People Take Notice

But only Hiashi-san knows?"

This question was directed at both Sarutobi and Hizashi as Haruki glanced between them, arms crossed. He had been summoned by the Hokage at six in the morning and had spent the past fifteen minutes being filled in by Sarutobi about yesterday's conversation after he had left.

Sarutobi nodded. "He has agreed to the plan. We will execute this before telling the Council."

Haruki nodded and then glanced over his shoulder when a muffled knock sounded. "Is that him?"

"I asked him to come. We will need to finalize the plan." Sarutobi raised his voice. "Come in."

The door opened and Hiashi stepped in. Immediately, Byakugan eyes clashed with cerulean as the Clan Head studied Haruki with careful intensity. Haruki only stared back impassively, rising slowly to his feet before dipping his head in a sign of respect. Not a full bow though. He didn't care what time he was in; he didn't bow to anyone anymore.

Hiashi closed the door behind him and the privacy seals settled again. He nodded a greeting at his brother and bowed slightly to the Hokage, but his gaze was ultimately drawn back to the red-haired Jounin standing in the room as he listened to Sarutobi's introduction of this man as Kazama Haruki, the spy that had brought his brother back.

There was a puzzling weariness to this man's stance and Hiashi's eyes lingered on the colour of his irises. A distant memory tugged on him but he couldn't quite place it. A mild frown made its way onto his face. Those eyes reminded him of someone but it was just out of reach when his mind tried to grasp it. He dismissed the thought, leaving it for another time and studied the rest of the Jounin instead. There was no doubt about it. He had never seen this Kazama Haruki before. There was no way he could've forgotten such bright hair on a Jounin or even a Chuunin.

Hiashi recalled the respectful nod he had received upon his arrival. A nod, not a bow. This man was proud in the quiet sort of way Hiashi approved of most. And instead of looking down while in a Clan Head's presence, Haruki stared right back, not challenging him, only acknowledging him.

So Hiashi returned it. He nodded back, returning the Jounin's strong gaze with an equal one of his own. "I believe I have you to thank for the safe return of my brother, Kazama-san. I and the Hyuuga Clan will be forever thankful for what you have done."

Haruki blinked once, tilting his head to one side as he tried to adjust to this Hyuuga Hiashi. The one in his time, the Hiashi he had gotten used to, had dropped most of this formality, and while his words had still been spoken with all the polite upbringing of nobility, that Hiashi had also been blunter. Haruki could get away with a simple 'you're welcome' to Hiashi's straightforward 'thank you' and vice versa. Well, he had never learned how to talk like a noble. He wasn't about to start now.

"You're welcome, Hiashi-san- sama." Haruki replied plainly, ignoring the inquiring quirk of one of the noble's eyebrows when Hiashi caught his slip. "I was happy to help."

Hiashi stared at him for a moment longer before the Hokage coughed quietly, drawing their attention back to Sarutobi. The Hokage said nothing, keeping his expression neutral, but Hizashi's features were edged with faint amusement as their somewhat stilted exchange came to a halt.

"Now then," Sarutobi said briskly, turning to Haruki first. "Your plan is good, but there are a few holes in it. Hiashi-san mentioned earlier; the Council will want to know why we did not immediately inform them when you came home with Hizashi-san. Hiashi-san has come up with a solution."

Hiashi took his cue and explained, "Hizashi is part of the Hyuuga Clan, and thus he can be considered Clan business. Hokage-sama's first action after you relayed the information to him a week ago would be to inform me. As the Hyuuga Clan Head, I can choose to withhold this information from all outsiders and deal with the issue in accordance to my own wishes as long as it will not jeopardize the village. The other Clan Heads will accept this explanation without question and the rest of the Council knows not to interfere with Clan affairs."

Haruki stared hard at Hiashi before pointing out flatly, "You'll be lying to the Council."

Hiashi didn't so much as blink. "Yes."

Haruki observed the calm resolve Hiashi's eyes before shrugging. "Sounds good to me. But," He turned to take in all three of the room's other occupants as he continued. "Danzo won't fall for it. He may not challenge it right away, but you can be sure he'll be getting some of his Root to look into it. Not just here either but outside our borders."

Immediate silence descended on the room as Hizashi straightened in his chair and Hiashi turned to look sharply at him. Sarutobi simply stared. "Root?"

Haruki frowned at the sudden tension in the air before realization flooded him. Eyes widening, he blurted out, "Old man, you cannot be serious!"

Both Hyuugas looked a little startled at his outburst but Sarutobi only shook his head. "I know Danzo is still in command of a few nin whom are loyal to him but what you are implying..."

Haruki almost glowered as he looked between the three occupants. He finally opted to close his eyes for a moment. "I honestly don't even know where to start." He muttered darkly.

Opening his eyes again, he caught the two Hyuugas exchanging an unreadable look before turning back to him.

"Haruki-san," Hizashi started quietly. "Whatever information you can reveal to us here, you have the word of both myself and Nii-san that we will not question your information source, nor will anything of what is spoken here today leave this room through either of us."

Haruki eyed them doubtfully for a moment. "You realize you are placing a lot of trust in someone neither of you actually know. I could be an enemy-nin, for all you know."

"I do not believe that," Hizashi immediately denied.

Haruki scowled at him. "Of course you don't."

Hiashi inclined his head. "My brother has informed me that he has good reason to trust you. I believe him."

Haruki sighed and glanced at Sarutobi. The Hokage shrugged and nodded at him. "It is your choice, Haruki-kun."

The redhead frowned at him before staring past him out the window. After a long moment of consideration, he started slowly without looking at any of them, "Danzo doesn't just have a few nin loyal to him. He has an entire army." Haruki ignored the uneasy quiet behind him. "Root was disbanded under the Yondaime but Danzo kept it together in secret. It isn't as big as the ANBU troops but they're well-trained soldiers. Weapons. Danzo made sure to lock their emotions away. They have a cursed seal on their tongue which will paralyze them if they try to speak about Danzo, so you can't interrogate them. He has masked his movements under the moniker of the Foundation, which is comprised of mostly orphans and kidnapped clan children and civilians. Their past is erased as if they never existed and they are raised in pairs until they are ready to graduate, where they then must kill each other."

Haruki finally turned back to the others, observing the faint shock and alarm on each man's face. True to their word, neither Hyuuga asked how he had gotten this information, exchanging a few words and frowns between them instead as Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and digested this.

"Much of what Donzo has done has been to protect Konoha which he is intently devoted to and other than maintaining his organization, he is still loyal to the Hokage... at the present." At this point he eyes Sarutobi pointedly. "However some of his efforts to protect Konoha will have effects that will bring about it very undoing if left alone."

"Do you know where Root is hidden?" Hiashi spoke up.

Haruki considered this for a moment. He knew where the future location would be, but he hadn't even known about Root in his timeline at this age and Danzo was damn paranoid on a good day. There was no way their base would still be in the same place.

"No, not right now." He finally settled on a compromise, and saw a flash of understanding cross both Sarutobi and Hizashi's face. Again, Hiashi glanced at his brother and said nothing more on the subject.

"It does not matter," Sarutobi cut in. "You don't have any personal files. I will tell them that I had them destroyed before you left for Kumo."

"Danzo will make enquiries." Haruki pointed out. "There aren't..." His gaze flickered to Hiashi. "There aren't many people who know me anymore. And Donzo will wonder why my post espionage examination files were not put back into the system and why standard protocol was not followed."

Sarutobi rested his chin on clasped hands as he stared thoughtfully at the redhead. "...I believe your old team was killed on a mission." He said eventually. "Several of the other shinobi of your generation died as well. I don't believe you ever interacted with the other Jounin of your age currently in the village before I sent you out on the infiltration. As to you examination, I conducted it myself and due to the urgency of the situation haven't had the time to resubmit it."

Haruki didn't even bother glancing at Hiashi this time. "That's flimsy, old man. That would never hold against Danzo."

"Does that matter?" Sarutobi asked pointedly. "You kept to yourself and have been gone from this village since you were eighteen. Who can dispute anything? The only thing the other Jounin around your age will say is that they do not remember you. There are shinobi from my days that I do not remember."

Haruki threw up his hands in exasperation, forgetting himself for a moment. "Yes old man, but unlike you, I can't claim senility!"

A muffled cough made Haruki turn and he just managed to catch Hizashi hide a smile behind his hand. Beside him, Hiashi's face was determinedly neutral, white eyes blank as he stared ahead. Haruki turned back to the Hokage, only to be faced with an annoyed glare. Blinking, Haruki just shrugged unrepentantly.

Sarutobi sighed, shaking his head. "It is the best we have. Should worst come to worst, we will handle Danzo then. For now, it is enough to put him off. Besides, he will be more interested in Hizashi-san's return and the strength that will return to the Hyūga clan than anything else."

Haruki nodded reluctantly. Danzo would become a major problem eventually, and from experience, Haruki knew he would be a huge pain in the ass. Hopefully he could be delt without conflict if he was confront soon enough, though he doubted that very much.

"Moving on then," Sarutobi inquired. "Are there any others on the Council you believe will prove a problem?"

Haruki paused to consider this before shrugging. "Well, you can pretty much expect Shikaku-san to not believe a single word, but I don't think he'll say anything." Sarutobi frowned thoughtfully but nodded for the redhead to continue. "Inoichi-san and Chouza-san won't kick up a fuss about it as long as he doesn't even if they suspect something. Those two other Council members, Koharu and Homura, they probably won't suspect anything until Danzo updates them and then they'll back him completely." Again, Sarutobi nodded. He hadn't expected anything else from those two. "And the Civilian representative is in Danzo's pocket so he'll go with whatever Danzo wants."

Finished, Haruki fell silent to observe the others. Hiashi and Hizashi were talking between themselves again, having frowned when Haruki had mentioned the Civilian representative. Sarutobi was taking this in much more easily though, waiting patiently for the Hyuugas to finish their exchange.

"I will keep this information in mind," Sarutobi finally spoke again. "For now, we need to finalize our plan and execute it before too much time passes. Haruki-kun, I want you to leave tomorrow morning. How soon can you get to Kumo and destroy the shrine?"

"A day and a half."

Hiashi's eyebrows shot up in clear surprise but made no comment. If the circumstances were more casual that would have caused Haruki to laugh.

"Alright, three days is the average time a nin can get from Kumo to Konoha. Factoring in rest time for Hizashi-san, we will stage his return four days after the explosion. For those four days, I will pretend to send you out on a simple information gathering mission to Kaze no Kuni."

Haruki nodded. "On my way back, I can henge into Hizashi-san and let a few people glimpse me. Rumours would start up that way."

Sarutobi nodded in approval but Hizashi leaned forward with a sudden thought. "One last thing; wouldn't I be quite a bit weaker once I break the seal? How exactly would I manage to blow up a shrine?"

Haruki shook his head. "When seals are deactivated properly like they should be, there would be no damage to anyone or anything around it. But when a seal is broken by force because it has become weak or someone managed to overpower it, it can cause quite a bit of damage." He paused and noticed he now had a captive audience. "Take the Life Suspension Seal for example; most human beings, even if they are on the verge of death, all struggle to survive for even just one more minute. That is every average human's most basic instinct; to survive, to live. Even under a Life Suspension Seal, the body is slowly dying. Much more slowly of course, but still dying. If that seal slips, the body will automatically start struggling against it. It's instinct. As the body struggles, because the seal is still keeping most of the body's functions alive but blocked off, chakra will begin to build up. The seal is like a dam, the chakra build-up like a raging river. Water is patient, water can wait. Chakra is the same. Eventually, the dam will burst if not fixed and like that dam, the seal would also break. If it slips the resulting instinctual rebound from the chakra build up would shatter the seal and well... After that, I think you can imagine what would happen."

There was blatant interest in both Hyuugas' faces and, almost like a student at the academy, Hizashi promptly answered, "The chakra would explode outwards. And a build-up of chakra like that could destroy a small area."

Haruki nodded. "Exactly. All I'll have to do is release a burst of chakra strong enough to take out the shrine. Easy enough."

It was Hiashi who spoke this time, his question directed at the Hokage even as his eyes remained on Haruki. "Hokage-sama, yesterday, I believe you informed me that Kazama-san is adept at fuuinjutsu." His stare grew thoughtful. "You do not explain fuuinjutsu theory like someone only adept at the art, Kazama-san."

Haruki frowned. "That was the simplified version. I mean, I can recite scrolls to you. Rai- The one who taught me gave me the scrolls."

Hizashi shook his head. "That is the point. Most novices and even some experts can only recite theory word for word. They are proficient enough at the practical aspect, but if they try to teach others, they simply give them scrolls to learn from. You can talk about it as if you were teaching a class."

Haruki stiffened a little, glancing between the two Hyuugas. "That's how I learn." He finally said. "I've never been good with academics. I graduated from the academy at the bottom of my class. And I used to have a very short attention span. When I am handed large sections of text to read, I lose all interest. But I wanted to learn fuuinjutsu so I compromised. As long as I understood it and I could explain it clearly to someone else, my sensei told me I wouldn't have to memorize it. Eventually, I did memorize all the scrolls but that took years longer for me."

Hiashi nodded thoughtfully but it was Hizashi who spoke. "Have you ever considered teaching fuuinjutsu?"

This was obviously the wrong to say and Haruki's face blanked. "No."

The two brothers glanced at each other before nodding simultaneously, saying nothing more as they turned back to the Hokage. Sarutobi glanced sidelong at the redhead with something like concern but didn't either.

"Very well then. We're done here. And I'm running late. I should be handing out missions right now."

"I'll come with you." Haruki reached into a pocket and withdrew a hair tie, quickly sweeping his hair into a simple ponytail, leaving jaw-length bangs to frame his face. Both Hyuugas immediately frowned, another memory tugging at them but staying just out of reach.

Before either could say anything, Sarutobi voiced curiously, eyeing the flak jacket he had given the Jounin earlier that week as well as the dark long-sleeved shirt underneath, matching trousers, and calf-length sandals, "Will you be training today, Haruki-kun?"

Haruki nodded curtly. "Kakashi wants me to join his team for the day."

"Ah, he caught up to you then." Sarutobi chuckled, rising from his seat.

Minutes later, Hiashi was heading back to the Hyuuga compound, Hizashi had retreated into the Hokage's private office, and Sarutobi and Haruki were both heading to the Mission Assignment Room.

"This is a good opportunity to let the other Jounin see you," Sarutobi remarked as they drew closer to their destination. "I believe you would know Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai?"

Haruki nodded distractedly, steeling himself for another meeting with people he had seen die. He glanced at the Hokage walking beside him and, recalling some of the things Asuma had mentioned in passing to him and Shika before his death, suggested quietly, "You should make up with Asuma. He may seem indifferent to the rift between you two, but he does care. He just doesn't understand you, and he doesn't know how to try."

Sarutobi actually faltered a step as Haruki spoke but recovered quickly enough that Haruki could pretend it hadn't happened. The Hokage was silent until they reached the mission room. At the door, Sarutobi laid a gentle hand on Haruki's arm. The redhead paused, turning to look questioningly at the older man. Sarutobi only smiled. "Thank you. I will try."

Haruki cleared his throat uncomfortably, nodding jerkily before opening the side door and motioning for the Hokage to enter first.

Inside, Haruki immediately caught sight of the familiar senseis of Team 8, 10, Gai, and, shockingly, 7. They all glanced up and straightened when the Hokage walked in, their gazes immediately drawn to the redhead walking a step behind Sarutobi.

"Haruki?" All eyes turned to Kakashi next. The Copy-nin had actually taken the time to look up from his book and his visible eye was watching the redhead curiously.

Haruki smiled a greeting. "By your standards, you're early today, Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged, stowing his book away and moving forward, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from the other senseis. "I was over half an hour late. You and Hokage-sama are even later."

Haruki shrugged without concern before glancing at Sarutobi who was watching the entire exchange with far too much amusement. Or rather, he was watching the other senseis' confused expressions as they watched the exchange with far too much amusement. Kakashi never acted this way with anyone. Sarutobi idly wondered what had happened yesterday for the two to seem completely at ease in each other's company. Then again, Harukiwas Naruto and he had always thought Naruto could get to anyone if he tried hard enough.

The Hokage quickly handed out the day's missions (painting a fence, mowing a field, weeding, and patrol duty for Team Gai) before he nodded a goodbye to Haruki. After this, he wouldn't see Haruki again for several days.

As they left the mission room, Haruki walking beside Kakashi to peer down at the mission scroll Kakashi had in hand, the other three senseis immediately drifted closer, all of them eyeing Haruki curiously.

"Who's your friend, Kakashi?" Kurenai was the first to speak, features friendly as she faced Haruki.

Kakashi glanced at them before patting the redhead on the shoulder. "Maa, this is who I was looking for earlier. Kazama Haruki."

"You're the one that had Konoha's famous Copy-nin running around on a wild goose chase?" Asuma peered at Haruki with interest.

Haruki offered a small smile and nodded as Kakashi's eye twitched. "Yes. I guess Kakashi just kept missing me all week," Here, the Copy-nin muttered something that sounded insistently like 'you weren't here'. "I just came back five days ago from a pretty long mission."

As Asuma nodded thoughtfully, Gai bounded up, already beaming. "Haruki-san! To best my rival in his area of expertise, your Springtime of Youth must shine brightly in you!"

Kakashi had whipped out his book the moment Gai had opened his mouth while Kurenai was already face-palming as Asuma sighed on her left. "Give it a rest, Gai." Kurenai chided. "You're going to scare him off. At least introduce yourself first."

Without waiting for the spandex-clad Jounin to respond, Kurenai turned to Haruki and offered a welcoming smile. "Hi, I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, sensei of Team 8." Turning to gesture at Asuma, who nodded cordially, she continued, "This is Sarutobi Asuma, sensei of Team 10."

Before she could say anything more, Gai leapt in, "And I'm Maito Gai! Everyone calls me Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey!"

Haruki chuckled, much to the consternation of the other three Jounin and Kakashi quickly cut in, "Gai, no one calls you that. You only introduce yourself to other people like that in the hopes of scarring them for life."

Gai just flashed a white-teethed grin. "My eternal rival! There is no reason to be jealous simply because you do not have a name as cool as mine! In this time of spring, all shinobi are in the springtime of their youths and thus will discover their own names for themselves!"

Kakashi had already gone back to his book and now glanced up from it, visible eye disinterested. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Gai took on an affronted countenance, and watching them, Haruki couldn't help but smile wistfully at the banter. Kakashi had died before Gai, and the optimistic Jounin had never been the same after that. No matter how much Gai ranted at Kakashi and Kakashi pretended to ignore him, the two had been good friends.

"Oh! That was so hip of you, Kakashi! But you should listen to me!" He turned to Haruki, eager to prove his point. "Spring is the best season for one to blossom into true beauty!"

"Hmm, I prefer autumn myself."

Gai looked appalled at this even as the other three looked on, dubious expressions on their faces as Haruki continued the conversation. "How could you? Spring is the stage of life where every ninja starts to grow their roots! We can show our springtime of youth to the world as we begin to flourish!"

Haruki nodded, absently turning his gaze to a nearby window to catch sight of the clear morning spring sky as his voice turned regretful. "Yeah, but in autumn is where the old leaves that have successfully weathered the storms and fall to form the foundation for the new growth. And once we reach autumn, we've led a successful enough life that we've managed to see over half of it."

An abrupt silence fell around them and Haruki turned back to see all four Jounin staring at him in surprise. The redhead shifted minutely as he realized that no one really understood Gai's diatribes, at least not before the first several dozen times. It had taken himself a few years to pick up the subtle insinuations behind the blaring words. As it was, Gai was now staring at him almost thoughtfully, a rare sombre expression shaping his features. Haruki hated it. That expression had become far too common during the last years of the war. As it was though, Haruki was careful to keep his face blank. Gai was much more observant than most people gave him credit for. And he could only hope he hadn't caught the reference to Taijustu masters ace in the hole.

A second later though, the spandex-clad Jounin had reached out and clapped him on the shoulder, grin splitting his face again. "YOSH! I've decided! Your Springtime of Youth is indeed exceptional! I would like you to meet my team! They will be delighted to meet such youth!"

Honestly, Haruki couldn't imagine Neji delighted to meet anyone, especially at this age and he quickly turned the offer down as he motioned to Kakashi. "Sorry Gai-san, but Kakashi's already invited me to train with his team. Perhaps another day."

Gai immediately rounded on Kakashi, pointing accusingly at him even as Kakashi heaved a deep-suffering sigh. "My Eternal Rival works swiftly when the result is worth it! Very well! You win this round, but!" He rounded on Haruki again. "Tomorrow, you will train with us, Haruki-san! I insist!"

Haruki paused briefly, considering the option of leaving a Kage Bunshin behind but dismissed the idea. Sarutobi had already given him a reason to be out of the village and it wouldn't be fair to Gai's team. "I'm afraid I am busy tomorrow. Hokage-sama is sending me out on a mission."

Kakashi glanced at him. "So soon?" He asked casually.

Haruki hid a smirk. "It has been five days."

Kakashi scowled. He didn't believe the redhead had been in the village since the beginning of the week. It just wasn't possible.

Gai looked disappointed but perked up again when Haruki continued, "I'll join your team for a training session as soon as I'm free once I get back. Is that alright?"

The Jounin flashed another blinding grin at him. "Of course! I will hold you to your word, Haruki-san!"

His eyes flickered to the window as well before waving his mission scroll in the air. "Now, I must be off. It is not very youthful for the sensei to be late!" He shot a pointed look at Kakashi, who expertly ignored it, before jogging away, waving a hand in the air.

They all watched him go before Kurenai turned back to Haruki. "You actually held a conversation with Gai when he's like that. I wish I had your patience."

Haruki smiled lightly. "He's easy enough to understand if you just ignore the... youthfulness."

Kurenai and Asuma both chuckled at this and Haruki turned to elbow Kakashi. "C'mon sensei," Haruki's hand shot out and snatched the orange book out of Kakashi's surprised grasp. "You're the one who invited me and I am not going to be late."

He nodded to the other two Jounin while holding the book out of a glowering Kakashi's reach before shunshining away. Kakashi disappeared a moment later, hot on his heels.

Asuma and Kurenai blinked before glancing at each other.

"Have you noticed," Kurenai remarked. "Recently, Kakashi's been a little... different."

"Not as late as usual," Asuma agreed. "Because of him? Haruki?"

Kurenai shrugged gracefully before the two started for the door. "Maybe. But did you see Haruki-san when he grabbed Kakashi's book? I didn't even see his hand move. And Kakashi couldn't stop him."

Asuma nodded contemplatively. "He must be really fast. And he got Kakashi moving. His Genin team might get collective heart attacks when he shows up on time." He scratched his head. "Maybe I should invite Haruki to train with my team. They could definitely use the motivation."

"I'd like to see what he can do." Kurenai announced. "He seems kind of interesting. But it's weird that none of us seem to know him."

Asuma just frowned, glancing briefly in the direction where he knew Team 7 trained. That was strange. And now that he thought about it, he hadn't been able to sense Haruki's chakra signature at all, even when they were standing together. Not many could hide their chakra so well, and even less did it in their own village when they were amongst friends.

x.X.x

Gai stared thoughtfully in the direction of the Team 7 training grounds as his team started on their taijutsu sets. There weren't many who actually knew what he was talking about underneath all the drama he thought was definitely necessary to brighten the world. Especially not the first time. Gai had been impressed when Haruki had offered his own opinion on the matter.

Still, there was definitely something off about the redhead. For one, Gai hadn't missed the depression that had surfaced briefly on the other Jounin's face when he had said he liked autumn. That had actually been part of the reason why Gai had immediately offered to drag Haruki to training with them. The depth of that sorrow had troubled him greatly and he hadn't wanted to leave the redhead alone so soon after that.

And for another, where had this man come from? Gai was sure he had never seen the red-haired Jounin before. Perhaps he had changed his appearance. But surely he would've at least recalled the name?

"Gai-sensei, are you alright?"

Gai blinked before smiling winningly down at his only female student. "Of course! My youthfulness would not allow me to be anything but!"

Tenten rolled her eyes but smiled good-naturedly and returned to her katas. Further away, Lee was challenging Neji to a youthful contest of who could do more high-kicks and Neji was simply ignoring him but still doing said high-kicks with deadly accuracy.

Gai smiled broadly at his three students, putting thoughts of the mysterious Jounin to the back of his mind for the moment. They were almost ready. He would be entering them into the Chuunin Exams this year.

x.X.x

"Good morning."

All three Genin straightened from their warm-ups and spun around to blink at the approaching red-haired Jounin. Naruto was the first to speak up, greeting Haruki enthusiastically.

"Morning, Haruki-san!" Naruto chirped brightly. Behind him, Sakura scowled at the blond but bowed a little in the redhead's direction and greeted him shyly. "Good morning, Haruki-san."

Haruki nodded at the kunoichi, studying the more healthy flush to her cheeks. She hadn't developed much muscle yet and there was still some baby fat here and there but Haruki could see she was eating more regular meals now. He turned to the last Genin of the group and nodded a greeting as well.

Sasuke stared back at him with consideration before nodding as well. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment before finally asking politely, "Haruki-san, would you be willing to spar with me?"

Haruki tilted his head thoughtfully, absently pushing a few stray locks of hair out of his eyes. He glanced back towards the village. Kakashi had managed to snatch his book back a minute before they had reached the training grounds and had disappeared to Kami-knows-where. It would be a while before the Copy-nin showed up. He turned back to the waiting Uchiha.

"Are you finished your warm-up?" Sasuke immediately nodded, moving away from Naruto and Sakura before getting into the standard Uchiha-style taijutsu stance.

"Not fair!" Naruto complained, crossing his arms. "Why does Sasuke-teme get to spar with you? Kakashi-sensei never spars with any of us."

Haruki smiled faintly down at the blond. "He asked, Naruto. If you want, I'll spar with you afterwards."

Naruto brightened at that, nodding readily as Haruki moved to stand opposite to Sasuke.

Haruki shrugged his shoulders a few times before nodding at Sasuke. "Whenever you're ready."

The Uchiha darted forward a second later, lashing out with a fist to Haruki's abdomen. Haruki immediately blocked it before jumping smoothly over the follow-up sweep of Sasuke's leg. Haruki frowned faintly when an entire second passed as Sasuke drew back into a ready position before lashing out again, a series of punches and kicks that Haruki easily blocked or pushed aside. This was very... boring.

Dodging a kick that came from the side, Haruki started pushing back, blocking a fist and reaching out to tap the boy's left shoulder, adjusting a slightly wayward palm thrust before tapping at a rib, and then finally twisting effortlessly past the boy and tapping him on the back of the neck.

Sasuke finally jumped back a few feet away, obvious frustration flashing across his face. Haruki held up a hand to momentarily halt the boy.

"Sasuke, your moves are predictable. Try..." Haruki motioned vaguely at the boy in general. "Improvising."

Sasuke frowned heavily, wiping away beads of sweat that had gathered on his forehead. He seemed about to snap something back but stopped, watching the redhead carefully as he mentally reviewed the spar so far. On the side, Naruto was bouncing on the balls of his feet while Sakura shouted encouragement.

A moment later, Sasuke rushed forward again, starting with another fist to the abdomen, but instead of dropping to the ground to sweep out the redhead's feet after his punch was blocked, the Uchiha used his other hand to balance on the ground and kicked his feet up to lash out at Haruki's jaw instead.

Haruki easily dodged it but smiled inwardly. For some reason or another, Sasuke was listening to him. So, instead of just mostly blocking or dodging the next rain of blows the Genin sent his way, Haruki started adjusting the strikes the boy used. Pushing a fist a little to the left one time and gently nudging a hip into a better alignment during a high-kick another, he slowly mended some of the holes in the Genin's fighting style. Sasuke seemed to realize what he was doing and accepted it wordlessly, continuing to throw punches and kicks at the Jounin.

Finally, panting hard but still determined, Sasuke leapt away and into the air, quickly bringing his hands together to form the seals for a jutsu as he started falling back to the ground.

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Haruki had already recognized the signature hand signs and now quickly danced away, the fireball soaring harmlessly behind him even as he felt the heat stream past. The fireball quickly faded away and Haruki turned to look down at Sasuke who was gasping for breath as he rested his hands on bent knees. But onyx eyes met his evenly and there was a certain amount of defiance in them as he stared back.

"Sasuke-teme! You cheated!" Naruto bounded forward, Sakura a step behind, already reaching out to bop Naruto on the head.

"Sasuke-kun didn't cheat!" She glanced hesitantly at Haruki. "He didn't, right Haruki-san?"

Haruki glanced briefly at the two other Genin before looking back at Sasuke. He remained silent for a few seconds and wondered if the boy would look away. He didn't.

Satisfied, Haruki jerked his head a little and the hair tie that had been holding back his hair snapped, having been too close to the fireball to escape damage. Haruki watched impassively as all three Genin stared wide-eyed when the hair tie fluttered to the ground and crimson locks fell around his shoulders again.

Waiting until he caught Sasuke's gaze again, Haruki offered him a single nod and a faint smile of approval. "Much better, Sasuke."

The raven-haired Genin straightened at the praise, eyes lighting up as a pleased smile tilted his lips for a moment.

Haruki glanced at Naruto with an arched eyebrow. "Naruto, I didn't say 'no ninjutsu'. There is honour in battle, but we are ninja, and most of what normal people would consider underhanded, we call it fair game. And in a real fight, there are no rules. Your enemies will not abide by any standards you set. Understand?"

The blond nodded, frowning hard as he digested this and Haruki turned back to Sasuke. "Cool down with some katas and drink some water," The redhead withdrew a scroll and unsealed a bottle for the boy. "From now on, try developing your own fighting style. Your Clan's style is a good foundation to build up from, but you'll need more variation if you want to strengthen your taijutsu. Learning this now will help you in the future when you try and incorporate other styles you've copied using tot sharigan. That's the true beauty of your bloodline I think, the ability to see strength in others and harness it."

Sasuke nodded attentively before sketching a half-bow, respect flickering in his eyes when he looked up again. "Thanks, Haruki-san."

Haruki managed a small nod, but almost reeled inside as he heard the genuine gratitude in the boy's voice. He couldn't recall Sasuke ever thanking anyone at this age. Then again, he had been the dead-last back then. Sasuke was hardly going to thank him.

"My turn now, Haruki-san!"

Haruki smiled and nodded, glancing at a nearby tree as he waited for Naruto to finish a quick stretch. He had sensed the Copy-nin's presence a moment before his spar with Sasuke began and he now wondered what Kakashi was trying to do by letting Haruki spar with his students.

"Lazy bastard," Haruki muttered under his breath as Naruto got into position in front of him. "Not going to pawn your students off on me my ass!"

"Ready, Haruki-san?"

Haruki studied the blond with concealed amusement as the boy couldn't seem to stop moving from excitement. "Whenever you are."

Immediately, Naruto brought his hands together and Haruki really did smile at the familiarity of it arbitrarily thinking of how he is probably the worst possible opponent to use this strategy on.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Seven clones appeared around them, all holding kunai and Haruki cocked his head and glanced around before focusing on the real Naruto again. "Come then," He voiced, letting a challenge edge his tone. "Let's see what you can do."

All eight Narutos grinned and charged, simultaneously lashing out with their kunai as soon as they reached the redhead. Haruki dodged the swipes without difficulty, noting the wide sweep of each reckless strike.

"Clumsy, Naruto," He called out as he continued to avoid the kunai. "Don't just swing at my closest body part." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke draw closer to their spar before restarting his katas again. "That just wastes both energy and time. Aim at openings. If your opponent doesn't have openings, then make one."

He ducked a rather wild swipe of a kunai from one of the clones before flipping back, balancing on one hand as his left leg came up, catching said clone under the chin and throwing him into the air. Following through, he twisted his body as his right leg came up as well and caught the clone from the side, neatly tossing him away and sending him crashing into the trunk of a tree. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke as Haruki righted himself again and watched the remaining Narutos back away.

"Make an opening?" The Naruto near the back scratched his head. "How do I do that?"

"Surprise me," When Naruto still looked confused, Haruki clarified. "Do something unpredictable, Naruto. You're good at that. Play to your strengths."

Another moment of thought passed before a wide grin grew on the blond's face. "You asked for it!" He called out almost gleefully as he brought his hands together.

"Haremu no Jutsu!"

Sakura immediately began yelling as six Narutos turned into beautiful naked blonde females. Haruki caught a glimpse of Sasuke wheeling around to face the other direction and heard a faint spluttering sound from the tree Kakashi was still sitting in.

Grinning, he shook his head as he felt the real Naruto run at him from behind. Dodging at the last minute, his hand reached out and snagged the boy by the collar before tossing him neatly into the group of female clones. "Good distraction, Naruto," Haruki called out cheerfully. "But that won't always work. You need to follow up on it if it doesn't."

"I know!"

Haruki's gaze slid to the side as another Naruto came charging at him, leaping into the air with his kunai drawn. So the boy had made more Kage Bunshins behind the smoke his earlier jutsu had produced. Haruki smiled even as he sidestepped the Bunshin and flipped him to the ground face-first where it dispersed. Good. Naruto was learning.

Three more Kage Bunshins came up from behind but Haruki caught two of them with quick sharp jabs to the abdomen before flipping away from the third. The Bunshin followed him though, hands balled into fists as he charged the redhead. Haruki glanced briefly at the ground as he balanced on his hands and quickly swiped up a familiar item, snapping it towards the Bunshin. The clone reeled backwards when the hair tie hit him between the eyes and Haruki quickly took the opportunity to swing around and sweep the clone's feet out from under him.

Straightening again, he noted that the female clones had been dispersed but the Naruto clones were still going strong. There were nearly two dozen of them in the clearing now, scattered around in a loose circle around him.

"We've got you now!" One Naruto shouted as they all charged with child-like battle cries.

Haruki sighed, tucking a few stray locks of hair behind one ear as the clones descended on him, some coming from the air, others charging at a flat-out run.

With the ease of someone who had done little save train, eat, sleep, and fight in open battle, Haruki launched into a counterattack, executing his own punches and kicks to disperse the clones one by one.

Up in his chosen tree, Kakashi observed the spar, unable to look away. This was the first time he had seen Haruki fight and the grace and strength in each action had him mesmerized. Even earlier, during the spar with Sasuke when Haruki had chosen not to fight but to only silently fix the holes in the Uchiha's fighting style, Kakashi hadn't even pulled out his book. The way Haruki had adjusted each stance or punch had Kakashi wondering if Haruki had ever taught before. Now, the Copy-nin absently speculated whether or not Haruki would agree to spar with him sometime. Kakashi suspected the redhead had yet to show even half of his real skill in taijutsu and he wanted to see how far he would have to push the other Jounin for him to show his true strength. Leaning forward even more, he squinted suddenly, picking up some familiarity in the somewhat odd style Haruki was using.

Wasn't that the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist Style? Haruki wasn't closing off any tenketsu points but he was definitely targeting certain areas with deadly precision. Where the hell had Haruki learned the Hyūga's prized taijutsu style?

And it wasn't just the Gentle Fist. Haruki used a mix of martial arts, all moulded together to form the unique style he now used with easy efficiency. There was the graceful stance and direct but subtle palm thrusts that Kakashi was sure was a variation of the taijutsu the Uchiha Clan used, and as Haruki danced out of reach of the Naruto clones' attacks, Kakashi could also see bits and pieces of the taijutsu that the Nara Clan usually stuck to, as well as...

He leaned forward even further, ignoring the fact that he would've probably toppled out of the tree by now if he hadn't been a ninja. That was definitely the unique style only Gai knew and taught to that equally disturbing protégée of his! The redhead had just pulled off Konoha Senpuu that Gai used and had created. But Haruki had just met Gai this morning. There was no way he could know that.

Down below, Haruki finished off the last of the clones with a series of high-kicks that sent all three Naruto lookalikes into the air, tumbling away head-over-heels and dispersing before they could hit the ground. Whirling around, he caught the fist that had been aimed at his back and with a gentle but deft twist only strong enough to throw the blond off-balance and spin him around, Haruki had Naruto's arm neatly pinned behind him as he flipped out a kunai and finished the spar by tapping the flat side of the weapon against the boy's left shoulder.

"I believe this match goes to me." Haruki said mildly as Naruto craned his head around to scowl up at him. Smiling slightly, he released the blond and Naruto scrambled up, shaking out his arm as Sasuke and Sakura approached them.

"You're crazy strong, Haruki-san," Naruto complained as he flopped onto his back, blond locks damp against his forehead.

Sasuke came to a stop beside them and toed the blond. "Hn, dobe. You need to get faster."

Naruto glared up at the Uchiha, swatting away the Genin's foot. "Shut up, teme! I already know that!"

"Naruto!" Sakura had her hands on her hips and was scowling down at him. "Don't be so rude to Sasuke-kun! He's giving you good advice!"

Naruto huffed sulkily before sitting up and peering at Haruki who had unsealed another water bottle and was now holding it out to the blond. Naruto grinned and took it, downing half the bottle in one go.

"Good job, Naruto," Haruki sank down to a crouch in front of the blond. "Your use of Kage Bunshin is excellent. What you need to work on now is polishing up your taijutsu and, of course, increasing your speed. Right now though, I'm more concerned about your fighting style. You don't follow the standard style the Academy teaches, and while that's good for keeping your attacks unpredictable, it also means you don't have a very strong foundation."

Naruto frowned, glancing up at Sasuke who was listening just as intently. "The senseis show us some stances in the standard style," Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But we usually have to learn from the scrolls they give us." He made a face. "I don't like sitting all day studying."

Sasuke snorted while Sakura just sighed, but Haruki nodded instead. "That's alright, not all shinobi learn best by studying. You're better at learning by doing, right?"

At Naruto's immediate nod, Haruki stared thoughtfully at the blond before glancing up at Sasuke. "Sasuke, if you were the one fighting Naruto earlier, what would've happened?"

The Uchiha had an instant retort at the tip of his tongue. "Hn, I would've won."

Haruki arched a challenging eyebrow even as Naruto protested loudly. "With no trouble?"

Sasuke's curt nod seemed to stall halfway through the motion as he glanced briefly down at Naruto. Then, with obvious reluctance, he admitted grudgingly, "I might have had some trouble defending against all the Kage Bunshins. His... second jutsu," Haruki hid a smile at the boy's obvious embarrassment at this. "Would've been distracting as well, but it would be his clones that would be dangerous since they can come at all sides."

Haruki nodded. "How would you have defended against that then?"

Sasuke cocked his head, a faint frown making its way onto his face. "I would've used my Fireball Jutsu to get rid of most of them. Because his taijutsu is sloppy, I would be able to dispatch any remaining clones by myself."

Haruki nodded again and turned back to Naruto. "And you, Naruto? If you had been fighting Sasuke, what would you have done if he had countered by doing this?"

Naruto scowled, striking an unconscious thinking pose as he dropped his chin in one hand. "I would've made more clones to distract him." Blue eyes suddenly sharpened slyly as he glanced up at his rival. "And then, while he was busy with them, I'd attack from his left side, from behind."

Haruki's eyes narrowed as Sasuke started slightly. "Oh? And why would you do that?"

Naruto grinned brightly as he pointed at Sasuke's left leg. "You hit Sasuke-teme three times there back when you were sparing with him. His left side is obviously not as well-defended as his right side and his leg should be at least bruised from the spar. It's a weakness!"

Sasuke scoffed loudly but subtly shook out his left leg. Haruki smiled in approval. Naruto really did learn better by watching doing things hands-on. "Good observation, Naruto. In battle, every weakness should be exploited."

He rose to his full height again, eyeing them both thoughtfully before nodding decisively. "Train together," He advised, much to all three Genin's surprise. "Both of you have weaknesses that the other can see through. Sasuke is more disciplined and has a better grasp of his own actions when he attacks, but Naruto has better instinct and he's good at improvising when he gets into tough situations. You can help each other improve in different areas. I think you'll find a spar between you two interesting."

The two boys glanced at each other, curious but trying not to show it at the same time. Haruki smiled a little, ignoring the sadness that welled up inside him. In his timeline, Sasuke had been his favorite sparring partner. Every spar they had managed to fit in before things really went to hell had been truly enjoyable.

"Alright then, I've talked enough." Haruki turned to blink at the last of Team 7's Genin. "Sakura, would you like to spar?"

The kunoichi blushed a little, hands wringing uncomfortably as she glanced at Sasuke who was suddenly concentrating on drinking more water. "Um, maybe not right now. I don't think I'd do very well."

Before Haruki could respond, Naruto, with his usual amount of non-existent tact, piped up, "C'mon, Sakura-chan! It'll be fun! Sasuke-teme and I couldn't win either! But you could learn some things-"

"Naruto." Haruki cut in, and Naruto's mouth closed with a click at the redhead's sharp tone, blue eyes wide when he caught sight of Sakura's rapidly reddening face.

"That's alright, Sakura." Haruki drew her attention again before she could lash out at the blond. "Actually, it's probably best that you don't spar right now. Kakashi has an exercise for all of you that I think you'll do especially well in. You'll probably move on to more advanced stuff today and you'll need your energy for that."

Sakura blinked up at him in confusion, though she seemed a little relieved at the change of topic. "What exercise?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto scrambled to his feet, dusting his jumpsuit off. "Kakashi-sensei said we were going to learn chakra control today!"

"When did he say that?" Sakura rounded on the blond.

Naruto grinned. "Yesterday, after we had dinner with Haruki-san!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to look at Haruki, who shrugged, trying not to scowl at his younger counterpart. "Kakashi wanted to meet me, Naruto invited him around, and we all ended up eating at my place."

Without waiting to hear what either of the other two Genin thought about this, Haruki hurried on, turning to stare directly at the tree Kakashi was still sitting in, "Speaking of Kakashi, why don't you come down and actually teach,sensei, or have you decided to just sit on the sidelines for the rest of the day?"

All three Genin peered in the direction Haruki was looking at and a second later, Kakashi dropped out of the tree, orange book in hand as he strolled towards them. "Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura snapped as Sasuke looked on. This time though, none of them seemed particularly upset by the Jounin's tardiness. "YOU WERE HERE ALL ALONG TOO!"

Kakashi eye-smiled at them and waved his orange book at them. "Well, I was in the middle of a great chapter. Miki-chan seduced-"

He got no further than that before Haruki flipped out a kunai and eyed his orange book menacingly. "Not in front of minors, Kakashi."

Kakashi chuckled nervously and quickly tucked his book away. Behind Haruki, Sakura and Naruto were making faces and even Sasuke looked faintly disturbed. "Well, I suppose we should get started on our training session today. You guys still have a D-rank to finish afterwards. Follow me!"

As the three Genin trailed after Kakashi into a more forested area of the training grounds, Haruki fell into step beside him. "You've been watching since I started sparring with Sasuke," He commented. "You could've come out sooner."

Kakashi shrugged unrepentantly. "Maa, it was interesting to watch." He paused to glance sidelong at the redhead. "You knew what you were doing. Have you ever taught before?"

Haruki predictably stiffened and remained silent, gaze focused ahead. "Once," He finally revealed without looking at the Copy-nin. "A long time ago. And only for a little while."

Kakashi nodded and said nothing more. He knew he probably wouldn't get anything else out of the redhead if he continued to push.

"Now then," The group had come to a halt at the base of three moderately tall trees. "You three are going to climb a tree."

"Climb a tree, sensei?" Naruto's face fell as he glanced at the trees in front of them. "How does that help?"

"Climbing a tree without using your hands," Kakashi amended before moving forward to demonstrate.

To the side, Haruki tuned the Copy-nin out as he explained the concept to the three Genin. He moved a little ways away where the trees were farther apart and scanned the small clearing. He could still see Team 7 from here and it was big enough for his jutsu.

Returning to the others, he noted the mild annoyance on the two boys' face as they gazed up at Sakura, who was already sitting on one of the upper branches. Good.

Quietly, he moved to where Kakashi was standing, drawing the Jounin's attention. "Kakashi, may I teach Sakura how to walk on water?"

The Copy-nin turned a puzzled eye on the redhead. "I don't mind, but Naka River's pretty far from here."

Haruki shook his head. "I have a jutsu that Sakura can use to practice with."

Kakashi's eye lit up with interest. "I'll come too. The boys are probably going to be at it for a while."

Haruki nodded and moved away, coming to a stop at the base of Sakura's tree. "Sakura," He called up. "You're pretty good at climbing trees already. If you want, I can teach you how to walk on water next."

Perched on the branch, Sakura brightened a little. She had thought Haruki was only being nice when he had told her earlier that she would be good at this exercise but it came pretty easily to her. She wasn't sure if he would really teach her something else since she had turned his offer down the first time but the Jounin now waited patiently for her reply.

"Okay," She called down, concentrating chakra at her feet again before descending the tree. She jumped the last several feet and shot the redhead a surprised smile when he automatically reached out to steady her. He nodded back and motioned for her to follow him.

"You can do it, Sasuke-kun," She called out encouragingly as she passed the other two. Pausing, she added fairly, "You too, Naruto."

She felt Haruki's eyes on her and glanced up in time to catch a startled look passing over his usually neutral features but the redhead looked away again before she could ask.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, where will you be going?" Naruto's tone was tinged with envy and even Sasuke looked over at her. Flustered as she didn't really know, Sakura glanced up at Haruki again as he answered.

"Just over there," He nodded to a small clearing a short distance away. "I just need a bit of space to use my jutsu."

Sakura could practically feel the excitement emanating from the boys and she could admit to a little curiosity herself as she accompanied the two Jounin to the clearing.

Stepping away, Haruki brought his hands up and went through a long series of seals. "Suiton: Kagami no Mizu."

The effect was immediate. The moment he unleashed his chakra a presence unlike anything they had felt fell over them. Kakashi's lone eye widened and the sheer size and weight of it. How did Haruki contain such vast chakra? Why was it so dense? The presence wasn't oppressive passively, though he was sure that was something he could accomplish easily, but it held with it the feeling of tranquil balance, like as if the forces of nature were bottled inside the red head ready and waiting to unleash their fury at a moments notice. Kakashi recovered after growing accustom to the sensation. It spoke volumes of the Haruki's skill to keep such power hidden, any doubts about his skill at infiltration vanished. Sasuke was floored to say the least. He had suspected the Jonin was strong but this was unreal. And the way he carried himself; it lacked the showcasing or pride he had been raised to believe was appropriate of those with power. He defied his expectations and challenged his sense of certainty but not in a bad way. There was no doubt that the He was powerful. He felt his respect for the red head increase a few notches. Nature was just in awe. He stared at his new friend and neighbor with eyes shining and a huge grin plastered on his face thinking of just how awesome and cool Haruki was. Sakura seemed to be trying to comprehend something she couldn't. And then as quickly as it came it was gone. The air in front of the Jonin seemed to waver before a swirl of white chakra extended across the clearing, a thin plain of light briefly lighting up the area and then fading away again as the quiet sound of rippling water reached their ears.

In front of them, a thin plain of water that took up the entire clearing but was only perhaps an inch thick floated about a foot above the ground. Drawing closer, Sakura's eyes widened as she realized that it was indeed a lake, a, quite literally, bottomless lake. Ducking her head, she swept her hand under the flat plain of water and found nothing but empty air beneath it. Mystified, she turned to face the red-haired Jounin even as Kakashi stepped up beside her to peer into the water. Sasuke and Naruto had completely abandoned their trees and had hurried over as well, enchanted by the jutsu.

"Sorry if I shocked you guys. I forgot how my chakra can effect others the first time they feel it." Haruki said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly but the others just waved him off.

"Impressive, Haruki," Kakashi commented, dipping a finger into the water and setting off a ripple effect. "How deep is this?"

Haruki shrugged, stepping up beside them and looking pleased that he seemed to have caught their interest. "I have no idea. I've never tried to touch the bottom."

"But how?" Sakura stammered, dipping a hand into the clear lake. The water was cool against her skin. Besides the occasional ripple caused by some invisible wind that Sakura knew wasn't real because the wind that ruffled her hair was blowing in the opposite direction, the water was the clearest of blues. It was the most beautiful lake she had ever seen.

"It's a combination of water ninjutsu and space-time ninjutsu." Haruki explained. "Basically, it's a dimensional pocket filled with water."

"Why 'water of mirrors'?" Sasuke inquired from the ground, having dropped into a crouch and was trying to stick one hand into the lake from underneath. Said hand passed completely through the plain of water, dry and untouched.

Haruki pointed at the sky. "It reflects the weather. Have you noticed the wind? It's blowing east today but the ripples in the lake are moving west. It's a calm, sunny day so the lake is calm and clear as well." His mouth twisted into an odd smile. "In a storm though, this lake becomes a typhoon."

"That is so cool!" Naruto crowed, looking about ready to dive in. Before he could move though, Kakashi's left hand had dropped onto his head and his right onto Sasuke's.

"Alright you two," Kakashi announced cheerfully. "Back to work. You're supposed to be climbing trees. This lake is for Sakura right now."

Visibly sulking, Naruto stalked back towards his tree, throwing longing looks over his shoulder as he reluctantly moved away. Sasuke lingered as well, a scowl etched on his face as he headed after Naruto. Both looked determined to master climbing trees before the day was out or die trying.

"Alright Sakura," Haruki turned to the pink-haired kunoichi. "It's the same concept as climbing a tree, but water is always moving so you'll find balancing that much harder. Give it a try."

Sakura nodded resolutely and placed a foot on top of the water, testing the surface as she made sure her chakra coated her feet evenly. Three small wobbly steps later, a particularly large ripple threw her off-balance and she dropped into the lake with a loud splash. Spluttering as she came up again, she caught Haruki's gaze and felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she clung to the thin edge of the lake.

"Hey," A hand dropped on top of her wet locks as the stern voice made her look up. "None of that. You got three steps, Sakura. When I first started, I couldn't even get one step without soaking myself to the bone, and that was after I half-killed myself learning how to climb a tree."

A giggle slipped out before she could stop it and Sakura glanced apologetically up at the Jounin, but Haruki only grinned back at her, amusement clear in bright cerulean. "Your chakra control is near perfect so if anyone can get this down in a day, it's you. Now get back to work. I didn't summon a lake just to give people pep-talks."

This drew a grin from her even as Haruki stepped away, and she used the edge of the lake to heave herself out of the water to try again, confidence restored. Her chakra control was pretty good, not to mention Haruki did seem to think she could do it and the Jounin had yet to be wrong about.. Well anything. She was going to learn how to walk on water by the end of the day if it killed her.

Retreating from the lakeside, Haruki settled himself against a tree and found himself joined by Kakashi a moment later. "My students are going to be demanding a switch of senseis by the end of the day," The Copy-nin told him mournfully.

Haruki just rolled his eyes. "Don't sell yourself short, Kakashi. Just pay them all equal attention and push them a bit."

Kakashi tilted his head to study him. "You handle them pretty well."

Haruki shrugged. "They remind me of my old team."

Kakashi glanced across the clearing as Sakura fell in again. "Your students?"

Haruki frowned and shook his head. "No. No, my... my team. The team I was on."

"...Who would you be then?" Kakashi asked lightly, cautious of the redhead's reaction.

Haruki's mouth twitched up into a bitter smile. "Like Naruto, I guess."

Kakashi mentally compared the two. One quiet, the other loud. One patient, the other brash. One calm, the other hot-tempered. But both friendly enough. Both unpredictable. And both charismatic.

"I can see that," He nodded, only to be met with a sad smile.

"You shouldn't," Haruki said quietly, tilting his head back to set his gaze on the morning sky. "I never want to see him turn out like me."

A frown crept onto his face as Kakashi studied the redhead. It was clearer right now, but no matter where he saw Haruki, yesterday in his apartment, back in the Mission Assignments Room, even during the spars with Naruto and Sasuke, a shadow of something dark and unhappy always seemed to cling to the Jounin, never letting go.

"I'm rambling again," Kakashi blinked when cerulean eyes turned back to him and Haruki rubbed the back of his hand (much like Naruto, he noted). "I still do that, now and then. Sorry."

Kakashi shrugged, eye-smiling at him to assure the redhead that he didn't mind. The sadness still remained though so he subtly led the conversation in another direction by nodding at Sakura. The kunoichi seemed to be able to walk six or seven steps or so before slipping a bit, but she didn't completely fall in anymore.

"So I'm guessing that jutsu is yours."

Haruki smiled a little. "Yes. I created it several years ago."

"You must have a high water affinity and you know space-time ninjutsu." It was not a question.

Haruki hmm'ed noncommittally. "Actually Water is my secondary bloodline affinity; as to space-time ninjustsu.. I know some."

Kakashi arched an eyebrow. "You said that about fuuinjutsu."

Haruki shrugged. "It's true."

Kakashi gave him a flat stare. "You transferred those seals from paper to wall with a drop of your chakra. Most people who know somefuuinjutsu can't even get it off paper."

"I practiced a lot. And I suppose I have a knack for it."

Kakashi just shook his head and glanced back at the lake. He was itching to try out this jutsu and was now kicking himself for keeping his Sharingan hidden earlier.

"Would you like to learn?"

Kakashi glanced over and scratched his head sheepishly at the amused smile on Haruki's face. "Ah, well, you went through quite a lot of seals earlier."

"Use your eye then. I'll go through them one more time."

Kakashi started, turning sharply to face the redhead. "How did you know?" He finally asked.

Haruki's mouth pulled up into a grin that never reached his eyes. "I know everything, Kakashi." Abruptly, he pushed off of the tree to face the Copy-nin. "So do you want to learn?"

Kakashi studied him for a moment longer before nodding silently and reaching up to uncover his eye. He wasn't sure what Haruki meant, but it wasn't as if it was a great secret either. He was called Konoha's Copy-nin after all.

As soon as his Sharingan focused on Haruki's hands, the redhead quickly went through the seals again and Kakashi memorized them, making a mental note to start practicing the jutsu as soon as he had some free time. Space-time ninjutsu was nothing to fool around with in a real fight if he didn't actually know how to use it properly.

"Thanks," Kakashi said as Haruki finished. He quickly hid his Sharingan again and the two were soon back to observing Sakura practice her chakra control.

"You give out your jutsus pretty easily," Kakashi remarked after a short silence.

Haruki chuckled. "I've got more in my arsenal, Kakashi. That jutsu I just showed you was one of the earliest I created."

"How old were you when you made it?"

"Umm, sixteen? Maybe seventeen."

Kakashi snapped his head around at this. "You made a water and space-time ninjutsu combination when you were a chuunin?"

Haruki opened his mouth as if to refute this but closed it again and settled on a stiff nod. There was a strange look on his face now but it was gone when Kakashi blinked.

"But I've never seen enemy-nin use it before. Surely someone would've been able to figure it out and copy it eventually." Kakashi pointed out.

Haruki shrugged. "All the enemy-nin I used this jutsu against aren't in any condition to try to reproduce it."

Kakashi blinked before nodding reluctantly. He supposed that made sense but he had a feeling he was missing something here.

"So if water isn't your primary affinity what is? And you mentioned bloodline does that mean you ...?" Kakashi stopped his question and the indisguisable shudder that went through the red he's Jonin.

Haruki didn't meet his eyes when he replied, "Have a bloodline limit? It's complicated. And... Not something I like to talk about. Like your eye."

At this Kakashi immediately vowed to drop the subject and never ask again. If Haruki chose to reveal this secret later he would welcome it all the same but he wouldn't force him. He felt his kinship with the Jonin grow and simply nodded expecting the conversation to end. But Haruki surprised him still looking away. "My primary bloodline affinity is wind."

There was a sudden yell from the trees and both Jounin turned to look as the sound startled Sakura enough that the kunoichi went under again. By the trees, Naruto seemed to have made it halfway, lost concentration, but had somehow managed to transfer chakra to his hands and was now hanging from a side branch by his palms.

Kakashi sweatdropped. "That's... different," He commented easily flowing the conversation to something else, watching the blond flail in mid-air as he contemplated whether or not he should give his student a hand. "I've never seen that happen before."

Haruki smirked, leaning back against the tree again. "Leave him. He'll figure out how to get down on his own."

Kakashi shrugged and settled back as well. "You have a lot of faith in him. With fuuinjutsu and this."

Haruki turned to glance at Naruto, who would no doubt become Hokage one day. At Sasuke, who would become ANBU General and Naruto's trusted Second. And at Sakura, who would be Naruto's Head Medic and the occasional nudge to keep the blond focused.

"I have a lot of faith in all of them." Haruki turned a smile on Kakashi, less shadowed and more genuine. "They'll be great one day."

x.X.x

Three hours later found Haruki walking through the village, having parted ways with Team 7 a few minutes earlier. Sakura could finally walk across the lake without falling in, though she still wobbled almost drunkenly every few steps. Naruto and Sasuke had managed to reach one of the topmost branches of their respective trees but had yet to actually stick there for longer than a few seconds.

At that point, Kakashi had announced that it was time to do their D-rank mission and all three had reluctantly stopped their training. But while the boys had been smudged with dirt after all the times they had face-planted back to Earth, at least they were both still completely dry. Sakura on the other hand had been soaked from head to toe and highly embarrassed as she shivered next to her teammates. Haruki and Kakashi had taken one look at her before they had each picked up one of the boys and promptly dumped them into the lake. Naruto and Sasuke had surfaced quickly, one shouting while the other glared, but Sakura had started laughing even as she had made a valiant attempt to look sorry.

All three had been ordered to go home for a change of clothes before meeting up again for their mission and Haruki had excused himself for the rest of the day, explaining that he still had a few errands to do before his mission tomorrow. All three children had had varying degrees of disappointment etched on their faces, but Kakashi had nodded and wished him good luck on his mission before ushering his students away.

Now, Haruki found himself walking a familiar route down a side street to where one of his future students lived. In his timeline, he hadn't met Kisaragi Yousuke until the boy was twelve and he was eighteen and saddled with a Genin team by the Godaime. It had taken one look for him to realize that the boy was being neglected and a grand total of three weeks to remove the boy from his home and into Haruki's.

Up ahead, Haruki caught sight of a familiar head of dark-brown near-black hair, walking hand-in-hand with a tall man with similar features. Haruki stiffened but kept his distance. Yosuke had eventually told him that the negligence and occasional abuse had only started after his mother had died in a house fire. Before that, his father had been a good man and as good a father as anyone could ask for.

Judging by the six-year-old's smile as he listened to his father speak, the mother probably hadn't died yet, which meant that Yobsuke still had an opportunity to keep his family intact. Haruki couldn't take the kid if there was nothing wrong.

Weighing his options, he decided it was better this way. Yosuke was six, not twelve, and Haruki wouldn't be able to stick around as much. He wasn't a sensei anymore and he would probably need to leave the village from time to time. He wouldn't have time to look after a child on top of everything else. Mind made up, Haruki quickly summoned a small orange-furred fox.

"Stay out of sight and follow them," Haruki ordered softly. "Protect them. Make sure nothing happens to any of them."

The fox dipped his head to show he had understood before trotting away, disappearing into the hedges of a nearby house. Satisfied, Haruki turned and walked away. Perhaps, in six years, this time's Naruto would become a sensei again. And perhaps the Godaime would see fit to give him the same three Genin she had given Haruki in his time.

x.X.x

"Welcome!"

Haruki nodded a greeting at the smiling shop owner as he stepped into the bookstore. He hadn't actually been planning to stop by this place but his feet had taken him here and he had decided that another trip later would only waste time. He automatically moved to a section set apart from the other books, gaze skipping over the rows of distinctive orange spines before coming to rest on the plain brown covering of the book he was looking for.

The shop owner blinked down in some puzzlement as Haruki brought the book over to the counter to pay. She had watched the Jounin head over to the special section set aside for the Legendary Sannin's books but most who wandered over there came back with at least a few volumes of Icha Icha. She shrugged mentally and quickly accepted the money that the handsome redhead held out. Oh well. The less perverts in Konoha the better.

"Thank you and please come again!"

Haruki nodded his thanks and headed for the door, Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi tucked under one arm. He had read it numerous times already, but the book was still his favourite read.

x.X.x

Haruki's next stop was a clothing store for ninja and he immediately headed over to the coat section, scanning the trench coats on display with a critical eye. His old coat had been made by Shizune as a gift for becoming ANBU General. He had loved the short-sleeved, open-collared, chakra-infused, midnight blue coat with tongues of flames decorating the bottom edge, coupled with pockets on the outside for his hands and on the inside for storing weapons and poisons. He had worn it everywhere after Shizune had presented it to him, much to the woman's delight. The medic had admitted that she had based the design on his father's coat after hearing a description of it from Tsunade, but Haruki had been quick to assure her that he didn't mind. Unfortunately, said coat had been all but shredded barely halfway through his battle with Madara and he had been forced to leave it behind.

The redhead finally decided on a simple dark brown trench coat, lightweight and durable and similar in cutting to his old one. It would do for now, until he could perhaps convince the Shizune in this timeline to make the coat again. He just didn't feel right without a long overcoat thrown on over his uniform.

x.X.x

Haruki's final stop for the day was, of course, the Hokage Monument. Thinking back, he figured he had spent a good third of his time in Konoha simply sitting on the edge of the mountain staring out across the village and beyond that. The view was always excellent from so high up and he had done everything from drinking sake to napping to doing absolutely nothing up here.

Standing here now with his eyes closed and the wind weaving through his hair, Haruki could almost pretend that he was still in his own time, back before Konoha had fallen, and was simply waiting for Team 7, all of Team 7, to join him on one of those rare days when they were all free from their duties for a few hours.

With a sigh, his eyes blinked open and he settled down into his usual spot on the Hokage Monument, leaning against one of the spikes of the Yondaime's hair. With his eyes open, everything was different. There were no foreboding dark clouds on the horizon like there had been throughout the entire war. The clouds made it seem as if the battlefield was an entirely different world. It could be as bright and sunny as any summer day could be but the world darkened and the temperature dropped the moment one stepped onto the battlefield.

And the village. It was almost sleepy. Lazy. Careless. The village he had come to recognize as his own had always had a certain tension and weariness weighing it down as if Konoha itself had been tired with the war. Now though, in the distance, Haruki could make out the civilians talking easily with one another and a smattering of shinobi exchanging easy conversation, happy and ignorant of all the things that would eventually lead this village to its doom.

But that was what he was here for. The future was his burden to bear. His duty was to give these people a chance to live out their lives on their terms.

And this time, he would not fail.

x.X.x

Sunrise saw Haruki slipping out of the village unseen, hair tied back and brown coat flapping behind him as he ran through the forests of his home country. He never had much opportunity to just let loose and run to his heart's content anymore, but if he kept up this speed, he could run straight out of Hi no Kuni and right through Yu no Kuni and Shimo no Kuni before hitching a ride with Kurama to reach his destination in the promised day and a half.

x.X.x

It was a present day in Komogakure no Sato; the air was cool and busk with many clouds carelessly floating by the rugged peaks without completely blocking out the sun. It was about 7 in the morning and most of the contents of the village were only just starting to awaken and begin their morning routines. Yet, on the highest peak in the largest or the seeming upside down builds one of the most powerful beings on the planet had been up most of the night dealing with the fall out of one of the most unpredictable and unfortunate events. Ei (ā) the Raikage of Komo was not happy. The reason he was not happy was about to be made clear as a young man with short, blond hair and dark eyes. He wears a sleeveless, black shirt with a one-strap-over-one-shoulder white flack jacket, black forehead protector, characteristic black, elbow-length arm-guards, and the red and white Kumogakure shin-guards along with a pair of sandals. This man was C a new Jonin in the ranks and the head of Komo's sensor division. Seeing the Raikage looking at him expectantly as he sat behind his desk lifting some arm weights, he began. "Raikage-sama we were unable to locate any other source of the explosion than the sealing shrine nor were we able to discern if anyone assisted in the event. We are not even sure if he is alive as the resulting chakra blast was strong enough to destroy the shrine and blanket the area in a chakra we can only assume belonged to the Hyūga."

Ei stared at him intently before asked,"Did you find a body?"

"No Raikage-sama but with and explosion like that it is unlikely that."

SMASH! The side of the desk splintered at the blow and C immediately silenced himself and gulped.

"Unlikely! Unlikely is not good enough! This entire situation was unlikely. If you did not find a body then he is alive AND we know where he is going at he has a days start on us with a chakra cloak to mask his presence as a result of the seal breaking." Ei looked back up at the sensor and asked," Anymore word on what might have cause the seal to break. Wasn't it check just last week as per protocol." At seeing his nod Ei just sighed. If he were honest this was one of the decision his Pa made that he had never quite agreed with or understood. And it was about to bite them in the ass, again. And this time there would be worse consequences. Despite his overwhelming pride in his village the Raikage was still aware of who stood at the top and he wasn't quite ready to make a play for that position. He could only hope the Sandaime Hokage was in a good mood should the worst happen. Not that he would just let it happen.

"C! As of this moment you and 7 others of your choosing are on the A-rank mission to track and kill the Hyūga before he retches Konoha territory. You leave immediately! This is vital for the village's continued growth and peace. Do not attempt capture simply eliminate him like we should have done years ago."

"Hai Raikage-same!" C saluted before shunshin away to gather the forces and head out.

Ei watched him go before turning to stand looking out the window and could help but think somehow they were already too late. After a moments recollection he called out, "Mabui bring in a new desk and after that begin preparing a messenger bird for Konoha."

"Hai Raikage-sama"

" I don't know how that old monkey did it but I get the feeling that Kinoha has a new Ace up its sleeve." And with that thought he turned and sat back at his now ruined desk and prepared to foundations of the letter he would send the Hokage in reply to the initial demands they would make. He could only hope he wouldn't need to use it.

x.X.x

"Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi glanced up at the formal address as his two councillors filed into his office. "Homura, Koharu," He acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"

"Word has reached Konoha of a sudden explosion of chakra in Kumogakure," Koharu began stiffly. "And there have been sightings of someone who appears to be Hyuuga Hiashi in Yu no Kuni and Shimo no Kuni. We wish to know if you have received any information on the recent events."

Sarutobi hid a satisfied smile and frowned thoughtfully instead. "I have spoken to Hiashi-san but he too has expressed his lack of knowledge on the matter. I have also checked over the recent missions but we have not had many requests from either of those countries, and no Hyuuga has been sent on the ones that have come to us."

Both of his old teammates frowned and Homura took over for the two. "Yet there must be some sort of connection. The rumors that have leaked back to us were very clear that the man that was sighted has Byakugan eyes."

Sarutobi mentally congratulated Haruki on a job well done, making a note to have the man's pay ready for him upon his return. Before he could come up with a reply though, rapid light footsteps reached their ears and all three of them turned to face the open doorway as a Chuunin skidded to a stop just outside the office.

"Hokage-sama!" The Chuunin sketched a hasty bow in the general direction of all three shinobi in the office before focusing on Sarutobi. "Sir, a man, definitely a Hyuuga, just appeared at the gates. He claims to be Hyuuga Hizashi!"

Sarutobi forced a look of surprise on his face as he watched his councillors stiffen with shock. Before either could say anything, Sarutobi quickly rose to his feet. "You are certain he said 'Hizashi'?"

The Chuunin nodded. "Yes sir, the Jounin at the gates asked several times."

Sarutobi nodded curtly. "I will go myself. Please go to the Hyuuga Compound and inform Hiashi-san of this development."

The Chuunin shook his head. "Hiashi-sama is already there, Hokage-sama. I believe he sensed the man's chakra signal and went to verify it himself."

Sarutobi came out from behind his desk. "Then I think I will join him. Homura? Koharu?"

Both councillors nodded grimly and all three shinobi swept out of the Hokage Tower, the Chuunin leading the way. As they passed one of the open windows in the hallway, Sarutobi instinctively glanced outside, just in time to catch a familiar flash of crimson disappearing over one of the nearby rooftops.

x.X.x

"This is a surprising turn of events indeed, Hokage-sama. Why was the Council not informed of such a significant development?"

Once Hyuuga Hizashi had been confirmed as Hyuuga Hizashi through two blood tests, a verification of his chakra signal, curse seal, and Byakugan, and a somewhat lengthy interrogation that Hiashi adamantly insisted on performing, the Council, the Clan and Civilian representatives, Danzo, the newly-returned Hizashi, the Hokage, and Haruki had all assembled in the Council Chamber.

Sarutobi hadn't wasted any time and had immediately launched into the heavily edited version of what had really happened, introducing Haruki and explaining his part in the discovery and resulting retrieval of the Hyuuga Clan Head's brother. Haruki had stood at his shoulder, face about as helpful as a stone wall when the other occupants in the room all tried to gauge the redhead's reactions throughout Sarutobi's explanation.

Currently, Homura was staring frostily at Haruki even as he directed his question at Sarutobi, but it was Hiashi who answered, rising from his seat amongst the Clan Heads.

"This was a problem for the Hyuuga Clan to deal with," Hiashi stated coolly, white eyes surveying the room. "When Kazama-san returned with news of my brother, I requested that this matter be dealt with quietly and discreetly. It could cause a potential war with Kumogakure if a spy was discovered to have been in their territory, and by handling this issue as we have, Kumo cannot claim ignorance of my brother's survival," His gaze hardened here. "As they did on the attempted kidnapping of my eldest daughter nine years ago."

A quiet murmur spread across the room and Sarutobi watched Inoichi and Chouza nod in acceptance of this justification while Shikaku remained still in his seat, a calculating glint in his eyes as his attention remained on the redhead standing behind Sarutobi. He said nothing though and the Sandaime let his gaze move on to the other occupants of the room. The Civilian representative was frowning heavily, occasionally glancing at Danzo further back in the room. Danzo remained expressionless, seemingly weighing Hiashi's words as Homura and Koharu exchanged a few words between themselves.

"Very well, Hiashi-sama," Koharu accepted grudgingly, nodding at Hiashi as the man sat down again. "This issue seems to have been handled quite efficiently. We will now be able to demand compensation from Kumo's Raikage, which will be quite beneficial for Konoha."

"And wonderfully executed, Kazama-san," Inoichi added, blue-green eyes on the Jounin at Sarutobi's side.

Haruki dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Inoichi-sama, but credit must also go to Hokage-sama and Hiashi-sama, as well as Hizashi-sama. I simply followed their plan as instructed."

Sarutobi remained neutral on the outside but he felt a thrum of worry inside. The plan was undoubtedly suggested by Haruki. For the future Hokage to downplay his skill as a strategist, Sarutobi knew the redhead wanted to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. And to blatantly lie in front of the Council, the Sandaime wondered just how dangerous Danzo was to make Haruki this cautious.

"Of course," Chouza nodded from next to Inoichi even as Shikaku cocked his head and the interest on his face went up another notch.

It was here though that Danzo finally spoke up, shifting forward to stare intently at Sarutobi. "I do wonder though, Hokage-sama, where this Kazama-san came from? I have never seen his face before, nor do I recall sending any Jounin to Kumo for infiltration."

Sarutobi didn't even blink. "I destroyed all his files, down to his Academy records before sending him to Kumo as a spy. If he had been caught and traced back to Konoha, Kumo could demand much worse from us. And I do not remember needing to inform anyone before sending out any of my shinobi on a mission."

The reprimand was subtle but sharp and Danzo reluctantly backed down, inclining his head as he settled back in his seat.

There was a slightly tense silence as Sarutobi glanced around the room before speaking again. "Then for now, this matter is closed. I will send a courier to Kumogakure to request a meeting with the Raikage, but everything we have discussed here obviously cannot be leaked out." Concurrent nods responded this statement and Sarutobi continued. "Then this meeting is adjourned."

As everyone rose and bowed to the Hokage before making their way to the doors, Sarutobi glanced over his shoulder at the impassive redhead. "Get some rest, Haruki-kun," He said softly. "You've done very well. Come by the office tomorrow and I'll have your paycheck ready."

Haruki blinked, his neutral features never shifting as he sketched a slight bow before heading to the door as well. He waited patiently for the others to file out first, never missing the drilling stare from across the room where Danzo still stayed seated, before making his own way out of the Hokage Tower. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he stepped outside but stiffened again when he felt a somewhat familiar presence approach him.

"Haruki…-san?"

Haruki turned to face Shikaku, maintaining an iron control on his expression as he gazed back at the scarred features of one of his future best friends' father. He had gotten to know this man in his own timeline, spending hours at a time crouched over battle plans with him and his son.

The Jounin Commander had an odd, crooked smile on his face; the one Haruki had come to recognize as one that Shikaku always wore when he had discovered something particularly interesting. At the moment, it was an unnerving expression for Haruki.

"May I help you, Shikaku-sama?" He asked politely, remembering the correct honorific for the strategist.

Shikaku only waved a lazy hand in the air before tucking it back into his deer skin coat again. "Shikaku is fine. And perhaps you could." Intelligent dark eyes sharpened as the smile widened fractionally.

"How would you like to play a game of shogi with me?"

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Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Jutsu

Haremu no Jutsu – Harem Jutsu

Konoha Senpuu – Konoha Whirlwind (Taijutsu)

Suiton: Kagami no Mizu – Water Release: Water of Mirrors

Kaze no Kuni – Land of Wind

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Yu no Kuni – Land of Hot Water

Shimo no Kuni – Land of Frost