what universe is this again?

8- new normal

Kakashi met them at training ground three, like usual. He was late, like usual.

"Yo," he said as he held up a hand in a lackluster salute. Kana didn't have the energy to yell at him, but evidently Naruto did. Why he kept on loudly pointing out just how late Kakashi was each time, when he was always late was a mystery to Kana. Especially as he seemed to  keep track of the minutes that Kakashi was late, which just seemed like wasted effort.

"Good job on passing the preliminaries, everyone," Kakashi clapped his hands together. "As you all know, in a month the finals will commence. So until then you will each be training one-on-one with a teacher that I have hand picked. Sasuke, you're with me."

Naruto complained for a solid fifteen minutes about 'Kakashi-sensei having favoritism', and Kana although quieter about it was just as disgruntled. Kakashi reassured them that the two of them would get great teachers, which made Naruto mumble something intelligible about perverts and toads. Kana sighed, resigning herself to her fate.

Yugao was apparently an old friend of Kakashi's, who owed him a favour and agreed to help teach Kana. Kana was a little miffed about the prospect of Kakashi having friends, but she supposed that if he treated everyone else better than he treated his students he could have friends. Because when it came to the three genin that made up team seven, he consistently acted like he wished that he could be anywhere else in the world. The only way to make that clearer, would be to actually say it out loud.

Yugao was a pretty purple haired lady, who specialized in sword fighting, but certainly not in teaching. Their first day meeting consisted of Yugao beating Kana into the ground repeatedly. Afterwards Kana was thoroughly sore, both physically and ego-wise.

Walking home from training ground seven, Kana contemplated the pros and cons of a month of consistently getting soundly defeated in sparrs. And not even a normal friendly sparr. No, Yugao-sensei was a force to be reckoned with, and she didn't pull punches. Kana inspected a large bruise forming on her forearm.

"You should get that checked out, it's going to hurt in the morning," A voice from behind her said and Kana jumped, swirling around to see Kabuto.

"Kabuto! You scared me," She said, lowering her hands from their defensive position in front of her face "what are you doing here?"

Kabuto shrugged, putting a hand on his hip and sending Kana a smile that made her legs weak. "I was just out and about when I saw you. but seriously, that is quite the nasty bruise. If you don't want to go to the hospital, I could heal it for you?"

"You would?" Kana hadn't even known that Kabuto was a medic. Or, well, a medic in training.

"I can't heal much more than bruises and cuts, but I will do my best," Kabuto leaned in, making Kana blush at the proximity, "if you'd let me."

"Yes! Of course Kabuto," Kana answered without even thinking. Then she realised that he couldn't  very well heal her in the middle of the street and scratched her cheek nervously, "We could.. well, you could come over to my house if you want to. To heal me! Not like.. like, whatever." She blushed, then sighed at the ridiculous ramblings. What was she even thinking, inviting Kabuto over? So inappropriate. "I could go to the hospital, it's fine.."

"No no, let me do it," Kabuto insisted, grabbing her good hand. "I won't try anything, if that is what you're worried about." He said jokingly. Kana pushed his shoulder, laughing even as her face heated up.

"Haha, I don't think you'd have the courage anyhow."

"Oh?" He raised a brown, and Kana shuddered in his grip, but it was a good kind of shudder.