Chapter 4

Kakashi sighed deeply. This was such a nuisance. He knew something was going to happen when he only passed two of his assigned Genin, but he didn't think it would be this fast. He had only failed Sasuke yesterday for crying out loud! And now, here he was being summoned to the Hokage's office, and he could only assume it was to explain himself.

He had been kept waiting for the last twenty minutes, in fact. "Go freaking figure," he thought to himself. "The one time I show up on time, they keep me waiting. That figures."

After another few minutes of fidgeting and being both anxious and annoyed, Kakashi was told he could go into the Hokage's office proper. Opening the door, Kakashi entered and simply planted himself in front of the Hokage's desk and waited to be addressed. He knew what this was probably about, but there was no way in hell he was going to be the first to say it.

The Third Hokage was sitting at his desk with his huge hat on. He normally didn't do that, but right now, he felt the need to remind Kakashi exactly who he was. He took a puff on his pipe to build up his nerve. This situation was awkward to say the very least, and he really wasn't looking forward to this conversation.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling a cloud of smoke, the Hokage finally spoke. "Kakashi, I gather you passed only two of your Genin and sent the third, one Sasuke Uchiha, back to the Academy," he said.

Kakashi sighed. He knew this was coming, but damn, he'd expected at least a bit more time than this. Oh, well, nothing for it. Might as well get this over with. He took a breath, closed his visible eye for a second, then reopened it and responded. "Yes, I did," he said simply. He suspected he knew where this was going, but he wasn't going to help this along any. He already didn't like it, he wasn't going to cooperate unless he had no choice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, had seen a lot in his many, many years. This was, somehow, the first time he had ever seen this happen. First, his Jonin had failed a single Genin. Now, the same Jonin was being singularly uncooperative in this conversation about said event. It was...unsettling, in its own way.

Eventually, Hiruzen knew there was no way but to continue, since Kakashi was simply standing there in silence. He sighed again. "You know full well, you were supposed to pass or fail the team, not the individuals," he said, trying to sound stern, but he came off as more curious than anything.

Kakashi didn't bat an eyelash. "That's exactly what I did. I passed the team," he said back.

Hiruzen was taken aback at that. Of all the things he expected Kakashi to say, that wasn't one of them. In fact, that particular reaction hadn't even crossed his mind. After taking a moment to consider this and coming up with no obvious reason for it, he said, "Please, Kakashi, explain this."

Kakashi sighed and closed his eye for a moment again. He knew this point in the conversation would come eventually, but he had not been looking forward to it.

Opening his eye back up, Kakashi took in the visage of his leader, hat and all, and knew after a moment why the man was wearing the symbol of his position. He was being put in his place. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Taking a breath to collect his thoughts, Kakashi eventually said, "Naruto and Hinata had a perfect natural feel for teamwork. They actually managed to swipe the bells from me by working together. I'm not sure when Naruto got the skills he has, but he's far better than I feel like he should be at his age. Regardless, those two worked so well together, I would have sworn they've been doing it for years."

Hiruzen considered this. What Kakashi said made sense of why he had passed those two, but the Hokage was far from stupid, and he immediately caught what Kakashi hadn't said. "And what of Sasuke?" he asked.

Kakashi sighed. "I watched as Naruto and Hinata tried three separate times to get Sasuke to join them and work as part of their team. Sasuke blatantly refused to do this. He said over and over he would pass the test himself, on his own, and didn't need their help," he said. He gave the Hokage a moment to mull this over. Then he continued, "Seeing as Naruto and Hinata both got the point of the test and displayed their teamwork skills extremely well, I passed them. Since Sasuke not only missed the point, he refused to do what the test called for, even when his peers were telling him to, I failed him. I see no other way I could have done this."

Hiruzen sighed. Kakashi wasn't wrong. Hiruzen shouldn't have been surprised by this; Kakashi was seen as an incredible Jonin for a reason, after all. After thinking for several minutes, Hiruzen asked, "Would you consider giving Sasuke a make-up test?"

Kakashi shook his head. "There wouldn't be any point. He would know what the test was now, and he would do it just to pass," he said. "The whole point of the test is to see if they can work together without knowing that's what the test is on and with everything telling them not to do so."

Hiruzen sighed. "You're not wrong," he said. "Still, as you can imagine, my advisers are throwing a huge fit over your failing the Uchiha."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I figured that's what this was about. Lord Hokage, if I may, please tell me what you think of this situation yourself."

Hiruzen chuckled. Kakashi had seen right through his comment. "Honestly, I expected this," he said. "Sasuke's teamwork scores in the Academy were among the worst we've ever seen. And I do mean the worst. If you had passed them all, I would have been seriously questioning you about Sasuke passing that test of all things."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me you gave me a Genin, knowing my test was based on teamwork and knowing how highly I value that particular trait, whose teamwork scores were absolutely abysmal?"

Hiruzen chuckled again. "Well, Iruka told me that Sasuke and Naruto had a bit of bad blood. I was hoping if they were on a team together, and if you were their sensei, they would be able to get past that. Also, you requested Naruto."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "I regret nothing. I'm very glad to have Naruto on my team. He and Hinata are wonderful Genin. As I said, I don't know where in the world Naruto got the skills he has, but I have no qualms about teaching those two."

Hiruzen smiled. "I can clear that up, actually. Naruto has been training since he was very young. Before the Uchiha Massacre, when Itachi was still a loyal Leaf Ninja, he took Naruto under his wing. He trained Naruto for a long time. I'm not exactly sure how long, but it was several years."

Kakashi started at this. "Wait...Itachi trained him? I thought Itachi was too busy with his brother before that mess to care about anyone else."

"Well, he wasn't," Hiruzen said back. "I'm not sure how they met or anything like that, you'd have to ask Naruto about that, but I do know Naruto has been trained hard by his 'sempai', as he calls Itachi."

Kakashi chuckled. "That does explain a lot, actually," he said. Then a thought occurred to him. "Wait...if he was Itachi's apprentice, does that mean..." he trailed off, not sure how to voice the thought that had just come to him without the Hokage's privacy seals active.

The Hokage realized where Kakashi's thoughts had gone. He activated the seals on his office and took off his hat. "I think I know where your thoughts were going, Kakashi, and to answer your question, yes. Naruto has been inducted into the ANBU. He was made an ANBU the same day Itachi became a captain in their ranks. As you well know, I don't know the identity of every ANBU by mask or anything like that, but I know who they all are, and I know Naruto is one of them."

"I...think I've seen him in his mask then," Kakashi said. "I knew something about him looked familiar beyond just Minato-sensei's looks. I knew it!" He hadn't put too much thought into his feeling of déjà vu before, but now that he'd been told this, it made perfect sense. Returning his attention to the Hokage, he asked, "Should I train him differently, then?"

The Hokage smiled. "No, you shouldn't. He's just a Genin as far as you're concerned. If I have need of his ANBU abilities, I'll do my best to let you know so you know where he is," he said with a small smile.

"What kinds of ANBU missions has he taken?" Kakashi asked, his voice obviously full of concern.

"Body-guarding, primarily," Hiruzen responded. "I don't think he's quite ready for assassination missions yet, and his age precludes him from seduction missions, despite his...rather unique original jutsu."

"May I see a dossier of his mission experience?" Kakashi asked. Hiruzen nodded and handed Kakashi a folder. "Thank you."

Hiruzen laughed. "It's your right to know your Genin's experience. Oh, and before you ask, no, I won't tell you anything that's not in there," he said.

Kakashi chuckled. "I wasn't going to ask that," he said. "I remember all too well how secretive ANBU missions and lives are. Do you need this back?" he asked, indicating the folder.

Hiruzen shook his head. "Those are copies. Simply destroy them once you're done with them. Might I ask what you're looking for there?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I'm not sure myself, really. Is there anything else I should know?"

Hiruzen shook his head after a moment. "Not that I know of," he said back. "If you think of anything else, feel free to ask either me or Naruto. Tell him the ANBU code, and he'll get the point."

Kakashi nodded. "Did you need anything else, Lord Hokage?"

Replacing his hat and releasing the seal on the room, the Hokage responded, "No, Kakashi, that will be all." For the sake of his advisers, he added, "I would ask that you reconsider your decision concerning Sasuke."

Knowing why this was said to begin with, Kakashi responded, "And I refuse, Lord Hokage. I'm sorry, but Sasuke failed my test miserably, while Naruto and Hinata passed it with flying colors."

Hiruzen then asked one final question. "Do you require a replacement third Genin?"

Kakashi considered this. "Naruto knows the shadow clone, does he not?" he asked rhetorically after a moment. Hiruzen nodded. "Naruto can then be any number, from one to a thousand, in theory. Why would I need a third Genin with that?"

Hiruzen took this in for a moment, then burst into laughter. After a moment, he calmed down and said, "I never thought of it that way." Chuckling again, he then added, "I won't force you to change your decision. You seem quite set on it. I will ask that you not make too much a big deal of yourselves, however."

Kakashi chuckled. "We'll be plenty subtle. Don't worry about that," he said blithely with an eye smile. Before turning to leave, Kakashi asked, "Do you have a mission for my team?"

Hiruzen smiled slightly. "You know what, take this as a second half of your test. If your team can complete this mission, I won't question you on taking them as a two-man squad ever again," he said and threw a scroll to Kakashi.

Kakashi caught it and opened it. His face fell. "Really? That cat is still getting away?" he asked.

Hiruzen chuckled. "It's not the same cat, but yes, she's still having that same issue," he said back. "Now, see if your new Genin can help her out."

Kakashi chuckled. "They won't like this."

Hiruzen laughed. "I know, but they'll do it anyway."

xxxxxx

Within an hour of leaving the Hokage's tower, Kakashi was back there, Naruto and Hinata in tow. Hinata was carrying a sleeping cat, and Naruto was walking beside her, hands behind his head and a smug smile on his face. As they walked along, every ninja in the village who had ever had to chase that damn cat stared at them in shock. None of them had any idea how in the hell they had accomplished this.

When they made it to the Hokage's office, Hinata handed the cat to its owner, who began to smother the cat in over-affectionate hugs, cooing over it and practically squishing the poor thing. "Um...Madam Shijimi?" Hinata said cautiously. The lady, who was the wife of the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord, looked up and raised an eyebrow at the young girl who had so openly addressed her. "Please, don't squish the poor kitty."

Looking at the cat in her hands, the lady suddenly realized the poor thing looked like it was crying. Taking the cat gently from her, Hinata held it with her arms below the cat, letting it rest comfortably there. When the lady mimicked her position, Hinata gently placed the cat on her arms. The lady left, cradling her cat gently. The cat gave Hinata a grateful look and meowed softly. Hinata smiled.

Naruto was paying close attention to all of this. "I should get Hinata a cat," he thought to himself.

Hiruzen was watching all of this in blatant shock. "I...how...who...what?" he said eloquently.

Kakashi laughed. "Hinata has a way with animals, it turns out. Naruto's clones and Hinata's Byakugan helped, too. They made it absolute child's play to find that freaking cat."

Naruto looked to his sensei and Hokage in confusion. "What's the big deal?" he asked. "It's just a cat."

Kakashi and the Hokage sweat-dropped at this. Naruto would never understand just why everyone thought catching that cat was so hard; he and Hinata didn't have any trouble with it, so why would anyone else?

Kakashi shook his head at his team's antics, then asked the Hokage. "Do you have anything else for us to do today, Lord Hokage?"

The Hokage threw a scroll at Kakashi, who caught it easily. "Since you're so confident, your team can have this mission. It's a C-rank. Let's see how you handle this one," he said with a small smile.

Kakashi opened the scroll and looked at it. "This is a long-term mission. Are you sure you want to give us this one so soon?" he asked.

Hiruzen nodded. "Unless you don't think your Genin can handle it, that is," he said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Kakashi eye-smiled back. "No, not at all, we can handle it," he said blithely. "Okay, you two, we leave first thing in the morning. Go home and pack. Meet at the Village Gate at eight A.M. sharp."

"What is the mission, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Oh!" Kakashi said. "I forgot to tell you. We're being assigned to patrol the trade routes that lead from the Land of Fire – and the Village here – to the Village Hidden in the Sand in the Land of Wind. The routes go through the Land of Rivers, which has been having issues lately with bandits. We are to patrol the routes and see if we can catch and/or eliminate the bandits."

Hinata fidgeted a bit. She had known eventually they would be sent out of the village together, but she hadn't thought it would be this soon. She wasn't exactly worried about the mission itself, but being out there...practically alone...with Naruto...the very thought of it made her face turn red as a beet. An observer could practically have seen smoke coming out of her ears.

Turning to the Hokage, Kakashi asked, "What are we to do if we arrive in Sand and don't encounter anything?"

Hiruzen smiled. "If you make it there, spend a week in the village, then return along a different route. The mission continues. And if you still don't encounter anything, keep going back and forth. You have three months, and you can make up to five trips each way. If you go that many and encounter nothing, the mission is a success and ends."

Hinata got redder at the thought of spending that much time with Naruto out in the wilderness like that. Naruto noticed this. "You okay, Hinata?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine, Naruto," she said back.

"You sure?" he asked, coming closer to her. Resting a hand on her forehead, he said, "You look like you might have a fever." At his touch, Hinata fainted.

Naruto caught her before she hit the floor. "Wow, she hasn't done that in a long time," he said. "Wonder what brought that on." Kakashi sweat-dropped at this. Could the kid really be that clueless? Turning to Kakashi, Naruto said, "I'll take her home, and we'll see you in the morning." That said, he vanished in a whirl of leaves.

"That kid...how can he be so skilled and yet so dense?" Kakashi asked.

"He's not really dense, he's just not used to people really liking him," Hiruzen responded. He knew Kakashi's question had been rhetorical, but he felt it needed answering nonetheless.

Kakashi sighed. "If I'm sane by the time they hit Chunin, it'll be a miracle."

Hiruzen chuckled. "We're ninja. Sanity is overrated."

xxxxxx

Upon arriving at the gate the following morning, Naruto and Hinata found two surprises waiting for them. First off, Kakashi was already there. Secondly, he was there...with a huge empty cart.

"What's with the cart, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. Hinata was wondering the same thing, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, this? I studied the mission a bit more and came up with a plan," Kakashi said. "The bandits are only attacking people with carts like this one, and only those who seem defenseless."

"Okay, but then why is the cart empty? They're not going to attack us if we don't have anything," Naruto said.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "This is very true, Naruto. But you can fix that." Naruto looked confused, so Kakashi explained, "I need you to make several low-chakra clones. Have them transform into various things, and they'll ride in the cart."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I get you! And if we do get attacked, they can turn back into clones and help in the fight. Element of surprise!"

Kakashi smiled proudly at his student. "Exactly."

Hinata looked at Kakashi. "And what should I do, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hinata...I hate to say it, but there's only one way you can pass for defenseless. You're going to have to ride on the cart. If anyone sees us, we'll tell them you're blind."

Hinata deflated a bit. "Oh...okay," she said and climbed onto the cart. Naruto made several clones, who transformed into various random things and climbed into the back of the cart. Naruto himself, meanwhile, posted himself on one of the two carry poles on the front of the cart. "I'm sorry, Naruto," Hinata said from beside him.

Naruto looked at her in surprise. "For what, Hinata?" he asked, totally baffled why in the world she would say that.

"I can't help you with this, and you have to pull my weight, too." Hinata's face was full of depression.

Naruto laughed. "First off, Hinata, my clones weigh way more than you do. Second, it's not your fault. Your eyes are way too distinctive to not be noticed, and if we don't say this, they'll know who you are, and they might not attack us."

Hinata considered this. "That's true, but still, I feel bad," she said after a moment.

Kakashi came up and grabbed the other pole just then. "Don't worry about it, Hinata," he said. When Hinata turned a sad face on him, he added, "Besides, if we do get attacked, you fighting back will just add to the whole element of surprise thing."

Hinata thought about that for a moment, then gave a small smile. "I could use my Byakugan, too, if you think that will help," she said after a moment.

Kakashi chuckled a bit. "It would help, for sure, but how long can you keep it active? You won't be any good to us if you end up with chakra exhaustion before we even get into a fight."

Hinata considered this. "I'll turn it on every hour, just to see if anyone is nearby," she said. Kakashi nodded at this.

"All right," Naruto said. He was doing his best not to show it, but he was excited. He had gone out of the village before, but never as a normal ninja. "Let's get this show on the road."

Kakashi eye-smiled for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Yes, let's go," he said, and he and Naruto picked up the cart, and they were off.

xxxxxx

They had been walking in silence for about an hour before Hinata simply couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't really a social person, but the eerie silence among her team was...well, it was fraying her nerves.

"Naruto," she said softly. She wanted the silence broken, but she hesitated to actually do it.

Naruto turned to her. "Yes, Hinata?" he asked. He was secretly glad she had broken the silence. It had been fraying his nerves, too, although he would never admit that.

"I haven't seen anything out there, even with my Byakugan," she said. She had done a Byakugan scan a few minutes before. "I guess it should be comforting that no one is out there, but it's making me nervous."

Naruto chuckled. "I know what you mean," he said back. "I keep feeling like something is about to happen. I almost wish it would just happen and get it over with. This waiting is terrible."

Kakashi spoke up then. "You shouldn't wish for that," he said. "We need to get this stuff through the Land of Rivers to deliver it to the Hidden Sand." He was subtly reminding his team to stay in character as well as telling them not to tempt fate.

Naruto chuckled. "I guess that's true," he said back, getting the hint. "Still, this anticipation is killing me."

Kakashi laughed. "Don't worry, you two. There's a chance we'll run into trouble, but, even if we do, you won't be in any danger. I'll put my life on the line to protect you."

Hinata smiled a bit. "Thank you, Kakashi," she said, looking in the general direction of where he had been, but not at him. She had gotten his hint, too, so she was looking into the middle distance as if blind. Kakashi couldn't help feeling a little unsettled at that, but he knew what she was doing. It also felt weird for Hinata to not call Kakashi "sensei", but that would blow their cover if anyone heard.

Naruto smiled. "I will, too, Hinata," he said. He was speaking both in his "character" and as himself, and Hinata somehow could tell this. She blushed a bit.

Kakashi chuckled. "You two will be the death of me yet, you know that?" he said.

Naruto grinned at his sensei. "Yeah, yeah, you know you love us."

Kakashi thought about this. He couldn't exactly deny what the kid had said, but he didn't want to let him know that. "If that's what you want to think," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, you didn't deny it," he said back with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Kakashi just eye-smiled at this. He couldn't really say anything. "Man, that kid is good," he thought to himself. "He saw right through my bluff in a second."

Hinata giggled at their antics. She was definitely glad she had broken the silence. Naruto turned to her and smiled. She blushed a bit, then said, "You better be careful smiling like that, Naruto, you're liable to end up with a bunch of stalker fan-girls."

Naruto laughed at this. "Oh, don't worry, Hinata, that smile is just for you," he said.

Hinata blushed furiously at this. "He has a special smile just for me?!" she thought. That thought, to Hinata, seemed perfectly logical in terms of Naruto. He would have different smiles for different people. It occurred to her briefly that he might be flirting with her, but she dismissed that thought. After all, they were friends, he had made that clear; there wasn't much chance he would ever feel any differently about that. Still...the thought did give her hope.

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's reaction. "Why is she so cute when she blushes like that?" he asked. Shaking his head, he refocused on the road ahead of them, never noticing the slight blush that was dusting his cheeks.

Kakashi, however, saw it plain as day. "If it wasn't so fun watching these two try to pretend they're not into one another, I might actually give them a nudge toward each other," he thought to himself with a private smile. He was glad, not for the first time, that his mask covered his face so no one could see him smile.

With those thoughts in their minds, the three fell into a mostly embarrassed, but thoroughly companionable, silence. They walked in this silence for another few hours before Kakashi spoke up again. "We should stop here and make camp," he said as they came into a convenient clearing.

Naruto nodded, and he and Kakashi set down the cart. It was nice to let their muscles relax; they'd been pulling that thing all day.

Hinata hopped down from the cart, and the three began to busy themselves making camp. Kakashi was surprised to find that Naruto had no idea how to make a campsite. Naruto explained that, while he had been outside the village a couple times, he had never had to make camp, since he had always come back the same day.

Kakashi and Hinata helped Naruto with the details of getting a camp set up, putting up tents, building a fire, and so on, and in no time, they had a smokeless fire and were cooking some of the provisions Kakashi had brought with them. He had sealed the stuff they needed in a scroll in his pouch, and he unsealed it once Hinata verified that no one was anywhere nearby.

Once they had eaten, Kakashi and Naruto slipped into one tent and were both asleep within seconds. Pulling that cart had exhausted them.

Hinata sat up a while longer, watching the fire and cleaning up the dinner dishes and such, before she too slipped into her tent.

Having sat on that cart all day, and not having done all that much – Kakashi and Naruto had insisted she not do too much at camp to keep up the blindness illusion – Hinata was full of energy and couldn't sleep. Eventually, she slipped out of her tent and made her way to the nearby creek where Naruto had gotten water earlier.

When she got there, Hinata spent a little time training. She was hitting a tree with Gentle Fist strikes – her Byakugan inactive since it wouldn't have shown her any chakra points anyway – when she suddenly heard a voice. "What are you doing here?" it asked.

Hinata jumped then turned. Naruto appeared from behind a tree. "Oh, Naruto!" she said, relieved. "You scared me." After calming down a minute, she answered his question. "I couldn't sleep. Being on that cart all day left me with a bunch of energy."

Naruto smiled. "I had to answer nature's call, and I was about to head back when I heard a noise, so I came to see what it was."

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, it's just me. I'll go back and sleep soon, I just needed to burn off some energy."

Naruto patted Hinata on her back. "I know, it's hard not doing anything. We're not trying to make you feel useless, it's just for the cover."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "I know. I'll be fine. It's just hard having so much energy and trying to sleep."

Naruto chuckled. "I know the feeling. I'm going to go back to bed now. Don't stay up too late."

Hinata nodded. "I'll go to bed soon. See you in the morning, Naruto."

Naruto thought a moment, then asked, "Would you like me to leave a clone with you?"

Hinata looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'll be fine, Naruto. There's no one out here."

Naruto laughed. "I know, I didn't mean that, I meant to keep you company."

Hinata giggled. Of course that's what he meant, she should have known! She thought a moment, then nodded. "Sure, that would be nice," she said.

Naruto made a clone, then vanished back into the trees. Hinata and the clone spoke a little, but Hinata soon went back to training, with the clone watching. She was glad for the company, truth be told; she wasn't worried about anyone finding her or anything, but being alone at night was a bit uncomfortable. And Naruto's presence was always a pleasant one to have around. It was a nice night, and Hinata enjoyed every bit of it. After an hour of training, Hinata returned and went to bed, after telling the clone it could dispel. "That was a fun time," she thought to herself. "I'm glad Naruto stayed out there with me. I just wish he would always stay with me." With that thought in mind, Hinata fell into sleep and spent the rest of her night dreaming of having a life, a family, with Naruto.

A/N: Well, there you go! Another chapter of this one already! I can't believe it either. This one has just been going nuts in my head lately. Hope you guys enjoyed. Yeah, I'm not doing Wave. I'll cover what happened there later on. In the meantime, hope you guys come on back for the next one...which might be sooner than later, who knows.