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Hindsight's 20/20	By : tealeaf Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 1090 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Disclaimer:
I most certainly do not own Naruto. If I did, I guarantee that the women would
be way stronger anr mor more badass�

A/N: I am
really, really sorry about how long it took for this chapter. There are a
plethora of reasons, if you�re really interested in knowing what they are I
ranted about them in my livejournal. Also, in case this ever happens again, I
do post writing updates and chapter previews in my livejournal so feel free to
go check there for progress (www.livejournal.com/users/anotherstraycat)

Aside from
that, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and waited
so patiently for this one. I hope you all enjoy. The next chapter shouldn�t
take nearly as much time. And as always, please review ^_^

~~~

Hindsight�s
20/20: Chapter 2

By: Tea
Leaf/Banana Soap

~~~

�Ha-Haruno!
Trust me man, you don�t want to ask questions. You don�t want to get involved!�

�She
terrifies me. I mean, look at her the wrong way and the Akatsuki assassins will
kill you, your family and everyone who�s ever known you!�

�She�s
all hype. She�s a wimp who needs to hide behind her stupid red coat.�

�She�s
so mysterious�did you know that she disappeared for a year in junior high? I
heard that she was working for the Yakuza!�

�They
say she killed her family in cold blood. For no reason! She just sliced them to
ribbons with a katana!�

�Haruno
knows everything. You think she�s not paying attention but she�s seeing
everything.�

�Did you
know that she�s claimed Hatake-sensei? No girl is allowed to go near him or
Haruno will beat her up.�

�I heard
that the last person who asked too many questions about her (like you�re doing)
was horribly mutilated and murdered then left in the river to rot.�

�I heard
she�s the personal slave to one of the Akatsuki members which is why she has
that coat.�

�I heard
she earned her coat by running a huge underground narcotics ring in China when
she was 13.�

�I heard
that she murdered the true owner of the coat and stole it from the corpse on a
dare and that earned her tkatskatsuki�s respect which is why she�s still alive
and still has the coat.�

Sasuke
stared at the living room ceiling in his luxurious one bedroom apartment from
his resting place on the leather couch. No one knew anything about her, not
really. They thought they did, the rumors had covered her past perfectly and
built an impenetrable barrier around her pn. Sn. Some feared her. Some
worshiped her. Some hated her. All were connected to her in some way.

He�d
inquired subtly, he�d inquired blatantly and all he�d received were fickle
rumors that never stood on their own.

His eyes
narrowed at the ceiling.

This would
not do.

He had to
know. He had to know everything about her. He had to be able to manipulate her.
A switch
flicked on in his mind.

Maybe that
was it. Maybe that explained it. She was afraid of being manipulated by her
past so she�d erased it.

He smirked.

That meant
the story was huge. Everyone knew it. She�d distracted them enough for them not
to make the connection.

What were
the rumors again�drugs�organized crime�murder�Akatsuki�age 13. Those were the
recurring themes.

He sat up
and forced his body from the couch. He had to find out.

He went to
a desk in the corner of the room and turned on the high tech computer there.

She�d been
a minor, she would be difficult to find. He�d start by finding her parents.

He popped
his neck and cracked his knuckles. He stretched his fingers and set them to the
keyboard. This might require some fast hacking.

~~~

Kakashi
struggled to keep his half lidded eye from closing completely. He hated faculty
meetings. Especially the first one of the year.

They
dragged on forever.

He needed
coffee�now�and lots of it.

Sandaime
was prattling on about the same things he prattled on about every year. Dress
code�weapons�grading�assignments�new teachers�new projects�

He stifled
a yawn behind his mask, as his eye grew heavier. He nodded forward.

He snapped
back awake as he received a sharp jab in the ribs. He turned and glared
slightly at Iruka who frowned sternly at him.

He sighed
and leaned back in his chair, slouching deeply into it.

Sandaime
was finally finished his yearly �first day pep talk�, the floor was now open to
anyone who had anything to address to the group.

To no one�s
surprise, Gai shot to the front of the meeting room. Kakashi grimaced at his
green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers. He really didn�t need to see Gai in such
form-fitting clothes�especially not on the first day.

But Gai dressed
like that everyday. The first day had never been any exception.

That was
another thing he hated about the first day. He had to see Gai in his green
bodysuit after two months of repressing the image to his deepest, darkest, most
traumatizing nightmares.

Gai was
babbling on about something or other, Kakashi couldn�t hear him. It felt like
he had cotton in his ears. He was grateful for it, he hated Gai�s rants,
especially now after he�d already endured eight hours of rebellious adolescents
and an hour and a half of Sandaime�s speech.

Kakashi
watched Gai�s theatrics through glazed eyes�he really wanted to get out of
here. Finally, it looked like Gai was finished talking. He was looking around
the room expectantly.

Kakashi
raised his eyebrow slightly as Gai looked specifically at him.

�So, will
you help me in this project?� Gai asked boisterously.

Kakashi
considered. If he said no, Gai would keep talking and he�d have to stay here.
If he said yes, he could leave.

�I guess.�
He said lazily, not quite sure what he was agreeing to.

After
Kakashi consented, several other teachers decided to help out as well.

Gai was
ecstatic and promised that he�d tell his class about it tomorrow.

Kakashi
frowned�he�d agreed to do something that involved Gai�s gym class�fuck.

He sighed,
too late now.

Finally Gai
sat down and after a few words from the librarian and the cafeteria crew,
Sandaime declared the meeting to be over. Kakashi almost whooped with relief.
He would have had he not been still half asleep and bored stiff.

�A bunch of
us are going out for dinner, wanna come?� Iruka asked him.

Kakashi
considered. Restaurants sold coffee. And this way he could mock his colleagues
and their miserable first day back (he would of course lie to them and say his
had been great just to one up them). And he might be able to subtly inquire as
to what he had just volunteered to do for Gai.

�Sure�not
like I�ve got anything better to do anyway.� He responded in his lazy drawl.

Iruka
grinned and said something that Kakashi tuned out and the pair left the
conference room with Kurenai and Asuma.

~~~

Shikamaru
lay in the grass in the schoolyard watching the clouds as the sky slowly
darkened. He�d been here for hours but then, it wasn�t like he had anywhere
else to go.

The clouds
were darkening to various shades of gray as the light faded and tinged them
with red here and there.

Blood red.

That
reminded him, he had work to do at sunset. His lip curled. He didn�t want to
go. It was so troublesome.

He just
wanted to stay here�he could sleep here easily and then he�d be conveniently
close to school in the morning. It would save him the trouble of going to
work�of dealing with those psychos�of walking the streets at night�of finding a
place to sleep for the night�man, his life was so troublesome lately. How had
he gotten himself into this?

All he�d
ever wanted was to pass through life easily and unnoticed. But now here he was,
up to his elbows in blood every night as he worked for the crime lords of the
black market.

It had
happened in small steps, he hadn�t realized it happening until he was in too
deep.

If he had
to pick a starting date, he�d have to say it was probably the night his parents
were killed in the line of duty.

His eyes
stung and shame flared across his cheekbones as he remembered them. They must
be so ashamed of him, of what he�d become. Of who he now worked for.

The sky
continued to darken, the colors draining away to leave nothing but black.

�Time to
go.� Came an intrusive, deceptively kind voice.

Shikamaru
briefly closed his eyes, bracing himself for the night to come. He sighed and
stood, turning to face the kindly smiling Kabuto.

�Come on
then, those bodies won�t dissect themselves.� He said easily.

�It would
be a lot less troublesome if they did.� Shikamaru responded numbly.

Kabuto
chuckled slightly but gave him a sharp look before turning and heading back to
the waiting black car. Shikamaru followed.

~~~

It was a
small room with air clouded by cigarette smoke. The only smells were the overpowering
ones of ash and coffee. Bitter, black coffee. It was dartsidtside; several of
the nearby streetlights had all been smashed in. The lights inside were sparse,
only a handful of the bare light bulbs that clung desperately to the crumbling
ceiling actually gave out their flickering light. The room was full of nice
shady alcoves.

Situated in
a sketchier outlet near the downtown core, it was ideal for the sketchier
characters that found themselves loitering the streets for whatever reason.

Haruno hated
it here. She hated cigarette smoke; it burned her lungs. She hated coffee�well,
maybe not all coffee but she certainly hated the coffee here. It was too thick,
too stale. Everything was stale here, the coffee, the smoke, the bread, the
air. She felt like she was suffocating every time she stepped through the door.

But the pay
was good, the patrons kept to themselves and left her alone for the most part,
and her schedule was flexible so she could still attend school.

Just one
more year of this and then she�d be done. She�d leave. She�d be free. She�d
never work in a place like this again. She�d never deal with people like the
ones here again.

�Oy oy,
Sakura-chan�

She�d never
have to listen to those words again.

�Yeah
boss?� she answered as she walked over, her steps shortened by the faded pink
skirt of her dinner uniform.

�Table 7.�
He told her without looking up from his grill. She nodded and turned, reversing
her steps and heading to table 7.

She
inwardly braced herself as she spotted the regular now sitting in the booth.

�Hey, what
can I get you?� she asked in a disinterested tone. In any other place she might
be fired for being rude with the customers but here, no one cared about her
attitude.

�Ah Haruno.
Working the night shifts again?� He asked in his deep gravely voimuffmuffled
slightly by the bandages around his jaw.

�School�s
back in.� she answered briefly.

The
assassin snorted derisively.

�Fuck
school. It just trains clones. You should quit.� He told her.

She
suppressed a sigh. He�d been telling her this for the past three years of her
employment here.

�There�s
not much to do thatorthorthwhile when you don�t have a high school diploma.�
She answered him, falling into their customary dialogue.

�You don�t
need any degree to work for me. And believe me, the pay makes it very
worthwhile.� He told her, attempting to tempt her.

�And become
your weapon like Haku? No thanks, the money would be nice but I�d rather be
poor and human than rich and a machine.� She answered him apathetically.

�Haku
thought it was worthwhile.� He pressed her.

�And look
where that got him.� She answered a little sadly:p>

He stopped
talking and ignored the sting she�d tried to inflict with her words.

�Are you
getting anything Zabuza?� she asked him, closing the discussion.

�Coffee.�
He answered as he turned to look out the grimy dinner windows.

She turned
and headed behind the counter to grab the pot of coffee then returned and
filled his mug. Neither said anything and she left to tend to other
customers.

~~~

Kakashi
glared at the overcast night sky as he wandered the city streets. Diner had
been boring�same old conversations with the same old people. And just like
every time, he�d had a bit too much wine. The cool night air was helping to
clear his head but he still needed coffee. Come to think of it, he hadn�t
gotten any coffee at the restaurant�and he�d forgotten to ask about Gai�{damn�}

He
continued to wander the dark streets, any other than he might be worried about
the various eyes that watched him from the shadows and alleys but he had
nothing to fear. He was legendary and no one would dare start anything with
him. He smirked slightly to himself behind the still upraised cotton of his
turtleneck.

He soon
spotted a small rundown building with a flickering neon caricature of a cup of
coffee.

His mouth
started to water at the thought of the bitter brew. He walked towards the
building and pulled open the stained, glass door. A small bell rang overhead
and the man behind a counter near the back of the shop where the grill was
situated looked up.

�Hey man,
take a seat, a waitress�ll be with you in a sec.� He called out to him.
Kakashi
nodded his thanks and wandered over to an empty, shady table.

�Hatake,
long time no see.� Came a deep voice from the booth at his back. He smirked
darkly as he recognized the voice and his mind immediately switched gears.

�Zabuza,
how�s the weapon business?� he asked pointedly.

�We�re
recruiting. Interested?� the man to his back answered.

�Heh,
tempting, but I�m otherwise obliged.� Kakashi answered in a bored tone as he
waited for the waitress.

Zabuza
smirked beneath the bandages covering his jaw as he reclined in his booth, his
back to Kakashi.

�Ah yes,
that teaching gig at the high school.� Zabuza responded good-naturedly. �How
can you stand it?� he asked then, his lip curling at the thought of a classroom
full of delinquent upstarts and a rule against corporal punishment.

�Damned if
I know.� His dark eye roamed the room searching for the server and his smirk
grew and his interest sparked as he spotted her.

�There are
a few perks.� He continued to the other man.

Zabuza
frowned slightly and twisted to look over his shoulder at him only to spot the
reason for the comment.

�Aha, so
you�re interested in her too.� Zabuza smirked.

�Hardly,
but she is entertaining.� Kakashi responded, a slight darkness to his tone.

Haruno
brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she walked over to the
counter to grab the fresher carafe of coffee then turned to head to the newly occupied
table. She froze and her eyes narrowed as she spotted the new customer. {Oh
great, just what I needed right now�} she thought surlily before forcing
her feet forward.

�Sakura-chan!
What a pleasant surprise.� Kakashi said fakely as she grew close.

Haruno
forced a sweet smile onto her lips and resisted the urge to grab a kunai from
the pouch strapped to her thigh under her skirt and carve out his good eye.

�Kakashi-kun,
what brings you to this part of town?� she asked in a dark voice that contrasted
her kind expression.

�Just out
for a walk, got a craving for some coffee.� He answered her, his own voice
deceptively light as his mind switched back to teacher mode.

�Sucks to
be you then, this is the worst coffee you�ll ever drink.� She responded, her
false smile dropped as she allowed her eyes to narrow in distaste and turned
his mug over to fill it.

�Now now
Sakura-chan, that�s not something you should tell a customer.� Kakashi
reprimanded her sarcastically.

She curled
her lip at him but she resisted the urge to snarl.

�Is that
all?� she asked rudely.

�For now,
thank you.� He told her. �Sakura-chan.� He added just as she started to turn.

She
clenched her empty hand into a fist and her eyes narrowed dangerously but she
did nothing, deciding now was one of those times when she should just walk
away.

She growled
low in her throat as she walked back to the counter. That bastard was taunting
her.

Kakashi
chuckled a little, he�d have to remember this place so that he could come back
and torment her some more. It was sadistically fun to watch her rise to his
bait each time but be unable to respond.

�Hmph,
perks are that you get to play with your students? Not good enough for me.�
Zabuza told him as they watched the pink haired girl walk away.

�Well, to
each their own, ne?� Kakashi responded lightly as he pulled down his turtleneck
and brought the once white mug to his lips.

lasslass=MsoNormal>The corners
of his mouth pulled down in distaste. She was right; this was the worst coffee
he�d ever had. He glared across the shop at her; she smirked back at him. Damn
her for getting the better of him after all.

He sighed
and grabbed the sugar and attempted to pour a generous amount into the cup.
Unfortunately though, the sugar was stale and so didn�t pour.

He set the
sugar down with a shrug and drank the coffee anywaabuzabuza shook his head and
turned back to the still full mug of coffee in front of him.

He wasn�t
going to drink it. He never drank it. It was just his excuse to come and try to
persuade Haruno.

The small
bell signaled that the door was being opened again and everyone looked up only
to suddenly tense.

There was a
tall man wearing a long black trench coat that hid his body and a wide brimmed
straw hat that obscured his face.

His eyes
searched the room and landed on Haruno.o:p>

�Time to
go.� He said simply, his voice holding a disembodied quality.

There was
an audible breath of relief in the room.

Kakashi
narrowed his eyes.
She pushed
away from the door and walked over to the door that led to her bedroom. She
opened it and stepped in. Not bothering with the light, she slipped off her
coat, throwing it onto a chair in the corner and then preceded to strip off her
faded work uniform that she threw into the laundry hamper along with the rest
of the clothing she�d been wearing.

She pulled
a worn, now gray robe over her shoulders, cinching it loosely as the waist
before moving into the bathroom.

There was
some stubborn mold in the ceiling corners, the mirror and ceramic of the room
was stained and cracked. The bathtub leaked and the shower didn�t work.

But at
least there was hot water.

She walked
to the tub and turned the hot water knob then set the plug, allowing the
scalding water to pool within the ceramic container.

She left
the room as the water poured and went to the antique kitchenette and set about
making a pot of coffee. She wouldn�t drink the stuff herself but Kisame had
said he�d be home soon and he always liked having coffee ready for him.

That done,
she went back to the bathroom. The bathtub was almost full now so she slipped
off her robe and stepped into the scalding water, hissing slightly at the shock
as the heat connected with her skin. But her body adjusted quickly, she was
used to it. Here the water was either scalding hot or ice cold, there was no in
between.

She lay
down, letting the heat wash over her as she sank into the liquid. She waited
for a few more moments as the water continued to pour then turned off the tap
as the tub was finally filled.

It was
quiet. The silence of the apartment marred only by the light dripping from the
kitchen faucet. It never closed properly.

Haruno
sighed and let her body slip deeper and deeper into the water until she was
completely submerged.

She loved
the weightlessness of her body and the watery echo in her ears.

She opened
her eyes. She loved looking through water; it finally justified her skewed
vision of the world. She lay perfectly still, holding her breath for as long as
she could.

The top of
the water started to ripple. Something was moving outside the room.

She smiled
slightly and allowed herself to float to the surface, raising her hands to
smooth her hair away from her face and wipe the water from her eyes.
She looked
to the doorway. He looked back at her with his one good, blood red eye.

As she watched,
the red faded as he deactivated his almost constant sharingan and his eye
returned to black.

�Welcome
home.� She said softly to him, smiling gently.

He pushed
away from the doorway and began to slowly and stiffly strip off his clothing as
she watched him silently.

She loved
watching him; he was the only thing she felt she saw clearly. He was beautiful.
He pulled his black shirt off, loosening the tie that held back his long black
hair. The loosened strands shadowed his face, obscuring his features slightly.
But it didn�t matter seeing as she already had them memorized, right down to
the precise course of the long red scar that ran over his left eye socket. He
was well muscled, she loved the way they rippled smoothly with his every
motion. His skin was heavily flawed, his scars a testament to the hard life he
chose to lead. He never explained his scars.

He pulled
off his pants and she frowned at the long gash that now ran along his right
thigh that had been crudely stitched back together. She knew better than to ask
about it though.

Now as
naked as she, he stepped into the hot water with her, reclining his back to her
chest as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and spread her thighs so
that he could sit between them.

He exhaled
softly as he let the hot water sooth his tense muscles and relished the feel of
her skin to his.

He�d missed
that.

She didn�t
say anything, he didn�t like to talk much and she understood that. She held him
close to her for a moment, letting him know without her words that she�d missed
him and was glad he was back.

Then she
moved her hands to his shoulders, slowly massaging the knots out of the
muscles. He moaned softly in the back of his throat as her hands moved to his
neck.

She smiled
a little to herself; his neck was so sensitive. She brushed his long hair aside
and pressed her lips softly to the nape of his neck as her hands continued
their work on his shoulders.

�How was
school?� he asked her in his expressionless voice as he leaned forward
slightly, giving her better access to the muscles in his upper back.

�It was ok.
Same as always I guess. How was your mission?� she asked, taking her cue from
him.

�Tiring.�
He answered emotionlessly.

�Kisame
took you home and inspected the apartment every day?� he asked her then.

She smiled
a little to herself; he was protective of her.

�Yes he
did.� She answered him.

�We should
get out so I can give you a better massage and take a look at your leg.� She
said softly.

He leaned
back again and her hands slipped over his shoulders and back to his chest,
hugging him to her again.

They sat
like that for a moment until she felt him sigh and pull away to stand up and
step out of the tub. He then reached for her hands and helped her stand then
picked her up and set her on the floor.

�Thank you�
she said as his hands lingered at her waist and she leaned forward and pressed
her lips lightly to his before he pulled away and handed her a towel so that
she could dry off.

~~~

Shikamaru
yawned as sunlight trickled through the window and into his eyes.

He blinked
them open and sat up, still half asleep. He brought his hands up to rub his
eyes as he yawned again. He ked ked his eyes clear and looked at the digital
clock the motel had been kind enough to provide him.

9:30.

He blinked
at it incomprehensively.

9:30�9:30�

His eyes
snapped wide, school started an hour ago!

He leapt
from the bed pulling on his discd shd shirt and shoes, grabbed his backpack and
tore out of the room, tossing a few bills at the counter clerk as he flew by.

~~~

Haruno
slouched in the auditorium chair as she waited for the assembly to commence.

Naruto sat
to her left and Chouji to her right, Shikamaru had been missing this morning.

Naruto
yawned loudly. He still wasn�t used to getting up this early after a summer of
sleeping in until noon everyday.

�Wonder
what the assembly�s for�� Chouji half asked aloud.

�Same thing
it is every year.� Haruno responded. �Welcome back, no hazing the freshmen,
attempt to remember the dreode,ode, etc. etc.�

�I heard
that Gai�s gonna be announcing something too.� Naruto added.

Haruno
recoiled at the thought then shrugged.
S'>
�At least
we�re missing out on Kakashi-kun�s English class.� She stated nonchalantly.

�Yeah,
sometimes its awesome that he hates teaching, every time class is cut in the
least he cancels it all together.� Naruto said with a grin.

�Hey guys,
sorry I�m late. I slept in. What�s going on?� Shikamaru asked as he sat down
beside Chouji.an>

�Just the
upperclassmen assembly. Hatake-sensei cancelled his English class this morning
so Haruno and Naruto had it off. Kurenai didn�t cancel philosophy though so
I�ll pass you my notes later.� Chouji answered him.

�Thanks
man!� Shikamaru said with a grin.

Suddenly
the crowd around them started cheering and they all looked to the stage to see
that Neji, the Student Council President, had come to the front. The assembly
was commencing.

Naruto and
Haruno boo-ed him but were drowned out.

Neji
launched into his pep talk about upcoming school events and other random
student body activities that Haruno didn�t care about so she tuned him out.

The student
council was all introduced; to no ones surprise all the members were part of
Neji�s clique. Grade representative elections were announced, anyone who wanted
to apply were to fill in forms and drop them off at the office�etc. etc.

It was the
same spiel they heard every .
When that
was over, Principal Sandaime came to the front and gave his yearly speech,
welcoming everyone and going over the school ground rules.

Haruno
sighed in boredom as before shoving the now asleep Naruto off her shoulder.

Finally
Sandaime finished and there was much shuffling as students prepared to leave,
seeing as this was when the assembly was usually over. However, this year was a
little unique.

�Students,
please wait! There is one last announcement.� Sandaime said as he shifted on
the stage, leaving room for Gai.

Haruno sat
up slightly and nudged Naruto awake.

�Great,
youthful students! Good news! This summer, while I was preparing my schedule
for the year, I had a brilliant idea! This year, we will be holding a
competition for the whole school that will test both your mental and physical
abilities!� Gai began with his trademark enthusiasm and histrionics.

�Teams of
three will team up with a teacher of their choice to enter in an all out combat
competition! You will test your fighting capabilities as well as your strategic
thinking in an organized tournament. This first semester will be dedicated to
training and will hold several team sparring matches to learn your enemies and
improve yourselves. In the second term, we will hold a huge competition between
all of the teams. The Winning team will receive all As on their report cards
and a guaranteed diploma!� Gai exclaimed.

The auditorium
was on the edge of their seats, if they won the competition, they could slack
off all year and still pass!

�Just
kidding!� Gai said then and laughed uproariously.

The
auditorium sweat dropped.

�That was
the prize I wanted to give but unfortunately, I�m not allowed. So, the Winning
team will receive a full, first year scholarship to whatever post-secondary
educational institute they choose to attend!� Gai continued.

Several
jaws dropped around the room. A full scholarship, those were difficult things
to get around here.

Haruno bit
her lip.

�Registrationartsarts during lunch hour!� Gai finished and with that the assembly was
dismissed and the students made their way to their respective classes.

Haruno,
Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji all made their way to the change rooms beside the
gym.
~~~

Sasuke sat
near the back of the gym benches as he waited for the class to start. Haruno
was still out of reach, as she had been all morning but she was in his sights.

He�d corner
her during the lunch break.

He smirked
darkly to himself.

Everything
was falling into place.

~~~

Haruno
sighed and tried to shake the feeling that she was being watched as she watched
Gai finally walk into the gym and start the class.

�Students!
As you heard earlier at the assembly, this year will be host to a great
competition!� Gai boomed.

The class
muttered a yes and Gai continued.

�I have
decided that this will be a mandatory activity for all members of this Gym
Class!�

The
students looked up, shocked and confused as a murmur rose from their ranks.

Gai held up
his hands for silence.

�Seeing as
you will all be participating in this event, my regular gym class in cancelled.
You will all be using this allocated time block to train for the event.� He
continued.

A murmur rose
again as the class was now intrigued.

�As I said
earlier, the teams will be composed of 3 students and a teacher to train you.
For this class, the teams and teachers have already been assigned.� Gai
continued.

The class
frowned, what if they got a bad team?

�Team 1!�
Gai boomed as he pulled out a list.

�Students:
Rock Lee! Hyuuga Neji! Tenten! Teacher: Maito Gai!� He announced.

Lee and
Tenten cheered for respective reasons.

�Please
wait here until all the teams have been announced.� Gai told the trio.

�Team 2!�
Gai continued. The students were named and their teacher, seeing as he didn�t
have to teach this period, took the trio and set about training them
immediately.

And the
list continued. Gai seemed to have managed to enlist every teacher that had a
spare for second period to coach on of the teams.

�Team 7!�
Gai shouted as the still remaining students yawned and waited.

�Uzumaki
Naruto! Uchiha Sasuke! Haruno Sakura!� he called out.

Naruto
cheered, he was with Haruno.

Sasuke
smirked, he couldn�t have planned it better himself.

Haruno
remained impassive, waiting for the fourth member to be announced.

�Teacher:
Hatake Kakashi!� Gai continued.

Haruno
barely resisted her snarl.

Kakashi�s
eyes widened slightly from the side room wher�d b�d been waiting. He was going
to throttle Gai for this.

Kurenai
shoved him out the door and into the gym.

The three
students stood and walked over to him.

Kakashi
watched them approach, using the few seconds to compose himself.

�Let�s go
outside.� He told them as the three reached him and turned to head for the
door.

Surprisingly,
Haruno didn�t give him any lip and fell into step behind him, as did Sasuke and
Naruto.

~~~

�So��
Kakashi began awkwardly.

They were
sitting under one of the few trees in the schoolyard near the racetrack.

He honestly
had no idea what to do or say, he�d only found out at the assembly what it was
he�d volunteered to do and so had had no time to prep.

Haruno
watched him with her hard, narrowed green eyes.

He resisted
the urge to narrow his eyes back at her.

�The first
step to working in a team, is knowing your teammates. So lets start with some
introductions.� He said eventually, deciding that this would be an appropriate
starting point.

The three
looked at him blankly.

�Anyone
want to start?� he asked then, a little unnerved by their lack of reaction.

�How about
you start?� Haruno said archly.

He lifted
an eyebrow at her.

�Ok�well,
my name is Hatake Kakashi�I have a few hobbies but I don�t feel like getting
into those�I have several likes and dislikes but I don�t really want to share
them�I have a few goals�so yeah�How about you Naruto?� he asked.

Haruno
glared at him, he hadn�t actually told them anything.

�My name is
Uzumaki Naruto!� the blonde said brightly. �I really like instant ramen! I
really hate waiting the three minutes it takes for the ramen to cook. As for
hobbies�I dunno, sleep if you can call that a hobby!� He said with a laugh. �My
goal is to become a professional race car driver!� he finished with his trademark
foxy grin.

Kakashi
smiled slightly under the upraised material of his turtleneck shirt. Maybe
having Naruto around would help lighten the tension between he and Sakura-chan.

He nodded
to Naruto then looked expectantly at Haruno.

�My name is
Haruno. I like being left alone and beating people up. I hate being called
Sakura, especially Sakura-chan, and I hate pompous people. I don�t have time
for hobbies. My goal is to get as far away from here as possible as soon as I
can and never return� She said in her hard voice.

Kakashi
sweat dropped slightly then turned to look at Sasuke.

He sighed.

�My name is
Uchiha Sasuke. Likes�Dislikes�Hobbies�I don�t really bother with them. My
goal�well, it�s a little too dark to share here.� He answered cryptically with
a dark look.

The other
three looked at him warily.

Kakashi
coughed slightly, unable to think of a response to that.

Thankfully,
the lunch bell rang then and he let out a sigh of relief.

�Well, that�s enough for today. So, we�ll meet tomorrow and start some training I guess. Oh yeah, don�t eat breakfast tomorrow, you�ll get sick during training.� He said as he stood up.

�Ok, see
you then sensei!� Naruto called out to him as he walked away.

Kakashi
raised a hand in a half-hearted wave.

Haruno
moved to where Kakashi had been sitting and reclined against the tree�s trunk,
mentally cursing him for taking the good spot before she could earlier.

The three
sat in silence for a minute before it started to get awkward and Naruto and
Haruno looked at Sasuke, both mentally wondering why he was still here.

Sasuke was
going to ignore them and stay right where he was but then he spotted Neji
walking towards him and remembered that he was supposed to eat lunch with him
and his crew today.

Internally
grimacing he stood and walked towards the advancing Hyuuga prot�g� and headed
to the cafeteria with him.

�What a
psycho, ne Haruno?� Naruto said as he watched Uchiha walk away.

�Yeah,
there�s something off about him�� she responded idly as she watched him leave.
Somehow he seemed familiar.

�I can�t
believe we�re stuck with her or all people!� Shikamaru complained loudly as he
and Chouji walked over to Haruno and Naruto.

�Stuck with
who?� Naruto asked them as the pair sat down on the grass with them.

�That
loudmouth Yamanaka Ino!� Shikamaru told them.

Haruno and
Naruto laughed at them.

�At least
we�re with Asuma-sensei though, right Shikamaru?� Chouji said.

�Yeah, at
least this way Ino Ino who�s the odd one out, not us.� Shikamaru answered.

�Well,
there are worse things than Ino.� Haruno told them as she stared up at the sky
through the green leaves of the tree.
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Hindsight's 20/20