—— Bloom Again ——

"You think you're the only ones who matter. You think you can put off death. But that peace made you foolish and thoughtless. If you kill someone, someone else will kill you... this hatred binds us together."

-Pain /Nagato

———————————

"Stop bullying me!"

"Why should we listen to you loser? Look at you, can't even hold a kunai properly and you call yourself a ninja?"

"I'll use it on you if you keep coming closer!"

"Awh, is little baby Hana finally growing up?"

"A little too late isn't it?" Hana look confuses, albeit wary of the hidden meaning behind those word until the next ones finally make her realise. "Get her guys!"

Hana closes her eyes and braces for impact but the impact that Hana had prepared for didn't happen. Obviously judging by Yuki's confuse face too, she was wondering what happen to her other little minions.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"A husky voice spooks the two children as they turn their heads towards the dark corner in the alley. Shivers run down their spine.

"I-I, she was bullying me!" Exclaimed Yuki, as she accusingly pointed towards Hana, the safety of her minions forgotten. Hana gasped dumbfoundedly.

"No, I didn't, you were bullying me!"

"How dare you accuse me? I'll tell my daddy what you did today!"Yuki proudly smirk when Hana's face turned pale

"Yuki Hanoka, sole daughter to the Hanoka clan leader, Gintama Hanoka." The voice from the corner spoke again, and both girls turn to him. Yuki smirk, she knows she is gonna win this battle. She always has and she always will.

"Does your father know you're a brat?" The man finally walks out from the corner and into the light. Hana gulps and watches as Yuki turns bright red immediately

Yuki turns to the man and smirk, "My daddy will know about this and by midnight, you'll be gone."

But the man wasn't fazed by the threat at all.

"Oh really? Perhaps you would like to think about it again. Your daddy won't be able to rescue you this time." He grins almost maniacally towards Yuki and then his eyes landed on the other 8-year-old girl which he presumes from a civilian clan. "Run little one, run and live to tell the story."

Hana did not waste any more time, she bolted immediately. Hana told herself Yuki is capable to get out of there herself. Well, at least that's what she tries to convince herself.

"W-what do you mean by that? Tell me!" Yuki demands angrily

"Demanding aren't you? Well, you just have to go home to find out." The man grins once more. Yuki was pissed. Nobody should nor could ignore her like that! But before she could say anything, the mysterious man grabbed her by the waist and she felt something sharp poking at her neck as footsteps became louder.

"There he is! There's the man who killed Gintama-sama! He was reported to be seen with Yuki-sama! She's the future of our clan so get her out alive!" A man, whose voice is recognised by Yuki as her father's assistant bark orders at the rest of the men

Yuki paled, she realised she was now in the hands of her father's murderer. "You monster! You killed my father! Who are you and why have you come to terrorize our village?"

The man chuckled darkly, "I am just a wolf in sheep's clothing. Aren't you scared?"

"A wolf? If you really were a wolf, you wouldn't have let Hana go! I'm not scared because of that reason. Admit it, you don't kill children."

The man chuckled, his hold on her tighten and he lowers his mouth until it was hovering over just above her shoulders. "And that's where you are wrong, little one. Wolves pick their prey carefully," he whispers as the footsteps of her clansmen were getting louder every second, "And for the record, I do kill children."

The man stabs and he did not miss. The future of The Hanoka Clan was no more.

::

"Sakura-chan, I'm bored with this meditation thing. Can we do something else?" Naruto whined, his blue eyes scanning the environment around him

"Well, I guess we could move into the more advanced stuff, "Sakura said, dusting away the dust from her clothing as she stood up. She eyes the raven-haired boy who was still meditating soundly.

"Like what, Sakura-chan? Can't we just spar for today, please?" The blond begged but it was pointless as Sakura shook her head in disapproval

"Naruto, sparring can be done later with Kakashi-sensei. For now, I'm going to teach you how to walk on trees, something even most chunnin struggles with as it requires good chakra control."

Naruto grumbles but did not disagree with Sakura. "Fine. But what do you mean by walking on trees?"

"Well, I'll just show you."

Sakura sends some chakra to the sole of her feet and brought her foot onto the branch. Naruto gapes widely as Sakura's body defies gravity. Their raven haired teammate was no different.

"If you have good chakra control like I do, you'll be able to walk up until the top of the tree no problem. This method can apply to other surfaces too, like buildings and water which is much more advanced."

"Wow, Sakura-chan, you're amazing!"

"Thanks, Naruto. Now, how about you give it a try? Just channel some chakra into your feet and try walking up the tree."

A certain raven-haired abruptly stood and discreetly walk to the nearest tree to try it himself.

Naruto did as he was told and bolted up the trees. Unfortunately, his mistakes are exactly the same as the Naruto from Sakura's past. His leg slipped away from the tree branch and his body followed soon. His body hit the ground with a thud.

"A good try, Naruto but, your feet lacks chakra thus making you slipped and fall. Try channelling more and this time, take this kunai and mark your highest point while I go and check up on Sasuke, "Sakura told the blond boy and passes out her own kunai.

Naruto nod and grips the kunai tightly. He will conquer this challenge if its the last thing he does.

Sasuke's situation was slightly more advanced than Naruto yet the opposite. He was channelling too much chakra causing the tree to break upon impact.

"Need my help? "

"Tch, I don't need your help. " Sasuke scoffed, not even sparing a single look for her.

"Yes, that's probably true, but I want to help."Sakura smiled. She knew that when it comes to Sasuke she has to take things slow.

"Hn. Just tell me what I'm doing wrong," 

"You're using too much chakra and the chakra in your feet is not balanced." Sakura recalled back Sasuke's stance "You're forcing your feet onto the tree and that's why-"

Sasuke's eyes widen with the realisation "And that's why the tree keeps breaking on impact!"

"Exactly. Here, try marking your highest point with a kunai." Sakura handed him a kunai and he nod. 

It wasn't a thank you but it didn't need to be.

And that was how Kakashi stumble upon them after deciding 3 hours of being late is the perfect time to finally arrive.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Kakashi-sensei, you're late!"Naruto shouts forgetting that he still has to focus on the chakra on his feet to stay on. His body reacts with gravity again.

::

"You all....pass!" Kakashi smile as all of his three little students stared at him confusedly

"Huh?"Naruto mumbles out, his blue eyes filled with confusion. Sakura's green eyes shone with understanding then. She understood now.

The bell test had started just like last time, with Naruto deciding to show his moves while both Sasuke and Sakura took a calculative retreat.
But instead of tying Naruto up and not allowing him to eat after he tried to steal one of the lunchboxes, Kakashi had tied Naruto up and ask Sakura and Sasuke to work together to free Naruto before the timer runs out without getting caught.

"B-but you said, if they were caught we all will go back to the academy," Naruto said, his shaggy blonde hair flowed with the wind as he says this.

"I did that to see if Sasuke and Sakura would risk being a genin to rescue you. " Kakashi replied. He clicked his tongue when the wind decides to bother him by constantly flicking on the page he was reading. Maybe it was signalling him to stop reading Lisa.

Kakashi closes Lisa and properly kept it in his chest pockets. He did not want a certain pink haired girl to use it for blackmail ever again. "In the real world, you only have each other to rely on. You are each other's back up. Sometimes you are put into a mission where you have to choose between the life of your teammates or the success of the mission. I'm here to see which you would rather risk. Konoha has made a previous mistake with its judgement, I will not let the upcoming generations repeat the mistakes again."

Although Kakashi's words were vague, the three genins got the picture. Sakura precisely knew which incident Konoha had made a mistake and refuse to think about it. If Kakashi is being vague about it, she'll act as if it never happen. Kakashi urges them to follow him somewhere. The three now genins follow him. He sat beside what seems like a stone with carvings of names.

"These are the names of heroes who was K.I.A" Kakashi told them and he left it at that. His fingers unconsciously trace around the names that were too familiar.

Obito Uchiha

The three students nod their head solemnly. Sasuke noticed Kakashi's fingers tracing the name of one of his relatives, but never spoke of it. He wonders about the Uchiha who knew his sensei.

The genins stood next one another as they each silently promise to protect each other from being one of those names on the stone. Kakashi sees this and he thinks maybe there is hope for this team and it won't be a disaster team as usual after all.

He was undeniably denied, stamped, proven—or whatever you wanna call it— wrong.

Team 7 was a mess. And that was proven multiple times when they had their D-rank missions.

Mission 1:

"You brat! Those are my herbs, not the weed I ask you to pluck!"

"Ah, we apologize!"

Or that one-time ego took over Sasuke and Naruto's brain; Mission 2:

"Hey Sasuke, I bet I could walk more dogs than you!"

"Tch, try me, dobe."

"No, Naruto,  don't you dare-"

"Sakura-chan, help me!"

"My dogs! They ran away because of you!"

"We apologize! We'll try to catch them again."

Or maybe the time Tora wasn't feeling friendly towards Naruto and Sasuke so they felt the need to impress Tora the cat; Mission 3:

"Sakura-chan, it's not fair that Tora likes you!"

"Tch, that's because you're an idiot. Sakura, hand Tora to me." Sasuke had instructed her and the next moment she followed his instruction, Tora deliver a scratch and Uchiha Sasuke's fangirls cried for a week over the scratch that had left a mark on his pretty face.

"Haha, who's the idiot now? Come here Tora, I have food for you. "Naruto attempts at winning Tora's heart but it wasn't to any use. Tora was smart enough to know that Naruto has food that cats dont eat.

"Naruto, you can't bait a cat with ramen, "Sakura had told him but he was persistent

"I can and I will! Tora, you won't believe how good this ramen taste like! "

It is safe to say that poor Tora suffered from food poisoning that day.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY POOR BABY? " The daimyo's voice could be heard from miles away

"We apologize! "

"I tasked you genins to catch my Tora not to poison him! "

"We're sorry, we'll pay for Tora's fee at the vet!"

And it was with this Kakashi Hatake was called into the Hokage's office.

"You called me, Hokage-sama? "Kakashi bowed his head in respect to the man before him

"Kakashi, how is Team 7?" Hiruzen smile knowingly

"Maa, they are lacking in teamwork. I plan to shower them with more D-ranks. " Kakashi shrugs, his eyes prefer to wander around the Hokage's office as he casually spots out the secret anbus that are hiding just in case.

"I see. However, I have something else in mind. How about taking a field trip instead?"

"A mission out of the village, Hokage-sama? But they're not ready—"Kakashi was ready to disagree

"Kakashi, "Hiruzen's voice stop Kakashi's from voicing out his thoughts.

"You won't be alone, "Hiruzen said and Kakashi nods, "You'll be accompanied by Team Gai.  You will be delivering a scroll to Suna's Kazegake."

Kakashi was already worried. How couldn't he? After all Team 7 was the cursed team. The team that would always face trouble every time they are on a mission. Not only that, but they're going with two teams! Why would a delivery mission require two teams?

Hiruzen could see worry written all over Kakashi's face. He smiled, maybe these kids would help him after all.

"Team Gai was already informed about this. Here's the mission scroll. Everything you need to know is in that scroll. Good luck, Kakashi." Hiruzen said with a big smile on his face. Kakashi nod and bowed once more before he shunshin out of the room.

::

"Finally, a C-rank mission! I've been waiting for this my whole life, dattebayo!"

"Naruto, you've only become a genin two week ago and found out about mission ranking three days ago. "Sakura said

"Exactly!"

"Tch, dobe."

"Who are you calling dobe, teme!"

Sakura sigh, "Honestly, just get married already you two."

Both Sasuke and Naruto sputter as both of their faces turn red. Sakura smirked, satisfied that she managed to shut them up.

"Alright, stop your teasing, Sakura. Anyway, Team Gai will be joining us on this mission." Kakashi informed the three genins. He noted that Sakura's form immediately perked up instantly.

"Team Gai? Wait, Sakura-chan, is this the same guy that is rival to Kakashi-sensei?"Naruto whispers to Sakura. He remembers Sakura mentioning a name that is famous for taijutsu; Konoha's Green Beast, Maito Gai.

"Did someone say my name?"As if he had heard Naruto's whisper to Sakura, a tall man with a bowl hair cut wearing tight-fitting green jumpsuit had appeared. Naruto gapes, speechless.

"Ah, if it isn't my youthful friend, Kakashi! How have you been doing? It's been quite some time since our battle. 51 to 49 right? You need to be more youthful to win more battles, Kakashi." That same man walks towards Team 7 with his own genins struggling to catch up to him in toll.

Team 7 watch as the man spite their sensei; Naruto and Sasuke's head filled with one same thought. This is Konoha's Best Taijutsu Specialist who is also Rival to The Great Copyninja, Kakashi?

"I'm pretty sure it was me leading."Kakashi lazily corrected but Sakura knew otherwise by his tone. Kakashi was fond of this man.

"So is this your genins?"Gai stood right in front of them and scanned through their faces. His smile widens when he spots Sakura standing even straighter than before.

"Yes. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto this is Maito Gai. He's the sensei for Team Gai. His genins consist of—"

"Gai-sensei!We have finally caught up to you!" Team 7 turn to another voice that was coming their way, only to be shocked by a mini replica of Kakashi's rival. Light suddenly sparkle out of nowhere and surrounded the two exact replicas.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!" Kakashi cleared his throat, hoping to bring Gai back to reality.

Gai was quick to composed himself and stood straight as the rest of Team Gai finally arrived. "Team 7, this is my genins. Lee, Tenten and Hyuga Neji, this is Team 7, who you'll be together with for a week." Gai introduced, a wide smile plastered on his face.

::

"Sai, any updates?"

"He's putting me on patrol next week. But coincidentally he'll be in Suna too by next week. I'll search his office then,"

"Suna? But that's where Sakura-sama is—"

"Yes, Riku, we'll have to report this to Sakura-sama immediately. Thank you for your information." The two brown and black bear walk away leaving no sign that they were there in the first place.

"You still need anything?"Sai asked the remaining bear.

"Sakura-sama asked you to be careful."Sora eyed the boy before her. He was probably only one or two years older than her summoner yet he was trained like emotionless robots. Sora knew that meeting Sakura-sama was like a breather to him.

"Likewise," Sai smile before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

'So even to you, Sakura-sama has conquered your heart as always.' Sora thought before running to chase up with her brothers.

-To be continued-

So um funny story, remember how I was supposed to update in April? Well, that didn't happen and here I am only posting this at the end of June. Welp, sorry for the two-month hiatus. I had exams and needed time to get things organised for myself. 

Anyway, I'm back now and hopefully by next month I'll be able to update regularly as always.

Heh, so mysterious figure has appeared once more in this chapter! Any idea who could he possibly be?

So the next chapter will be about Team Kakashi's first C-rank mission! Will Team Gai and Team Kakashi successfully deliver the scroll to Suna? Will they encounter any problem? What will happen to Tazuna and The Land of the waves if Team 7 is not assigned to that mission?