# Motivation

## Chapter Seven

by Brian Randall

Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto; these are his paints. Some
tinting is borrowed from Rumiko Takahashi. The easel is mine, but that is all.
No disrespect is intended with the posting of this story.

* * *

Away from the other genin, Sakura decided that instead of going home, she'd
use the evening at Konoha's library. Almost everyone _else_ seemed to be doing
something in the way of extra training, after all. She supposed she could have
done something with the others, but Sasuke hadn't, either, and she liked the
idea of being free if he suddenly decided he'd want a partner.

The library had served her well, but she'd recently been neglecting her
academic studies. All of the field work and lecture from their sensei squad
was well and good, but she had frequently found out quite a bit of good
information there in the past. If even Naruto was hitting the books, well....

At the library entrance, she spotted a strange, unfamiliar looking jounin --
he was wearing what looked like a green spandex bodysuit, boots the same color
as Naruto's jacket, and with his dark hair in an extremely unflattering bowl
cut. He had both eyebrows raised in obvious interest as he listened to a more
more normal looking chunin, wearing his hitai-ate as a belt.

"So," the chunin said, "I would have taken care of this myself, but with the
new assignment, I really don't have the range...."

"If you're confident it would be good for Lee," the jounin allowed. "How
dangerous of a target is this man?"

The chunin grimaced, tugging on his dark braid thoughtfully as he stared up to
the sky with gray eyes. "His taijutsu's decent; I'd guess ... mid-chunin skill
range. Other than that? He's an amateur with masterwork enten-hari, so ...
pretty dangerous," he finally said, turning to look at the jounin, his gaze
very briefly flicking across and meeting Sakura's--

More than enough warning to stop staring, she realized, picking up her pace
and jogging past.

"Hmm," the jounin grunted. "Alright. Tenten will like having those in her
collection. It might be good for Neji, too."

The chunin probably said something in response, but they were lost to distance
as she jogged up the steps to the library, making a note to research 'enten-
hari' at some later point. What the heck was a 'sun-needle'?

She quickly made her way to the card catalog, humming to herself as she found
four likely books on tactical communication. She looked around for an empty
seat -- there were a handful of people in the library, scattered among the
sparse collection of tables and chairs.

There was a brief pause as she glanced at a younger, somewhat pretty pink-
haired girl in an orange dress sitting at one of the rearmost tables....

Her hair was shorter, and she seemed to suddenly become faintly nervous upon
seeing Sakura.... Okay, yeah, she was fairly confident she knew what was going
on here.

She made her way to the seat next to the other girl, setting down her own
books with a quiet thump and glancing at the reading choice of 'Field Tactics
for Larger Squads' by Namikaze Minato. Sakura recalled that book fairly well;
the yondaime had a gift for writing things clearly and concisely. The girl
could have chosen a much more difficult author for the same information.

Confident that she wasn't going to be making a fool of herself, she turned to
the younger 'girl' and asked, quietly, "Your henge is good, but why would a
girl that age be reading that book, Naruto?"

The younger version of herself whipped her head around in alarm to stare at
her with wide eyes. Huh. Naruto remembered what she looked like back then so
well?

Weird. Kind of cute--

Well, she had _thought_ she'd overheard something about 'library' bunshin.
This also explained how _he_ of all people found time to read!

"U...um," the bunshin managed, blinking. She-- _He_ Sakura corrected herself
again. He looked at a clock and then shook his head. "I...I need to put these
books away; I'm supposed report to the boss in a few minutes."

"Alright," Sakura said with a shrug, turning to her own heavy tomes. She was
pleased to have figured out who Naruto had been, among the crowd, but since
they weren't in a fight ... on the extremely small chance that Sasuke might
come by, she didn't really want to hang out with him.

Never mind that as far as she knew, Sasuke had never, ever been to the
library.

She quickly lost herself in scanning through the texts on communications,
making notes on a sheet of paper idly. Probably an hour had gone by, and she'd
picked out all of the details she needed from two of the books before she
paused to stretch, realizing with surprise that Naruto -- looking suspiciously
like a younger version of herself, still -- was still watching her.

"What?" she asked, somewhat peeved that he was borrowing her image as it was.

"J...just watching you study," she-- _He_ said, mildly awed.

She frowned. "Shouldn't you have reported back by now?" she asked.

The bunshin shrugged evasively. "I can report back later," he answered. "The
others already did, so the boss knows why I'm still here."

"The 'boss'?" Sakura wondered, turning back to her notes. Hmm ... there wasn't
much benefit to trying to make a private code language or a series of
communication tricks to hide from Kakashi. Enemy ninja, maybe, but he would
undoubtedly be able to pick it apart anyway. Pre-arranged ciphers and rotating
codes would probably be for the best.

"Uh.... Well, seems better than saying, 'the real me'," the bunshin offered.

Sakura nodded absently; that did make a degree of sense. She started pulling
together a quick-reference table of simplified code-words on another sheet of
paper.

"You're still here?" she mumbled, glancing sidelong at the smaller 'girl' next
to her.

Naruto nodded. "You read really fast," she said, shaking her head.

"I'm skimming," Sakura answered, frowning. "You have to read enough to infer
the meanings, then you can just read every other line and fill in the blanks."

The younger version of herself looked scandalized, her eyes widening. "There's
a shortcut for _reading_?" she breathed.

Sakura actually turned to face Naruto. "What exactly are you doing here?" she
wondered.

"I've been trying to study," the smaller figure replied defensively. "Oh!
Hey-- Hinata-chan is helping me study a little, but maybe you can, too?"

The larger girl was about to snap at Naruto's bunshin to leave her alone when
she stopped to consider.

Naruto's henge was nearly perfect, and Sasuke wasn't likely to come by,
anyway. That thought in mind....

"There's no such thing as a free lunch, Naruto," she chided him, setting her
pen down. "If you want to _help_ me, then maybe in exchange I'll teach you a
thing or two."

"Okay!" the smaller girl said enthusiastically.

"Great," Sakura decided. "Here's what you want to try and figure out: There's
this kind of weapon called an 'enten-hari'. Even in the hands of an amateur,
this is considered a dangerous weapon! See if you can find out what it is, and
where it comes from." Before she could ask anything else, Sakura warned,
"That's all the clues I'm going to give you."

Naruto's eyes grew wide as she stared at Sakura before hesitantly nodding.
"Finding out about a weapon," she mumbled, rising from the table, taking her
book with her. "Okay!"

Sakura shook her head, turning her attention back to her own work as the
bunshin trotted eagerly between the shelves. That should keep Naruto busy, and
maybe also answer that annoying question at the same time.

* * *

When Ino had told Naruto she didn't know him well and wanted to go on a date
with him to know him better, she had really just been following Shikamaru's
idea. She'd even further planned on trying to weasel out of it....

But thanks to Naruto, she hadn't gotten blown up _once_ training with Kakashi
-- even better, Naruto seemed to accomplish the impossible, and remove Kakashi
from 'exploding tag' mode to 'lecture' mode. The blond insisted that wasn't an
improvement, since the other sensei already did that constantly, but Ino found
herself really appreciating the lack of concussive force.

That thought in mind, she decided she would stick the date out, and more than
that, try to actually be Naruto's friend. She didn't want to _date_ him, but
as an ally.... That it seemed to annoy Sakura was just an added bonus. Spiting
him to try and score points with Sasuke didn't seem to be working very well --
and it _certainly_ wouldn't have gotten her any help against Kakashi.

Probably, it wouldn't help in the 'real' ninja world, either.

She gave a nervous glance around for explosive tags at that -- one Naruto
caught and copied anxiously for a moment before they both relaxed.

"I guess Bastard-sensei really _is_ keeping us on our toes," Naruto allowed
with a lopsided grin.

"I'm not exactly falling over myself to thank him for it," Ino returned.

He nodded fervent agreement.

"Okay -- let's get this started. We're skipping some steps, so ... usually
dating works by you asking a girl out on a date, right? And then she says
'yes', so you decide where to go and what to do. Since we didn't have time for
that, let's go to a restaurant that you like or something; some place we can
get just tea, since we already ate earlier."

"Okay!" the bunshin agreed cheerfully. "Ah ... how about going to Ichiraku's
for ramen?"

She wanted to complain that they'd just _left_ a noodle place, but bit that
back. "That should work for practice," she allowed. "But in the real dating
world, girls like to be taken to some place amazing!"

"What if I don't have that much money?" he asked worriedly.

Ino shrugged, following his lead when the blond turned down a side-street.
"There are other options," she admitted. "Most girls really like a guy who can
cook, even a little. And sometimes you can find small restaurants that are
actually really good, just not well known! So, those places might work, too."

"So, maybe this tiny okonomiyaki place I found that's surprisingly good?"
Naruto hazarded.

"Well ... I'd have to see it, but that actually sounds alright," she admitted.
"It's cozy? You're friendly with the owner?"

"Yeah ... she's pretty cool," he agreed. "But actually, that sounds a lot like
Ichiraku's anyway!"

"Really?" Ino wondered, as Naruto gestured ahead of them, to where a pair of
customers were just leaving the ramen stand.

He jogged ahead slightly, waving to the old cook behind the counter.

"Oh, hello, Naruto," the cook called out cheerfully. "Ah, another of your
friends?"

"Yeah!" Naruto confirmed happily. "Ino-chan is pretending to go on a date with
me!"

Teuchi blinked at that, looking slightly confused. "Pretending?" he wondered.

A heartbeat later a young woman emerged from the kitchen with a wide grin,
holding a teakettle in one hand, and a pair of cups in the other. "Heya,
Naruto!" the woman behind the counter cheered. "Did I hear that you're here on
a _date_?"

"We're training," Ino clarified. "Practice for real dates."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "I guess I gotta do some D rank training dates to get
up to the better ones. Oh! Ino-chan, this is Ayame-nee."

Ino couldn't help but be a little miffed that she'd already been given a 'D'
ranking as a date, but admitted that it wasn't like she'd been especially
flattering to _him_.

Then again, maybe it was just because he was taking things seriously? In that
case, she should, too.

Both of the ramen bar workers stared for a long moment, before Ayame finally
gave a small sigh. "I suppose the ninja life is a hard and ... different," she
offered.

"Er ... yes, well, what can I get you?" Teuchi asked, still somewhat dazed.

"Just tea," Ino decided. Strange ... she'd never really thought of Naruto as
having other friends before. Then again, he'd managed to get on the good sides
of many of the other genin -- pretty much all of them except for Sasuke and
Sakura. Well, the pink haired kunoichi was on her own. Ino was starting to
suspect that Naruto, herself, and Sasuke would make a pretty amazing team.

With Naruto focusing on defense, Sasuke handling the offense, and herself
focusing on information gathering and controlling strategic targets of
opportunity....

She couldn't imagine what Sakura would offer in her place.

It would be hell to pull off, though, as things were at the moment. It sounded
more promising than getting stuck with lazy slobs or creepy bug people. The
main trick, of course, was to get Naruto to apologize for picking a fight with
Sasuke.

Something, Ino decided, once Ayame handed the pair of them teacups, that she
could handle on a later date. In the meantime, getting on Naruto's good side
wouldn't include giving him bad information; he had to learn at _least_ enough
about dating to keep Sakura away from Sasuke.

"Okay," she warned, "listen closely, but this is what girls like...."

Across the counter, Ayame raised one eyebrow, the traces of a smile coming to
her lips, while Naruto and -- surprisingly enough -- Teuchi watched Ino
attentively.

* * *

Reading Anko's ANBU file had not really made Kakashi feel better about the
entire affair. Add in the fact that he was down to one good contact still
among the ANBU, thanks to recent restructuring.... He thought that he might
have strained that association asking for the paperwork he had.

His attempt to reconnect with the other recently demoted ANBU hadn't worked
out quite as well as Kakashi had hoped. The man who had worn the horse mask
had been friendly enough, but his wife.... She'd had a number of pointed
questions about everything Kakashi didn't want to discuss -- except Anko,
anyway.

And wasn't _that_ a depressing revelation; he could try and tell himself that
genuine relationships hadn't been quite so important because he'd been in
ANBU. Except ... one of his oldest remaining ANBU associates had been married
_while in ANBU_. That seemed to utterly demolish one of his better arguments
for his situation. It wasn't even a special dispensation ... any ANBU's non-
ninja persona could do as they wished, as long as they didn't attract undue
attention.

Thwarted on that front, he found himself standing before the door to Anko's
apartment once again.

He'd read the file, sure, but it was hard to really let some of those things
click.

Anko's personality ... weathering what she had....

He remembered the last ninja war, and she would have, too. But his view was
from the front ... not in the depths of Konoha's war laboratories. He came
into his own on the battlefield, but the crucible of her formation made him
feel ashamed of himself for questioning her.

He was the one who had failed those who relied on him.

She was the one who had been failed by those who she had relied on.

Now -- _now_ he could see where that dim shine came from. And just when she
was starting to show that she might be able to trust and rely on him....

...he'd gone behind her back and betrayed that forming trust.

What, exactly, was he going to tell her? He hadn't thought a thing through,
struggling under the fact that -- once again -- he'd failed. The door opened,
revealing the reserved, somewhat suspicious expression of the woman in
question as she stared at him.

Abruptly, she smiled, gesturing him inside. "Welcome back, _dear_," she
purred.

* * *

After Naruto's bunshin dispersed, Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest
and shot a glance to Shino. For his part, recovered from the shell-game and
kawarimi practice, the Aburame boy looked thoughtful.

"I think we're hitting a dead end on research into his background," Shikamaru
mused. "At least, through conventional channels."

"What approaches remain unexplored?" Shino returned.

"Death records are kept in a vault with relatively weak security, all things
considered," Shikamaru said, almost offhandedly.

Shino actually lowered his face enough to stare at the Nara boy over his dark
glasses. Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Even if security is low, breaking in could easily jeopardize our genin
status. However, I happen know that there is a vault that shares a wall with
that vault ... which is unsecured."

"Ah," Shino responded. "Byakugan."

"I can't think of anything else," Shikamaru admitted with a shrug. "Nothing
else I'm comfortable risking, at least."

"And what is contained in this unsecured vault?"

"Land ownership records," Shikamaru answered, making a dismissive gesture. "As
the Nara clan holds some territory outside of the city, my father goes there
every so often. I'll see about finding a reason to go there, and figuring out
how to distract Naruto at the time."

"Then it falls to me to inform Hinata." Shino paused, thinking things over and
calculating the other things that Shikamaru had not said. "I also will be
required to cocoon myself in your image for this journey to the vault."

"That's right."

"Hinata's kekkai genkai would surpass a normal henge."

Shikamaru nodded.

Shino adopted a somewhat sour expression behind his coat and glasses, then
shifted to look like Shikamaru in-- Not quite just a puff of chakra, though
that had been there, too.... There was a rippling, creeping _surge_ of
kikaichu.

"You think that might fool a Byakugan?" Shikamaru wondered.

"Probably not," the Aburame in henge replied, heaving a tiny sigh, grimacing
as one hand pressed against his forehead. "Troublesome."

The shadow-user allowed himself to crack a small smile. "Naruto's henge is
getting pretty good. Maybe ask him for some tips?"

"Indeed," Shino agreed.

With that, the pair nodded at one another, and the Aburame boy's henge
dismissed with the same strange rippling and minimal puff of chakra. Turning
smoothly away, Shino marched around the corner of the Nara house, towards the
front gate. Shikamaru looked up at the sky again, once he was alone.

He didn't like going behind Naruto's back like this. It didn't feel right.

On the other hand, he couldn't fully judge Naruto's true potential if he
didn't know exactly what secrets he might be hiding.

And just a little bit, though he wouldn't even share this with Shino ... he
was scared of whatever it was that the Uzumaki boy had hidden, if it was more
powerful than the 'forbidden' kage bunshin.

* * *

If she'd come on a bit too strong, Kakashi didn't seem to notice. He'd given
her the same look he always did, more or less, then moved to take a seat on
her couch, sitting on just the edge, with his elbows resting on his knees, his
hands clasped together.

She pursed her lips and moved to sit next to him. What ... was the jerk
thinking of breaking up with her because of her file?

"What's going on?" she asked dubiously.

If he thought he could get rid of her that easily, well, she could make the
Hokage's order's _very_ uncomfortable for him!

"Anko," he said slowly, with careful deliberation, his lone visible eye going
away, to the coffee table. "Listen ... I ... think that we maybe started off
on a very awkward foot ... but for the first time in a very long time, I
wonder if it might have been a very good thing after all?"

She was caught off guard, unbalanced by that comment. He ... wanted to stick
with her? After reading her file?

Her position in the couch shifted as he swiveled, bringing his knees onto the
couch as he straightened his back up, dropping his hands to his lap. "Anyway
... wanting this thing to be good, I think that I need to be honest -- I asked
a friend in ANBU to hand me some information on you." He shrugged, looking
glumly apologetic.

She felt her indignation strangely quashed by this sudden brazen confession.
She was still furious with him, but now had no idea how to launch into a
tirade against him. The woman groped for words or an argument, struggling to
find something to say in anger, coming up strangely blank.

"To be fair," he said, looking at the cluttered magazines littering the coffee
table, "I asked for nothing more than general information. Nothing secret. I
didn't want to dig so deeply...."

Her anger flickered, and she suddenly felt very tired.

"So ... what did you find out?" she wondered.

"I found out about your teacher." He admitted, "I hadn't realized who it was."

"Oh," she managed, very quietly. "I.... I thought...." What had she thought,
anyway? That Kakashi was being an asshole....

Well, no, he was _still_ an asshole.

"You could have asked me!" she snapped.

"And I should have," he admitted. "So ... I had to tell you that in honesty."

He didn't even flinch when she found the energy to backhand him, just snapping
his head back and falling off the couch from the force of the blow. The copy
ninja landed, not quite in a heap, but not exactly crouched for reprisal.

Obviously, he'd _let_ her hit him.

"Asshole," she managed, irritated she couldn't summon anything more colorful.

After a heartbeat, she added, "Your ANBU friend gave me some dirt on you,
too."

"Ah," he replied from the floor, not really seeming to react otherwise.

"About ... your eye and your father," she elaborated.

"Ah," he said again, nodding slightly. "I have ... been somewhat less than
forthcoming."

"That's ... it?" she asked, still feeling robbed of confrontation. "We just
... get that out with?"

Still not moving from the floor, Kakashi suggested, "I hear normal couples
have make-up sex after their arguments."

She snorted at that, rolling her eyes. "Let's do that other thing where we
just sleep together. I hate talking."

He rolled to his feet, looking remarkably undamaged, but unmistakably
grateful.

"And tomorrow, before breakfast, we can exchange all those painful little
details together," she added.

He stiffened for a moment, then gave an accepting nod.

"Also, I went over the paperwork I got on you with Kurenai. Convinced her to
give you a hard time for going behind my back."

"No wonder you were in such a good mood when I came home," he sighed.

She grinned at the way he said 'home' instead of 'back'. Fine, then; he may be
an occasional asshole, but for now, he was _hers_.

Plus, she'd have the option of killing him in his sleep -- assuming he didn't
do it to her first. This thing with being more open ... maybe it would work
after all.

...why did she want it to work so bad? Why was she willing to forgive him,
after all that time trying to really properly stoke her resentment?

* * *

After training, Hinata had been glad that Naruto's chakra -- reinforced as
always by the constant pulsations from the seal, centered as it was directly
above his hara -- brought him back to his feet first. He explained that his
bunshin had all reported in, and then, just like she hoped, he hauled her
upright and helped her stagger into town -- strangely enough, to the same
okonomiyaki stand she'd gone to with Shikamaru and Shino previously.

The dark-haired former ANBU officer was just taking down the shop's sign for
his wife when she spotted them, insisting they come inside anyway.

They had a handful of okonomiyaki while the chef gently corrected a great deal
of what Naruto had learned, once it was explained that they were on a practice
date. Her husband had just looked strangely uncomfortable the entire time,
flipping through a bingo book and shaking his head.

After that, Naruto had gone ahead and walked her home, just as she'd hoped he
would -- and then, immediately inside the gates of the Hyuuga compound, she
collided with her father.

"F...Father!" she yelped in alarm, nearly collapsing backwards, barely
maintaining her balance.

He grunted at her, narrowing his eyes. "What is it that you're doing, coming
home so exhausted, Hinata?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest,
staring down at her sternly with both eyebrows raised, and his byakugan
active.

"Training!" she blurted out, too stunned to try and lie. "M...my teammates and
I, w...we train, very hard.... Almost every day."

"I am curbing this overzealous training," he warned her abruptly, shaking his
head.

Her head spun in response ... she wondered if the Hokage would grant amnesty
if she were to plead? Maybe if she begged for the caged bird seal as a lesser
sentence?

"If it's not by order of your teachers, I'm only permitting this unsupervised
training of yours every other day," he reproved. "Otherwise, when you are
released from your duties, your energy will be put to better use, practicing
the family style as is proper."

She resisted the impulse to stare at him in mute shock; he wasn't asking her a
question, so she gave an automatic, dutiful nod of compliance and
understanding. She could still train with Naruto ... every other day?

Somehow, that made everything bearable, again. Maybe ... some day she could
get strong enough, like him, and have a bunshin to spend time with him while
she was training with her father?

She knew how Naruto would treat this proclamation. She recovered her senses
and gave the imposing figure of the Hyuuga patriarch a look of absolute
determination. "I am honored to be granted so much of your attention, Father,"
she swore. This was an opportunity to try and learn something for Naruto, even
if it meant she wouldn't get to spend as much time with him as she'd liked....

Her father's grim visage betrayed the smallest, nearly hidden traces of an
approving smile. "I am pleased that you understand," he declared in a bored,
impassive tone. "You are to wash and go to bed immediately; no morning
training before your jounin-sensei demands your attention, tomorrow."

"Understood," she replied instantly, nodding, already marching towards the
main building.

"Oh," he said, as an aside, reaching a hand out and freezing her in place with
a single touch to her shoulder. He leaned close, his seal-marked folding fan
flying open in his other hand, concealing his mouth from anyone else who might
be watching through walls elsewhere across the compound as he whispered, "If
you are to carelessly become pregnant while unwed ... I will become _very_
displeased."

He rose, the fan immediately folding away and vanishing into the sash of his
robes -- or his sleeves. Hinata was too flustered to activate her kekkai
genkai and be certain.

She blinked, raw alarm overriding any attempt at self-control as she jerked a
nervous nod in response. "U...understood," she managed, weakly.

"Good," he said, nodding as he strode away.

* * *

Though he hadn't really been expecting it, Choji found that his new life as a
ninja fell into familiar, comfortable patterns. He didn't always know who he
would be on a team with, but for the most part, he was able to see that his
teammates were reliable. Even better, since Naruto and Sasuke were busy
fighting any time Sakura and Ino weren't, the others had all been too
distracted to tease him.

And that had worked just fine, right up until Naruto's first 'training game'.
There, Kiba had chosen him because they knew one-another, and no other reason.

Shikamaru knew Choji and could judge him accurately. He hadn't expected the
Inuzuka boy to start seeing genuine combat potential in the Akimichi frame,
but that was out, and now instead of hiding from being mocked, Choji found
himself someplace very unusual for him.

He was slightly more than adequate.

There was no profound praise, nor were there harsh rebukes. Around him, the
other genin simply _were_, as though the eight of them were too busy caught up
in their own issues, and none of them had _time_ to notice Choji by the
sidelines -- except that he wasn't a liability.

Strangely, he found that he was growing increasingly comfortable with this --
being acknowledged and then ignored.

But by that same token, he knew it wouldn't last forever....

After a dull, but easily survivable day with Asuma, he joined up with
Shikamaru and Shino again, ready to weather Kakashi's training.

For whatever reason, Shikamaru and Shino were standing a good distance apart,
both leaning on the same railing of the bridge. He moved wordlessly to stand
between them, when without even opening his eyes, Shikamaru warned, "We're
almost exactly one explosive tag radius apart; you should be safe if you
switch to the other side of the bridge from us."

Nodding, Choji crossed over, between and opposite the other boys.

Pulling a bag of chips from his belt pouch, Choji wondered, "Do you think
we'll get a lecture instead of practice, like Naruto?"

"Only if he gets tired of showing us all the ways we could have really died in
the field," Shikamaru answered with a shrug.

"That's okay ... you're here, and so is Shino. If we can win as a team, I
think we will."

Shino adjusted his glasses slightly, seeming to notice Choji almost for the
first time. "Indeed," he agreed. "Teamwork is the answer."

After that, the trio was greeted by Kakashi appearing and announcing very
brightly, "Good morning, students; we've got a lot of combat practice to get
through before you're caught up to Sasuke's girlfriends -- and Naruto -- so
let's get to it!"

From there, despite all of Shikamaru's evident planning (kawarimi being the
most obvious defense), Kakashi shoved each of them into the river and then led
them on a chase to the practice ground.

"Slow up," Shikamaru ordered, once they climbed out of the water and Shino was
set to follow. After heaving a sigh, he groused, "It's a test of our awareness
as much as anything else."

Shino nodded. "A kikaichu clone is following him," he announced. "We must
maintain formation for defensive value as we proceed towards the target."

"Tell me where to go," Choji offered. He was solid. He might not know the way
to go, but he could take point.

Shikamaru fell into step behind him, and Shino moved to his side, as a Kakashi
kage bunshin popped up over a nearby roof and flung a trio of senbon at them.

Without a kunai readied, Choji had to settle for the significantly clumsier
method of letting them sink harmlessly into the flesh of his hands. Well,
harmless except for the pain, anyway. Thankfully, they were kage bunshin
senbon, and so vanished into chakra smoke before needing to be pulled. Still,
the penalty for delaying had been well established.

"My cute little students ... when taking point, be prepared to defend yourself
and your teammates!"

The looming question in Choji's mind was ... what had happened to the
uninspired Naruto who had been 'dead last' in class? Where had the one that
made even the dreaded Bastard-sensei acknowledge his skill come from?

More importantly.... With all of the drama Choji had tried to avoid being
involved with ... was Naruto still his friend?

* * *

Free of Kakashi, both Sakura and Ino were civil to one-another, though Naruto
was certain there was some tension between them anyway. Some hidden, invisible
force seemed to pass between the two of them, making an impression on the edge
of his senses and constantly making him itch, like an explosive tag was on the
way in.

Kurenai was as cheerful as ever, even though Naruto was a bit put off that
Hinata hadn't come over -- again. There would have to be a good reason for
that ... but waking up with her nearby had really done worlds of good to
getting rid of Mizuki's pleading face, and losing that....

He hadn't even really realized how much he appreciated what she'd done for
him, and then it abruptly stopped. Maybe he was being a bad friend to her?

That was worth considering, but Kurenai didn't seem to notice that he was
trying to figure something like that out, and Sakura and Ino were quietly
engaged in some sort of duel he was only barely able to tell was even going
on. After that, she cheerfully demonstrated how tree-climbing worked, and told
them to start practicing.

And a shift in focus was just the thing Naruto was looking for, so he eagerly
threw himself into practicing....

Of course, Sakura took her time, not even starting until after she'd thought
about it for a good five minutes.

Then she walked slowly to the top of the tree from there and sat down on one
of the higher branches to watch her teammates.

Ino hadn't watched Sakura at all, just focusing on her own attempt until her
first tumble. She managed a neat landing anyway, which was better than Naruto
had accomplished. For his part, three attempts left him fumbling so badly he
fell off the tree twice, and once managed to trip _up_ the tree, almost
slamming his face into the unforgiving trunk.

Sakura had laughed at him quietly, then asked, "Do you need help, Naruto?"

"Um," he said, sitting in a pile at the bottom of his tree, scratching the
back of his head. Ino was making steady progress; probably she'd be more than
halfway up the tree by lunch. For himself.... "I could use some!" he said,
nodding quickly.

Snorting, she pink-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest from her perch.
"Think about what you're doing before you do it," she chastised him. "You
still didn't figure out that thing I told you to research yesterday, did you?"

He resisted the urge to pout, instead turning his gaze to stare at the tree
trunk. He'd sent a bunshin to pester the head chunin instructor at the academy
about Sakura's question, since even staying late at the library he hadn't
gotten any answers trying to find whatever an 'enten-hari' was.

"I'm working on it," he answered.

And, anyway ... if he understood things, Sakura was going to withhold her help
until he managed to answer _her_ questions. Oh well. He turned a curious look
at the blond girl, who had stopped to catch her breath, studying her tree
thoughtfully between attempts. He'd really rather get on the pink-haired
girl's good side ... but Ino already seemed to like him.

"Ino-chan, you're doing better than me," he offered. "Hey, maybe we can
practice together and help each other out?"

She turned to look back at him, raising an eyebrow and offering a small smile.
"Sure!" she replied, nodding. "As teammates, we look out for each other like
this all the time, right? I'll help you, Naruto! No problem at all!"

For some reason, the silently observing figure of Kurenai looked doubtful ...
but she said nothing to either of the golden-haired genin, instead tilting her
gaze upwards to take in Sakura, who looked annoyed for reasons Naruto couldn't
quite figure out.

"Alright, Sakura," the teacher remarked, before the pink-haired girl could
comment. "Since you've gotten a good grasp of tree-climbing, let's work on the
next important skill; come down here, and we'll leave these two to practice
while I get you started on water walking, alright?"

"Good for you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto encouraged, as he finished trotting to
Ino's side. He grinned and waved at the pink-haired girl. "Practice hard; Ino-
chan and I are gonna catch up in no time!"

Kurenai nodded, then made Naruto's _own_ favorite hand-seal, leaving ...
either herself or a bunshin behind to watch over himself and Ino, while the
other went off through the trees with Sakura.

"You two are doing very well," the woman said warmly, once Sakura was out of
earshot. "It's especially good that you're focusing on teamwork so much! I
understand that Kakashi-sensei spends quite a bit of time drilling with you in
that?"

Ino and Naruto exchanged a glance before nodding.

"Mm," the woman mused, nodding slowly. "Well, keep practicing!"

Naruto shook his head and turned to Ino. "I get the part about sending chakra
out through my feet, but sometimes it feels like I'm sticking too hard, and
sometimes I just fall off right away!" he complained.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, you're sending out a
consistent amount of chakra, right?" she asked. "You generate a bunch of it in
your hara, and then use the same amount with each step?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and allowed a nervous chuckle to escape.
"Uh ... so ... you have to time it against the pulses of chakra that refill
your hara?" he wondered.

Ino's expression became very skeptical. "Naruto ... that should only happen
when you're trying to draw in more chakra. I don't think you want to generate
more chakra while you're learning a training exercise. Gather, spend, step --
and then when you're steady, gather more chakra.... Like that!"

"Yes," Kurenai agreed. "Trying to utilize your chakra system while performing
other skills is something you will want to do as a ninja, but it's generally
better to learn the skill first, and then practice using it while focusing
additional chakra later."

"Yeah, but ... this isn't the chakra you gather for like, something really
major, like a jutsu," Naruto protested, "this is just the stuff that happens
all the time, right? You know ... how you're just minding your own business,
and then sometimes your hara sends out a big surge of chakra for no real
reason?"

Ino stared blankly.

Kurenai looked mildly puzzled, until sudden comprehension seemed to dawn on
her. "Ah ... Naruto," she said slowly, her eyes tracking away. "That.... I
believe Asuma-sensei will be able to explain more to you about that, but for
the time being ... when that happens it's like a hiccup, right? Your chakra
system becomes ... unsteady for a brief period?"

"Yeah, so anything you've got to keep using chakra for is really hard to rely
on," he said, nodding. A regular bunshin, for example. His techniques all had
to work around that inherent unreliability of chakra; the henge was
straightforward. Once he assembled the image and fed it chakra, the technique
was done. Kage bunshin worked the same way; once they were around, they were
there.

Tree walking, though ... that was a constant process that he needed to
monitor, and the regular surges of chakra from within.... Well, once he spent
even a moment to think about it.... From the _kyuubi_.... Maybe other people
wouldn't have that kind of an issue? But, how was he supposed to practice
around it, if no one else in the world seemed to have a similar situation?

Or know what to do about it?

What a depressing thought.

"Well, personally, I've found that the best way to defeat hiccups is by
holding my breath," Kurenai said after a moment of thoughtful pause. "So! Why
don't we try the equivalent, and see how it works for you?"

"Huh?" Ino and Naruto replied together.

The jounin explained, "When you learned the leaf focus exercise, Naruto, you
learned to suppress those surges of chakra. I know I said it's normally not
productive to mix and match exercises ... but in your case, it may be somewhat
easier to learn this if you practice the leaf focus exercise, as well; that
will reinforce your chakra control, and allow you to overcome those surges."

He blinked at that. That had to be one of the first times he'd ever gotten
_anything_ explained to him by a teacher that made sense without another
student translating for him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, immediately finding a likely leaf and sticking it to his
forehead. He went through the steps to focus, and once he was confident the
leaf was securely stuck, he placed one foot against the trunk of the tree with
cautious, careful deliberation. It took almost a full minute to shuffle up
five steps, but suddenly, he _understood_ it. He nearly fell off the tree in
his excitement, only the safety net of the leaf concentration exercise keeping
him steady.

"Very good!" Kurenai praised him, nodding. "Now, Ino, your chakra control is
already well developed, so you should be able to follow!"

"Naruto!" Ino complained, smiling, but sounding a tiny bit frustrated anyway.
"You've got to help _me_ out, now!"

"Of course!" he agreed, two steps later. "I guess this must be the slow way to
do it...." He was making significantly worse time than Sakura, that was
certain.

"We learn to crawl before we learn to walk," Kurenai said simply. "There's
nothing to be ashamed of here."

That was encouraging; he'd be sure to put dozens of bunshin on the exercise
later. He was willing to bet that if he played his cards right, he could give
Shino, Shikamaru, and Choji a _huge_ edge on the tree-climbing exercise, in
terms of what he could learn about it.

To say nothing of the potential to be able to just jog up the tree at a whim
-- that would be awesome, too! First, though ... as his friend Kuonji's wife
needed to point out a few times while he was trying to explain dating to
Hinata, he needed to work on his ability to teach people things.

"Okay!" he said cheerfully. "So, this is what I've figured out so far...."

* * *

With Shikamaru's stratagems, and Choji's rugged resilience, the trio had
managed to weather Kakashi's onslaught for a good half an hour straight before
he finally relented. Shino was fairly certain that the one-eyed bastard had a
vendetta against his student's clothes -- or more likely, he wanted to leave
as many reminders of the severity of combat with them as possible.

Either way, it was an annoyance, so when he finally told them they had
progressed, and earned a day of lecture, Shino unleashed the reserve of
kikaichu he had been withholding, and sent a copy of their team into the
clearing ahead of the genin.

One explosive trap later, and Shino felt the acute loss of all those
kikaichu.... That trick was cheaper for Naruto by far.

But that was the genuine end of hostilities, at least, on the jounin's part. A
carefully thrown cluster of senbon were all dodged, almost as if on accident.
Shikamaru tried that once only, and then quit while he was ahead. Aside from
which, the lecture was more interesting than almost anything else they'd had
from their collective sensei.

After that was the now-habitual meeting at Senzo's, where they got their usual
table, and the genin all gathered to trade notes.

More importantly for Shino, it was the first time he had seen Naruto in almost
an entire day; he was eager to discover how well the kikaichu he had left with
the blond had done. His own kikaichu found the stragglers, and slowly replaced
them with fresh scouts; he tuned out most of the discussion while picking out
the best of the lot to prepare the next generation.

Hmm ... the most efficient way to do this would be to breed two strains of
kikaichu for the same purpose in parallel ... and then commingle them when
positive traits emerged. He decided that as he processed the information they
had gathered; nothing surprising, in any event.

When the meal ended, Hinata broke a long silence to offer Naruto a stuttering
apology. "U...um, Naruto-kun, I ... have to go home to train again, and that's
... why I wasn't by this morning. U...um, my father says that I n...need to do
that every other day at least...."

"Well ... that's great!" Naruto said, though Shino felt it was somewhat
lacking in conviction.

"How else will we become strong, if we don't take advantage of opportunities
to train when they arise?" Sasuke contributed unexpectedly.

Shino managed not to visibly react, but he felt taken off guard by the usually
standoffish boy offering something solid suddenly -- and hadn't really been
following the conversation right until that point.

"Oh, hey -- that means you can train with me, then!" Kiba yelped excitedly.
"Come on, Naruto!"

"Hey -- that's true!" Naruto agreed, cheering slightly. "Alright, Hinata-chan
-- good luck on your training; we'll be able to practice tomorrow, right?"

"Y...yes!" she agreed, nodding her head vigorously. "Ah-- I'll see you
tomorrow, Naruto-kun!" With that, she paid the waitress on her way out, and
dashed away.

Sasuke turned a skeptical gaze to Choji, though he said nothing, until he
glanced at Ino and Sakura. "What do you two do with your idle time?" he asked.

"What?" Sakura asked, taken aback, before shaking her head. "Er-- I'm free, if
you wanted to go on a date!"

"Hey!" Ino protested, shooting to her feet so quickly she knocked over her
chair. "Sasuke, don't go on a date with her--"

"Dating is not important," Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his
head. "I don't have time to date anyone -- because I'm training. If you have
so much free time to date, then maybe you should be training instead."

"I'll train with you," Sakura offered quickly. "I already figured out the
tree-walking exercise -- I've almost got water-walking, too!"

"Really?" Naruto asked, surprised. "Nice job!"

Sasuke looked briefly annoyed before shaking his head again. "I don't want to
slow myself down to help you," he chided. "Naruto and the others are doing
combat drills and serious workouts on their free time -- why shouldn't you do
the same?"

"Don't hold it in," Shikamaru remarked dryly. "Tell us how you _really_ feel."

"This isn't something to laugh off," Sasuke said irritably, not even glancing
to Shikamaru. "Why _haven't_ you two been training harder?"

"I've been working on a cipher so we can develop a code-language for use in
missions," Sakura answered, unable to keep from shooting Sasuke a small, hurt
scowl.

"And I _have_ been training at home," Ino added, frowning.

"Really?" he asked. "Because the way I heard it, Uzumaki pulled you both out
of the line of fire until Kakashi got tired of dealing with his bunshin and
called it quits."

"You're an idiot," Naruto finally snapped. "Why are you picking on Sakura-chan
and Ino-chan? The point of Bastard-sensei's exercise was to force us to really
work as a team -- and we all did that. I'm pretty awesome, but we all would
have been toast if Sakura-chan didn't remove those senbon, or Ino-chan hadn't
decided to try and make up for being mean to Shino in the first place!"

Shino blinked at that last part, unintentionally swiveling his gaze to the
blonde girl, who looked momentarily startled, before giving a quick nod, not
meeting the Aburame boy's gaze. "Y...yeah," she agreed. "I got off on the
wrong foot because ... um...."

Sakura looked uncertain, but said nothing.

Sasuke nodded dubiously. "All the same," he said, shrugging, "if you've got
free time...." With that, he dropped a small stack of ryo on the table and
walked away.

"That guy," Kiba growled, once the door was closed. "Man! He doesn't have to
be so dog-damned harsh...."

"Well," Shikamaru mused. "I'm interested in this cipher, Sakura. I'd like to
discuss that with you later."

Ino scowled, then shook her head, turning to Naruto. "Hey, give me a bunshin
to help me practice!" she demanded.

Sighing, Naruto outlined the weaknesses of a kage bunshin, but she rolled her
eyes.

"Never mind that," she said. "I need someone else to help me practice my clan
techniques."

Shino thoughtfully bugged her at that, curious to see where this would go.

"Well ... okay, sure," Naruto agreed, making a copy of himself.

Kiba crossed his arms, and Akamaru glanced between the two instances of the
boy. "That's got to be pretty nice, being able to send a copy of yourself with
every friend you hang out with," he remarked.

"Totally," both Naruto agreed, before exchanging a high-five.

Shino realized after a moment that the kikaichu, living beings, were not
duplicated by the technique. He was able to discern which Naruto was the real
one. The bunshin had a convincing copy of the pheromone records, but live
kikaichu would periodically update that.

After a moment of light-hearted banter, the bunshin went to stand by Ino.

If Ino was able to practice her art on a bunshin ... would she be able to
discover Naruto's S rank secret? Had that idea occurred to Naruto?

"I believe your technique might cause a bunshin to disperse," Shino warned.

Shikamaru nodded, evidently thinking along similar lines.

Ino shook her head, smirking. "I'm supposed to be able to practice sensing
people's presences -- it's not like I'm going to be doing anything more than
that."

"That sounds pretty useful," Naruto remarked.

"Sensors are considered to be a rare type of ninja," Sakura grudgingly
admitted. "That's why ninja from clans like Kiba's or Hinata's tend to be
placed as hunter-nin and scouts."

Kiba nodded his agreement to that remark. Shino kept his face impassive,
wondering why the Aburame clan didn't have such a reputation.

"So, there you go," Ino said insistently, grabbing the real Naruto by his arm
and dragging him away. A swift kawarimi swapped him with his bunshin, and the
blonde didn't even appear to notice.

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head at that. "Anyway, Choji, why don't you
practice with me and Kiba? Heck, you can probably practice with Kiba when I'm
practicing with Hinata, too."

"Maybe then," Choji said reluctantly. "I'm actually supposed to be training
with my father tonight ... I suppose if that's what we're all doing ... well,
I don't want to be the one guy taking it easy."

Akamaru whimpered, and Kiba offer a sympathetic nod. "Hey, Naruto turned
things around -- so did Shikamaru. That leaves it to me and you to become the
next bad-asses, right, Choji?" the Inuzuka boy chuckled.

"I guess so...."

"You're a trend-setter, Naruto-kun," Shikamaru observed. "Well, anyway. I'll
see you tomorrow, Kiba. Take care Choji." He offered a nod for Sakura as well.

Naruto produced another bunshin effortlessly, this one to walk with Shino and
Shikamaru. Sakura shook her head abruptly and turned her attention to her
watch. "I want to get to the library before five," she grumbled, hurrying out
of the restaurant.

Something else to wonder about, but Shino didn't have the kikaichu to spare,
at the moment. Something else to work on.

Back at the Nara residence, they retreated to work on their shell-game
training. The entire time, Naruto explained what he'd figured out about
Kurenai's exercises, and what Ino had told him from her own observations.

"Excellent work," Shikamaru judged, contemplating. "I think ... Sakura's
control is better than mine. I somehow doubt I'll pick it up as quickly as
her."

"Similar for myself," Shino conceded. He trusted the shadow-user's judgment in
these matters. Still, knowledge in advance was a substantial aid.

* * *

Despite the dark -- or maybe, because of it -- Sasuke kept training.

What would the point have been in chastising those two girls, if he himself
wasn't able to adhere to the ideal he had warned them about? Of course ...
that wasn't addressing the real point.

He despised the place, thanks to the memories it left him with ... but he was
no coward; he wouldn't run.

Even after the massacre, he still maintained the Uchiha training grounds
personally. And naturally, used them.

It was a pain in the ass, and there wasn't anyone around to even be aware that
he had _done_ it, but that wasn't the point. The point was, it was the only
training area he had access to where he could guarantee that no sympathetic
idiots would pop in and offer encouraging words before suggesting he relax a
little.

He'd take training, if they were to offer it, but inevitably, they didn't want
to. After all, he was an Uchiha; they were supposed to be geniuses. Wasn't
Sasuke going to take after his brother?

He sat up from where he was catching his breath and stared into the gloom
surrounding his chosen portion of the training grounds -- the trees bordering
the lake where he'd first started practicing his fire jutsu. His chosen tree
was marked with numerous kunai slashes, each higher than the next. He was
irritated that his progress had been strangely consistent -- a step or two
higher each attempt.

Why hadn't he ever reached some insight or suddenly leapt forward some higher
number of steps?

For that matter, why hadn't he ever stumbled and fallen short at any point?

There was something to that, he was certain, and until he figured it out,
throwing himself at the tree was only giving him minimal progress. If that was
all he could get, of course, he'd take it ... but it seemed there had to be
some better way to do it. He idly wondered how Naruto had performed when he
tried it, but savagely crushed that thought.

He didn't have time to concern himself with he blond boy. He was no longer a
threat to Sasuke's genin status -- not like Sakura and Ino were.

Thinking about it hadn't yielded results yet. Fine -- another attempt at the
tree.

Steeling himself, he charged again, effortlessly slipping up the first handful
of steps, until an unexpected voice distracted him, cheerfully calling out,
"And what's my cute little student doing by himself in this dark corner of
Konoha?"

Sasuke's balance was shot; he misstepped, using too much chakra, and tore a
strip of bark off with the sole of his sandals before tumbling into the night.

Faster than he could try and catch himself, he felt an unseen presence grab
the back collar of his shirt, and then for an instant the entirety of the dim
night seemed to shift to a colorless gray before he found himself standing
unsteadily at the base of the tree.

"You know," the legendary copy bastard mused absently from behind him,
"training alone can be quite dangerous."

"I was doing fine until you distracted me," he grumbled sourly, unsure why
Kakashi had interrupted him in the first place. Or, for that matter, what the
hell he thought he was doing on privately owned land at this hour.

When he turned around to regard the man in the weak lighting, Kakashi's gaze
was on the sliver of moon reflected in the lake.

Since he wasn't forthcoming, Sasuke finally asked, "Why are you here?"

"I had a surprisingly productive conversation on the nature of trust, and how
important it is to teams," Kakashi offered. "I thought -- as one sharingan-
user to another -- you might be interested in that insight!"

Sasuke ignored the overarching message and instead bluntly asked, "How did you
get a sharingan?" Crossing his arms over his chest and peering at Kakashi
doubtfully he asked, "Are you related to my family?"

Kakashi made a thoughtful sound in response, his one visible eye narrowing
slightly. "You never would have gotten a chance to meet your uncle Obito ...
but in point of fact, if you like, a piece of him lives on in me." He chuckled
at that, though there was no humor in the laugh at all.

"Why wouldn't I have known him?" Sasuke wondered. He remembered the others of
his family.... He'd never forget them. He wished he could -- not because he
didn't respect them ... but instead because being able to forget would be
rejecting Itachi's last cruel gift.

He realized his fists were clenching, and forced himself to calm.

"He was on my team when I was a jounin," Kakashi sighed, his eye closing.

"Was he strong?"

"Stronger than me," Kakashi answered. "Almost strong enough." He shook his
head, his eye opening as he turned to face Sasuke. "But the point of this is
that I did not respect or appreciate Obito when we were placed together. I was
a ninja ... I had to overcome the difficulties presented to me by the
reputation of my predecessors."

Sasuke blinked; he'd never heard any of _this_ before. Shikamaru had pretty
much all of the information any of them had on Kakashi, and that was thanks to
his father.

"Ultimately ... I was not trusting enough of my teammates. There was a point
in time where if I had trusted Obito enough, I believe we would have succeeded
at the mission ... and more than myself would have survived," Kakashi sighed.
"So ... by my choices, and my lack of faith in my teammates, Obito and Rin are
no longer with us."

The Uchiha heir was completely bewildered by this. "Why would you tell me
this?" he asked. Was he saying Sasuke needed to trust his teammates? "The
mission was a success, right?"

"I don't really see it that way," Kakashi countered. "Oh, our objectives were
accomplished. We might even call the mission 'complete'. But 'success'? No --
not even the Yondaime could convince me of that."

"So you're saying I have to trust my teammates?" Sasuke asked doubtfully.

"I may be saying that," Kakashi agreed. "There's more to being recognized as a
shinobi of Konoha than just learning jutsu and being skilled. Asuma is not
lecturing you about the will of fire because he enjoys it." After a pause, he
corrected himself to say, "Well, that's not the _only_ reason, at any rate."

Sasuke snorted, shaking his head. "None of this will matter when it's time to
go after Itachi," he said resolutely. "I'll do my best to be a ninja of
Konoha, but that's only one stepping stone on my path."

"Hmm, well, Konoha doesn't really need avengers," Kakashi mused. "And when the
Hokage were to ask me why the nine rookies this year were failed, well ... it
wouldn't be fair to eight other aspiring genin to say that you couldn't put
Konoha first -- as you swore to do before accepting your hitai-ate."

Sasuke felt his mouth dry.

"But then," Kakashi said in that same, lazy, completely absent way, "maybe it
just seems like you're off to a rocky start as you and Naruto become closer
friends."

The boy could only blink wordlessly in answer.

"Tell me, Sasuke, do you know what an asset allies can be?"

Sasuke shifted his shoulders and looked away. He could guess any number of
answers, but he suspected Kakashi wanted to lecture, not really hear his
response.

"I know what your goal is ... but allies are a form of strength, too."

"I was told to grow strong," Sasuke growled. "How is leaning on others
_strength_?"

Kakashi's eyebrow rose, and he jabbed a finger into Sasuke's chest. "Listen,"
he said, now sounding very slightly annoyed, "Naruto is your rival. You two
should try to be the friends that Obito and I weren't -- and yes, we were
exactly like the two of you. I thought Obito was an annoying, brash,
loudmouth, and he thought I was coolly arrogant, hiding behind my family name
and distant demeanor."

"Why?" Sasuke protested. If this was some stupid order.... What the hell did
trying to be friends with _Naruto_ of all people have to do with becoming a
better ninja?

"Because you're not helping your skills by hiding from him and resenting his
strength," Kakashi said, shrugging as he dropped his hands to his sides. "You
keep measuring yourself against him -- and find yourself wanting."

Sasuke swallowed, unable to deny that, or prevent the furious scowl that came
to his face.

Kakashi seemed to smile behind his mask. "So ... challenge him. Tell him that
you aspire to reach that strength," Kakashi said. "The point of a rival is
that you have someone to test yourself against -- and in return, he can test
himself against you."

"So I have to waste time sparring with him instead of improving?" Sasuke
retorted.

Kakashi's invisible smile seemed like it must have widened behind his mask.
"No," he clarified. "You practice until you're better than him."

"And then ... I can take on Itachi?"

"Nope! Then, you help him get stronger than you -- and do it again."

Sasuke blinked, mulling that over. Kakashi was suggesting a potentially huge
investment of time with this....

"A rival helps you grow stronger?" Sasuke asked, not entirely convinced.

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Look underneath the underneath. Your allies aren't
just tools -- they're people, and they can share their strengths with you. But
... in order to get that ... you need to be willing to share your strength
with them, too. Make sense?"

Sasuke wanted to deny him ... but then, given the weight of those threats, and
the promise of new strength.... "Alright," he grudgingly agreed. "How do I do
it?"

Kakashi chuckled again, reaching out and -- irritatingly -- tousling Sasuke's
hair. "That's for you to figure out!" he cheered, before he vanished in a
swirl of leaves.

Sasuke sat back down on the lawn instead of throwing himself at the tree
again. "Rivals, huh?" he wondered, trying to get used to the idea.

* * *

After returning home from the day's training, Naruto contemplated what he had
learned from two of the most interesting bunshin he had dispatched that day.
Both of them related to Sakura -- or at least ... her investigation.

The bunshin at the library hadn't had any new information to offer, but Sakura
was strangely accepting of Naruto's presence, and had even given him a few
study tips in exchange for Naruto's bunshin doing some errands for her --
fetching books, mostly. After that was the more surprising response he'd
gotten from the head chunin instructor at the academy, since her brother
wasn't around when Naruto's bunshin stopped by to ask for more information
about the mysterious 'enten-hari'.

In response, the woman had blinked slowly and remarked, "That's an interesting
question ... but you know ... I shouldn't really help you out. Like I've said
before, I'm only able to instruct Academy students."

Naruto had pouted, but bit his tongue at that, offering a sullen nod. Before
the bunshin could disperse or leave, she thoughtfully added, "Though ... you
know, you were one of Iruka-sensei's last students, weren't you?"

Naruto offered a hesitant nod in return.

"Hmm. Okay, let's make a deal here, then. Uzumaki-kun, how would you like a
part-time job?"

"I have a full-time job!" Naruto protested, frowning. "I'm a genin!"

"And yet, you're here right now, aren't you?" the teacher posed.

Naruto allowed a grudging nod.

"Hmm. Okay, well ... see, I need someone who knows how well Iruka-sensei
taught, right? How else can I give myself a good basis of comparison?"

Naruto started at that. "That's a strange idea," he mused.

"Hey, many years ago, I had a reputation, you know," the the redhead warned
with a smirk. "I used to be the number one most surprising ninja in Konoha!"

"No way!" he couldn't keep himself from exclaiming.

"Way," she returned, nodding gravely.

"Who was it before you?" Naruto wondered.

"Oh, the Yondaime, and before him, one of the Sannin," the woman answered,
waving a hand dismissively. "I doubt I could compete with the current holder
of that title...." She gave him a smirk, and he couldn't help but flush with
mild pride.

"Anyway," she continued, with a shrug, "if you agree to take this job, I won't
be able to pay much, and I'll need you to come in to class under henge to
avoid any students recognizing you ... but if you agree, then maybe we can
figure out if I'm missing any of the details that Iruka would have remembered
to teach. And if you've forgotten, or want to brush up on anything that you
were supposed to learn in the academy, I can fill in some of the blanks for
you, eh?"

He was pretty sure that there was no way he'd ever willingly go back to the
academy -- especially with Iruka gone. But then ... the new teacher just as
much admitted that she wouldn't compare, and wanted Naruto's opinion to fix
that?

Throw in the bonus of her occasionally -- hopefully, at least -- answering
some of Naruto's questions....

"Your brother's wife is a cook, right?" Naruto wondered aloud.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I get your angle. I'll be sure to let Uc-
chan know you have some credit when you drop by, since kage bunshin won't get
much from eating anything."

"Oh, right," the bunshin agreed with a laugh, nodding. "Well, that sounds like
an okay deal! But, you'll say what that thing I was asking about is?"

"If you succeed at your first day, yes, but there's one extra condition," the
teacher warned with a grin. "I said you would have to come in under henge,
right? Well ... this is your infiltration practice. The kind of thing that's
covered in the academy, naturally -- just a bit more difficult, since you're
really a genin.

"Not just a henge -- you need to learn how to develop a genuine cover, too.
So, your teacher's assistant persona needs a reasonable back-story, a look
that's separate from yours without being too distinctive.... Well, all of this
is a test to prove that you're ready to be a teacher's assistant, eh?"

"I guess ... normally only chunin are allowed to teach, so it'd take a lot of
work for a genin to be allowed to do this," Naruto said slowly.

"Usually, this kind of role is given to a genin who lost teammates, leaving
them unable to perform normal missions temporarily," she explained, reaching
into a supply pouch and pulling out an academy handbook. "Here's your homework
to find out the rest of the rules. Most infiltrations won't give you this much
information, you know."

"That's okay," Naruto said eagerly. "This is gonna be _easy_!"

"Oh, really?" the woman asked, one eyebrow arching higher, her grin
sharpening.

"Er.... You're on my side, right?"

"I may be ... but in order to make this interesting, why not up the ante?
Think you can _also_ infiltrate as a new academy student?" she wondered.
"Still too easy?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and thought about it. Two bunshin at the academy all
day? One would be fine, but double that....

"I don't think I'd get paid enough," he decided, shaking his head.

She chuckled, "Smart kid. So, do we have a deal?"

And then, the bunshin had agreed, running back home before dispersing, leaving
Naruto alone in his room with an academy handbook, wondering why he'd gotten
himself stuck with such a poor-paying job. Really, if he were to use henge and
'infiltrate' there were much better paying part-time jobs out there to send
bunshin to....

Then again, since it was a bunshin instead of him, maybe it wasn't so bad?

He left a bunshin to stay up reading the handbook and working on his cover for
the teacher's assistant role, then went to bed, resolved to think about it
further in the morning.

* * *

Still unable to determine what the Hokage's need for Mizuki's remains had
been, Shikaku found himself sitting alone in his study, brooding over what it
might mean. The sandaime had offered no further information once the Ino-
Shika-Cho trio accomplished their grisly mission.

He sat surrounded by his books and worn strategy maps from various conflicts
in the Shinobi wars ... including one that his own father had put on the same
wall, long, long ago.

He glanced up at the sight of his son ambling in from the backyard, knuckling
back a yawn. "Yo," Shikamaru said disinterestedly, eyes tracking briefly to
that same, most worn map.

Shifting, sitting up straighter in his seat, Shikaku returned, "Son. What's on
your mind?"

He supposed he could train the boy, but it seemed he was working himself to
the point of exhaustion regularly anyway -- a very unexpected outcome from his
graduation.

"We've been doing some training exercises with Naruto-kun, since he can make
an army of disposable opponents at the snap of a finger," Shikamaru explained.
"I was wondering about using some of our family land for some of our
practice."

Shikaku grunted at that, nodding slowly. A surprisingly clever use of Naruto's
bunshin, he supposed.... "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to an empty chair.

Somewhat bemused, Shikamaru shrugged and did as he was told, taking another of
the large, comfortable cushions in the room.

"Do you remember what I told you about Uzumaki?" the elder Nara wondered.
"When you were young?"

Shikamaru frowned, but nodded. He'd been perceptive then, too, and asked why
he had heard from some of his fellow academy students that Naruto should have
been avoided. He did the obvious thing and asked his parents why. "You said
that you wouldn't answer, but I should get to know him and make my own
decisions," he answered.

"And, have you?"

Scowling slightly, the younger boy answered, "I'm working on that. Right now,
Naruto-kun ... is a teammate. And an ally." He shook his head, turning to
stare at the same strategy map again. "More than anything else ... he's a
friend."

Shikaku nodded, satisfied with that answer. "Good," he decided. "But I sense
that it was a question that brought you here."

Shikamaru nodded, his expression relaxing. "I just wanted to find some out-of-
the-way corner of our property, so we can practice without scaring the deer or
spilling into someone else's territory," he explained. "So, in order to do
that, I need to get into the vault and double-check the territory claims."

Shikaku concealed his surprise and nodded with feigned disinterest. "Mmm," he
mused. "I'll give you a note to get in."

"Thank you," the boy answered, looking just relieved enough to confirm
Shikaku's suspicion of an ulterior motive.

After his son left the study, Shikaku set his attention on what real
motivation Shikamaru would have to go into the property records vault. There
wasn't much of interest there, not really. Death records were close by, but
there was usually an ANBU posted, even though it was low security. Anything
more than that ... well, Shikaku would be seriously alarmed if his son were
able to bypass that security.

So, probably death records, then. The only reasons Shikaku could think of for
that, well ... the most recent entires in that archive would be Iruka and
Mizuki ... but their files hadn't actually been released from the more secure
reaches of the bureaucracy yet. And, anyway, why would his son or any of his
friends be interested in that?

Mulling it over, Shikaku came to an unsatisfying conclusion.

His son, like himself, wasn't content to abide a mystery -- he wanted to see
what was behind the mystery. And there, he'd been so irritated by everything
-- especially Senzo....

Shikamaru knew that Naruto held an S rank secret, and wanted to find out what
it was. Shikaku allowed a grunt of irritation to escape as he folded his legs
beneath him and contemplated. He was confident that his own son was smart
enough that once he knew the circumstances behind Naruto, he wouldn't be that
worried about it.

All the same, he couldn't _tell_ the boy ... not without violating the
Hokage's orders.

He'd have liked it much more if Naruto had trusted Shikamaru enough to
volunteer the information, but then, considering the last time it had been
spoken of around Naruto, two chunin had died and he spent the entire night in
ANBU lock-down.... Unfortunately, the Uzumaki boy wasn't likely to offer that
secret out, yet.

Then again, what if Shikamaru betrayed the forming trust between him and
Naruto by prying as he had?

The best he could _really_ do was try and control what Shikamaru discovered.
Though, by searching the death records....

He nodded slowly in thought. If Shikamaru was using all of the tools at his
disposal -- his allies -- then.... Shikaku pursed his lips as he came to a
decision, then rose to his feet. Inoichi would still be awake at this hour,
and Choza, too. Being able to see more of the board than Shikamaru, he could
plan more effectively.

* * *