Team 7 gathered beneath the large oak tree in the backyard of their clan home.

Over the past week, Naruto and Sasuke had bonded tremendously, acting as brothers would and never leaving each other's side. Though it seemed neither had realized it but they had reversed to only talking to either each other or their teammates. Competition was still a high priority for the boys but was mostly friendly banter and actually helping each other.

Sakura had bonded with her team all the same but kept her focus more on her studies as she loved reading her books and had secretly read the first few chapters of Kakashi's 'Romance book'. To say the least, Kakashi had caught her as she was red in the face standing just outside his study where he kept his precious collection of naughty satisfactions.

He had, of course, punished her and made her pick weeds every day for a particularly nasty old lady the whole week but also subtly slipped Sakura a copy of her very own, which came with a note stating 'Don't let anyone see you read this until you're another three years older'.

Sakura had to admit, her Sensei was awesome.

The trio had progressed, not only as shinobi of Konoha but as a team. Kakashi was proud of them but it was time to call it as it was and turn their chins to the real world.

They had perfected all Jutsu's he's thrown at them and still craved more but for him to teach his skills to his charges, they had to prove they were worthy first. After all, the genin were training under the legendary ninjutsu specialist of Konoha, the copycat ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan not to mention the genin were classed as the 7th team. Great pressure were thrown onto their shoulders as soon as they became ninja.

"Listen closely" Kakashi started, deciding it time to teach them a lesson on their beloved village.

The trio stared up at their guardian and listened closely.

"All three of you need to learn the truth about the real world, about the ninja out there and the truth about our village" he stated, surprising the genin.

"When you were teamed up at the academy, you were chosen to balance each other out" he explained.

"We already know this sensei, Naruto had the worst scores, Sasuke had the highest and I was second" Sakura calmly explained whilst Naruto glowered at her.

Kakashi held up his finger in the motion to be quiet, shutting Sakura up instantly "Let me finish now" he chuckled "Out of all the other students in your class, there were about three other students for each of you that would've suited and balanced out this team better".

"Hn!" "Wha-!" No way!" Each exclaimed.

"Tell me, why do you think they didn't properly balance out the teams?" Kakashi questioned, making himself comfortable against the backyard oak tree behind him whilst his kids sat around him.

"If they fully balanced out the teams, there must be at least one team not balanced... So they had to make a system to balance all out" Sakura thought out loud. Kakashi looked at her before glancing over to Sasuke who had chosen to speak up as well "they wanted to strengthen any weaknesses in the students so they stuck them with others who don't cater to their full expertise to advance their skills" the boy said looking up at the leaves in deep thought.
Naruto scratched his head and hummed quietly. Kakashi turned to the blonde, wondering if he'd have a response too "they're dumb?" He simply said, cackling sheepishly.

Kakashi and the rest of the team rolled their eyes at him.
"In some ways, you are all right but really think about it, I expect more from you lot than simple-minded answers like that" the silver-haired man stated, questioning himself if he'd taught them right.

The lot looked clueless and Kakashi had the sudden urge to facepalm not only himself but his 'brilliant' team as well.

"Let me put it this way. Why do you think your friends on team 10 were put together?"

"Their a support team, they balance each other out near perfect!" Naruto exclaimed, frustrated that he didn't understand what his sensei was trying to tell them.

Sasuke seemed deep in thought about the whole situation.
Sakura had suddenly halted her movement, freezing with wide eyes.

The group noticed her sudden departure from the discussion and stared expectantly over at her, waiting for an explanation but the males knew to keep their distance for now as she'd eventually snap out of it. She freezes quite often if she discovered something.

"It was planned!" The pinkette exclaimed her finger in the air as a light bulb.

"At least someone on this team isn't completely useless..." Kakashi muttered under his breath.

"What sensei?" Naruto asked innocently.

Clearing his throat "Nothing. Yes, Sakura is right, the teams are planned even before you graduate"

The trio sat awestruck at the news. Questions swirled between their minds. Were they always going to become a team whether their personalities were different? Did they keep tabs on them as they progressed through the academy? It seemed they did.

"But why?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows strained in frustration.

"The council determines the teams by how they interact with others and their mental capability. Those that have formed bonds with each other tend to be teamed up as teamwork is the primary skill the council seeks. Those that haven't bonded are placed together determined by their potential and skill. Take Ino-Shika-Cho for example. Their parents were the previous generations' Ino-Shika-Cho and became Konoha heroes, so naturally, their children will be expected to follow in their footsteps." Kakashi explained.

"What if they faulted from their chosen path?" Sasuke questioned.

"If they differ from the roles chosen for them, they will be pushed down and seen as a weaker team which could end drastically for them as the village wouldn't see them as high importance anymore, thus they'll most likely be sent to the front lines where most ninja are KIA" Kakashi finished. He knew this information would be hard to take in but he was not about to lie to his genin and pretend everything was alright.

Konoha had not been a peaceful village from the start, even the first Hokage and Madara Uchiha had vast differences while living 'peacefully' in the newly created village.

Many countries had their secrets, especially their own but it became a strong belief for Kakashi that if someone could change the way villages distrusted even their own. The world might just become a little more peaceful.

The genin were flabbergasted.

"How could the village do that? The elders? The Hokage!?" Naruto exclaimed, rightfully upset his surrogate grandfather had played a trickery play over his eyes. Sasuke wanted to reach out to the distraught blonde but restrained himself as the boy was in no immediate danger as of yet.

The Uchiha, too, felt extremely upset over the news and wondered what else his so-called 'home' was keeping from them. Sakura for a reason she couldn't understand - felt sad. Perhaps sad her only source of comfort and peace turned out to be the homeland of deception and cruel lies.

"Don't you get it?" Kakashi harshly voiced, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as he dropped his nice facade he always used when dealing with the trio. It was the time they learned the way of ninja and friendliness was not on the list.

Sasuke and Naruto felt the air shift into a dangerous zone as Kakashi eyed them with mockery. Sakura had felt the air shift but chose not to focus on the tense atmosphere and more on the question at hand.

"This is a ninja village Naruto." She muttered dejected, breathing out slightly as her eyes dropped to the dirt beneath her feet.

"Well don't stop there, keep going" Kakashi pushed, ushering her to continue with a motion of his hand.

Sakura looked up at her confusing Sensei with agonizing eyes, hope fluttering in and out of her, now, pale green eyes as she went over the answers given to her. Kakashi looked her dead in the eye with a blank face, giving nothing away as expected.

She turned to her teammates, the boys were patiently waiting for the kunoichi to inform them of the situation.

"The village is shinobi run which means the Hokage, elders and most of the council are or once were a ninja, the civilians of this village are under the impression they have some power when they have none. They are simply allowed to live here because they have money. Something ninja would just take if they didn't pay." She stated, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

Sasuke's breath hitched "and ninja must see through deception and underneath which means enforcing the art as well"

"Art? You call that art?" Naruto grunted, eyebrows pushed together in an angry frown. His fists tightened by his side until whiteness replaced his color.

Naruto suddenly realized what his teammates were saying.
"You mean - they've been deceiving the whole village? Secrets and plots kept only between the higher-ups?! What kind of secrets are they hiding then?" The blonde bellowed, a roar of despair and betrayal aching to escape his dry throat.
Sasuke placed his hand on the frustrated boy's shoulder, pulling him back down to sit as Naruto had unconsciously stood. The Uzumaki immediately began to feel calmer thanks to his friend's support and Sakura's comforting stare.

Kakashi watched in amusement as the blonde chained his anger.
"Are you done?" He asked casually.
Naruto nodded his head but remained frowning at the dirt patched ground.

"Well now that you know the truth. I trust you to be smart and see through any lies someone may feed you and to trust me as I have trusted you with this information" Kakashi stated with a closed eye smile, His mask twitching the slightest as his lips moved. The tone his voice adopted was far too suspicious for the genin to believe he had willingly shared something out of the goodness of his heart. Albeit short, they had known the jounin long enough to know he was not like the rest of the sensei's and In fact disliked the other Jounin's.

The trio glanced sideways at each other, silently agreeing to be cautious around the white-haired wolf as he could be extremely unpredictable.

"Anyway!" He suddenly exclaimed, causing Sakura to jump in momentary fright and the boys to shift slightly into defensive behavior.

"We've got our first C-rank mission. Let's head out, we're already late." Kakashi explained, deciding to ignore their cautious behavior as he expected nothing less from his students. The older male stood to his feet, along with his charges, and lead them back inside, ordering them to pack light and tight.

The trio respectfully marched to their own bedrooms and packed as their sensei had said in silence and deep thought. 

"Sensei, what is our mission?" Sakura asked as she came down the stairs with Naruto on her left and Sasuke on her right side.

"We are to retrieve an important scroll for the T&I division from Yugakure no Sato" the man responded, casually waving his hand in a dismissing manner.
Sakura couldn't help but pout slightly at her sensei, believing the man's team were the only ones he got along with but it seemed Kakashi sensei hardly cared for a social status in the village.

Naruto nudged her shoulder with his own, gaining the frontal view of her still pouting lip and beamed at her, hoping to cheer her up somewhat as he guessed what had made her upset. He, too, felt slightly discouraged at being dismissed so easily by his sensei and could tell Sasuke felt somewhat agitated. The trio wanted their sensei's attention but the man's body language implied he was too detached from the world at this point to care what was going on.

The genin silently looked to each other and gave a curt nod, deciding to assign themselves a side quest and find what was disturbing their sensei.

"In any case, the scroll isn't important enough for Chuunin or Jounin to worry about so we'll most likely encounter genin on the way" Kakashi babbled on about the mission details but the genin were only half listening as they subtly whispered to each other.

"What should we do?" Naruto murmured, a hand covering half his mouth. His question related to the strange behavior Kakashi was presenting today.

Sasuke twisted his face into a confused, pained expression before shrugging.

"You're a big help, Teme" Naruto whispered heatedly, leaning toward the Uchiha who had copied his movements until the two were almost bumping heads.

Sakura's eye twitched before landing a swift and hard knock on both boys heads.
The two males rubbed their heads, trying to rid themselves of the pain. Their female teammate sure had a good arm on her, that was unarguable.

"Will you two shut up and figure out what we're going to do about Kakashi-sensei?" The pinkette whispered harshly. Sasuke and Naruto deadpanned at the girl before breathing out and walking forward again with her in tow.

"Let's just ask." Sasuke blatantly said, shoving his hands into his white pant pockets.

"We can't just ask, He'd never tell us." Naruto affirmed, breathing out a sad sigh.

"Well he was in Anbu and before that he lost his team, maybe it's something to do with that. A fallen comrades birthday perhaps?" Sakura spoke up between the boys.
The trio kept a close eye on their sensei as he walked forward, obviously not wanting to be near anyone at this time. His body language gave nothing away to them though the genin didn't see themselves as experts in reading the human behavior.

"No. Can't be that. I've checked the records on his team and none of their birthdays or death dates are today" Naruto silently whispered as he kept his eyes sternly on the Jounin's back.

Suddenly feeling his skin prickle, Naruto turned to his teammates who were staring at him questionably.

He guiltily laughed "Ya know... To find out more about him just in case"

"Right..." Sakura muttered.

Sasuke shook his head and sighed.

"Anyway. If it's not that, then it has to be something troubling him at this point in time" Sasuke whispered.

"Well whatever it is, it'll have to wait." Sakura stated as the northern crimson gates of Konoha appeared before them, subtly ending their discussion for now.

Kakashi looked back at his charges and sighed. He didn't want to deal with this any more than the Hokage did. Turning children into killers wasn't something to be taken lightly and even a peaceful village such as Konoha still practiced the ninja way.

Ninja were tools.