Chapter 3: Teacher knows best

Sakura had realised the second she stood up that she was drunk. She supposed she had become suspicious around the time she lamented mournfully over spilling her glass for the second time. She cursed the wine vehemently as she held onto Ino's arm for dear life. It had taken them half an hour to traverse the rugged terrain of the Konoha streets. She glared at the ground below her, beginning to suspect it of sprouting rocks deliberately in her path.

She could at least say she was doing better than some of the other members of their group. Hinata was giggling and blushing furiously as a very boisterous Naruto seemed to be taking particular care to pull her out of the way of enemy ninja. The enemy in particular fixed him with slitted pupils before running off up the ally with a hiss and a flick of its tail. Tenten and Lee had been singing loudly for the last five minutes with a very uncomfortable Neji between them. Shikamaru was a little behind the group making sure an ashen faced Kiba (who had thrown up after they left the restaurant claiming he could drink more if he got it out of the way) wasn't about to lie down in the street and fall asleep.

Sakura sighed happily, tightening her grip to steady Ino as the girls foot twisted in her ridiculous heels for the fifth time tonight. She loved these nights. No matter how busy or stressful her life usually was, these were the moments she lived for. The first time they had all gone out together was after Sasuke's funeral. None of them had really wanted to, but it had been Naruto who had insisted they go and have dinner and a few drinks to mourn their fallen comrade. Nobody could refuse him, and they had all woken up in the pre-dawn cold strewn haphazardly around the memorial stone. She had woken up to the surprised face of their sensei, who then proceeded to unmercifully wake the others with a paper bomb.

Sakura giggled softly at the memory. Kakashi could be a cruel man.

"Oi, Forehead!" Sakura's head snapped up with a snarl. Antagonising the pink haired kunoichi was stupid enough when she was sober, but doing it with this much alcohol raging through her system was just suicidal. "What, Pig?" She snapped.

"Tonight, we are going to get you laid." Sakura just blinked at her friend. "Seriously," Ino continued, "I'm sick of you being a virgin."

"Sakura-chan!" Kiba piped up, his queasy stomach obviously not distracting him enough to be able to eavesdrop, "if you ever feel yourself needing a real man to-"

"Finish that sentence Inuzuka and you'll be vomiting more than your stomach contents," she snarled furiously. She turned angry green eyes on her friend. "And just why does my being a virgin affect you?" She demanded.

"Because," Ino drawled, flicking a piece of hair out of her eyes, "I need someone to talk sex with. Tenten is way too weird and even the first Hokage knows Hinata has never even seen a guys d-"

"INO!"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see whether Hinata had been listening. Thankfully she was too busy laughing at the blonde idiot next to her to overhear. Giving a thankful sigh, Sakura turned back to Ino.

"Look, it's not like I haven't done stuff. It'll happen when it happens," she said with a shrug.

Ino groaned audibly. "No it won't, forehead! You need to take initiative. I'm seriously starting to think all of that anger you've got would dissipate with one good fuck."

Sakura's mouth fell open and she stared blankly at her smirking friend. "Think about it," Ino said, smiling slyly, "you're a medic. You know how relaxed it'll make you. If anything I reckon you need it just to bring your blood pressure down."

Sakura couldn't find the adequate words needed to shoot her friend down, which was apparent by the smug face Ino now fixed her with. Her smile widened, obviously noticing the cogs turning behind Sakura's wide eyes. It was true that as a general rule, Sakura was constantly frustrated. When she was younger she thought it was just the nature of her personality, and there was no doubt she had always been stubborn and with a quick temper to boot, but now that she was older... It was true, few things could relax the body and mind the way sex was proven too, so through a medicinal point she supposed her best friend was right. She still didn't think she could waste her first time with just anyone, but she was twenty now and it was becoming a bit ridiculous, especially in her occupation... She bit her lip, wondering if this was one of those rare occasions that Ino was right.

Ino seemed to take her silence as acceptance. "Oh, yes," she gushed, blue eyes bright, "tonight is the night, Sakura!"

"I don't know..." she tugged at a strand of pink hair uncertainly.

Ino slammed open the door in front of her. Sakura blinked surprised. She hadn't realised they had arrived and she and Ino laughed at the shocked looks on the faces of the people already settled around the tables, drinks in hand.

"Who wants to sex up this pink pussycat!"

Sakura flushed red at her friend's proclamation. She tried to slink back out the door but the blonde was already pulling her to the bar, and the exit was blocked by the rest of her friends cramming in around them. "Ino!" she hissed, but her friend just smiled cheekily at her and she couldn't help grinning back. Finally reaching the bar, they clutched onto it like it was the last solid thing in the world and waited for the bartender to notice them, which didn't take long. He sidled over, a sly grin on his face, making no effort to hide the way his eyes slid over the women approvingly. His smile faltered and his eyes widened slightly at something just above Sakura's head.

"Bottle of sake and a few cups please." The man nodded and turned to get the order. Sakura turned around to give whoever had intruded on the placement of her order a piece of her mind, but then broke out into a smile.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she practically screamed. "It's good to see you!" She eyed his hair and started giggling. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I nearly wore a dress the same colour as your hair tonight!" She noticed the slight creases at the corner of his eye that indicated a smile. She realised she loved it when he did that, and was proud to be the cause of it.

"Who are you here with?" she asked. He indicated over his shoulder and she saw Iruka, Genma, Shizune and Kurenai sitting at a table. She waved enthusiastically at Shizune, happy to see she was out having a good time. The medic waved back, apparently happy to see her too.

"Do you think you or the others would mind much if I went over and said hi to Shizune-san properly?" The Copy Ninja shook his head, picking up the cups. "Not at all, Sakura. Grab the bottle, would you?"

She turned back to a grinning Ino. "I'll be back."

"Oh don't worry," the blonde said happily, "we'll pull a table up close by and offer him drinks whenever we get you one. That mask is so coming off tonight!" That wicked gleam was back and Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she picked the bottle up off the counter and pushed her way over to the table where the older jounin and Iruka sat.

"Hi, Sakura-chan!" Shizune gave her a hug and indicated to a spare seat Genma had just whipped over from a nearby table. She sat on it somewhat ungracefully, plonking the bottle down on the table and grinning around at them all. It was like being accepted into the cool crowd at school and she was going to enjoy it.

"Bit drunk?" Genma asked, his arm sliding over the back of her chair. She nodded happily as Kakashi poured sake into cups and passed them around. She picked up the one in front of her and took a little sip. "How's everyone's night going?" she asked, attempting to appear less of a mess than she felt. They all smiled at her and told her they were having a good time, and they chatted lightly about what the younger shinobi had been up to. She gushed happily for 5 minutes about the amazing cherry wine they had all drank, and Genma laughed appreciatively.

"You're looking very nice tonight, Sakura." She smiled up at the man, noticing for the first time that his brown hair wasn't being held in place by the bandana styled hatai-ate. "Thank you, Genma-san," she replied. He smiled at her, before glancing over her head. His grin widened but he removed the arm from around her chair, and as she turned she saw Kakashi's eye, which were narrowed at his friend, flash back to his casual happy I'm-so-nice crease. He held the bottle up questioningly and she nodded, just as someone tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she caught Kiba's grin as he settled a tray of strange, orange coloured shots on the table. "Consider this a thanks from all us rookies for the skills you taught us over the years." The older shinobi glanced at the tray, then back at the younger man whose pointed canines were bared in a fierce grin.

"Kiba, this isn't necessary," Kurenai, said, a smile on her face.

"Of course, it is! Especially for you, sensei." He bowed at the woman, who blinked in confusion at the strange show of respect. Kiba squeezed Sakura's shoulder. "We're right behind you whenever you want to join us." She smiled behind her at all her friends lounging on the table next to them in various degrees of intoxication. She turned back with a giggle and picked up one of the shots. The other jounin followed suit.

"To success in all our future endeavours! Especially missions that involve very attractive-" Genma gasped suddenly and turned wide eyes on a glaring Shizune. Sakura didn't bother asking what was going on, and took the shot. She coughed and spluttered as the liquid scorched its way down her throat. "Man, what was that?"

The others didn't so much as wince at the alcohol, and she had the slight feeling she may be out of her depth with these veteran shinobi.

"Gai sensei! WHAT is he lookin' at?" Sakura turned with the rest of the table, horror-struck. The next few seconds went in slow motion as Lee grabbed a chair and hurled it at a terrified chunin. The poor man just managed to duck out of sight while Gai and Neji tackled Lee to the floor. Neji rolled his eyes at a laughing Tenten and bundled his raucous teammate out of the door. Sakura turned to see Shizune shaking her head in amazement and giggled.

The next hour became increasingly hazy as her friends kept bringing over varying potent alcohols. She didn't think she was the only one at the table suffering. Shizune and Kurenai were looking glassy-eyed and Genma seemed to be getting louder and more inappropriate as the night went on. To her dismay, Kakashi next to her seemed completely unaffected. He laughed along with everyone else, but there was nothing in his stance or mannerisms that suggested he was feeling the alcohol. She glanced behind her and caught Ino's eyes. Her friend frowned and shrugged. It seemed she wasn't too sure how to proceed with their self-appointed mission either.

Sakura sighed and turned back to the table. "Something wrong?" Sakura turned at the sound of Kakashi's smooth voice and smiled up at him. "Not at all, sensei." She was vaguely aware of a snickering Genma behind her but chose to ignore it. She eyed the sake bottle like it was her worst enemy. She could already feel the pounding at the back of her head that promised tomorrow would be hell, but a big part of her decided she deserved a great night out. She reached out for it and brought it shakily to her cup. Kakashi's warm hand closed over hers and she froze. She looked up at him, confused, but he just smiled at her and helped pour the liquid. She supposed her hands were probably quite shaky and she thanked him, but her mind was hyper focused on the fingers closed around hers. His hand was large and covered hers completely. She was surprised at how deceptively smooth it felt. Most ninja had quite calloused hands from years of use, but aside from one small, shiny scar, there was nothing. He guided the bottle to the table, and pulled his hand away, fingers stroking lightly over her knuckles. She became aware her mouth was open and shut it quickly, smiling her thanks and grabbing the cup. She spilled a little as she brought it to her lips, taking a sip and wondering if there was any way in the entire world that that simple touch had been deliberate. But more importantly, why the simple stroke had sent a jolt through her body...

It was, of course, more than possible her clouded mind was creating something more out of her old teacher's friendly help. More than likely that was it, mingling with her apparent sexual frustration, as Ino had so eloquently put it. She giggled, more to herself than anyone else, and smiled happily around the table. "Sakura, it's probably time you headed home. Don't you have to be at the tower at seven?" Shizune was smiling at her, but the look in her eyes made it quite clear that her life was going to be hell come morning.

Sakura pouted at the woman who had become like a sister to her. "I don't want to, I'm having fun!" Genma and Kurenai chuckled appreciatively and Kakashi ruffled her hair. She glared at him reproachfully and tried to pat it back down. "Now, now, Sakura, I don't think your patients would appreciate you treating them drunk."

"S'pose.." Sakura slurred. "Alright, see ya in mornin' zuny-chan!" She said goodbye to the others, smiling at Kakashi, and stumbled over to Ino. "Pig! It's time to go home." Ino laughed at the state of her friend and shook her head. "I'm staying." Sakura really didn't have the energy to argue, so she said farewell, waving off Naruto and his offer to walk her home, and stepped out into the warm night.

She took a deep breath and her whole world span. Her hands shot out, trying to grab anything to steady herself with, and came into contact with something beside her. She felt her hands close around something soft, and was half aware that there were arms bracing her. She blinked stupidly at her hands gripping a light grey shirt and looked up slowly.

"You alright, Sakura?"

She nodded, aware the dark grey eye she could see was crinkled at her in amusement, but somehow she was unable to be indignant. "Hey, sensei," she breathed. She tried to direct some chakra towards her stomach, desperate to get rid of the building nausea. She was not throwing up in front of Kakashi. She was pretty sure her head would explode with embarrassment.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and slowly encouraged her to walk. "Come on," he laughed, "let's get you home." She sighed heavily and leaned into him, head resting just under his arm. She shivered slightly, not realising how cold she was until surrounded by his warmth. "You're so nice, Kakashi," she mumbled. She didn't think it was possible to fall asleep whilst walking, but she could feel her eyelids becoming too heavy to hold open.

"How far from home are we?" She asked, yawning widely.

Kakashi didn't know whether to be ashamed or proud of his ex-student. She began mumbling inaudibly and he couldn't help but be amused. He had to admit, she had drank a lot more than he thought she would be able to handle, but had started to wonder by the time Tenten had come over with drinks for their entire table that maybe her friends were trying to get her drunk. He could imagine Sakura would be hilarious when drunk and he had to admit she had definitely been chattier than he was used to. Eventually, however, it became aware that she couldn't keep up with the seasoned drinkers whose table she had shared and Shizune had suggested she go home. Genma had given Kakashi a very pointed look and he realised now was as good a time as any to start laying down foundations. Although personally, he wasn't sure if he was in the right state to do much. Over the years he had perfected the outward appearance of sobriety, but in all honesty he was feeling a little lightheaded.

He sighed heavily. Getting the approval of the other ninja still hadn't completely left him without doubt. The fact of the matter was, Sakura didn't deserve to have this taken away from her by someone as old and jaded as him, but the alternative on her future mission was admittedly much worse. Besides, judging by her grand entrance, it may have been dawning on her it was time; or at least, on her drunken conscious. He chuckled softly as she gave a hiccough and shifted his arm to support her better.

"Kakashi?"

"Mm?"

"What's under the mask?" He blinked down at her pink head. She tilted her face up at him and fixed bleary, glassy eyes on his suspicious one.

"We had a mission tonight, yunno." He tensed, wondering if Tsunade had done more than told her to keep an eye on him. "Oh?"

"Mmm," was her only reply. They trudged on in silence for a few minutes, Sakura's state making their pace a lot slower than normal. "Ino and I convinced the others to help us get you drunk enough to see your face." She giggled and Kakashi regarded her like he might a misbehaving child.

"Sakura," he chided lightly, "you should have learnt years ago to let that one go."

"But we wanted to see!" She almost whined and he couldn't help but laugh.

"If you pursue this you may find yourself in over your bubblegum head," he grinned at her. She glared up at him. "Excuse me?" He suppressed his laugh at her icy tone and shrugged slightly. "Just saying, you've been warned."

"Are you threatening me?" He shook his head.

"Nope."

"I want to see," she demanded.

"Maybe one day."

She looked up at him with round eyes, but he could tell she has struggling to remain focused.

"One day," she sighed wistfully.

Kakashi shook his head. The fascination his students had with his mask had been cute when they were little, but the older they got, the more annoying their attempts had become. Finally deciding to put an end to it, he had hung Naruto up for everyone to see and left him there, chakra sealed, for three hours. He thought that would have provided enough of a warning but apparently not. Given his current situation, however, he could only think of one way she could get him to remove it, and that was probably a dangerous thought. Still, if their only plan had been getting him drunk, he couldn't be too annoyed, especially looking down at the wreck drinking so much had left the petite kunoichi tucked into his side. He chuckled again.

She suddenly stopped moving and he looked back to see her eyes widen as her face went pale.

"Sakura?"

"Oh no.." she stumbled into an alley and Kakashi, who had been about to follow, hung back as retching sounds met his ears. He hated going anywhere near vomiting people, mostly because his heightened sense of smell made it much more nightmarish for him than others.

A couple walking by looked between him and the alley, and the woman gave him a disapproving look. He shrugged it off and waited patiently for Sakura to be done. He had knelt with her while battle raged around them, his hands covered in her blood; he could be excused stepping aside while she threw up all the alcohol she had consumed that night.

Eventually she came stumbling out, hand pressed to her forehead, visibly shaking. He sighed heavily and crouched down in front of her. "Jump on." She looked at him for a moment, as if considering it a trap, before blinking slowly. She wiped her hand across her pale face and nodded. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms lightly around his shoulders and resting her forehead on the back of his neck. He gripped her thighs lightly, noting the firm muscles under her smooth skin. He shook himself mentally, telling himself now was definitely not the time, and leapt off towards her house.

Kakashi slipped in through Sakura's open window and gently pried her arms away from his neck, letting her slip from him onto the bed. She flopped backwards, arms above her head, with a loud groan. Kakashi left her there and made his way through the small apartment to the kitchen. He glanced around at the simple lay out, noticing a pile of medical research files on her small coffee table and smiling at the massively fluffy pink slippers next to it. His nose picked up traces of Naruto and Sai, but that was to be expected. A small vase of sunflowers sat on the counter, with a little note attached. Glancing back to the bedroom to make sure she hadn't followed him, he flicked open the note, wandering if perhaps she already had a boyfriend.

Forehead,

Thanks for helping out at the shop the other day after Shikamaru bailed (ass), you totally saved me! Looking forward to tomorrow night. Who knows, maybe we'll find you a man!

Ino

He grinned, placing the note back and filling up a glass of water. Maybe this mission wouldn't be that hard. He had been wondering how he was going to seduce her in the first place. It wasn't that he had any doubt in his ability, his track record his was more than enough to prove him capable, but he knew she would be wary of the age difference and she was definitely quick to anger. If she was looking, however, maybe he could be just what she needed? He sat on the edge of the bed and nudged the snoring kunoichi in the hip. She awoke with a snort and blinked around the room.

"You're a terrible ninja," he admonished with a smile. He offered her the glass and after struggling into a sitting position she folded her arms. "I want more wine." He shook his head and held the glass in front of her face. She sighed and accepted it, gulping the liquid down like she hadn't drank in days. He chuckled softly, and her eyes widened as she glanced around.

"You're in my room." She stated.

"Correct."

She continued to look at him like it was the most ludicrous thing she had ever heard of. He couldn't help grinning at her. It was obvious by the look in her eyes she was uncomfortable with him being there, but for some reason he found it amusing. Considering she could punch him through the three storeys of her building it probably had something to do with his masochistic streak. He lay back on the bed, hands under his head, and smiled up at her.

"How are you feeling?" A blush crept up her cheeks and she averted her eyes from him. His grin widened.

"Like crap," she muttered. He hummed understandingly and said no more. Finally her eyes snapped back to him and narrowed almost accusingly. "Why aren't you drunk?" she demanded.

He shrugged as best he could in his current position. "Age, experience..."

Her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, "just seems a lot comes down to those traits lately."

He blinked at her. Guessing it was probably a completely unrelated issue, and stamping the images of a pink haired woman in a silk yukata saying, "teach me, sensei," from his head, he stretched out then sat up with a huff. "Suppose I should be off. Want me to refill that for you before I go?"

She nodded, holding the glass out to him. He took it from her, making sure his fingers slid across hers as he did so. He tried not to laugh as her eyes focused on his hand before snapping up to his face questioningly. He gave her what he hoped was his best I'm-innocent eye crinkling smile before making his way back to the kitchen.

After setting the full glass on the small table next to her bed, he helped her shuffle under the covers and patted her head lightly. She groaned and pushed his hand away. Chuckling, he turned to the window. "You're going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow, Sakura-chan. Don't drink coffee in the morning, have some orange juice."

She gave a muffled response and her breathing became deeper almost immediately. He watched her for a few seconds, before climbing out of the window and jumping onto the roof. There was a pleasant breeze blowing through Konoha and the moon was high and bright. Summer was in full swing and the sounds of thousands of insects could be heard from the forest that surrounded them. He glanced up at the lit Hokage monument, eyes resting on the face of his old sensei, before taking off across the rooves. He was eager for bed, looking forward to a quick, cooling shower beforehand. Tomorrow he would have to start thinking up ways to woo his little student. Never one for all that old romantic crap, he was going to have to think up something fun that wouldn't seem too obvious. He supposed the most they did outside of missions was sparring and dinner with their other two teammates. He guessed if he was to start small, it should be sparring and then dinner with just the two of them? Although, Naruto never passed up an opportunity to eat. Or train for that matter. It wasn't as much as getting time alone with Sakura than getting the blonde knucklehead out of their hair. He made a sharp right and headed off towards the home of Tenzou, hoping his kohai wouldn't give him splinters for interrupting his sleep again

Sakura hissed violently at the onslaught of sunlight through her window. Kakashi had apparently neglected to close the curtains for her. She groaned loudly, hoping memories of last night would have been erased, or at least blurred in her mind, but no. Everything was replaying in her head in annoyingly crystal clarity. She could not believe she had allowed herself to get in such a state, and to make matters worse, her sensei had seen her throw up. Mind you, she thought, he wasn't exactly quick to help. She sighed and forced herself to sit up. Still, he had helped her home, which was pretty nice of him. She threw the blankets off and stumbled out of her bedroom in desperate need of a shower. She could still smell alcohol and faint traces of vomit about her and dragged a hand through her hair with a sigh.

She stepped under the hot water and began her usual routine. She guessed she was already late reporting to the Hokage tower, but for once she didn't care, deciding to take her time relishing in the heat of the water and the feel of soapy bubbles sliding down her skin. What a night. She wondered what had become of the others. No doubt Ino would fill her in on everything she had missed later. As she flipped the switch to boil water for her usual morning coffee she vaguely remembered Kakashi mentioning juice. She eyed the container in her fridge. Surely coffee cured all ills? Thinking he probably had more hangovers in his life than she had, she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and flipped the boiler off.

By the time she reached the tower, Sakura was feeling a little better. Three glasses of juice had definitely helped and she strolled into the Hokage's office with a smile on her face. She rolled her eyes at the site of the leader of their village slouched over her desk moaning expletives at a disgruntled Shizune. "Oh Sakura, thank the First, can you run these over to the hospital for me?" Sakura accepted the scrolls and left Shizune to wake up their shishou, definitely not envious of the kunoichi's task.

While she was there, Sakura leant a hand to the busy medics, fixing up some of the minor injuries and sorting through some admin material. She enjoyed the company at the hospital and they were always appreciative of her help. She still remembered her first week there, feeling so useless and overwhelmed, but over the last 7 years she had made a reputation for herself and being in that place of healing made her feel that her life was worth something. It had been a great boost to her self-esteem and she had made many friends there.

Around lunch Sakura strolled into the same cafe she always went to, being a big fan of their daifuku. She sat at the usual table outside and two minutes later she smiled up at the server as he placed a plate of ichigo daifuku in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Shumei. Thanks!"

He smiled back at her and strolled over to another table to take an order. Sakura pulled apart the sweet mochi treat, eating the strawberry with a happy sigh.

"Hey, forehead." She grunted her greeting as Ino sat opposite her. "Man, I was such a mess this morning..." Sakura nodded, indicating she knew the feeling, and offered her friend a daifuku. Ino passed, explaining her inability to face food yet, and proceeded to fill Sakura in on last night's events.

"Oh, and you won't believe what Hinata did! It was amazing! She actually got on the table and danced. Like, on the table!" Sakura choked slightly from laughing.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope! We seriously need to get her drunk more often."

"I dunno," Sakura shuddered slightly, "that wine may taste amazing but damn..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I haven't felt this wrecked in years."

"I thought you young things would bounce right back." Sakura jumped slightly at her old sensei's sudden appearance.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

He slumped into an empty chair beside her, smiling at her from the look in his eye. "Thought I'd see how you were." She slapped his hand away from her daifuku and huffed.

"Oh, come on, after last night surely you won't deny me a sweet treat." Glaring at the amused lilt to his voice, she waved her permission and he took one of the sweet rice balls.

"Umm.." Sakura caught the look on Ino's face and sighed. "He made sure I got home."

"Oh?" Sakura ignored the question in her friend's voice and watched as Kakashi broke the ball apart to get to the strawberry filling.

"So apparently your retarded way of eating comes from your sensei." Kakashi looked up at the blonde confused, before glancing at Sakura's massacred daifuku.

"Strawberries are tasty," he said with a shrug. Sakura pretended to be interested in what Ino was saying about eating like children whilst watching Kakashi closely out of the corner of her eye. He was being surreptitious about the whole process but she was determined this would be it, nothing would distract her from-

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Her eyes flicked briefly to a grinning Naruto that had just appeared beside her. Realising instantly what had just happened, she turned so quickly towards Kakashi she was surprised her neck didn't snap. He looked up at her innocently and she glared accusingly at the empty shell of rice. "How the hell do you do that?"

"Do what, Sakura-chan?"

She gave him her most icy stare and deliberately put her back to him and his light chuckle.

"So, I hear Hinata was quite interesting last night," she said.

Naruto scratched his head with a grin. "I thought it was pretty funny."

"Hey Naruto, Yamato is looking for you."

"Huh?" Naruto fixed his sensei with a dumb look that was pure him, before breaking out into a determined grin. "Yes! Time to train!" Without bothering to say goodbye, he vanished. Sakura shook her head and broke apart another daifuku.

"Maybe you should think of some training too," Sakura paused with the strawberry half way to her mouth to regard the silver-haired jounin's pointed stare. "Excuse me?" she asked, voice low.

He creased his eye at her and held his hands up. "Well Naruto and Sai are off doing stuff, maybe you and I should do some training?" She popped her food into her mouth and shrugged. "Fair enough. I have to go back to the tower for a bit but I can be done by three. Usual grounds?"

He smiled up at her and nodded before vanishing in a puff of smoke. "Yunno," Ino mused, "I really do want to know what he's hiding under that mask... He isn't that much older, and I do have these things on my side." She indicated to her two biggest advantages and Sakura stood up.

"Ino, seriously, anyone but my sensei."

"He isn't your sensei anymore," the blonde teased. Sakura rolled her eyes and headed off to what she was hoping was a happier Tsunade.

"Hatake." Genma slapped his younger friend on the shoulder as he jogged up. He had been looking for the man all day but as usual, Kakashi had been so far undetectable. The man barely registered Genma's appearance, grunting his hello and continuing to read Icha Icha.

"So, what's the plan?"

Kakashi shrugged, "with what?"

"Your mission, come on man, I have some free time and I'm bored."

Kakashi sighed and pointedly continued reading. Genma stuck his hands in his pockets and continued to walk beside him in silence. He knew the secret to getting Hatake to talk. Kakashi usually just ignored people until they went away, but Genma knew more than talking, he couldn't stand people hovering around him. It took ten minutes before Kakashi snapped his book shut with an exaggerated sigh and glared at his grinning comrade.

"Do you have a particular suggestion you wish to share?"

"Medics."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him. "Thing is, I noticed Shizune will fight back all advances I make at conversation except one. Get her talking about the stuff she does at the hospital and she'll drop her guard."

"You managed to sleep with Shizune?" Genma chuckled before noting the genuine surprise on Kakashi's face. "Hey, I am good."

"No, then."

Genma snorted, a difficult feat with a senbon aimed at the back of your throat. It was true though. He had fully intended to take the feisty medic home that night but a combination of being too drunk to even walk and being intrigued by her ability to switch back and to between teasing slights and extreme annoyance had stopped his advances. Instead he had spent most of the night just chatting until she and Kurenai had gone home.

"We're both dealing with women who have the ability to either slip us poison or beat the crap out of us. On top of that, they are both so close to the Hokage that we would be killed if we don't play our cards right. I know this is a mission, but I bet if she thinks you're going about it in the wrong way I have no doubt the crazy bat would pummel you."

Kakashi grunted his agreement.

"So, we're in this together!" Genma gave his friend his brightest smile. Kakashi just fixed him with an uninterested eye and opened his book again.

"Alright fine, but you'll want my help eventually." Genma made the hand seals and flickered onto a nearby roof before sitting down with a huff. He was going to have to come up with something to sway Shizune. Somehow he didn't think flowers were going to cut it. He eyed the Yamanaka flower shop. It was a place to start, if nothing else.