Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I had this idea the other day after reading HPMOR and thought it would be an interesting exercise to try. This isn't a rational fic, there's no way I'm clever enough for that.

Update: I started writing this story when I was 15, and by now my writing style has changed enough that the difference is noticeable. So, to keep things consistent, I decided to go back and rewrite the earlier chapters to fix their grammar and tweak the style slightly : ) I'll add some stuff to flesh out interactions and reduce the awkwardness of dialogue, but the overall plot won't be changed, so don't worry.

Classroom, Academy, Konoha:

"Team 7 will consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka read out from the scroll, anticipating some sort of extreme reaction but was pleasantly surprised. There was an utter lack of surprise and expectation among the boys in the audience, many of them rolling their eyes.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked at Naruto, leaning back on his back chair legs to face the blond upside down. "We're stuck together for a bit longer it seems."

"I don't know why I thought I could get rid of you in another team." Naruto returned with a trace of amusement, blurring a pen between his fingers. "It's good to dream, I suppose."

The third named team member shot both of them looks from under her pink hair.

"Sakura-chan, was it?" Naruto turned to face her. He smiled suddenly and his face seemed to light up, "It's very nice to meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you too." Sakura greeted somewhat hesitantly. It was evident that the other two members already knew each other, so she was the only stranger. This was only to be expected, they had gone through the Academy in the same section. Would this turn into a repeat of her Academy class again? With her being left out as everyone knew and laughed with each other? She knotted her fingers together to stop herself from fidgeting in nervousness.

Sasuke raised a hand silently in greeting, inclining his head ever so slightly. Despite his laid back attitude, it would be a mistake to think him lazy. He had gone over everything he had noticed about the stranger twice already, scanning her head to toe discreetly to pick out her mannerisms. The split class system at the Academy meant that he didn't know about her existence at all, apart from a few glimpses in the training yard with a gulf between them. She didn't seem too bad- quiet, but that was to be expected; polite enough so far…then again, he hadn't spoken to any girls other than Rin for years. He had no idea how this was going to turn out.

Iruka kept an eye on all the teams that moved to sit by each other. This year was the first test run of a radical new approach suggested by Jonin Nohara. She felt that educating children to become shinobi at such a young age should be revised so that the boys and girls trained separately until it was time to graduate. Iruka agreed wholeheartedly. The girls often hit puberty first and so the hormonal mix the Academy could become was a disaster for potential kunoichi. This way, the future kunoichi would have a more focused education without becoming 'useless fan girls' as Jonin Nohara argued. The boys also had a noticeable performance increase when they were busy competing with each other for pride instead of attention.

It seemed to be working so far, Iruka noted critically. The girls were focused and quiet, and already he could see them checking out the boys' section not as romantic targets, but as competition.

He smiled slightly, before rolling up the scrolls. "Your Jonin senseis will be around to pick you up after lunch. Dismissed."

Naruto stretched lazily in his seat, "Hey, what do you say to have lunch with us, Sakura-chan? Sasuke and I know each other well, so it'll be a good chance to include you in our team."

She nodded and slowly got up from her seat. "Got any ideas where?" She hadn't missed that he had called himself and Sasuke a 'team'. It had been a minute and already, Sakura was an outsider. She couldn't feel her fingers with how tightly she was gripping the back of her chair.

"No." Sasuke interrupted almost immediately. She turned to look at the attractive dark-haired boy who was sending her an amused look, "First thing to learn, never let Naruto pick where to eat." He slammed his hands on the table, pushed himself up, and stretched his arms above his head. "You pick." The offer was casual.

"Umm." Sakura thought for a second. In the background, Naruto snapped at Sasuke- something about ramen but she didn't listen, "What about Yoshinobikaru's?"

"Sure." Sasuke shrugged and moved towards the door, falling conspicuously into the leader's role with long-standing ease. She got a distinct impression that the boy didn't care where they went.

Sakura turned slightly, just in time to see Naruto send her a carefully measured look.

"Problem?" She asked lightly, her lips like lead. Her satchel felt like an iron band across her chest.

"You're civilian-born, aren't you?" The blond boy smiled strangely, fiddling with the ends of his hair. The other teams filtered out, a cacophony of greetings and friendly chit chat. Was it only Sakura who felt incredibly out of place? In this team with the boys who looked at her like they saw through her? The sound of cicadas went straight through her head like it was filled with cotton.

She frowned, "What of it?" Was it that obvious? She had barely said anything. The clans had a prejudice against her kind but she had been hoping to avoid it or have it mitigated by the clan children's long term exposure to civilian born children.

Naruto laughed, "Nothing! Maa, it's perfectly fine by me. It's just odd to see a girl talking normally to Sasuke."

She blinked. …Because of his face? Or was there something else she didn't know?

He grinned and it reminded Sakura powerfully of a fox, then strode past her. "Come on." He called back cheerfully, "We're going to be late. I want to catch the lunch hour deal."

….#########################...

Yoshinobikaru, Restaurant Quarter, Konoha:

The food was welcomingly hot and Sakura blew on it to cool it down.

"Sasuke." Naruto stabbed his food warningly, smiling.

Sasuke paused in the mixing of his food. "Hm? Oh, right. I guess we can do it now." He placed his chopsticks down, "First thing you have to know is that we're an odd team." He spoke to Sakura quite bluntly, "Naruto and I weren't meant to be on the same team, period. And there's a bunch of other issues so basically, this team is going to be under a lot of scrutiny to make sure we're up to standards."

"Why?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Naruto coughed and it sounded suspiciously like 'bastards'. "Because he's an Uchiha." He pointed with his chopsticks but Sasuke didn't seem to mind, "And I have a really unstable kekkei genkai. Putting us together is a recipe for either overkill or self-destruction when our bloodlines interact." He chewed on his food, "Sorry to say this, but you were put on here to try and balance us out. You weren't put here out of consideration for what was going to be best for you, but what would be best for us."

"Just so you don't go into this with the wrong idea." Sasuke continued idly, snapping his chopsticks together.

Sakura's grip nearly snapped her chopsticks. "Your point is?" She breathed.

"Ah…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Don't take it like that, we don't like it either. But you have to be careful, if you feel like you're being ignored or overlooked it's because you are." He looked at her seriously over the top of his food. "Our sensei can't help it, it's not his fault and it's not yours either."

Sakura's chopsticks creaked in her hands. So, she had been moved from a class of thirty to a team of three and she would still be ignored. Being told it wasn't her fault for something which decidedly wasn't her fault rankled her. Did they expect her to fill the gap on the team? For how long? Why her? She had done nothing to deserve this slight.

"What- are you two prodigies in the making?" She snapped. "And you know who our sensei is, already?"

"Yes." Sasuke picked up a rice ball with his chopsticks, staring at it thoughtfully. "We are." He chewed on it and swirled the soup, "There's only one possible candidate for our sensei." He spoke calmly.

She stared at him. Surely, he knew that she was asking for the name if he knew who it was going to be.

"My cousin; Uchiha Obito." He answered easily after catching her look.

"Because he can help you the most." She replied bitterly. She knew the world wasn't fair but she would have liked to pretend it was for a little longer at least. "What's so special about you?"

Sasuke looked at her with hooded eyes but didn't answer. It was rich that he didn't like her reaction and had the gall to let it show when she had been just been told that her sensei would be blinded by her teammates and leave her in the shadow.

Naruto looked at her in pity, and hate turned her food to oily ash. If she had known she was going to ruin her memory of this restaurant, she would have chosen to go to a different one. "Obito's a good guy. Honestly, he'll do his best by you, Sakura-chan. But…"

"He'll focus more on you." Sakura's chopsticks shattered in her hands and she calmly picked up another set. Sasuke slanted the broken pieces an arched eyebrow. "Because to him, I'm the place holder in the team to make it even out."

"Pretty much." The dark-haired boy agreed callously. "It's good that you get it."

"Sasuke." Naruto snapped. "There is enormous pressure on this team and you are not helping."

The Uchiha sent Naruto such a done look that for a second, she lost her place in the conversation. "Let's not pretend this is what it isn't. It'll do her no favours."

"Pressure?" Sakura asked, tightly.

"Our kekkei genkai are legendary." Naruto explained, finger tapping a quick tune on the wood, "I'm the last of mine and Sasuke's one of three who holds his. On top of that, my reputation around the village isn't that great. The Hokage himself is interested in this team, we're going to be under scrutiny… from…I'd say, from all the Jonin to ANBU at least. They want to make sure nothing goes wrong and to make sure-"

"We're shaping up to be good little soldiers." Sasuke cut in, a bitter note gracing his tone. "So, I hope for your sake that you have a skill you can exploit. Or you'll be eaten alive. You topped your section, didn't you? You must have something."

Her head snapped up, how had he known that? At her reaction, the corner of his mouth twitched in mild disdain: "I..."

Sasuke looked at her pityingly, as if he was already choosing the flowers to place at her grave marker. "Let me give you some advice, Sakura-san-is Sakura-san fine?" He waited for her to nod before continuing, "You have none of any experience, nor bloodline, nor a clan. You need anything to be your strength." He leaned forward, "I topped my section. Naruto might have given me competition if he had bothered to show up. Nothing makes you indispensable so far. I urge you; I highly urge you to change that. If you remain a piece on the board, you'll be taken out sooner or later and perhaps not by the enemy."

She could feel her heartbeat in her throat, unstable as a bird with a broken wing. "I'll be kicked out if I don't match you?"

He shrugged. It was easy to be cold when it didn't concern him, Sakura thought, furious. "The weak spot gives way first. I'm not trying to be cruel.-"

Naruto cut in before Sakura, in her baffled anger, lost her grip. "Don't listen to him too much. He's very used to working around other people." He gazed at her thoughtfully. "From now on, we are a team regardless of our circumstances. You can count on us if we can count on you. If you need help, one of us will do our best to make sure you get it. It's not…you won't…you won't be alone, that's what I'm trying to say." He might have kicked Sasuke under the table because the Uchiha chose that moment to voice a very bland agreement.

Sakura didn't know which approach she hated more.

"We're not happy with this either." Naruto clicked his chopsticks together, "Do you think we don't know it's unfair? But there's nothing we can do, somehow, Sasuke and I ended up together and you were chosen to join us."

She would like to have a long chat with the person who organised the teams. Fine, they put two prodigies together, that was fine, she could handle that, but they had to make sure that their sensei was a blood relation of someone in the team? Wasn't that a recipe for favouritism?

"How do you two know each other?" Sakura just about resisted the urge to sink her face into her hands. The abrupt change in tone caught Naruto off guard.

The boys exchanged a lightning-quick glance, barely a flicker of their eyes towards the other.

"We were adopted by the same person," Sasuke said flatly. "Obito."

"Our sensei." She clarified, and the slow burn of fury simmered hotter. What was that thought about favouritism again? This person would have to be a saint to make sure the team was balanced. None of them had the shamelessness to meet her eyes; Naruto smiled at the countertop, thin and strained, while Sasuke's bored impassive gaze out of the window gave nothing away.

"Whatever." She muttered, draining her soup, and standing up. "I'll see you back in the classroom."

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's chair came crashing back to four legs. "You're done?"

"Just let her go," Sasuke interjected coolly. "Don't make her wait for us." He still had half of his rice left, the boy refusing to eat and talk simultaneously. The way he held his glass reminded her of a toast, "Welcome to the team, Sakura-san." It was somehow mocking and bitter at the same time, the boy's smirk too sharp to be anything genuine.

…..#######################...

Classroom, Academy, Konoha:

She sat stiffly back in the classroom, waiting for their Jonin sensei… this mysterious Obito. Would he have the grace to look her in the eye and explain what he would be doing? Dark, dry hilarity bubbled in her throat. She snuck a glance at the two boys on either side of her and true to their words, they had given everyone else in the classroom a pretence of including her in their tight unit. Sakura could spy the incredulous glances. The murmured question of how Sakura had stepped into their lonely dance and done it so quickly.

Ami had tried to make trouble for her, instigating Sasuke in the deal, but Naruto had shut the girl down so quickly that even Sakura had felt the ringing verbal slap. This charade of false warmth left a bad taste in her mouth.

One by one, the Jonin filtered in and took away their teams. Ino walked away with a muscular Jonin with a triangular goatee and kind eyes, trailed by two boys Sakura didn't know. "Shikamaru and Choji." Sasuke said simply behind her and she bit back the urge to tell him that she hadn't asked, in favour of a 'thank you'.

"Sasuke, Naruto." A softly beautiful woman with brown hair and purple stripes on her cheeks smiled at the boys. They waved back, thawing slightly. Then, she turned to face the rest of the classroom and her smile grew colder, "Team 8, line up."

Hinata, two boys and a dog hurried to the front, instinctively wary of the sudden commanding tone from the gentle-looking woman. Sakura got the distinct impression that when the woman gave an order, she expected it to be obeyed without fail. You didn't get that kind of authoritative confidence by accident.

"Good." The woman mused and for the first time, they heard about the existence of the secondary graduation test, "If you can save three lives by sundown, I'll take you on as my students. If not…" Her eyes darkened, "You'll be sent back to the Academy in disgrace."

Naruto huffed in laughter next to her and even Sasuke smirked. In contrast, Team 8 was decidedly pale.

"She's going easy on them," Naruto explained to her in an undertone. "Note that she didn't specify what kind of lives they had to save." Sakura nodded, kicking herself for not noticing it, too distracted by the tangent of what their test could be.

"Who are you, lady?" The boy with the parka asked suspiciously, his dog gambolling around his feet "How do we know if you're the right person?"

The woman's smile gained a pleased edge. The boy was the first to ask instead of trotting after a stranger without question. "My name is Nohara Rin." She said it sternly, but she flipped out a basic identification card from her wallet all the same and let the genin inspect it for authenticity. "Jonin of Konohagakure. Now get going, genin, you've lost five minutes already."

Notably, she didn't ask for their names or identification. She must have already known, Sakura realised. Team 8 rushed out of the room. Rin changed gears to focus on Team 7 and placed a slender hand on Naruto's desk.

"Don't worry, he won't be late." Her eyes flashed dangerously, "If he is, tell me and I'll sort it out."

"Sure." Sasuke answered lazily, the faintest smile softening his severe resting expression, "Is that him I hear now?"

Indeed, a cheerful whistling could be heard getting closer and closer.

"I believe it is." The woman straightened.

The door flew open with a bang as the person, on the other side, kicked it hard. However, the hinges couldn't take that sort of strain and they gave, the door collapsing to the floor with an almighty crash.

A tall handsome man stood in the doorway. He smiled widely at the staring children and raised a hand.

"Yo. Sorry, I'm late; some kid had her balloon stuck in a tree. My bitty genin team here? Ah, Rin-chan…! Which of these babies are yours?" The man swaggered forward, obviously exaggerating for fun. Sakura didn't notice him pick up the door but it was back in its place when she blinked at it.

Rin shot him a very unimpressed look. "Obito, you're here to guide the 'babies' to becoming shinobi. Don't you remember what it was like being them?"

"Oh, it feels like yesterday." The man mused in nostalgia. "You and I sitting at the benches, waiting for our names to be called. You wouldn't tell me your name; you were so nervous. But I knew better, of course, it was part of your devilish plan to make me call you 'cute' for longer."

Rin rolled her eyes, grinning despite herself. Obito's laugh was contagious. The room stared at their easy camaraderie, relaxing ever so slightly.

The man, Obito, was obviously Sasuke's cousin. They shared the same aristocratic bone structure and spiky black hair, but Obito's movements sang of lethal grace, equally as confident and self-assured as his team-mate. The man carried no shuriken pouch, his vest half-hidden by an open greenish-grey silk haori. Black swirls and writing started at his wrists and continued up his arms, but they had the sheen of freshly ground ink instead of the dull veneer of tattoos. A copper stud glinted in his left ear.

The thing throwing Sakura off the most, however, was the sheer difference in the cousins' attitudes.

"I missed your team, didn't I?" Obito was sighing. "Pity."

"They're not my team yet." Rin corrected, tucking her hands into her drooping sleeves. "Speaking of which, I need to go stalk them for a bit and make sure they don't accidentally kill someone with faulty medical skills."

The adult Uchiha waved a hand in dismissal. "I'll catch you later, then. Introduce them to me when they pass." He laughed at her grimace and looked around until his eyes locked onto their trio. His grin broadened and he crossed the distance between in a few loping strides.

"Team 7?" He asked rhetorically and then barrelled on before any of them answered. Of course, he knew. How could he not know. "Meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow morning at …say 6. I'm frankly too busy today to test you, so I'll do it tomorrow." He smiled down at the three of them as if he had not admitted to blowing them off for hours.

"Sasuke, Naruto; legally, you can't come home tonight." He changed track just as fast, talking to the boys who blinked in surprise, "You can't live with an untested Sensei, it's an actual rule." He sighed dramatically, "It's very troublesome, so just camp together at your third member's house, kay?" He bent suddenly so that his face was level with Sakura's. "Hello!" His greeting was bright and cheerful, "I'm Uchiha Obito, your new sensei and Jonin extraordinaire, these two will fill you in about me, take everything with a grain of salt and remember if you're late because you're helping an old woman cross the street, it's all fine." He grinned slyly at her then straightened to his full height.

"I'll be off, kids, remember Training Ground 7 at 6. Ta ra." He wriggled his fingers, ruffled all their hair once, and was gone in a poof of smoke.

None of them even had the chance to open their mouths.

Naruto and Sasuke rolled their eyes, obviously used to the whirlwind named Uchiha Obito.

Sakura didn't know what to think. She had expected to be ignored or overlooked and had built her defences accordingly, but the man hadn't bothered with any of them.

"Is he always like this?" She asked in slight awe.

"Yup," Naruto confirmed, taking the clipboard to scribble down that Team 7 had met with their sensei. His handwriting was neater than what she had expected from such an energetic boy. He rifled through the signatures and names, humming slightly. "Like living with a tempest."

"Do you want to know why he's blowing us off tonight?" Sasuke spoke in disgust, just loud enough to be heard, "He's taking advantage of the law which says we can't come home tonight." Some heads turned and the last few Jonin had filtered in, so that was probably not the best thing to say just then. "We'll have to inconvenience you, Sakura-san. Let us know how we can help." He took the sheet of names and teams from Naruto and glanced at it, scanning it over once.

Sakura thought about that for a second, then went red.

Naruto laughed at her face. "Obito's great." He said fondly, "But anyway, do you mind us staying the night? We can always camp out in a training field if it's a hassle. We don't mind." Sasuke nodded mildly.

She shook her head, still in shock from her new sensei, seeping anger tempered with disorientation. "No it's fine, as you said- we're a team now. You both live with him?" Ah, they had said, hadn't they? They had both been adopted by him. Were Naruto and Sasuke related? They didn't look it.

Sasuke nodded, "He's the only member of the family I can stand." There was dark irony in his tone but she couldn't quite place why.

"He took me in after I was orphaned." Naruto explained, "Apparently, he knew my mum and that was enough for him. If it weren't for him, I don't know what would have happened to me. I'd probably have ended up in some training program somewhere." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "You'll really like him." Sakura had many, many doubts about this team, but the genuine trust in Naruto's voice alleviated the worst of her concerns about the sensei or now.

….###########################...

Byrne Park, Civilian District, Konoha:

"I don't have enough food in the house for four, so I'm going to head to the market first." Sakura did a mental tally of the fridge.

Naruto winced and even Sasuke looked mildly apologetic. "We'll help you." The blond pulled at his fingers. What strange people- they had shown more concern over inconveniencing her for dinner than the fact her position on the team was dangerously volatile.

During their walk, she got a better handle on their personalities. Sasuke, ever quiet, with the rare word and rarer smile, and Naruto, who talked more than enough to fill the gap. Whatever question she had, one of them responded, though Naruto fielded most of them. The sun was setting and dusk painted the cobblestones in the park a bright fiery orange. Dark trees shivered on the horizon, sharp slices illuminated of the houses and shops in crisp, autumn colours. Sakura loved the village during this time. This strange intermediatory between the shinobi and civilian districts, at a time when the nin grew more active and the civilians grew quieter- there was something just so eerie to walking the boundary at dusk.

Whispers followed them. When they crossed into the civilian district proper, eyes locked on and refused to look away. Sakura was very confused, the startled strangers didn't seem to know whether to be happy or disconcerted, fidgeting in place before rushing off. The Uchiha, she overheard a mother with her child hiss to her friend. Uzumaki. She walked this path every other day, what was going on?

Sasuke coughed, "Naruto, we don't have a change of clothes or toothbrushes. I don't care how you do it but break into the house and get our sleeping kits. I'll help Sakura-san with food shopping."

Naruto, who had lost his volume directly proportionally to the number of steps he had taken into the other district, nodded.

"It'll be easier on you if he gets the sleeping bags." Sasuke told her, unconcerned, "There's no need to haul the visitor futons out for a one-night event. Where should he meet us when we're done?"

She gave him the address and the boy ran off.

"You don't mind, do you." Sasuke's courtesy was an impenetrable wall, there was no way for her to object even if she did mind. Left alone, Sakura wondered if she cared enough to salvage a conversation, she didn't think either of them was the type to talk without being prompted first.

But it went better than she had anticipated, Sasuke looking around with some vague interest and asking questions about imported goods at the supermarket. She had never seen him outside of the strictly maintained Academy so the persistent female presence following them took her by surprise. The Uchiha just maintained selective blindness, offering to hold the basket while inspecting the beetroots on her behalf.

"I can hold it." Sakura had no wish to enrage the twittering crowd.

"Shallow, aren't they?" Sasuke remarked in a low undertone, perfectly casual as if he was commenting on the weather. "If Naruto were here, they wouldn't dare do this." At her questioning look, he smirked and tossed her the vegetable. "They're primarily a me problem, if they give you trouble, tell me. I don't stand for that kind of behaviour. Don't mind it if I don't accompany you to such areas in the future."

She furrowed her forehead, "This is beyond any simple crush at first sight."

He snickered, the first laugh she had heard from him since they had met. "I'm the heir to the Uchiha, Sakura-san. A Founding heir. Obito holds a great deal in trust for me until I make Chunin. People need far less to decide that it's worth it. He…he cracks down hard on any adult who tries to take advantage of my political naivety and Naruto keeps away all of the leeches; it's the first time in a while that it's been this intense for me too."

"One of the pressures you mentioned?"

He nodded, dark eyes hooded. "Mm-hm. Do you need tuna, it's on sale." They strolled down the ice aisle, skimming through the fish.

"No." She tilted her head, "Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?"

His gaze rested on her for a long time, unreadable and polite, cold in a way that only strict courtesy could be. "As I said." He repeated. "You shouldn't have to deal with it too often."

At the payment till both of them reached for their wallets simultaneously.

"No." She said incredulously, "You're my guests. You don't pay for these."

"We're intruding and forcing you to take on extra effort and expenditure." Sasuke pointed out. "I'll take it off Obito later."

"Put that away. It's your first time visiting my home." Sakura snapped and shoved the notes into the stunned shop keep's hand. "To me." She said, pointedly, catching the man before he moved to hand the bagged purchases to Sasuke. "I bought them."

Sasuke tucked away his wallet with a wry shrug. "I can carry one, you realise? I'm hardly about to run off with it."

They had nearly left, when a girl from the giggling group following them came up to Sasuke. He had been helping her rebalance the bags' weight so it was easier for them to carry and was forced to acknowledge the stranger's presence.

"Can we help you?" Sakura thought it only fair to help the boy out.

"Do you want to join us?" The girl with the chrome eyeliner asked Sasuke, "Ami's dad is letting us use the house for a party for the night. You'd be more than welcome."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke sounded unusually pleasant and Sakura didn't need to be Naruto to recognise the signs of irritation creasing the corner of his eyes.

"I thought you looked alone." The girl explained, leaning on the bagging table next to Sasuke. "So I thought I'd come chat. Shopping's not your thing, is it? Why would it be? I bet you're used to the more exciting stuff."

Sasuke let out a quiet insulting laugh. Sakura didn't bother to get offended, he seemed like he had it in hand.

"I don't need your condescending words about me looking lonely." He said, perfectly comfortably, tying the knot to hold the bag and passing it to her. "I'm with my teammate and I will thank you if you could avoid interrupting." His eyes pinned the girl to her spot. "Take your insincere offer and leave."

"I am serious!" The girl protested immediately, hand hovering over her chest, a bit of red leaking into her cheeks.

"Hmm." Sasuke smiled thinly, returning his attention to the last bag. The girl's cheeks blazed at that mocking dismissal.

"Who do you think you are?" She hissed, hair falling over one eye, hands on hips. "To talk to me in such a way? How dare you?"

"Shut up," Sasuke said flatly, apparently losing patience. "You don't get to act so righteously after wilfully ignoring my teammate's presence. Now, leave, you're distracting me."

The combination of his withering glare and her amused look broke the girl's resolve and she stomped away with a last, dark glare.

"I guess you can take one." Sakura relented and he glanced at her, irritation bleeding away to leave a neutral mask behind. It wasn't very team-like to treat him as a strict guest, and if he insisted on keeping up pretences in public, she should do the same.

…..###########################...

Sakura's House, Civilian District, Konoha:

They picked up Naruto perched in the birch at her street corner.

"Mum." She called out, pushing the door open, "We have guests."

There was no reply; she beckoned for Naruto and Sasuke to come in and shut the door behind them.

Naruto peered around curiously, while Sasuke shut the door to the silent house with a click.

"No one home?" There was a strange sympathy in his voice. He knew what it meant to have no one home to celebrate when a child graduated.

"It doesn't matter." Sakura replied shortly, "Come in, I'll cook something up."

Instead, Naruto steered her towards her own dining room. "Nope." He chirped, "We can't impose that much, Sasuke's had his chance to help you out, leave the cooking to me!" Sasuke didn't say anything so she assumed that wasn't another rule she had to watch out for with Naruto.

"Henge socks, Naruto," Sasuke said from behind them, evenly. "You don't have the footwear for another person's house." With an embarrassed expression, Naruto did so.

"If you're the cook, why didn't you stay with me to buy food and Uchiha-san go to get the sleeping kits?" She asked in confusion, "Wouldn't it have helped?"

Both of them winced.

"Sasuke is fine." Sasuke said, hands in pockets, "And it's because…if Naruto went shopping with you, you'd have ended up buying nothing but ramen ingredients." The blond sent him a wronged look but didn't refute the point.

Sasuke swivelled on his heel, seemingly taking in the decorated room. It was very cluttered; books, vases, pens, and paper piling up on the sides. Pictures of abstract colours dotted the walls and on one wall, an enormous swooping bookshelf took up the entire space. A creaking dining table was in the middle with calligraphy pens and ink pots strewn over the surface, and every so often the clock on the wall would click oddly.

She had thought that he would feel uncomfortable with the silent house but he settled right in, perching on a chair. Naruto disappeared into the kitchen, chatting small talk and she pointed out where most of the things were.

"Why did you want to become a kunoichi, Sakura-san?" Sasuke asked with his eyes closed.

She flicked a look over her shoulder, "Just Sakura is fine. I'd rather not be the lower class citizen in a ninja village." She replied simply.

He smirked slightly.

"You?"

"It's a family thing." He shrugged easily, "Got to knock Obito on his ass sooner or later."

She half-smiled; it was clear the dark-haired boy was making an effort. "Naruto?"

The blond boy poked his head out of the kitchen, "Oh, I want to be Hokage." Then, he promptly disappeared to the sound of clashing pans. "No siblings, Sakura-chan?"

"Just me, I'm afraid," Sakura said quietly. It seemed rather crass to ask if they had siblings when they had been adopted by a cousin.

Sasuke looked around the room, "Is it usually like this? Or is your graduation day just special?" He asked lightly. His eyes lingered on the shelf of fake plants, the boy clambering off to feel the plastic leaves between his fingers. She didn't blame him, fake plants in the Village renowned for its trees was startling on first look to anyone. The silk flowers she had made with her parents were still in place, a glorious bouquet of peonies and dahlias.

Sakura sighed, "She doesn't like shinobi. That's all, it's nothing major. She's not in right now, she'll be back when she's back." Sasuke's slight smile didn't reach his hooded eyes.

"Family first." He didn't say it loudly but she heard it clearly as if he was standing next to her. "Obito taught me that." She offered both of them tea but only Sasuke accepted, waiting until she had drunk to sip at his, dark eyes watchful. Naruto stole the biscuits off Sasuke's plate.

They fell into an awkward silence, Sakura not willing to discuss the issue and Sasuke not willing to go any further.

"Well, this is cheerful." A man's voice interrupted from the doorway.

Sakura whirled around; someone had broken in? But that voice was familiar?

Obito leant against the doorway, his haori, Jonin jacket and black trousers giving him a professional image despite his fly away spiky hair, makeshift ink drawings and earring.

"Sensei." She spoke surprised. "How did-"

"Get in?" He smirked, striding past her, tugging on her ponytail in mild admonishment, "Really, Sakura? You're all later than I expected, but to be fair, so am I. It'll throw off anyone keeping an eye on us at any rate." He plopped down in one of the spare seats, hooked an ankle over a knee and leant back.

"Obito." Sasuke was startled, she could tell by the slight change in tone. "I thought you had a date."

Obito cracked open one dark eye, "Sasuke." He groaned, "Please be a little more intelligent, if I went on a date on your graduation, Rin would never go out with me and frankly, that's quite worrying. And plus, it gives us some leeway." He leant forward, suddenly deadly serious. His cheerful air vanished and a fully trained Jonin was sitting at Sakura's table. She offered him tea but the man declined with a smile.

Meanwhile, Naruto had wandered into the room when he had heard Obito's voice and he took up a spare seat at Sakura's side.

"You have a plan, Obito-Nii?" He asked quietly.

The man's gaze flicked to Sakura. She didn't know why his features were familiar. But they kept blurring in her mind, changing into different faces, so many men and women, all with dark spiky hair and grim expressions.

"She knows the basics." Sasuke interrupted. "We took the chance to fill her in over lunch."

"Good." Obito quirked a slight smile, "You're looking out for each other already. You three will be the first support for each other, and in some cases, some of the only support. If we don't count me, of course. It's important that you don't play this solo, a team only works if its members cooperate."

Naruto nodded as if this was common knowledge.

Sakura twisted her fingers, "Is this about how this team has a lot of political pressure riding on it?"

"Yes." Obito said simply, "I don't know you. I don't know if you can handle the pressure. I don't know if these two can handle it. But I have no choice, one way or another I have to get you to Chunin as fast as possible." His eyes were dark and serious, "Sakura-chan, if you think you want to switch teams, this is your only chance." He stressed softly, "After tomorrow, you're stuck, I'm afraid."

"Why are you giving me a choice?" Sakura asked quietly. "You could have just focused on those two and ignored me so I stumbled along after them."

Obito smiled sadly, "Ah, but I like to think I'm a better man than that." He ran a hand through his hair, "As long I'm your sensei, I will not favour anyone above the team as a collective. Meaning that the bastards on the council can screw themselves, they can tell me what goals to achieve but they cannot tell me how to get to them." A grim tone rang through his voice and it was a stark contrast to the whirlwind of earlier.

It was more than she had expected. The relief at being given a choice couldn't be understated. The entire day, she had fallen into a mire of thinking that she had no chance and no choice, that she would hate what was coming, that it was unfair how she was being treated as a swap in place holder- but Obito's calm declaration blasted through those shackles in seconds. Naruto had been right; she could feel herself starting to like the older Nin.

"I think I want to be on this team." She spoke out loud. Was it selfish to want to carve herself a part of this fierce loyalty?

Naruto whooped and Sasuke nearly cracked an expression.

Obito sat back with a smile. "Oh good, that means I don't have to return this."

He slid three pieces of cloth bound metal across the table. Naruto picked his up first.

"Hey, we have headbands already." He spoke in confusion, turning it over.

"They have a special function, don't they?" Sasuke asked, running his fingers over the spiralling groove. The metal was cool under her fingertips, the cloth band a deep royal violet. "Tracking?"

"Yes and no." Obito grinned, hair falling over an eye. "If you're ever in trouble, wipe some blood on the leaf and the other headbands will freeze up signifying danger. Unfortunately." He admitted, "There's no way of telling who set it off but you'll be warned that someone is in trouble. Even more, unfortunately, you can't use these for tracking because the signal is noticeable and any Jonin worth their salt can crack the encryption."

"Aren't these blood locked?" Naruto asked idly, "You probably had lots of chances to get mine and Sasuke's blood, but how did you get Sakura's?"

"I'm a Jonin." Obito reminded them, mouth twitching. "Did you all forget that it means I know what I'm doing? This really is fun; I see why sensei did it all the time now."

Sakura stared at him. "Sensei, that does not make me feel safe at all."

The man's grin grew a touch pleased at the title and he waved a hand dismissively, "I snuck in a backwards kunai in your pouch yesterday so when you drew it out, you bled and I was the instructor who gave you the bandage. I think I left you the kunai, look out for it, it's a nice one."

That had been him? Was it really that easy to grab her blood for a custom piece of equipment? Was Sakura meant to feel safe about this? The boys did not seem surprised at all. So, she swallowed and accepted the explanation. But she didn't understand why Obito was so determined to present a neglectful front when he was working furiously behind the scenes to pull everything together. Was it a natural consequence of secrecy?

"So, we all know you're going to be one of the passed teams so I'm debating just giving you the test for the hell of it," Obito admitted, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"You're really taking this seriously," Naruto commented.

Obito gave him a strange wistful smile, "My sensei did the same for me." He answered softly, "I'm just repaying that debt to the next generation…Speaking of which, I should do some planning for the test. I know what you two are capable of, so sit pretty and stay quiet for a bit. Uh, Sakura, I've read your file and I hate everything about the Academy evaluating standard so I'm going to do it myself if that's alright?"

"An evaluation in my house?" She echoed, taken aback. "How are you going to test me, that takes hours and a training yard?"

He shook his head, "We can skip all physical evaluations," The man said it breezily as if testing new genin on one of their two major skillsets was unnecessary. "I'll be building it up in a different manner to the Academy anyway. I don't care how well you know the standard fighting forms; it'll be replaced soon enough. And it's pointless testing you on things like agility and endurance and whatever, I know it's not going to be enough."

Okay…so a theoretical test?

When he heard that baffled question, Obito pursed his lips. "No, I don't like that either. You're the top of your class, that already tells me you're strong in theory. Do you know the standard hand codes?"

"Some." She admitted.

"Can you take a deduction what this one is?" He snapped an unfamiliar sign at her, then slowed it down so she could see its components.

She tilted her head, unaware of the fact that she had the same expression when drawing back to fling the kunai at bullseye from a hundred paces. Obito's mouth twitched at the corner.

"You're giving orders to split your group." Sakura deduced. "But not in the field. Something where you can take your time and it won't matter. Split into 3 groups, one from each side and one from the back- you're corralling, I don't think this is an attack signal at all. Crowd control?"

"Why do you say that?" The man asked, something unreadable floating below the idle question. "Isn't this movement the common sign for a divided attack?" He repeated part of the sign.

"Yes." Sakura allowed, "But the order of the signal is odd. Most field signals are short or have the order of objective, direction or instruction, then the specific movement type or person indicator. So if it gets cut off, the information is given in order of priority and the group members can extrapolate. You've just done it in person, direction, instruction. You're not expecting to get cut off partway, so the context is different. So, I think that the attack component is non-lethal in this situation."

Sasuke's cup clinked on the saucer.

Obito laughed lightly. "Very nice. It's from the police handbook for signalling how to control a civilian riot. Coordination and suppression are more important than maximising the chances of the objective goal. How's your ninjutsu?"

"Could be better." She admitted.

"Is that so?" He didn't sound too concerned, drawling lazily. "Make the snake seal, keep an eye on the route it forces your chakra to take and then try to replicate your chakra's movements without the crutch."

Naruto choked on his biscuit. Sasuke hid his expression with the cup.

That…was a new exercise. She had never tried chakra manipulation without the hand seals guiding the chakra. How was he planning to judge that she had done it correctly? It wasn't like he could see the chakra, could he?

Obito's eyes flashed a bloody scarlet and she nearly screamed. In her darkening kitchen, with his face in shadow, the crimson eyes turned him into a demon.

"You didn't tell her about the Sharingan!" The sensei growled at the boys.

"Did we not?" Naruto blinked, sounding sheepish.

Obito sighed and whacked Sasuke up around the head, "Brat. I can understand Naruto forgetting to do it."

"I wanted to see her reaction," Sasuke confessed without a hint of shame.

Obito rubbed the corner of his eyes for patience. "This is the Uchiha Kekkei genkai." He slipped into a bored authoritative tone and Sakura felt like she should be making notes, "It's called the Sharingan and it can copy jutsus, cast genjutsu and predict motion in a sense. I'm not going to harm you so can we try the exercise again, Sakura?"

So, Obito and Sasuke were two of the three holders of the Sharingan- who was the third?

Forcing her chakra to twist in the manner the snake seal drew out naturally without its guiding hand was exhausting. It was like coordinating a shaking, aching hand to write legibly with a brush. It kept slipping away from her, but Sakura imposed her will on it, fed up with its disobedience. Her chakra moved she told it to. No exceptions.

Her hands were shaking as soon it snapped together and the chakra dissipated the second that she lost concentration, flowing away like water. It felt like wrenching a muscle she had never used and for the first time, Sakura understood what it meant to reach for her chakra and have it defy her.

"Seven minutes," Naruto noted, voice slightly high.

Sweat trickled down her neck. She had never taken so long for the first attempt of an exercise in her life. Frustration welled in the pit of her stomach and she vowed to practice until she could do it effortlessly. She wasn't going to be the incompetent one of this team. She wasn't!

Obito raised one eyebrow. Was something wrong? The man's grin was so very mean, eyes alive.

"I'll work on it." She said, as a way of proving that she was serious about this team.

His smile grew a shade gentler and he reached out to rest his hand on her head. "You did very well."

"That's great!" Naruto yelled, swinging her around suddenly by the wrists and snatching her away from her frozen confusion, "If you have a talent of your own, they'll need a really good excuse to split this team up, if worst comes to worst." The boy's bubbling laughter filled her dining room, throwing his head back.

Talent? Her control was in the upper echelons- but that was normal for kunoichi- this was not new to her, but it was the first time anyone had referred to her with such a label instead of calling it useful.

She grasped his hands to stop herself from spinning away.

"That's enough. Concentrate now, party later." Obito sounded to be fighting laughter and she found herself being plucked off the floor and back onto her seat by her collar. "Right, this goes for all of you. Don't go talking casually with other nin, it doesn't matter if they're people you know or if they seem trustworthy. Spies rarely seem untrustworthy. This includes even Rin, you two." His eyes sharpened to razor-sharp points, "I love that woman but as a nin, first and foremost she is an unknown variable."

They both nodded seriously.

"I don't understand." She admitted, leaning forward. "Do you think spies are likely? I still don't get the significance of this team. Why was it ever created if it's so volatile?"

"Good questions." The adult Uchiha nodded and tapped the corner of his eye. "The Sharingan, single-handedly, lifted the Uchiha from obscurity to one of the most feared clans in the space of a generation or two. Entire armies fled the field when the Uchiha took up the call. There are no mentions of the Uchiha before the written records of the Sharingan existing as a warning. There are secrets bound within secrets, so many that we have forgotten the keys to most of them. Sasuke's inheritance is something that the village follows closely, precisely because of this potential. There are no ends to enemies who would want his eyes for themselves and end our clan's future. Naruto's inheritance is one of the few which can trump the Uchiha. I don't just think there will be spies, I know there will be."

He stopped to frown slightly. "Besides, I'm fairly well known myself and even if you three were ordinary, there would be interference to ensure that my students never became threats in their own right. Any secret of ours which gets leaked could be devastating. You might not think it be an important secret but there is always leverage to be found. Knowledge is the key to control and I'd rather all of you maintained your control even from your allies. And yes, you're right, it is true that this team shouldn't have been formed…originally, but on review, there are very few people who can teach these two to use their strengths properly. You were a good fit to round out the skillset on paper."

He clapped his hands together, "So, hence the front. This team will grow to be utterly devastating and I'd rather people underestimate you instead of preparing to match you. If I'm seen to be lazy and flirtatious, it'll stump them when you blast through them, see? The team reflects the teacher."

"People lie." Naruto said, still elated from their impromptu celebration, "Even if they're your ally, people lie. So we lie back. It's really strange, this silent agreement that we have, that everyone with a headband is a professional liar."

Sakura was too horrified to respond.

Obito turned to her, "Where is your mother, Sakura? I need to talk to her regarding your future occupation." A strange note winked in his voice, something more like a command than a question. "It's strange, I had thought that I would have been able to catch her today, on your graduation, even if she were busy. Does your family not believe in celebrating achievements? The fridge was empty and the heating off," His nails drummed on the table, a warning beat. "Who handles those?"

"I do." Sakura shook her hair out of her face, "She's busy. Work."

Obito raised both eyebrows, "I see. And how …long will she be busy?"

"It depends on the contract," Sakura said tightly, the judging tone in Obito's voice rubbing the wrong way.

Obito stared at her coolly. "Why are there no pictures of you in the house?" He inquired lightly, almost pleasantly, "You would think there would be at least one; on the mantelpiece, by a bed or anywhere."

Stunned silent, she could only stare. How long had he been here before they had noticed?

Sasuke winced and pulled Naruto away into the kitchen. She was left alone with Obito.

"Sakura." Obito spoke gently, "Sometimes civilians have a difficult time grasping their child is now a shinobi. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but as your sensei, I do need to know."

"Why?"

"Because they don't understand." Obito's response was carefully worded, "They don't understand the gap between their world and yours, and they try to apply their logic and motivations to you. It ends terribly, trust me." His eyes flicked to the bookshelf.

"Stand up for me." He ordered, suddenly springing to his feet, eyes intent on the shelves.

Blinking, she did so.

"Now, reach the highest you can." He ordered bizarrely. She stood on her toes and stretched as far as she could. Obito marked the highest place she could reach, then strode to the bookshelf and brushed his fingers along the shelf higher than her maximum reach. They came away caked in dust.

"How funny." He smiled at her, "All the heights you can reach are spotless, the heights you can't are filthy."

She shrugged.

His eyes were suddenly very, very cold and she felt like shivering.

"Sakura." He asked calmly, "When was the last time you saw your mother?"

There was a clatter from the kitchen, a yelled whisper, and then a sound of sandal hitting flesh.

"Sa-ku-ra." Obito drew the word out dangerously. "This is not an optional question."

Mumbling the answer didn't seem to help. They were misunderstanding her mother, but the way sensei had phrased it was too damning to argue against!

His eyebrows flew up, "Three weeks ago!?" He sighed explosively and paced, obviously restraining his anger. "Pack your things." He snapped at her during the pacing. His ink scribbles shifted with his mood, she noticed quite suddenly, the drawn lines bunching and coiling like thorns.

"I'm staying here." She dug in her heels defiantly. How could she just up and leave? This was their house. He glared at her and if Sakura was honest, the sight was rather terrifying.

"You are not." The man hissed, low. "I am not leaving a twelve-year-old to live alone. You're part of my responsibility now."

"I'm not alone." She clenched her fists, "She comes back! I'm fine, I can take care of myself."

"For how long?" He didn't raise his voice but she flinched as if he had shouted at her.

Of course, he noticed. "For Kami's sake." His hand rested on his temples, as if seeking comfort, muscles tensing. "Why do I always get the stubborn ones with family problems?"

"You said that legally, Sasuke and Naruto can't go back tonight." Sakura grasped at straws, "They have to stay here so there's no point." Even to her ears, the excuse to delay was weak.

He laughed mirthlessly, "One flaw in that, dear." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "All I have to do is say you passed as an official team and you're considered one regardless of whether you pass the test or not. So, they can go home and I do have the authority to drag you there, you realise?"

"That's kidnapping." Could he do that? Sakura hadn't considered what it meant to be a student of a man paranoid enough to hide his charges' education from his closest allies.

"Senseis have permission to do whatever we like to our students." He refuted flatly and dashed her hopes, "As long we don't turn missing Nin or permanently injure them, we're good. And it's all legal."

"I'm not going." She crossed her arms and dug her heels in.

"Sakura." He strode over but he stopped short of looming over her, "You are a target now. In this empty house, you are vulnerable. My house is a protected clan's main residence, you will have a safe place to live, whereas here, you will have to watch your every move. There could be cameras slipped in anywhere and you couldn't know."

Sakura paused. She had not thought of that. Obito's stark description of the danger that faced them was still fresh in her mind.

"But when she comes back?" She asked hesitantly.

Obito sensed her wavering resolve and pounced. "I'll leave a note." He shrugged, "With chakra so that it can't be changed. She'll know that you're safe and where to find you."

He flashed her a kind smile. He was planning no such thing. The moment Sakura's mother touched that paper, it would send an alarm ringing and the woman would be arrested. Furthermore, since this was a shinobi village and she was neglecting a kunoichi, a grand student of the fourth no less, she'd probably never see her daughter again. And Sakura would be free of the burden of her civilian mother.

His smile took on a malicious edge but Sakura missed it completely.

"So, are we going home?" Naruto poked his head out cautiously. "Let's take the food with us."

….##########################...

Uchiha Main Residence, Uchiha District, Konoha:

The Uchiha compound was barren. Empty houses, far more than she could count, sprawled over a miniature district, complete with training fields, shops, shrines, and graveyards. Dusk had truly settled now, the deep purple of twilight and the silver moonlight intertwining to create a beautiful play of colours on the main residence. Orange lanterns hung from the roof, mixed with handwritten charms.

"Right." Obito stopped outside the house, a traditional two-storey mansion, the only one to still have names on the post-box. "You two get her comfortable, I haven't registered you lot yet, so I can't step inside the property until I have. The meeting still stands by the way. If I come back to find this place a flaming wreck, I'm making you all run laps until it makes a ditch around Konoha." He poked all of them in the forehead and popped away.

"He's really kind," Sakura murmured for a lack of a better way to describe him changing her life on a whim.

"Told you." Naruto shrugged, hauling the pot from Sakura's kitchen. "He's like that. Harming family is a really easy way to piss him off."

"She wasn't harming me." She protested, surprised. "My mother loves me; I've never doubted that."

Sasuke scoffed and pushed open the door with his back, "Emotional neglect is still harm, Sakura. Welcome to the Uchiha compound. Let us know if you need anything."

"We might get renamed as Team Uchiha at this rate." Naruto joked, "Seeing as half of us are Uchiha, and the other half are Uchiha wards." He smiled at her and beckoned her in.

The house was cosy and it was even messier than her own. But the things scattered were decidedly different. Kunai and all weapons were neatly put in rows at the side, as were scrolls. Everything else- clothes, food, decorations, products and good knows what else-was scattered everywhere. A box rested on the mantlepiece, luridly coloured. It was the residence of three people who knew no matter how much they cleaned, one of the others would inadvertently mess it up again.

Sasuke tapped her on the elbow to gain her attention and pointed out a white door. "That's Obito's personal study, never go in there. He keeps village secrets in there and he would have to execute us if we snuck in and glimpsed them."

She stared at him. Execute? What-

He nodded grimly. "Obito's room isn't off-limits if you need something from him. He will kill you if you need something and you were too shy to go in, though. Other than that, yes, we leave it alone." He pointed out two other rooms, "Those are mine and Naruto's. Yes, you can come in; yes, you really should knock first and we'll do the same to yours. Hm…take the one next to Naruto. Decorate it any way you like." He finished and walked off to the back garden, apparently done.

Naruto rolled his eyes and hopped up on the frame of the couch. "There's no curfew." He told her cheerfully, "Obito's of the opinion if you're able to function the next day, you can do pretty much anything. Training ground's out there." He jerked his head, "We might end up using it a lot to get some privacy. Rin drops by most nights; she really doesn't trust Obito on his own with two kids. Well, now that we have a girl, he's got a lecture on feminine lifestyles to look forward to." He snickered. "Err, what else." He pursed his lips, "Oh, no bringing friends back without his permission. There are some heavy secrets in this place."

"That's fine." She murmured. "I'm not staying here forever."

He shot her an innocent look.

"Once Uchihas make their minds up, there's no way to change them." He told her lightly. "You think no one has tried to split us up? Obito put the last one through several feet of earth."

She crossed her arms and half turned away. A smile tugged at his mouth.

"Oh, Obito-Nii never brings back women." His speech was heavy with meaning, "He might joke around and say he might but he won't. Sasuke and I might insinuate things as well but we're joking. So, if you do see one, she's an imposter- go for the throat, I guess. Rin's a regular and so are ANBU, just leave them alone and they'll stay out of your way. Some other Jonin do drop by, ahh… you'll pick it up." He waved a hand. "Questions?"

She shook her head and turned her attention to the photos on the wall. There were several of Obito, Sasuke and Naruto. One of a young Obito and what looked like his parents, and a team photo with a clearly recognisable Obito.

The Fourth beamed out of the frame shocking her badly. "That's Obito." She murmured, tilting her head to move on quickly, "And that's Rin-san, right?" The girl was pretty with elements of the woman she would become- she shifted her gaze to the third member. Fly away silver hair hung over one eye, a mask covered the lower half of his face and what could be seen of it was serious.

"He looks dangerous." She didn't realise she had spoken out loud until Naruto hummed in agreement.

"That's Hatake Kakashi." His voice was quiet, "He was on Obito's team until he turned missing Nin. Obito's got this dream of tracking him down and shaking him until he fesses up why he did it."

"One of the Fourth's students became a missing-nin?" She asked in shock.

Naruto cracked a smile, "Crazy, isn't it?"

What do you guys think? I have a plan for this story and I'm gauging interest. Review?

Update: Let me know what things bugged you while reading through, the first time around, and I'll try to fix it when I get to the relevant parts.