Kakashi wore a stupid grin as he got up in the morning, using crutches since he was still injured.

"Kakashi-sensei, why... Why do you look... Why are you grinning?" Sakura asked with a sigh.

He chuckled evilly and looked at the boys, "I stumbled upon two little birds last night, but I didn't want to scare them away so I just watched them."

Sasuke instantly got it and he blushed, Naruto looked at Sasuke, then Kakashi, then at Sasuke again, then understood, and he covered his face.

Sakura smirked and laughed, "Interesting."

Sasuke scoffed. "I have NO idea what you are talking about..."

"Exactly, why are you looking at us? We aren't birds..." Naruto grumbled.

Sakura nodded exaggeratedly, "Riiiight...."

Tazuna just blinked and looked around, "And I am just going to act like I know what you are talking about..."

Kakashi laughed and shook his head, "Anyway, I have noticed something... Do you remember what that hunter-nin used to kill Zabuza?"

Sakura thought, "Wasn't it a senbon needle?"

Kakashi nodded "Exactly, meaning-"

"UGHH!" Naruto facepalmed and groaned loudly.

They all looked at him, "What is it Naruto?"

Naruto just groaned, "I am such a Baka! How could I forget?"

Sasuke blinked, "Forget what?"

Kakashi smiled and thought, 'Seems like the dobe of the group is catching on...'

Naruto hung his head, "Senbon needles can't kill! Only can it temporarily stop someone's heartbeat, or pulse."

Sakura's eyes widened, "Wait... You can't mean-!"

"But sensei checked his pulse! He was dead!" Tazuna said.

Kakashi nodded, "Like Naruto said, it was temporarily stop his pulse."

Naruto nodded and Tazuna fidgeted around nervously, "Don't you think that you are thinking too hard?"

Kakashi shook his head, "A ninja's job is to think outside the box."

Naruto sighed, "Plus, I read in a book, that hunter-nin's are supposed to destroy the body right there and then, not take it somewhere, which is exactly what that hunter-nin did."

Sasuke nodded, "Meaning, that the hunter-nin will probably be working with Zabuza, so we not only have a rouge ninja, but also a partner with him."

Naruto nodded, "That's right."

Kakashi smiled, "Well, I didn't expect Naruto to figure everything out, but that's basically it."

Naruto scratched his head embarrassed, "Gomen Sensei, couldn't help myself."

Sasuke smirked, his Naruto was getting better and better, it was almost amazing.

"So Zabuza is alive, and out to get us?" Sakura asked.

They nodded.

"Okay, I know what we can do." She nodded.

Kakashi blinked, "What?"

Sakura smirked, "Let's give Kakashi-sensei for him to leave us and the village alone."

Kakashi opened his mouth in horror, "Wha...? WHAT?!"

Naruto nodded, "I agree, it's a good plan."

"Na-Nani...?! Chotto Matte!" (Wait a second!) Kakashi put his hands up.

"It's a good plan." Sasuke agreed.

"WHAT!? You guys-!" Kakashi gasped.

"Yeah, Zabuza will agree too, let's do it now." Tazuna nodded.

Kakashi was looking at them in horror, "WAIT WHAT?! YOU'RE GOING TO HAND ME OVER TO ZABUZA?!"

They nodded, stayed silent, then burst out laughing, it even escalated to the point that they had to lean on the table to support themselves.

"Y- You guys!" Kakashi pointed accusingly.

"H-HAAHAHAHAHA! Y-YOUR FACE!" Naruto pointed and held his stomach.

Kakashi's face went red, "Y-YOU WERE JOKING?!!"

"That was SO FUNNY!" Sakura wiped a tear from her eyes.

"I know right!" Sasuke said, a little more composed them the rest.

"And he believed us!" Tazuna held in another big laugh.

Kakashi clenched his fist, "Oh I hate you all!"

Naruto patted Kakashi's back, "Maa maa Kakashi-sensei, we wouldn't do that."

Sasuke smirked, "Yet."

Sakura winked, "Gotta love that 'yet.' "

Kakashi anime cried, "You lot are going to be the death of me."

All three genins shook their head and shrugged in unison, "Oh we know."

Kakashi just sighed in annoyance, "Well, back to business, since Zabuza is still alive, we have to get some training done."

Sakura blinked, "Training? What training's going to help us?"

Kakashi smirked, "Tree climbing."

The three genins exchanged confused looks.

Kakashi chuckled evilly, "Payback..."

They were now outside in the forest, Kakashi turned to face them.

"So, what's this tree climbing thing about?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi turned around and started going vertically up the tree, crutches and all.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto gaped, "Show off..." Naruto whispered.

Kakashi from the tree threw down three kunai's at the genins, "Use chakra to climb up the tree, if you use too much, the bark will break, if you use too little, you will fall down. Use the kunai's to mark how high you have gotten. Start!"

They grabbed the kunai's and ran up the tree, Naruto gritted his teeth when he just slipped down.

'Damn Kyuubi's chakra! I need more chakra control but it's hard when you have a demon fox sealed inside of you!' Naruto thought fiercely.

He noticed that Sasuke also fell down; he was using too much chakra. He swiped at the tree and marked his point.

"Hey! This is kinda fun!" Sakura's voice rang from above.

They looked up, the sun in their eyes and Naruto smiled.

"Wow Sakura-chan! Good job!" He shouted.

Kakashi snickered, "Seems like the female-pink-haired-used-to-be-banshee has the best chakra control of the team. Maybe she will become Hokage, and the Uchiha clan doesn't look like much."

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes opened wildly, "You..."

Sakura sighed, "1) Saying I'm a Banshee is offensive to Ino-chan, and 2) I don’t think you should have said that, look at the boys Sensei."

Kakashi looked; they had the word ‘MURDER’ in their eyes.

"Oh shit."

Naruto’s shoulders shook with silent and sadistic laughter, “Sensei…”

Kakashi’s eye twitched and he looked around in fear, “Ahh… Yes Naruto…?”

Sasuke’s lips curled into an evil smirk, “…You… Are so dead…”

Sakura snorted, “Told ya so Sensei.”

Naruto and Sasuke cracked their knuckles, walking dangerously towards their silver haired sensei.

Kakashi put his hands up in defence, “Now now… Let’s be reasonable here…” and he thought, ‘Because one move and those two can easily injure me!’

Sakura giggled, “Don’t scare Kakashi-sensei guys, he really thinks that you will kill him.”

Kakashi blinked, “Ha?”

Sasuke and Naruto sighed, “Fine fine, only for you Sakura-chan.” Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke nodded, “He did kinda deserve it though.”

Sakura shook her head in amusement, “Kami yeah he did.”

Kakashi’s eye twitched in annoyance, “You GUYS! Why do you keep on scaring me! First the trying-to-hand-me-over to Zabuza incident, now THIS?! Seriously!?”

Sakura blinked, “Yeah.”

Sasuke nodded, “Pretty much.”

Naruto smiled, “It’s amusing.”

Kakashi sweatdropped, “You guys are going to be the death of me…”

“Don’t we know it.” Naruto winked.

Sakura looked in disgust as Naruto and Sasuke practically consumed the food like a vacuum, they were hardly even full yet.

“I WANT SOME MORE!!!” They both yelled and raised their bowls.

Sakura sighed, “Guys… Sit down properly and get some manners.”

Naruto put his bowl down and wiped the food off his face, “Kami, wow, sorry.”

Sasuke wiped his mouth and shrugged, “I apologise for my rude behaviour.”

Sakura nodded, “Good enough.”

Naruto held his mouth, “Oh God… I think I’m going to throw up…”

Sasuke covered his mouth too, “Uh oh…”

Then they both proceeded to throw up behind the table.

Sakura slammed his bowl down, “Don’t eat so much if you’re going to puke it all up!”

“I know… Sorry…” Naruto said.

Sasuke just nodded.

Kakashi sweatdropped, “Puking won’t help you guys…”

Sakura blinked at him, “Oh, sorry Kakashi-sensei, I didn’t realise you were there.”

Kakashi opened his mouth in offence. “Huh-?”

“Kakashi-sensei was here?” Naruto blinked.

“I didn’t notice.”

Kakashi put his head in his hands.

Tazuna and Tsunami laughed, “You bully him too much.”

The genins shrugged, “It’s his fault.”

Sakura looked around and her eyes fell on a picture, “Hey, that picture is torn, how come?”

The family stiffened, Tsunami replied first, “It’s my husband.”

Tazuna lowered his head, “They used to call him a hero in this land…”

Inari slipped out of his chair and walked towards the door.

“Inari where are you going?!” Tsunami asked.

He slammed the door shut and the room was left in silence.

“Father you can’t talk about him like that in front of Inari you know that!” She left the house in search for Inari.

Kakashi looked at Tazuna, “What’s the story?”

Then Tazuna told the story, the whole story. About Kaiza, about Inari, about why he never smiled anymore, about how this village lost the meaning of the word ‘Courage.’

“Since then, Inari’s changed, so did Tsunami and all our people, we lost our will.” Tazuna said.

Naruto’s eyes sharpened, “I’m gonna prove it.”

Sakura blinked, “Prove what?”

Naruto leaned his head up with one hand, “That hero’s do exist.”