It was ever so slowly becoming apparent to everyone that Sasuke was changing. He was still nonchalant but wasn't as rude as before.

Sasuke was respectful to Rina and the other senseis excluding Kakashi. He was tolerant of Sakura's constant badgering and remained polite. Sasuke still teases Naruto and calls Kakashi by name without honorific, but he is much more tolerable.

Kakashi documented this in his monthly report, but Tsunade needed more convincing. Some instances of better behaviour were not enough to trust him.

Sasuke did not feel he had changed much, and nobody dared point it out to him for fear of setting him back.

Only Rina saw Sasuke at his most sensitive moments when Rina came over for her weekly 'sleepover' with Kakashi when they were alone. Sasuke would talk to her about his family, and Rina would tell him stories of his parents and the times she played with him. Rina was careful not to mention Itachi, and Sasuke was glad. Sasuke felt that he had forgotten his parent's faces and what it meant to be happy for a long time. Itachi haunted him deeply.

Sasuke needed these memories Rina shared with him if he wanted to have a future with Hinata. He meant when he said he wanted to marry her - Sasuke was determined to be more of a family man than his father.

Rina was a kind, sweet person who deeply reminded him of his mother - she was always happy to oblige him.

Sasuke knew deep in his heart that his feelings for Rina were a strong love for her as a sibling. It disturbed him that if she hadn't adopted Naruto, he would have never seen her again and remembered her or these feelings. Another reason to blame Itachi, he took her away from him.

"What can I do to become stronger?"

Rina stopped dipping her bread in the beef stew Sasuke cooked in surprise while Kakashi seemed bored - almost like he expected this.

"You're plenty strong for a genin Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned, "You always say that Kakashi, but you know I need to kill Itachi. Both of you know how strong he is. I need to get on his level, so how do I do that?"

"By not letting your revenge cloud your judgement or rule over your life. You have a family here, Naruto, who still cares about you and Hinata, who never gave up on you despite everything. Do not let revenge consume you, Sasuke. It's not worth it."

Rina remained quiet, stirring at her stew as she listened to Kakashi. Eventually, her boyfriend grew agitated and excused himself.

Rina looked at Sasuke and saw him already meeting eyes with her, but there was quiet desperation there.

"Please, Anueu."

"You're still a genin Sasuke. No genin can be as strong as an elite as your brother."

"My brother was ANBU at 13!"

"Do. Not. Shout. At. The. Table." Sasuke shivered at her cold voice and nodded dumbly, muttering an apology.

"I said genin Sasuke. Age is different from what you should be concerned with. Both you and Itachi are different. Itachi was a natural genius who came up to the world not because he was physically strong but because he had immense talent as a marksman and assassin. He had above-average intelligence and used that to resolve conflicts in the most practical matter possible. You, on the other hand, had to struggle to be as good as you are. You trained and studied every day to be the best of your cohort, and you did it. You are intelligent, too, but nowhere near Itachi's IQ, and that's okay. You are not like Itachi and never will be, and that's okay."

Sasuke looked down at his hands, defeated, but Rina lifted his chin to meet his eyes. "Let's focus on making you Chuunin first. Once you're Chuunin, I want to train Team 7 in kenjutsu. In the meantime, we focus on basic training and taijutsu."

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, "I'm already good at taijutsu, Anueu."

Rina smirks, moving her hand away from Sasuke's face, "Beat my Karin and Naruto without your Sharingan, and then we can talk. You and I know your matches with my kids have not concluded because you always exceed the time limit."

Sasuke's eye twitched. He had to admit that she had a point. He frowned - thinking about the two Uzumaki cousins.

Naruto's technique initially was based on the academy style but more headstrong and brazen - using his clones to distract the opponent or aid him in pulling off reckless moves. Now, Naruto's taijutsu was more precise. He adopted a different technique that he never saw before, and Naruto was much faster, but his approach was fiercer than ever. He still used his clones, but Naruto had changed his focus into single-mindedly taking down his opponent quickly and brutally. Naruto broke his nose and a few bones in the spars they had as of late.

Sasuke suppresses a shudder when he thinks of Karin's taijutsu style. Karin was not as fast as Naruto but was much more agile than any other genin besides the Hyuuga clan members in their cohort. Karin could easily redirect the attacker's momentum with entering and turning motions, followed by various throws or joint locks to incapacitate. Sometimes, he swears he sees a sadistic look on her face when she has him pinned.

"You taught them taijutsu, I'm guessing?"

Rina blinked, off-guard by the question. "No, Naru was trained by Jiraiya and Karin was trained by Kabuto. I have sparred with them; of course, I did help Naruto with his footwork and focus, but the style was there. A little aggressive but efficient. I did incorporate more flexible movements in Karin's fighting style to give her more of an edge, but Naruto does have a more offensive style than any other normal genin."

Sasuke smartly kept his mouth shut that Naruto in their taijutsu spars was much more intimidating since their fight at the Valley. If Sasuke was honest, he felt like Naruto was a different person in combat now - he was a harsher person, unwilling to give mercy or any openings.

Sasuke wondered if maybe Naruto and Karin were just what he needed, unrelenting in their spars - unwilling to pull back any punches.

"Your taijutsu and bukijutsu Sasuke is practically near perfect. However, I would recommend that moving forward - if you want to improve, consider focusing on genjutsu."

Sasuke blinked, unsure if he heard right. "Why? Genjutsu is-"

"-It's a speciality of your brother."

Sasuke's breath halted, remembering what Itachi did to him. "Well-"

Rina calmly ate her stew and spoke between spoonfuls. "Itachi's genius skills are unparalleled. He could suck you in and make it seem so real. You might never leave if you get lost in that."

Sasuke pursed his lips in thought; he never liked genjutsu. It wasn't something he ever felt necessary in his arsenal. He knew that his family prided himself on being offensive front-liners with taijutsu, but he never thought of his brother being known for this speciality. Especially because possessing the Sharingan renders one essentially invulnerable to genjutsu as their acute vision allows them to recognise its flaws and influence.

"If you like, I could ask Kurenei if she would be interested in teaching you. It is her specialisation, after all."

Sasuke frowned, "May I think on it first, Anueue?"

Rina nodded; she said nothing else after that and continued eating silently, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

The following day, Sasuke awoke earlier than usual to see Rina leaving Kakashi's room. Without saying anything, he approaches her, letting the top of his head brush against her arm. Rina blinked, surprised and remembered that when Sasuke was little, he would quietly come up close to her to embrace her without a word.

"Do you want a hug?"

Sasuke flushes, finding the question random. He just wanted to be near her, that is all. Rina's scent was always calming to him. Since Sasuke didn't respond, she tilted her head and kissed his temple as she squeezed his hand, making him blush.

"Be good, Sasuke."

The genin nods as she leaves swiftly without another word but a warm smile on his face. Sasuke turns as he hears Kakashi's door open. "Morning"

The jounin nods, "Morning."

Kakaahi was wearing his signature mask, body armour, and a shirt on top of it with his pyjama pants.

"Do you sleep in that?"

"Nope."

Sasuke's eye twitched at the smug expression on the jounin's face but kept his mouth shut. "Aneue talked to you about last night?"

"She did", Kakashi answers, leaning his body to the side. "Do you want to learn genjutsu?"

Sasuke said, "It's not my style, frankly."

"But you should be wary of what Rina said. Itachi is a monster with genius. Normally, he preferred to use genjutsu to psychologically disable opponents, allowing him to end the fight instantly. Itachi seamlessly affects his targets with his illusions without them even realising it. It became clear that his genjutsu became even more potent after he got his Sharingan."

Sasuke clenched his fist, "I read in my clan archives that if someone is advanced enough, they could potentially use the Sharingan for genjutsu, but there hasn't been a recorded case since Madara Uchiha. So Itachi could do that too?"

Kakashi nods, "I recommend you learn how to defend yourself against it. However, I would suggest Gai for this."

Sasuke looks at his teacher incredulously, "Why Gai?"

Kakashi smirked at Sasuke's baffled expression, "Gai developed a counter for Sharingan genjutsu by deducing movements from their feet so you wouldn't have to make eye contact. Gai can do that because he is a taijutsu master and an expert in human body movement. He could be helpful to you if you permit it."

Sasuke thought this over; the technique did sound useful. If Kakashi was recommending Gai over his friend - the genjutsu mistress, Kurenei that would mean he must trust Gai's abilities. Still, Sasuke wasn't sure if he could handle Gai's eccentrics without pulling out all his hair.

Kakashi couldn't help but smirk - he could practically see the gears turning in Sasuke's head.

"May I think about it and get back to you?"

"Sure. I'm going to shower; get breakfast started in the meantime Sasuke."