*To those who are following The Color of Sacrifice, don't kill me. I'm posting the final chapter tonight!*

Extended Summary: In which Sakura finds an outlet for her strange feelings for Kakashi through his younger clone, and it is finally addressed why Kakashi was not more of a father figure in Naruto's life. In a mission seeking Sasuke. The past finally comes rushing up to meet them.

Author's Note: Hi guys, you may be slightly confused regarding what this is really about (and I'll admit, I kind of am too). In this fic, I attempt to address many things I haven't seen addressed in the anime/manga, like Kakashi's complicated relationship with his students given his previous relationships (Minato, Obito, Rin). It's all very connected and I don't see why Kakashi wasn't more in tune to that, or why it's not shown. Anyways, I'm only touching on this a bit, it's too much to tackle in a fanfiction but that's the gist. That + KakaSaku.

For those who don't like the pairing, give it a try. The pairing with be very tolerable for most of the fic, as in Kaka-Saku in an acceptable form. I don't know everything about Naruto, but I'll try to stay true to the Naruto-verse happenings as much as a can. This takes place in Shippuden after the whole Pain thing. I won't explain the rest, please ask me any questions you have. I don't own Naruto.

Reactance

Chapter 1: Special Clone

Kakashi Hatake was the perfect tool. He came equipped with a thousand jutsus, kekkai genkai, intelligence and experience, youth that equated to ancientness in the shinobi world, and nothing to hold him back except from the limits of his own chakra reserves.

"Are you married?" He was once asked before a mission. At twenty-nine, his answer was a bland "no."

"Do you have any children?" For a mission with a high fatality rate, children-less shinobi were the first to be pitched into the fire. "No," he answered. He could never imagine having any.

Just before he gave the simple answer, and even as he spoke it, a fiery image flashed before his eyes. For some reason, whatever reason, Naruto and Sakura's faces popped into his head for a fraction of a second. Sakura's image melted away immediately, and Naruto's took a millisecond longer. Even Sasuke's scent tingled in the back of his consciousness before fading into nothingness.

"Are you sure?" the eligibility clerk asked after looking at the strange expression on his face.

Of course he was sure. Naruto and Sakura were no longer children.

"I hope this is good," Naruto said under his breath, but loud enough for the blonde woman seated front-and-center to hear him. The corner of his mouth twitched in anticipation—not just because Konoha's Hokage had just informed him of a mission assignment, but because of the others present in the office.

To Naruto's right stood Kakashi, the sensei he missed harassing since his absence. The only thing that made Naruto sour about the Jounin's nonchalant presence was the orange book held at his side. For Kakashi the novel may have served as a distraction from the shinobi's hard knock life, but for Naruto it was just a nagging reminder of the pit in his stomach that Jiraiya used to fill. At least he had one white haired mentor left, and they were about to embark on a mission.

To Kakashi's left stood Sakura, grown up and attentively listening to baa-chan's every words with an air of authority. It was funny how much she had grown, though her aggressive tendencies never left; only now the threat behind her words became very real.

Tsunade looked more tense than usual, Sakura noted. She was surprised her master hadn't hit the bottle yet with the nerves she was displaying.

"I called you three here on this mission because it must be carried about with absolute stealth. This is classified. No one can know about this mission, got it?" Tsunade stated evenly, injecting particular force into the last phrase with an aim at Naruto. The blonde nodded once, eager to learn more. "It's a particular mission I've entrusted to you three… but I don't want you going overboard."

As soon as those words left her mouth, a wave of powerful hunger hit them all. Suddenly there was an elephant in the room; an elephant with dark hair and red eyes that Naruto, for once, had no problem addressing.

With a dry mouth he asked, "Is it…?"

"It's a lead on Sasuke. We can't be sure if it isn't a trap, which is why I'm sending you three to scout the location. If it is confirmed, you must call for backup." There had been small rumors and leads before, but Tsunade had never directly asked any of the remaining Team 7 members to take part in the investigation. No lead had been hot enough to risk sending three prime shinobi away from the village in its time of reconstruction.

"Why not send ANBU if the tactic is stealth?" asked Kakashi, prompting Naruto to whirl around with betrayal etched on his face. He sensed Sakura seething in mutiny as well, but to him it didn't add up.

"Hm, well, Kakashi…" Tsunade's mouth twitched in a small smile as she regarded the ever-sharp Kakashi, cautious as usual. Here she threw him a chance to meet his long lost student, and he was nearly declining. "I would if there were any to spare."

Everyone stiffened—news about the shortage on ninja in the village circulated around the Leaf. Hearing it confirmed was bleak. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little cheated that Tsuande sent them out because she was being frugal with her shinobi budget. The said Hokage laced together her fingers and elaborated:

"This happens to be incredibly rotten timing. I just sent a mass of ANBU on a different trail—something I can't easily disclose to you three. During even the last stages of village reconstruction, I can't afford to send anyone else out of the village. That would be begging for an attack. That's why I'm turning to you… I know you'll work fast and get this done. That's why there's a time limit on this mission, too."

Sakura's ears picked up on an annoying series of cracks. The popping sounds came from Naruto's clenched fist and cracking knuckles; he was just as excited about this as she was. When Tsunade asked if they accepted the task, almost sarcastically, of course her blonde teammate confirmed immediately. Her heart did, too. But, Sakura's head turned to Kakashi in question, the only one who seemed not to be oozing enthusiasm. Then again, Kakashi-Sensei never "oozed" any kind of visible emotion.

She hadn't expected him to catch her gaze like he suddenly did, so she looked away hurriedly.

"Sakura, is there something you wanted to ask?" She heard him say behind her. He counted on her to speak her analytical mind.

"Master, there are only three people in our cell… " It was substandard for missions to be carried out in four-man cells, they knew. Despite the fact that nearly each ninja acquired Jounin status, it might affect their formations to be lacking a member. Sakura voiced this.

Not that she didn't miss the old Team 7 embarking on a nostalgic Sasuke-hunt. It was just odd that Tsunade did not explain herself.

"Observant as usual, Sakura. Sai is on a mission already. And yes, I agree that you do need another member assigned to your team as back up—don't think I'm taking this mission lightly. There is possibility you might run into an Akatski member or who knows…"

"Then who else are you assigning to our team?" burst out Naruto impatiently, which would have warranted a swift jab of Sakura's elbow if he were standing any closer. "We don't need anyone else!"

"Cockiness isn't going to get you anywhere," Tsunade snapped. There was a hollow pause hovering in the office while the Hokage appeared to be thinking. The three skilled ninja before her waited, and waited…. Until:

"Kakashi. You still have your special clone time-sealed, don't you?" Naruto and Sakura whirled around to the elite Jounin in puzzlement and were surprised at the sight:

Blantant shock set upon Kakashi's face, even through his mask, in a rare display of emotion Sakura couldn't remember seeing often. It seemed to take him a few seconds to speak, incredulous at whatever Tsunade had said. Neither of them knew what was going on between the pair.

"Uh… Yes. You want to withdraw it at this time?"

"I can't think of a more fitting mission to be honest. Desperate times call for… well, you know. Isn't its expiration date coming up?"

"Special clones don't have an "expiration date"."

"Right! So get to work on unsealing it and you all can be off to depart tomorrow. Dismissed!" Tsunade boomed, her mood shifting into good cheer. Seeing Kakashi uncomfortable tended to light a spark in her day. Naruto sniffed and Sakura inwardly remarked on how defeated their sensei looked. Hands in his pockets, he turned to leave.

"Hey, hey!" A faint buzzing trailed behind the Jounin until he pulled his head from the clouds and realized two of his previous students tacked onto his trail. Naruto's voice attacked his back. "Kakashi-Sensei, what did Granny mean back there? What "special clone"? Who's our new team member?" Sakura walked quietly at his side, too, mulling over the same questions.

"Well, you'll see," Kakashi said through his mask. He doubted the blonde would let the issue drop. Now that Naruto was nearly as tall as he was, he seemed to think he should be taken more seriously.

"But—"

"Sensei… Do you really have a special clone sealed?"

Ah, so one of them knew the term. Naruto turned on the pink haired girl, who seemed to fit an encyclopedia behind her wide forehead.

"What is it?" he asked, with blue eyes darting back in forth between the two. He didn't understand why Kakashi had turned around and Sakura was gaping at him with an open mouth. His silence confirmed her question.

"A time-sealed clones is a special kind of clone. The user can create this special clone through an incredibly hard and complex jutsu and seal it in a locked scroll. Throughout time the scroll preserves the clone in the exact form when it was created. The longer it's stored, but more complete it will be when unsealed. The clone's lifespan actually doesn't depend on health—it will be a proportional time to how long it was stored. I thought it was a myth…"

"A myth? Why didn't I do it? What's so special about it?" Naruto asked, secretly impressed that there was such a thing and secretly bitter than he had never heard of it.

"Didn't you hear me? It's incredibly hard and complex. The user has to seal 75% of their chakra in the clone. Only someone with enormous skill and chakra shaping abilities could do something like that. It's rare. And un-sealing it takes even more of a toll." Her incredulous green eyes shifted towards the man who supposedly had this time-sealed clone stored away for a rainy day. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head idly, one dark eye now set on her.

"Don't tell anyone about this," he said. "I think it's better if it remains hidden for now." The Copy Nin fidgeted under his students fascinated stare—Naruto looked ready to implode from the possibilities and beg his former teacher to teach him. But like Sakura said, it wasn't that simple. And he hadn't expected Tsunade to call it out in from of them.

The heckling subsided when the elder Jounin made it clear that he needed to go… prepare.

Naruto was still bristling. Just when I thought I had him figured out, there's this… Will I ever measure up?

That's the short first chapter! Please REVIEW! And my policy is: always let me know if anyone gets out-of-character. I hate that.

Thanks!