Hand Signs [A Deaf Naruto Fanfiction]

Chapter Eight: Wave

The first D-rank they ever took was apparently supposed to be some kind of prank or initiation into Ninja-hood. Naruto was good at derailing things without even meaning to so unfortunately for Kakashi-sensei, who’d been looking forward to it, he didn’t get much from the whole ordeal.

He could blame Kurama, could say that having the beast sealed within him was why he was the way he was but even if the fox did influence him in that way, it wasn’t why. Months around the Nara deer and a natural affinity for animals (something Kiba was jealous of when they were young, Akamaru liked him a lot and the Inuzuka couldn’t stand it) proved useful in this particular instance.

It sounded innocent enough at first. They had to capture a cat. Easy enough, or so they thought until hearing the cat they were assigned to catch was known as the Demon Cat. Being good with deer and dogs was not the same as being good with cats, and while Kurama could be remarkably like a cat, he wasn’t one and would probably be greatly offending for even making the comparison. It also didn’t mean he was good with all animals. Sakura and Sasuke didn’t seem too worried about dealing with Tora the Demon Cat but their indifference for the nickname didn’t last for long.

It was chaos. The plan was originally going to be using walkie-talkies but this wouldn’t work for a number of reasons, the first being that Naruto couldn’t hear. Sound coming through walkie-talkies was hard for him to understand and the volume and static would no doubt alert the cat to their positions anyway. They ended up needing to be in close range to each other, where they could see, and communicate with Sign Language. Naruto enjoyed it a lot, it was always entertaining to see two people who considered themselves so much better than him struggle with something he found so easy.

Sakura struck first. Apparently her femininity and gentleness (one of the best Jokes the blond ever heard) were better suited for getting the cat than Naruto’s recklessness. Sasuke was simply too good to waste his talents getting a cat if the pinkette was to be believed. Naruto was unamused and Sasuke didn’t seem to care much.

Her attempt to get the cat was laughable. It was more than clear that she’d never even held a cat, much less actually interacted with one. She got frustrated too quickly and as soon as her anger got the better of her the cat bolted, but no before leaving some lovely scratches behind in Sakura’s pale skin. Naruto kept to himself, during her outraged cries and tears of pain, just what he thought about her reaction to scratches from a cat when she’d inevitably have to face shinobi far stronger than her. Kunai, shuriken and not to mention jutsu would hurt far worse. At least the cat wasn’t deadly so much as it was annoying.

Sasuke tried next. He didn’t think much of Naruto’s skills either just as the blond didn’t think much of his ability to actually get the cat. Like Sakura, he got frustrated quickly, though he hid it much better. He did actually manage to get a hold of the cat but his less-than-gentle grip was too much for her and she retaliated viciously. Naruto had never seen the pale skinned boy looking so disheveled in all the years he’d known him. It was funny but he kept his giggles in, he still hadn’t tried and laughing would probably jinx him. It was many scratches later than Sasuke finally gave up and released the cat, who dove into some bushes nearby. The Uchiha’s clothes were in tatters and his hair was messy, white shorts stained lightly with his blood. He looked terrible and if Naruto hadn’t seen what caused it, he would’ve assumed the battle had been with something far worse than a cat.

Kakashi-sensei was enjoying the show immensely and was probably looking forward to seeing Naruto try the most. The blond wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to see him struggle or if he wanted him to prove a point to Sakura and Sasuke.

Getting Tora was easier than he’d thought it would be.

He sat on the ground, mostly still (he still had issues not moving around sometimes), and put a gentle hand out in the cat’s direction. When the gentle kissy-type noises that normally draw domestic animals didn’t work he changed his tactics, pulling a small bit of cheese from his pack from a snack that Choji had given him (everyone seemed really worried about his weight for some reason)--though he knew it wasn’t the best thing for the cat, it was better than nothing-- and gently patting the ground in front of him.

The brown cat poked her head out from the bush and scented the air, locking her eyes on the cheese before slinking forward carefully.

The whole ordeal ended with Tora safely nestled in Naruto’s arms, purring as he pet her head and gave her gentle ear scratches. Sakura and Sasuke glared but the blond ignored them in favor of making sure he didn’t handle the skittish cat too rough. Kakashi seemed disappointed and impressed all in one.

It figured he’d want to see Tora scratch him but at least he was impressed by his ability to not get scratched by the Demon Cat. If the jounin was to be believed then he was the first to manage it so easily and wound-free--the looks he got as he carried her into Hokage-jiji’s office to deliver her to her owner all but confirmed it.

Shikamaru, Shino and Choji were jealous. Team 7 had been the last to receive the mission and it was a tradition to give it to all new genin (Kakashi-sensei was just particularly ruthless and gave it to them first). Apparently they hadn’t had nearly as nice a time (their bandages matched those on his teammates).

Now, just over a month later,their teamwork had...improved, though that wasn’t saying much. Naruto worked well with Sasuke when he wasn’t being a jerk, it was rare but it happened nonetheless. Sakura seemed to have tunnel vision when it came to Sasuke, something that only seemed to get worse with her on the same team as her crush, or rather, her obsession. She acknowledged him when he was on his own, occasionally, but really she wanted nothing to do with him. It stung, because even though he no longer carried any feeling for her, she was his teammate. He’d hope to at least be friendly with his genin team, even Lee got along with his team--as much of an ass as Neji was capable of being, Lee was strong and he acknowledged it. Sasuke was barely acknowledging that Naruto wasn’t the weak idiot he’d always thought he was, which was an improvement, but Sakura was content to ignore him almost completely.

There was no number of D-ranks Hokage-jiji and Kakashi-sensei could assign them to fix it. The blond had the sinking suspicion that the only possible way to get this team in gear was for something to force it. Naruto had a bad feeling about it.

Kurama agreed.

The thought slipped his mind when they were going to be assigned yet another D-rank. They’d weeded gardens, painted fences, retrieved lost pets, done shopping, and a number of other boring chores. The tasks were meant to build teamwork but all they seemed to be doing to Team 7 was driving them all insane.

Naruto couldn’t take it anymore.

He signed furiously to Iruka-sensei and Hokage-jiji, forgetting about their audience and falling into old habits. He didn’t speak and he could tell that neither of his teammates could keep up with the quick, nuanced movements of his hands.

Kakashi-sensei understood everything just fine if the amusement in his dark eye was anything to go by as he watched his older two students stewing because they couldn’t keep up. Neither liked practicing sign and often groaned or rolled their eyes when they were asked to use it outside of D-ranks. Naruto wasn’t sure if it was because they didn’t like it (he didn’t understand how they couldn’t but it was possible) or if it was because they hated knowing that the blond was actually better than them at something.

He assumed it was the latter, hence why they needed something else to fix their group dynamics.

They needed to take a C-rank.

They needed to do something, not unsafe, but real enough to get this team moving in the right direction. He was as articulate as he was able to be in his frustration and while Iruka-sensei didn’t appreciate the blatant disrespect he’d shown Hokage-jiji, he wasn’t nearly as against it as he’d have been if Naruto had thrown the tantrum he wanted to.

“Very well, Naruto,” Hokage-jiji finally said (and signed) and he’d never seen so much confusion on either of the two top-of-the-class students’ faces. “For your first C-rank mission, you will be escorting someone back to their home.”

His blue eyes lit up with glee at his victory--which no one acknowledged--and he could hear the shrill sound of Sakura’s cheer piercing his eardrums. Sasuke even looked his own brand of excited and surprised, as much as the stoic boy was able to look either of those things, at least.

“Who do you think it’ll be?! A Lord? A Princess?” Sakura was practically bouncing, and definitely not thinking about the words that came from her mouth.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto had to force himself not to do the same. He couldn’t start adopting Sasuke’s mannerisms too. It was bad enough that Iruka-sensei had noticed that he’d begun emulating his three friends, but the Ice Prince Uchiha? No thanks.

He kept his eye roll to himself and instead thought about who it could be internally.

Since it was a C-rank escort it was only logical (Shikamaru really was influencing his thoughts… at least he sounded smart) that it would be someone fairly low ranked. A civilian or something similar. Anyone else would require (or demand) higher ranked bodyguards either for status or because they actually had people after them. There was no way genin would be assigned to guard someone so important, especially not for their first C-rank mission.

There was the movement of mouths and a hand gesture (not sign), Naruto assumed it was to let the client in, and all eyes turned toward the door.

When it slid open a man stumbled through with flushed cheeks and the lingering smell of alcohol that made something deep within Naruto stiffen, something bordering on fear crawled up his neck. He showed nothing externally, though Iruka-sensei certainly noticed something, but being around drunks had never been great experiences for the blond in the past. He shoved it down and looked between the man who entered and Iruka-sensei (who was subtly signing what was happening off to the side).

“What the? A bunch of little snot-nosed kids?” the man took a swig from a bottle, liquid dribbling down the corner of his mouth and into his beard. Team 7 stared at him and he leaned against the doorway. “Especially you, the smallest one with the idiot face.”

His words gravely and slurred and Naruto relied on Iruka-sensei to understand what he was saying. He looked to his teammates who stepped closer as if to prove the client’s point and the blond was tempted to clobber all of them but, generally, hitting the client was a bad idea. He kept silent, the air around him dropping in temperature as he aimed a glare the drunk’s way.

They hadn’t even left yet and this mission was already off to a great start.

“I’m Tazuna, a veteran bridge builder. You’ll be risking life and limb to be guarding me to the max until I return to my land and complete my bridge!”

Something about that didn’t sit right with Naruto, but the man was clearly a civilian so it was possible he just didn’t understand what a C-rank entailed. He hadn’t known much about the ranking system before becoming close with a genius and a genin and his jounin sensei.

~()~

His friends were happy for him and his team, though he suspected they only tacked on his team out of obligation. Neither of the other rookie teams had taken C-ranks yet though Naruto strongly suspected that Shikamaru and Choji wouldn’t be far behind since their teamwork was leaps and bounds ahead of Team 7’s.

Finding out that he’d be gone for weeks had been disappointing for all of them but he promised to tell them every detail when he came back.

Shikamaru said they could get ramen.

Naruto really loved his friends.

Lee had been much more emotional and went on a tangent that sounded vaguely like a proud parent.

“--going on his first C-rank!” It was weird but he appreciated the congratulations.

Gai-sensei offered congratulations of his own and even though he didn’t know Tenten nearly as well as he knew Lee, she still offered him a smile and a wish of good luck.

Neji didn’t care much but the blond considered his “Don’t screw it up” as a “good luck” in the brunette’s own special way.

Iruka-sensei helped him pack and wished him luck, seeming increasingly more nervous the closer it got to being time for Naruto to leave. He hugged the scarred chunin before leaving to meet at the gate, promising to tell him everything as well.

Best of all, Iruka-sensei along with Shino, Shikamaru and Choji came to see him off (Lee was on his own mission by the time Naruto had to leave, unfortunately). He hugged all of them, even Shino, before he walked out of the gate with his teammates and their client.

Never in his life did Naruto ever think it would be possible to have this.

~()~

Kakashi-sensei being on time was… new. Naruto didn’t plan on getting used to it--not after six weeks of waiting anywhere between two and four hours for the man to show up.

Apparently he was only on time for important missions. It was good to know he was taking it seriously even though it was just a C-rank, or maybe he was as suspicious as Naruto was. There was never a way to tell with the masked jounin.

Being outside the gates to the village for the first time was both exciting and terrifying. In Konoha, he knew the sights, hiding places, he knew pretty much everyone (or they knew him), he knew the sounds--no matter how muffled they were. Out here it was silent. It was unsettling and for a brief moment he wished Sasuke and Sakura knew so he could voice his discomfort.

He settled for humming quietly to himself, allowing the vibrations to distract him from the fact that he was at his most vulnerable and he sunk in on himself slightly.

Sakura noticed.

“What’s with you?” Her voice was almost accusatory, like by disliking the feeling of being vulnerable he was somehow annoying her the way he had when he was being loud and obnoxious.

“I’ve never left the village before,” She didn’t need to know why, just that he hadn’t so she could just let whatever she had against him go for the time being.

Tazuna pointed at him and said something but all Naruto could get from it was the end.

“--squirt.”

He may be short, he could accept that, but the constant remarks about it would get old fast. He already had to tolerate it in the village. He’d thought he’d be able to escape scrutiny by leaving. Naruto was never so lucky.

When they finally set off, he could swear they were being watched.

He attributed it to paranoia and shrugged it off.

The feeling persisted for a while before it disappeared.

The walk was boring. Naruto lingered behind just slightly, since his teammates didn’t give him any room to walk beside them, while Sakura asked Tazuna-san about himself to fill the silence. The muffled, hard-to-understand talking made the blond less nervous but actually hearing their discussion wasn’t easy.

He managed to understand that Wave Country, where Tazuna-san was from, didn’t have shinobi. Kakashi-sensei tried to sign for him but it was difficult to see while lagging behind. No one moved to let him walk beside them (equal to them).

Their cyclops of a teacher also explained what Naruto, thankfully, already knew about the Kage of the Five Great Nations. About their incredible strength (though all men that Naruto had met so far, though he’d yet to try it on his two jounin teachers, had one specific weakness). It was hard to doubt someone who’d given him so much and who’d had to take the mantle twice. He may be old but Naruto had no doubt that if he fought seriously he’d be a formidable opponent (he wasn’t even much taller than Naruto was now! So even if he stayed short it wouldn’t affect his strength).

Apparently Sakura didn’t think the same and Kakashi-sensei sensed that she doubted him--it was almost spooky how he managed it.

The conversation devolved into a discussion of just what a C-rank escort entailed (a conversation he’d had with Gai-sensei, Lee and Shikamaru before). No foreign Ninja, nothing that could be considered deadly, bandits at worst and nothing at best.

The look on Tazuna-san’s face as Kakashi-sensei explained it to Sakura wasn’t comforting and the feeling of being watched hadn’t left.

They walked silently for a while, across streams and along the path that split the tree and Naruto became especially suspicious when the sensation of eyes on him, on his team and on Tazuna-san left.

It wasn’t just paranoia then.

It was real.

He was about to mention it when they stumbled across a puddle and the blond wracked his brain trying to remember the last time it had rained. Kakashi-sensei noticed it too.

They passed the puddle and everything went to hell.

Two men in black cloaks with all kinds of strange gear rose from the puddle--an illusion--swinging a spiked chain in their direction.

It wrapped around Kakashi-sensei and Naruto assumed the masked men said something before yanking, tearing their teacher into nothing.

The genin froze.

Kakashi-sensei was gone. So easily? There wasn’t anything left, no bone, no hair, no clothes. Now wasn’t the time to worry about it though.

Sakura screamed and before Naruto could do anything they were behind him.

“The second one…”

The words were muffled but easy to understand as the two men said them practically into his ears.

Kurama rumbled within him as the fox began to wake from his nap.

The pair prepared to wrap their chains around him as well and before he could blink, Sasuke was airborne, weapons pulled and released. The chain was pinned to a tree by his shuriken and by the time they noticed Naruto was also ready with weapons of his own. Sasuke threw a kunai to increase the strength but both boys knew it wouldn’t last long.

Sasuke landed on the claws the two men wore where the chains were attached and Naruto finally managed to move. It was an odd feeling, one Naruto had never felt before--being awed by the Uchiha. He wondered if any of his followers had ever actually seen him do anything like that, it was the first time since they were young that Naruto had thought the raven haired boy was cool. He didn’t know Sasuke was even capable of protecting anyone, let alone protecting Naruto. There might be hope for him after all.

The blond would’ve helped but if he moved either of them, it could get Sasuke hurt so he waited until the Uchiha delivered his kicks to their attackers’ faces before he took the one closest to him. With the claw bound to the tree he was at a much lower risk of getting injured and with techniques taught by two Taijutsu specialists, Naruto attacked.

He managed to land a few kicks and a solid punch before the chain holding them snapped and they bolted. One heading for Tazuna-san and one straight for him, claws first.

He had no weapon that could match it, and using Taijutsu wasn’t an option. He’d have to dodge.

The question of why they were so determined to take him down when Sasuke had actually managed to show his skills despite the fear Naruto could clearly see in the way he moved bounced in his head. They killed Kakashi-sensei first because he was a jounin, he had the skill to fight them, to take them down. Taking down the strongest first was obviously the smartest method to take down a group, so why Naruto? He was the smallest of the group and, if you asked his teammates, the weakest.

He didn’t get the answer before he was forced to dodge the incoming claws, not that he ended up needing to. Their teacher himself appeared and grasped both shinobi by the necks before either assassin could make contact with their targets.

When Naruto looked over, Sakura and Sasuke were in defensive positions in front of Tazuna--who was obviously the target of the other man, while the blond was the target of the first.

His stomach sank as his suspicions about the old man who was their client became the reality of their situation.

This wasn’t a C-rank mission.

This was way worse.

Iruka-sensei was never going to let him take anything higher than a D-rank for the rest of his life after this, he just knew it.

~()~

Apparently Kakashi-sensei hid away, switching himself with some logs, in order to see who they were targeting (it was equally likely the pair of shinobi were after the blond or even Kakashi-sensei as it was for the target to be Tazuna). He even apologized for not helping him right away--in other circumstances it might’ve offended the blond, because he should’ve been able to protect himself. But there were two shinobi who were clearly stronger than him, two shinobi who wanted him dead and were actually going to do it. Even if Naruto managed to fight off the one the jounin had saved him from, the other was still there and despite targeting Tazuna, they both seemed set on taking down the blond as well. He did congratulate him for trying though--not that it stopped him from feeling useless.

Both Naruto and Kakashi-sensei wondered if there was a reason for it, or if it was somehow convenient for them.

Neither male voiced this but the look they shared said enough.

Naruto hadn’t even noticed the injury to his hand until his teacher pointed out that he’d been hurt. Apparently the wound was also poisoned, because the pair coated their blades in poison as a backup plan.

Why was his luck so bad? Had he done something he wasn’t aware of?

He congratulated Sasuke for his job well done (Sakura acted as if by congratulating him, he was congratulating her), and gave Sakura a nod of acknowledgement.

With their attackers tied up, sitting at the base of a tree, Kakashi-sensei finally explained just who they were, Tazuna wisely continued to ignore the hand gestures both the jounin and the blond genin used when they spoke. His narrowed eyes were a good indicator that he was, at the very least, more observant than his teammates, though.

“Chunin from Kirigakure… These guys are shinobi known for continuing to fight no matter what the sacrifice.”

The Demon Brothers.

He looked them in the eyes and one of them spoke (Kakashi-sensei translated for Naruto).

“How were you able to detect our movements?”

Naruto wondered now if he was supposed to be able to feel their eyes watching as they walked, found himself wishing he’d said something about it sooner--even if he hadn’t known for sure until the feeling was gone, only to return when they passed the puddle.

“There probably wouldn’t be puddles of water on a clear day like today, when it hasn’t rained for days.”

“Knowing that, why’d you leave it to the kids to fight?” Naruto could only hear Tazuna’s remark because he was standing so close.

“If I wanted to, I could kill these guys instantly,” Naruto didn’t like the idea of ending lives much, not unless it was absolutely necessary, he got the feeling Kakashi-sensei didn’t enjoy it much either.

He turned his gaze from the chunin to Tazuna. Naruto couldn’t hear what Kakashi-sensei said to the drunk or the tone he used, he didn’t sign it, whatever it was, sobered the man up, however briefly it lasted, and his tan skin paled considerably. He considered himself lucky he wasn’t on the receiving end.

The alarm on Tazuna’s face was clear and Kakashi-sensei turned the rest of his body to face the bridge builder properly.

“...I had to know if it was you or one of us shinobi who were being targeted,” Had to know if they were after Kakashi-sensei, or if they knew about Kurama… even if they were after the Last Uchiha. “The mission document didn’t say anything about you being targeted by Ninjas. The content of the request was supposed to just be protection from gangs, thieves and the like… This is a mission with a B rank or higher. The request was for backup protection until you finished your bridge. If our enemies were to be shinobi, the mission would’ve been estimated without question, as an expensive B-rank mission.”

The pieces began to fall into place but there weren’t enough for him. He wasn’t a genius like Shikamaru or an adult with experience (who could’ve been a genius for all Naruto knew) like Kakashi.

Tazuna looked at the ground as Kakashi-sensei continued talking.

“It appears there’s some kind of good reason for this, but being lied to in the mission request won’t do. This is beyond the scope of our mission.”

“This mission is too soon for us,” Sakura was quick to give up in the face of fear, even smiled while doing so, but Naruto couldn’t find it in himself to give up yet. “Let’s give it up!”

He knew she was probably right, but the need to prove himself--that he wasn’t some kind of wuss, that he could put up a better fight, that he wasn’t useless--nearly consumed him. If they absolutely had to turn back, he wouldn’t fight it, but he wasn’t going to stay silent. He would present his argument first.

She continued and, again, it was only his proximity to her that he was able to hear a word she said.

“We need an anesthetic to open Naruto’s wound,” He was not going to be her excuse to bail.

They started talking about how they should return to the village to treat his wound.

He wasn’t going to be anyone’s excuse.

“Don’t worry about the wound. I’ll take care of it.” Naruto loved Kurama more than people sometimes. “Just get the poison out.”

The fox had told him once that he could heal almost anything, even poisons, but this was a lesson. He’d healed him after practices with Lee and when he cut himself trying to perfect his kunai and shuriken throwing skills. He knew the fox was capable. However, most people didn’t have something like Kurama to help them and becoming reliant on him would only screw him over later. He had to be able to handle something like this on his own.

He pulled out a kunai, raising it into the air before driving it into the stinging wound on his hand, closing his eyes tightly. It was painful. Blood splattered on his skin, his clothes and on the ground and everyone’s eyes were on him.

He wasn’t weak anymore.

Why did everyone treat him like he was some weakling? Like he was made of glass? Like he was a toddler or a burden?

“Naruto! What are you doing?!” Sakura demanded, sounding more angry than concerned and Naruto turned away from them all to tune them out.

The blond remembered the training he’d gone through the last few months. Practices with Lee, Taijutsu spars that lasted hours, training with Kurama that was almost endless. He wasn’t weak.

He was the village pariah, he’d dealt with nothing but scorn and hatred his entire life, he’d been alone his entire life. He worked his ass off. Read countless scrolls, spent countless hours studying things as boring as history and theory, practicing until he was so sore he could barely move until Kurama healed his overworked muscles.

He would never need to be rescued again. Not for something like this. Not because he was too overwhelmed to fight effectively. It wouldn’t matter if the entire shinobi world was after him, he would be able to handle himself. Whether it took weeks or months or years or decades. He wouldn’t let anyone call him weak.

He’d never let his fear get the better of him, or let apparent hopelessness stop him.

He’d keep going until he died.

He’d protect the old man who was their client until his heart stopped.

He swore it on the pain he felt from the kunai in his hand.

“I’ll protect you, old man… with this kunai!” He ripped it out and felt blood pool in the wound once again.

He turned to face them again, a fire burning brightly in his brilliant blue eyes--determination stronger than anything he’d ever felt.

“I won’t give up on this mission!”

Of course, Kakashi had to ruin what had the potential of being a pivotal moment for him and his teammates.

“Naruto, it’s all well and good to rid yourself of the poisoned blood but any more than that and you’re going to bleed to death.”

Naruto held back a scoff and Kakashi grabbed a cloth from his pack. A gloved hand grabbed his wrist and he wiped the blood away in time to see the wound steam as Kurama healed it. His skin stitched itself together and the only thing to show that an injury ever existed to begin with was the remaining blood on his hands and clothes.

“You sure?” He said it quietly. It wasn’t rude or sarcastic, it was almost sad and the look in Kakashi-sensei’s eye softened as he watched.

This wasn’t the first time he’d had a wound healed by the fox within him.

When he was young he thought it was normal, much like his hearing. He always healed when he was sleeping and by the time he woke up it was like he was never injured at all. The first time he’d ever seen a scar he’d been more confused than when he tried to follow lessons without being able to hear them. Naruto didn’t have any scars. There was no mark on his skin to indicate he’d ever been injured at all, ever. He found out that people don’t normally heal overnight the first time he’d seen a cast. Broken bones took longer, bruises were the fastest, and cuts depended on their severity but for a long time he’d just assumed that it was something he’d inherited.

A bloodline or something.

He was okay with it being Kurama though.

They pressed on. Sakura asked something about bandages and Kakashi dodged the question--she dropped it but Naruto saw something in Sasuke’s eye that he’d never seen before.

He didn’t know what it was, if it was good or bad, but it was there.

Whatever it was, Sasuke was at least suspicious. He’d have to be careful around the older boy.

He wasn’t ready for anyone else to know his secret yet, any of them.

Kakashi was worried about Naruto, about the fox sealed within him and about his relationships with his teammates.

Over the last month or so the blond had shown promise as a sensor. He didn’t do it often, and he never mentioned that he did, but Kakashi saw it. He saw it in the way Naruto would look in his direction before he showed up for missions or training (late, as usual), in the way he unknowingly looked in the direction the jounin knew there were Anbu. It was fascinating. Similarly, it was interesting how the blond was the only one to even glance at the puddle where the Demon Brothers had been hiding.

It was likely he’d felt them nearby the entire time they’d been following, and if they’d been there since they left the village it meant that this was more than just a couple Ninja trying to stop the bridge builder. If Naruto was too used to feeling shinobi around him it would explain his silence but it was something they’d have to talk about.

He also considered his disability. When he’d hidden, he hadn’t considered how Naruto would react. Even if he could sense them, without being able to hear that kind of thing could be really surprising and with so many things going on and only two ways to know instead of the three (being able to hear and see and sense) he should’ve had… He felt bad. Naruto would need special training to hone his ability and Sasuke and Sakura’s ignorance of his disability only made them look down on the boy more.

Knowledge of the Kyuubi should’ve stayed between those who absolutely needed to know. Those close to the blond’s parents, the Hokage, those tasked with taking care of the seal in its fragile stages. No one else should’ve known and now the hatred the knowledge grew was passed down to the children. He was just glad the boy had friends, had someone like Iruka who was willing to take care of him, who loved him and did everything Kakashi hadn’t been allowed to do.

Sometimes, at the memorial stone, he found himself wondering what things would be like if his teacher had survived, if Naruto had been raised to think of him as a brother. He wondered if that kind of change would’ve saved the Uchiha Clan, saved Itachi, saved Sasuke.

Even without going down that road, he wondered if he was capable of being the teacher Naruto needed.

He wondered if the blond would ever be able to trust his teammates enough to tell him his secret.

But wondering now was pointless. Those who were dead would stay that way and without something to push them, they’d never fully trust each other. He just hoped that something wouldn’t attempt to kill them.

At least one of his students was improving under his care.

Sasuke had been particularly impressive while he’d watched them, Sakura’s willingness to protect Tazuna, despite her obvious fear was impressive too. He was just glad the older boy was willing to protect his teammates. It meant, at the very least, that Sasuke could still be saved from his need for vengeance. That despite thinking that he was better off without them, that they hold him back, he still cared about them to some degree.

It was all he could ask for so early on.

Sakura… She was so focused on Sasuke’s improvement she neglected her own. At least she attempted something.

There was still so much work to do with these three.

Kakashi kept his eyes on the dirt road, on his colorful students who pressed on diligently.

This wasn’t the last bout of trouble they’d face. Call it instinct or intuition but the silver haired jounin was positive they’d only scratched the surface.