Written for Day 10 of Sakura Month: Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice
"Yes, Gai," Kakashi said, shifting his shoulders to slide a little further out of his friend's tight grip on them as he continued to wax poetic about his students, "it's very . . . inspiring."
Gai whooped in his ear and Kurenai, on his other side, flinched. Kakashi, long used to Gai's volume control issues, snorted in amusement. It was good to see the brats all working together - and the source of Gai's current delight, Lee was patiently and politely coaxing Hinata into striking a little more boldly. If the little Kakashi had seen of Kurenai's team thus far was an accurate representation, she could certainly use it.
Though it was for the best that Lee was slightly more restrained by nature than Gai had been, even when they were young, Kakashi thought, eyeing the quiet girl.
He glanced over to where Naruto was hounding Shikamaru into getting up to return to training - or trying, at least - then looked at Asuma. "How exactly does your training go?" he asked with amusement, tilting his head towards the kids.
While Shikamaru was resolutely ignoring Naruto - with an impressively straight face, given Naruto's general level of both determination and volume - Ino was facing off with Shino and looked less than pleased about it. She was staying as far away from him as possible - Kakashi guessed because the kikaichu made her uncomfortable as much as because she relied heavily on her family jutsu. All the Yamanaka he'd ever known did - the Ino-Shika-Cho team tradition was a powerhouse, but split them and they were in dangerous territory.
Across the training field Chouji was sparring with Sakura, and while her form was better, his was from a broader base - his own Clan style, plus the Academy standards, all adapted with his team's joint styles. Chouji was holding back a bit, perhaps because Sakura was a pretty girl and he didn't want to hurt her. Kakashi had never had any such hang-ups himself, but he'd seen plenty of younger nin struggle before having that kicked out of them.
If they were lucky they got to learn better; if not they were often killed by enemy kunoichi not in the least afraid to use that to get to them.
"Bribery, bullying, trickery, and letting Ino loose on the other two when I can't motivate them through any of those." Asuma sighed, lighting another cigarette. "The boys are happy enough to coast much of the time - Chouji lets Shikamaru direct things, which doesn't help - but Ino has . . . goals."
"Ambition, you mean." Kurenai said with a delicate snort. "She'll go far with it - if she can master herself."
"And drag the boys along with her, by main force if necessary?" Kakashi asked idly, continuing his scan of the field. Kurenai would likely know - as a specialist and one of the younger female jounin she had been called in to evaluate all the female Academy students before the last graduation exams, and give them a bit of guidance.
Beyond Shikamaru and Naruto - the former still lounging on the grass, the latter still waving his arms around and shouting excitedly - in perfect silence marred only by sharp glares, Sasuke was repeatedly failing to get past Neji's taijutsu and taking the occasional juuken blow. They were both good but Sasuke relied too much on the Academy taijutsu and what broken bits of the Uchiha family taijutsu he seemed to remember from his childhood lessons, and Neji had a year of Gai's training behind him.
"So how are sugar, spice, and everything nice doing?" Asuma asked, gesturing vaguely with his cigarette.
Kakashi and Kurenai both turned to look at him; Gai was too absorbed in shouting encouragement to Tenten, who hardly seemed to need it as she pummelled Kiba into the ground.
"You know, your kids?" Asuma gestured again, eyeing Kakashi.
His brows rose. "My brats?" he clarified, eye flicking out over the training field again.
Sakura had left Chouji on the ground - he looked satisfied enough to be left alone now, really - and was now speaking with Lee and Hinata.
"Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Sugar, spice . . . everything nice." Asuma joked, then dodged as Kurenai swatted his hip. "Hey just being honest. How's it going with them?"
Kakashi debated his answer for a moment, then shrugged, lounging back against the fence. "Naruto charges into everything, Sasuke thinks he knows everything, and if Sakura had the raw power to back up how quick she learns and compartmentalises new things she'd pound them both into paste." Actually that might happen, sooner or later, even so. Sakura was determined and . . . that could outstrip pure power, when applied cleverly.
Kakashi's eyes flicked to Gai, and then to his two unusual ducklings - the boy who couldn't mould chakra and the girl from a civilian family who had chosen to become a seal mistress. Kakashi expected to see both in the jounin ranks, eventually - a few years yet, perhaps more - and thought the girl might even make ANBU, if needed.
And it was always needed, he thought cynically.
"Everything nice? Really?" Asuma asked dubiously, though his expression was friendly.
Suddenly their chat was interrupted by a boulder smashing itself to smithereens two feet away - just shy of the fence. Kakashi, having leapt neatly away from that section of fence before the impact, simply fanned the rock dust out of his face with his book. "Aim's off, pup." he offered idly, not bothering to suppress the smirk behind his mask.
Sakura bobbed a quick bow. "Of course, sensei. Sorry, sensei." she said politely, a flash in her cool green eyes but hidden traces of a smile crinkling around them. Kakashi had offered a critique, but no criticism, and they both knew she hadn't actually missed.
Sakura turned a fraction further towards Asuma and dusted a few shards of rock - and splinters from the now-damaged fence - off her dress. "I am not just nice." she said with a sharp smile. Asuma was standing frozen, watching her, a plume of smoke rising before his face as the ash on his cigarette grew longer.
"Go see if you can coax Hinata into breaking something, please." Kurenai asked hopefully, and Sakura's smile softened as she bobbed her head again.
"Of course, Kurenai-sensei!" she said brightly, and headed off happily back to join Lee and Hinata. She rested a comforting hand on Hinata's back and grinned at Lee, who bounced in place and returned it.
"Mine could make a great ninja now if you somehow combined them." Kurenai said with a sigh. "They'll get there, but for the moment. . ."
They'd make a brilliant tracking or infiltration squad, with their skills, but Kakashi imagined trying to manage a wild Inuzuka pup with one of the quietly withdrawn Aburame and an alarmingly retiring Hyuuga was . . . a challenge.
Kakashi nodded idly as Kurenai outlined some of what she'd been trying to give them more balance, and shot an amused glance at Gai - who grinned - as Asuma muttered to himself about Kakashi's team.
Sugar, spice, and everything nice. Right. Kakashi struggled not to laugh.