Archive of Our Own

“Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge: fitter to bruise than to polish.”

Anne Bradstreet

Naruto was yelling again. Sakura didn’t bother to pay attention to what he was yelling about this time - it didn’t really matter why he was yelling, just that he was. Not for the first time, Sakura wished she’d gotten a different team. She loved being with Sasuke, that was a dream, but being stuck with Nartuo and their lazy sensei was too much for her some days.

Like today.

Sakura paused her weeding to glare over at Kakashi as he tucked his book away and rose from his spot against a tree. He slipped his hands into his pockets and slouched toward Naruto and the client he was still yelling at.

Beside her, Sasuke let out an annoyed scoff. At least someone on the team understood the annoyance of their useless sensei and annoying teammate. Kakashi cuffed the back of Naruto’s head gently, ordering him back to work and halfheartedly apologizing to their client. Sakura heard the man grumble under his breath about complaining to the Hokage’s office. Any other sensei would have looked mortified, Sakura knew. She’d seen the tightness in Kurenai’s face when one of their clients had threatened to do the same. But those senseis had standards. Kakashi didn’t seem to. 

Sakura heaved a sigh and hoped the complaint wouldn’t affect their pay.

Kakashi tugged Naruto away from the client by his ear, lecturing him in that exasperated but uncaring tone. “You can’t yell at the client, Naruto.

“He said-”

“I know,” Kakashi tutted patiently. “But you need to learn to ignore people, Naruto. You can’t fly into a fight everytime someone says something you don’t like. Now get back to work.”

Growling and grumbling, Naruto returned to work and Kakashi slunk back to his shady spot to lazy against the tree again. Sakura shot Naruto a glare before turning back to her own weeding. 

The rest of the mission went off without a hitch and they were thankfully done before noon. Kakashi had them write their mission reports and then escorted them to hand them in. Irunka-sensei smiled at all of them when they handed over their papers before glaring at Kakashi, half exasperated, half annoyed.

“Apologies,” Kakashi said breezily. “I got so distracted with making sure my cute little genin got their reports done, I forgot mine.”

Iruka-sensei let out a long suffering sigh. “Please get it to me by tonight, Hatake-san.”

Kakashi’s eyes closed in his usual chipper smile. “No promises, sensei. Come along, my little trouble makers.”

“Bye Iruka-sensei!” Naruto’s shout echoed around them as they turned to follow Kakashi out the door.

“That was my ear, dobe!” Sasuke snarled, elbowing Naruto hard.

They dissolved into bickering in a blink. Sakura groaned and covered her face with her hands. It was bad enough that they fought during training and missions, but now they were yelling in front of a whole room of jonin and chunnin. How embarrassing! And, of course, Kakashi seemed less than interested in reining them in. He let out a half exasperated, half defeated sigh instead, his half lidded eye watching them dispassionately.

“Naruto! Sasuke!” Iruka-senei’s sharp voice rang through the room and brought the spat to a sudden halt.

Their academy sensei was on his feet, looking genuinely horrified at their behavior. Which was a bit over an overreaction. Naruto and Sasuke had always argued like that, even in Iruka-sensei’s class. With how obnoxious Naruto was, it was impossible for any argument to be quiet. But Iruka-sensei looked at Kakashi as though the boys had just committed some kind of grave sin.

Kakashi waved Iruka off with his usual lazy demeanor. “Let's go, Team 7,” he said lightly. 

Iruka-sensei looked like he desperately wanted to say more. But he bit his tongue and let them leave. 

Something churned uncomfortably in Sakura’s stomach. She didn’t like the uncertain look on Iruka-sensei’s face, like something bad was going to happen. 

Nothing bad waited for them outside the mission office. Naruto and Sasuke slunk behind Kakashi, both thoroughly chastised. By Iruka-sensei, not Kakashi.

Never by Kakashi.

“Kakashi.” a very quiet, hesitant voice called. 

“Yo, Kurenai.” Kakashi’s voice was loud, happy. Sakura could hear the smile in his voice. 

Ahead of them, Kurenai and her team were walking toward them. Hinata was clutching her paper so tightly her fingers were white and Kiba was positively glaring at them. Shino remained unreadable as ever but Sakura thought she might detect the smallest hint of annoyance wafting around him. 

Kurenai bit her lip, pausing in front of them and rocking on her toes. “Lord Hokage would like to see you.” 

“Ah,” Kakashi’s voice remained light and cheerful. “Thank you. I’ll make my way there. You’re free for the day, my cute little genin. Enjoy your afternoon off.” 

Sakura bristled with excitement, turning to Sasuke. Maybe they could get lunch and train together. Confide in each other or just vent about their team. But Sasuke was already making his way down the street by the time she turned.

“Hey, wait, Sasuke!” Sakura hurried to jog after him, hearing Naruto scramble behind her. 

Oh great. Just what she didn't need. 

“You three!”

Kurenai’s voice was a little louder than usual but Sakura didn't realize Team 8’s sensei was talking to them until she heard Kakashi laugh. 

“Oh, let them be, Kurenai,” Kakashi chuckled. “Don't you remember the excitement of getting an afternoon off?”

“Kakashi.” Sakura’s feet slowed at how sad Kurenai’s voice sounded. 

Naruto barreled past her, calling out to Sasuke, as she slowed to a walk and looked over her shoulder. Kakashi was patting Kurenai’s shoulder sympathetically and Kiba was glaring in Sakura’s direction with more malice than she'd ever experienced in her life. 

“Maa, you worry too much, Kurenai,” Kakashi told her. “I know what I'm doing. Good luck on your mission, Team 8.”

He vanished in a swirl of leaves. Sakura stared at the spot he'd left, feeling Kiba’s angry gaze on her. The dog in his jacket whined softly and Hinata tugged on his arm. 

“Kiba,” she whispered. 

“I know,” Kiba hissed through clenched teeth. “I know.”

“Let’s go, you three,” Kurenai told her team, waving them in the direction of the gate. “We don't want to be late.”

With a sad glance in Sakura’s direction, Kurenai led her team away. 

Something was off. Sakura could feel it. When they’d run into Team 10, she expected Ino to be a jerk - she always was - but she was usually only rude to Sakura. But today, Ino hadn’t fawned over Sasuke at all. And Choji and Shikamaru were being unusually grumpy with all of them, not just Naruto.

“They’re probably just jealous that we got an A-rank mission and they didn’t,” Naruto said breezily.

“It was a C-rank mission,” Sasuke muttered.

“It went up to an A-rank. Kakashi-sensei said!”

Sakura shuddered. She didn’t want to think about the Land of Waves. It had only been a week. She still woke up sweating. If Team 10 really was jealous, it was a stupid thing to be jealous about. But, Sakura doubted that was it. Ino was only a shinobi because of her parents. Choji barely did anything unless he got food out of it. And Shikamaru, well Shikamaru hated doing everything . Overall, Team 10 was way too lazy to be jealous that they hadn’t gotten an A-rank mission. 

“Ugh, why does he always have to be late?” Naruto shouted. “If he says eight o’clock, why doesn’t he mean eight o’clock?”

“The real question,” Sasuke said, crossing his arms over his chest, “is why are we still stupid enough to show up on time?” 

That was more than a fair question. They knew Kakashi would be at least two hours late - if not later - so why did they bother showing up at the time Kakashi gave them? 

Because that’s what shinobi did. They showed up when they were told. Well, good shinobi anyway. Kakashi was definitely strong but Sakura didn’t know if he necessarily counted as a good shinobi.

Good shinobi followed the rules. They showed up on time and they did what needed to be done.

Her team waited in their usual spots. Naruto plopped down on the bridge’s floor, still grumbling, while Sasuke leaned against the side and glared at the water. Sakura lifted herself up to sit on the railing so she could kick her feet while she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

“Ah, there you are, my little genin.”

Kakashi crouched on the bridge’s arch above them. His eye was closed in his usual smile, his voice as chipper as ever. Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto started yelling about Kakashi being late and their sensei gave a halfhearted excuse about an old lady and groceries. 

“What are we doing today, Sensei?” Sakura cut in before Naruto could start yelling again. 

Hopefully a mission that would give them a little more entertainment than weeding. And was a little cleaner too. Sakura still had dirt under her nails from the last time.

“Well,” Kakashi dropped down. Sakura’s brow furrowed as his body stiffened in what looked like pain, “I thought today-”

“We’d go on a super awesome A-rank mission!” Naruto interrupted.

“Uh, no.” Kakashi sounded half amused and half exasperated. “We’d work on taijutsu.”

“What?” Naruto’s angry screech echoed around them.

Kakashi sighed, one hand rubbing his temples. “Its important to keep up on the basics.”

“No way! We’re ninja now, Sensei! That means going on super awesome missions!”

“Naruto, I still work on my taijutsu,” Kakashi said. “Keeping your basics sharp is what will keep you alive on your “super awesome missions”. I thought you’d be happy to take a break from cat retrieval duty.”

Naruto grumbled all through warm ups and he was still complaining under his breath as he and Sasuke started their spar. Sakura rolled her eyes as she watched them. Beside her, Kakashi shifted his weight from foot to foot as though he couldn’t find a comfortable way to stand. Sakura glanced up at him. It was hard to tell with his mask, but she thought he might be grimacing.

“Are you alright, Sensei?” 

“Perfectly fine, Sakura.” Despite his eye smile, Kakashi’s voice sounded tighter than usual.

Kakashi sent them on their way only a few hours later. Naruto grumbled their whole way back to the village. Sakura tried to catch Sasuke’s eye, to see if he was as annoyed with their teammate as she was, but he glared at the ground with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

Something hard and large slammed into Sakura’s shoulder. She stumbled into Sasuke with a gasp, grateful when he steadied her.

“Watch where you’re going!” the chunin that had run into her snarled.

Sakura glared back at him.

“Don’t talk to Sakura like that,” Naruto snapped, already taking a big step forward. “Why don’t you -”

A hand clapped over Naruto’s mouth, cutting him off, and Choji yanked him away from the chunin. In a blink, Shikamaru had stepped between them, hands up in a sign of peace.

“They are really sorry,” Shikamaru said. “They’ll pay more attention next time.”

Behind Choji’s hand, Naruto let out a muffled and enraged “what”. Sakura blinked at Shikamaru, already feeling indignance. The chunin had run into her . And he was the one being a jerk about it. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

The chunin raised an eyebrow. “You’re one of Asuma’s genin, right?”

Every muscle in Shikamaru’s body went tense as he nodded.

The chunin hummed. “At least one of the jonin teach manners.”

He left with another glare in Sakura’s direction. Shikamaru deflated in relief and Naruto wiggled himself free of Choji’s grip.

“What’s the big idea?” Naruto seethed. “That bastard-”

“Will you keep your voice down?” Shikamaru hissed. “You three morons already have your sensei on thin ice. If you keep acting like idiots, you’re going to take his reputation even further.”

Thin ice? Sakura blinked. “What do you mean?”

Sure, most people knew they were Kakashi’s genin team, but Sakura doubted they had any affect on the notorious Copy Ninja’s reputation. A missing-nin from the Hidden Mist knew who Kakashi was. What harm could an argument between his genin team and a chunin do to him?

“Kakashi-sensei doesn’t care what we do,” Naruto said.

Shikamaru’s jaw ground together. “Well, maybe he should.”

“Shikamaru,” Choji sounded anxious, “come on, let’s go. We have to meet Ino.”

With another sharp glare, Shikamaru stormed off with Choji hot on his heels.

Sakura stared after them. She didn’t think she’d ever felt more confused in her life. “What was that about?”

“Who cares?” Sasuke rolled his eyes and started toward the main road through the village. “Are we getting food or what?”

The other genin teams continued to act weird. Team 10 kept snapping at them over the littlest things and Team 8 started avoiding them all together. Sakura refuses to admit that it had started to hurt her feelings - she didn't need any of the other teams to like her. She had her own Team- but she wished they'd at least say what had upset them so badly. 

The boys must have felt the same because they were at each other's throats constantly. And when they weren't snapping at each other, they were snapping at any one they could. Including her. 

“Maybe a missions will work out some of your energy,” Kakashi mused lazily, holding Naruto by the collar like a naughty puppy. 

“Finally!” Naruto shouted. “I want an A-rank!”

“You'll get what the mission desk gives you,” Kakashi sighed, leading them toward Hokage Tower. 

Sasuke and Naruto bickering the whole way there. Sakura could already picture the mortification on Iruka-sensei’s face if they walked into the mission office screeching at each other like a pair of academy school girls. 

To Sakura's utter horror, not only was Iruka-sensei in the office but Lord Third was as well. The Hokage looked less warm than usual as they walked in, Sasuke and Naruto still bickering. Kakashi let out a single, sheepish laugh that didn't seem to warm Lord Hiruzen any. 

Just when Sakura didn't think things could possibly get worse, the words D-rank mission left someone's mouth and Naruto exploded.

“No, no, no!” he shouted, just like he had when they'd gotten the mission to the Land of Waves. “Listen here, Old Man! I'm sick of-”

Lord Third's eyes darkened. In a blink, Kakashi had moved, his hand slamming over Naruto's mouth to cut him off. 

“Be. Quiet,” Kakashi hissed, his voice trembling. 

Time froze. No one dared to move. Unlike Naruto's previous tantrum, there was no gentle laughter or exasperation from Iruka-sensei. Just thick, suffocating horror as everyone stared at Naruto and Kakashi. 

Sakura's chest clenched. Iruka-sensei’s eyes were blown wide and he looked ill. The Hokage glared darkly at Kakashi, who kept Naruto pinned to his chest, one shaking hand over Naruto's mouth. 

Shaking. 

Sakura suddenly felt very small. 

Kakashi didn't shake. Didn't tremble. Didn't flinch. 

Except now. His pupil was blown wide, his chest shuttering beneath his breath. 

The room held its breath. 

“Team 7,” Lord Third's voice cut like an icy wind. “You're dismissed. Kakashi.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage,” Kakashi choked weakly.

Naruto threw Kakashi's hand off his mouth. “What? Dismissed? What do you-?”

Irunka-sensei bolted over the desk, his hand grabbing Naruto's arm in a bruising grip. “That is enough , Naruto.”

Sakura shuddered. She'd never heard Iruka-sensei angry before. 

“Sasuke. Sakura. Out.” 

Iruka-sensei dragged Naruto passed them, out the door. Sasuke turned to follow. Sakura paused long enough to see Kakashi close his eye, his shoulders falling in a numb acceptance.

“... be a Tier III,” she heard as the door closed behind her. “I warned you.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.” 

Iruka-sensei led them back out to the street, keeping a firm grip on Naruto as he went. Naruto wiggled the whole way, grumbling protests and ordering Iruka-sensei to let him go. 

“Stop,” Iruka-sensei snapped once they were outside. He pulled Naruto around to face him, eyes wide and skin pale. “Naruto, you can't speak to the Hokage like that.”

“Iruka-sensei,” Naruto whined. “Let go. I always talk to-”

“Listen to me, all three of you. I understand Kakashi-san gives you freedom the other genin don't have. But it is time for you to stop taking advantage of him.”

“Taking advantage?” Sakura echoed. 

“What are you talking about Iruka-sensei?” Naruto demanded.

“Naruto, I love that you are loud and boisterous, and yourself. And I know Kakashi-san does too. But that doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want whenever you want to whoever you want. You are a shinobi. It's time you act like it. All three of you.”

Sakura tried not to wilt under the look Iruka-sensei shot her. He'd never been disappointed in her before.

“Go home,” Iruka-sensei told them firmly. “And please, stay out of trouble.”

Sakura tried to stop thinking about the way Kakashi’s hand trembled around Naruto’s mouth and the way Iruka-sensei’s whole face remained pale, even when he sent them on their way home. She could still hear the disappointment in Iruka-sensei’s voice. 

“It is time for you to stop taking advantage of him.” 

Advantage of Kakashi? How? 

They’d never even gotten him to pay for their lunches. The other jonin senseis paid for their teams’ lunches. Sakura knew because she’d heard Choji and Ino laughing about barbeque on Asuma’s dime. And he didn’t help them on any of their missions either. Well, none of their D-rank missions. He just sat around and read his book while they worked and then got paid for it.  If anything, Kakashi had taken advantage of them.

Naruto insisted on going to get ramen. Sakura should have just gone home. She was tired and embarrassed. But Sasuke had made a hum of disinterest and then led the way toward the ramen shop, so she scurried along after the boys. 

Ichiraku’s wasn’t overly busy. Despite having the best ramen in town, there was somehow always enough space for them. Team 10 and Team 8 were at the counter, the six of them pressed close together and muttering. Sakura could already feel the unhappy energy emanating from the group. Her stomach clenched.

A deep gut instinct told her to turn around and leave before they saw her. But she couldn’t do that. Shinobi didn’t run. Even when their stomach clenched with discomfort. She opened her mouth to suggest they find somewhere else to eat - anywhere else to eat. She’d make the boys dinner herself - when Naruto spotted the other genin.

“Oh, hey guys!” Naruto’s loud shout drew attention from the entire street.

If looks could kill, Kiba would have dropped all three of Team 7’s genin in a single glance. His lip curled up, his fangs glinting under Ichiraku’s light. Hinata’s hand was on his arm in seconds and Shino had stuck his arm out, as though to keep Kiba from moving. Shikamaru shot Naruto a glare as well, his teeth already grinding as Ino stared down at her bowl and Choji glanced between them nervously.

“What’s that look for?” Naruto demanded. 

“Naruto,” Choji hissed. “Lower your voice.” 

“Huh? Why? What’s wrong with my-”

“Will you get out of here?” Kiba growled. “Can’t you three do anything without making a goddamn scene?”

Sakura opened her mouth to ask what exactly that meant but the words wouldn’t come. Kiba had always been hot tempered and quick to anger. His temper was almost as short and explosive as Naruto’s. But it had never felt this real before. Kiba’s anger normally felt like Naruto’s, over the top and asking for attention. This anger was quiet. 

It was dangerous. 

Sasuke’s sneer was just as dangerous, but his voice lacked its usual confidence. “What’s that mean?” 

“Kiba,” Hinata whispered, tugging at his sleeve as she glanced around them uncertainly.

Heads turned in their direction, eyebrows raised and voices whispering. Sakura took half a step back, trying to find a place to hide from all the sudden attention. They were just supposed to be getting lunch, not causing a scene in the middle of the ramen shop.

“It means-”

“Kiba,” Shikamaru said sharply, his eyebrows narrowed in the most furious look Sakura had ever seen. “Don’t. Listen,” Shikamaru turned back to glare at Sakura and her team instead. “Get out of here. Go home and stay home. And stay out of trouble. It isn’t that hard.”

Naruto blinked. “What are you guys talking about? We just wanted-”

“We don’t care, Naruto,” Ino’s voice was the same deadly quiet as Shikamaru’s. “Go away.” 

Sakura’s nails cut into her palm as she forced herself to glare at her former friend. “Why?” 

“Because,” Shino’s voice was even as ever but there as something teetering on the edge, something tense, “we care about our senseis. Shikamaru’s right. Go home.” 

Naruto bristled further and Sasuke’s arms crossed over his chest. 

“You guys can’t-”

“Naruto.” Teuchi slipped out from behind the counter with three to go containers, holding them out. “It’s your favorite. Go home and enjoy it. I can’t have you making a scene in my business.” 

“But we weren’t-”

“Go on.” Teuchi interrupted gently, handing off the containers and ushering them away. 

Numbly, Sakura accepted hers. Her feet moved on their own, following Teuchi’s instructions. The boys trailed after her. Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura watched the other two genin teams turn back to their food, Hinata’s arm wrapped lightly around Kiba’s shoulders as though to comfort him. 

“What the hell is going on?” Naruto growled as he stalked along behind her. “Why is everyone yelling at us today? We didn’t even do anything!” 

Sasuke stayed silent.

Sakura sighed. “Let’s just,” she muttered, looking down at the food she’d been given, “listen to what Iruka-sensei said and go home.” 

The next morning came too early. Sakura didn’t want to go to training. For the first time since she’d become a genin, she seriously considered curling up in bed and pretending the outside world didn’t exist. All of the other genin had decided to hate them for some reason - a reason none of them would explain - and Kakashi was probably going to make them run laps or something because Naruto had gotten him yelled at by the Hokage.

Why did she have to end up on a team with them ? 

Why couldn’t she have ended up on Kurenai’s team? 

Sure, she wouldn’t have been with Sasuke, but at least then no one would hate her. And Kurenai seemed like a good sensei. All her students liked her and they seemed mostly happy.

Though dealing with Kiba would be almost as bad as dealing with Naruto.

Almost .

Letting out a long breath, Sakura threw her blankets aside and forced herself to move. The sun had already crested the horizon. She’d probably be a few minutes late, but it would still be hours earlier than Kakashi. The boys must have had a similar thought because they showed up at the path to the training ground just minutes after her. 

“What do you think we’re going to have to do today?” Naruto asked as they made their way down the path.

“Probably laps or something stupid,” Sasuke grumbled. “Because someone got him yelled at by the Hokage.” 

“How was I supposed to know that was gonna happen?” Naruto asked. “It worked last time! We got a better mission.” 

“You should know better than to yell at the Hokage, dobe.”
“Will you two cut it out?” Sakura snapped. Her cheeks flushed, a mix of embarrassment and anger. “All your fighting is making everyone mad. And I’m sick of listening to it!”

“Huh? Hey, Sakura, don’t be mad!”

Sakura ignored Naruto’s shouted and continued to stomp down the path. She just wanted to get to the training grounds and sulk the next two or three hours away. Then put up with whatever stupid thing Kakashi made them do before she could go home again. 

She was so busy glaring at the ground beneath her feet that she barely missed running straight into Ino and Choji. Both of them blinked in surprise at her then glanced back at Naruto and Sasuke. 

“What - uh - what are you guys doing here?” Choji asked slowly.

Anger flared in Sakura’s chest. First they got yelled at for walking into the ramen shop, now they wanted to give her a hard time for walking to the training ground. “You don’t own the path to the training grounds,” she grit out.

“You guys have training today?” Ino sounded genuinely horrified.

That caused Sakura to pause. She blinked, trying to track the date in her mind. It wasn’t October yet, so it wasn’t the memory of the Nine-Tails attack. And the day to honor the end of the Third Great War wasn’t until next June. 

“Did something happen?” Sakura asked, brow furrowing. 

Had Lord Third called in the jonin suddenly? Was there a danger brewing outside the Leaf that Kakashi forgot to mention to them. 

Choji looked unsure and nudged Ino. “We should go find Shikamaru and Asuma-sensei.”

“Yeah,” Ino breathed.

“Hey,” Sakura shouted after them. “What’s wrong?” 

They ignored her, scurrying off to find their teammate and sensei. Sakura’s nails cut into her palms and she barely bit back a scream. What the hell was going on? Why did everyone seem to know except them?

Gritting her teeth, Sakura turned back to the path and stomped toward Training Ground Three. This was getting ridiculous. Everyone ignoring them or yelling at them. No one telling them anything. Not even Iruka-sensei. 

What did we do? 

She desperately wanted the answer. It had to have something to do with Kakashi. The other teams kept mentioning their senseis and Iruka-sensei had gotten really angry at them after Lord Third yelled at Kakashi. 

But that didn’t make any sense. 

Kakashi hadn’t said anything. He didn’t ask them to do anything different. He didn’t correct whatever they were doing wrong. So why was everyone so angry with them ?

It wasn’t fair. Sakura couldn’t fix the problem if she didn’t know what the problem was. And now she had to sit for hours and stew with nothing to take her mind off of it. Except maybe Kakashi. 

Wait.

Sakura froze. 

She rubbed her eyes furiously.

The scene in front of her remained the same. 

Kakashi leaned against the pole he’d tied Naruto to during their first ever training session. His eye was closed but his body was tense, so he had to be awake. The normal laziness in his stance was missing, one arm resting around his ribs and his head leaning against the wood.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto’s voice broke the quiet Sakura found herself in.

“Kai,” Sasuke muttered behind them. 

Kakashi’s eye opened. Even from a distance, he looked exhausted. His body slumped against the pole, dark bags circling his single visible eye. He stared through them for a split second before his eye closed in a smile. 

“There you are, my little genin,” he said, his usual chipper voice more forced than usual. “You’re late.”

“You’re one to talk, Sensei!” Naruto shouted, already halfway toward Kakashi. “You’re never on time.”

“Maa, maa, Naruto,” Kakashi’s voice sounded more tired than breezy. “A shinobi always arrives when he needs to. Gather around Sakura, Sasuke. We’ll go over some chakra theory this morning. Then work on some taijutsu.” 

Kakashi was pale. Sakura could only see a fourth of his face, but she could tell his color was off. A bit of sweat sparkled under the sunlight, glistening on his brow against his silver hair. 

Sasuke shot Sakura a questioning look. She was far too busy staring at Kakashi to feel warmth from it. He gestured toward the ground with a hand that trembled just barely and he hadn’t moved away from the post, still leaning against it as though it was the only thing holding him up.

Was he sick? 

He looked sick. 

Sakura lowered herself to the ground, staring up at him. Kakashi spoke but Sakura couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in her ears. Something was wrong with their sensei. But how did she bring that up? He clearly wanted to pretend he was fine. And he was an elite jonin. 

If he needed a day off - a sick day - he would have taken one.

Right? 

A few times, Kakashi paused to blink slowly. Each time his chest moved up and down in a controlled breath, as though he was trying to center himself. Sakura’s voice caught in her throat everytime she tried to ask if he was alright. 

“Uh, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto finally said haltingly. “Are you okay?” 

“Fine,” Kakashi muttered, his eye staring through them for a second. “What were we talking about?” 

Sakura’s heart sped up, slamming into her rib cage. 

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong.

Kakashi swayed slightly, tipping away from the pole.

Something was wrong .

Sasuke and Naruto both moved before she could, scrambling up to their knees as though to catch Kakashi. Their sensei let out a hissed gasp of pain as arms steadied him from behind, keeping him from collapsing to the ground.

“Shit,” Asuma breathed. “Sorry. I gotcha.” 

Kakashi let out a strained breath.

“Come on, you idiot, sit down.” 

Sakura’s chest finally released its hold on her heart. She breathed as Asuma lowered Kakashi to the ground, squatting beside him to hold him up. In the distance, she could see Team 10 hovering anxiously. 

“Sensei, are you okay?” Naruto’s loud voice drew a wince out of Kakashi and a glare from Asuma. 

“‘m fine,” Kakashi slurred, head tipping toward Asuma. 

The taller jonin steadied him again, his brown eyes dark as he looked at them. “Your training is canceled. Today and tomorrow.” His voice was tight, far harsher than Kakashi’s. “Go home. Stay out of trouble.” 

Sakura blinked at the angry tone. 

“Asuma,” Kakashi mumbled.

“Don’t,” Asuma’s voice was just as sharp for Kakashi.

Somehow, it made her feel better. Maybe Asuma’s anger wasn’t for them but for his friend, who clearly shouldn’t have been out of bed. More sweat had gathered around Kakashi’s forehead, dripping down his temple and onto his mask. It must have been a fever. 

Of course he only showed up early when he was too sick to be standing. 

Typical.

And somehow, that made her feel even worse.

“Come on,” Sakura said, waving the boys away. The last thing their elite jonin sensei would want was three little genin watching him pitifully while he suffered from a bad case of the flu. “Thank you, Asuma-sensei. Feel better, Kakashi-sensei.”

Vaguely, she thought Kakashi muttered something about training tomorrow as she dragged the boys away.

“Over my dead body,” Asuma grumbled. “Choji, Shikamaru, help me get him on my back.” 

Things somewhat evened out over the next few weeks. While Team 8 and Team 10 still weren’t happy with them, they weren’t quite as rude either. Sakura was grateful for that, at least, but she still wished they would tell her why they were so upset. 

Kakashi had been two hours late to the training session after his almost collapse and straight back to his lazy, chipper self. Sakura thought it would annoy her but she found herself grateful. At least someone was being normal, even if it was her perpetually exasperating sensei. He dragged them around on D-rank missions and made them practice their taijutsu. 

Iruka-sensei yelling at them seemed to do at least a little good. Naruto had at least stopped demanding more dangerous missions, though he still pouted when they were issued D-rank. Baby steps, Sakura supposed. 

“ Now can we ask for a C-rank mission?” Naruto whined once they’d dropped off the dogs to their client. 

His jacket was torn from where one of the dogs had lept on him and Sakura had a few scratches on her arm. Sasuke’s dark blue shirt was covered in bright white dog hair and he glowered at Kakashi like it was his hair, not the dogs. 

“No,” Kakashi said, smile in his voice. “I’m afraid we’re done for the day, Naruto.” 

“Done?” Sakura glanced toward the clock tower. “But sensei, it isn’t even noon yet.” 

Kakashi hummed. “So it isn’t. But I’m afraid I have an important engagement to make, Sakura. Enjoy your afternoon off. Do try not to burn the village down.” 

He vanished before they could argue. 

Sakura rolled her eyes, mentally taking back her gratitude at things being back to normal. 

“Aw man,” Naruto whined. “What are we supposed to do for the rest of the day?”

Sasuke scoffed. “I don’t care what you two do. I’m going to train.”

Sakura spun to follow him. “I’ll come with you,” she offered. “We can work on tree walking some more.” 

The perfect chance to spend some one-on-one time. And with something Sakura could actually do better than the boys. She wasn’t as strong or as fast, but her chakra control was far better than theirs. Kakashi had praised her on it several times and even promised he’d talk to Kurenai about helping her work on her genjutsu. 

“It isn’t my strong suit, I’m afraid,” he’d told her somewhat sheepishly. “I’m a ninjutsu specialist, Sakura. Genjutsu is my weakest ability.” 

She wondered if he’d actually remembered to talk to Kurenai.

“Hey, me too!” Naruto cheered, bounding to stand beside Sasuke. “We can all train together. We’re a team, right?” 

Sakura growled at him, but he was too busy rambling to Sasuke about sparing and ninjutsu. It was getting harder and harder to tell who had a crush on Sasuke: her or Naruto. 

At least the weather was nice. The warm fall air swirled around them in a light breeze, leaves rustling happily. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky which meant Sakura would be free to lay in the sun while the boys challenged each other to see who could get higher in their tree walking. Maybe she could get a nice tan. 

Boys liked girls with tans, right? 

Maybe Sasuke would compliment her if she got one. 

Soft sobbing caught her ear as they walked deeper into the training ground. Sakura paused, turning in a small circle until she found the source of the noise. Team 3 was crowded around one of the benches near Training Ground Two. Sakura didn’t know them well, but she remembered them from brief encounters in the academy. 

Tenten sat with her head in her hands, her shoulders trembling with the force of her sobs. Lee sat next to her, a hand on her shoulder as he spoke softly. Neji stood beside the bench, glaring at the ground like it had personally offended him. However, Sakura thought that the look might have just been Neji’s default. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Naruto asked.

Sakura jumped at the loud question. She hadn’t even realized the boys had stopped. Sasuke rolled his eyes from his spot beside Naruto, arms crossed over his chest.

“Who cares?” Sasuke asked. “Not our team, not our problem.” 

“That’s not nice,” Naruto scolded. “What if they need help?” 

He strode across the grass without another word. 

“Naruto!” Sakura protested, hurrying after him. 

A disgusted sigh from behind her suggested Sasuke was following them as well. Tenten’s hiccuping sobs hurt Sakura’s chest as they approached. Lee’s soft assurances of “he’ll be alright. It wasn’t your fault, Tenten” became easier to hear over her sobs. 

“What do you three want?” Neji bit out.

“We wanted to make sure you didn’t need help,” Naruto replied easily.

Sakura pushed past him to kneel in front of Tenten and place comforting hands on her knees. “Tenten, are you alright?” 

“And what exactly do you think you could help us with?” Neji’s voice was sharp, angry.

“Neji,” Lee protested. “They’re trying to be nice. You shouldn’t-”

“I think we managed to get Gai-sensei in plenty of trouble without their help ,” Neji snarled.

Tenten let out a wail that was barely muffled by her hands. Sakura squeezed her knees comfortingly. 

“It’s okay,” Sakura whispered. “You’re alright, Tenten.”

“Tha-tha-that’s the problem,” Tenten stuttered. “I should have just-”

“No,” Lee cut her off quickly. “Gai-sensei said he was glad you-”

“Well, I’m n-n-not!” Tenten sobbed. 

“Tenten,” Sakura soothed, rubbing her knee the way her mother used to do for her. “What happened? Are you hurt? What can I do?” 

The questions just caused Tenten to dissolve deeper into sobs. Neji grumbled under his breath. 

“One of the jonin,” Lee paused, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks, “made an inappropriate pass at Tenten.” 

“What?” Sakura wasn’t sure if she should feel horrified or furious. Both swirl in her chest, roaring like a protective lion. “That’s horrible!” 

“And she slapped him,” Lee continued, his voice grim.

“That’s awesome!” Naruto cheered. “Way to go, Tenten.” 

She wailed under the praise, burying her face deeper into her hands. 

“Uh,” Naruto muttered. “Did I say something wrong?” 

Neji’s anger drifted on the wind, heavy and dark. “Not all of us feel like throwing a party when our senseis get corporal punishment.” 

“Huh?” 

Sakura was glad Naruto asked the question. Her brain was slow to process the words but once it had, her voice failed her. Corporal punishment? 

“What do you mean, huh?” Neji snapped. “Assaulting a superior is a Tier II offense.”

“Neji,” Lee protested as Tenten’s sobs grew again. Her entire body shook violently under the force. 

“Offense?” Naruto echoed again.

Sasuke stepped forward, glaring darkly at Neji. “What the hell are you talking about?” 

“The Chain of Accountability.” 

“The what?” 

“The what?” Sakura echoed her teammate, her hands tightening around Tenten’s knees.

Tenten kept her head in her hands, her sobs still heavy and thick, but both Lee and Neji stared at them as though they’d grown second heads. Neji’s anger faded into confusion for a moment before the anger flared up again.

“What do you mean the what?” 

“You,” Lee paused, as though searching for the right words, “you don’t know about the Chain of Accountability?” 

“Is that something we were supposed to learn about from Iruka-sensei?” Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head. “Cause I slept through a lot of classes.” 

Sasuke elbowed him. 

“Kakashi-sensei didn’t tell you about it?” Lee pressed, voice barely above a whisper. He looked stunned.

“No?” Naruto glanced at Sakura for confirmation.

She shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it. Sasuke?”

He shrugged lazily. 

Lee looked lost. 

Neji looked furious.

Tenten continued to sob.

“The Chain of Accountability is one of the village systems for training,” Lee said hesitantly. “It emphasizes the jonin sensei’s responsibility for their genin team.”

“Uh, what’s that mean?” Naruto asked, scratching at the back of his head again.

Sakura turned the words over in her head, trying to find the meaning behind them. Her stomach clenched, a sick feeling starting to build through her body. 

Neji sneered at them. “It means that when genin mess up - a client complains, a civilian complains, a superior complains -, their jonin sensei gets punished for it.” 

The sick feeling flooded Sakura’s body. She thought of Kakashi’s trembling hand as he stopped Naruto from yelling at the Hokage. Of Iruka-sensei’s terror. Of Team 10 and Team 8’s rage. Of Kakashi nearly collapsing during training. 

“Punished?” The word tasted like ash in her mouth.

Neji turned his glare to her. “Corporal punishment. Tenten slapped a jonin, so Gai-sensei gets twenty lashes.” 

Tenten wailed. 

“That’s why Iruka-sensei was so mad at me,” Naruto whispered. 

Lee and Neji had taken Tenten home hours ago, but none of Team 7 had moved. Sakura sat on the ground beside the bench, furiously scrubbing at the tears that wouldn’t stop welling up. Sasuke kept glaring at a tree, his kunai cutting into the bark with each flick of his wrist. Naruto hadn’t said anything in hours.

Once upon a time, Sakura wouldn’t have thought it possible. But now, speaking felt like it was crossing some sort of invisible line. 

Another one of Sasuke’s kunai slammed into the tree’s trunk. 

“That’s why everybody was so mad at us,” Naruto continued. 

Sakura’s eyes burned. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hold in the sob building in her chest. 

“How many times do you think we-”

“Shut up,” Sasuke snapped. “Sitting around here moping about it isn’t going to do any good. He didn’t tell us. That’s on him.” 

Sniffling, Sakura wiped some more of her tears away. 

“Its not his fault, we got him in trouble!” Naruto argued. 

“How the hell were we supposed to know we were getting him in trouble?” Sasuke’s voice rose.

“Stop it!” Sakura ordered, tears spilling down her cheeks without her permission. 

If they fought too loudly, would someone complain? Would Kakashi get hurt for them? 

Again .

She scrubbed her hands across her face, desperate to clear away the tears. “We know now ,” she told them. “Which means that we have to stop.”

“Stop what?” Sasuke sneered. “We don’t even know what he got in trouble for.”

“Then we find out. Neji and Lee said it was a system for training, which means there’s got to be an official ruling passed on it. And all official rulings are available for public review in the village archives. We go, we find out what the rules are, and then we stop breaking them.” 

The plan eased her guilt slightly. Determination wormed its way in. Sakura stood, brushing the dirt and grass from her legs, and started off toward the village without another word. Scrambling behind her meant the boys were following her lead. 

Good. 

If they’d done that more often, maybe Kakashi- 

No. 

Pointing the finger at each other would just cause more arguing. Which might cause Kakashi more harm. They had to learn how to get along. 

How to behave. 

Like real shinobi. Just like Iruka-sensei said. 

The village felt smaller - suffocatingly small - as Sakura led the boys toward the village archives. Her back prickled, as though someone was watching her. She couldn’t tell if it was paranoia, the boys, or the villagers - waiting for a chance to complain again. To get Kakashi hurt again. 

By some miracle, Naruto and Sasuke didn’t start up any arguments as they walked. Sasuke kept his hands shoved in his pockets and his gaze on the ground while Naruto chewed anxiously at his thumb. They’d almost made it past the village’s apartment complexes when a familiar sobbing reached Sakura’s ears. 

Tenten.

Her heart sunk. She thought the boys had brought Tenten home. It seemed unlikely that they would just abandon her in town - well, it seemed unlikely that Lee would just abandon her in town. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to be alone. 

But crying in public wouldn’t be any better.

She spun in the direction of the sobs without a word to her teammates and they drifted behind her like ghosts. Tenten’s sobs led Sakura up a flight of stairs but she froze at the edge of the landing. 

Tenten was sobbing but she wasn’t alone.

She was pressed into Kakashi’s chest, her hands fisted in his vest. One of his arms was wrapped around her, the other one rubbing up and down her arm gently. 

“He’s alright, Tenten,” Kakashi was whispering. “He’s safe here with me.” 

Tenten pressed herself closer, shoving her face into his flak vest. “I’m s-sorry. I thought- I went to his apar-partment and h-he wasn't there. And I-I- I thought they j-just left him th-there.” 

“I would never. It’s alright. Try to breathe.” 

Sakura shoved the boys back around the corner, pressing herself against the wall. They should leave. The intimate moment wasn’t for them. But Sakura couldn’t walk away. This was information. Information she needed. If they were going to understand the Chain of Accountability, they needed to see everything that related to it. 

Tenten’s shuddering breaths lingered in the air before they dissolved to whimpers and sniffling. 

“There,” Kakashi whispered. “Good job. Keep breathing.”

“I’m s-so-sorry,” Tenten stuttered. “I di-didn’t mean to barge in.”

“You didn’t barge in,” Kakashi soothed. “Your sensei barges in. You knocked rather politely.”

Tenten let out a sob that might have been a small laugh. “Can I s-see him?” 

“He’s sleeping now. But if you come back in the morning, I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.” 

“I just w-want to t-tell him I’m s-so-sorry.” 

Sakura peeked around the corner as Tenten let out another few stuttering sobs, wiping at her eyes furiously.

“Don’t,” Kakashi said, his voice soft but firm. “He isn’t angry at you, Tenten. He’s very proud of you for protecting yourself. And so am I.” Kakashi’s fingers caught her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. “Don’t you ever let someone hurt you, Tenten. Ever . Promise me.” 

“But he g-got in trouble.” 

“Tenten,” Kakashi said softly. “That’s the reality of shinobi. We hurt to protect our precious people. And we want our precious people to protect themselves, no matter the cost.” 

“Th-that’s not fa-fair.” 

“Life often isn’t.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura pressed herself against the wall again and swallowed the whine building in her chest. 

“We hurt to protect our precious people” . 

The words rang in her head as she shoved the boys back toward the stairs, mouthing “go”. They descended the stairs without protest. Silence hung heavy around them. Sakura wondered if the boys were repeating Kakashi’s words in their heads too. 

“We hurt to protect our precious people” . 

“We’re going to be good,” Naruto muttered. “We’re going to be the best behaved genin in the entire village.”

The Chain of Accountability: Offense Tier System

Each offense is categorized based on the perceived severity of the genin’s infraction. The jonin sensei receives all punishment associated with their student’s behavior. Repeat violations will escalate punishment intensity. All penalties are determined by the Hokage’s office. No appeals permitted.

Tier I Offenses - Minor Discipline Violations

Examples Include:

Disrespecting a superior verbally

Insubordination during mission debriefs

Disrupting public order. 

Skipping assigned trainings

Possible Punishments (multiple may be deemed appropriate):

10 lashes

12 hours chakra suppression

Silent recovery (no medical intervention permitted)

Public reprimand during jonin address

Tier II Offenses - Threats to Authority

Examples Include:

Striking a superior

Open defiance of a direct order

Genin initiation public fight

Repeated Tier I Offense (5x or more)

Possible Punishments (multiple may be deemed appropriate):

20 lashes

24 hours chakra suppression

Silent recovery (no medical intervention permitted)

Isolation from genin team for 3 days (minimum)

Tier III Offenses - Severe Breaches of Conduct/Political Infractions

Examples Include:

Disrespecting or threatening a Kage or diplomat 

Revealing classified information

Injuring a civilian or diplomat

Instigating violence against another shinobi during non-combat situations

Repeated Tier II Offenses (3 or more)

Possible Punishments (multiple may be deemed appropriate):

50 lashes

36 hours sensory deprivation

Partial chakra extraction

Public lashes (conducted by ANBU, attendance required by all available jonin)

Psychological evaluation and temporary mission restriction

Tier IV Offenses - Traitorous Behavior or Civil Uprising

Examples Include:

Genin desertion

Publicly inciting rebellion against village leadership

Attempts to harm clan heir, Kage family, or foreign diplomat

Accumulated offenses totalling Tier III escalation 3 times

Possible Punishments (multiple may be deemed appropriate):

Full chakra suppression (up to 6 weeks)

Sensory deprivation (up to 12 days)

ANBU-marked probation (monitored at all times)

Revocation of jonin status

Escalation Clause - Repeated Infractions Within a 30 Day Period

If a genin’s behavior leads to multiple simultaneous complaints (e.g., from a civilian and a superior), it may be automatically escalated to the next tier.

If a genin team’s offenses accumulate over time, punishment for each new infraction intensifies regardless of tier:

e.g., the first Tier II offense = 20 lashes

second = 30 lashes + 36-hour chakra lock

third = Tier III automatic classification

Sakura thought she was going to be sick. Her stomach churned and dipped. Beside her, Naruto’s hands were knuckle white and his face was scrunched in anger. Sasuke eased the paper out of her hands, holding it up to the light. 

The final line beneath Tier IV Possible Punishments had been blacked out - stricken from official records. But Sasuke managed to turn the paper at the right angle for the blocky wording to be barely visible underneath the black line.

Blackout confinement/Full sensory isolation (up to 30 days)

“Why’s that one blacked out?” Naruto asked weakly, though there was no real curiosity behind his voice. Only dread. 

“They removed the punishment,” Sakura whispered, pulling the page gently from Sasuke’s hand to place it back with the rest of the information.

“Why?” 

Sakura bit her lip and let out a long breath. Her throat burned. “Probably because it's inhumane. It would, well. It would likely drive the jonin insane.” 

“Do you think we ever-?” 

“Don’t,” Sasuke growled, his eyes still locked on the last page as he cut Naruto off. “Don’t say it.” 

“Why didn’t he just tell us?” Naruto’s voice cracked. “We would’ve - I would’ve-”

“What? Behaved?” Sasuke’s voice cut sharper than a kunai. “You never listen. You always mouth off. You think knowing would have changed anything?” 

“Yes!” Naruto’s voice bordered on a shout. “Of course it would have!”

“Then you’re even dumber than you look.”

“Stop it!” Sakura shoved the boys apart before they could start a public disturbance and get Kakashi another Tier I punishment. Her eyes burned with tears. “Just, stop.”

The boys crossed their arms, glaring in opposite directions.

“Its not about who’s fault it is. It’s all of our faults. We all did things that upset people. We all got him in trouble. We all.” She bit her lip, bringing her arms up to hug herself.

Naruto was breathing hard, his fists clenched around his arms. His eyes were rimmed red, his jaw quivering like a child. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

Sasuke crossed his arms tightly ove rhis chest. His hands shook.

“He’s our sensei,” Sakura said. 

And we just keep hurting him.

“I’m going to fix it,” Naruto whispered, his voice trembling. “I’m going to be so good. They’re gonna forget what bad looks like. I’ll never mess up again. I’ll never - He’s never going to bleed for me again.” 

“Who told you?”

Kakashi's eyebrow raised as he peered down at them from atop the bridge. The barest trace of disappointment sat in his voice. 

Sakura looked up from where she was taking a few tentative steps across the small river. Naruto pouted on the other edge, soaked from falling through again and Sasuke paused his katas to look up. 

“Told us what?” Sakura feigned innocence.

She thought they'd been doing good the past few days. Naruto and Sasuke grumbled at each other every once in a while but hadn't dissolved into an actual fight. All three of them had been pleasant to everyone they saw. And Naruto had finally learned to ignore any client that was rude to him, choosing to find Sakura so she could talk to them instead. Overall, everything had been working out perfectly. No one had anything to complain about. 

Except, it seemed, Kakashi. 

He dropped onto the bridge with the grace Sakura expected from a jonin, landing nimbly with his hands in his pockets. It was such a stark contrast to several weeks ago, when he'd landed with a wince, that Sakura didn't understand how she hadn't noticed earlier.

“Don't play dumb, Sakura,” Kakashi advised, voice breezy but firm. “You're far too smart for that. Who told you?”

“We don't know what you're talking about, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said, though he glanced at Sakura with obvious nerves on his face. 

“You should leave the lying to Sakura,” Kakashi told him. “We need to work on your deception, Naruto. You'll never fool any with that poker face. Who told you?”

Sakura’s shoulders slumped. “We saw Tenten.” 

“Ah,” Kakashi nodded. “I see.” 

He let the silence hang around them, his eye taking in each of them carefully. Sakura shifted uncomfortably, waiting for him to say more. To demand that they keep behaving now that they now. 

“You’ve all been,” Kakashi paused, cocking his head to the side, “lacking lately.”

“Lacking?” Naruto echoed. 

Kakashi hummed, leaning against the railing and looking down at them. “Not a single complaint. Not a toe out of line. I’ve been wondering where my cute little genin went.” 

Both boys turned to Sakura, as though she would have an answer. When exactly had she become the team leader? They were better fighters, much stronger than she was. Didn’t that mean one of them was supposed to be in charge.

Kakashi heaved the heaviest sigh Sakura had ever heard. “Stop.”

Sakura blinked. “Stop? Stop what?” 

They weren’t misbehaving. There was nothing for them to stop.

If possible, Kakashi’s eyebrow raised even higher. “Sakura, you apologized to a cat yesterday. Twice.”

Her face felt flushed. “It was a very important cat.” 

“I want my genin. Not Kurneai’s or Asuma’s or Gai’s. Mine .”

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto’s voice trembled. “We are your genin.”

“Are you? Because I could have sworn my Naruto was a menace that liked to yell about A-rank missions.”

Naruto’s gaze dropped. 

Sakura hugged herself a little tighter, unable to look Kakashi in the eye. 

“You shouldn’t have to get hurt because we’re loud,” Naruto muttered.

“I like that you’re loud,” Kakashi’s voice was gentle and quiet, like he was giving them a secret to hold close. 

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura tried to protest. 

He held up a hand, his gaze still on Naruto. “I like that you’re loud,” he said again. “I like that I don’t have to worry about you. If I’m not there, you’ll all be able to take care of yourselves. And each other.”

“But we got you in so much trouble! We were loud and stupid and everyone knew except us! All the other genin got to know. Why didn’t we?”

Naruto’s shout hung in the air. Kakashi let it, his gaze drifted between the three of them before he let out another long breath.

“My father was a jonin sensei for a short time,” he said. “I’ve known about the Chain of Accountability my whole life. I followed every rule to the letter. I swore to myself when I was on a genin team, I would never let my sensei suffer… And it cost me my team.”

Sakura’s breath caught in her throat, heavy and thick. 

“I never understood why my sensei didn’t tell my genin team about the Chain. He let them run wild and be loud. One of them was late to everything. I spent at least one night a week helping him home from the Agony Hall because I was the only one who realized he was there. But I understand it now. The Elders will say the Chain is there to protect the village, but a village is her people. Even her shinobi. Especially her genin. Listen to me, all three of you. You don’t fix the world by making yourselves small to fit under the restrictions thrust upon you. You fix it by being the kind of people who are free enough to break the rules when its necessary.” 

“So you want us to let you get hurt?” Sasuke grumbled. 

“Sasuke’s right. We’re your team. We’re supposed to protect you!” Naruto added.

“Then protect me by surviving long enough to be something more ,” Kakashi said, his voice firm. “Give me my team back.” 

There was a balance. After two week dance of trial and error, Team 7 found it. A way to make their sensei beam proudly at them but not get Kakashi yanked into Hokage Tower to Agony Hall. 

Sakura hated the name. Kakashi had said it so casually but it made her stomach tighten and churn. Eventually, it was Shikamaru she found herself turning to for answers. He hadn't been eager to help - but when was Shikamaru eager to do anything? - but he was at least back to looking at her with lazy indifference. 

“So you morons finally figured it out, huh?” Shikamaru drawled as he stared up at the sky. 

“You could have just told us,” Sakura shoved down her anger. 

At least her team hadn't knowingly let Kakashi get hurt. Everyone else had.

“Asuma-sensei said we weren't allowed to tell you,” Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “Kakashi-sensei made everyone promise. It's a drag, I know. But he really didn't want you guys to know.”

“Tell me everything,” Sakura said. 

Shikamaru heaved the most dramatic sigh Sakura ever heard. And then he told her. The Chain was created just after the First Great War. It was the hope that it would raise shinobi that were ready for war when they hit the appropriate age by the jonin sensei's teachings instead of punishment to the genin. The Tier System had been revised several times, the last time was two decades ago when one Tier IV punishment had been removed after a jonin had been driven mad and committed suicide. And Kakashi's file and punishment records were probably thicker than any other jonin in history. 

The history less made Sakura feel worse but at least she's gotten something out of it. Shikamaru had a list of shops and villagers that were actually opposed to the Chain. So if Team 7 acted like their old selves, Kakashi would be happy and be unharmed. Most shinobi were off limits. Lots of chunin and jonin would turn anyone in in a heartbeat. Shikamaru suspected it was part indoctrination and part pettiness - they had to suffer so everyone else did too. 

“And whatever you do,” Shikamaru said in parting, “do not get in the middle of clan affairs. No yelling, no hitting, no nothing. Since all clans have their own customs and structures, even if you were in the right, the Hokage can't overrule a punishment.” 

Sakura nodded and relayed everything she'd learned to the boys. She handed out the list of shops and villagers that wouldn't complain. With Sasuke's help, she let Naruto run around the village grinning and causing mayhem again - in certain areas. 

They were doing good. So good. Kakashi was smiling again, Naruto had stopped walking around like a rain cloud hung over his head, and Sasuke had actually complimented Sakura on her strategies and information gathering. 

Finally, Team 7 wasn't a bunch of failures. 

“You all did good work today,” Kakashi told them, smile in his voice as they fell onto the ground. 

Sakura's muscles screamed. Beside her, Naruto collapsed onto his back and Sasuke panted as he tried to catch his breath. 

The bells in Kakashi's hand jingled as he tucked them away. “Your teamwork has gotten much better. Tomorrow, I'll see if the mission desk has any C-rank missions for us.”

Sakura's head shot up. At her side, any trace of exhaustion left Naruto. 

“Really?” His voice echoed around them and Sakura winced as it pressed against her eardrum. 

Kakashi nodded. “I think you've all earned a treat. Get some rest tonight, my cute little genin. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Their sensei vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sakura and Sasuke to deal with Naruto's suffocating energy. Their blond teammate demanded celebratory ramen. For the first time, Sakura didn't look to Sasuke. She agreed with a smile. 

They took their usual path through the village, the one that would let Naruto shout and throw himself around. The shop owners sighed as Naruto barreled by, but they still returned Sakura’s wave. Sasuke snorted when Naruto tripped over a loose stone, stumbling before straightening himself out. 

“Klutz,” Sasuke murmured, lacking the usual cool chill.

“I meant to do that!” Naruto said, his cheeks dusting pink. 

Sakura giggled as he spun on his heel and started down the street again. Sasuke shook his head but followed and Sakura's smile grew. 

They hadn't quite reached the main road when Naruto froze, his head snapping toward one of the smaller alleyways. 

“What's wrong?” Sasuke sighed tiredly. “I thought you wanted ramen.”

“Do you hear that?” Naruto took a step toward the alleyway. 

Sakura strained her ears. A distant noise barely reached her, a soft stammering. 

“I-I didn't mean-” Hinata whimpered. 

“What you meant doesn't matter. Disobedience reflects poorly on the clan. And you've already done enough of that!” 

Naruto moved without speaking, already headed toward the noise. Sasuke was behind him in a blink and Sakura scrambled after them. Another Hyuga had backed her against the alley wall and Hinata had tucked her shoulders up around her neck. 

“Hey!” Naruto grabbed the back of the jonin’s flak vest, pulling him back. “Leave her alone!”

“Naruto!” Hinata’s voice trembled. With relief or horror, Sakura couldn't tell. She didn't care either. 

Naruto and Sasuke bodyblocked the jonin, both of them glowering at him and Naruto shouting. Sakura ignored them, slipping over to Hinata’s side.

“Come on,” Sakura said, wrapping an arm around the girl and leading her out of the alley. “It's okay, those two can take care of themselves.”

Hinata’s lavender eyes swam with tears. “But,” she whimpered. “Sakura.”

“Don't worry about it,” Sakura assured her. “Naruto and Sasuke may argue like idiots but when they want to work together, it's actually kind of impressive.”

“Sakura,” Hinata whispered again as they stepped out of the alleyway. “It isn't them I'm worried about.”

It took all of Sakura's willpower not to cry. Lord Third watched them dispassionately as Naruto explained why they'd interfered with a clan dispute. The Hyuga Head frowned at them the entire time, his eyes - the same eyes as Hinata - impossibly cold and angry. Beside her, Sasuke had his arms crossed tightly over his chest and Naruto had his fists clenched at his side. 

“Regardless,” the Hyuga Head said, his voice as icy as his eyes, “it isn't the place of a genin to interfere with a dispute within the Hyuga clan.”

Sakura could have choked on Naruto's anger. “Listen you-”

Sasuke's hand clamped over Naruto's mouth before Sakura could move. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi relax just slightly. He hadn't said a word since they'd been called in, just stood at perfect attention and listened without interruption. Sakura wished she could catch his eye, wished she could apologize. 

Kakashi hadn't crossed her mind once when they'd stepped in the middle of Hinata and the other Hyuga member. It was horrible and awful and she had to apologize for forgetting that her actions had consequences. Just not for her. 

The Hyuga Head glared in their direction before his gaze settled on Kakashi. “I do hope, Lord Hokage,” the man said between clenched teeth, “that this team learns there are consequences for their disrespect.”

“A lesson,” Kakashi spoke for the first time, his voice controlled but icy, “many in our village could learn it seems.”

If possible, the Hyuga Head's gaze darkened further. 

“I appreciate your coming in to alert me of the situation, Hyuga-san,” Lord Third said, a pointed look shot in Kakashi's direction. “I assure you the situation will be dealt with.”

Sakura's vision blurred with tears. She closed her eyes, pulling in a deep breath. Crying wouldn't help Kakashi any. Technically it was against the shinobi code. It could get him into even more trouble.

The Hyuga Head stormed out, leaving Team 7 and Lord Third in a thick silence. 

“Team 7,” Lord Hiruzen said. “You are dismissed.”

Sakura's eyes snapped open. Beside her, the boys remained frozen as well. The Hokage stared at them, an eyebrow raised when his dismissal was ignored. 

“You can't,” Naruto's trembling broke the silence. “You can't-”

“Naruto,” Kakashi said, voice soft but happy. “Lord Third has dismissed you. I believe there's a small vacation in your future. Go and enjoy it.”

Sakura spun to look up at her sensei, her chest shuddering under the weight of guilt and regret. 

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto protested.

Kakashi's glove hand landed on Sakura's head for a second before it moved to Sasuke's and then Naruto's. His eye closed in a real smile. “I am so proud of you three,” he said. 

Sakura's breath caught in her throat so sharply a gasping sob escaped. The boys both tensed in surprise, Sasuke's back going ramrod straight and Naruto's hands clenching into fists. 

“You did,” Kakashi continued, voice warm and proud, “exactly what a shinobi is supposed to do: protected a member of your village.”

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura whimpered, trying desperately not to cry. 

“Kakashi,” Lord Third's voice sat somewhere between exhaustion and a warning. 

Kakashi glanced him. “And that is exactly what Lord Fourth wanted for this village,” he continued as though Lord Third hadn't spoken. “Go enjoy the nice day, my little genin. I'll send for you when your vacation is over.”

“You are dismissed , Team 7,” Lord Third said again, his voice sharper this time. A warning. A threat. 

“Come on,” Sakura told the boys, pushing on Naruto's chest to get him to leave. 

“But,” Naruto said, his blue eyes wide and desperate. 

“Let's go,” Sasuke hissed, yanking on Naruto's arm. “Don't make it worse.”

All of the fight left Naruto and he scuffed his feet after Sasuke. Sakura glanced back at Kakashi one more time, catching the fondness in his eye before the ANBU guard closed the door in her face.

The boys stopped in the hallway, both looking at her with numb acceptance and expectation. 

“Now what?” Naruto asked miserably. 

Sakura wished she had an answer, but there wasn't one. The only option Lord Third and Kakashi had given them was to go home and mope until Kakashi was able to train again. And based on Kakashi's soft mentions of a vacation, Sakura assumed it would be a while. 

“No one is permitted in Agony Hall other than the ANBU enforcer and the accused,” the ANBU at the door said, his voice low beneath the cat mask. “But anyone is permitted to wait outside the Hokage Tower.”

Sakura spun around to face him. He wasn't looking at them, standing at attention and staring at the wall across from him. 

You can wait for him , the ANBU was telling them. 

Sakura turned the page in her book and glanced at the door to Hokage Tower again. A few jonin had come and gone, all of them glancing toward her team with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. In the hour, she'd gotten through another chapter in the medical textbook. Naruto sat beside her on the bench, literally vibrating with his attempt to sit still. Sasuke polished his kunai from his seat on the ground, pausing to occasionally glare at the door. 

Letting out a long breath, Sakura swiped at the tear that managed to escape her eyes and turned back to her reading. Chakra control meant she could be a wonder with genjutsu, like Kakashi planned, but it also meant medical ninjutsu might come easier to her. 

And with the Chain of Accountability, medical ninjutsu might be more valuable than any of them realized.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto jolted to his feet, bounding across the street with Sasuke hot on his heels. 

The two managed to steady their swaying sensei before he tipped over. Sakura could smell the blood as she followed them, tucking away the medical textbook to join the boys. Kakashi's single gray eye was completely glazed over and he stared straight through them, muttering nonsense Sakura could decipher under his breath. His flak vest was missing, leaving him in only his jonin blues. He looked so much smaller without it. 

“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asked hesitantly. 

He was paper white and did nothing to help take his own weight. 

“He weighs a ton,” Naruto grumbled. 

“Don't drop him,” Sasuke hissed.

“Both of you shut up ,” Sakura ordered, putting her hands on Kakashi's chest to help steady him when he tipped forward. “Let’s sit him down before he falls over. Kakashi-sensei, can you hear me?”

“R'n?” Kakashi slurred what might have been a name. 

He winced and whimpered as the boy lowered him to the ground. Sasuke kept a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady while Naruto stared down at the back of his shirt, all color draining from his face. 

“S-Sakura,” he whimpered. 

Goosebumps raised up Sakura's arms, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. The back of Kakashi's shirt was drenched in sticky red. 

The world narrowed. Sakura's breaths shuddered. All she could see was the red, thick and cruel as it glued the shirt to Kakashi's back. There was so much of it and she didn't know what to do. 

Sasuke and Naruto watched her expectantly, like she would know what to do. But she didn't. 

She could have read this exact scenario in her medical textbook a thousand times and she still wouldn't know what to do. Staying calm in the face of blood was a lot easier when you didn't care so deeply about the person shedding it. 

“I've got him, Sasuke.” Asuma's deep voice rumbled and Sakura jumped, finally pulling her gaze away from the blood drenching Kakashi's back. “You can let go.”

“Easy now, my dear rival.” Gai took Sasuke's spot at Kakashi's side, kneeling beside him as he flinched slightly. “Asuma and I are going to take you home.”

“R'n?” Kakashi slurred again. 

“No,” Asuma said gently. “Just me and Gai. We’re going to move you, alright Kakashi? It's going to hurt.”

“Min’o sen’ei, tr'ubl’?” 

“No one's in trouble, Rival,” Gai soothed. “On three, Asuma. One, two, three.”

Sakura's hand found both Naruto and Sasuke's sleeves. Neither of them pulled away. Gai draped Kakashi over Asuma's back, whispering apologies as Kakashi hissed and flinched in pain. 

I'm sorry , Sakura wanted to say. Wanted to scream. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

“Come on,” Asuma said, glancing back at them once Kakashi was settled on his broad back. Their sensei looked even smaller against Asuma. 

“Us?” Naruto’s voice wavered. 

“Of course,” Gai said gently, giving them a small shove forward. Sakura kept clinging to the boys’ arms. “My dear rival will want to know his team is safe when he wakes.”

Asuma's large hand patted Sakura's head. His gaze was softer than she'd ever seen. “You did good,” he said. “All of you.”

Sakura decided she hated the color red. Kurenai carefully cut through Kakashi's ruined shirt to reveal his entire back coated in sticky red. Kakashi lay on his stomach, his head turned away from them to protect his maskless face as he slept. 

Kurenai frowned down at the deep cuts littering Kakashi's back, weeping blood sluggishly. “I'm not very good at stitches.”

“Better than us,” Asuma said from the doorway. 

Kurenai's lips twisted in a grimace, her fingers hovering over Kakashi's back. “They must have used-”

“Probably,” Asuma cut her off gruffly. “Too deep to have used a regular one.”

“Kurenai-sensei,” Sakura said, her voice thick as she battled tears. “I-I can help. I've been p-practicing my stitching.”

Kurenai's eyes were sad but she smiled at Sakura. “That would be wonderful, Sakura.”

Asuma and Gai ushered the boys toward Kakashi's kitchen. Their sensei's apartment was small, much smaller and emptier than Sakura expected it to be. There were no pictures on the walls, just a few books on the bookshelves. There was a plant in his bedroom window, along with the only two pictures he seemed to have. One was of a tall blond hair with an exasperated smile and three kids. A genin team. Kakashi was easy to spot with his mask and wild silver hair. 

There was another boy in the picture with goggles and dark hair. His scowl was almost as annoyed as the young Kakashi's. The girl in between them beamed at the camera, dark hair framing her face and the purple marks on her cheeks. 

The other picture was of Team 7. It struck Sakura how similar the pictures were. Naruto and Sasuke scowled while she grinned at the camera and Kakashi stood behind them, hands on the boys’ hair and his eyes closed in an exasperated smile. 

Sakura’s eyes drifted back to Kakashi's genin team. His sensei looked kind. He must have been for Kakashi to have a photo of him in his otherwise barren apartment.  

The only other picture was Team 7.

”We hurt to protect our precious people.”

“Sakura,” Kurenai said gently.

Pulling her gaze from the pictures, Sakura turned her gaze to the older woman. Kurenai gave her that sad smile again.

“You don’t need to help,” Kurenai said. “I can stitch him up myself.” 

“No,” Sakura said, too quickly. “No, I can help.” She had to help. “He would, he would do it for me.” 

Stitching Kakashi up took well over an hour. His back was in ribbons, long thin strips cutting into his skin, criss crossing over old scars. Scars they’d caused. Sakura shoved the thoughts back when they came. If she let them stay, her hands would shake. Her guilt wouldn’t help Kakashi now, but steady hands would. 

“Alright,” Kurenai said once they’d finished stitching and bandaging Kakashi’s ruined back. “Let’s clean up and get some tea.” 

“Tea?” Sakura echoed.

The idea of it felt wrong. Too normal. 

“Sitting here worrying won’t help him heal any faster,” Kurenai said gently. “We might as well wait with tea.” 

The sweet aroma of jasmine tea filled the kitchen and sitting area as Sakura stepped out of the bedroom. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting at the table, both silently and staring at their own tea mugs as Gai stirred something on the stove and Asuma dug through the fridge.

“You’re raiding Kakashi’s fridge?” Kurenai sounded amused. “Didn’t he tell you to stop doing that?”

“He’s got all the good shit,” Asuma said, pulling out and waving a package of beef. “This is Kobe Beef, Kurenai.” 

“And you wouldn’t be able to cook it without ruining it.” 

Gai chuckled. 

Sakura allowed herself to be ushered toward the table and she slipped into the chair beside Naruto. The jonin sensei moved around Kakashi’s apartment with ease, teasing each other as they went. Sakura watched her tea miserably, trying to find comfort in their casual conversation.

“I don’t understand why you guys are laughing,” 

Sakura didn’t know Naruto could sound so quiet and tired. 

“Better than moping,” Asuma said easily. “This is all new to you three, but you’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it.” 

“No one does.” Asuma shrugged. “But-”

A soft, hesitant knock cut him off. All three of the jonin tensed and Sakura’s stomach churned uncomfortably. She did her best not to reach out for the boys again but her instinct screamed for her to latch onto her team again.

Kurenai glanced at Gai uncertainly. “Did Cat say-?”

“No professional medics,” Gai said. “Not no medical attention. And they couldn’t expect - it was seventy-five lashes. No medical attention would be too much. It was only a Tier II.”

“Three Tier IIs,” Asuma mumbled. 

The tea in Sakura’s stomach rocked dangerously. Both of the boys looked as sick as she felt. 

“Well, if it's not ANBU making sure he didn’t get medical attention, then who the hell is it?” Asuma growled. “Everyone he knows is here.” 

Another quiet knock.

“Don’t,” Asuma said when Kurenai took a step toward the door. 

“Making them wait isn’t going to help anything,” Kurenai argued. “If we’re wrong and it was no medical attention at all, we can-”

“No one will go for that and you know it. And he can’t take another-”

“Kurenai-sensei?” Hinata’s muffled, wobbly voice called through the door. 

“Hinata?” 

Kurenai yanked the door open and Sakura leaned over in her chair to see around Asuma’s tall frame. All three of Team 8’s members stood on the other side of the door. Hinata’s hand was clenched around her chest, her lavender eyes swimming with tears. Shino had a hand on her shoulder and Kiba looked more put out than Sakura had ever seen him, clutching Akamaru to his chest. 

“What are you three doing here?” Kurenai asked gently.

“I wanted,” Hinata’s voice wavered, a few tears falling down her cheeks. “I wanted to make sure Ka-Kakashi-sensei was - was-”

Kurenai pulled her into a gentle hug as Hinata dissolved into tears. Sakura was on her feet before she could think, stepping around Gai and Asuma to wave Kiba and Shino into the apartment as well. It probably wasn’t her place to invite more people into Kakashi’s small apartment, but she couldn’t let them stand out in the cold either. 

The boys stood awkwardly as Hinata gasped and wept into Kurenai’s chest. It took a few minutes for her to calm down and she scrubbed her cheeks of tears before turning in Sakura and her team’s direction, bowing.

“Tha-thank you,” she stuttered. “I’m so sorry that I caused Kakashi-sensei to -”

“You didn’t,” Naruto interrupted quickly, his voice a touch too loud. “It wasn’t your fault, Hinata. It was ours. We did it.” 

The words burned Sakura’s chest and she lowered her eyes to the ground. 

“But,” Hinata whispered. “If I’d just - I’m so sorry. I just didn’t want to get Kurenai-sensei in trouble. So Kakashi-sensei got in trouble instead.” 

“Hinata,” Kurenai soothed softly and Sakura glanced up to see her pulling Hinata into another hug. “I never meant - You should always be willing to protect yourself.” 

Kiba and Shino looked away as well.

“I’m sorry,” Hinata whimpered.

“It isn’t your fault,” Sakura said quickly. “Naruto’s right, Hinata. It was our decision that got Kakashi-sensei into trouble.”

“But if I’d-”

“Then your sensei would have gotten in trouble.”

“But-”

“Alright, alright,” Gai interrupted. “That’s enough. You kids will drive yourself crazy arguing over who gets to blame themself. And that’s exactly what Kakashi didn’t want.”

“But, Gai-sensei-”

“No buts, my dear Sakura. Come sit. The miso will be ready soon.” 

Everything around him was warm. Kakashi fought the weight of exhaustion to open his eye. His vision blurred violently, the world around him little more than colored blobs. The world outside his window was dark, dull street lamps filtering in through the blinds someone had drawn across his window. 

He was in his bed, on his stomach, and the world was still. He didn’t remember going to bed. He didn’t remember going home. 

The last thing Kakashi remembered was… Was… 

Oh, right. 

Agony Hall.

The horror on Sakura’s face as Cat shut the door behind her. 

Pain.

Pain.

Fuck.

Pain rippled across his back. Every inch of his back burned with sudden, flaring pain. Kakashi grit his teeth, fighting down the moan that built through his chest. He squeezed his eye closed again, forcing a slow breath in and out. Anything to keep from screaming out in agony.

Minato never screamed. 

The warmth draped across Kakashi’s legs moved. Ninken? Had he summoned them? No, Pakkun would have laid up by his head but the entire right side of his bed was empty. Opening his eye, Kakashi turned his head and looked down. The colorful blobs morphed into a mop of brown hair. 

Obito? 

No.

Obito was dead.

Kakashi blinked again. 

Was that… Kiba Inuzuka? 

Had the ANBU enforcers whipped him so bad he was hallucinating? 

The warmth curled against his left side shifted slightly. Kakashi turned his head to look on his other side. Pink hair tickled his chin. Sakura curled against him, one hand gripping the edge of his bandages. Naruto’s blond hair laid on his bed from where he’d fallen asleep in his chair. Sasuke leaned against the wall near the door. The top of Shino’s black hair peeked out from the floor beside the bed.

What was going on?

Kakashi wiggled himself out from under the warmth of two teams of genin. His back screamed its protest as he moved but he managed to slip out of the bed. The world tilted slightly. Kakashi steadied himself on the wall, letting out a few deep breaths. He didn’t move until the world righted itself again, following the wall to stumble toward the door. 

Strong arms met him when he stumbled. The sweet smell of sweat and sunshine filled his nose and he buried his nose in Gai’s collarbone. It blocked out the lingering stench of burnt meat, blood, and mushy vegetables.

“Smell.” His dry tongue would only allow him to slur out the single word.

Gai hummed. “I’ll get you a mask.”

Kakashi’s fingers moved up to touch bare skin. Oh. He wasn’t wearing a mask. Made sense. 

“You shouldn’t be up,” Gai told him.

Kakashi hummed, nuzzling into his collarbone. Just Gai’s scent made it easier to breathe. Even with agony screaming down his spine, he felt safe. 

“Water?”

“I can bring it in to you.”

“No.”

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could manage to stay quiet with the pain building up his back. And the last thing he wanted to do was wake the kids up, sobbing in agony. 

“Alright,” Gai whispered. “Mask?”

“Hmm.” 

“Wait here.” 

Gai helped him brace against the wall before he let go. Kakashi eyed the kids as Gai dug through the drawers to find one of Kakashi’s masks. They all looked unharmed, if a bit tired even as they slept. 

Warm, strong arms grasped his hips again and Kakashi was turned back to lean into Gai’s chest. Sweat, determination, and sunshine. Kakashi breathed it in. 

Safe , his brain supplied. Safe. Safe. Safe.

Gai chuckled. “Alright, my rival. Let’s get this on. Then I’ll get you out to the couch for some water.” 

The subtle smell of tallow lingered in the air as Gai slipped the mask. Kakashi wasn’t sure why the smell was important but something told him it was. 

Kurenai and Asuma were at his kitchen table when Gai helped him limp out of the bedroom. They took one look at him before they scrambled to their feet.

“Shit,” Asuma said. “Should he even be up, Gai?” 

“Probably not,” Gai said cheerily. “But the youth is strong within my dear rival. Kurenai, would you get Kakashi a glass of water?”

“Of course.” 

Asuma and Gai bickered lightly but Kakashi couldn’t quite make out their words. He was too busy focusing on not screaming as a particularly sharp stab of pain rushed through him. He started moving again, Asuma on one side and Gai on the other. They lowered him onto the couch. 

“Wait, don’t lean-” Asuma said.

Kakashi leaned back, his tense muscles ready to relax, and almost screamed. The pressure of leaning into the cushion lit his back on fire and his hand shot up, desperately searching for something to hold onto until the pain passed. His fingers found Gai’s sleeve and he dug his nails in, desperately choking on screams he couldn’t release.

“-lright.” Gai pulled Kakashi forward, hand in Kakashi’s hair. “You’re al-”

Kakashi's hearing faded in and out violently, snatches of words and conversations barely reaching him. The agony burned through him like wildfire. His teeth clamped down, trying to trap the scream before it could escape, and bit into something warm and soft. Vaguely, he heard Gai gasp in pain as the subtle taste of iron washed over his tongue.

“-iting you?” 

“It’s -ne. Kuren-” 

The world fell dark and silent once again. When awareness returned, Kakashi lay on a strong chest, his head pillowed against Gai’s collarbone. 

“Back with me?” Gai asked quietly when Kakashi buried his nose into Gai’s neck, searching for the smell of safety. “How’s the pain?”

“Hmm.”

There was still a dull drum against his back but it was more manageable now. More of a dull annoyance than the burning hellfire it had been. Gai hummed in response and silence fell around them again. 

“Water,” a voice whispered from over his head. 

“Thank you,” Gai said, one of his hands moving. “Kakashi, would you like a drink?” 

No. A drink would require Kakashi to move. Moving would be agony and it would mean moving away from Gai’s warm, safe chest. But his dry mouth and scratchy throat begged for something cool. 

“Yeah.” 

“Asuma,” Kurenai called softly. 

Oh, right. 

Asuma and Kurenai were there. 

And so was Kurenai’s team. 

Asuma’s large hands weren’t as warm as Gai’s, but they were steadying. Kakashi managed to sit himself up, his shoulder pressing into Asuma’s chest as he tilted bonelessly. It should have been embarrassing but Kakashi was too exhausted to feel anything other than pain and exhaustion. 

They managed to get Kakashi a good drink of water before settling him back against Gai’s chest. 

“Ku’nai?” Kakashi mumbled, settling his nose against Gai’s collarbone.

“Yes?” Kurenai knelt down beside the couch so he could look into her deep red eyes.

“Wh’s y’r Kiba in m’ b’d?” His tongue felt too large for his mouth. Maybe he needed more water but the thought of moving was torture. 

Kurenai smiled softly. She had a sweet smile, far too gentle for a shinobi. But Kakashi had always thought that. Like Rin - like Sakura - she’d always been so soft and sweet, wore her heart on her sleeve. If it hadn’t been for the war, he doubted she ever would have been a shinobi to begin with. Even if her genjutsu was terrifying, second only to Itachi’s. 

He wished the war had never been. Wished Kurenai never had to suffer, through the war, through the Chain. 

“They were worried about you,” she said softly. “Hinata felt horrible.”

“Wh’?”

“She felt responsible,” Kurenai’s voice dipped and wobbled. “Kakashi, I’m so sorry.”

“Wasn’ y’r fa’lt.” 

Kurenai let out a soft huff that could have been a laugh or a whine. “No,” she said. “Not for that. For.” She stopped, letting out a long breath. Asuma’s hand settled on her shoulder. “You were right. To let them be themselves. To let them learn. I’m sorry we didn’t believe you.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Hinata didn’t defend herself because she was worried for me,” Kurenai’s heartbreak was thick in her voice. “I hate to think-”

Asuma picked up for her when she bit her lip. “How many things have our genin let slide for our sake?” 

“Too many,” Gai muttered above him, his voice lacking the cheerful excitement Kakashi loved. 

“St’p,” Kakashi murmured. “Do’t wan’ - No sup’os’.” His words tangled and tripped over each other. “No mo’e Cha’n.” 

The only thing the damn thing ever did was teach them how to drown themselves in guilt until they would do anything to alleviate the pain. His fingers scrunched in Gai’s shirt. 

“Kakashi, I don’t want you to be a perfect shinobi. I never did. I just want my cute little genin.” Minato’s voice swam in his head.

“I still believe,” Kakashi’s heavy tongue moved at a snail’s pace but he was determined not to slur. They needed to know. To understand.

“You were right, Kashi. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen to you. We’ll tell Rin, we’ll-”

“No. Please. Please don’t tell her, Minato-sensei. I-I understand now.”

“In Minato-sensei’s dream.” Kakashi peeked his eye open to look up at his friends.

The three of them watched him quietly for a minute. 

Gai buried his nose in Kakashi’s hair. “We do too, Rival.”

From the bedroom, a chair clattered to the floor. Six pairs of feet began scrambling around.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto’s shout was loud enough to wake the neighbors.

Even as his head pounded in protest, Kakashi smiled.