Chapter:5

"Liar!" Sakura and for once even Sasuke joined in on her finger pointing. Huh, that couldn't bode well for him could it?

"Mah mah, com'on now, let's go get our mission and we'll end early for today ne?" Smiling as his cute students all formed up before him, they all turned and started heading for the tower. Naruto idly dispelled his clones while pocketing his seal making tools in his thigh pouch. Before making his now very familiar seal and creating an even larger group of clones that ran back to the training ground. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and watched the clones run off, "What's that about Naruto-kun?"

"Ah, I have something of a project I wanted to try out, but I can't do it with everyone at the training ground. It's…" Not having to answer as an explosion rocked the area and everyone turned to look at the Uzumaki sharply. "Ehehehe, explosions are cool?"

Sighing and turning away, Kakashi nodded, "Just don't over do it okay? We need you all in one piece, not scattered all over the fire nation." It wasn't long after that the team had all made it to the tower, picked up their next lackluster mission, and were on their way to the east side fields to help with some weeding for civilian farmers. All of the genin wanted to complain, but after their first few attempts, and Naruto getting swatted for trying to use clones, they all relented and got to work. Sakura had already given up on keeping her dress clean, eventually covered up to the knees in dirt and grass. Sasuke and Naruto weren't much better after to long, though somehow Naruto shivered from time to time which Kakashi figured was a clone exploding and sending it's memories back to him. Shrugging at the teenagers antics, Kakashi returned to his book and watched as the sun rose past noon and slowly began to sink in the sky. The more experienced ninja mentally lamented that it was probably to much to ask for every day to be this peaceful. But at least these kids didn't have to go through what he and his team did. At least not if he could help it.

The day coming to an end on it's own, the team reported their mission complete and went their separate ways. Sakura trying to follow Sasuke home and pester him for a date, and Naruto now heading back to the training field instead of going to his empty apartment. It was as he returned to the now empty training ground and sat down in the middle of it that he pulled a new training scroll from his pocket to begin reading. After getting the go ahead from jiji, he had made it a point to return his last set of scrolls and left with only two new ones. A book on basic seals, where he was working on the first set of his exploding tags, and a scroll about the shunshin. He hadn't realized that the jutsu was only a d-rank but after reading the description on it he sort of got it. Sure he could move really fast and appear where ever he could see or knew. But it left him open for a moment if he wasn't prepared. However if he had a clone do it, that vulnerability became a moot issue. Especially if the clone was supposed to be caught. Reading and memorizing the scroll over the next half hour. Naruto stashed it away before filling the clearing with clones.

"Alright! We have all night, let's get this technique down pat by morning!"

"Yosh!" It was going to be a long night for the boy.

-

Contrary to what his students thought, Kakashi wasn't always the late one to team meetings. In fact, he was usually the first. He liked to watch them, see if they were in fact there on time, or slacking off. While at first he had been worried as they did nothing but wait for him for hours on end, he was slightly proud that at least one of them had started taking the time to start training on his own. Though, now as he looked at an exhausted but snoring Uzumaki, Kakashi felt he should probably step in this once. Hopping from the trees and walking over to a battered but whole Naruto, his sensei squatted down to shake the boy by his shoulder. "Naruto, wake up, the ground isn't your bed."

"Ngh, 5 more minutes Kakashi-sensei, I promise I-" It took a moment for Naruto to wake up slightly and another one to realize he wasn't at home again. Bleary eyes opened to an eye smiling sensei and a just past dawn training ground. "Uh…" Looking around and seeing his teammates not around, Naruto let his head thump heavily on the dirt, "I over did it, didn't I?"

Nodding and standing up straight, Kakashi sighed, "You did. Do you think you're up for a mission today?"

Standing slowly with a groan and stretching to work out the kinks in his muscles, Naruto nodded with slowly building enthusiasm. "I'll run off and get some morning ramen, and I'll be good to go." Already turning to leave, he was forced to pause as Kakashi stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright wait a minute, time to be a sensei for a minute. Sit down and listen to me, alright?" Watching the boy do just as he asked, listening to the stern tone for once, Kakashi nodded in approval. "I have new training rules for you, and I expect you to follow them, got it?"