy woman. Like, very busy. Being both the Hokage, and especially in a time like this, just after an invasion, and the village's top medic is sure to demand a lot of her time. The odds of her being able to make time for an apprentice, much less two apprentices, are slim at best.

"She's a smart girl. Has good chakra control." Excellent chakra control, if Kakashi isn't mistaken, but just how good is probably best left unsaid. Geniuses like that have an ability to disappear, after all. "Out of the two of them, I think she'd make the better medic."

The more he thinks about it, the more sense it makes.

"I don't have time for one apprentice, much less two, Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugs, looking down at his book again without really reading. "That's up to you to decide, Hokage-sama."

"If I were to accept one of them, which one would you recommend?"

Cutting right down to the issue, Kakashi thinks.

"Like I said, Sakura would make a better medic. But like you said, an apprenticeship with you might tie Sasuke closer to the village."

"You're not answering the question, Kakashi."

With a frustrated sigh he puts the book away, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"You're asking me to choose between my students?"

"I'm asking for your opinion on the matter. As their sensei, you're supposed to know these kids better than anyone."

Kakashi wants to scoff at that, but she has a point. Except, Kakashi doesn't really know his kids.

"Sasuke makes more sense from a political point of view," he states at last.

"But you're not recommending him?"

"Sakura would make a better medic, and be more suited towards your skills."

"So she's your recommendation?"

Kakashi looks up at the ceiling, as if the old wood holds the answers to his dilemma.

"Like I said, that would be up to you to decide, Hokage-sama."

He turns to leave, mentally done with the conversation.

"It's decided then. I do, however, expect you to continue teaching him whenever you're in the village."

"Naturally." Kakashi waves a hand dismissively in the air.

"And Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"I do have another mission for you as well."

He stops before he reaches the door. Of course she's got another mission for him, because heaven forbid that he'll ever be allowed to rest up properly.

"What is it this time?" He turns back, eyeing the scroll now in her hand.

"Human trafficking ring. They're kidnapping civilian children from poor villages and selling them as slaves."

She holds it out to him, and he reluctantly accepts it, opening it and scanning its content.

"A group of genin from the Genin Corps were derailed during a mission and pretty much stumbled into a kidnapping scenario. The children were saved and most of the bandits killed in the process, but a few of them survived and were able to provide us with more information."

The actual scroll contains more information on the ring itself, its agents and its leaders, no doubt brought forward with encouragement from T&I.

"I'll take a look," Kakashi says, rolling up the scroll and pocketing it. "Take them down and extract the leaders?"

"Exactly. But make sure you get a good night's sleep first. You look like shit."

"Did you hear?"

"What?"

"Lady Tsunade has taken an apprentice!"

The mess hall of the Genin Corps is positively buzzing with the news. Sakura resists the urge to gape when she hears it at first, quickly putting random foods on her plate before she joins the others at their usual table.

"Two weeks in Konoha and already she's taken an apprentice! I guess she likes being back!"

"But seriously though, what a lucky bastard that must be!"

"Yeah, just imagine the possibilities! That's a straight path to success, if you ask me."

Tomomi, Aimi and Takeshi are already there, talking. Hajime must still be changing after their last mission then, she thinks distractedly.

"I think it's a shame that it's a he and not a she," Aimi comments, carefully picking up some rice with her chopsticks. "It's not easy to make it as a kunoichi. As someone who has made it, she should pave the way for others."

Takeshi looks torn between annoyance and amusement, but Aimi calmly chews her rice. Sakura picks at her food but her appetite is already gone, despite a morning of hard work. Did Lady Tsunade taking an apprentice happen before or after she was there, she wonders. The thought makes a wave of shame roll over her, making her want to curl in on herself. If Lady Tsunade simply didn't want an apprentice, then that would be one thing, but if she just didn't want Sakura, then that's different. Personal. Yet another person who finds her lacking.

Sasuke's words are ringing in her ears, seeming to gain strength from the news. Why would anyone want her for an apprentice?

"Do you know who it is?"

"No. Someone said that it was Morino Ibiki, but that can't be true, right?"

Someone snickers.

"No, definitely not. I heard it was a long lost Senju and now she's adopting them and planning to reform her clan."

"That sounds made up."

"Well, who do you think it is then?"

She forces herself to take a bite of the food, trying to push away all thought of her own inadequateness. The fried noodles taste bitter in her mouth.

"Sakura!" Takeshi exclaims, startling her. "You were at the Hokage Tower yesterday, right? Did you hear anything?"

All eyes turn on her, both at their table and - to varying degrees of discretion - at their surrounding tables. Uncomfortable, Sakura swallows her food.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"There wasn't anyone else there?" Aimi joins in.

Not except Sasuke, but he got rejected too, which is at least mildly reassuring. She doesn't speak the words, simply shaking her head instead.

"What have I missed?" Hajime asks as he joins them, slamming his own food down beside her.

"The Hokage has taken an apprentice," Takeshi immediately replies, eager to share the news.

"I know. What else is new?"

Making a big show of feigning casualness Hajime takes a bit of his food even as the others immediately demand to know everything he knows.

"Do you know who it is?"

"Of course. You don't?"

"Tell us!"

Even Sakura looks up then, curious despite her own mixed emotions.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Whoa!"

"Uchiha?!"

"Of course it's Sasuke-kun! Oh, he'll make a great medic I'm sure!"

She isn't aware that she makes a noise of any sort but she must have, because Hajime immediately gives her a worried look.

"You didn't know?" he asks quietly, frowning.

Unable to speak, she just shakes her head again.

"Sorry? I was sure he would have told you, since you're teammates."

Distantly she wonders what has given Hajime the impression that she is especially close with either of her teammates. Her mind is spinning. Impossible, she thinks. Sasuke was rejected, just like her. Wasn't he?

Three days into his mission of uncovering the human trafficking ring Kakashi decides that he is more than a little annoyed.

Part of it is because the leads he has been following has led him to a large, luxurious manor built off of the blood and suffering of others and which has altogether far too many hidden rooms and crevices. Far too much room to hide prisoners or guards or to disappear into if taken by surprise.

Another part of it is the knowledge of how he continues to fail his students slowly burning away at the back of his mind - not at the front only because he needs most of his attention focused on the mission right now.

He'd never asked to become a sensei. Had requested the exact opposite, in fact. He'd known he'd be horrible at it, and he'd been right. The fact that he'd been right doesn't make things feel any better though.

The thing is, he's been trying. Trying and failing. Kakashi isn't really used to failing, but like usual it's others who end up paying the consequences for his shortcomings.

Just like Obito.

And Rin.

Or that clusterfuck of a mess that was Uchiha Itachi. Who'd been not only on his team, but under his command, and yet Kakashi had failed to see the brewing evil right in front of him. And the whole fucking Uchiha clan had ended up dead. Gone in one night. All except Itachi himself and Sasuke.

Part of Kakashi wonders if history is repeating itself again, now with Sasuke. He's not blind to the growing darkness in the boy, nor the casual viciousness with which he treats those he considers inferior or not of immediate use to him. How far can he allow things to go before he has to act?

He doesn't even want to think about what he'll have to do if he's forced to act. If push comes to shove and Sasuke becomes a threat to Konoha.

His hand clenches reflexively, phantom pains from the chidori and the sensation of warm flesh giving away beneath his fingers. Rin's breath coming out in a huff, her lips turning into something resembling a smile despite the sadness in her eyes.

And then there's Sakura. Recently orphaned, clanless, homeless little Sakura. Who may or may not have a missing nin from Mist after her. Who has the most ridiculous chakra control Kakashi has ever come across, and apparently has a steadily growing list of kills. Who would probably do incredibly well under someone like Lady Tsunade, where she'd be safe from frontline battles and having to see her teammates killed one after another.

Arguably, she is his biggest failure, at least as of recent. He's been trying and trying with Naruto and Sasuke, and though he has failed them both as well it's not the same. Naruto has Jiraiya, and because Jiraiya is who he is, he's also just about a perfect teacher for Naruto. And Sasuke will be starting a dual apprenticeship with both Kakashi and Lady Tsunade, which might just do it, but in doing so Sakura is also robbed of what would have been a perfect opportunity for her.

Kakashi can't deny his own part in that. Even though he'd opted not to recommend either of his students to Lady Tsunade, he'd known what choice she would make. The same choice he has made before, the one he knows has to be made because the sharingan is just that important to Konoha.

He just hates that it has to come at the cost of another one of his students.

But Kichiro's been good to Sakura. He might not be the optimal teacher for her, but he's done well already, and he'd certainly picked up on her potential faster than Kakashi had.

Careful to hide his chakra he soundlessly sweeps the halls, exploring the manor and sneaking past guards. His mind is only partly focused on the task at hand. At the back of his mind he's still chewing over the situation, already drawing up rough outlines for how a shared apprenticeship might work in reality and hesitant plans for how he can make it somewhat right to Sakura and Naruto.

He's trying. Really trying, even though there's a part of him that feels like he's five again and just wants to go to his father for advice. Or like he's eight and just wants Minato-sensei's help. Neither of those options are available though, and so Kakashi will just have to pull on his big-boy pants and do the best he can.

And he'll do his damndest to keep Sasuke on the straight and narrow.

As soon as he gets done exploring the bloody manor, finishes the mission and can return to Konoha, that is. Footsteps approach and he silently dodges into a room to avoid being seen.

Sasuke will need to continue working on his speed and stamina, but the basics are already there and looking good. He'll write down all of the different jutsu he knows and choose a few ones to pass on. Suitably flashy but also within the reasonable capability of a thirteen year old boy still pretty fresh out of the Academy.

Given that Sasuke too has the Sharingan he's the perfect protégé, really. Especially given Kakashi's own moniker and reputation to have copied a thousand jutsu. If there is anyone in the village who might be able to follow in those footsteps it will be Sasuke. At least if the boy doesn't get drawn into the Medics Corps first.

The village Elders have been on him for a few years already, insisting that he needs to get married and/or pass on his knowledge to someone. This should keep them happy for a while, Kakashi thinks with grim satisfaction.

He notes the set of the windows, the doors and mentally compares the size of the room with the dimensions from the outside. Like many of the other rooms, this one is smaller than it ought to be. Heaving a quiet sigh he adds this room to the mental lists of rooms he'll need to explore more before he moves on, returning to the now quiet corridor.

So he's annoyed with the mission and he's annoyed with the situation with his students and he's annoyed with his own inability to change things.

If he is to be completely honest with himself though none of that is the real issue.

The real issue is that he's terrified of screwing up and like a child running for its mother in fear he wishes desperately that he could talk to Minato-sensei. Even for just a few minutes. Just a few words. Enough for Minato-sensei to either assure him that he won't screw up too badly or to tell him to hand his protégé over entirely to Lady Tsunade. Either or. Kakashi just can't decide which is the right choice.

And since Kakashi can't have Minato-sensei he'll make sure to find another outlet for his frustration.

Luckily, these scum kidnapping and selling little children into slavery makes a perfect target for his anger.

"Again," the bitch orders and Sasuke wants to scream out loud in frustration.

Instead of doing so he takes grim satisfaction at mentally referring to her as a dog and swiftly runs his hands through the familiar hand seals - dog, boar and ram. The transformation technique pulls at him, making him taller and broader, his hair growing longer and his chest growing larger in a way he's really not comfortable with. At last he stands before her, a perfect replica of her, glaring at her in challenge.

She eyes him, not at all bothered by the anger he feels.

"Try again," she tells him. "Your technique is sloppy, you're wasting chakra and the end result is mediocre."

"What's wrong with it?!" he asks, undoing the transformation. His mind spins a little at the quick change.

"You need to work on your understanding of female anatomy, boy. Again."

She heads over to her bookshelf and reaches for a book, and when she turns around again he has once again taken her form.

"Proportions all wrong," she states, barely even looking at him. "Here, study this and we'll try again when you're done with it."

Glancing down he suppresses a blush at the realisation that she has literally given him a book on female anatomy.

"I didn't become your apprentice to study anatomy or read books!" he exclaims, trying to hide his own embarrassment. "Teach me something real!"

"Not until you have refined your chakra control."

Her dismissal is clear and it infuriates him. Everyone keeps looking down at him, dismissing him as if he's nothing! Go away. You don't interest me at the moment. His brother's voice rings in his ears, making his stomach burn with helpless hatred.

"I'm done with these stupid chakra exercises!" he snarls, throwing the book down on her desk. "I demand you teach me a real jutsu!"

"As long as your chakra control is as sloppy as it is, whatever jutsu I'll teach you will be like a dull sword in the hands of a butcher."

His fists clench in anger and he glares, because he doesn't know what else to do and he hates it.

"My chakra control is perfectly fine!" he argues.

"Perfectly average, you mean."

Average. The word stings like the worst of insults and he doesn't know what to make of it. No one has called him average in years!

"Perfecting your chakra control means sharpening the effectiveness of your jutsu, as well as improving your overall stamina and capability. Moreover, it is a requirement for the kind of jutsu I intend to teach you," she explains, the patience barely covering the threat in her voice.

"It's been days," he argues. "When will we start training for real?"

"Whenever you've mastered the basics required."

Back to him being stuck practising the basics, while Naruto and even Sakura seem to be out there learning new things all the time.

"Fine," he finally grunts.

"Don't forget the book. And do treat it with some respect."

Forcing himself not to throw a tantrum in her office he stiffly accepts the book and makes his way out of her office.

Instead of heading home to read it he heads for the nearest training ground, intent to blow off some steam.

It is only much later that he opens the book, disinterestedly scanning the pages for anything that seems important.

He doesn't think there is. Regardless, he settles down to read it with the same kind of bored intensity he has given to so many Academy lessons.

Absent-mindedly he brings his hand up to his shoulder, scratching lightly on the dark seal there.

Whatever it takes to get stronger, he tells himself.

Whatever boring classes he has to sit through, however much training he has to put himself through.

He will get stronger.

He will get revenge.

He doesn't notice four sets of foreign eyes watching him.