Edited 15/07/2015

Ashley's POV

Sitting beneath a large tree, my back resting comfortably against the trunk, I slowly open my eyes and glance around. Not too far away from me, a small, wooden house sits comfortably amongst some tall trees.

Since Kakashi had passed out, Tazuna had said we could bring him back to his daughter's house, which ended up not being too far away from the spot where we'd run into Zabuza.

"Hey..." a low voice says, to which I slowly turn my head, eyes hooded. Standing a few metres to my right, I see Sasuke walking over, a blank expression on his face.

"What?" I reply flatly, not overly glad to see Sasuke, though I suppose I'd rather it was him than Sakura or Naruto. At least he doesn't talk and say stupid things all the time.

"He's awake" the Uchiha informs me, sounding as unenthusiastic as I probably look. Sasuke folds his arms over his chest, leaning one shoulder against a tree and raising an eyebrow at me. "Aren't you gonna go inside and see him?"

"Why?" I question, averting my gaze from Sasuke's onyx eyes. "It's not like he'll be going anywhere any time soon."

"......How did you know all that stuff about the Sharingan?" Sasuke question, his tone a little harsher than before. "Seemed like you knew what you were talking about."

I smirk at that, pushing myself to my feet and placing my hands on my hips. I turn towards Sasuke and walk over, my smirk obviously making the Uchiha somewhat uncomfortable.

"I know a lot of things Sasuke" I drawl, strolling past the ravenette, "But it's none of your business how I know."

"There's something weird about you" Sasuke informs me, turning and casting me a sceptical look as I brush past. "I'm not stupid."

"Hn" I grunt, rolling my eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I think I may have overdone it with my Sharingan" Kakashi mutters sheepishly, sitting up in his bed.

"Your Sharingan is amazing and all Kakashi Sensei" Sakura sighs, gazing at the man with concern, "But if it puts so much strain on you, maybe it's not worth using it?"

"While the Sharingan is a powerful ability" I scoff, crossing my arms as everyone turns to look at me, "It's the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan. It only affects you so much because you're not an Uchiha, so it takes up far more of your chakra than it would one of them."

"......How do you know that stuff?" Sasuke asks me again, brows furrowing at me. I merely shrug, not bothering to answer his question again. I already told him it's none of his business.

"I've been places and I know stuff" I reply mysteriously, shrugging one shoulder in a casual way. Sasuke narrows his eyes at me, clearly not happy with my vague answer. Oh well. I hadn't answered him the first time he asked, so I'm not sure why he thought asking again would bring a different result.

"Seems I have some practising to do" Kakashi sighs, flicking his sceptical gaze away from me and sighing tiredly. "Anyway, I'm sorry if I worried any of you."

"Well" Tazuna reasons, poking his head into the room, "You did just take out a powerful Ninja assassin. We'll be safe for awhile now at least."

"Yeah" Sakura agrees hesitantly, brow creasing as she turns back to Kakashi with a thoughtful look on her face, "But what about that boy with the mask?"

"He was a Tracking Ninja from the Hidden Mist Village" the silver haired Jonin explains calmly, seeing the way Sakura fidgets nervously beside his bed. "Those masks are only worn by the most elite of Shinobi."

"What exactly do they do?" Sakura queries.

"They destroy all traces of a rogue Ninja's corpse" Kakashi states wisely. "A Shinobi's body contains many secrets, such as Jutsu, chakra and special medicines that he or she may have been used. These are the secrets of the Shinobi's respective Village and if the enemy were to get their hands on those secrets, the Ninja's Village could be in danger. For example, if I were to die, the enemy may try to analyse my Sharingan."

I can't help pulling a face at that, giving Kakashi a sharp look. His Sharingan? Yeah right! There's no way he could have been born with that Kekkei Genkai, unless he does actually possess some Uchiha blood, which I doubt. So technically, Kakashi can't call it his. I don't believe in using powers that you weren't born with yourself. They're not yours otherwise......

"In a worst case scenario" Kakashi continues, not noticing the glare I'm giving him, "My Jutsu could be stolen and used against the Leaf Village. It is the sacred duty of the Tracker Ninja to prevent this from happening and to keep their Village safe. When a Shinobi defects from their Village and turns rogue, the Tracker Ninja will hunt them down, eliminate them and destroy all evidence of their existence."

My harsh expression falters, eyes drifting away from Kakashi as I begin to wonder......Why had Haku suddenly shown up, pretending to be a Tracker Ninja in the first place? Kakashi had Zabuza cornered back there, so maybe......Maybe that was Haku's way of helping him out? But Kakashi checked Zabuza's vital signs and said he was dead........Would Haku really kill Zabuza though?

I can't imagine he would, considering how loyal he seemed the first time I met him. Well, if Zabuza is still alive, our next run in with him is certainly not going to be pleasant at all....

"Is something wrong Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto inquires, watching as the Jonin leans forwards and rests his elbow on his knee, forehead leaning against his palm.

"Hm?" Kakashi asks distractedly, sitting up straight and blinking a few times. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. To finish what I was saying before, Tracker Ninja deal with the body immediately and on the spot. That way there is no room for error."

"Is that really so important?" Sakura questions, tilting her head to the side, confused as to what Kakashi means.

"Well, think about it" the Jonin replies, thinking out loud. "Do you remember what that Tracker Ninja did with Zabuza's body?"

Sakura purses her lips in though, with Naruto scratching his head and Sasuke shrugging one shoulder, arms crossed. I watch Kakashi carefully, wondering if he's suspicious of Haku's actions. He keeps proving to be smarter than I'd originally given him credit for, so I won't be surprised if Kakashi is suspicious. I know I am.

"We don't know what he did" Sakura finally responds. "He took the body away with him."

"Exactly" Kakashi agrees, his brows furrowing. "But why? He should've worked on Zabuza right there and disposed of his as soon as possible........And he used throwing needles too. None of this adds up...."

"......I think he's still alive" I speak up, earning myself a serious look from Kakashi and incredulous ones from Sakura and Naruto. "There's no way needles could've been lethal."

"What?!" Naruto, Sakura and Tazuna all screech in disbelief, their eyes widening.

"But we saw his dead body!" the blonde male adds loudly, jumping to his feet in alarm. "Believe it!"

"It must've just been a rouse" I growl through gritted teeth, an anime vein appearing on the side of my head as I send Naruto a warning look. I hate when he says that. Or yells it rather....

"But Kakashi Sensei checked the body himself!" Sakura cries, turning to the silver haired man frantically. "You told us his heart had stopped!"

"Yeah it had stopped" Kakashi agrees, nodding slowly. "But it must just have been a temporary state of death. I agree with Ashley about Zabuza. While Senbon needles can kill if they hit a vital organ, they can only injure you if they stick into your neck. The needles can be modified for medical use, such as Acupuncture, and Tracker Ninja are specially trained to know every detail of the human body. Temporarily stopping the heart while keeping the body alive would be an easy task for one of them....."

"First of all" the Jonin continues, "The Tracker carried Zabuza's body away, even though it is much heavier than his own. Secondly, he used non lethal force, so from these two facts, we can conclude that the Tracker was not trying to dispose of Zabuza at all. He was trying to save him from us."

Sakura and Naruto stare at Kakashi, dumbfounded by this news, while Tazuna steps further into the room, looking apprehensive.

"C'mon" he laughs awkwardly, "Aren't you over thinking this whole situation?"

"We're Ninja" I remind the old man pointedly, my distaste towards him quite obvious. "We can never be too careful or we'll end up dead."

"Ashley's not wrong" Kakashi adds, before shutting his eyes in what I'm assuming is a closed eye smile, "Though she could have worded it a little nicer."

"....Okay then" Sakura sighs, fiddling with the ends of her long hair. "How are we supposed to prepare to fight Zabuza again when you can barely even move?"

"I may be stuck in bed" Kakashi chuckles, "But that doesn't mean I can't train you."

"Hold on a sec" Sakura commands, holding up one hand. "A little last minute training isn't gonna make us any stronger Sensei. You could barely beat Zabuza, even with your Sharingan. We have to be reasonable about this!"

"Sakura" Kakashi addresses, making the pinkette pause, "Why do you think I was able to defeat Zabuza in the first place? It's because you helped me. You've grown since being in the Academy, as has Sasuke. Naruto, you've grown the most out of everyone."

"So you noticed huh?" the blonde asks proudly, throwing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest, grinning broadly. "Now things are gonna get better, believe it!"

"I don't believe it!" a young voice cries angrily, causing all of us to turn around. "Nothing is gonna be good!"

Poised in the doorway, a small boy regards us all with a glare, a white hat sitting atop his messy brown hair.

"Who're you?!" Naruto demands to know, jabbing a finger towards the boy as Tazuna breaks into a fond smile.

"Inari" the older man greets, the young boy running over to him. "Where have you been?"

"Welcome back Grandpa!" Inari cries excitedly, hugging Tazuna tightly. A woman with dark blue hair then walks into the room, hands on her hips and a disapproving look in her eyes.

"That was very rude Inari" the woman scolds. "These Ninja helped your Grandpa get back home safely!"

"It's okay Tsunami" Tazuna laughs, waving a dismissive hand at his daughter, "I'm rude to them as well."

"Don't you see Mother?" Inari asks hotly, back to glaring at us all in turn as Tazuna pats his head. "All of these people are gonna die! Gato and his men are gonna come back, find them and kill them all!"

"What'd you just say you brat?!" Naruto seethes, waving one fist in the air. "Haven't you ever heard of a super Ninja? Well, that's me, except a lot better!"

I tilt my head to the side and tap my chin in thought, glancing at Naruto as my annoyance at Inari subsides for the moment. Had Naruto just unintentionally insulted himself?.....I'm pretty certain he did. Idiot.

"Whoever this Gato or Blato or whatever his name is" Naruto continues determinedly, "He's no match for a hero like me! Believe it!"

"There's no such thing as a hero" Inari scoffs rudely, infuriating Naruto further. "You're just full of stupid ideas!"

Naruto lets out an aggravated shout, only for Sakura to hurriedly dive forwards as he leaps for Inari. She holds one arm behind the blonde's back, struggling to hold him back as he flails madly.

"Naruto, stop!" the pinkette asks pleadingly, sweat dropping when she notices Naruto's sharp teeth and wide, angry eyes. "He's just a kid!"

I can't help smirking in amusement as the orange clad Ninja throws his foot out, trying to nail Inari in the face with a kick. I don't mind this Naruto. He's entertaining when he's not driving me insane.

"If you wanna stay alive" Inari warns, turning to leave the room, "You'll go back to wherever you came from."

"We not all cowards like you" I scoff, rolling my eyes. The young boy pauses to glance back at me over his shoulder, the way he narrows his eyes irritating me. He may be a kid, but that doesn't mean I won't snap his little neck if he's not careful.....

"Sorry about that" Tazuna mutters, sighing when Naruto decides to chase after Inari, wanting to put the kid in his place.

'That oughta go well' I think sarcastically.

"We're going to climb a tree" Kakashi concludes his lecture on chakra control, causing all of us to blink. 

While I admit I hadn't been giving the Jonin my full attention, as I'm already pretty aware of how chakra works and such, I certainly hadn't been expecting him to finish by saying that.

"Climb a tree?" we all repeat, with Sakura and Naruto sounding perplexed, while Sasuke and I sound more dubious. What kind of training includes climbing trees?

"That's right!" Kakashi confirms cheerfully. "However, you aren't allowed to use your hands."

"What?" Sakura screeches, before blanching, lower jaw pushing forwards a little. "You've gotta be kidding me....."

We all watch as Kakashi merely shrugs, before placing his hands together, apparently focusing his chakra. Leaning on his crutches, the Jonin hobbles over to the nearest tree. He doesn't stop there though, placing one foot on the tree trunk and ascending the tree vertically, as easy as if he were strolling down a road.

I have to look away however, growling internally as a Butterfly begins flitting around my head. Apparently the bug has decided that I look like a good landing pad for some reason. Stupid thing!

"Go away!" I hiss under my breath, swatting at the yellow insect, when Naruto lets out a low whistle.

"He's climbing straight up" Sakura breathes, eyes wide with awe.

Now hanging from the underside of a thick branch, Kakashi finally comes to a stop, regarding us all coolly. I continue to wave my hand viciously at the Butterfly however, growing frustrated. How is it that I can fight other Ninja, yet I can't fend off a stupid bug?!

"So, you get the idea" Kakashi muses, raising one eyebrow when he notices my predicament, though he chooses not to address it. "Focus your chakra into the soles of your feet and then use it to connect to the tree. This is just one way to apply the power of chakra."

"That's a pretty cool trick" Sakura compliments, though there is an uncertain look on her face. "How exactly will this help us fight Zabuza though?"

 "It's the only way to defeat him Sakura" Kakashi sighs. "You'll have to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point of your body. This is a difficult task, even for advanced Ninja. This is all about learning chakra control. Master that and you'll be able to master any Jutsu!"

Kakashi pauses for a moment, placing one hand to his chin.

"Well, theoretically anyway" the man adds with a shrug of his shoulder, sweat dropping. "Another thing this will teach you is how to maintain your chakra levels during a fight. It's very difficult for Ninja to maintain their chakra in the heat of battle, so the more you practice it now, the easier it will become. It needs to become second nature for you."

Naruto's eyes begin to shine eagerly, while Sakura breaks out into an excited smile. I swipe at the Butterfly one more time, almost cheering out loud when it finally decides to leave me alone, fluttering off into the forest. Victory!

"Well, I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills at all now will it?"

That said, Kakashi flings a handful of kunai down at us, each one jabbing into the ground at our feet. Sakura lets out a gasp and takes a quick step back, as I look down at the knife, wondering what the hell I'm supposed to use it for.

"Use these kunai to mark where the highest point that you can climb to is" Kakashi instructs us, easily swinging himself up to sit on the branch rather than hanging from it. "Then, you can try to pass that mark the next time. You'll need to start by running at the tree, so your momentum will take you as high as possible. That's only until you get the hang of the technique though. Ready?"

W all bend down and pick up our kunai knives, with the others quickly taking up steadier stances, ready to run at whatever trees they'd picked. I toss my knife up and down, free hand on my hip. What a boring exercise.....

"I'm more than ready!" Naruto proclaims, grinning up at Kakashi. "This'll be a piece of cake, believe it! Remember that you said I'm the one that has grown the most Sensei!"

"You're definitely the one that talks the most as well" Kakashi mutters smartly, his attitude making me smirk with amusement.

I watch on as the others all close their eyes, trying to focus their chakra into the soles of their feet. They're clearly not used to doing this, judging by how long it's taking them. I really do wonder exactly what they were taught back in this Ninja Academy of theirs....

Suddenly, all three of my teammates each break into a mad dash, all heading straight for different trees. I spin Kakashi's kunai around my finger, watching on with interest. This could turn out to be quite funny.

"Charge!" Naruto bellows, jumping at his tree. He manages to take two steps along the bark, before sliding back down and landing heavily on his back. His eyes spin dizzily for a few moments, mouth hanging open. Clearly he hadn't been expecting that result.

Sasuke on the other hand, manages to run about three metres up his tree, when his foot pushes through the top layer of bark. Before the Uchiha sinks too deep into the tree trunk, he slashes at it and marks the height. He then does a backflip, landing on the ground in a crouched position.

"Well, that's pretty much what I expected from Naruto and Sasuke" I hear Kakashi murmur, glancing up when I hear the man sigh, only to see that he is now looking at me.

"Same goes for me too huh?" I ask cheekily, slightly entertained by the thought. Kakashi merely closes his eyes and nods in response, probably not having the energy to try and reason with me today.

"Hey, this is fun!" Sakura giggles, catching everyone's attention. Just about hidden amongst the leaves, we all see the pink haired girl perched comfortably on a high branch, her legs swinging back and forth.

Well. I definitely hadn't expected Sakura to be better than Sasuke, or even Naruto at this exercise.

"So" Kakashi says loudly, giving each of us a pointed look, "It would seem that our pink haired squad member has the most chakra control out of you all. Well done Sakura."

"Yeah, way to go Sakura-chan!" Naruto cries happily, the girl's smile immediately fading. "I always knew you were awesome!"

"........Whatever...." Sasuke mumbles jealously, turning his head away like a child. I almost laugh out load at the crestfallen look on Sakura's face, the girl clearly having wanted to impress Sasuke with her skills.

"Not only does Sakura understand chakra, but she can control and maintain it as well" Kakashi adds, looking to Naruto pointedly. "We did speak about someone becoming the Hokage one day, didn't we? Seems like Sakura's got a much better chance of that than you huh Naruto?"

The blue eyed boy glowers at Kakashi in irritation, though the silver haired Jonin ignores him, focusing his attention on Sasuke.

"As for the great Uchiha Clan" Kakashi taunts, "Maybe they're not so great after all? It would seem that you're just all talk Sasuke."

"Hey!" Sakura barks, seeing the darkening look in Sasuke's eyes. "That's enough Kakashi Sensei!"

"As for you Ashley" Kakashi continues smartly, hooding his visible eye as he turns to me, "You act like you're so good, but obviously you're too intimidated by this complex exercise to even try. Maybe you're embarrassed by your lack of skill?"

I see Sakura and Naruto both freeze, with the pinkette's eyes widening. They both stare at me uncertainly, probably expecting me to get mad or something. They're going to be disappointed though.

"Say what you want Kakashi" I reply, shrugging uncaringly, "But you and I both know that your taunts won't work on me."

"Yeah, that's what most losers would say" Kakashi replies evenly, copying my shoulder shrug. I feel my eyebrow twitch, my eyes narrowing slightly. "It's alright Ashley, we understand if you've got no talent."

"If I come up there" I warn lowly, "I'm going to hurt you."

"Yeah, yeah" Kakashi sighs, the way he brushes me off causing an anime vein to appear on the side of my head, "You talk big, but I've yet to see anything impressive from you. I'm beginning to think you're not a Ninja in all honesty. But uh, if you think you can do it, be my guest."

Exhaling sharply, Kakashi's smart ass comments really beginning to annoy me, I stalk towards the tree he's sitting in, kunai gripped tightly in my fist. I know he was just trying to goad me into participating by saying those things, but I can't help getting mad. He's hurting my pride here, and in front of those losers too!

"She's even better than Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaims in surprise, earning a yell of indignation from the pinkette. Ignoring them both, I walk up the tree and climb on top of a branch to Kakashi's left, the Jonin glancing down at me boredly.

"I warned you" I mutter, flinging my kunai straight into Kakashi's face. He is thrown backwards from the force of the hit, his body falling towards the ground.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura and Naruto scream in horror, their mouths hanging wide open.

"What?!" Sasuke exclaims, his dark eyes round with shock. Rolling my own eyes, I flip down to the ground, only for Sakura to drop down from her tree as well, inspecting Kakashi's limp body.

"That was too far Ashley!" the pinkette yells in a panic, whirling around to face me. "He's our teacher! Plus, we needed him to defeat Zabuza!"

I slowly turn my head and rise to my feet, my sharp glare silencing Sakura. She pauses, gulping when she sees me pulling out one of my own kunai knives.

"Leave Sakura-chan alone!" Naruto commands bravely, standing somewhere on my left. He lets out a frightened squeak when I suddenly spin around and throw my kunai towards him however, the knife grazing his cheek. It leaves a shallow cut in his skin, before sticking into the tree a few metres behind him.

"Ha!" Naruto mocks me triumphantly. "You totally missed me Ashley!"

Watching as a drop of blood slides down the blonde's cheek, Sasuke's eyebrow twitches, the ravenette shaking his head and sighing quietly. Clearly Naruto is too stupid to even know when he's been cut by a knife....

"Actually" I inform Naruto, eyes closing, "I wasn't aiming for you at all."

"I suppose you were just showing me that you knew I was here?" a familiar voice questions, to which I cross my arms and nod my head.

"Oh, Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura cries joyously, clapping her hands as the Jonin steps out from behind the tree my kunai is stuck in. He pulls it free of the bark and tosses it back to me. I open my eyes, catching the knife and placing it back into the holster on my right leg.

"Good chakra control Ashley" Kakashi compliments. "Seeing as you spoke about walking on water earlier, I figured you'd be able to do this."

"Learning to walk up trees is a cake walk compared to walking on water" I reply, pulling a face as I recall the training. "I fell into the water so many ti-"

I cut myself off, blinking in surprise. Why exactly had I just almost spoken about my past training? I don't need any of these guys knowing about my past, and besides, I don't want them knowing about the embarrassing amount of times I'd failed at chakra control training....

"I thought you got killed" Naruto admits, his voice filling the awkward silence, something that I am inwardly grateful for. Kakashi had been giving me that weird look again, and I hardly want to have to explain myself to him.

"It was just a clone that Ashley killed Naruto" the Jonin replies breezily, to which Naruto nods in understanding. He turns his head and freezes however, seeing that I am now stalking towards him.

"Hey, what're you-" the blonde is interrupted by me roughly grabbing his collar. Glaring into Naruto's deep blue eyes, I pull the boy towards me, our faces only centimetres apart.

"Just so you know" I whisper in a threatening tone, "I never miss my target.....Especially one as easy to hit as you."

That said, I shove Naruto away from me, sending the blonde tumbling to the ground in a confused and intimidated heap. That's what he gets for trying to make fun of me. Next time I'll just hit him with the kunai...

"Aarghhh!" Naruto cries out as he, once again, falls down from the tree and lands on his back. He lies motionless for a few moments, save for the rising and falling of his chest as he pants heavily.

I glance over at Sasuke, only to see that he is panting as well. He's poised in a crouched position however, glaring up at the numerous slash marks he'd made on his tree. He really wasn't improving much at all.

Sakura, lying at the base of her tree, is stretched out on her stomach with her eyes closed, breathing hard. I can't see too many marks on Sakura's tree, as she'd been able to make it nearly all the way to the top of her tree every time she'd run at it. It was hard to believe, but she was surprisingly good at this.

With a sigh, I leap down from the branch I've been sitting on for the last twenty minutes, landing not too far away from Kakashi. He raises his eyes from the book he's reading, studying me silently as I continue to watch my teammates, hands on my hips.

Flipping to his feet, Naruto scurries over to me, pausing about a metre or two away and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. I regard the blonde with a flat expression, noting the faintly fearful look in his blue eyes.

"Yes?" I finally prompt, making the boy straighten up and blink in surprise.

"Oh, uh....." Naruto begins, sounding like a genius, as per usual, "Could you uh, could you please help me Ashley?"

"........What?" I ask, genuinely confused and surprised by Naruto's question. I certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"Well, it's just that you're so good at this" Naruto explains, not sure where to look as he avoids eye contact with me, "And I was wondering if you had any tips that might help me out?"

"You could try not sucking" I suggest, frowning when I hear Kakashi heave a sigh. Clearly he doesn't appreciate my humour as much as I do.

"Yeah, yeah, funny" Naruto responds distractedly, peering back over his shoulder at Sasuke and squinting. The Uchiha stops to watch us curiously, before Naruto leans forwards and places a hand next to his mouth. "Please don't tell Sasuke that I'm asking you though!"

'Do you think I should help him Hakuba?' I inquire internally, though I can't help releasing a sigh, watching Naruto squirm nervously before me.

'No' comes the instant reply. 'I don't like this kid at all.'

Hooding my eyes, I give Naruto a cheeky smirk, a worried look crossing his face.

"Sure" I confirm. "I'll help you."