The Dark Side of Akatsuki. Chapter 6

Title: Training Ninjas

-Four Years Later-

Hatake Kakashi looked up from the dossiers in front of him, one eye covered by his customary forehead protector. Despite a face that was more hidden than not, his skepticism was plain to see.

"Sir... This is what you wanted me for?"

The Hokage grinned to see his reaction. Hiruzen had aged a fair bit in just the last four years, but the amusement filled his wrinkled face with life. "Yes, I rather think you'll like this bunch, Kakashi."

"Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and… Uzumaki Naruto…" He frowned for a moment before stating his thoughts. "Sir, this is a suspicious assignment."

"Oh? Why would you think that?"

"The two boys?" queried Kakashi.

"Hmmm? Is something wrong with them?" The Hokage asked, pleasantly puzzled.

So, thought Kakashi, it was going to be like that, was it?

"Weren't they the ones who convinced those two Chuunin that one of the Inuzuka family hounds was actually an agent from Hidden Stone wearing a, quote, 'clever disguise?'"

"Oh, yes, certainly. Certainly very good training for the discernment of our teams."

"But they were also the ones who made a habit of sneaking bird-shit onto the robes of visiting dignitaries?"

"Children's games being what they are..." The Hokage chuckled and waved a dismissive hand, "Surely you know they stopped when we asked them?"

Their game had not actually ended, as such; the two had just started a business charging other kids for the pleasure of participating in the game and awarded money out of the pot for successful runs. One look at the Hokage's unwavering smile told him he wasn't going to get anywhere pushing on that front, though. Kakashi launched another desperate attack.

"They were the ones who diverted the Daimyo's biennial inspection tour into the red-light district."

"Oh, you know nothing was never proven!" Hiruzen's smile seemed rather strained, suddenly.

"Naruto burst into the Academy offices and admitted it himself."

"Why, young boys will admit to anything if they think it makes them seem on top of the world." The Hokage gently shook his head.

"I know for a fact they told all those girls that everyone with a Byakugan or Sharingan can see through their clothes," Kakashi added, more as a forlorn hope than anything.

The Hokage sighed loudly. "Kakashi, I-" he paused to rub his wrinkled forehead, "Look, I trust you. You know that."

Kakashi nodded. Nothing more needed to be said. In a world where trust was normally a fleeting and tenuous thing, the Third had every reason to trust him implicitly. "I assume that this is about the Nine-Tails?" he asked, warily.

"Yes, and no. True, that's part of it, but… well, to be frank, we do manage to keep a few secrets around here, and I've been sitting on a couple of good ones. Long story very short is that the boy Naruto is the child of your mentor, Minato. I believe that this is unknown even to the boy himself."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. Honestly, once it had been said it seemed almost obvious. It had just never really come to his attention before now.

"Kakashi, I hardly need to tell you that as the son of the Fourth and the newest Jinchuriki for the Nine-Tails Fox it is crucial that he learns the skills he needs to help the village."

"And the Uchiha boy?" He glanced down. "Is he just there as a friend?"

The Hokage chuckled bitterly to himself for a moment. "No, not quite, though there is that as well. The truth is that young Sasuke has inherited a rather troublesome item from his older brother, and would benefit well from your… unique experiences."

It was a moment before Kakashi made the connection. Uchiha Itachi. The rest was easy to figure out.

"He got his brother's eye? Really?"

"Yes, and it's a very special one indeed. The Mangekyou, famed kaleidoscope of the Uchiha. Not that I need to tell you that. When he received it, it was in the process of changing into… something else, but the poor boy didn't have the chakra to sustain the transformation. Happened the night of the attack, what a tragedy it was..."

With a small grunt, he stood up from his desk and walked over to his window before he continued talking.

"Now, I've tried to make life easier for the boys, but it's not just about me. No medicine to cure pig-headedness, as you know, what with all of the anti-Uchiha sentiment in the council. It's just not my jurisdiction. I'm a ninja, not a nurse-maid, after all. Still, now that they're graduating the Academy, it finally becomes my jurisdiction rather neatly, doesn't it?" He grinned, looking back over his shoulder. "You know, young Sasuke is named after my father?"

"I didn't know that, sir."

"I have high hopes that he will bring honor to the name."

This gave Kakashi pause. That kind of statement was fairly difficult to ignore in this context. He probably had to at least try with this group. Still, he had to know.

"The girl? Sakura?"

The Hokage shook his head. "Just a normal girl for her age. Good grades."

"Just a normal girl?"

"Just a normal girl… Good grades."

Kakashi looked down at the dossier again. The Hokage spoke.

"I can see you're already thinking. Good. I won't keep you here any longer, but please give this your best effort."

Kakashi left the office with a grimace.

Uchiha Sasuke. Excellent student, at least in the practicals. Not anywhere near what his older brother had been at his age, but that probably wasn't a fair comparison. Not top of the class, but close. His teachers were of the opinion that his association with Naruto was dragging him down, but he should be an asset to any team. He'd acquired a few of the Uchiha signature fire-element jutsu, which was promising. He was also developing a bit of a following from some of the girls who liked the appeal of the 'bad boy', but Kakashi didn't think he was taking advantage of it. Speaking of...

Haruno Sakura. Good grades, true, but lacking in physical skill. Honestly, Kakashi wasn't sure what to think about her. Normal girl. Might be tricky. Kakashi had never had any experience with being a normal... well, anything, really. Given the severity of his own upbringing, it was difficult to even think of her as being a true young kunoichi, though that too was probably unfair. Still, it was hard to imagine a ninja more unlike him.

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