A Ninja's Path (Kakashi X Reader)

Chapter Four

He shrugged, almost cluelessly. "I dunno, like, do you have a weird eyeball like Kakashi-sensei?"

The silver-haired man whipped his head around to glare at Naruto. The blonde just seemed to ignore his one-eyed stare, focusing on you.

You smiled down at the boy. "Something like that, kid."

You looked at the path ahead, trying to send a signal that the conversation was over. But Naruto didn't seem to get it.

"Well what the hell's that supposed to mean? And don't call me kid! You're one too!"

You snorted. "Actually, I'm not. I'm 24." You smirked as the blonde's jaw dropped.

"But you're so..."

"Short?"

"Yeah!"

You rolled your eyes. "Yeah well you usually stop growing when certain things start earlier than they should."

"Huh?" Naruto gave you his signature dumb look.

"I'm talking about the cycle." You traced your finger in a circle, shocked when the blonde continued to stare at you blankly.

Judging from the blushes on Sakura and Sasuke's faces, they got what you were saying. Kakashi on the other hand, looked about to explode with laughter.

"What cycle?"

You did a face palm. This boy was clueless.

"I'm taking about a girl's period, Naruto. The earlier a girl gets it, the sooner her growth slows down. I got mine when I was ten."

Naruto stared at you, almost in shock, before his entire face turned into a cherry.

"Agh!!! Ew!!! Why'd you bring that thing up!"

You shrugged. "Because it's a thing and it exists. If you get uncomfortable when talking about blood, then maybe you shouldn't be a ninja."

At that point, Kakashi couldn't take it anymore, bursting out with laughter. You couldn't help but join in.

The three tweens looked at you both with funny expressions.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Well aren't you just a great pair?"

You tried to compose yourself, putting a hand on Kakashi's shoulder for support. He felt solid and reliable, the fuzzy feeling returning to your chest.

Your joy slipped away as you sensed the warmth within you again, afraid of what it would bring. Shutting down your emotions, you stood up and walked quicker down the path, leaving the rest of your team behind.

All of you walked into a clearing, an area set up with multiple wooden dummies and other training equipment.

"Aren't you guys concerned someone's going to steal this stuff?" You questioned the team behind you.

Sasuke shrugged. "Not really. No one ever comes back here and besides, they all have tracking jutsus placed on them in case they do end up going missing."

You nodded in acknowledgment, pulling a kunai knife off a nearby rack.

The knife was light and sharp, perfect for throwing over a long distance. But even so, you preferred your dagger over the village's.

"So, can you show us what you can do?" You turned around to find Naruto staring at you curiously again.

Kakashi shook his head. "Don't feel pressured to do anything. Remember, these are your students, they do what you tell them to, not the other way around."

So the lessons had already begun.

"I really don't mind, Kakashi. Maybe these kids can learn a few things. Besides, I haven't been able to train in over a week."

You cracked your knuckles and a sly grin crept on your face.

Sakura gave you a concerned expression while Sasuke scoffed. Naruto seemed anxious to watch what you could do.

"Alright kiddos, this requires some class participation. Who wants to fight me?" Sakura looked down at the ground and Sasuke shook his head. Naruto waved his hands in front of his face in refusal.

"No way! Last time I fought a teacher, I ended up with a finger up my ass."

You nearly tripped over some of the training equipment, laughter bubbling back into your mouth.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "My bad Naruto, but I already apologized."

This time, you did fall over, hitting your head on a metal rung.

"Oh my gosh, (Y/N)-sensei! Are you okay?" Sakura came to your assistance, checking the back of your head.

Despite the throbbing pain nagging at you, you stood up and continued to giggle. "I wonder how that happened." You were referring to Kakashi's finger up Naruto's ass, but the rest of your team probably took it as you were referring to your fall.

"Um, I think you hit your head a little too hard." Sakura said.

You shook your head, brushing Sakura's hand away before she could pull off your hood.

"I'm okay, really. I have a high pain tolerance." You were right, you did. You cringed as hard memories began returning.

"Okay, so about that example, Kakashi, fight me." You tried pushing your resurfacing memories away, focusing on fighting the silver-haired man.

Kakashi glanced up at you, almost hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"As long as your finger doesn't end up in my ass."

This time Sasuke fell over, hitting his head on the same metal rung you did. "Agh!" He cringed in pain.

"Oh no! Sasuke!" Sakura practically threw herself as the boy, checking for blood. He pushed her away but she persisted on checking, until he finally gave in.

You sighed and shook your head. "Sorry, I took it too far. Anyways, we should get a move on before we all end up with concussions."

Naruto nodded in agreement, a smug look on his face as he saw Sasuke writhing in pain.

"Well, okay then." Kakashi stated, heading toward a clearer area in the field, farther away from the equipment.

You followed him, looking back at Sasuke with a sympathetic expression. He clearly hadn't built up his tolerance to pain. Yet.

Kakashi stood a few yards away from you, a questioning look on his face (in his eye). "I can go easy on you if you want."

You snorted. "Please, I don't need you to baby me. Sir." You added the last word politely.

He still seemed hesitant, but didn't protest again. "Alright, should we allow jutsu?"

"No. Although jutsu is normally used in a fight, it is good to start with the basics. Show the students that hand to hand combat is the basis for any other form of fighting."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, positioning himself in a fighting stance. "Just tell me when you've had enough."

You raised a brow. "You make it seem like I'm going to lose."

By that point, Sasuke had recovered, leaning against Sakura for support.

Naruto looked at you and shook his head, like he already knew the outcome of this fight.

But he knew nothing about what you were capable of.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked.

"Ready." You're voice was steady, heartbeat calm as you fell into a fighting stance as well.

"Alright guys! I'll be the ref." Naruto called.

Both you and Kakashi waited for the blonde's word to start.

"Three, two, one, go!" He yelled out.

You smirked.

It was time to teach these kids a couple of things about how to fight.