"The leaf exercise is versatile and performable in a variety of contexts."

"Was that the Academy one? I don't think we ever went past sticking them to our foreheads... Guess I could stick a bunch weird places, or use heavier stuff..."

"Attempt to hold one a defined distance from your skin."

"Oh yeah, that sounds harder than just sticking. Thanks!"

"...You are welcome."

He hums. He... Kind of wants to apologize to her for being suspicious about her not being loyal to Konoha, except he's still not entirely sure she's loyal to the team... Also she super needs pointers on lying...

"I could help you learn to lie better, too, I bet - we should be helping each other, not me just playing catch-up."

It takes her a while to respond to this.

"I do not enjoy lying."

"Okay. It might be needed eventually, but we can tell old man Hokage we wouldn't be good at infiltration stuff and all if we get a mission like that, though I think between you and Sasuke's it's probably pretty obvious..."

"And - I know you've got secrets. Me and Sasuke've got secrets, too, it's kind of a thing with this team. You don't... Have to feel like you gotta tell us? I worried you weren't loyal to Konoha when I figured you were lying about - okay a lot - but now I'm sure you're with us, so. We're on the same side, so specific stuff can... Kind of wait."

"There are... things I cannot tell you."

"Figured, yeah. It's cool, though."

"Not- like that." She seems vaguely frustrated. "I cannot tell you."

" - Like physically." He goes still, eyes narrow. He's... Not really sure how you'd control someone's actions...

But Sasuke can do lots of weird stuff. All ninja can.

He knows what he's gonna bug Kakashi-sensei about, now. If it's a technique... There's gotta be a counter... If the problem's politics? Well, Sasuke's always saying Naruto should practice Hokage-skills.

Chihiro opens her mouth and sticks her tongue very far out. At very back, just barely visible, is the inky scrawl of a seal.

"Right."

A pause, and: "Can I tell Sasuke about that?"

Sasuke's weird magic would be another angle...

"I cannot tell anyone who does not know."

"Sasuke knows weird things, he was really sure you're loyal to Konoha and all. But - will anything bad happen to you if I decide to talk to people I trust about a conclusion I came to on my own?"

"-I do not know."

"Then I'll figure this out on my own."

"...Good luck."

He nods, and starts mentally putting together a way to convince Kakashi-sensei to teach him sealing...

Come the evening meal, Kakashi is well enough to be ambling around the house.

That means he's well enough to be pestered! 

"Kakashi-sensei, we need to train, right - I want to learn sealing."

"You want to learn sealing? That's not something I hear every day."

"Yeah. It's not - if there's something that'll definitely give us an edge against Zabuza I can learn in a few days then I should maybe do that first, but I really want to learn sealing. I could use my clones, multitask with our other stuff - "

"Naruto. To put it bluntly, sealing is everything you are worst at. It is solitary, pointlessly complicated, tedious, and non-physical. You will have to spend months or maybe even years studying before you can make seals of your own."