Rebirth of the Uchiha: Chapter 24

The next few weeks were spent in a fairly constant routine. Iruka would take the team on missions, while Kakashi and a couple of other tutors would take them two or three times a week for extra training. Naruto and Ebisu seemed to have some kind of ongoing feud, and Anko just scared the genin, but they were learning a lot. They'd all expanded their repertoires with a handful of basic jutsu, and ironed out their taijutsu to make it more fluid.

Then Zabuza decided to screw it all up.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, can you repeat that?" Iruka asked, as he separated an arguing Sasuke and Naruto. The Sandaime smiled nostalgically at the sight, Zabuza stood near the wall, arms folded.

"Zabuza has brought something to my attention regarding the ruins of Uzushiogakure." the old man said, giving a pointed look at the genin, who quickly took the hint and moved their argument into the hall outside.

The former Kiri-nin spoke up next. "The Uzumaki were the most famous clan in the village before it got wiped out, but they weren't the only clan there," he said, pointing at Iruka. "I'd be willing to bet you're one of the Umino clan from there, at least partially."

Iruka blinked stupidly. "Come again?" If that were true, wouldn't his father have said something? Then, he'd never really heard his father talk about his past. The only reason he knew what his grandparents had looked like had been an old photograph he'd found of the celebrating his father's promotion to chuunin. "What does that mean?"

Zabuza scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What it means is that you might be able to get through some of the security seals on the place. Kiri lost two battalions just trying to recover the shinobi who died fighting the Uzumaki. I'd bet Kubikirihouchou that there's a ton of stuff worth taking there. I was with the last group from Kiri. I know where the security seals are. I just need you to deactivate them."

"Zabuza makes a good argument," the Sandaime interjected. "The village of Uzushio was the birthplace of Kiri's Seven Swords, not to mention many other treasures. If we can find and recover some of them, it could only be of benefit for us. If you agree, I'll authorise an S-class mission for yourself, Zabuza and a team of your choosing. What do you say, Iruka?"

OoOoO

"... so you'll have Kakashi full-time for the next few weeks, while I'm on a mission. I'm trusting you three not to traumatise the jounin too much. Naruto, no pranks while I'm gone, unless you get permission. Sasuke, don't forget to see the medics to check on your eyes. Sakura, keep the two idiots from killing one another." The two boys glared at their teacher as Sakura laughed.

"There will be a reckoning, Iruka-sensei." Naruto swore, as Sasuke tried to look even more stoic and annoyed than usual. The sudden appearance of Kakashi behind Iruka distracted them before their vengeance plots could go too far.

"I'm not late!" he announced cheerfully, calling up two Kage Bunshin. "Iruka, you don't need to mother them. They're just like us, they're adults now. They're just short." he continued, patting the other jounin on the back.

"I just need to make sure they keep focused while I'm gone." Iruka explained, embarassed. Kakashi frowned, or at least the parts of his face that were visible.

"And you don't trust me to keep them under control?" "Not even slightly. Anyway, I have to get going. Zabuza's probably there already. See you guys in a few weeks!" Iruka smiled, vanishing in a spray of mist.

"And we're stuck with the puff of smoke." Sasuke lamented as they split up for their ninjutsu training.

OoOoO

Iruka, Zabuza, Haku and Anko stood in front of the Sandaime. "I'm not surprised you brought your apprentice, Zabuza, but I wasn't expecting Anko here. Iruka, care to explain?" the old man asked, smiling knowingly. Iruka blushed slightly.

"Anko-san is well-versed in identifying traps and poisons. She was a-a good choice for this type of-of mission. Not to mention her summons." he stammered, the purple-haired woman smirking as she heard it.

"Not to mention you think she's hot." Zabuza stated bluntly, Haku sighing audibly. The Hyoton user was officially a chuunin of Konoha, registered as Zabuza's apprentice. Interacting with more people, especially Naruto and the Uchiha kids, had done wonders for Haku's sense of self. He was now willing to point out when Zabuza was being, in his words, 'less than helpful'.

The Sandaime nodded appreciatively before speaking again. "You know the risks you're taking? The security seals are still fully functional. If you get into trouble, you'll only have each other to depend on."

"I would trust anyone here with my life," Iruka stated, nodding at the surprised faces turning to him. "...But let's hope it doesn't come to that, right?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "Very well. Here are your mission scrolls. Good luck," he offered as they turned to leave.

"You'll need it."

OoOoO

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. We've barely been at this for a month, and you've nearly mastered the Chidori. Makes me feel proud, as your sensei." Kakashi smiled, as Sasuke tried to catch his breath.

"Not yet. Not until I can use it more often. Four times a day isn't good enough." Sasuke panted, hands on his knees. "Have you seen Naruto lately? He gets even more hyper the longer he has to fight, I swear..."

"You're seriously comparing yourself with him, even knowing his secret?" Kakashi asked, looking amused. "Jinchuuriki are more or less S-rank by default, not to mention he's an Uzumaki on top of it."

"What's the deal with the Uzumaki, anyway? Zabuza acted like they were a huge deal, but I couldn't find anything on them in the library, and they said they'd never heard of the clan." Sasuke asked, before a blast of Killer Intent made him flinch.

"Are you telling me," Kakashi began, voice cold. "That not only did the academy stop teaching about the fall of Uzushiogakure, but that the library has gotten rid of their records?" he asked, Sasuke nodding wordlessly. Kakashi's gaze was as sharp as steel. "Well, in that case, I'm afraid we're going to have to cut training short for today. I need to have a talk with the Hokage. Apologise to the other two for me." he instructed, vanishing in a flash of electricity.

As Sakura and Naruto came into the clearing, complaining loudly about Kakashi vanishing, all Sasuke could think was 'How deep does this village's hatred go?' He pushed himself to his feet, staring after his part-time sensei. 'And what can I do to knock some sense into them?'

OoOoO

"I need to speak with the Hokage," Kakashi announced, the ANBU guards tensing at the barely restrained anger coming from him. "Preferably now." One of them forced himself to speak as Kakashi moved to enter the council hall.

"Y-you can't go in there! Hokage-sama is meeting with the council!" he half-pleaded, Kakashi almost effortlessly moving around him.

"Good. I have a few things to discuss with them as well. Might as well get it all done now and be done with it." he chuckled darkly, throwing open the doors and striding into the meeting.

"Kakashi, is something the matter?" the Hokage asked, raising an eyebrow as the former ANBU walked to the centre of the room, ignoring the calls for the ANBU guarding him. "Or did you finally decide to register as a clan head?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. "There are a couple of things I need to talk to you and the honourable council, actually, Hokage-sama. But I think the most pressing matter is the fact that none of the current generation seem to have heard of our most treasured allies," he stated bluntly, a more sadistic part of him enjoying the blank looks on the faces of the civilians. That would just make it all the sweeter. "Why do we no longer have any records of the Uzumaki?"

As expected, angry muttering broke out at that, and Kakashi smirked when one particularly stupid member of the council lost his temper completely. "You're here talking about the Demon? What did it do, trick you?"

"Naruto isn't a demon," came a terse voice as Sasuke walked in behind Kakashi, glaring at him. "You could have invited me, you know." he muttered, taking the side reserved for the Uchiha head beside the Hokage. "Either find a seat or come up here, you look ridiculous down there- and another bolt of lightning. I'm not paying for that." he sighed, Kakashi reappearing behind him.

"The Demon has been tricking you, Uchiha-sama!" the same councillor cried as he stood up, apparently not realising the danger. The shuriken landing millimetres from his hand was enough to correct that. Sasuke glared at the man as he spoke again.

"Sit. I'm going to sort these issues out once and for all. Yes, Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed within him. Personally, I'd think you'd try and keep him happy, seeing as he could release it if he were pushed far enough, but I'm sure you know what you're doing," the teenager snarked, the council still shocked into silence. "Now, as to the matter of the Uzumaki clan... I feel you would know better than I about it, Hokage-sama."

The old man's smile didn't quite meet his eyes as he turned back to the rest of the council. "I was informed that the academy was reducing its emphasis on the World Wars so as to focus on more... relevant topics. I was, however, assured that they would astill cover the major aspects of the wars," he stated, eerily calm as he waved a hand and several ANBU simply appeared, standing at attention beside certain members of the council. Hiruzen turned to one of them, who seemed on the verge of panic. "Was I misinformed, Kanbara-san?"

Kanbara swallowed, very aware of the shinobi standing just behind him. "Well, I wouldn't- I mean... I was ordered to do it! We couldn't let the Demon learn about that clan-Urk!" he managed, before being caught in a perfectly executed chokehold. The Sandaime frowned, gesturing for the ANBU to take the man away.

"Make sure he gives us some names. Now, the rest of you..." he began, as Kakashi started dragging Sasuke back out, the Killing Intent filling the room and preventing the boy from making any arguments. The Sandaime stared grimly at the room as he gave his order.

"Tell me everything you know."

OoOoO

Iruka raised a hand, signalling for the group to stop, as they approached their first rest point. Zabuza had pointed out the importance of getting to the target as quickly as possible, and they'd made it more than halfway to Nami, setting a pace that had Haku almost completely drained by the time they stopped, with Iruka and Anko only a little better off. Even Zabuza looked worn out, though he tried to hide it.

"Okay, I'll start setting up defenses with Anko-san, while you two get the camp set up." Iruka decided, addressing Zabuza and Haku, the latter of which looked grateful as he pulled out a few supplies. Zabuza scoffed, but still pulled out his own pack and started rummaging in it as Iruka and Anko moved to set up a perimeter.

"I'm a little surprised, Zabuza-sama," Haku commented after a few moments. "Letting Umino-san take command on this mission. I thought you'd be more-"

"That's enough, Haku," the swordsman interrupted coldly. "We're still on probation, and I'm not going to antagonise the guy who we need for the mission. You think the Hokage would let just anyone out with loose cannons like us? He's got something else up his sleeves." Zabuza grunted, putting up the last of the tents.

"Apologies, Zabuza-sama. I shouldn't have pried." Haku offered, the picture of remorse. The two finished their work in silence, only looking up when Iruka popped back into the camp with a smile as he collected more ninja wire. Zabuza raised a brow before he turned back to his apprentice.

"See, he seems like a perfectly adjusted, happy guy. As far as I'm concerned, that's reason enough to be suspicious. Nobody can do this sort of thing and still be that sane." he commented, the ice-user frowning.

"Weren't you calling him crazy a week ago?"

"That was yesterday, and crazy is not insane. I shouldn't have to explain that," Zabuza pressed on, ignoring Haku's attempt to give him a Look. "But we're talking about a guy who talked down a jinchuuriki. He just looked that kid in the eye and ordered him to drop the cloak. Hell, Yagura and Utakata went completely nuts anytime they used their bijuu, even without using full tails. If we had someone who could do that, maybe Kiri wouldn't be in the shit." he mused, as a slightly singed Iruka and a giggling Anko came back to the camp.

The other two knew not to ask.

OoOoO

The Sandaime suppressed a growl of frustration as the council chambers emptied. Somehow, it seemed no-one knew where the plot against Naruto had started, all insisting that someone else had told them of the plans. He turned his attention back to the jounin assembling in front of him.

"You all know that the Chuunin Exams are being held here in Konoha, starting next week. I will now hear your nominations, starting with this year's rookies." he said genially, as Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma stood up.

"I, Yuuhi Kurenai, as sensei of Team Eight, nominate them for the Chuunin Exams." "I, Sarutobi Asuma, as sensei of Team Ten, nominate them for the Chuunin Exams." "I Hatake Kakashi, as acting sensei of Team Seven, nominate them for the Chuunin Exams." they stated, taking the required forms from the chuunin assistants as they prepared to leave.

"I, Maito Gai, as sensei of Team Nineteen, nominate my most Youthful genin for the Chuunin Exams!" they heard from behind them, before the speaker just... materialised next to them, chatting animatedly with his 'Eternal Rival' as Asuma shrugged helplessly to his maybe-probably girlfriend.

The four of them left as a group, eager to set their students on the next step of their shinobi careers.

OoOoO

"Huh," Iruka muttered, looking up at the moon as he kept watch over the camp. "For some reason, I want to punch Kakashi."

"That's normal, considering you've met him," Anko commented, sidling over to sit next to him. "But now that I've got the chance to ask; What the hell actually happened in Nami? Asuma gave us the official version, where you two managed to fight Zabuza until the kids turned up with that Gatou guy. But we all know there's more to it than that. So, what's the real story? How did you manage to get Momochi freakin' Zabuza afraid of you?"

Iruka sighed, half-smiling. "Actually, it was Naruto who talked them into it. You can probably figure out why they listened to him, especially after he scared off an army by himself." Anko smirked, raising a brow.

"Seriously?" she laughed, as Iruka told her about the full battle, as well as the plan Shikamaru had come up with. "Blondie didn't even know what they were up to and he still agreed to cover for them just like that? He's lucky they were just trying to catch Gatou, if they'd endangered the mission, he'd be liable too."

"I told him that afterwards. He just told me he trusted Team Ten and left it at that," Iruka mused, seeing the special jounin scoff. "Yeah, he might be naive, but there's a reason he's managed to basically become the entire Uchiha clan's best friend. There's nothing he wouldn't do for his friends, and that's... refreshing, considering what happens to a lot of us." he offered sleepily, as Haku approached to take over the watch.

"And what happens to a lot of us, then?" Anko asked, stifling a yawn.

"We give up," Iruka responded bluntly. "It gets easier to stop feeling than to keep getting hurt. Naruto's not like that. He'll never give up, and he won't let anyone he cares about give up either. He'll go far, count on it." he concluded, giving a last smile as he flopped onto his back in the tent.

"He's going to be Hokage, right?" she asked rhetorically. "Remind me to buy you a drink when that happens."

'Sweet Kami,' Zabuza groaned internally as he listened to the byplay. 'Why don't they just screw and get it over with?'

OoOoO

Kakashi glared at his team, or more specifically, Naruto, as he tried and failed to shake some kind of pink powder out of his hair. "Did you have to use this? I'll have to go shower before we do anything else." he scowled, before a few drops of rain got him to turn his attention to Sakura. The kunoichi shrugged as she spoke.

"Iruka-sensei told us not to waste our time, and you promised to help me work on my genjutsu today." she offered, looking like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth as her teammates smirked. Kakashi just sighed.

"And to think, I was trying to register you three for the chuunin exams..." he said sadly. There was a brief silence, before he was hit by what was best described as a hyperactive blond cannonball, clinging to his neck and cheering his praises.

Sakura leant over to Sasuke. "What are the odds he'll have to use Kawarimi to escape?"

"No bet."