All Is Well That Ends Well

When Zabuza discovered Haku's corpse, he was fuming with rage. He tried to find the Konoha's ninjas, especially Sasuke Uchiha. He was Haku's target. However, the Kiri Nukenin wasn't the greatest tracker, and Kakashi made sure to leave no trace behind. After a few days, Zabuza could only give up. Furious, and grieving the loss of Haku, he returned to Kiri.

Team 7's journey back to the village took longer than expected. Their sensei was very cautious. He took several detours to make sure they couldn't be tracked easily. His attitude towards his students changed. He was more caring. He promised himself he would train them harder. He hadn't been doing a good job, and they almost paid for it with their lives. It was a mistake he didn't want to repeat.

When they returned to Konoha, the first thing Kakashi did was explaining to Tsume Inuzuka that her son had lost his companion. Then, he explained to Sakura's parents why their little girl had become withdrawn and quiet. Finally, he went to see Jun Uchiha to tell him that Sasuke had awakened the Sharingan.

Tsume Inuzuka calmly received the news, but Kakashi knew she probably blamed him. There were rumors about how relaxed he was about his students' training. Moreover, The Inuzukas were protective of their own, and Tsume was no exception. If she thought Kakashi should have done a better job, the jonin couldn't blame her for it. He agreed he performed poorly.

Sakura's parents showed their emotions. Kakashi saw the worry and fear on their faces. They were civilians; it was easier to read them. They were worried about their daughter. It was understandable. Kakashi did his best to reassure them, by saying how much Sakura had grown and learned from the mission… that she was a better ninja.

As for Jun Uchiha, Kakashi saved him for last because he thought he would be the most troublesome among the parents. Surprisingly, it went better than he anticipated. Kakashi expected him to lash out. He knew the Uchiha clan leader sometimes had a bad temper and was fiercely protective of his family. At first, the copy ninja was worried. The mention of Itachi made Jun flinch. And narrating Sasuke's captivity got a few bad words out of him. Kakashi was sure if Gato were still alive, Jun would set out to end him personally. Hearing Kakashi to the end, Jun merely let out a deep sigh.

"Another C-rank mission turning sour…" He commented.

They were chatting on the porch of his house. Kakashi wasn't comfortable being there while he was delivering the news. He felt trapped. He counted no less than five cats hanging around. They lay under the shade, seemingly napping. But Kakashi felt observed. He was sure they weren't ordinary cats. And it didn't help since he didn't like cats to begin with. He was more of a dog person.

"I'm sorry; it's my fault," Kakashi said stiffly.

It was the best he could do. He wasn't good at apologizing, but he felt it was necessary. Jun shook his head.

"I knew it would happen… eventually. Well, maybe not like that, but…I would have preferred the activation of his Sharingan to remain a secret," Jun said while taking a brief look inside the house through the windows.

Kakashi couldn't see anyone inside from his angle, but he heard voices. There were people at home. Maybe the redhead, Gai's student? Kakashi knew she had been living with Jun ever since the latter brought her home from a mission. In any case, Sasuke wasn't alone, it was a good thing.

"It's too late for that," Kakashi replied. "Gato already spread the news trying to make money from it."

Jun gnashed his teeth. Kakashi thought Gato should be happy that he died at the hands of a genin. He didn't dare to imagine how Jun would end him if he were still alive. He was obviously pissed the man tried to sell Sasuke. The Uchihas had always been intensely protective of their own. Even with the clan reduced to a few of them, that didn't change. Maybe it was even stronger than before since they faced extinction.

"I guess what it's done is done…" Jun said in a low voice.

Kakashi was under the impression Jun would have liked Sasuke's Sharingan to remain a secret like his had been a secret. Like many people in the village, Kakashi suspected Jun had awakened his Dojutsu long before his fight with Itachi. He was certain of it. Someone who just awakened the Sharingan couldn't resist Itachi's eyes prowess. Kakashi knew how strong he was. They were in the same ANBU team.

However, he understood the reasoning behind wanting Sasuke's Sharingan awakening to be secret. The clan leader wanted to protect the boy. Having the Sharingan put a target on one's back. Kakashi knew it too well. Even though he wasn't a Uchiha, he still had to defend himself from people coming after his eye.

"There is no going back now. Sasuke will be known as the third user of the Sharingan still alive with you and Itachi."

"The fourth… if we count you."

"I'm not a Uchiha."

"I was kidding. But seriously, I'm worried about Sasuke. You know people will come after him for his eyes. He's not ready to face them."

"People… You mean Itachi, right?"

Jun's face darkened.

"Itachi isn't the only one."

Jun couldn't mention Orochimaru. He had no evidence to back up his claim. Orochimaru, Obito, Itachi, and Danzo were the four major threats to Sasuke in the original story. Danzo was taken care of. Knowing Itachi's true motivations from the original story, Jun wasn't worried he would harm Sasuke. Itachi was just trying to get himself killed by his brother. He wanted to be punished by a Uchiha for his deeds. And even if his motivations change in this timeline, Jun was confident he can handle him.

But the other two? That was another story. Obito would be hard to find. He wouldn't reveal himself so easily. And Orochimaru… Finding him was the easiest part. Jun knew he would sneak into the next Chunin exam. The problem was killing him. Could he stop Orochimaru? Jun wasn't confident he could do so alone currently.

"How are Sakura and Kiba?" He asked.

Kakashi was touched he enquired about his other students. But he didn't know how to answer the question. Sasuke had been captured, beaten, starved, and defeated. He even took his first life. But he was a survivor. He had already endured a traumatic event in the past, he was more solid mentally than the other two. Sakura and Kiba were more delicate. They had been pampered and protected all their lives. What had happened to them on a mission was probably the worst test of their lives.

"They're still shaken. But I believe they'll be fine."

"Do you want a piece of advice?"

Kakashi didn't know what he wanted to tell him, but he wouldn't hurt to hear him out. Even though he was younger than him, Jun was one of the strongest Jonins in the village. For a shinobi his age, he had plenty of experience under his belt. The copy ninja recognized his abilities. Moreover, Jun had been a Jonin-sensei longer than him. He may have some useful insights.

"I'm listening."

"Don't be overprotective of your students. It won't do them any good." Jun said. "They will have to face the reality of our world sooner or later. They will feel vulnerable and frightened, and your presence alone will never be enough to reassure them. What they need is confidence. Confidence in their abilities. Confidence that they can take care of themselves next time. And it's your job to find a way to instill that confidence in them. That's the reason we train our genins… So they could manage without us. We won't always be there. We won't always arrive in time. They must be able to defend themselves."

Kakashi remained silent. Deep down, he had already come to the same conclusion. But hearing it drove it home.

"They need to become stronger," Jun continued. "They need to be prepared to face the danger instead of being caught by surprise. But most importantly, they need a win right now. They need to succeed in something to start getting their confidence back."

"I know," Kakashi said in a casual tone.

"I know you do. If you're interested, some Jonin-senseis train their Genins together."

"Gai told me about it."

"I know, and I also know you refused. I know you don't want to be around Gai all the time. If you're worried he'll keep challenging you for your rivalry, just know it's not only Gai in the group."

Kakashi probably didn't know this, because he didn't socialize much. But their group wasn't the only one doing collective training. Other Jonin-senseis did something similar. No one kept their team in complete isolation. Team 2 led by Hiro Hyuga frequently involved his students in missions requiring large teams of Genins and therefore to collaborate, socialize with others, and use various battle formations.

Asuma and Kurenai didn't train their students together, but they frequently had lunch with their genins and encouraged them to bond. Kakashi probably hadn't thought about it, because he was a loner since childhood.

"You're free to join us if you want," Jun added.

Kakashi let out an incomprehensible sound. Jun didn't know if it meant yes or no. The copy ninja then took out one of his erotic books and walked away. The Uchiha clan leader shook his head. Well, it was to be expected. It wasn't easy getting through to Kakashi. Jun turned around, casually petted a nearby cat, which got him a reprobatory look from the animal, and entered the house before closing the door behind him.

In the living room, five heads turned to him simultaneously. Neji, Tenten, and Inaho, their temporary teammate, were discussing strategy for their next training against Team Gai. Shin, the chunin of the team, presided over their small assembly. Sasuke had joined them after being invited by Tenten. The young Uchiha sat on a nearby couch and was listening in with a distracted air.

"What did he want?" Sasuke immediately asked.

"Asking for forgiveness for not taking his job seriously resulting in you being in danger… and also for my advice to become a better sensei." Jun replied jokingly.

Sasuke shook his head.

"He was debriefing me on your mission. Given what happened to you guys, he felt he had some explaining to do." Jun said to Sasuke as he sat beside him.

"What did you say?"

"That I forgave him. I may have given him a piece of advice. Who knows if he would follow them though…"

The Uchiha clan leader then reported his attention to his team. Neji, Tenten, and Inaho had developed different formations to compensate for Shin's absence. Since the latter was already chunin, he couldn't be on the team to take the exam with them.

They had practiced the formations countless times until exhaustion so that anticipating each other's movement became second nature. They were better prepared than many Genins for this exam… except maybe for Gai's team. When it comes to training, no team could outdo Gai.

Gai's genins were a strong team. It was a fact. On the other hand, Jun's students liked to bicker. It never got out of hand and was always in a friendly tone, but it was still enough to spark some competition among them. Everyone wanted to prove he or she was the best. Inaho liked to boast about her experience in the Police force. Neji and Tenten highlighted their prodigious level in their respective specialty… Neji with the Gentle Fist and Tenten with her handling of weapons. It was a dynamic they didn't have with Shin. After all, the former member of the Root may have been a little rigid about the rules, but he wasn't one to show off.

Jun relaxed. It was good to be back home. His mission was accomplished. He got back the day before with Tsunade. And Jiraiya came back on his own sooner than expected. He had been worried when he learned Sasuke was on a mission, but he was glad he came back safe despite everything his team went through.

Things could have been worse. Their team could have lost a member. Though Akamaru was dead, Jun didn't count Kiba's pet as a full member of the team. Sasuke could have been sold off. Many things could have gone wrong. But at the end of the day, they made it back home. Jun was happy about it.