Ari: Thank you! All of you readers and reviewers are the best ever! I give you all the award of awesomeness!
Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, Genma, Gai (?), Tsunade: What about us?
Ari: All of you guys to! Aww! Come here! *hugs tightly*
Genma: I say we have a party!
Sakura, Tsunade: Bring Sake!
Naruto: And Ramen!
Kakashi: Icha Icha!
Gai: Training!
Everyone else: …?
Gai: … or maybe some more sake?
Everyone else: Hell Yeah!
Ari: Now everyone, same time. 1, 2, 3, GO!
Everyone: Ari doesn't own Naruto!
Ari: Now for the next chapter!
Chapter 3 Bonding
'Thoughts'
"Speaking"
"Inner Sakura"
Hokage Tower
Sakura scanned over the scroll with a cautious eye. "Tsunade-sama, do you think he will agree to this?" Sakura said while rolling the scroll up again. Tsunade laughed at her student. "Well, why the hell not?" Sakura starred at the scroll in her tiny hands. "You can't be serious. This must be a joke." Disbelief was evident in her voice. Tsunade poured some more sake in her now empty cup. She took a long sip with a satisfied sigh at the end. "He should be here any minute. We will find out soon enough." The pink hair med-nin took a seat on the windowsill at the corner of the room. She smirked at the scroll still enclosed in her hand. "This is going to be very interesting."
Kakashi's Apartment
The silver haired ninja showered in ice cold water. I harsh curse escaped his unmasked lips. 'What is wrong with me?' He questioned himself. His hand rubbed circles on his face while his other hand rested on the shower wall in front of him. He reached for the shower knob and switched it off. The air hitting his skin caused goose bumps to form all over. His arm reached out for a towel on the shelf next to his shower. He gripped it firmly and dried himself off.
The towel was wrapped around his waist at a dangerously low angle as he starred at his face in the mirror. He never thought of himself as being ugly. He knew that he was gorgeous in every way, but when he looked in the mirror, he saw a failure. He saw a man who couldn't save the ones closest to him. He lifted his hand to cover his face. He was ashamed of himself. 'If I can't control myself better, I will only be more a failure.' He thought. He grabbed his mask and placed it over his face and walked out of his foggy bathroom.
When he was in his bedroom he felt a chakra signature outside his window. He knew exactly who it was and strode casually to it. His hand reached out to quickly open it. He then continued to get dressed as an ANBU masked nin jumped in. "Is there anything I can do for you Yamato?" The ANBU masked nin grunted with displeasure. "Why would you call me that? You know what, forget it. Tsunade wants to talk to you." 'What now?' Kakashi finished dressing and looked at the man in his room. "That mask isn't fooling anyone." The man chuckled slightly and pulled his mask up. "That's better." Yamato crossed his arms. "Your turn." Kakashi slouched forward and grunted. "I'll be there in a minute." Yamato then pulled his mask back in place as he dashed out of the window he came in from. 'Looks like I won't be getting any sleep.' He contemplated as he headed towards the Hokage Tower.
Hokage Tower *again* (Kakashi's Point of View)
I waited outside Tsunade's office for an answer as I knocked. "Come in already." was all the verification I needed. I pulled out Icha Icha then walked in.
I was still starring at the book when I heard Tsunade begin to talk. I could hear the irritation evident in her voice. "Kakashi, I have a mission for you." I kept my face glued to the book. "I just got back from one yesterday though. Shouldn't I get a break?" I heard her shift in her seat. "You aren't going alone this time." That's when I noticed a giggle come from behind me. I turned around and saw Sakura sitting on the windowsill with her legs crossed. 'Man her legs are long.' She was smiling at me while she waved. "Pay attention Kakashi. You might miss something important." She knew something… I didn't know what, but she knew something. I faced Tsunade again. "Like I was saying, you will be going with a partner. You will be going undercover. Your partner has the details." I waited for more until I finally questioned her. "Who's my partner?" She started to smile wide. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. Sakura was behind me smiling as well. "Wait… she is my partner?" She nodded. "What are we going undercover as?" Sakura then snaked her arms around me in a hug. 'What is she doing?'"You and I are going undercover as…" She paused and let go of me as she walked around until she was in front of me. "…Brother and Sister." The smirk never disappeared. "What?" I was confused. How could we even pass as brother and sister? "You heard her, brother and sister." My gaze shifted to Tsunade. "That would never be believable." This was getting ridiculous. "Kakashi, just trust me. Do you think I would not have a plan already? I needed skilled shinobi to pull it off, and right now, you and Sakura fit the bill." Sakura sat on top of Tsunade's desk and started to swing her legs like a child. "Where will our mission be?" Sakura beamed as she straightened up to answer. "That's the best part! We are staying right here in Konoha!" I was utterly confused now. "Everyone will know it's us. That defeats the purpose of going undercover." Tsunade crossed her arms in a disapproved fashion. "Kakashi, are you telling me that my top skilled shinobi can't hide there chakra signature well enough to where no one will notice? You can't put on a disguise? Is that what you are trying to tell me?" I felt a little dumb for questioning the Hokage. "Excuse me Lady Tsunade." I said in respect. Tsunade just laughed. "Kakashi, stop apologizing and just take the damn mission already." I wasn't sure that this mission was the best thing for me, but I had no choice. "Yes Hokage-sama." She leaned back in her chair with a pleased look. "Good, now take a seat while I explain the details to you. And Sakura, get your ass off my desk!" Sakura squealed a little as Tsunade slammed a fist on the desk, almost breaking it. "I'm getting off." Sakura said with her hands up in defense. She sat in the seat next to the one I was sitting in. "Now, if there won't be anymore interruptions?" She paused and starred at us intently. "The mission requires you both to go through the chunin exams again. Making yourself appear younger is a necessity to the mission. You will be on a team of two. The reason for this mission is to keep an eye on the team from Sound. I have reason to believe that Orochimaru is still after Sasuke and that theses ninja are on a mission to bring him back. They could be dangerous, so don't take them too lightly, understood?" I nodded, assessing the situation in my thoughts. "Good, Sakura has the rest of the details for the mission. If anyone asks, you two are on a mission to Snow, so don't worry about that. Now get out of my office. You're taking up needed space." She said with a wave of her hand. Sakura was the first to stand and walked over to Tsunade. "If I was you, I would hide that sake. Shizune is on her way to your office." She then walked back over to me as Tsunade put her sake in the desk drawer. "Come on Kakashi. We have a lot to talk about for this mission, don't you think?" Her question was somewhat teasing. She grabbed my arm and began pulling me out of Tsunade's office.
We were now walking in the slightly lit streets of Konoha, Sakura by my side. "How about we have dinner Kakashi? We can discuss the mission then, because I'm way too hungry to wait another minute." I shrugged, not really caring what we did. I glanced at her to see a bright smile and a hand rubbing her stomach. She mumbled the word food in a dazed way. "Where are we going to eat?" I looked down the street to see something close. "There's that dumpling place?" I watched her reaction with a small laugh. Her face scrunched up. "I ate there this morning with Sasuke. I am not in the mood to have that again." I nodded, understanding fully. "How about that dango place next to that bar the ninjas hang out at?" She stopped suddenly with a blank face. She turned to me completely and stared at me. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. "Sounds great!" She proceeded to grab my arm once again and took off running. It sort of reminded me of when Gai carried me on his back from Sand all the way to Konoha. I shivered at the thought.
Sakura finally made it to the dango place with me still in her grasp. She had a grip of an ape, seriously. My arm felt crushed in her hand. I didn't even have a chance to tell her to let go when she yanked me inside the small place. "Sakura? Could you consider stopping your attack on my arm?" She looked at my face then looked down at her hand. She let go quickly. "Sorry Kakashi. I couldn't concentrate without food in my system. I told you I was hungry." Her hands slumped to her sides. "I should remember that next time you're hungry. I couldn't feel the circulation in my arm after three seconds in your grasp." She laughed along with me as we got a seat in a booth. She sat on one side and I sat on the other side. "So… what are the mission details?" I asked eager to know exactly what this mission had in store for us. She pulled out the scroll and read it silently. "Well, what Tsunade told us was basically it. The rest are things we have to add to the mission, like our names, where we are from, how old we are, our disguises, and how we will approach them." I nodded wordlessly. "Well, I will go order for us. What do you want?" She asked while standing up. I contemplated what I wanted. "I'll get some sweet dangos and maybe some water." She looked like she was going to laugh. "That's what I'm getting, except for the drink. Sake is my way to go." She said pointing at herself. I watched as she headed to the front to order. Now I had time to get a closer look at our surroundings. It was quite small and very little people were there. Good. I hated packed places. It was perfect.
Sakura was back at the table in an instant. "They said our food will be here momentarily, but you know these people always lie." She laughed at her own joke. "So, back to business, let's start with names." She said seriously. "You can be Hayate." I looked at her in question. "Why?" I questioned. Our plates were set in front of us before she could answer. She waited until the waitress left. "Hayate means smooth. You don't have to use it if you don't want to." She took a bite of her dango with a quick sip of her sake. "No, it's fine. You can be….. Emiko." I watched as she tilted her head, probably in confusion. "It means beautiful blessing child." I answered before she could question it. She shrugged and took another bite. I picked up the menu and placed it in front of me as I took a bite so she couldn't see my face. "Don't tell me you still don't trust me to see your face?" I heard her saw behind the menu barrier. "Maybe I would like to eat in peace." I heard a grunt. "Fine." I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting her to be all angry and complain some more. I was thankful she dropped it then and there. "Last names?" I asked. "Why not Hakaru, and before you ask, I don't know. I just want it to be." I nodded all though she couldn't see me behind the menu. "Sounds good enough to me." I finished my plate quickly and placed my mask back to its original spot. I then pulled the menu down to see Sakura's plate completely empty and her downing her sake. "Take it easy Sakura. The sake's not going anywhere." I said with a chuckle. "This mission requires me to be twelve or thirteen. I don't think I will be having sake for a while." She then lifted up her now empty glass to catch the attention of the waitress. The waitress shuffled her way over to our table. "Can I get some more sake please? Matter of fact, bring me a bottle." She nodded hesitantly and went to grab the pink haired drinker a bottle. "Hmmm… Emiko Hakaru and Hayate Hakaru taking over the chunnin exams. How's that sound?" She asked tapping her nails on the table. "Sounds like a tiresome mission to me." I replied back. She laughed and took her hand off of the table and crossed her arms. "Like your losing anything, I'm losing sake for probably a month. I'm taking the real blow." Just then a bottle of sake was set on the table. Sakura said a quick thank you and started to pour herself some more sake. "You want some?" I looked at it with distaste. I was definitely not in the mood to drink. I shook my head and she down her cup. "So, where is Emiko and Hayate from?" I thought it over. "Stone?" She nodded and looked as if she mentally checked it off of a list. "Okay, I am pretty sure we are thirteen, but what will we look like?" Why was she asking me? I don't have all the answers. "I don't know. Maybe we can show each other what we got tomorrow. We have until then to go to the academy and take the test." She sighed and poured more sake in her cup. "Sakura, slow down, you really shouldn't be drinking so much." I said warily. "I can hold my liquor. I get this from Tsunade. I swear everyday I turn more into her." She downed the cup in her hand and began to pour more. I caught her wrist. "Sakura, just take it easy." First, anger crossed over her face. She glared at my hand, and then she seemly relaxed and let go of the bottle. "Kakashi, are you worried about me?" She replied with a sly grin. I let go of her wrist. "What? Am I not supposed to?" She still smiled and slowly grabbed the bottle of sake. "Well, I can't have too much if you drink it before I do." She then poured the dark liquid in my empty one. "Go ahead. Drink it before I do." She was teasing me. I didn't make any move to drink it. She then snatched it. "Fine, I'll drink it." I starred as she pulled the cup to her lips. "Wait." I said. She moved it away from her only to say, "Too late." She downed it like it was nothing. "I can hold abnormally large amounts of liquor Kakashi. Don't worry so much." The bottle still had about a cup or two left. I grabbed the bottle and downed it just as fast as she downed her cups. I shook my head profusely and squeezed my eyes shut then opened to look at a very amused Sakura. "I was going to stop at my last cup you know." She laughed more. "You look really funny. I should make you drink more often." I shook my head a last time. "I drink enough with that idiot Genma bringing me to every bar known to man." Sakura perked up at the name. "You know that playboy?" That was when I remembered Genma telling me about his little thing for her. I mentally slapped myself. "Yeah, why? What is he to you?" She shrugged. "Well, he has been stalking me for the past….. I don't know, three months." I could believe that. He did say he liked her. I shivered at thoughts of Genma and Sakura together. Him touching her, calling her name, tasting her. "Hello?" Sakura said. I looked at her with relief as she broke me from my thoughts. "Sorry, what?" She signaled for the bill to the waitress. "Well, you were staring into thin air for a good minute or two." The bill came and she paid for it. "I was thinking." She stood up as well as me. "Don't tell me you were thinking about me and Genma." We walked out of the restaurant as I scratched the back of my head. "Can you blame me?" She smiled. "Well, please don't ever entertain that thought again. It gives me the creeps. That guy is definitely not my type." I felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Maybe this mission won't be too bad. "Well, I'm going home and turning in for the night. I'll meet you at your place in the morning." She said with a wave. I waved back even though she stopped looking at me as soon as she started walking. We headed to our separate ways to our separate life's.
Sakura's Home *Sakura's Point of View*
'Well that was fun.' I thought as I flopped onto my bed. I felt pretty clean because of going to the hot springs earlier, but now I wanted to take a shower to relax some more. So I got up and padded my way to the bathroom, successfully dodging paper work that fell off of my top shelf. 'I'll clean it later... maybe.' I was in my bathroom and stripped of my clothes (Sasuke's Clothes). I looked at my self in the mirror and traced the scar on my belly. It wasn't long, but it was noticeable. I sighed at it and turned the water on. I waited for it to fill while I pulled my hair out of the messy bun it was in. I got in and sighed at the nice feeling that overwhelmed me. I relaxed into the water and dunked down so that I was completely emerged in the water. I felt my hair sway in the water and loved the way I was feeling. Just then, I though about Kakashi and it made me want to smile.
"Kakashi was especially handsome today. Did you see him worry about us drinking? It was cute if you ask me.
'Well I didn't so but out.'
"Touchy much? Anyways, I think this mission will be a fine time to work our magic. You do remember our seduction training?
'How could I forget. That was my awkward stage in life. I didn't know what I was doing at all. I was utterly embarrassed for even taking the coarse.'
"But then Anko taught us all we needed. She was nice enough to teach us one on one. I missed those days, practicing on all the men we could see."
"Remember we practiced on Shikamaru.'
"Man did he look like he was going to die. Haha!"
'He couldn't look me in the eye for weeks, although he was one of our ultimate challenges."
"Good times. Now, what are we going to do about Kakashi? We don't want him feeling lonely on this mission. It will be easy to cozy up to …."
'Oh come on! He is our ex-sensei, that is totally…'
"What? Wrong?"
'Forbidden.'
"Just think about it is all I ask. He is too fine to pass up."
"Yeah, whatever."
I got out of the water to see that I was pruned up from being in the water too long. I wrapped up in a towel and headed to bed. "Tomorrow will be interesting." I murmured to myself.
End Of Chapter
Ari: I am really excited about writing the next chapter. *smiles confidently*
Naruto: I am excited to read it!
Kakashi: I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Although I am a little worried about how long it will take you to write. I mean, this did take you longer than usual.
Ari: Well, I had lots of school work and I didn't have time. This chapter was a little rushed because I wanted to get this out as fast as I could.
Sakura: And you have been on Facebook non-stop playing on your Tinierme thingy.
Ari: Well, I was bored and I was hoping to get more reviews. Although I am very happy at the ones I did get. Oh! That reminds me! I got A LOT of alerts and that totally made up for it! Thank you so much!
Naruto: We all thank you. She looked a little depressed, but now she is happy. *Squeezes in hug*
Ari: Thanks Naru-kun! You guys are the best!
Gai: I wasn't in this one! WHY? I have been studying my lines all night! *cries*
Ari: What lines?
Naruto: *whispers* I sort of told him that he was in this to get him to shut up.
Ari: Why you! *Chases Naruto with kunai*
Gai: What about my lines Ari!
Ari: *Stops for a second* Maybe next chapter?
Gai: Great! R&R My Youthful Readers!
Ari: Bye! *continues her chase*