Kakashi's P.O.V

I woke up to a girl who I'm assuming is Tazuna's daughter. She told me to rest for as long as I needed and I happily complied. I would need to rest for about a week, the Sharingan took quite a toll on me during the battle against Zabuza. My chakra had almost completely been depleted, but luckily I only fainted from exhaustion.

"Oh, Kaka-sensei! You're awake!" Sakura shouted, running to my side.

"Yes I am." I confirmed, bluntly.

I sighed as the other two members of my team walked in along with Tazuna.

"Oh? Reina-chan is still sleeping?" Naruto asked, peering down at my side.

"Yeah, shouldn't you wake her up sensei?" Sakura asked.

I rose an eyebrow. Reina? I looked down at my side seeing that Reina was indeed sleeping with me. I moved my arm, which seemed to make Reina cuddle into my body, mostly for warmth. I smiled at the serene look she held. I haven't seen a look like that for years. My darling Reina has changed greatly over the past six years, she's gotten colder sadly, taller, and beautiful.

"No, I'll let her sleep. After all, I haven't had her cuddle into me before even if I'm her father. Let's keep it like this for a while." I said, with my famous closed eye smile.

Sakura's eye twitched, "Hentai..."

Tears poured out my eyes, "Sakura.. Be nice to your sensei!" I whined childlike.

Only causing Sakura to twitch even more and scoot away from me. 'What did I do wrong?' I thought.

"Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing!" Sakura pointed out something I already knew, "But if the toll is this bad, I wouldn't recommend using it again!"

I sighed, "Sumimasen..."

"He did save us by using it! We shouldn't need to worry for awhile." Tazuna grinned.

I frowned inwardly, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Tazuna. After all, I do have some feeling I overlooked something.

"Anyways, that kid with the mask. What was he?" Sakura asked, her hand holding her chin up in a thinking position.

"Like you said, he's a tracker ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Their job is to hunt rogue ninjas who left their Village with secrets and such. In other words, they destroy rogues' bodies to prevent those secrets from getting out. Such as Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu from a certain village can be marked as classified, you wouldn't want those secrets to be spilled" I explained.

"For instance, if I were to die my Sharingan would be thoroughly examined, or in the worst case scenario, be stolen along with all my Jutsu. Tracker ninjas are used for killing ninjas who left their village with great secrets on their bodies." I said.

I ran my hand through my hair; this nagging feeling won't leave me. What is it that I missed?

"What's wrong, Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Oh.. Tracker ninjas take care of the bodies of who they killed, immediately on the spot." I added, looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh, and what about that?" Sakura asked.

"What did that kid do to Zabuza..?" I asked, the nagging feeling gone, and now replaced with realization.

"How would we know? He took Zabuza." Sakura muttered.

She's so clueless sometimes; I guess it can't be helped.

"Exactly, if he needed proof that he successfully killed Zabuza. He could've taken the head, but instead he took him away. And, the real what question is the weapon he used to kill Zabuza." I stated, hinting them at what I was trying to say.

"A normal senbon needle." Sasuke answered. "Impossible..."

Sasuke caught on quickly, he's noticed too then.

"Right, it's impossible." I sighed.

Tazuna stood up abruptly, "What is it your working about?" Tazuna demanded.

I sighed again, but much louder this time. "Zabuza is alive." I said, my gaze hard.

"Eh?!" Naruto, Tazuna and Sakura shouted loudly, making Reina groan and cuddle further in my warmth.

I smiled, and pulled her into my lap. She buried her face in my chest, making my heart tighten and beat faster. Quickly my gaze hardened, as I looked at everyone.

"What do you mean, alive!" Naruto shouted, ruining my one moment of peace.

"Yeah! Reina checked that he was dead, Kaka-sensei!" Sakura shouted.

I frowned, "It's true that she checked, but he was probably just in a state near death. The senbon needle that tracker ninja used had a small probability to kill, unless it hits a vital spot. A senbon is mainly used for medical reasons such as acupuncture." I explained, receiving shocked looks from my students. "For a tracker ninja, aiming at pressure points is rather simple and easy. First, the boy carried Zabuza's body which is heavier than his own. Secondly, he used a weapon with low probability to kill. He wasn't aiming to kill Zabuza but to save him."

Naruto was visibly shaking in excitement. I smirked, 'To know Zabuza is alive and be excited about it... He must be eager to fight him.'

"Ne, sensei, how are we going to prepare before it's to late? I mean, you won't be about to move for awhile." Sakura said.

I chuckled at her, "I'll assign you training." I smirked, petting Reina's sky blue hair.

"W-Wait! Even with this training of yours, we won't be much stronger!" Sakura exclaimed.

I frowned in disappointment, I thought better of you Sakura... If you would only trust me here.

"Sakura.. Who was it who saved me when I was trapped during my battle?" I asked. "You've all grown a lot, especially you Naruto. You've grown the most!" I said directing a closed eye smile at him.

"So you've noticed, Kaka-sensei! This is getting interesting, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, grinning ear to ear.

Naruto grinned widely as I acknowledged his strength; Naruto had deceived Zabuza perfectly yesterday along with Sasuke. I didn't expect that from him, it blew me by surprise seeing how he came up with such a plan in mere seconds. He even worked with Sasuke, his rival for our sake.

"It's not interesting at all." A little boy at the door way glared.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, rudely.

"Oh! Inari, there you are!" Tazuna greeted the little boy, Inari.

"Welcome back grandpa!" Inari shouted, hugging Tazuna.

Right at that moment Reina woke up, and looked around.

"Where am I?" She whispered to herself.

"At Tazuna's house." I whispered in her ear, making her jump and shiver.

"O-Oh, alright..." Reina muttered embracing me further, while staring at the child in Tazuna's arms.

"Inari! What kind of greeting was that? These are the ninjas who escorted your grandpa back home safely!" Tsunami scolded.

"It's fine. I'm rude to them anyways." Tazuna waved off.

I sweat dropped. He says it as if it were something he does to anyone, like it was a normal thing for him.

Inari turned to his mother, "Mom, these people are going to die.. There's no way they can beat Gato and his men." Inari stated bluntly.

Naruto blew up, and shouted at Inari while bonding a small speech as well about becoming Hokage.

"Tch, as if, there's no such thing as heroes!" Inari shouted.

"What did you say!" Naruto shouted back, as he stood up, heading for Inari.

"Stop that!" Sakura shouted, whacking him upside the head.

With that outburst, Inari ran out the room claiming he was going to look at the sea.

"Well, isn't that a great thing to wake up to." Reina said, with a small yawn.

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Reina's POV

I watched the small boy named Inari as Tazuna called him; walk out the room to go look at the sea. The boy looked angry on the outside, but if you looked closely, you could see his pain. The sadness he held in his eyes. He lost something dear to him in which made him believe there's no heroes. I understand how he feels; maybe later I should talk to him. Get him to open up. It kills me seeing other people suffering like I did, especially children like him.

"Well, isn't at a great thing to wake up to." I said calmly, with a small yawn at the end.

Everyone jumped -besides Dad- and looked at me in shock.

"Reina!" My team yelled, except Sasuke.

"Yo!" I said, giving them a closed eye smile, just like Dads.

They sweat dropped, while Sakura muttered something about me turning into Kaka-sensei.

"So, what I miss?" I asked, my eyes half opened due to my sleepiness.

"Hm, nothing really. Only that Zabuza is still alive and I'm giving you all training." Dad shrugged.

"Took you guys long enough, I thought I was the only one who noticed that he used senbon needles to knock him out for awhile. You guys are slow." I mused, twirling a lock of my hair.

"What do you mean?! You knew this whole time!" Sakura shrieked.

I rubbed my ear, "Yes, a senbon needle isn't meant for killing, but for medical purposes. I thought that was pretty obvious, was I the only one who noticed that?" I said.

Dad nodded. I sighed and faced my team. "Losers."

Naruto pouted. Sakura glared at me while Sasuke on the other hand smirked.

"I wouldn't be talking, you are in Kakashi's lap." Sasuke shot back.

What? No I'm not.  Not believing him, I looked at where I was sitting and noticed he was telling the truth. I blinked once, then twice, till realization hit me. My cheeks grew warm and my eyes widened.

"Yeah, dattebayo! You were even cuddling into him!" Naruto added, making my cheeks glow darker.

"Aww, is Reina blushing?" Sakura taunted with a smirk.

I cuddled into Dad?! No wonder why it was so warm, but why would I do that in my sleep in front of them? My face got warmer by the second. I was probably beet red by now.

"S-Shut up!" I stuttered, burying my face in Dad's chest.

My team laughed at me, Dad chuckled and ruffled my hair. I felt the vibrations of his chuckling, there laughing only made me blush more bury even further into Dad.

"Dad! Make them stop!" I whined.

He merely chuckled, "Fine. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, stop laughing. You can laugh at her later." Was that Dad's way of stopping them?

I sweat dropped and pushed out of his arms. "Baka." I deadpanned earning an anime fall from him.

"Now, how about we start this training of yours Dad?" I said, changing the subject.

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"Now training begins." Dad stated, walking in crutches that Tazuna's daughter gave him. "Before we start, let me explain the concept of Chakra from the basics."

I sighed, "Go on."

"Of course I know of catra!" Naruto shouted.

My eyes twitched at his mistake. "It's chakra..." Dad and I deadpanned.

Naruto laughed nervously as he rubbed his neck. Sighing, Dad turned to Sakura and asked her to explain, as she was the 'know it all' in the team.

"We already know how to use Jutsu." Sasuke said.

"No! You don't know how to use chakra properly. You need to learn how to control chakra with your body. It's difficult training. But with that being said, it will take days or even weeks for you to master this." Dad explained.

"What will we do?" Sakura asked.

"Tree climbing."

Oh, I already know how to do this though. Dad taught me this a few years ago along with trying to walk on water.

"That's right. But as I said, this isn't just simple tree climbing. You will climb the tree without your hands." Dad said.

"What? How are we going to do that?" Sakura asked.

"Watch him." I interjected.

Dad did a hand sign and channeled his chakra to the soles of his feet until it was the perfect amount, not to little, not to. much. After he did it correctly, he walked up to the base of the tree and walked up the tree with no hands.

Naruto and Sakura gasped, "he's climbing up the tree with no hands.."

I smirked at their astonishment; they thought small things were so amazing.

"See, like this." Dad said, hanging upside down a tree branch. "Focus your chakra on the bottom of your feet, and try to walk up the tree. Don't put too much or too little. If you can do this, your chakra control is great."

"Wait! How is this supposed to make us stronger!" Sakura shouted.

"It just does. This is actually really difficult even for a Jonin. If you can do this like Dad said, you have good chakra control. Meaning you can really do any jutsu." I said.

A kunai landed by my feet. I grabbed it and looked up at Dad.

"Use those kunai to mark the tree before you fall to see how far you've gotten, keep doing this so you can see how much you've improved. You won't be able to walk up the tree at first. It takes time. I suggest you run up the tree, using your momentum to stay up. Got it? Begin." Dad said.

'You can do this Reina, just think about all the training you did with Dad years ago and you'll do fine.' Concentrating my chakra to the soles of my feet, I did my best to focus on putting the perfect amount. There. Once I had it, I ran up the tree, running up it perfectly with no trouble whatsoever. I ran to the top of the tree, and stared up at the sky completely forgetting about the training for a second.

"This is easy!"

I glance down from the corner of my eye, to see Sakura standing on a branch 20 feet up.

"Good Job, Sakura-chan! Just what i'd expect from the girl I have my eyes on!" Naruto shouted up at the pink-haired devil. His eye twitched slightly. I smirked, knowing that the pink devil beating him kind of ticked him off.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes. Sadly, Sasuke scoffed and turned away from her. 'Oh, the Uchiha is mad he got beat by her too! This is interesting, they are both jealous of her.' I thought, chuckling down at them.

"Oh. So it looks like Sakura is the one with the best chakra control. Looks like she might be the Hokage one day, unlike someone.." Naruto looked at Dad. "It also looks like the great Uchiha clan isn't so great after all." Dad sighed, receiving a glare from Sasuke.

"Shut up, sensei!" Sakura whined, glancing at Sasuke.

'Dad must be trying to push them, even if it means being rude. He wants them to complete this.' I thought. 'Nice idea..'

"Oh, I almost forgot! Reina, would you please come down?" Dad asked, looking at me with a closed eye smile.

All eyes went on me.

I scoffed, "Way to blow my position, but fine. I'll come down." I shouted.

I jumped off the top of the tree, hearing Sakura and Naruto scream.

I sighed, "Idiots." I muttered as I added chakra to my feet and arms. I rolled on the ground, scraping my arms in the process. Skidding to a halt, I stood up and walked over to my team casually.

"Hey," I said with a small wave.

"Hey! You say that so casually when you just jumped out of a tree 60 feet in the air!" Sakura shouted.

I tilted my head, "Well, why wouldn't I? I knew what I was doing." I stated.

"Yeah! You scared me, dattebayo!" Naruto added

"Oh, gomen?" I said slightly unsure of what to say.

"You better be.." Sakura mumbled.

Shaking my head I went over to Dad, "What was it you needed?" I asked.

"Oh, I wanted you to go back to Tazuna's house and protect him. Stay by his side, alright? Sakura's going, don't kill her." Dad ordered

'Crap, he read my mind. You're lucky this time pink devil.' I grimaced.

"Okay, I'll be going now then. Bye." I muttered.

"Bye."

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"Seems like you two have time to kill on your hands." Tazuna said, walking over to us. "What happened to that blonde idiot and the stuck up boy?"

'Training..'

"There in the middle of training right now." Sakura replied.

"And you don't have to do it?" He asked.

"Well, I'm an exceptional student. So, Kaka-sensei sent me here to guard you." Sakura bragged.

I scoffed. She didn't have to lie, we were only sent here because we finished faster..

"Really?" Tazuna said doubtful.

I snickered at Sakura's angry expression. A man walked up to Tazuna.

"Hey, Tazuna you got a minute?" The man asked.

Tazuna stood up and faced him. "Yeah. What is it, Giichi?" Tazuna asked him.

"Uh, actually... I gave it a lot of thought. I want to...quit building the bridge. Will you let me quit?" Giichi asked.

I listened to the rest of their conversation. It ended with Tazuna letting him quit. I sighed and walked after Tazuna.

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I looked around the town Tazuna took us to since he needed groceries. It was horrible, take one look around and you knew they were all poor. There were children lying against building who looked starved and sad. Small kids even stooped low; they started to steal from others. And there was people holding up signs saying they would do any work for food. My only thought was, 'This is all Gato's doing, he started this..'

"We're here." Tazuna said as he entered a small market.

"Welcom.." A guy greeted us solemnly.

With a frown on my face, I looked around. It was empty; there was hardly any food. All there was there were a cabbage, a bundle of carrots, and other pieces of vegetables. 'How could all these people live off of only this? There's nothing here they could eat yet alone buy..'

"Pervert!!" Sakura screamed, as she kicked a random guy in the face.

I ran over and pulled Sakura out the shop. Tazuna followed.

"Man, I was really surprised back there." Tazuna said.

"Same here, you got a good kick there Sakura." I stated.

Sakura growled, "What's wrong with this town!" Sakura exclaimed loudly.

Something touched my butt, my eyes widened and I spun around with a cold glare.

"What-" I stopped as I took in the children's starved body. Sakura had a girl in front of her, while I had two twin boys. Tears pricked my eyes, the boys were dirty and hungry. Their eyes were pleading as they stuck their hands out for food.. I smiled and dug around in my pouch, good thing I brought some food. "Here, take this." I said handing the boys some rice balls and candy.

They grinned and their eyes sparkled in joy. "Ahhhh! Thank you, miss!" They said simultaneously.

I ruffled their hair, "No problem." I smiled sadly.

I walked away only to be grabbed once more. This time is was the little girl that was with Sakura. I raised an eyebrow, 'didn't she get candy?'

I knelt down to her height, "Yes?" I asked.

"C-Can I hug you, m-miss?" She stuttered.

My breath hitched in my throat. She wanted to hug me? Why..

"S-Sure, but why- Oomph!" She threw her small body on me, her arms wrapped around my waist.

"Thank yo-you for giving us food!" She said.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." I mumbled.

She jumped off me, threw me a cute smile then ran off.

"That was...weird." I muttered, and stood up wiping and dirt of my clothing.

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I lifted the spoon to my mouth and ate the soup Tsunami made for us. I couldn't help but glance between Sasuke and Naruto who were slurping there food down like there was no tomorrow.

"Man.. This is really fun! It's been a long time since we've had a meal this big with so many people." Tazuna shouted happily.

The boys stuffed food into their mouth and stood up, "Seconds please?" They shouted, before glaring at each other.

They spun around and puked on the floor. I gagged and covered my mouth to hold in my own puke.

"Stop eating if you're only going to vomit!" Sakura yelled.

I nodded, "Yeah, that's disgusting. You guys better clean that too." I said, and pushed my bowl away from me. "I'm done, I don't think I can hold in my food with them." I said, gesturing to Sasuke and Naruto.

"No, I'll eat..." Sasuke muttered, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"I have to eat even if it means holding it in! I need to get stronger really quickly!" Naruto said.

I sighed, "If you want to get stronger then stop vomiting. It won't help you." I muttered coldly.

"Ano... Why is there a torn picture on the wall?" Sakura asked, curiously. "Inari was looking at this all through dinner. This torn part looks like someone was deliberately torn off the picture."

The room fell silent, as the air grew tense. 'Tch, nice job Sakura....' I thought sourly.

"It's my husband.." Tsunami said, as she washed the dishes.

"He's a man who was one called the hero of the town." Tazuna muttered.

Inari stood up, "Inari where are you going?!" Tsunami shouted running after her son, she turned around and glared at Tazuna. "Father! I thought I told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari!"

The door slammed shut but Sakura's big mouth kept running.

"What were you saying happened with Inari?" Sakura asked.

"Inari had a father, who was not related by blood.. They got along so well... They had a real father and son relationship. Back then, Inari was a child who would laugh all the time. However..." Tazuna's voice cracked as tears trailed down his face. "Inari has changed, ever since that incident with his father..."

"What incident...? If you don't mind me asking, Tazuna." I asked, my curiosity taking over my body.

"First, I must tell you about the man we called a hero of the town... Inari's father..."

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