A/N: Sorry for the delay! In the end, I had to threaten my roommate with buying cake to get her to give this a check-over. Cake is the ultimate threat.
…I think I should be ashamed of how many times I've used buying cake as a threat.
Or maybe she should be ashamed for how many times she's caved to that?
Anyway, thanks for reading!
"Sakura-chan you're okay!" The blond exclaims as they get close, leaping forward with arms spread. Not wanting to shove the boy away, Natsu grabs Kakashi's arm and drags him over. The man smiles indulgently as the orange-clad kid's arms wrap around him, and Natsu backs away with a suspicious look, moving to stand next to Inoichi.
"Maa, Naruto-kun, I think you missed."
"Geh!?" The blond lets go of the older man as if burned, stumbling back. "S-sensei!" he flails a bit, turning around to look at Natsu. "Sakura-chan are you okay? Did the jerk do anything to you, Kakashi-sensei said he didn't but what does he know, he wasn't there, are you feeling better-"
The black-haired kid grunts, staring suspiciously at Natsu, and the pinkette sighs.
Inoichi steps in to spare him from coming up with an answer, settling himself comfortably on the grass at the foot of the bridge. "Sakura-chan's unique situation is actually what we want to talk about. Please settle down, Naruto-kun."
There's something a bit… apprehensive in Inoichi's voice as he speaks to the blond, and Natsu looks between them a moment.
"Is something wrong with him, Inoichi-san?" The elder blond looks at Natsu, but the pinkette just continues. "You seem like you don't want to tell Naruto-kun what happened, you seem worried. So… is something wrong?"
The Yamanaka sighs. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with - Naruto-kun is just somewhat unpredictable when it comes to bad news."
"Bad news? Is Sakura-chan dying? Sakura-chan, you can't die we just became a team- gurk!" Naruto cuts off suddenly as Kakashi aborts his lunge by grabbing the back of his jacket.
"No one is dying, Naruto-kun. Please let us explain before you start jumping to conclusions, ne?"
"Whatever happened before still isn't fixed, then." Sasuke muses, staring intently at Natsu. Natsu meets his eyes, glaring right back. Kakashi groans from off to the side. Inoichi pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Accurate enough. Please allow me to finish before interrupting. Due to some unusual jutsu interactions, Sakura-chan is currently being possessed-"
"WHAT-" Kakashi seamlessly covers Naruto's mouth, entirely nonchalant. Sasuke breaks their glaring match to stare, wide-eyed, at Inoichi and Natsu grins at the victory.
"-and, at this time, we haven't found a way to remove the possessing entity. Unfortunately, Sakura-chan is not able to take control of her body, but a thorough investigation has been performed, confirming that the possession is entirely accidental. In order to keep this situation from being widely known, Natsu-san will be working with Team 7 until we can find a way to reverse this and return him to his home. Please feel free to take a few minutes and ask any questions you may have. Hokage-sama has also agreed to make time to speak with both of you, if you wish."
"There's a guy in Sakura-chan's body?!" Naruto leaps up, finger pointing accusingly at Natsu, but Sasuke cuts in before he can respond.
"Do you really need to look for a solution? He's already proven himself far more competent than Sakura ever was."
The air practically shimmers with Naruto's fury, both Kakashi and Inoichi straightening into ready positions as the younger blond lunges forward, punching Sasuke solidly in the face before the blackette can stand. Natsu grins and nearly challenges the other boy to a fight to see whether that feeling is more than just an aura, to gauge just how strong the other boy really is, before he remembers that he has no idea what Sakura's body can handle.
Dammit, this is so much worse than Edolas!
"Don't be stupid, dobe! You saw how s-he moved against Kakashi-sensei. Why would you want that useless fangirl instead of someone who can actually keep up - or did you just like having someone worse than you on the team?"
"Don't you dare talk about Sakura-chan like that you-"
Natsu steps between them, ignoring Naruto's building aura, the air burning slightly red as he faces Sasuke. "That useless fangirl has parents, one of whom cried herself to sleep because of my presence. Even if I didn't have friends waiting for me back home, I'd want to leave as soon as possible for that alone! What, are you so concerned with power that you don't even care about the friends and family who have a stranger wearing Sakura-chan's face? Are their feelings worthless to you in your desire to have a competent teammate? Sakura-chan looks up to you, and I honestly have no idea why, but couldn't you just use that to encourage her to be better - or do you just not want to put in the effort to help her because she's 'beneath you'?"
Naruto's aura vanishes, but Natsu doesn't turn to look, glaring at Sasuke. Something vulnerable flickers across the blackette's face, almost too fast for Natsu to catch, before the other boy's face twists into a fierce glare of his own, refusing to give an inch. They stay like that, locked into a glaring contest, that Natsu refuses to lose on principal, for nearly a minute until Naruto interrupts.
"I-is Sakura-chan alright?"
"Pretty pissed," Natsu says, shrugging without breaking eye contact, "right at the end before Inoichi-san pulled us out of the mindscape, she looked like she wanted to hit something really badly, but she isn't hurt or anything. Just stuck."
"Can… we talk to her?"
"Yea-"
"No."
Natsu blinks, turning to face the older man. "But, you said, to Sakura-chan's parents, that you could bring them into the mindscape so they coul-"
"It's more dangerous to bring shinobi into a mindscape than it is civilians-"
"That can't be true, cause you said no one can use chakra in a mindscape - so it shouldn't make a difference."
"It isn't possible." Inoichi's tone is firm, unyielding, and he stares intently at Naruto as he says it.
The younger blond looks fit to argue himself, for a moment, until realization dawns across his face. Something painful and sad takes over, until he straightens, scratching the back of his head as he laughs. "Ahaha, that's alright, Sakura-chan probably wouldn't want me in her head anyway, she always complains that I'm too loud, and headaches have to be even worse when you're stuck inside them!"
Natsu looks between the two blonds, eyes narrowed.
Something's up! He was worried earlier, and neither of them were anywhere near as tense when they found out I was possessing Sakura-chan as they were when Naruto got angry… And now everyone's acting like it's normal that Naruto wouldn't be allowed to see Sakura-chan?
"Natsu-san."
The pinkette looks up, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Yeah?"
Inoichi's pupiless eyes stare heavily at him. It's a lost cause, but Natsu smiles brightly anyway, throwing his hands behind his head. "What, you wanna have a staring contest?"
"Please don't go prying into matters that do not concern you." The man says eventually, looking every inch like the guild master at his most exasperated. Natsu's grin widens, and he wonders how long it'd take to get Inoichi to set things on fire.
"That's creepy."
"Eh?" Natsu looks over at Naruto, who has an uncomfortable look on his face.
"Sakura-chan never smiles like that! It looks so weird!" He points when he says it, as though Natsu could turn and look at his own face.
The pinkette shrugs, dropping his arms. "So?"
"So you shouldn't do something so creepy!"
Natsu blinks, tilting his head as he stares at the kid. "I should just… never smile? Aren't you being a little unrealistic there?"
"A-at least smile more like Sakura-chan does! 'Ttebayo!"
Tte...bayo?
"Idiot." Sasuke scoffs, and Naruto turns around, already spoiling for a fight. Kakashi looks up to the sky as though praying for patience.
"Well. At least I can sleep easy knowing I was right, and that none of you would have passed the test if Natsu-kun hadn't been here."
"Wha- don't be ridiculous! Of course we'd pass, Sakura-chan is the best-!"
"Tch. I could have managed-"
"You're both missing the point." Kakashi cuts across their protests, arms crossed as he stares them down. "The bell test is about teamwork. None of you are good enough to get a bell from me on your own. Even if I'm holding back, none of you are that good. The entire point was that I held back enough that if you worked together, you'd have a chance. I don't know exactly what Natsu-kun did to make you acknowledge him, Sasuke-kun, but I know Sakura-chan would not have done it. Naruto-kun, of course, leapt straight into a fight with me, without even looking for his other teammates. In all honesty, the only reason I passed you all despite knowing you deserved to fail, is because I didn't want to deal with the headaches of figuring out what to do with the three of you. The Academy won't take Naruto back, no matter what I said. And as the only other person in the village with a Sharingan, I'd be forced to deal with you eventually anyway, Sasuke. You only passed because it was too much work to fail you. Are we clear?"
Naruto shuffles guiltily, eyes flickering between Natsu, Sasuke, and Kakashi, before settling on the ground at his feet. Sasuke looks away, refusing to look at anyone.
The sensei lets the silence drag on, tense and uncomfortable. Natsu looks between Sasuke and Kakashi.
"What's a Sharin-whatsit anyway?"
Inoichi makes a suspicious noise that sounds like a stifled laugh. Kakashi glares mildly at the pinkette, before sighing.
"A Kekkei genkai dojutsu exclusive to the Uchiha clan - one of my eyes is transplanted, and it's widely expected that when Sasuke-kun activates his family's technique, I will tutor him in how to use it effectively. Now," the silver-haired man glares severely, cutting off Sasuke before the blackette can do more than open his mouth, "here is what is going to happen: tomorrow morning, we'll meet back up at this training field. I will take time to test each of you individually to see what I'm working with, and we will run teamwork exercises the rest of the morning. I will provide lunch, and in the afternoon we will run D-rank missions - I don't care if you don't like it Natsu-kun, it is not negotiable - after which you will be free to go. This will be our schedule for the near future, until you prove to me that passing you wasn't a mistake. I will not teach you anything until you prove that you can work as a team, and do it well. If you want to learn jutsu, or get higher-ranked jobs, or anything else, you will prove to me that you deserve it. Are we clear?"
An intimidating presence builds around Kakashi as he talks, and though it lacks the Hokage's lethal edge, Natsu gets the feeling that's only because Kakashi is deliberately suppressing that edge.
"You can't hold us back like that forever." Sasuke says, eyes narrowed, and Kakashi barely glances at him.
"Actually, I can. Due to Natsu-kun's presence, Hokage-sama has said that Team 7 will not be permitted to leave the village without his personal approval. All I have to do is say that you are unfit for out-of-village missions, and he will let me hold you back, at the very least until a solution is found to return Natsu-kun to his home. I suppose if you really don't want to work together, you can just try to wait it out. But I don't think you're patient enough for that, Sasuke-kun."
"B-but… what about Sakura-chan? Won't she fall behind?" Naruto shifts uncomfortably, staring at Natsu even as he still looks somewhat guilty.
"Unfortunately, not much can be done about that." Inoichi interjects. "I will, of course, be working with both Natsu-san and Sakura-chan as often as my duties allow in order to resolve their situation, and some things, like tactics, can be taught to Sakura-chan while we are within her mindscape. However, no matter what we do, there will likely be a gap in skills once Sakura-chan returns to us. Don't let that stop you from doing your best in the meantime - Hatake-san is, after all, famous as the man who has mastered one thousand jutsu. He is one of our village's best, and if you prove yourselves, you'll find there is quite a bit he can teach you. I would even think that Sasuke-kun would be especially interested in learning from him, and it surprises me that you act as though you are not."
Inoichi offers a mild look to the Uchiha, who scoffs. "What's so good about him? He barely seems to take things seriously."
"Well," the Yamanaka muses, "He is one of the best assassins Konoha has to offer. For someone who has claimed, in all his therapy sessions, that he intends to become a hunter-nin at all costs, I would think that you'd be a little more interested in someone with such a skillset."
Kakashi throws the man a betrayed look. "Inoichi-san! You're ruining all my hard work!"
"I would not call your attempts to make everyone think you're an incompetent pervert 'hard work', Hatake-san. Unless, of course, there's an explanation for that you'd like to talk abou-"
"Ah, I believe we're getting off-topic."
Kakashi smoothly turns to face his students again, this time including Natsu in his gaze as he addresses them.
"I understand that you don't like each other. While most shinobi do come to think of their teams as a family, not every single one is like that. However, whether you feel that way or not, you will keep in mind the one, most important rule any true shinobi of Konoha should follow." He takes a moment to make sure he has their attention, and speaks with a grave sort of finality. "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are less than trash."
He lets the silence linger after that, and Natsu finds himself respecting the conviction the sensei holds to those words.
Someone who believes in something like that… even if he does kill people for a living, someone like that can't be all bad.
"Now," Kakashi says after another minute of silence, "Unless you have any other questions, I think we'll leave it at that for the day. Natsu-kun, I'll take the time to show you around to the places you'll be visiting most commonly while you're here so that I don't have to keep picking you up. Inoichi-san, thank you for your assistance."
Sasuke turns and walks off, even as Inoichi offers to speak to Team 7 if they need it, and Natsu stares at his back a moment, before Naruto tries to speak.
"I-"
The blond cuts himself off, looking between Natsu and Kakashi. The sensei sighs, reaching over and ruffling Naruto's hair.
"Probably best if you take some time to think about everything, Naruto-kun. Inoichi-san can walk you home and talk to you a bit more, if you'd like. Natsu-kun?"
Naruto looks a bit indecisive at Kakashi's words, staring at Inoichi as though he isn't certain he's welcome, and Natsu doesn't think of himself as an especially curious person, he wouldn't define himself like that, but something just feels wrong about the situation.
If I'm gonna be stuck here, then I'll figure that out! He's one of Sakura-chan's teammates, so at the very least she deserves to know if there's something wrong!
...there's just something I don't like about this. It just means I'll have to be careful.
Ugh.
"Well then, Natsu-kun?"
The two blonds are walking off together, and Kakashi turns to leave as soon as he has the pinkette's attention.
The sensei leads him through the village, pointing out landmarks for navigation, and Natsu does his best to commit everything to memory. They cross the administration center, the main gates and the secondary gates used for outside missions that don't involve client escort, a selection of training fields Kakashi favors, and even where Naruto and Sasuke live, though Kakashi only guides him close enough to point out the buildings. Then they turn towards Sakura's house, though Natsu hesitates before going in.
"Something wrong?" Kakashi asks, book comfortably in front of his face now that he doesn't have to keep an eye out to avoid any… awkward conversations during the tour.
Natsu grimaces, debating asking (wouldn't want to tempt fate…), but goes ahead after a moment. "You guys don't have a train station?"
"Hmm? Odd question. We do have trains over here, but they aren't favored, and are almost never used by shinobi. It's all but impossible to secure them properly, too easy to sabotage them, and of course, no shinobi village is going to have a station leading into it, that would be disastrous. Why do you ask?"
"O-on second thought, can I live here forever?!" Natsu exclaims, an idle daydream of Fairy Tail setting up shop in this world that doesn't use trains and showing these shinobi villages how a real guild operates, beating everyone up until they stop all the killing and get rid of all the yami-guild vibes crossing through his mind.
Kakashi laughs, shaking his head in blatant amusement. "Not fond of them?"
"They're awful!" Natsu clutches his stomach, he swears he can feel the nausea just thinking about it!
"Well, can't say I disagree with you there. Have a good day, Natsu-kun." Kakashi pats his head, before disappearing in a flurry of leaves, and Natsu is about done with being treated like a kid, but Kakashi is gone and now he's got to deal with Sakura-chan's mother…
Sighing, the pinkette opens the door, slipping off Sakura's sandals and sort of wondering if maybe he should just turn around and explore on his own.
"Sak- Natsu-kun, is that you?" Natsu flinches at the way her voice just drops, as he calls back a confirmation, taking a few steps forward. He stops when she turns the corner, bag on her shoulder.
"Did you want to go shopping now?"
Natsu nearly says no, he hardly minds Sakura-chan's clothes, they're easy to move in and that's all he really cares about, but something stops him, and when he takes a closer look at Mebuki, he realizes.
She really wants to go out shopping… I didn't think she was that comfortable around me? Ugh, girls...
Turning back around, Natsu slips the sandals back on. "Works for me! What sorta stores do you guys even have around here, anyway?"
He tries to pay attention as Mebuki starts to explain Konoha's shopping district, and the stuff they sell, but he's never had much attention for stuff like that in the first place and she knows so much, goes into so much detail, Natsu feels like his brain is going to melt just trying to understand it. Why anyone knows so much about stores is beyond him, and he quickly finds himself only paying attention with half an ear as he instead watches the people running around on the roofs.
This is going to be a long, long day.