There was a perfectly good reason why they were currently in the middle of an ice-cold lake the rough size of their home country, bare of even the blood that had coated them in their arrival on this world. Or maybe not. Either way, it didn't matter. The mission had been accomplished - barely - and now they awaited the return of feeling to their numb limbs.
Too much chakra - why were they nude again? - too low on energy.
Better come soon.
Neither man could look at the other. They had strategically placed themselves on opposite sides of the small rock island. The sun beat down on their exposed bodies. They were sixteen.
Kakashi's voice sounded rusty when he spoke. He was not quite snide and sarcastic.
Gai lay breathing deeply. He was not quite affected.
"Don't worry, I'll only open five gates, Kakashi."
"That was," Gai managed at last, "A dynamically bold statement made in the heat of the moment."
"Ahh." Kakashi closed his eyes. The sharingan was as uncovered as the rest of him, and imminently more tiresome. Gai fell silent. Kakashi fell asleep.
A splash made him sit up. Or attempt to sit up. Gai had mustered the energy to dive into the chill waters of the lake. More like inland sea. He had no idea why, but that was a defining characteristic with Gai. You weren't always sure of why. He lay back.
Not much later, Gai resurfaced. Kakashi could hear him clamber back onto the rock. He could hear the water streaming off his fellow shinobi as Gai sat, busying himself with something. Kakashi briefly wondered what with. He stopped.
The sun inched across the sky. Kakashi could feel the sun burning his skin when a shadow fell across his face. His eyes opened. The uncanny sharpness of movement the sharingan provided forced Kakashi's arm into movement before he registered what was happening. He examined the mass of water-weeds in his hand. An eyepatch. He looked up at Gai, who flashed him a bright smile and a thumbs up.
"Big down there," Kakashi commented after a long moment, speaking of the weeds.
There was a brief pause. Then, "Big everywhere."
Kakashi could never look at lake weeds the same again.