And the next chapter. Enjoy ^^
"What? With all due respect, Tsunade-shisho, but you cannot be serious!" Sakura burst out but Tsunade kept her peaceful expression.
"You know that we need a substitute for Iruka, you've treated him yourself."
"Sure I know that, but I never meant to take me!" the pink haired medic nearly shrieked.
"You already are teaching medics at the hospital, you should be able to manage a class for a while. Besides, you're not alone. I'll send someone to assist you who has experience with teaching."
"Thank you very much. I don't know if I should be glad because of that or not," she mumbled and Tsunade laughed and leant back in her chair.
"Don't fret, Sakura. I'm sure you can do it. And remember: it's just for six weeks. Iruka should be back to old forces until then, and then you can go to Suna for eight weeks. Is that nothing?"
"You mean it? With Suna?"
"Of course. I think we can go without you for eight weeks. I'll fill in at the hospital for you and Naruto will fill in for me here," the blonde said and finally Sakura sighed in defeat.
"Ok, fine. I'll do it."
"Excellent. Classroom B04."
Sakura went home and let herself fall down on the couch. Great, just great! Teaching at the academy… An eight hour horror each day, with eighteen wannabes, five days a week for six weeks! She'll be a wreck afterwards, she just knew it. Groaning she rubbed her forehead and didn't want to get up as it knocked at her door.
"Sakura-chan? Are you there?" Naruto called and reluctant she got up to let him in. To her surprise he wasn't alone.
"Iruka-sensei! You should be resting! Naruto, how dare you to drag him here!" she scolded and the blonde man rubbed the back of his head while smiling sheepishly.
"Don't be mad at him, Sakura. I wanted to come here; he just did what I asked him to do," the Chunin excused and she sighed heavily.
"How comes that none of you guys does what I order you to do?" she said and let them enter. She insisted on Iruka lying down on the couch while Naruto sat down next to said piece of furniture.
"Why did you want to come here? You could've sent Naruto to fetch me."
"I know. And I'm sure he would've fetched you, but I needed to see something else than only my apartment," Iruka smiled apologetically. "I'm here because I've heard that you're teaching my class for the time I'm banned," he said and she nodded.
"Yes. I still don't think that it's a good decision but Shisho rarely changes her mind."
"Don't worry about that, they're pretty normal," he said and Sakura let out a dry laugh.
"Compared to Naruto and Konohamaru or what do you mean?"
"Compared to Kiba and Naruto," he said with a smile. "Just don't let them jump on your nerves. Thump the table at the start and you won't have any problems with them."
"You say that so easily," she sighed. "Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi had been enough for me. But I'll give it a try, at least I'm not alone."
"Not?" both men asked confused.
"Yeah, Tsunade said that I'll have some help. 'Someone who has experience with teaching'," she quoted her mentor and rolled her eyes.
"I have no idea who that could be," Iruka murmured and hid a small smile.
"I don't care. She has allotted my trip to Suna, that's all I wanted. How are you feeling?" she asked and Naruto looked at him with a worried expression.
"Better. Sometimes my nerves still are burning, but after the Oxime it's better. Have you really injected Atropine?"
She nodded and Naruto looked at her confused. "Isn't that a poison too?"
"Yes. The nightshade's poison. But the dose decides whether it kills or helps."
"In my case it had helped. It felt like burning alive, I wished I could die… until you came. Honestly, Sakura, I have to admit that nothing I've ever heard before sounded so wonderful as your voice did that day. Shortly after the injection the burning faded."
The Kunoichi smiled at him, she had heard something like that before. Kakashi had said the same, several times during the last years.
"I'm glad to hear that I could help you so quickly."
The Chunin nodded and sighed.
"I always preach to be careful and at least double-check your surroundings, why did it happen? I don't get it."
"Don't be mad at yourself, Iruka-sensei. Sarin is colorless, scentless and it's evaporating at room temperature. It could've looked like a simple glass of Water. Even if it had been only a sake-cup filled with this stuff in one room, it would've been enough to kill everyone who enters the room within the next hours. Please, don't reproach yourself. The ANBU who dealt with the pack of… you know what I mean… took Oxime before they left. Nothing happened to them. But you can't take it before every mission," she explained and Naruto looked at her admiringly.
"You surely are a genius, Sakura-chan," he said admiringly and she snickered.
"I don't think so. Ino uses to call me wiseass, Shikamaru is a genius, don't get that mixed up."
"Yeah, genius to stay away from Ino," Naruto retorted and laughed. Sakura joined him and Iruka shook his head. He was proud that all of his former students still stuck together.
"That's not what I meant, Naruto," she said. "But speaking about 'genius', have you visited Kakashi the other day?"
Naruto sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"Didn't go well I take it?" Sakura asked and he nodded again.
"He behaves utterly weird. He was nice as I said I wanted to look if he's doing well, but reacted touchy as I mentioned your name. I dropped by three times up to now and brought him some ramen, means… I put the box down in front of his door. He wouldn't open. And since I'm taking care of Iruka-sensei and baa-chan is keeping me busy I rarely have time to look how he's doing. What about you?"
"I tried ten times. He never answered the door. I could feel that he's at home, but I guess he simply didn't want to see me," Sakura muttered and sighed.
"Maybe he was asleep?" Iruka suggested but both younger Shinobi shook their heads.
"Kakashi was awake; I could hear him walking around. Maybe he's still mad at me," she said and stood up to bring some tea.
"Why should he be?" Iruka asked as she came back with two mugs, one for him and one for Naruto.
"Baa-chan set up a healing-embargo against Kakashi," Naruto explained and Iruka looked at him confused.
"Why should she do something like that?"
"Because he acted completely suicide on his last missions. We healed him, he left again and returned home even more injured than before. She wants him to fully recover his reserves; that's why she made every medic swear to not heal him with chakra. In the hospital Mitate bandaged his wounds, but as soon as he had learned that he wouldn't be healed with Chakra he disappeared. He visited me at home and whined a bit, so I gave in and redid the bandages, with carefully cleaning his wounds. He seemed annoyed that even I refused to heal him completely. He had tried to convince me, trying the guilty conscience number. It was so hard to send him away; he truly must've been in pain." Sakura sighed and felt miserable, though it was already two weeks ago.
Iruka smiled at them both and took a slow sip of his tea.
"Maybe he has the same problem I always have," he said and put the mug away.
"Problem? You?" Naruto asked and Sakura looked at him confused.
"Yes. My biggest problem," Iruka said and chuckled lightly at the confused faces.
"And that would be?" Sakura asked curios.
"Letting go," he simply said and she nodded slowly.
"I don't get it," Naruto stated silently.
"Letting you go is my biggest problem. I taught you all, and I like you all… but then I have to let you go, out of the academy, out of the safety and onto the battlefield. I have seen all of you growing up, but for me it's hard to acknowledge that all of you became independent persons, who can take care of themselves and don't need me anymore. Maybe he suffers the same."
"I haven't looked at it from that point of view," Sakura murmured and Iruka nodded slowly.
"I still don't get the point. Where's the problem in all of us growing up?" Naruto asked.
"He maybe thinks we don't need him anymore. Maybe he even thinks we don't care for him anymore," Sakura said and Naruto laughed out loud.
"He can't be that stupid! He should know that he's part of the family," the blond man said.
"Have you told him during the last years?" Sakura asked and Naruto fell silent.
"See, that may be the problem. You're going to be the next Hokage and I'm already head at the hospital. Leaves him still as Jonin, soon to be working under you."
"Oh," Naruto just made and let his head hang down. "I never looked at it like that. I always thought that if we try hard and become someone he'd be proud."
"I bet he is," Iruka said softly. "I am proud of you, but he worked together with you for so many years, maybe he had missed out when you both grew up. You should talk to him about that."
"If we ever get a chance to do so," Sakura sighed and leant back in her chair.
They sat together and talked a bit more for quite a while, until Sakura ushered Iruka and Naruto out, since their former Sensei needed rest dearly. Sakura heaved a sigh and looked at the photograph of team Kakashi. The old picture of team seven she banned into her closet, where she didn't see it all the time. She simply couldn't stand seeing the Uchiha, since he effectively erased himself out of all their lives. Instead she had the picture of Naruto, Kakashi and herself. She looked at it and smiled, Naruto had his arm casually draped around her shoulder, while she leant lightly against him. Kakashi stood behind them, seeming as bored as ever. She could've sworn that he had his favorite orange book in his hands, but on the picture it was nowhere to be seen. His visible eye seemed to look down on their blonde friend; one of his hands was buried deep in his pocket, while the other lightly lay on her shoulder. She couldn't remember that. On this photo it seemed like he needed to make a connection to both of them and she felt a sting in her heart. She had been so absorbed in her work at the hospital that she didn't recognize that he was shoved farther away and into the background. Now she had her guilty conscience. Sakura turned round and left her apartment, heading for his.
As she reached his floor she knocked against the door and waited. Like the last times she knew that he was there, she could feel his presence, and just like the last time he didn't answer the door.
"Kakashi, I know you're there," she said and knocked again. "Please, I need to talk to you."
She waited, but there was no reaction from his side. She waited for nearly half an hour, her forehead and one palm resting against his door, but nothing happened.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. In any way," she mumbled and then left again, heading home. She didn't know that he sat with his back against the door, and she didn't know that he had heard her mumbling.
The last days he had felt like an ass, and not letting her in this time made the feeling even worse, but he simply couldn't bring himself to open the door. He had always pretended that after Asuma's death he never would let someone that close to himself again. Letting Sakura in would mean to admit that he had lied to himself. And that was simply impossible. He did feel alone the last days but he didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone. The healing-embargo against him was punishment enough, but to see that Sakura stuck to it had hurt him deeply. And to demean him even more Tsunade had ordered him to assist the substitute for Iruka at the academy. She had promised him that if he didn't show up at the latest at nine in the morning she would send Ibiki to drag him there. Just great, forcing him to teach brats...
The next day Sakura got up and made herself ready for the day. After breakfast she went to the academy and shuddered as she heard the noise out of Iruka's classroom. Bracing herself inwardly she entered the room and shortly felt nostalgia, but then a shoe flew past her and into the corridor. She looked over her shoulder at the shoe, then back into the class. Most of the students were grinning, only one nearly seemed to cry. So she knew to whom that flying object belonged. Silently she walked up to the desk, leant against it and then let out a whistle so loud, that all the students quickly clapped their hands over their ears and fell silent.
"Now that we all have calmed down, sit down. The one who's missing his shoe shall fetch it now."
A skinny looking boy rushed out, took his belonging, and rushed back in.
"Haven't you forgotten something?" she asked and he looked at her. She only pointed at the door, which was still open. He blushed deeply and turned to close it, before he sat down again.
"Now, maybe you wonder why your Sensei isn't here, but maybe some of you had already heard that he's been poisoned on a mission. So I'm here as a substitute, for the next six weeks you'll have to deal with me."
She turned around and wrote her name on the blackboard.
"Hiroto, you better sit down right now and put your slingshot away, otherwise you'll have to eat it," she said without turning round. Said boy paled and quickly did as she suggested. Inwardly she snickered and thanked Iruka for letting her in on his students.
"As you can read, I'm Haruno Sakura. Iruka-sensei had been my sensei at the academy as well. Today I'm head of Konoha's hospital. I'm Jonin, so better don't try anything funny. Iruka-sensei gave me advice what I should teach you, and he'll be testing it as soon as he's back."
Loud groaning filled the air and she grinned inwardly.
"Now let's start, there's a lot to do."
She started with the basic knowledge of Ninjutsu and was halfway through the explanations as it knocked at the door. It slid open and she saw Ibiki standing there.
"Good morning Haruno-san," he greeted and she blinked at him surprised.
"Good morning Morino-san. What are you doing here?" she asked and he rolled his eyes.
"I'm showing the way for your supporter," he said and stepped aside, so she could see Kakashi. She fought hard to keep her indifferent expression neatly in place. He leant on his crutches and seemed to look straight through her.
"Thank you, Morino-san. I think from this point on we'll be able to manage things alone," She said and the man nodded. He waited until Kakashi had limped into the room and had sat down on a chair. Ibiki shrugged and Sakura shortly mimicked his motion,
"It seems Tsunade wants you to have the best fill-in's available. I guess you all know Hatake Kakashi, our famous copy Nin," she said and he snorted.
"Do I have to thank you that I'm stuck here?" he whispered and she clenched a fist.
"No. I haven't known that she planned to send you here," she murmured back.
"Fine," he mumbled and took out his favorite Icha-Icha.
"You're not going to read that porn book in front of these students," she whispered and he looked at her with a raised brow.
"Try making me stop," he replied dryly. "You better focus on your task at hand."
She took a deep calming breath and then continued with the lesson, trying to ignore him as good as possible, even though he was making it quite hard for her. Sometimes he condescended to explain some basics as well, where he couldn't resist his inner urge to drop some little side blows. Sakura gritted her teeth and held her facade bravely until lunch break. As soon as the students had left the room she turned round and glared at him.
"Why the hell do you do that?" she asked him angrily.
"What?" he asked back, as innocent as possible.
"Dropping these nice little side blows of yours! And don't gimme that damn innocent look! You're behaving like an immature teenager and not like a grown up man! Where is your freaking problem?" she was boiling with anger, why did he act like an idiot?
"My problem?" he asked silently back.
"Did they demolish your ears as well or why do you repeat what I asked you?" Sakura snarled.
"Right now my problem is just two meters away from me!" he answered in the same tune and she gaped at him. "Leaving me suffering for so long, accepting the pain I had to endure without turning a hair, that's my fucking problem!" he nearly yelled back and she felt like he had kicked her in the gut. It took a while for his words to sink in, and then she snapped out of her daze.
"Without batting an eye? Are you serious?" she asked silently, fighting for her composure.
"I am dead serious," he bit out and Sakura closed her eyes, inwardly counting from twenty to zero. Maiming him right there was so not an option.
"I never thought it could be possible that a man who's called a genius can be so blind, so stupid like you are," she growled and he stared icily at her.
"Watch your speech," he said but she waved it away.
"No, I won't! You want to be respected from me? Then you better show me some respect in turn too! Do you really think it was easy for me to not heal you completely? I don't know what sort of pain you had to endure, but I know it must've been a lot, still probably is. I wasn't allowed to heal you, Tsunade has a purpose behind that all!"
"Your loyalty to the Godaime is heartwarming, but I thought that I had some of it as well," he retorted and she let out a short angry shriek.
"You know what? Go and drown in your self-pity! As soon as you're clear in your head again and it's possible to talk to you rational again, you know where you can find me!" With that she turned on her heels and stomped out of the room, leaving him angry behind.
Still boiling with anger she went to one of the training grounds. Sakura decided it was better to crush a tree to dust before she made mincemeat out of her former Sensei. She didn't notice that Shikamaru was lying under a tree behind her, until she was finished with ranting and her hands were bleeding.
"Is it safe to talk to you?" he asked and she turned around, her head still red with anger.
"For you, yes," she differentiated and sat down, healing her hands.
"I haven't seen you that riled up in quite a while, what's wrong?" he asked and she heaved a sigh.
"Tsunade chose me to fill in for Iruka as a substitute, and she told me she'd send someone along with me to assist me, someone with experience when it comes to teaching. I thought it might be you, or Kotetsu, but no, who had been her chose? Kakashi! Just great!"
"Where's your problem? I thought you come along with him quite well?"
"Came would be the right term. You've heard about the healing-embargo? He's pissed off that I haven't ignored it and healed him nonetheless. Man, I fought hard not to do so. And now he's mad, and I have to endure him the next six weeks."
"Have you told him that?" he asked and she nodded.
"Of course I did. But he didn't listen. He's too much caught up in his self-pity. Man, Iruka-sensei nearly died due to sarin and he's pissed off because of his cuts. I bet Iruka's pain still is higher, but he's not showing it."
"A hurt pride is quite a thing to deal with," Shikamaru said and she sighed frustrated.
"Any hints for me, Shika-kun?" she asked and he sighed.
"I have no idea. Asuma used to say a bottle sake course many things, but I don't think that you're able to sit down and drink together," he smirked and she nodded.
"Yes. It's hard enough for me not to maim him; I don't think I can stand him in the evening."
Shikamaru snickered and then yawned. "You know, you still have a few hours to survive him."
"I know," Sakura groaned and then looked at her watch. "I got to go back."
"Yo Sakura-chan, simply try to not jump on every bit he says. Trust me; it's the same with Ino and me, simply the other way round," he winked at her and she flashed him a grin.
"I'll try my best," she said and headed back to the academy.
She managed it to return on time, ignoring the icy aura around her former sensei. But the students were unable to ignore him. They sat quiet as mice on their places and tried to follow Sakura's explanations.
"Would you please relax? You're scaring the kids. I'm your target, not them," she whispered and he eased up a bit, to what the students respired audibly. Nonetheless they didn't dare to groan as Sakura gave them homework. As soon as the bell rang they whizzed out of the room, leaving the two Jonin behind.
Sakura cleaned the blackboard and packed her papers. As she wanted to leave he grabbed her by the wrist.
"I didn't mean what I said earlier," Kakashi said and she freed her hand.
"Don't lie to me. You meant exactly what you said."
"Sakura..." he started but she shook her head.
"Save your breath, senpai. You once told us that we should be honest to each other. Remember that for the future."
She was already at the door as she heard him standing up.
"Kohai, we're not finished," he said, his voice thick with authority. She stopped and turned round.
"You told me that sometimes it's ok to disobey the authority, see you tomorrow, Hatake-san."
She nearly ran out of the building to avoid talking to him. At home she dropped the papers and made herself some coffee. Then she went out on her balcony and gazed over the village. She noticed Ino the moment she spoke to her.
"Uh, coffee... Are you sick, forehead?" she asked and Sakura turned her head to look at her.
"Inwardly, yes," she replied and her friend nodded.
"Shika told me what was up. Sometimes I think Tsunade has a sadistic streak," Ino said and nudged her friend with her shoulder.
"She most definitely has," Sakura mumbled and downed her coffee.
"Go tell her. Why should you go through that?"
"Because I want to go to Suna. If I play nice there's no reason to hold me back. At least she keeps her word," the pink haired woman said and entered her apartment, Ino right behind her.
"Was it that bad today?" she asked and Sakura looked at her, her expression torn.
"He never had shouted at me angrily before. Never. Today he did. And man, that hurts."
"He didn't understand why no one wanted to heal him, right?"
"I don't know Ino, I really don't know. He implied that I didn't bat an eye even though I knew he's suffering. That hurts the most, Ino; I saw the cuts and bruises. I know that it has to hurt with every move; it hurt my heart to let him go that way. But today he made me so angry, I had to fight not rip his head off."
"I always wondered why you got along with him. He's more than difficult," Ino said and popped a gummy bear into her mouth.
"Sometimes I think you're right," Sakura sighed and plopped down on the couch.
"Sakura you're shocking me. You're not even defending him?" she blinked and plopped down next to her friend.
"I try to remember when it happened that we veered away from each other, but I can't see it," Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"And what kills me even more is, that I have the feeling we never were in the same fairway to begin with."
"No one ever was," the blonde said and Sakura shot her a glare.
"Of course. But sadly those who truly understood him are dead."
"Come on Sakura, you're sounding like in your Genin-days, where you all tried to catch a glimpse behind his mask. You were unable to do that, so there's no way in hell you'll ever catch a glimpse behind his facade."
"You never know unless you try," Sakura said and rubbed her forehead.
"I thought you were shortly from killing him? It wouldn't be wise to try something like that now."
Even though she didn't like to admit it, Ino had a point.
"Well, I guess I'll have to go through that hell. Maybe he'll calm down."
"Yeah, maybe," Ino mumbled. "But you should learn to pick your fights."