Naruto rushed ahead of the rest of Team 7, ready to greet Iruka in the Mission Room and demand an assignment worthy of his extreme ninja prowess.

The blond stopped short when he noticed a chunin with a goatee at the distribution desk. Not Iruka. A quick survey of the room confirmed it. His ex-sensei was nowhere to be found.

Kakashi moved behind the only other ninja in line, but Naruto cut straight to the front. He pointed an accusing finger at the desk worker. "Hey you. What are you doing here!"

"Working," the chunin replied calmly, reaching past Naruto to hand a scroll to the first ninja. "A B-ranked mission. Best of luck to you, Hayate."

"Thank you, Iwashi." Hayate nodded as he stepped away, allowing Kakashi to retrieve his scroll.

"But this is Iruka-sensei's shift." Naruto exclaimed, not to be deterred.

Iwashi shrugged as he picked through a pile and extracted a second mission scroll. This he gave to the silver haired team leader. "Here you go, Kakashi, a C-ranked mission. I notice you've been stuck in the village for a while. This one will get you out for a bit."

Kakashi nodded and perused the scroll. Naruto continued pumping the man for information, despite Sakura hissing at him to mind his own business. "What's the big idea! Where's Iruka-sensei? Why are you working his shift? Is he sick? He's okay, isn't he?" Leaning closer, he stared up at Iwashi with earnest blue eyes. "You'd tell me if something was wrong with him, wouldn't you? Come on, just tell meeeee!"

The chunin's eyebrow began to twitch. "Iruka is temporarily excused from the Mission Room duty," he relented in the face of such annoying inquisition. "He's teaching during the day and running mission work at night. Until that's over, he'll need the evenings off for sleep."

"Working nights?" Sakura repeated, her own curiosity getting the better of her. "What kind of missions can he do every night, and still be in the Academy every day?"

Sasuke had not commented throughout the whole exchange, lingering behind the group with his hands in his pocket, but his expression was attentive as he too listened in.

Iwashi sighed. "Look, it's not exactly classified, but it's not my place to discuss a coworker's business. Why don't you just ask him yourself later?"

"Okay then, let's go ask him!" Naruto decided, promptly turning away.

Kakashi, having memorized the scroll, grabbed the boy's collar and glanced mildly at his three nosy young charges. "Leave the man alone. You kids need to focus on packing. We're leaving for western Fire country in one hour."

"What will we be doing, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Escorting a princess? Capturing a missing nin? Delivering a top-secret scroll?" Naruto speculated eagerly, distracted by the prospect of adventure.

"Close." Kakashi smirked, his eye turning up in a crescent. "We're delivering a birthday gift to someone in the village of Nirikai."

"Oh." Naruto squinted one eye in contemplation. "So what's the gift? Secret treasure? Ancient weapons?"

"Even better." The copy nin leaned forward conspiratorially. "A sweater."

He kept a straight face as the exuberant genim deflated in disappointment.

"Whaaaaat?" Naruto groaned, stretching out the word in annoyance. "But we beat Zabuza! We should be getting the important missions now. And anyway- why would someone want to hire ninja just to deliver some crummy old sweater?"

"Because, the roads to western Fire Country are crawling with bandits," Kakashi said matter-of-factly. "And our client wants to make sure it gets to her granddaughter safely. You know how anxious bandits are to steal sweaters hand-knitted by little old ladies. They'll fetch a high price on the black market."

"Oh, okay." Naruto nodded, appeased. "That makes sense."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I guess that would make sense to someone who thinks orange jumpsuits are stylish."

"Hey, what's wrong with what I wear?"

"You should learn from Sasuke. He has a sense of style," Sakura sighed and batted her eyes at the Uchiha, "Right, Sasuke?"

"I'm going to pack," the dark haired genin muttered, taking his leave.

The mission went by without a hitch (the bandits must not have caught on to their prized cargo) and a young girl in Nirikai village was in possession of a hideous, itchy sweater. Team 7 broke their penchant for bad luck with that oddly uneventful assignment. Now they need only return to Konoha and submit their report.

"I don't get it," Naruto sighed crossing his arms behind his head. "That sweater was kinda ugly. Why was the girl so happy when we gave it to her?"

Kakashi shrugged. Personally, he didn't understand it either. The article was made of itchy wool and, because of the style of the stitch, had a poor weight-to-warmth ratio. There were lighter articles of clothing that would protect better from the cold. Overall, it was not a very practical gift at all.

"It wasn't about the sweater," Sakura explained with the air of one stating the obvious. "It was about the person who made it for her. It's obvious the grandmother put a lot of time into it. That's the real gift."

The three other members of Team 7 gave her odd looks.

Sakura sighed. Sometimes being the only female…and the only one on the team with living family…made it difficult for them to understand each other.

The topic changed when Kakashi abruptly looked up at the sky. "It's going to storm soon."

The genin peered upwards. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. What was their sensei talking about?

"We've got to pick up the pace if we're going make it home before it hits," Kakashi continued. "This is going to be a bad one."

The jounin suddenly increased his speed, and the three genin exchanged bemused looks glancing up at the perfectly clear sky one more time before following.

They were three hours away from the village when the rapidly accumulated clouds broke open in the darkened sky, unleashing its wrath on the travelers.

The jounin sighed. He had been hoping to make it to the village before the weather got out of hand. The team's next training regiment will focus on speed, Kakashi decided.

For now, the jounin weighed their options. They could continue traveling to the village though their pace would be slower, making the journey closer to five hours. It wasn't the safest option, but any good ninja could evade lightening bolts and falling branches while avoiding mud slides.

But the kids weren't particularly good ninja yet, and there was no hurry to be home anyway.

Which left them the option of seeking out a relatively dry cave to camp out for the night, or they traveling a half hour to the closest village and find accommodations there.

The copy ninja observed his kids. They were tired, cold, wet, and generally miserable. Spending the night in a dank, cold cave would only make them more miserable, which in turn would make them more difficult to deal with, and possibly get them sick.

So the closest village it was.

"I'm sorry sir," the receptionist at the inn repeated while loudly smacking her gum and not sounding remotely sorry, "But all our rooms are full."

"But we don't need a room," Kakashi pressed, "Some floor space in a storage area would do fine." He glanced at his shivering genin team, huddled around the lobby fireplace and looking more or less like drowned rodents.

"I can't allow it. There are strict procedural codes I have to follow," she said. "Safety regulations and all that. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

The jounin glared, and the receptionist maintained her demeanor of remorseless boredom. Either she was immune to scare tactics, or he just wasn't that intimidating while looking so much like a drowned rat himself.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave." When he failed to budge, she sighed and added "You can try the tavern on the other side of town. They sometimes let people use a room. If not, you could at least hang around until the storm passes. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"You won't let us use a storage room because of 'safety regulations,' but you think it's a good idea to have my genin spend the night at a tavern?"

"I'm…"

"Sorry. I know," Kakashi finished for her. He stalked out of the inn, his water logged students trailing behind. "And I'm thankful for your service to the ninja of Konoha."

The "other side" of this particular town was gaining notoriety among Konoha intelligence teams as a growing hive for criminal activity. The jounin briefly pondered falling back to the finding-a-cave option, before ultimately waving his students onward toward the tavern. These kids would be working in unsavory environments like that soon enough. May as well acclimate them to it now, while he was still around to protect them.

Their feet sank into ankle-deep mud as they walked. The driving rain decreased visibility but also meant that the roads were deserted. This minimized the danger in traveling to the tavern- a large wooden structure whose crooked sign out front read "The Winking Vixen."

The Winking Vixen was the center of entertainment for this shady section of town. A live band played on stage, and the bar was large and well stocked with all manner of local and imported drink. Despite the weather, or perhaps because of it, there was a large crowd. They made the most of their stranded state, if the dancing, drinking, gambling, and general noise were any indication.

However, the patrons' mood darken as they spotted the hitai-ate. Ninja were not welcome here. The smoke-clogged atmosphere was thick with animosity.

Kakashi narrowed his eye, daring anyone to challenge him. Welcome or not, they were here, and he was not going to make his shivering, rain-soaked team trek back outside.

Of all the genin, Naruto was the most at ease, grinning widely and waving to a random person or two, trying his best to win them over. Hostile glares meant little to the kyuubi's host, who'd been receiving them almost since birth.

Sasuke was more unnerved. His expression was still carefully aloof, but his hands fidgeted inside his pockets.

It was Sakura who looked most vulnerable, staring around nervously with her arms crossed defensively in front her. It didn't help that many of the looks directed at her were more leers than glares.

Kakashi moved closer to the young kunoichi, his eyes hardening in challenge to anyone thinking to approach her. Faced with the Copy Ninja's genuinely incensed glare, the patrons turned their attention elsewhere. There were plenty of other women around who didn't have terrifying bodyguards. Others suddenly took a keen interest in the performing band. Kakashi, too, glanced over and immediately schooled his features to keep the signs of recognition from his face.

Tokubetsu jounin Shiranui Genma stood on stage, crooning into his microphone and swaying with the rhythm. The customary senbon was absent from his lips. A plain bandana and civilian clothing replaced his usual leaf hitai-ate and shinobi uniform, but there was no mistaking his Konohan colleague. Genma was playing the role of lead singer. The other members of the band were unrecognizable. Not citizens of Konoha.

Genma's gaze roved over the crowd. Although he looked right at Team 7, his eyes didn't linger any more than was normal. Clearly, this was an undercover mission. His position was an ideal one: raised above the crowd where he could monitor everyone's activities and all who were coming and going.

Still, it was unlikely that he'd been sent on this mission alone…

Kakashi scanned the room carefully, until he spotted Mitarashi Anko using her feminine wiles to ensnare her victim. If Genma was the spotter, Anko was the seductress.

Kakashi would not endanger his comrades by giving any hint that he recognized them. Instead, he led his genin to an inconspicuous table in the corner and ordered hot bowls of soup for them all.

Looking over at the bar, Kakashi noticed another member of this undercover team. The bartender was none other than Umino Iruka.

The chunin sensei had his hair down and scar concealed. Currently he was refilling the glass of a despondent-looking man. "Don't worry, this one's on the house," Iruka was saying, judging from the way his lips moved. The other man thanked him, downing the glass and then proceeding to rant to the supposed bartender while swaying drunkenly on his stool. Iruka listened supportively, nodding at appropriate intervals, asking an occasional question, and smiling compassionately as the man shared his tale.

So, that's how Iruka was spending his nights. Getting people drunk and coaxing them to spill their secrets.

Kakashi watched amusedly as the chunin interacted with his next, female, customer. Whispering something to the woman, Iruka leaned in closer than necessary and allowed his lips to brush the shell of her ear. Who knew the sensei was such a flirt? Kakashi grinned behind his mask. If only he had a camera, he could have garnered some good blackmail material.

When the woman paid for her drink, she slid over far too much money. Iruka accepted it, and passed her some unknown substance, concealed in his hand. As she slipped the item into her purse, the jounin caught a glimpse of white powder in a small bag. If drugs were involved, then this team must be part of Konoha's response to the sharp rise in yakuza activity.

Kakashi's attention was drawn from his observations when he sensed an unknown man approaching their table. The genin didn't notice, as they were busy ravenously consuming their steaming bowls of soup. Kakashi tracked his movements as the stranger approached, noting that he seemed more than a little drunk.

The man leaned close to the copy ninja's ear, his foul breath assaulting the shinobi's sensitive nose. "How much d'yeh want?"

"Excuse me?" he replied, eyebrow arched coolly.

"Yer kind sell yer services, d'ntcha?" The stranger grinned lecherously. "How much fer that little pink one?"

Sell their services? Unfortunately, the jounin was unsurprised by the assumption, but still disgusted and angry. Sakura was barely thirteen years old. She was his student, and his responsibility. "Get out of my sight," Kakashi warned, hands itching for a kunai and yet holding back. There was a mission operation going on here. He shouldn't cause a scene.

"Aw, come on," the fool stupidly persisted. "I got money. I promise I won't hurt her none."

"No, you won't," Kakashi snapped curtly. "And you'll find yourself lacking certain body parts if you don't back off."

Naruto finished off his soup and considered asking Kakashi for more. He couldn't tell what was occurring in the quietly hissed exchange between his sensei and the smelly old man, but the killing intent Kakashi radiated convinced the blond to leave them alone for now.

Naruto's bright blue eyes wandered the scene. They widened as he noticed just who was manning the bar. Grinning excitedly, the genin launched himself from his seat.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Kakashi flinched when his blond charge shouted the identity of an undercover ninja to the entire tavern. Naruto rushed to the chunin, engulfing him in a tight hug. "What are you doing here, sensei? And what did you do to your nose?" He rubbed at the spot where the scar should be and made a face. "That's not make-up is it?"

Kakashi stood quickly and, unwilling to leave his other students unattended, grabbed each of them by an arm and pulled them with him to the bar. He needed to minimize the damage if possible.

Iruka, for his part, acted angered and confused. "Stop that!" he demanded irately, his voice drawling in an accent typical to western Fire Country. "Get off me you crazy brat! What the hell is wrong with you?"

With a forceful shove, he managed to dislodge Naruto from his shoulders.

"Iruka-sensei…" the boy gazed up at him with a confused and hurt expression.

The tavern owner approached at the same time as Kakashi. The businessman glared at the group of ninja, then at his bartender. "What is going on here, Akio?"

"I-I don't know, sir!" Iruka stammered. He pointed at Naruto. "That ninja brat jumped me for no reason."

"Hn," Sasuke shot his teammate a condescending stare. "Idiot, what's wrong with you? That's not Iruka-sensei. He doesn't even look like him."

"But, but…" Naruto scrunched his face up in confusion.

Kakashi noted the Uchiha's attempt to cover up the other's mistake, and pulled together an explanation that might be halfway reasonable. Heaving a world-weary sigh, the Copy Ninja stepped forward and placed a hand on Naruto's head as he addressed the other men. "Please forgive my student, gentlemen. He's been a bit unstable since his last teacher, Iruka-sensei, died tragically last month."

Naruto squawked in protest, but the jounin silenced him by gripping his head fractionally tighter, making it appear like a comforting gesture. "Sadly, he keeps mistaking people for his old teacher."

"It's the hair that triggers his reactions. Iruka-sensei had such nice long, brown hair," Sakura added tearfully, voice cracking just at the end, as though struggling to reign in her own emotions. That girl was born to act.

"The boy's struggling with denial right now," Kakashi continued. "Please, forgive his disruption. He meant no harm."

The owner glared suspiciously at his employee, who shrugged and muttered "No harm done, I guess," before going back to serving drinks.

The boss then turned his glare to the ninja. "And what are you bunch doing here, anyway?"

"Eating," Kakashi answered simply, waving a hand at their now vacant table, still cluttered with dishes. "The storm caught us on our way to Konoha and we decided a stopover was in order. Why? Is there a problem?"

The owner was a small, balding man who only just made it to Kakashi's shoulder. Still, he was solidly built and had a shrewd look about him. He evaluated the group before answering. "No problem. Just make sure your kids behave themselves."

Kakashi nodded, and the man strode away to have a word with the band, who was currently on a break between songs.

The jounin glanced down at Naruto, who was now looking abashed. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei."

"Forget it." This was not the time or place to correct him. Instead, the jounin took a seat at the bar, his genin following suit. Kakashi needed to speak to the sensei, assess the damage done. The best way to do so inconspicuously, he reasoned, was by ordering a drink.

As he waited for his order to be taken, Kakashi did not fail to notice the men with trained chakra presences closely monitoring the brunet bartender.

No, this was definitely not a good sign.