Kakashi opened his eye to the ceiling of an unfamiliar house. "How are you feeling?" came a feminine voice. He glimpsed a woman of average height, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail.
"I've been better. It'll be a week before I can move," he replied, struggling to sit up.
"It's better if you don't move so just lie down." Kakashi sighed and resumed his position lying down. He heard footsteps and looked on as his team, along with Tazuna, came into view. Kakashi caught Naruto's eye and nodded his thanks, to which Naruto responded with a shake of his head, conveying 'no problem' without words.
"Zabuza is still alive," Kakashi declared unexpectedly.
"Huh?" Sakura and Tazuna exclaimed while Naruto appeared taken aback.
"I suspected as much," Sasuke conceded. "He was put into a temporary state to simulate death. Consider this: a weapon with a low fatality rate, and the masked boy didn't dispose of the body immediately, contrary to protocol."
"Usually, they would just take the head," Naruto acknowledged.
"Cmon, you're overthinking this." Tazuna told them.
"Paranoia is necessary in a Ninja. We will prepare on the chance that Zabuza is alive, so we aren't caught off guard." Kakashi explained.
"But how will we prepare if you are bedridden?" asked Sakura.
"No worries, I'll find a way. I can still train you." Kakashi spoke.
"What does it matter?" A small boy's voice asked. Their attention was turned to a small boy with a white and blue bucket hat.
"Ah! Inari, where have ya' been?" Tazuna asked, Inari ran to his grandfather and hugged him.
"Welcome back, Grandpa!"
The woman walked over to Inari. "Inari! That was very rude. These ninjas are the heroes saved from Grandpa's life."
"It's okay, I'm rude to them too!" Tazuna rubbed his grandson's head.
Inari faced the woman. "Mom, can't you see? These people are going to die! Gato and his men will return, find them, and eliminate them all! Heroes don't exist." Inari moved towards the door, paused, and glanced back at the ninja. "If you want to live, you better go back to where you came from." With that, he exited the room.
-----
"Training begins now!" declared Kakashi. "First, we'll review chakra—"
"We know what chakra is, sensei," Naruto deadpanned.
"Then, let's proceed to the next exercise: tree climbing."
"Tree climbing?!"
"Mhm, but it's not your ordinary tree climbing," Kakashi explained. "No hands."
"Watch!" Kakashi instructed. He approached a tree with his wooden crutches. The trio watched in astonishment as he placed his foot against the trunk and began to ascend. He climbed higher and higher, then transitioned onto a branch and walked upside down. "See? Just focus your chakra on the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree," he explained with vigor. "This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of spiritual and physical energy."
---
Naruto was the first to move. He grabbed his kunai and focused his chakra to the bottom of his feet, closing his eyes and holding a hand seal. The two others did the same. They opened his eyes and ran towards their respective trees. Naruto took a few steps and felt himself slipping, he marked his spot and backflipped off the tree.
"There was no need to that." Kakashi sweatdropped as Naruto landed.
Sasuke got slightly higher than Naruto, he marked it and jumped back. "This is harder than i thought, the balance has to be perfect, if your chakra is too strong, the tree gets smashed and you get pushed off, but it doesn't stick if it's too little."
"Hey, this is fun!" Sakura yelled. She was at the top of her tree, sitting on a branch.
"Well, looks like Sakura has the most advanced chakra control." He turned his head. "Well done, Sakura." She smiled brightly.
"Nice job!" Naruto smirked.
"Whatever." You know who said that.
Naruto and Sasuke made eye contact as they got ready to charge the tree. One was a look of friendly competition; the other was not. Naruto inwardly frowned at this. Sasuke had an arrogant smirk as he looked at Naruto's lower mark.
----
In a shadowy locale, an inverted building resembling a Beyblade stood, encircled by towering trees. This structure rested on the ground, yet was bound by cords and wires to the adjacent trees. The building was immense, with numerous windows. Within, voices could be heard.
Zabuza sat in a bed and the masked boy, Haku, sat on a chair beside it. The door opened and Gato walked in, two thugs with katanas standing beside him. "Some jonin, the unbeatable ninja has been beat." Gato joked. "Limping back like some pathetic ass wimp. 'Demon of the hidden mist' more like COWARD, of the hidden mist. Haku stood up quickly with his back facing Gato and the thugs grabbed their katanas.
"Drawing swords?" Haku thought.
"Hang on a minute," Gato said, passing the thugs. "Alright, let's hear what you have to say." He approached Zabuza's bed, standing next to Haku. "And don't play possum, I know you can talk," he asserted, reaching for Zabuza's face.
Gato grunted as his hand was gripped tightly before it could make contact with Zabuza. He glared at Haku and growled, "Keep your filthy hands off him." Haku threatened, causing Gato to scream as the grip tightened.
"Ah! It's going to break!" Gato howled. The thugs drew their katanas but halted, stunned. Haku, now standing between them, holding their own katanas at their throats, ready to strike.
"That's impossible," one thug thought.
"No one can move that fast," pondered the other.
Haku's brown eyes blazed with fury. "Don't test me." He warned. The katanas clattered to the ground.
Gato, now flanked by the unarmed thugs, barked, "One chance! That's all! Fail again, and I'll cut you loose, with no one left to defend you!" With that, he stormed out, "Let's go."
