[FFML] [Naruto] Dead Garden - Chapter Three: Teammates

[Aaron Nowack]

Dead Garden
A Naruto Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack

Chapter Three: Teammates

***********************************************************************
Disclaimer:  Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, who apparently is not
actually me.  The actual text of this story belongs to Aaron Nowack, who
apparently actually is me.  The subjective experience existing only in
your mind when you read this story belongs to you, who is not me, unless
you are me, in which case... oh, forget it.
***********************************************************************


        Naruto studied the trap for a moment, then moved one of the trio
of explosive tags a fraction of an inch closer to the other two.
Keeping a small flow of chakra moving through the safety seals with one
hand, he began to brush dirt lightly over the pressure-activated tags
with the other.  Was it enough to fool Kakashi?  Almost certainly not,
if he wasn't distracted.

        "Hurry up," Sasuke complained from a safe distance behind
Naruto.  "Dead last isn't going to keep Kakashi-sensei busy for much
longer."

        "I told you not to call her that, bastard," Naruto griped back
at his friend, not speeding up in the slightest.  Haste and explosive
tags did not make a pleasant combination.

        "You're one to talk," Sasuke replied.  "I have a name, you
know."

        "Stop being a bastard to people, and I'll use it, too," Naruto
stated reasonably.  "Now stop distracting me.  If I screw up the
positioning, the resonance will mess up the timing and there's no way
we'll catch a jounin."

        Naruto could almost feel the other boy shake his head.  "How the
hell you can do all that and still fail every single math test, I'll
never know."

        The blond grinned as he finished hiding the seals.  "Math tests
don't explode," he commented.  Then he stopped the flow of chakra and
jumped backward, getting out of range before the safety seals
deactivated.  "Done."  He grinned, turning to face the other boy.
"Don't step there."

        Sasuke grunted.  "Now we just have to find Kakashi-sensei and
get him back here."

        "He'll be here soon enough, I bet," Naruto observed.  This was a
test, after all.  Once he'd been done with Naruto he'd gone after
Sakura.  That meant Sasuke had to be next.  "You want me out or hidden?"

        Sasuke let out a quiet "Hmm," as he thought.  "He knows we're
working together," he said, "since I rescued you."  He paused.  "That
means you owe me.  We're going somewhere other than Ichiraku tonight
when we celebrate passing."

        "Bastard," Naruto said cheerfully.

        "No point in you trying to hide from him," Sasuke said.  "That
might just make him realize we're doing more than just trying to gang up
on him."

        "All right," Naruto agreed.  The pair were silent a moment.
"Barbeque?" Naruto asked.

        "Works," Sasuke grunted, and there was another silence as they
waited.

        "This test sucks," Naruto complained.  "What the hell is up with
only two people passing?  That's a shitty way to start off a team."

        "If he comes back with only one bell," Sasuke said, "I'm not
letting you have it."  He snorted.  "Not that that's likely.  She's not
even going to touch one, not if you couldn't."

        Naruto frowned.  "You don't have to be so mean," he said.
"What's she ever done to you?"

        Sasuke gave him a puzzled look.  "Nothing, but it's the truth.
What the hell do you care?  She hates you, doesn't she?"

        "Yeah," Naruto said.  "But I don't hate her."  He paused,
searching for words.

        "You don't have a crush on Haruno, do you?" Sasuke asked
disgustedly.  "Come on."

        "That's not it," Naruto said.  "But... you should be nicer to
her.  She's our teammate."

        "Not for much longer," Sasuke said.  He snorted.

        Naruto sighed, glancing at where his trap was hidden.  "I
suppose," he said.  "But you don't have to be mean."

        "Why do you care?" Sasuke asked again.

        "She... my family owes hers a debt," Naruto said.  His mother
had told him that, years ago when he'd first mentioned Sakura's name to
her and she'd asked him to invite the pink-haired girl over for dinner.
Now that he knew what that debt was, he wasn't surprised at her refusal.
He would have to convince Hinata to forgive Sakura for shunning him, he
realized.  She'd had good enough reason.  "One I'm not sure can be
repaid."

        Sasuke stared at him for a moment.  "Oh, hell no.  You're not
planning on giving her your bell, are you?"  When Naruto didn't answer,
the other boy punched him in the shoulder.

        "Hey," Naruto protested.

        "Idiot," Sasuke said.  "Do you think that's going to work?  This
is a test of skill; why do you even think Kakashi-sensei is going to
care what you do with your bell once we get them off of him?"

        Naruto hadn't considered that.  "I can still try," he said.

        "I won't let you," Sasuke said.  Before he could say anything
more, both boys looked up.

        "Someone's coming," Naruto said unnecessarily.  He took a step
backward, watching as Sasuke moved into position.  The Uchiha would
engage Kakashi and lure him onto the trap Naruto had prepared.  When the
explosions disoriented him, Naruto would catch the jounin with his
technique, which would give them a chance to grab the bells.  It was a
simple enough plan.

        He didn't expect it to be Sakura that slowly walked onto the
battleground they'd prepared, staring at her own feet and seemingly not
paying any attention to where she was going.  "Oh, it's you," Sasuke
said, relaxing from the battle stance he'd fallen into.

        The pink-haired girl looked up in surprise, apparently having
not noticed either boy, but didn't quite meet the Uchiha's eyes as she
stammered out his name.  Naruto blinked, pointing at her.  "Sakura-chan,
your forehead protector!  Where is it?"  A transformation with a
deliberate flaw?  Would Kakashi be so obvious?  Sasuke immediately
tensed, realizing the same possibility.

        Sakura looked away from the boys.  "I... gave it to Hatake-
sama."

        "But that's the symbol that you've become a..."  Naruto trailed
off as he realized what her action meant.

        "He failed you?" Sasuke asked.  "Did he say whether we still had
to get the bells?"  Naruto shot the other boy a glare that he ignored.

        "I gave up."  Sakura didn't look up.  "I think you still have to
get the bells, Sasuke-kun," she answered the second question quietly.
"Good... good luck.  I need to go home."  She took a step forward.

        Naruto's eyes widened.  "Sakura-chan, don't -" It was too late,
and Naruto moved without thinking, tackling the girl and shielding her
with his body as the trap detonated.  The force of the blast sent him
flying, dust and debris slamming into his back with a force stronger
than ten of Sasuke's punches.  He landed hard, on top of Sakura, the
wind knocked out of him.

        He could hear Sasuke's muttered curse and his footsteps as he
ran up to where Naruto and Sakura lay, but for the moment all the
blond's concern was on the girl.  "You okay, Sakura-chan?" he asked.  He
tried to hide the wince of pain as he spoke.  Had he broken something?

        "I'm... I'm not hurt," she said haltingly.  Naruto managed to
roll himself off of her, and Sakura pushed herself away, sitting up as
Sasuke reached them.

        "Idiots," the Uchiha snarled as he bent down over Naruto.  "How
bad?" he asked curtly.

        Naruto found a pain-killer in his pouch and swallowed the pill.
"Been worse," he said as he managed to sit up himself.

        "Why?"  Naruto almost didn't hear the whispered question, and he
turned to Sakura to find the girl almost curled up into a ball, arms
wrapped around her legs.

        "Ah, sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, forcing a grin on his
face.  "We should have warned you.  It's a trap we set for -"

        "Why did you save me?" she asked, interrupting.

        Sasuke let out a half-amused, half-irritated sound.  "This idiot
would probably have leapt in to save Kakashi-sensei if he faked fear."

        Naruto rubbed the back of his head.  "Gee, thanks, bastard."

        "Hmm, I'll have to remember that," Kakashi said cheerfully.

        "Gah!"  Naruto would have jumped up in surprise if the movement
hadn't started to hurt so much.  He turned to see the jounin perched on
a low tree limb.  Sakura's forehead protector dangled from one hand.  In
the other he held open that stupid book.  Why did everyone think he had
to be a fan of that series just because the title character shared his
name?

        Sasuke was moving, running toward the tree, but Kakashi stopped
him, closing the book and sticking it under his arm before holding up
his now-empty hand in a warding gesture.  "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," he
said, his voice suddenly cold and hard.  "Your mission objectives have
changed."

        "Huh?" Naruto asked.  The bells no longer rested on Kakashi's
hip, he realized.

        Kakashi pointed at Sakura.  The girl made a distressed sound and
stood on shaky legs, backing herself up against a tree trunk.  She was
absolutely terrified, Naruto realized.  "Your teammate," Kakashi said,
"has chosen to abandon the mission and desert.  Kill her, and you'll
become genin."

        Sakura let out a frightened moan.  "The hell?" Naruto asked,
forcing himself to stand.  "Do you think we're in Bloody Mist or
something, you one-eyed..."  Bastard wasn't the right word.  Sasuke was
a bastard sometimes.  This Kakashi was just... "Trash," Naruto finished.
Sasuke was tense, Naruto could tell, but he didn't move and all his
attention was focused on their so-called teacher.

        Kakashi almost seemed amused for a second, but he was all
business as he dropped down to the ground.  "I suppose I'll take care of
it myself if you don't have the guts."  He took a step forward.  "Once
I'm done disposing of the corpse, we can restart the test with just you
two."

        Naruto took a deliberate step over to stand in front of Sakura.
"Run," he told her.  "Go to the hospital.  Find my mom.  She'll stop
this."

        "Y... your mother..."

        "Just do it!" Naruto snapped.  Then there was a feeling of
terrible pressure, forcing him too his knees.  Sakura collapsed behind
him, moaning again.  "This... is a jounin's killing intent?" Naruto
asked.  "I'm not impressed."

        "Be silent, brat," Kakashi said coldly.

        "Katon: Great Fireball Technique!"  The jounin leapt away,
seconds before the massive, rolling ball of flame would have incinerated
him.  "I'm your opponent," Sasuke said, his voice matching their
teacher's chill.

        "Uchiha Sasuke," the jounin stated, putting his stupid book
away, "defending a missing ninja.  I'm surprised."

        Sasuke almost shook.  "Don't make a mockery of the damage done
by real traitors, by comparing dead last there with them."  His hands
started to move through more seals.

        Kakashi was behind him.  "I suppose it is your turn," he
allowed, before striking out with one hand, Sakura's forehead protector
snapping at the Uchiha like a whip.

        Sasuke rolled away from the blow, but then Kakashi was behind
him again.  "You can't let your opponent keep on attacking from the
rear," their teacher chided, forming a seal.

        "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted the impotent warning, stumbling
forward.  Then he was wincing in sympathy as the other boy went flying.
That technique was... that was just cruel.

        Kakashi ignored Sasuke's pained moans, turning back to Naruto.
"Stand aside, Naruto-kun," he ordered, his voice perhaps a fraction
softer.

        "Fuck you, trash," Naruto said, drawing a kunai.  He glanced
back at Sakura, who was standing still, frozen.  "Run, Sakura-chan!"

        Kakashi was charging, and there was no time to see if she
obeyed.  Naruto met the jounin, striking out with his kunai.  Then he
was on the ground, shoved aside like he was nothing at all.  "Stay
down," Kakashi ordered, as he took another step toward Sakura.

        Naruto reached out weakly at one hand, grabbing at Kakashi's
foot.  The jounin ignored him, then froze.  Naruto grinned.  "Got you,
trash," he snarled.  A short length of ethereal chain stretched from his
hand, wrapping tightly around Kakashi's ankle.  "Ninpou: Chakra Chain
Snare."  Naruto's other hand froze into a seal.

        "This technique," Kakashi said, his head turning to Naruto.

        "You can't move normally, can you?" Naruto said.  "And even your
chakra is sluggish, isn't it?  This is the strength of the Uzumaki
Clan."  He grinned.  "Now, Sasuke!"  The jounin's eye widened a fraction
of an inch, and then the Uchiha was upon him.

         Kakashi's reactions were slowed, but he was able to lean away,
dodging the first strike of Sasuke's kunai.  Naruto poured more chakra
into his technique, and Sasuke's second blow struck home, the blade
shoving through Kakashi's armored jacket.  It wasn't a killing strike,
but it would be enough to slow the jounin down so they could get Sakura
to safety.

        The jounin vanished in a puff of smoke.  "A replication?" Naruto
asked aloud, letting his technique drop.

        "It was physical," Sasuke snarled.  "I felt it!"

        "It's called a shadow replication," Kakashi stated as he
appeared, looming over the two boys.  Another wave of killing intent
swept over them, vastly more powerful than what Naruto had felt before,
driving even Sasuke to his knees.  "Give up now," he ordered, "and this
disloyalty can stay a secret between us."

        Sasuke answered before Naruto could, stealing the words.  "Fuck
you."  The Uchiha struggled, but wasn't able to stand under the pressure
of Kakashi's power.

        The jounin sighed, placing one hand over his face.  "Ah, the
paperwork once I've killed you three is going to be such a pain," he
griped.  "Last chance, boys."

        Naruto managed to get up on one knee.  "I'm not going to give
up, you piece of trash."

        Sasuke grunted with effort as he tried again to stand.  "You
set... a test she couldn't pass," he said.  "A wall that couldn't be
overcome."  His face twisted.  "And you want to kill her for recognizing
her limits?"

        "Stop it!"  Sakura's high-pitched, panicked screech made Naruto
wince.  Why hadn't she run?  The girl, apparently not hindered by
Kakashi's killing intent, stepped forward, past Naruto.  "This isn't...
Sasuke-kun, Naruto-san, I'm not worth..." She trailed off, and then she
looked up at Kakashi, meeting his eye.  "Just... just make it quick,
Hatake-sama.  And don't punish them.  They don't -"

        "Shut the fuck up!" Naruto roared, a burst of energy propelling
him to his feet.  "And run!  This is our choice!  You're our teammate,
aren't you?  What the hell does it make us if we just let you get
killed?"

        "I'm not worth -"

        "He said to shut up," Sasuke growled.

        "Sasuke-kun," Sakura breathed.

        Kakashi's killing intent redoubled, and Naruto fell back to his
knees, joined an instant later by Sakura.  Dark clouds suddenly filled
the sky.  This had to be a genjutsu, but Naruto couldn't move to try to
dispel it.  "There's a word," Kakashi said ominously, "for ninja like
you, who don't follow the rules.  That word is trash.

        "But ninja who don't take care of their comrades are worse than
trash.  You three, all of you, pass."  The clouds broke suddenly, the
killing intent vanishing.  The sun shone brightly, birds singing a
glorious chorus that had to be another genjutsu.

        Naruto felt like he wanted to puke from the sudden change.
"What?" he managed to ask.

        "I think this is yours, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said cheerfully,
tossing the forehead protector he still held at her.

        She almost fumbled the catch.  "But -" she began.

        "You said only two could pass," Sasuke growled.

        "Ninja have to look underneath the underneath," Kakashi stated.
"The purpose of the test was to force you to demonstrate true teamwork.
Not the easy kind, where you can all work together for mutual gain.  The
hard kind, where you have to sacrifice something for your comrades."  He
held up to two bells in one hand, and let them jingle for a moment.
"Whether it's a chance at personal advancement," he said, "or your
lives."  He paused.  "That is the test, that no team I have taken until
now has passed."

        Sakura swallowed.  "Then," she said quietly, staring at the
forehead protector in her hands.  "I wasn't... the target?"

        Kakashi's face moved behind his mask into an obvious smile.  "Of
course not, Sakura-chan.  You, all three of you, are my cute little
students.  Not only two."  The jounin was silent for a moment, then
added, "I apologize for being so cruel."

        "I..." Sakura trailed off.  Then she slowly tied her forehead
protector around her head again.

        "I take it back," Naruto said.  "You're not trash.  You're just
a slightly bigger bastard than Sasuke."

        "Thanks a ton, idiot," Sasuke said dryly.  "Just for that,
you're paying tonight."

        Kakashi actually let out a slight laugh.  "Team Seven," he said
formally.  "Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto.
Congratulations.  We'll meet back here at eight tomorrow morning for our
first official mission."  A roaring wind kicked up a swirl of leaves,
and then the jounin was gone.

***********************************************************************


        This time, Hatake Kakashi entered the meeting room on the second
floor of the Hokage Tower through the door.  He ignored everyone's
stares as he made his way over and took one of the two empty seats at
the end of the table, next to the Yuuhi woman.  He gave the fresh jounin
an amiable nod before turning his attention on the Hokage, who sat at
the other end of the table.

        The old man took a puff on his ever-present pipe and then let
out a long, slow breath.  A ring of smoke floated overhead for a moment
before the air conditioning dispersed it.  "Kakashi-kun," he said in
greeting.

        "You're... precisely on time," Sarutobi Asuma said, his eyes
narrow as he sat next to his father.  "Who are you, and what did you do
to Sharingan Kakashi?"

        Kakashi gave the other man a shrug.  "I said I found a
shortcut," he explained.  Asuma snorted.  "Shall we begin, Hokage-sama?"
Kakashi asked.

        "We're still waiting on one more," the Hokage said.  "I think we
can give a her a couple minutes, at least.  Don't you agree, Kakashi-
kun?"  Kakashi just shrugged again.

        It was only a minute and a half later that the door flung open
and a disheveled blonde kunoichi stumbled inside and almost fell into
the last empty chair, next to Kakashi.  "You're late, Yamanaka-kun,"
Kakashi complained.

        He almost shook under the force of the woman's killing intent.
"I... I will end you," Yamanaka Haruka promised.  "I swear it.  After I
kill those brats."

        Kakashi just winked at her.

        The Hokage coughed once.  "Let's begin, shall we?" he asked
gently.  "Before I have to call in ANBU guards to arrest anyone."  He
paused.  "We'll go in reverse team number order.  Asuma-kun?"

        The younger Sarutobi nodded once.  "As ordered, I have evaluated
provisional Team Ten," he stated formally.  "I am pleased to inform you
that they have passed my test, and I recommend that Akimichi Chouji,
Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino be enlisted as active genin under my
name of Sarutobi Asuma."  No surprises there.

        "Very well," the Hokage said.  "Haruka-kun."

        The blonde woman next to Kakashi groaned.  "As ordered, I have
evaluated provisional Team Nine," she said, "and regret to inform you
that they have failed my test.  I recommend that they be enlisted in the
Inuzuka kennels for remedial obedience training."  There were a few
chuckles at that.

        "I'll have to see about that, Haruka-kun," the Hokage said, not
quite hiding his own amusement.  "But I think we can at least manage six
months at the secondary academy."  He shook his head for a moment, then
prompted, "Kurenai-kun?"

        "As ordered," the younger woman on Kakashi's other side began,
"I have evaluated provisional Team Eight.  I am pleased to inform you
that they have passed my test, and I recommend that Aburame Shino,
Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba be enlisted as active genin under my
name of Yuuhi Kurenai."

        In other circumstances, a fresh jounin passing her first
provisional team might have been regarded as soft.  But the Hokage had
effectively hand-picked that team for her, so no one said anything.  If
they were smart, they didn't think it either.  The Hokage only nodded,
clearly not surprised.  "Kakashi-kun?" he asked.  There was a ripple of
sighs down the table.

        Kakashi smirked behind his mask.  "As ordered, I have evaluated
provisional Team Seven," he said, then paused for dramatic effect.  "I
am pleased to inform you that they have passed my test, and I recommend
that Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto be enlisted as
active genin under my name of Hatake Kakashi."

        A few moments later, Kakashi searched the pouches of his armored
jacket for a pin, then surreptitiously let it drop to the wooden floor.
He was pleased to note that he could hear it perfectly.  "Fuck," one of
the other jounin said, "Asuma-san was right.  He is an impostor."

        The Hokage just nodded, puffing on his pipe.  "Very well," he
said simply.  "Daikoku-kun?"

        Kakashi wondered if this was what Gai felt like.

***********************************************************************


        After Kakashi left his team, there was a brief, awkward silence.
Sakura stayed on her knees, feeling the weight of her forehead protector
on her head once more.  Had the jounin really meant it?  He'd called her
one of his 'cute little students' and even apologized for being cruel to
her.  Had this all really been some kind of mind game that he would have
used any dead last student for?  Was it really possible that he didn't
hate her?

        Sakura tried to focus on that possibility, tried to ignore the
hand she kept pressed to her stomach, and most of all tried to ignore
the slowly fading burning sensation churning in her gut.  The fire that
had started building from the instant the one-eyed jounin had proclaimed
the order to kill her as a missing ninja.  The same rage she had felt
when faced with Uzumaki Kushina.  She hadn't been able to run, all her
willpower focused on forcing down what she now knew had to be the Nine-
Tailed Demon Fox.

        One thing had helped Sakura in that, she realized.  As
frightened as she'd been she hadn't noticed, but now she recalled that
almost none of Kakashi's killing intent had been directed at her.  Only
at the very end had she felt even a whisper of it, a trickle far less
than even what Iruka had put out as a demonstration early in the final
year of the academy.  Naruto and Sasuke he had pushed to their limits.
She had been handled, in retrospect, with extreme care.

        Sakura wasn't sure how to feel about that, but it did mean one
thing.  No matter Kakashi's words, even if he'd truly meant them, she
wasn't just one of his three cute little students, and she never would
be.  She would never be able to pretend she was just Haruno Sakura.
Never again.

        The fire in her wasn't growing anymore, and she could feel it
start to die down.  She could imagine the four-pronged semi-circles
fading, then the spiral around her navel.  She could, for a little while
at least, feel mostly human.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath,
and when she exhaled the churning power was gone.

        A pained moan from Naruto shook her from her thoughts.  The
blond boy had flopped over on his back.  "Ow ow ow," he said, somehow
cheerfully.  "It was probably a bad idea to fight Kakashi-sensei like
that when I was still hurt from those explosive tags."

        "Sorry," Sakura said automatically.

        Naruto sat up suddenly, looking at her.  Sakura didn't meet his
gaze.  "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan," he said.  "It was my fault
for not warning you about the trap."  He sprang to his feet.  "Only
bruises, I think, and I'm a fast healer."

        A grunt from Sasuke drew Sakura's attention.  For a moment, she
thought she saw a small smirk on his face, but his expression smoothed
quickly.  "We're done here," he said, standing.  "I'll see you for
dinner."  He walked off.

        "See you, bastard," Naruto called after him, then he turned his
attention back to Sakura.  "We're getting barbeque for dinner," he
stated.  "To celebrate.  I'm paying, apparently."  He paused, and when
he spoke again his voice was uncharacteristically hesitant.  "You can...
if you want... come too."

        Sakura just stared at him for a moment, completely unsure how to
handle this.  There was only one time one of her classmates had ever
invited her for dinner.  That had been Naruto too, back in their first
year at the academy, before her father had told her who had killed her
mother and forbidden her from having anything to do with the Uzumaki.
He had lifted the restriction on Naruto, now that they were teammates,
but...

        Naruto's face fell.  "I understand," he said quietly, turning to
leave himself.

        "Wait," Sakura said, before she could stop herself.  "Is... will
your mother be there?"

        "No!" Naruto said quickly.  "Just you and me and Sasuke.  I
promise."

        "I'll... I'll come," Sakura said, forcing herself to not pay
attention to the worry gnawing at her.  A dozen different nightmare
scenarios played out in her head, but for some reason they didn't seem
as important when Naruto grinned at her.

        "All right!" he said, then he named a restaurant Sakura was
familiar with, as it lay on the path between her home and the academy.
She'd never eaten there before, though; it was far more expensive than
the places her father took her on the rare occasions they ate out.
"We'll be there at six," he told her, and then he left, saying he needed
to go to the hospital.

        When she was finally alone, Sakura stood on shaking legs, her
head spinning, trying to take in everything that had happened this
morning.  Naruto was... not who she had built him up to be in her head,
over the years of avoiding him.  And Sasuke... well, he didn't seem to
hate her.  She didn't think Ino or Ami or any of the other girls had
spent as long with the Uchiha without being called annoying.  "Dead
last" was just a fact, not a judgment, Sakura told herself.

        They'd both tried to save her from Kakashi.  They didn't know
the truth about her, but that lack of knowledge hadn't stopped the other
students at the academy from hating her.  Their actions still meant
something, even if they were based on ignorance.  She had a chance,
maybe, of having... not friends, that was probably too much to hope for,
but at least comrades, so long as she could keep the truth about herself
hidden.

        Not wanting to go home and lacking any other refuge, Sakura made
her way the the abandoned building in the woods Mizuki had shown her.
The Hokage had, after everything was done that evening, returned the key
to Sakura along with the rest of her things.  It was impossible to see
that as anything but permission to keep using the building.

        She slipped inside and locked the door behind her.  A shiver of
fear ran through her as she glanced at the dusty window the man with the
snakelike arms had pressed her against, but she forced it away.  This
was just an empty building.  There was nothing here to hurt her.  Those
thoughts didn't stop one of her hands from going to her pouch to check
her weapons.  Weapons she wished she'd had that night, even if they
weren't likely to have done much good at her skill level.

        She froze as her hands brushed up against an unfamiliar shape.
Then she pulled out a slim, gray book from her pouch.  "Gutsy Shinobi
Clash In The Land Of Snow," she read the title aloud.  It was the
advance reading copy of the new volume Kakashi had been reading!  A slip
of paper stuck out from between the pages, and Sakura pulled it out.

        "Enjoy," it read, and it was signed with a crude sketch of her
teacher's masked face.  Sakura giggled despite herself.

        "When did he -" she began to ask, but she decided the line of
inquiry was futile.  Kakashi was a jounin.  He could have slipped it
into her pouch at any time.  He could probably even be watching her
right now.  She shivered at the idea, but both that thought and the
darker ones that had driven her to the poor sanctuary left her as she
sat down on the floor and started to read.  She didn't look up until,
halfway through the book, she realized she barely had time to run home
and change before she was supposed to meet her teammates for dinner.

        Fortunately, Naruto was waiting for her outside the restaurant,
and after a quick exchange of greetings he grabbed her hand and led her
inside, barely pausing to say, "My friend already has a table," to the
employee manning the door.  Sakura didn't miss the familiar look of
distaste the man gave her, though.  It was harder to bear, now that she
knew there was a good reason for it.

        Naruto didn't give her time to mope, bringing her to a booth
near the back of the restaurant where Sasuke was sitting.  The other boy
nodded his head in greeting, and Naruto slipped in to sit next to him,
leaving the other side of the booth to Sakura.  "Hello, Sasuke-kun,"
Sakura said softly, not quite looking at the object of her crush.

        "Sakura-san," the Uchiha returned.  The pink-haired girl was
reasonably sure it was the first time he'd ever called her by name, and
she hated herself for not being able to stop her cheeks from heating.
At least the light was dim enough that he might not notice.  Sakura
reached for the menu set in front of her.

        "It'll be cheaper if we order one of the big dishes meant for
sharing," Naruto commented.  "Unless you didn't want to order meat?"

        "That's fine," Sakura said.  She didn't have any objections, and
even if she had it would have been rude to protest when Naruto was
treating.  A waiter came over to take their order a few minutes later.
He favored Sakura with a hostile glare as he left, one that was far too
obvious to hope the boys hadn't noticed.

        "You know him?" Sasuke asked, his voice cold.  Sakura mutely
shook her head.

        "He didn't even ask what you wanted to drink," Naruto said
angrily.  "I've half a mind -"  Sasuke interrupted him with an amused
sound.  "Not now," Naruto told the other boy, still irritated-sounding.
"I'm going to go and -"

        "Don't," Sakura made herself say.  "It's not important.  I'll
ask for some water when the food comes."

        "If you say so," Naruto replied dubiously.  The three new genin
were silent for a few moments, until Naruto took it upon himself to
start the conversation again.  "So, what do you think our mission
tomorrow will be like?"

        Glad that the topic of the waiter's reaction to her was left
behind and hopeful to keep it there, Sakura replied with a textbook
recitation of the definition of a D-rank mission.  Somehow, this turned
into the start of a much larger discussion of what being a genin might
really be like, beyond what they'd learned in classes.  Really, it was
Naruto who did most of the talking, with only occasional interjections
from Sasuke.  Sakura mainly kept quiet, although Naruto kept trying to
draw her back into the conversation.

        Predictably, it was also the blond who first realized that it
had been over half an hour and they hadn't seen or heard from their
waiter.  "This is ridiculous," he said, and he managed to wave over a
passing waitress and explain the situation.  The woman didn't seem to
recognize Sakura, and she promised to find out what had happened.

        A few minutes later, a large, rotund man walked up to their
table, followed by the waitress.  He wore a Leaf forehead protector
around one massive arm, and his face was grim.  Sakura shrank back,
certain she was about to get kicked out of the restaurant.  How would
she explain that to Naruto and Sasuke?

        "Sirs, ma'am," the man said politely, inclining his head at each
of them in turn.  "I apologize for the poor service you have received.
Some very foolish members of my staff managed to misplace your order.
Keiko here will take your order, which will be on the house, and I will
ensure it gets to you as soon as possible.  You have my word that this
will not happen again."

        Naruto nodded at him.  "Thank you," he said, as though this was
a perfectly ordinary reaction to his complaint.  Which it probably was,
when you were perfectly ordinary.

        "Again, you have my deepest apologies," the man said, and then
he bowed once before leaving.

***********************************************************************


        Uzumaki Kushina let a slight smile appear on her face, glad that
the situation had been resolved without needing intervention.  She'd
always liked both Akimichi Hiro and his restaurant, and it would have
been a terrible shame to be forced to stop coming here.  Naruto had been
apologetic when, after getting out of the hospital, she'd offered to
take him and Sasuke out for dinner to celebrate their passing Kakashi's
test.  He'd explained that they'd already made plans, and that he'd
needed to promise Sakura that she wouldn't be there.

        Kushina had been happy enough that he and Sasuke seemed to be
getting along with their teammate that she wouldn't have been offended
even if Sakura didn't have every right in the world to detest her.  It
had only taken a little convincing, and a little rant on the
horribleness of hospital food, for Naruto to accept that Kushina eating
by herself in the same restaurant wouldn't be breaking his promise.
Fortunately, she'd managed to get a table behind where Sakura had sat,
far enough away that she wasn't concerned about the girl noticing her
but close enough that she could keep an eye on the new genin team.

        Kushina took a bite of her - predictably excellent - meat, and
didn't look up as someone sat at her table across from her.  "Hello,
Kakashi-kun."

        "Kushina-sama," Kakashi replied.  "I'm glad to see they let you
out so quickly."

        She shrugged.  "Like I told you, it wasn't anything major.  I
just pushed myself too hard."  It still was vexing that channeling such
a tiny amount of chakra pushed her past her limits.  Kushina wasn't sure
whether or not she was glad that, even after twelve years, she hadn't
forgotten what it had felt like to be whole.  She glanced over the man's
shoulder at her son's team.  "Haruno, Uchiha, and Uzumaki, huh?" she
said.  "It's a little nostalgic."

        A waiter appeared to ask Kakashi if he would be ordering
anything, but the masked jounin waved the man away.  "I'm sure Naruto
told you I passed them," he said, inclining his head back at the genin.

        "First words out of his mouth," Kushina replied.  "How did it
go?  All I really got out him was that you're apparently the biggest
bastard of a teacher in the whole world."  Kushina let herself snicker,
even though she knew her laugh sounded pained and ugly.  The bell test
made for such great first impressions.

        She could tell that Kakashi smiled slightly behind his mask
before smoothing his expression.  "He's not totally wrong," Kakashi said
quietly.  "I screwed up pretty badly."

        "What happened?" Kushina asked, blinking.  Naruto hadn't gone
into any real details, but he hadn't seemed overly upset.

        "I didn't properly consider the mentality of my students,"
Kakashi said.  "Haruno-kun thought that the bell test was a ploy to get
her off the team so I wouldn't have to teach her, and she decided to
preempt me by quitting."

        Kushina stiffened.  "She what?"

        "I managed to salvage things, somehow," Kakashi said.  "Naruto
was a big help.  You've raised a fine young man."

        "Thank you," Kushina replied automatically.

        "I didn't know you'd taught him to use your chakra chains,"
Kakashi said.  "I almost didn't have enough time to swap with a shadow
replication before he caught me."

        Kushina smiled at that, but she noted that Kakashi seemed tense
about something.  "Is there something else?" she prompted.  She took a
drink of water.

        Kakashi was hesitant, but he did answer.  "You probably already
know, Kushina-sama," he said, "But Naruto and Sakura both seem to
believe that you killed Haruno Amaya."

        Kushina looked down at her half-empty plate.  "I know," she
said.  She hoped that the usual hoarseness of her voice hid her
distress.  This was not a conversation she wanted to have with Kakashi,
but it was probably unavoidable, ever since she'd told Naruto that
Sakura was telling the truth.  She wouldn't take those words back,
though.

        "It isn't my place to pry," Kakashi said, "but the Nine-Tails
killed Amaya-san."

        That had been the cover story, more than believable enough.
Enough others had died that way, also her fault.  Kushina didn't look up
from her meal, but for a moment all she saw was the image of her friend
as she'd seen her last, mere hours before everything went to hell.
"You're right," Kushina said, more harshly than she intended.  "It isn't
your place to pry."

        "I'm sorry," Kakashi said.

        Kushina tried to sigh, but it turned into a cough.  "I'm sorry
too," she said.  "I didn't mean it like that."  She paused, searching
for the right words and not finding them.  "I can't explain," she
finally said, weakly.  She knew that wouldn't satisfy Kakashi, but there
were too many secrets, and not all of them were hers to tell even if she
wanted to.

        "I see," was all Kakashi said.  "I won't ask any further, then."

        Kushina forced herself to smile.  "Thank you."

        "I have to ask, though," Kakashi said.  "Is... whatever it is
that lies between you and Haruno Takeru-san something I need to worry
about hurting their teamwork?"

        "Not on my end," was all Kushina could say to that.  There was
an awkward silence for a while, and Kushina distracted herself by
returning to her meal.  "I know Sasuke-kun," she finally said when it
became clear that it was up to her to keep the conversation going or
Kakashi would leave.  "How is... what is Sakura-chan like?  Do you still
think she's a danger to everyone around her?"  Kushina regretted the
last words as she spoke them, and could only hope Kakashi didn't note
her bitterness.  He'd had no intention of offending her.

        Kakashi didn't answer for several moments.  "She's smart," he
said, "but her combat skills are bad enough that there's no question
that her bottom ranking in the class was a fair assessment.  She's
quiet, introverted.  Severely lacking in self-esteem, beyond what her
poor skills merit."

        "I see," Kushina said.  Was that what she would have become, if
everyone had known the truth about her?

        "I'm not sure how much of her problem is just her, and how much
is... what she recently learned."  Kakashi's discomfort was obvious.
"You heard Takeru-san say that she wasn't taking it well.  I think
that's understating the matter."

        Kushina swallowed.  "What do you mean?"

        Kakashi's eye darted about, reminding her that what they were
discussing was still a secret to at least the younger generation, in
theory.  "I... I don't think she really understands that the container
is not what it contains, not deep down."

        Kushina's heart sank.  "I see."

        "I wish I knew how to fix that," Kakashi said.  "She's already
been told, but it clearly didn't sink in."  He paused.  "I can't help
but think Minato-sensei would know what to do."  He waited for Kushina
to respond, but there was nothing she could say to that.  There was
nothing she could do, not without breaking her promise to Takeru more
than she already had, and no reason to think that the girl would want to
hear or believe anything she had to say.  Kakashi shook his head.  "All
I can try to do is to try and build a rapport and treat her like a human
being, but for all her obedience I don't think she really trusts anyone
not to hurt her except her father, and maybe one of her academy
teachers."

        "She has good enough reason to feel that way," Kushina said, and
it was safe enough to let her anger into her voice.  She was almost glad
that Minato hadn't had to see how the village treated the girl he'd
wished to be seen as a hero.  How the village would have treated Kushina
herself, if it knew.

        "As for your second question," Kakashi said.  "She hasn't shown
any... instability yet, but she hasn't been pushed either.  It isn't her
fault, but I'm still concerned."  It hurt, that Kakashi - the boy she'd
almost seen as a son - could switch so smoothly from saying that he had
to treat the girl like a human being to assessing her like an active
explosive tag.

        Kushina couldn't deny him the right to be concerned, though.
Nor could she let him worry in ignorance, not when the girl could pay
the ultimate price.  "A certain amount of... leakage," she said, almost
without thinking, "is to be expected, as she enters life and death
situations for the first time and learns control.  If anything, it's
beneficial."  Kakashi sat up in his seat, a question clearly in his
mind, but Kushina answered before he could ask.  "I did help to design
that seal," she reminded him.  That wasn't the source of her knowledge,
but it was a good enough excuse.

        "Ah," Kakashi said, and thankfully Kushina could read acceptance
in his body.  He waited for her to continue.

        Kushina instead reached into the bag strapped to the side of her
wheelchair and pulled out a small paper tag, which she slid across the
table to him.  Kakashi picked it up and studied it.  Kushina knew well
what he was looking at - a pair of Reverse Four Image Seals surrounding
a counter-clockwise spiral.  Further arcane characters would expand on
use into a temporary Threefold Crescent Barrier Seal.  "If things get
out of hand," Kushina said, "you can apply that physically.  Ideally
over the navel, but anywhere should work.  It will interrupt the flow of
chakra and suppress any... manifestations.  It'll knock her for a loop,
though, so don't except her to be able to fight afterward.

        "I've only had time to make the one, but I doubt you'll need any
until she sees real combat."  It was a good thing Naruto had vast chakra
reserves for his age, or she would never be able to get enough
compatible chakra ink to do any seal work.  As it was, she was limited
to what she could justify stealing from what he made for practice.  "I
should have a couple more done before you take on any C-ranks."

        Kakashi put the seal tag away.  "Thank you," he said.  "Do you
have any insight into how I can tell when it's getting dangerous?"

        "Given what you've told me of her personality," Kushina said,
"it should be fairly obvious if she's losing control."  She shrugged,
and tried to make her next sentence sound like a joke instead of the
warning it was.  "Beyond that, if she starts growing tails, that's
probably a bad sign."

        If Kakashi smiled, it was hidden by his mask.

***********************************************************************


        Sakura stifled a yawn as she unlocked the back door of her house
and slipped inside.  After everything that had happened today, she
wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.  Between that and the large
meal she'd just eaten, Sakura was tired enough that she doubted she
would have nightmares tonight.  That would be a welcome respite from the
past few nights.

        "I'm home," Sakura said, and she heard movement from the front
of the house.  That wasn't surprising, as she'd seen lights on inside
the house from the street, so her father had to be home.  What was
surprising was when she heard another man's murmured voice, answered a
moment later by her father's.  They had a guest over?

        Curiosity warred with tiredness and shyness for a moment, and
then Sakura made her way through the small kitchen to the front sitting
room of the house.  "Welcome home," her father said in greeting, sitting
in his favorite, battered old armchair.  He'd once said it had been the
first piece of furniture her mother and he had purchased together.

        Seated on the couch, across from him, was an unfamiliar young,
silver-haired man, sipping at a cup of tea.  He set it down on the side
table and stood, one hand adjusting his glasses.  "Ah, this must be
Sakura-chan," he said gently.

        Who was this man?  Sakura glanced at her father nervously, but
he gave her a slight smile.  "Sakura-chan, this is Yakushi Kabuto-san, a
medic from the hospital.  We've been discussing the possibility of
taking the Chuunin Exams together in a few months."

        Kabuto bowed slightly.  "A pleasure to meet you," he said, and
he actually sounded like he was telling the truth.  "I've already heard
rumors that Hatake-sama passed his first genin team ever.
Congratulations."

        "Thank you," Sakura said automatically.

        "Was it the bell test?" Kabuto asked, his voice curious.
"Hatake-sama used that trick to fail my second provisional team."  He
chuckled.  "Not that we idiots deserved to pass," he continued as he sat
back down.

        "It was," Sakura confirmed.

        Kabuto shook his head.  "I'll have to tell everyone that it
wasn't that Hatake-sama's gotten softer, then," he said.  "If you're not
too tired and Takeru-san doesn't mind the diversion, I'd be interested
in hearing how your team passed.  I don't think anyone's passed that
test since before you or I were born."

        The pink-haired girl's eyes widened.  Kakashi had mentioned that
every team he'd taken on had failed the test, but Sakura hadn't imagined
that!  Had he been intending to fail them all from the start?  Because
of her?  He'd seemed pleased when they passed though... maybe she was
just over-thinking it.

        "If you want to, Sakura-chan," he father said, but Sakura could
tell that he was curious too.  She wasn't sure about talking about it in
front of this Kabuto, but he seemed nice enough.  She'd just have to be
careful about what she said, to avoid letting her secret slip.

        Kabuto was seated in the center of the couch, but he moved over
to one side as Sakura came over, letting her take the opposite side and
keep some distance between them.  Both men looked at her, and not
comfortable with being the center of attention it took Sakura a few
minutes to start.

        She knew she wasn't a good storyteller - and she still had
nightmares about the embarrassment of the handful of times she'd had to
do an oral presentation in the academy - but she ultimately managed to
stammer out something approximating the events of this morning.  Her
father's face had turned thunderous when she'd reached Kakashi's order
to kill her, but it had smoothed as she continued, and now he had a
thoughtful look about him.

        Kabuto let out a whistle, and when Sakura turned to look at him
his eyes were wide behind his glasses.  "Not softer at all," he said.
"Quite the opposite.  Hatake-sama certainly never threatened us with
death."

        He reached down to his dark purple pants and pulled a small
scroll out from somewhere.  "It's traditional to give presents when
someone you know is promoted," Kabuto commented.  "It's probably overly
familiar of me, but passing that test deserves some recognition."  He
tossed the scroll at Sakura.  "Unroll it," he instructed as she caught
it.

        Sakura obeyed, finding on the scroll a dozen small circles with
characters written inside of them.  It was a sealing scroll!  Each
circle was labeled; the scroll contained bandages, antibiotics,
painkillers, two different strengths of soldier pill... it was a very
extensive first aid kit.

        "They're bloodless seals," Kabuto explained, "so you just have
to channel a little chakra into them to release the contents, and a
little more to put them back in.  I'm sure you remember the basics from
the academy."  He shrugged.  "Sticking something new in there is more
complicated, but you can ask for me at the hospital when you need
refills."

        Sakura had never really studied sealing techniques, but this
much seal-work had to be expensive, even ignoring the contents.  "This
is too much," she said, re-rolling the scroll and holding it out to the
young man.

        He shook his head.  "Sealing is an important part of advanced
medical techniques," Kabuto said.  "My father's been training me, and
I've been making these for practice for the past couple years."  He
paused, then added.  "Actually, whenever you're at the hospital, feel
free to ask for me or him - he's the only Yakushi-sensei there.  We'll
make sure you get what you need."  The silver-haired man said the words
innocently, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder whether they had another
meaning.  Was it possible this Kabuto knew what she was and... didn't
care?

        "This isn't necessary," Sakura's father began.

        Kabuto flashed him a grin.  "Nonsense, Takeru-san," he said.
"We'd pretty much agreed to be teammates, hadn't we?  That means that
anyone who is important to you is important to me."  He smiled, glancing
at Sakura.  "How does Hatake-sama put it again?" he asked.  "Ninja who
don't watch out for their allies -"

        "Ninja who don't take care of their comrades are worse than
trash," Sakura answered, and then she yawned uncontrollably.

        Kabuto laughed.  "I think I should head on out, so your daughter
can get to sleep, Takeru-san," he said.  "It's getting late."

        Sakura's father nodded and stood.  "I'll speak with Tsubaki-chan
tomorrow and ask if she's interested in being our third.  I think she
will be; she asked me if I wanted to take the exam with her the last
time it was held here."

        "I'll look forward to meeting her, then," Kabuto said as he
rose.  "Good night, Sakura-chan.  I'm glad I had the chance to meet
you."

***********************************************************************

Author's Random Ramblings

1) I decided the end of the last chapter was a bad place to leave the
story, so I decided to work on this one before the next chapter of One
Hundred Weeks.

2) In addition to my needing to work on that story, the next chapter of
this one may be delayed until I decide precisely what I'm going to do
for Team Seven's first C-rank mission instead of yet another rehash of
the Wave Country arc.  We'll see.

3) As always, my thanks go to everyone at The Fanfiction Forum for their
comments on the draft of this chapter.

Draft Started: July 27, 2011
Draft Finished: August 06, 2011
Draft Released: August 07, 2011
Final Released: