Ha! I finally got a chapter out quickly! Just a heads up, this chapter begins a side-arc, involving Iruka and Kakashi. You'll see more of Naruto and Sasuke next chapter.
And of course I do not, and never will own Naruto or it's characters.
10:45 AM
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" a young lawyer in his mid twenties accosted himself over and over again as he sped down the hallway at a swift sprint, his black leather suitcase swinging haphazardly at his side and the enormous, precariously stacked set of papers swaying to and fro in sync with his flailing limbs. He rounded yet another corner at full speed, just barely missing an elderly gentleman who had most likely just emerged from the court room at the end of the morning case. The aged gentleman managed to throw himself out of the lawyer's way in the nick of time, and he brandished his bowler hat at the rushed man with a wave of indignance.
"Sorry!" the lawyer called over his shoulder, having no time to spare on proper apologies and formalities. He'd already rounded four hallways, and he had, oh, about fifteen more to go before he came upon the entrance of the huge court room of the district court. This was his first case at the federal level, and as an upcoming lawyer, he was damned if he was going to start off his professional career by showing up late, with a crowd of witnesses to prove it! His chest already heaving from running so long, the lawyer gasped in choppy breaths as he struggled to get enough oxygen into his lungs. Just a few more corners...just a few more...
However, the young lawyer's thoughts were cut short as he turned to face forward once again only to run head long into a rather solid something that lay in his path. With a rather audible, "Oof!", both unlucky parties fell to the ground in a heap, the lawyer's suitcase flying in one direction, and all of his papers scattering in the other. The lawyer quickly scrambled up onto his feet, his face flushing in embarrassment that he'd actually hit someone this time, and offered a hand to the other man who was still collecting his bearings on the floor.
"I'm so sorry; I wasn't paying attention where I was going. Here, let me help you," the lawyer rushed an apology, his embarrassment making him sputter his words. The man on the ground, his head still bowed, grasped the lawyer's outstretched one and the lawyer swiftly hefted him to his feet.
"Iruka Umino eh?" the stranger finally responded, handing the younger lawyer his ID card. "Your first day on the job, huh?" he added with a chuckle, brushing the dust absently from his sullied suit.
"Um, yes, and yes. Is it that obvious?" Iruka asked nervously, moving to the side of the hallway to collect up his discarded suitcase. By the time he straightened up and turned to face the unidentified man again, the other had collected up all of the lawyer's papers and had them neatly stacked up as he proffered them forward with a warm smile.
"Just a little bit," the other man laughed, "Well, I need to go. The Uchiha family can't wait forever. Oh, and good luck with your case!" Barely a second after the lawyer had managed to mumble out a weak "Thanks", the mysterious man had turned to leave. Iruka was preparing to do the same when finally it hit him. He'd known when he first laid eyes on the man that there was something familiar about his oddly colored hair, already pure silver even though the man didn't look one day over thirty. His voice was...so warm and inviting, yet teasing and condescending in the same way...
"Kakashi?" Iruka whirled around in bewilderment, but the silver-haired man was already long gone.
Iruka stood there numbly, barely able to believe the strange twist of fate that had befallen him. His arms felt heavy, his chocolate brown eyes open wide, his lips barely parted. Kakashi. He still couldn't believe it. The two of them had known each other since college; they even went to the same Law School. They were best friends...well Kakashi was Iruka's best friend at least. The four of them had been inseparable: Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and himself. No matter how hard he tried he could never become more in Kakashi's eyes than Obito.
Then Iruka shot up, an obnoxiously bright blush filling his cheeks. "But they ended up dating!" Of course he could never measure up to that he wanted that anyway. If he wasn't so flustered, Iruka would have noticed the burning rouge on his face that had flared dramatically at his recent thoughts. He'd never wanted Kakashi that way.
CLONG!
The courthouse bell struck eleven, making the young lawyer jump about ten feet in the air. "Right", he thought to himself, "Naruto."
He had to admit the one good thing about being incarcerated for three years for a crime he didn't commit did have one advantage. It had given him purpose. He would get Naruto out of that "Hell on Earth", and he would let the world know of his innocence. Even if it cost him all of his remaining years. Kakashi would have to wait.
Iruka remained a few seconds longer, still stunned at this turn of events, before reality came back to smack him in the face.
"Shit, I'm SO LATE!"
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