Kakashi & the Kunoichi from Thunder Country

Blanket Disclaimer applicable to all chapters: I do not own "Naruto" which is a creation by Masashi Kishimoto, though I wished I owned Kakashi as my love slave! I do not make any money off any of the stories I write using Naruto characters. I do own my original characters Otori Rikako, her parents, and teammates.


THE CHRONICLES OF KAKASHI AND THE KUNOICHI FROM THUNDER COUNTRY

KAKASHI AND THE KUNOICHI FROM THUNDER COUNTRY (Book 1)
by Kopykat Kakashi

PART I The Shinobi Path

Prologue: The Night Visitor
It was the middle of the night and darkness prevailed in Konoha despite the half moon luminescent in the clear sky. All was deathly quiet except for the slight rustling of the air caused by a black shadow leaping from roof to roof. It appeared to be carrying a small bundle no larger than a loaf of bread. The shadow abruptly stopped at a house near the outskirts of the village. It was a modest, respectable house, somewhat larger than the others around it. The dark form then slipped in silently through a window half opened to let in a summer breeze.

1.1 First Trip to the Academy
“Teaching is much harder than I thought,” Iruka muttered ruefully after suffering through another day of spitballs. Classes had just started a week ago and it was his first time teaching. Some of the kids in the class are just…impossible! Iruka thought as he rammed his books into his bag. Especially that blond spikey hair brat Naruto, he added to himself as he finished packing his stuff, ready to got home for the day. Iruka yawned and stretched his limbs. It will be better tomorrow! I’ll put my foot down and keep cool and they’ll listen to me, he thought positively and smiled. Annoying, but cute brats.

As Iruka exited the school, he spied a young girl wandering around the shinobi academy grounds apparently in search of something. Being the super nice guy that he was, he felt immediately compelled to walk over and introduce himself, “Hello there little miss, I’m Iruka sensei, I teach here at the academy. You look a bit young to be a student here, are you lost?”

The girl stared up at him with dark voluminous eyes. “No, I’m just looking for the library. You do have one here, don’t you?” she asked matter-of-factly.

Iruka wondered if at her age she could even read. She looked to him to be about 4 years old. But even children should be treated seriously, he thought. “Well, the library here is really just for the students. Have you been to the village library?” Iruka suggested.

“They don’t have what I’m looking for,” she punctuated that with a slight frown.

“Oh, what is it that you’re looking for?” Iruka asked curiously.

“I want to know what I will be learning as a shinobi,” she gave him a smile.

“Well,” Iruka mused, “I guess it’s all right for you to take a look. Are you here by yourself?”

“Yes,” she admitted hesitantly.

“Where are your parents?” he asked as they walked over to the library.

“They’re at the office. My father is Dr. Otori. My name is Rikako,” she replied smiling, anticipating his next questions.

Iruka was surprised since the village doctor lived in the outskirts of the village proper, at least 2 miles from the school. “How did you get here?”

“I walked on the main road. How else? My parents w…couldn’t bring me.”

I see, she’s here probably without their permission. I’ll have to contact them. But Iruka smiled and walked with the little girl, pointing out the various academy buildings and training grounds on the way to the library. The pint-size-would-be kunoichi listened attentively to his tour information, then stopped to take out a small notebook from her backpack and began to take notes.

Strange child, Iruka thought, she looks about four, but acts older. She spoke with the maturity of an adult and always with a smile. He had never seen eyes and hair that dark before. Black was not a color, it was the absence of color. Eyes and hair were always dark something, like dark gray or dark brown. At first look, all one could say was her eyes and hair were dark and no color came to mind but black. But in the sunlight he observed just a hint of green reflected in those oversized dark eyes. And a hint of violet in her hair, which was braided erratically in the back. Its loose wisps were incongruous with her precise speech. She was pretty enough, but pale and thin, thinner than what a child of a well established doctor should be. Dr. Otori Hiroshi, Iruka recalled, was the Head Shinobi Medic at the Academy for a few years. Before that he was an Anbu medic. He had married a civilian girl from the village and retired about 6 years ago.

“Well, here’s the library,” Iruka announced as they reached the small building next to the Hokage’s administrative building. Iruka smiled at the pretty blond librarian working at the checkout and returns desk. He blushed as she smiled back. “Umm, well…the books and scrolls for the younger academy students are in this section,” he managed to say as he directed Rikako to the back. If you need any help, just ask the nice lady here.” He blushed again. “Stay here until I get back, all right?”

Rikako smiled, nodded and bowed formally, “Thank you Iruka sensei for allotting a portion of your invaluable time to assist me.”

“Sure…er…no problem,” Iruka stammered as he made eye contact with the pretty librarian again. “Hikaru-san, can you do me a favor?”

“Anything for you Iruka-sensei,” the blond winked at him and smiled.

“Umm…can you keep an eye on that girl? I need to contact her parents.”

“No problem. She seems very well behaved. We rarely see any of the academy students here much less a child her age.”

“Yes, she is…interesting,” Iruka mused thoughtfully.
-…-…-…-…-….-

1.2 The Doctor’s House
.
A child that age should not be wandering around so far from home. Iruka shook his head disapprovingly as he concentrated chakra to his feet. He easily ran the two plus miles to the village doctor’s office while still thinking about the strange dark girl. Within minutes he stood by its entrance, which was actually to the annex of the doctor’s private home. The novice Academy teacher rang the doorbell and waited patiently, observing that the old house could use some exterior refurbishing. The roof was missing a few shingles and the stairs were cracked, but the windows looked new.

His observations were interrupted by a weary looking woman answering the door. She must have been quite attractive once, but now she was obviously past her prime as the gray hairs at her temple betrayed her age. “May I help you?” She looked at Iruka quizzically. The academy has their own hospital and teams of medics. Why would a shinobi show up here?

Iruka bowed in greeting. “I’m Umino Iruka, teacher at the Shinobi Academy. I found a young girl wandering the academy grounds…”

“Rikako! She left without permission again? She was told so many times not to go up there. Damn it! That girl is more trouble than she’s worth!” Her haggard face became animated with color as she flushed angrily.

“Well,” Iruka started to say, surprised at her over reaction, “she hasn’t been any trouble at all. She said she just wanted to visit the library. I brought her there and she’s probably still there right now…”

“We don’t have time to get her right now. The waiting room is full…that’s what she’s been waiting for! That little sneak…”

“I just came by to let you know that everything is fine and I’ll bring her back home soon,” Iruka added to appease her.

“Yes, if you can, that would be greatly appreciated.” The woman sighed and ran her fingers through her mostly brown hair. “I’m sorry, Iruka sensei, is it? I’m Rika, her mother. It’s just been a tough morning.” More like a tough life, she thought to herself. “Please bring her back as soon as you can.” She managed a small smile before returning to the patients.

Iruka bowed again as he concentrated chakra to his feet.
-…-…-…-…-

When Iruka finally stepped foot back on academy grounds he realized he still had his bag with him and decided to return home first to drop it off. That kid will probably want some more time at the library, it’s only been about 10 minutes.

Iruka sighed as he unpacked his lecture material. His apartment was empty and silent. No other living soul, human or animal. He liked the noisiness of the young shinobi wannabees and looked forward to class every morning. Did that girl really want to be a kunoichi? Seems her mom wasn’t happy about her visit here. Well, that was kind of weird, Iruka thought, seems her mom’s really stressed out. I always thought being in a doctor’s family would be…nice. No worries about money, saving lives instead of taking them. She’s lucky, she has two parents. So many children have only one or none at all. Iruka sighed again thinking back to his past and the loss of his own parents. Has it already been eight years? That nine tails kid Naruto is in one of my classes. He frowned at that thought. Well, it’s not like I’ll be seeing him that often or socializing with him. He’s just another student. I mustn’t blame him for my parents’ death. But still, looking at him disturbs me…

-…-…-…-…-…-

I promised her mom I'd bring her home soon, and she’s probably tired of books by now, kids have short attention spans, Iruka thought while on his way back to the library fifteen minutes later.

“H…hello, Hikaru-san,” Iruka said turning red again as the pretty blond raised her cerulean blue eyes to meet his greeting. “S…so how is Rikako-chan doing?”

“Well, she’s already gone through most of the junior books. She’s on the second year books now.”

Iruka mused, Oh, she must be looking through the pictures. But to his surprise, he found her at a large desk with a stack of books, reading and taking notes from “Basic Techniques Level 2.”

“Hi there, how’s it going, are you finding what you need?” She nodded and thanked him. “When you’re ready I can take you back home, maybe another 10 minutes?”

She looked up and thoughtfully negotiated, “Twenty minutes please, I should be done by then.”

Iruka nodded and walked back to attempt small talk with the attractive librarian, trying hard not to blush too much. One of these days, I swear I’ll get up the nerve to ask her out!

…-…-…-…-…-…-

1.3 The Future Kunoichi
As Iruka walked the miniature future kunoichi home, he asked, “So you want to enroll in the academy. Most children start around 8 years old, but some with great potential start younger. How old are you?”

“I turned 5 a few months ago,” she looked up to meet his eyes and smiled at him.

“You seem to know a lot already,” he couldn’t help but smile back.

“My father has taught me a few things. He also has many books. I watch him with his patients. Sometimes I even get to help him.”

“Oh, how do you help?”

“Mostly by staying out of the way,” she laughed at her own joke, “but I help steru-ster-ilize e-quip-ment and run errands.”

Her stumble over the longer words makes her seem more like a regular kid, Iruka thought. From the long walk home, Iruka gleaned that her parents had already taught her to read and the basic principles of chakra especially as it pertained to medicine. Her mother, Rika, acted as receptionist, nurse and mid-wife. But mostly she asked him questions: How do you sign up for classes? What weapons do you use? What techniques can you do? Can you show me any?

“Well, I can show you the transformation technique,” Iruka replied as enthusiastically as the little girl. He started to feel better, shaking off the loneliness he felt earlier. Kids just love this! Iruka thought as he transformed into the librarian.

Rikako’s large dark eyes widened into saucers. She shrieked in delight and asked him to repeat it again and again in different forms, laughing in delight after each time. Iruka happily obliged and laughed along with her. Before they knew it, they were already standing on her parents’ doorstep.

Her mother answered the door again, “Thank you so much for bringing her back. I’m sorry that we were too busy to retrieve her.” She gave Rikako a stern look. But her daughter seemed completely unfazed by the possibility of any punishment and entered inside without a word of apology.

Iruka nodded and replied, “Well, my pleasure, she’s going to be a fine kunoichi one day.”

Her mother’s entire face furrowed and frowned. “No, she’s not. Not ever. I’m sorry, but it’s just not an appropriate profession for a girl.”

“But her father was a shinobi, he should know that...”

“My husband feels as strongly as I do that she will not be a shinobi.”

Iruka nodded, “Well, of course I can understand why...but it’s a shame...”

Her mother’s voice turned ice cold. “Well, thank you again Iruka sensei. I would invite you in for tea, but we still have patients at the moment.”

“Of course, I understand...”

“Well, goodbye then.”

“Good- b...” Iruka started to say, but Rika closed the door before he finished. Iruka sighed, There’s going to be trouble in that house tonight.

-…-…-…-…-…-…-

A few days later, Iruka filled out his weekly report and included his encounter with the strange dark eyed-dark haired child: “A five year old girl (Otori Rikako, daughter of the village doctor) was found wandering the academy grounds on Monday after classes. She asked to visit the library. I took her to the library, informed her parents and returned her home.”

To Iruka’s surprise, the day after filing his report, he received a summons from the Hokage. Geez, I hope I’m not in trouble for yelling at the students, Iruka thought nervously on the way to the Hokage’s office.

He found a masked shinobi about his age, with grey hair that stuck up at all angles and with his forehead protector covering one eye, standing by the Hokage’s side.

“Hokage-sama,” Iruka said as he bowed respectfully.

“Your report on Dr. Otori’s daughter... what was she like?” asked the Hokage directly.

“Well…polite, very curious, quite advanced for her age,” Iruka said, relieved as it seemed he was not in trouble after all.

‘What did she do in the library?”

“As far as I know, she skimmed through the first year books. I saw her taking notes from a second year book.”

“Which book?”

“Basic Techniques Volume 2.”

“Did you notice anything unusual about the way she looked or acted?“

“No, she looks pretty much like any child her age, maybe a bit smaller. She already knows a lot about chakra control from her father. It’s a shame that her parents won’t let her enroll.”

“Hmm, it’s a shame, but... it might be for the best...What did you discuss with her?”

“She asked me a lot of questions about how to enroll, what I do and what shinobis do in general. Nothing strange.” Iruka was confused, Why is the Hokage so interested in her? And who’s that masked shinobi?

After a few more questions along the same vein, the Hokage finally dismissed Iruka. Sandaime then turned to Kakashi to say, “I thought you would want to know.”

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and replied, “Thank you Hokage-sama for keeping me informed.”

-…-…-…-…-…-

1.4 First Day at the Academy
Two years later, Iruka was now a seasoned sensei. A new class, a new beginning, Iruka felt a rush of adrenalin. He scanned the list of names before he introduced himself to the class and before taking attendance. Most of the names were familiar, he knew nearly all the families in the village. Otori Rikako… sounded very familiar... the family name of the village doctor… It’s the girl from before! She probably should have enrolled back then, Iruka thought. I guess her parents finally relented.

He scanned the faces of the rows of students and recognized her immediately. Her dark hair was exactly the same, braided in the back with loose wisps floating across her thin face. She was sitting at the rear of the room, quietly writing in her notebook. That notebook, it’s a different one, but he remembered how she always had it ready. Every so often she looked up from her book, then returned her attention to it to write something down.

The rest of the class was chattering loudly until Iruka called them to order. “All right you guys, class is starting now! I am Iruka-sensei. I’m one of several teachers here responsible for turning you brats into fine shinobis. Call out ‘present’ when you hear your name.” As he took attendance, each child stood up and said present. When he called Rikako’s name, she stood up, bowed deeply and answered, “Present, Iruka-sensei.” Some of the other children noticed her bow and snickered, but she showed no trace of embarrassment.

The first day of class was an introduction to the school, to shinobi principles, to Iruka, and to themselves. “Okay, class, this is your first day so let’s start with introducing ourselves and telling us all why you’re here, what are your dreams and goals.” Iruka went down the line, row by row. The standard answers were: I want to be strong; Being a shinobi is exciting; I want to be Hokage; I want to be like the legendary sannin Tsunade/Jiraiya (luckily no one said Orochimaru). Finally he reached the back row.

Rikako had been sitting silently writing n her notebook throughout. Now she paused, brushed back a loose lock of hair, and slowly contemplated before answering, “I want to be a shinobi medic and save lives like my father.”

Someone called out, “But being a shinobi means you’ll have to take lives, too!”

She calmly reasoned, “Sometimes by taking a life, you may be saving more lives.” It was a solemn point, but even the children at that age understood. The class was suddenly quiet.

Iruka thought, Such mature and serious words for one so young. But not too surprising given who her parents are. “Well, I see we have our own little shinobi medic,” Iruka smiled and laughed to relieve the tension in the room. The rest of the kids laughed with him. Unfazed by his nickname, Rikako smiled and laughed along with everyone else.

.

In order to enroll, she had to learn the transformation technique. The books in the library showed the seal required, but still it was difficult. She had asked Iruka to perform it over and over while he walked her home. She studied the movements of his hands, his concentration, and the chakra ratio. From that day on Rikako practiced the technique on her own for two years. ‘I can do this. They can’t stop me from being a shinobi,’ she resolutely thought to herself as she molded her chakra to transform herself from an underweight seven year old to a weary woman nearing middle age.

On the day of enrollment, she transformed herself to look like her mother, forged the enrollment papers and attended the parental interview herself. Fortunately for her, students and parents were interviewed separately. At her level, she could not perform kage bunshin.

“Okay, next is Otori Rika-san,” Sandaime looked up from the list of interviewees.

The woman in front of him bowed formally, but did not speak.

“Well, Rika-san, it’s been many years since I’ve seen you. I hope your husband is doing well?”

She nodded in response.

“We could use his services again at the shinobi hospital if he ever decides to come out of retirement,” Sandaime continued.

She smiled and shrugged.

“I see your daughter Rikako, age seven, wishes to become a shinobi. You have no problems with this?” Sandaime raised an eyebrow.

The woman finally spoke, “She can do whatever she wants. It’s not like she ever listens to us. If you can knock some sense and respect into her, by all means…take her.”

Sandaime chuckled, “I see, she’s a rebellious one. Well, everything seems to be in order. It was good seeing you again Rika-san. Give my regards to your husband. Please, send your daughter in now.”

The woman bowed deeply before leaving.

A minute later, a thin pale girl with large dark eyes, that reflected a hint of green, entered the room. She stood in front of Sandaime and bowed respectfully. Her right hand casually brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. She was composed and calm, unlike most of the other children who were in awe of the great Professor.

“All right, Rikako-chan, tell us why you want to be a shinobi,” asked one of the other interviewers while the Hokage sipped his tea (he tried not to smoke in front of children).

“It’s an important and honorable profession. I want to protect this village and its people, and save as many other shinobis as I can.”

Sandaime smiled,“Well said, Rikako-chan, as expected from the daughter of a fine shinobi medic like your father...”

.

Afterwards, the interviewers discussed a problem. “What should we do about this?” asked Izumo.

“She’s able to do the transformation technique at her age, but she does not have parental consent,” Kotetsu pointed out disapprovingly.

Sandaime took a deep puff from his pipe and pondered carefully before replying, “She will. Her parents will find out soon enough. She won’t be able to hide it from them forever. I doubt very much if they’ll be able to stop her. Just go ahead and register her.”

.

Dinner was usually a quiet affair in the Otori household. Dr. Otori liked to read his newspaper while eating and forbade any talking. Rika was usually too tired to attempt conversation. Rikako ate little and was usually done well before her parents.

But this time, the night before the first day of school, Rikako announced to her parents what she had done.

“I’ll be going to the shinobi academy tomorrow,” she said as she took a bite of her desert, green tea ice cream over mochi.

“You can’t, not without parental consent. We’ve been through this,” her father scowled as he glanced up from his newspaper

“The school requires your consent. I don’t.” She calmly continued to eat her desert.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Her father now gave her his full attention. His newspaper was forgotten, even though he had been absorbed with the gossip and advice columns.

“I transformed to look like mom and I enrolled myself.”

“You can’t do that!” he nearly burst a vein.

“I already did,” Rikako said as she finished the last of her desert.

Her father was livid but he knew he couldn’t stop her without chaining and caging his daughter like an animal, so he gave in, rare for such a domineering giant of a man. “We know we can’t stop you. You know how we feel about this. I hope you’re certain this is the path for you,” he sighed.

Rikako nodded and excused herself. She went up to her bedroom to read.

Her mother had said nothing throughout the exchange between her husband and daughter, but now she started to tremble.

“So it’s begun. Maybe the school will help her...” Rika finally voiced her thoughts.

“Maybe, or maybe it will increase her chakra and make things worse...” her husband replied darkly.

-…-...-...-...-...-

1.5 Evaluation of the Academy Graduates

“Well, this year’s class is fairly promising, a few of them should make chuunin within a couple of years,” Sandaime said thoughtfully while scanning the list of academy graduates. “Any particular thoughts Iruka?”

Iruka nodded. After six years, he was now proud to be a veteran sensei, respected, one that the Hokage could rely upon. He sat up and read each name from the list, commenting on what he felt were the students’ strengths and weakness to balance the 3 man genin teams. The other senseis gave their input as well.

He stopped at Rikako’s name, taking extra time to consider her abilities. “Based on these test scores she’s under-rated. Like most female shinobis, her weakness is taijutsu, but her ninjutsu is superior, and she’s extremely intelligent.”

“Hmmm, but Iruka, her test scores are above average, but nothing superior. In fact, wasn’t she supposed to graduate last year?” asked one of the other senseis.

“She didn’t take the exams last year, said she was sick. I offered her a makeup and she refused, said she wasn’t ready. I even offered to pass her based on her past test scores, but she said it was unfair to the other students. Her grades from last year were near the top. This year I think she’s just been working on perfecting techniques on her own and hasn’t been paying as much attention in class or studying. She’s probably one of the best students I’ve ever had, but she’s a bit of an underachiever and very independent.”

Sandaime said nothing but raised an eyebrow and darted a look at Kakashi, who remained expressionless. Iruka caught the subtle exchange between the two and wondered, What is it about this girl that involves Kakashi? All these years and I still have no idea. Damn annoying being kept in the dark like this.

“Independent? Sounds like she should be assigned to you Kakashi,” Sandaime finally said.

“Yes, Hokage-sama...” Kakashi nodded with his usual bored expression.

After the round robin discussion among all the chuunin and jounin senseis, the three man genin teams were assigned. The process was relatively simple. The top students were generally paired with the worst students. Middling students ended up together. Of course they also considered areas of talent. Those skilled in taijutsu were paired with those skilled in ninjutsu. Genjutsu was not considered as most academy students did not have much experience in genjutsu, which usually involved advanced techniques.

Kakashi quickly looked at the profile summaries of the genins he was assigned.

Mori Kenji -
Ninjutsu: 2, Taijutsu: 3, Genjutsu: 1, Intelligence: 1, Strength: 3, Speed: 3, Stamina: 3, Seal: 1 Notes: superior strength, above average thrown weaponry, excellent work ethic, enthusiastic, reprimanded for unauthorized fighting with other students

Otori Rikako -
Ninjutsu: 3, Taijutsu: 1, Genjutsu: 3, Intelligence: 4, Strength: 1, Speed: 1, Stamina: 2, Seal: 4 Notes: above average strategic skills, poor thrown weaponry, good work ethic, calm under pressure, reprimanded for not paying attention in class (was reading non-related books)

Tokudaiji Takeo -
Ninjutsu: 2, Taijutsu: 2, Genjutsu: 1.5, Intelligence: 3, Strength: 2, Speed: 2, Stamina: 1.5, Seal: 2 Notes: above average strategic skills especially trap construction, very poor work ethic, completely unmotivated, reprimanded for sleeping and snoring in class

Well, this doesn’t seem too bad, Kakashi mused, at least it can’t possible be as bad as it was with my first genin team. Of course these guys have to pass my test first…

Iruka thought about all his graduating students. They didn’t know about what came next. They weren’t truly genin until they passed their respective senseis’ tests. That Kakashi, I wonder if he’s still using his impossible version of the bells test. So unfair, Naruto’s team was really really lucky to have passed. I wonder how these guys will fare. But Rikako is on that team. She’s a smart one. Will she be able to read beneath the underneath?

.

Iruka thought back to Rikako’s first week of school. At recess the other kids would run around and play while she sat on a bench writing in her notebook. A few days after the start of classes, a towheaded boy rather large for his age, came up and snatched her notebook away.

She stared at him but said and did nothing. She appeared completely calm, even smiled slightly, but the air seemed to change as if it became statically charged. Iruka was on the other side of the yard when he felt…something. He turned to see Shigeru holding the notebook high above her.

The boy towered over her saying, “What’s so important about this notebook that you can’t join the rest of us? Do you want it back? Beg for it!”

Iruka was about to intercede when Shigeru suddenly yelled out in pain and dropped the book. Rikako quickly grabbed the book off the ground, clutching it to her chest. With tears forming in her eyes she ran toward Iruka.

“He tried to take my book,” she sobbed, but there were no full tears. Iruka told her to go inside and then he walked over to the bully.

“I was just trying to get her to join the rest of us, I didn’t do anything, but look at my hand,” Shigeru complained.

But his hand was fine, normal, not a scratch, yet the boy claimed it was throbbing in pain.

After that incident, Iruka kept his eye on her. What was that strange feeling he had? And was she really crying? And what’s with that notebook? He was very tempted to take a peek himself. But there were no more incidents. She became more like the other children. She no longer had her notebook out during recess and she made a conscious effort to play with the other kids. Over the years, there was still a distance between them and she never had any close friends. But in general she was well liked, especially for giving advice to others and helping with their techniques. And she always kept a smile on her face.

-...-...-...-...-...-

1.6 Kakashi Takes Over
“Maybe he’s on a super dangerous mission, “ said the large boy who wore his forehead protector covering the top of his head and tied in the back.

“Maybe he’s dead,” yawned the sleepy eyed boy who covered his eyes with his forehead protector.

“Maybe this is a test of patience,” surmised the sole female member of the team. “Or maybe he’s just an irresponsible idiot,” she added with a laugh.

“That can’t possible be true,” objected Kenji, “he must be on a dangerous mission. After all, he’s an elite shinobi right? All jounins must take their duties seriously!”

“Well, he can’t take it seriously if he’s already dead,” muttered Takeo fatalistically.

Rikako shrugged. “Well, you’d like to think all shinobis are responsible, but that’s probably not a promotion criteria. Essentially you just need to be able to fight well. But I doubt very much that they’d let someone irresponsible be in charge of a genin team.”

“Fighting…ugh…that’s the worst part about being a shinobi. Who wants to get hurt?” sighed Takeo as he laid his head on his arms.

“That’s what it’s all about! Testing your strength!” Kenji looked down at the sleepy boy disapprovingly.

"Do you guys know anything about him?" asked Takeo with his eyes closed.

"Well, I think my dad was on the Anbu with him for a short while. When I asked him about the senseis we might be assigned, he said that he hoped I wouldn't get Kakashi-sensei, but he didn’t say why," Rikako replied thoughtfully.

“Your dad’s a shinobi?” asked the larger, awake boy.

The girl nodded, “Well, he was. Now he’s a civilian, a village doctor. My mom works with him as a nurse.”

“That’s great that your dad was a shinobi. You must know a lot already. My parents just run the dumpling restaurant.”

“That’s better,” said the near-sleeping genin, “you get all the dumplings you can eat. I love dumplings.” The last thought was enough to cause him to raise his head and smile at his new teammate. Can’t hurt to make friends with him. Maybe he’ll treat us to a free meal.

“So what do your parents do?” asked Rikako politely, just in case he didn’t have any.

“Umm, well my dad’s an architect. He travels a lot since there’s not much call for that around here. I don’t get to see him much. My mom…well…she works part time at Pink’s Bookstore,” he mentioned the last part reluctantly.

Rikako mused, “Pink’s Bookstore? That sells only…adult publications.”

“Really? Really? You mom works there?” asked the larger boy with great alacrity.

“Yeah, well, it’s only part time. My dad sends home money, but we have a large family so she still has to work. You know…I think she mentioned Kakashi-sensei is one of Pink’s best customers!”

“No way! We get a perverted sensei!” groaned Kenji. What is he doing then? Is that why he’s late? Is he with some woman? He’s not on a mission?

Rikako shrugged. “I’m sure having a preference for adult books won’t affect his teaching performance. It’s not like someone would read that stuff all the time or in front of kids our age…”

-…-…-…-…-…-
.
The three new genins waited in the classroom for hours. All the other genin teams left long ago with their senseis. At first they talked about their past classes, what they’ve been doing, and their plans for the future. After 2 hours, they lapsed into silence. Takeo decided to take a nap. Kenji started doing pushups on the floor. Rikako took out a book she just started, “The Ninja Wars, a Revisionist Perspective.” Another hour later Rikako closed her book, Takeo woke up, and Kenji finally stopped exercising.

“He’d better have a damn good excuse for being this late,” complained Kenji as he placed the chairs and tables back in position (he had been using them as weights). “If it’s a mission, I hope we get to hear about it.”

“I still think he’s testing us to see how patient we are,” Rikako rationalized. “Everything from now on is a possible test to see if we can be shinobi.”

“Well, it’s still annoying,” muttered Takeo, “I wish we could do something...”

-…-…-…-…-…-

Okay, I think I’ve made those guys wait long enough and I did finish most of my new book already. They should have spent enough time together to form some bonding. Let’s see how pathetic this group is, Kakashi thought on his way to the academy. Leaving the team alone for a few hours was his way to encourage the genin to learn about each other, to bond, in the hopes that they would act as a real team in the test that was to come. Of course that never worked. The genins would spend time together, yes, but when it came time for the test, it was always every man for himself (or every woman for herself). He always gave them a second chance too, and all but Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had failed.

My ex-genins, he thought fondly but a bit sadly. I hope this time things will work out better. Maybe it's me, maybe I'm just not cut out to be a teacher. Kakashi went through the usual emotions he had before meeting a new team, first near giddy anticipation, then hopefulness, doubtfulness, then self-doubt, not that anyone could tell by his nonchalant demeanor. He opened the door and stepped into the classroom. No falling eraser, good sign of maturity.

“Hello, sorry I’m late but...” he started to say, but stopped abruptly. All three genins were sleeping! He walked to the front of the class and raised his voice. “You can call me Kakashi-sensei...” They all continued to ignore him. Kakashi raised his hands and slammed them on the desk in front of him. None of the three even flinched. Impressive, he laughed to himself, they’ve coordinated an effort to annoy me. Maybe I should use a justu to teach them a lesson, but I guess I deserve it. “Okay, that’s enough you guys. I’m sorry for being late. But my first impression of you is... you’re all annoying lazy brats!”

The large boy with blondish hair peeking out from under his headwrap woke up first and asked sleepily, “Excuse me, did you say something?”

The smaller boy with unruly dark blue hair stretched his limbs in an exaggerated motion and gave a huge yawn.

The petite girl with erratically braided hair blinked her large eyes, and asked, “Is it time to go home?”

-…-…-…-…-…-

The three genins followed Kakashi outside where he asked each of them to tell him something about themselves.

Kenji volunteered to start. “I like to keep active and train all the time otherwise I get bored and I hate being bored.”

Ooookay...attention deficit disorder, Kakashi appraised.

Takeo spoke next. “I like working with my hands, making things or designing things. Maybe I’ll design weapons someday. I actually want to be an artist, but there’s no money in that. Being a shinobi is at least a regular job. Umm, I don’t like pain.”

How...practical, Kakashi mused.

“I like learning new things. And I hate waiting,” Rikako said pointedly but with a smile.

Was that a slight? Kakashi arched an eyebrow. The genins waited for Kakashi to tell them something about himself, but he didn’t. He just said, “We’ll meet again early tomorrow for survival training, 6AM. Bring your weapons and ninja gear.”

Kenji asked, “What’s survival training?”

Kakashi started to chuckle, “You’ll see. But if you don’t pass, you’ll have to go back to the academy. The average failure rate is 67%. Oh, and don’t eat anything for breakfast because the training will make you throw up.” He chuckled again gleefully.

The girl raised her hand. The gray haired jounin looked at her, his eyebrow rose in response. “Actually, to avoid nausea, you should have something in your stomach. I recommend some saltine crackers to help absorb the stomach acid,” she explained. The two boys nodded and took note.

Kakashi was slightly annoyed at the blip in his plans. But that still won’t help them, he thought. Guess she picked up something from her father. After all, he was a great shinobi medic.

-...-…-…-…-

1.7 The Bells Test

Next morning the 3 genins arrived on time at the designated place by the three posts. It was still dark. After the first half hour of waiting, the sun started peeking through, but all three genins went back to sleep. Rikako didn’t actually sleep, though her eyes were closed, instead she silently performed her meditation and chakra control exercises. After two hours she took out a book from her backpack on “Medicinal Herbs Native to Konoha” and started to read and take notes. Kenji woke soon afterwards and started to do his morning exercises. Takeo continued to sleep.

“What’s with this guy?” grumbled Kenji. “He’s late again! And he’s the one who picked the time. Good thing I had some toast before I left home.”

Rikako shrugged, “I’m sure he’s just testing us again. He can’t be that irresponsible.”

“Well, he didn’t have an excuse yesterday. He’d better have a good one today!”

Kenji’s ranting finally woke up poor Takeo. “Why don’t you two just get some more sleep before he gets here? You can save your energy for whatever’s coming.”

“I’m too wired to wait any longer! Ugh! I can’t wait for the test. I hope it involves lots of action.”

“I hope it’s a written test so I don’t have to move,” yawned Takeo.

“That seems very unlikely,” Rikako reasoned. “He said it was survival training, so maybe we have to hunt for food.”

“That sounds like fun! We can use our shurikens and kunais to hunt rabbit or deer, and then skin them for their fur…” Kenji was now enthused.

“I think fishing would be better,” muttered Takeo, thinking of sitting in a boat all day and not having to move at all.

“Well, we should know soon enough. It can’t be too much longer. It’s already been three hours now…” Rikako sighed at the waste of time.

-…-…-…-…-…-
Well, that should be enough time for them to bond some more, and to make them good and hungry. Kakashi finally arrived, scratching his head with an embarrassed laugh, “Sorry guys, I was on my way when this huge flock of sparrows attacked me and...” He stopped when he saw the expressions on his new genins’ faces. The larger boy looked ready to kill him. The other boy was still sleeping. The girl looked at him doubtfully, but she greeted him with a smile and an exaggerated bow, “Good morning Kakashi-sensei. We’re all pleased that you could join us despite the horror you must have endured on your way.”

Kakashi was over 4 hours late, which was actually an hour better than the last time he gave this test (Naruto’s team annoyed him more because of the eraser incident which caused him to use up all his shampoo). Maybe I was wrong, maybe this team is no better than my other one, Kakashi thought as he evaluated their reactions. A hothead like Naruto, a guy even lazier than Shikamaru, and the girl - I can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic or polite. Sigh, it’s already been three years since the last time I gave this test. Time sure flies, whether or not you’re having fun.

He decided to get down to business and not finish his lame excuse. He gave them his usual test. “I have here 2 bells and 2 lunches. Whoever can grab a bell from me gets to stay as a genin and a free lunch. Unless you can grab a bell from me, you’ll have to return to the academy."

The 2 boys looked flabbergasted. The girl remained expressionless except for the slight smile she maintained as part of her normal expression.

"You have got to be kidding! After all the exams and graduation ceremony, you're saying one of us has to back?" Kenji was nearly shouting at the gray haired veteran shinobi.

"There are only 2 bells and 2 lunches so 1 person will definitely have to go back. But if none of you gets a bell, then you all go back. Come at me seriously, with the intent to kill or you’ll all fail. When the alarm clock goes off, time is up.” Kakashi chuckled as he walked away, but then stopped within range to observe them.

Should be an interesting group based on their different personalities and complementary skills, Kakashi thought as he watched the three huddle together.

Takeo was a wiry boy with gray eyes and wavy bluish hair that could use a trim. He was of average height and always looked like he could use a nap, or rather just woke up from one. He wore a dark blue hooded sweatshirt with matching pants. His forehead protector was worn in the usual fashion, and over his eyes when he napped.

Kenji was tall for his age, only half a head shorter than Kakashi, and built like a brick. His blondish brown hair was cut very short and his bright blue eyes were full of energy. He wore a gray T-shirt with an unofficial green ninja vest and khaki shorts with lots of pockets. His forehead protector was worn as a head wrap to cover his skull from the sun.

The girl had dark dark eyes, darker than his own gray ones, almost black, that had just a hint of green when reflecting the sun. Her long hair, a shade lighter than her eyes, was pulled back and tied in a loose braid. Strands of hair constantly escaped from the braid so she was always tucking them back behind her ears. She was slightly under average height and looked a bit thinner than she should. She wore a simple long sleeve black T-shirt and slim fitting black pants with a brown belt. Her forehead protector was worn on her left thigh to strap a second shuriken pack to her leg. She must be ambidextrous, Kakashi noted to himself.

-…-…-…-…-

The smaller boy leaned on a tree and sighed, ”I had a feeling it would be a bad day. I guess it’s back to the academy for me.”

Kenji said excitedly, “Going up against a jounin on our first day. Should be interesting. I can try out some of the techniques I’ve been working on.”

“Wait, let’s think about this. There’s no way any one of us can beat a jounin. Even combined we can’t do it. He can beat all of us, blindfolded, with one hand tied behind his back. He doesn’t even need hand seals. This isn’t what it appears. This must be a test of another sort,” said the girl thoughtfully.

“What kind of test?” asked Takeo wearily. I’m so sick of tests! If this village only had other job opportunities!

Rikako pondered slowly, “Well, from what I know about Kakashi sensei, he was on the Anbu. The Anbu are organized into military units, platoons. They complete missions as a team rather than individually. He probably wants us to act like a team.”

“A team? We hardly know each other,” groaned Takeo.

“There’s only 2 bells. If he wanted us to pass as a team, there should be 3. What you’re saying doesn’t make sense. I have a better chance of getting a bell than either one of you. Umm, no offense, of course,” boasted Kenji.

“Listen, if we act as a team, there’s a much better chance of getting both bells. Maybe he’ll only pass two of us, but then whom would he choose if we acted as a team? He’s got to pass all of us, right?” Rikako inferred.

The larger boy shook his head, “What if you’re wrong? I’m not willing to take that chance. I’d rather rely on myself.”

Takeo walked over to stand by Rikako. “What Rikako-chan says makes sense. If you’re not willing to work with her, I will.”

“That’s because you’re not strong enough, you need a girl’s help!”

“Tell you what. You work with us and if only 2 can pass, I’ll bow out and go back to the academy. Another year won’t matter to me,” Rikako offered coolly, ignoring his slight.

Takeo shook his head, “Well, that’s not fair, maybe we should draw straws.”

Kenji shook his head, “No way, I’m not taking any chances. The two of you can decide who goes back.”

Rikako negotiated seriously, “Fine, you’re guaranteed a bell. Takeo-kun and I will do rock, paper, scissors or something.”

“Sure, any chance is better than none,” Takeo smiled.

The would be kunoichi continued to lead the discussion. “Okay, first, what are your strengths and weaknesses? Oh, by the way, I brought some cereal bars and crackers. I was going to the library after this so I wasn’t expecting lunch anyway. We can share my water, too...”

The three genins discussed and planned their strategy against one of Konoha’s top jounin, while wolfing down the food. They only had an hour to get organized.

Kakashi heard enough to know they were going to come at him together. Good, he thinks, this should be interesting. He took out the latest novel by Jiraiya, “Icha Icha Tactics Vol 2,” walked around, settled on a log and started reading.
-…-…-…-…-…-

1.8 Teamwork
Nearly an hour later, Kakashi stopped reading his book and started to wonder why no one had attacked. I wonder what’s going on. I didn’t lose them did I? I didn’t walk that far away. That would be too pathetic. What could they be planning? All the other genin teams in the past had attacked fairly quickly...

Suddenly he heard a bloodcurdling scream, and a thump! Probably a trap, he thought, but he ran quickly towards the scream while putting away his book.

Rikako was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, blood flowing freely from a gash in her forehead. Her clothes were torn and bloody. A large broken tree branch spotted with blood lay by her side

Is this genjutsu? Was Kakashi’s first thought, but then he saw that it was real blood, real cuts. He hurried over and picked up her limp body. Her breathing was shallow and he immediately became concerned, Damn, I have to file an accident report on the first day...

A crouched figure came up from behind and threw a volley of shurikens at him. More shurikens rained from above. Rikako suddenly woke and slashed at him with her kunai. Kakashi quickly used the replacement technique and the log absorbed the shurikens and the kunai slash while the girl fell to the ground.

Kakashi was now among the trees and decided to go after the one who threw the shurikens from above. It’ll probably be Kenji. He saw Kenji’s shadow and stealthily made his way toward him. Once Kakashi was on a nearby branch behind Kenji, he prepared to attack but more shurikens came at him from behind. Kakashi easily blocked them with his kunai, but Kenji had been warned and was now on the move. Then the branches under Kakashi suddenly gave way and the branches around him exploded. He leaped to the ground. A net of vines nearly dropped on top of him, but Kakashi sidestepped that as well.

However, two bags of sand with exploding tags attached came down with the vines. The bags blew open and sand dispersed everywhere. Kakashi had to close his single exposed eye. More sand was thrown in his face. With his uncovered eye barely open, and his ability to sense chakra, he could make out a figure coming up from behind, throwing kunais, more shurikens were thrown from above, and another figure crouching low coming at him from the front. Kakashi kicked back while blocking the shurikens from above with his kunai and moving to avoid the kunais from behind. The figure behind him jumped out of the way. The figure in front didn’t attack, but rolled away instead.

All participants stopped, waiting for someone to make the next move. When the sand finally settled, Kakashi saw that the figure in front of him was the girl, holding the 2 bells triumphantly in her hands. She was smiling, not happily or enthusiastically as one would expect, but her usual calm complacent smile, as if the final result was just the anticipated outcome and they had done nothing special at all.

.

“Strengths and weakness…that’s easy. I’m really strong and quite fast. Good at throwing kunias and shurikens. But…well…this is not a written test, so I don’t have any weaknesses,” Kenji smiled proudly.

“I’m good at making traps. I think I’m pretty fast when I need to be. My shuriken and kunai throwing are good, I think. But I’m not terribly strong,” Takeo shrugged.

“What about ninjutsu? Do you guys know any special techniques?”

“I can do the basics, like henge, bunshin, and kawarimi, pretty well. I might even manage some camouflage techniques,” Kenji added.

“Just the basics for me,” Takeo offered.

Rikako nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I’m good at thinking, but I can barely hit the broadside of a barn with my abysmal shuriken or kunai throwing. Traps are always good. What kind of trap do you think you can put together?” she directed her attention to the smaller boy.

“Well, I don’t have all my equipment with me…too heavy to carry…but I think I can make a net out of vines. We could try to lure him into a trap or ambush, but he’s probably expecting that.”

Kenji suggested, “Maybe we can create a distraction near where he is.”

Rikako agreed, “We need a convincing distraction. I know what to do, just leave it to me when the time comes.” She took out her notebook, outlined some scenarios and showed them to the boys. “Quiet he might be listening,” she whispered.

Kenji and Rikako started to gather lots of vines, and filled the 2 bags (that held the food) with sand. Takeo used the vines to fashion a crude net. Then they gathered together all their weapons, 60 shurikens, and 18 kunai. Rikako gave 40 shurikens and 2 kunai to Kenji. She gave 10 shurikens and 10 kunai to Takeo.

“We have about 10 minutes before the timer goes off. He should be nearby. Do we have everything ready?” asked Rikako. The two boys nodded.

“Kenji will be throwing these as distractions. Takeo will be throwing these to cut the bells. I only need a few shurikens and kunais for what I need to do. Let’s go.”

She did not use genjutsu. A jounin like Kakashi would easily see through it. To make it convincing she took a kunai and slashed at herself. She screamed as loudly as she could while breaking the tree branch and jumping down with it. She slowed her breathing to make it seem as if she were unconscious.

The strategy was multi-layered. First Kakashi would have his arms full with her. Takeo was to creep behind and try to cut the bells, Kenji would throw his shurikens as a distraction. If that failed, she would try to cut the bells or hurt Kakashi. Failing that, Kakashi would come after them. There would be 2 on the ground and 1 in the trees. He would probably escape to the trees and take out the one who was hiding. He would appear behind Kenji. They had sawed at the branches with their kunais to weaken them and attached exploding tags. Once Kakashi fell, Takeo threw the trap. It was expected that Kakashi would be able to avoid the net, but the sand was a different matter. The sand had to work or they would have no more chances. Takeo crept from behind again and threw this kunais at the bells while from above Kenji threw whatever he had left at Kakashi. Rikako came from the front as a distraction and to grab the bells should Takeo succeed.

.

The gray haired jounin’s uncovered eye was red and still tearing from the sand.

Takeo apologized, “I’m sorry about the sand. Are you okay?”

Kenji dropped out of the trees to see what was going on.

Rikako brushed her clothes off and said, “He’s fine - he’s a jounin. He let us win.”

Kakashi thought, Yes, but I might have had to use a higher level jutsu against these guys. Out loud he said, “I’m impressed. That took a lot of teamwork. You guys are the first to truly pass the test.”

Kenji asked, “You mean we all passed?” Kakashi nodded in reply. Kenji started jumping around excitedly. “Hey, that was fun, can we do it again?”

Takeo smiled happily, “Rikako-chan’s the smart one who came up with the plan. I was ready to go home.”

Rikako blushed, she was always uncomfortable with compliments. “I just had the general idea, but I can’t throw shurikens well or make traps.”

Kakashi smiled through his mask at his new genin team.

Takeo tentatively cleared his throat, “Umm, what about lunch? There’s only two?”

“Oh, well…I really didn’t expect you all to pass…heh heh,” Kakashi laughed nervously. Crap, now they expect me to buy lunch for everyone!

“If we didn’t work as a team, you would not have let any of us get a bell.” It was a statement rather than a question coming from the girl.

Kakashi nodded and turned their attention to the shinobi memorial. “The most important thing about being a shinobi is team work. In the ninja world, those who don’t follow the rules are called trash but those who don’t take care of their comrades are worse than trash. The names on that memorial are all the shinobis who died in the line of duty. My best friend’s name is engraved there.”

Now I’m depressed, Takeo thought morosely, and I was feeling a bit better, too.

But Kenji was unfazed by the solemn words. “So how did he die? How old was he? What kind of mission was it? Were you there when it happened?”

Lost in his memories, and perhaps annoyed by the inappropriate questions, Kakashi did not respond. Rikako shot Kenji a warning look and shook her head.

To avoid the awkward silence and change the subject she spoke. “Teamwork is very important in order to efficiently and effectively complete a mission,” she said in her analytical tone. “The more you care about your team members, the more likely you’ll protect each other and survive to see the mission through. Staying alive, keeping others alive, should always be considered first.” Then she added to herself, However, being overly emotional can also negatively effect mission completion. Friendship, loyalty, determination, persistence, everything must be in balance and the goal itself must be weighed against the cost of lives.

Kakashi woke up at her words. Who’s the sensei here? Is she quoting her father? Though her words echoed his sentiment, they were delivered as if she were reciting a passage from a book. She was the one who came up with the plan to get the bells. But was it really teamwork, or was she just using the two boys to advance herself? Did she care about them at aIl? She knew it was a test of teamwork - she read between the lines and passed the test. In a real life situation, would she work as a team, or abandon her team members to complete the mission or to save herself? It seemed she would go to rather extreme lengths to accomplish her goals. The cuts, the wounds, the blood, there was a least half a pint, yet the way she continued to fight, and her focus...she really meant to hurt me!

And there were other cuts. Once she washed off the blood in the river, Kakashi saw her arms exposed. There were scars, lots of them, some faded, some more recent. They looked as though they were made by some sharp edged instrument.

What happened to her? Why all those scars? She hasn’t been on any missions and academy students don’t get injured like that in training. Dark thoughts raced across Kakashi’s mind.

-…-…-…-…-…-

1.9 Dining with the Doctor

“Gardening! Our first mission is gardening! This isn’t a mission. This is a chore I do for my mom!" Kenji complained.

Takeo, agreed, “Yeah, what’s this supposed to be doing for our training?”

Rikako wondered, “Where’s Kakashi sensei anyway?” She looked around and saw him in a tree reading a book. “Is he getting paid for this? He’s not doing anything. He’s not even watching us. And what’s with that ban symbol on the back of the book? He really is irresponsible.” She frowned in disapproval.

The larger boy muttered, “I think we got stuck with the worse sensei. He was late again today. All the good missions were probably handed out already.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll work up to something more interesting. This isn’t so bad,” said the smaller boy, thinking that Kakashi might overhear them so he’d say something positive. Never hurts to be on someone’s good side.

Rikako shrugged and looked around the garden. “Well, let’s make the best of this. How would you guys like a lesson in herbology? It can help if you’re ever lost in the forest and need medicine.” As they pulled weeds, tilled the ground, and planted seeds and bulbs, Rikako recalled all she learned from her parents and from the book she read recently. “…garlic can be used as an antiseptic...ginger is an analgesic, it’s also good for motion sickness and upset stomachs…ginseng is good for oxygenating the blood, it’s a medicine for asthmatics...”

Kakashi was listening in as he pretended to read his book (no one can read the same book that many times!). That’s good, they’re learning something useful, and she’s a good teacher, makes my life easier.

“Oh, here’s a jutsu my dad taught me to help with my mom’s gardening,” Rikako performed a moderately complex seal and the earth parted as if it had been tilled for planting. “It’s earth element, earth runnel,” she explained, “but you have to be careful not to release too much chakra or you’ll be digging up all the dead gophers!”

Kakashi lazily observed his industrious genin team from his elevated vantage point as they worked the field. Despite Kenji’s complaints, he threw himself into the work, using it as an opportunity to exercise his muscles. Unfortunately, his exuberance caused dirt to fly all over, and especially in Takeo’s face. The smaller boy said nothing, but Kakashi noticed he purposely hid a rake near Kenji, who ended up tripping over it. Maybe these guys are going to be as much trouble as my last team, Kakashi sighed.

-…-…-…-…-…-

I guess I should head over now. I’m soooo not looking forward to this, the veteran jounin thought as he walked slowly over to the house of the village doctor. It’s been a long time since I faced him. But as Rikako pointed out, it’s all in the name of teamwork. I have to set a good example. I just hope he doesn’t bring up our past history.

Kakashi thought about his new genin team. Other than the rake incident, nothing particular happened. They all seemed to get along fairly well. That was good. I don’t think I can deal with another trio like the one I had last time. Much as I cared about them…they were just too trying at times…and things went disastrous wrong in the end. But those two were special cases, survivor of a massacre, container for a demon…no, my new team is perfectly normal... If I do notice any rivalry, I’ll be more proactive this time. I’m not going to let what happened with Sasuke happen again…

Rikako had invited Kakashi and the team over to her house for dinner. Kakashi was late as usual. The door was left open for him and he could tell from the animated conversation that dinner was nearly over. While entering the dining room, Kakashi started to apologize, “Sorry I’m late but…”

“Just take a seat Kakashi.” The deep growling voice came from someone just as one would expect. A large man sat at the head of the table. Even sitting he was about as tall as Kakashi. At the other end of the table, sat a tired looking woman about half his size. Kakashi moved obediently to sit at the remaining vacant seat, at her right and across from his female genin. He nodded a greeting to her mother who shoved a plate of food in front of him without a word.

Kakashi listened, amused, as the kids excitedly talked about future mission and jutsus they’d like to learn. Dr. Otori then entertained them with stories of his past missions. They were generally rather somber, all ending in death and a moral lesson. The lessons were underscored by his own ominous immense dark presence.

“…so the moral of the story is, always always check your equipment…so the moral of the story is never never trust a client...so the moral of the story is always always listen to your superior…” With the last statement, he shot a look at Kakashi.

The boys listened, enraptured, especially during the gory parts (Kenji was enraptured with excitement while Takeo was enraptured with disgust). Rikako, who had heard the tales all before, ad nausea, seemed to be thinking of something else. She was eyeing Kakashi suspiciously. “Kakashi sensei, may I ask why you’re not eating?”

“I’m…uh…not hungry.”

“Considering the effort my mother expended to prepare this sumptuous meal for our guests, it would be polite to have a little something. Perhaps it’s because of all the time that has elapsed since she finished cooking. Should I heat it up for you?” She continued to stare at him with her dark voluminous eyes.

“Oh…well…maybe you can put it in a doggy bag?” Kakashi suggested uneasily. Didn’t anyone ever teach her it’s not polite to stare?

“That doesn’t seem to be an appropriate request,” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“It’s all right Rikako-chan,” her mom said wearily, “we’re familiar with Kakashi-sensei’s… eccentricities.” Rika had said little throughout dinner, just busying herself with serving.

Now finished with his stories, Otori offered, “Well, boys, how would you like to see my weapons collection? I have antiques from all over the world. Of course, I do have a lot of modern weapons. That’s where all my hard earned money goes. I can probably open up my own museum.”

“Awesome!” Takeo said excitedly. The sleepy look he usually wore was completely gone.

Kenji got up immediately. Rikako nodded and motioned to the boys to follow her upstairs to her father’s study. Her mother collected the dishes. She stayed in the kitchen to pack Kakashi’s take-out dinner and to do the dishes. It seemed she did not want to be around Kakashi at all. Kakashi was then left alone with the good doctor.

“It’s been a long time Kakashi-kun,” said Dr. Otori while pulling at his formerly black beard, now speckled with gray. “We had thought we would see you more often, considering.”

Kakashi replied nonchalantly, “I’ve been kept informed.”

Otori scoffed, “Have you? Do you know what life has been like for us since you brought her?”

.

Rika was in tears. There’s the shrill sound of a baby crying in the background.

“I can’t take this anymore! Who ever heard of a baby who doesn’t sleep?” Her face was worn and haggard and it was apparent that she hadn’t slept much either. “We’ve been through 4 nannies already! None of them can take it. What are we going to do with her?”

“It’s too late, we’ve agreed to take her in.”

“But we know nothing about her.”

“She’s a baby. All babies cry.”

“Yes, but they sleep as well. She doesn’t sleep for more than 15 minutes at a time, 30 minutes at most.”

“It’ll get better. She won’t be a baby forever.”

“What if it gets worse? What if there’s a demon inside her?”

“There are no seals on her body. She’s a normal baby with colic.”

“Have you ever seen colic like this?”

He shrugged, “It’s my first child, too, you know, but I’ve heard parents complain. Besides, what do you propose we do? Who’s going to take her now?”

Her brow furrowed and she became ashamed of her thoughts of abandonment.

“We’ll find someone else to help out. We’ll hire 2 people this time, and you can all rotate shifts or something. It’ll just be for a while longer. It’ll get better you’ll see.”

“Damn you Kakashi, what kind of creature have you given us,” Rika muttered. “He must know more than what he told us...”

.

“But it didn’t get better for nearly 4 years. Rikako stopped crying all night, but still the slightest thing sent her wailing inconsolably for hours. And there were other problems. Have you seen her bedroom? Her room is bare except for the bed and a set of drawers. There are no figurines or mirrors or picture frames. Do you know why? It’s because they all break when she’s sleeping.”

Kakashi’s eye widened. “But how...I’ve seen the cuts on her arms…”

“Yes, that’s from the broken glass from the picture frames, even the windows. She has nightmares all the time. Sometimes she doesn’t wake from them. I’m not sure why, but it seems her chakra leaks out while she’s sleeping. That’s why we taught her chakra control at a young age. Just watch her when she gets mad. Really mad. You’ll know what I mean.”

“She just seems so... well adjusted.”

“She’s a great kid, but stubborn and she does not have a good temper, she just keeps it controlled. Rika and I love her as if she were our own... I’m sorry, that’s not true. We try to, but...it’s been difficult. We were worried about the shinobi training…if her chakra level were to increase... Things are better now. Still, I wish you weren’t her sensei.” Otori sighed.

Kakashi thought over his words. “I would have thought you would want me to be her sensei. After all, I know the truth, maybe I can help her.”

“The truth... that’s what may destroy her...”

-…-…-…-…-…-