Authoress: yosh! I'm back again with a shiny, new chapter to The Most Youthful Challenge!! For those of you who are following my other stories, I'm sure you guys are amazed at how much I've been updating lately…I wanted to get out new chapters on all my stories before going back to college…I'm taking an overload of credits this upcoming semester, so I'm not sure how much free time I'll have to write…//sighs// damn 21 credits…just because I want my psych and Japanese minors…college would be a breeze if I wasn't planning on 3 minors (the third being chemistry)…darn you, pre-med major!!

Disclaimer:…a poor college student really owns Naruto...surprise!...I wish…//sniffles// could you imagine what kind of episodes/chapters the series would have//goes starry-eyed// every manga would be plastic-wrapped and you'd need ID to even pick them up! Kukuku…

Chapter Three

Iruka sighed softly as he studied the room, keeping a close watch on the jounin's chakra on the other side of the apartment so he would know when Kakashi was coming back. The room was quite reserved compared to its owner – surprisingly, there wasn't a single weapon, scroll, or pornographic novel in sight. Iruka slowly sat up, holding the blankets to cover his bare chest. Even alone, he didn't feel too comfortable with his mode of undress – then again, he was in a perverted shinobi's apartment; there was no telling how Kakashi could be spying on him right now.

He felt the jounin's chakra waver for a moment, and then relax. Iruka could easily place Kakashi in the small kitchen he was laying in a little while ago. From the jounin's lack of movement, he guessed the Copy Cat Nin was sitting down for a moment of rest. He didn't see Kakashi's earlier fall, but he heard the loud crashing and had to wince. The man must have been having a terrible day. Slowly, hoping that Kakashi wasn't tricking him in some way, Iruka stood up and quickly glanced around, hoping to find his clothes.

Damn it…where's my shirt? Iruka wondered as he found the room to be immaculate – there wasn't an article of clothing in sight. Looking around the room for a moment, Iruka caught sight of a small closet. Before he thought about what he was doing – and realizing it could be called snooping, trespassing, and otherwise illegal – Iruka let go of the sheets and silently walked over to the door. He opened the closet up, slightly surprised the paranoid, cautious jounin didn't have it locked or covered in jutsus, and found that the closet, like the rest of the man's house was quite organized. All of Kakashi's clothes were perfectly folded on their shelves or, in the case of his several jackets, hung up – all facing the same direction, zipped up all the way and all pockets buttoned. Anal much? Iruka wondered, studying the way Kakashi's pants and shirts were all folded and placed much like his jackets – in the exact same way. If he didn't know better, Iruka would have wondered if Kakashi ever actually wore these clothes.

Catching a glimpse of a shirt that didn't match the rest of the dark clothing in the closet, Iruka picked up the pale material from the shelf it was sitting on. He unfolded the shirt and found himself having to bite back a laugh as he looked at the ultimate in fandom. The picture of Jiraiya, proudly posing with a pen and piece of paper with a group of scantily clad, busty women around him as he sat on a pile of what Iruka guessed to be his novels was just too much until he saw the signature towards the bottom of the shirt. He had it autographed?! Iruka inwardly snorted as he gently folded the shirt back up and put it back in its proper place, knowing he had already found something he could easily use for blackmail if it came to that.

Quickly taking inventory of the rest of the small room, Iruka saw a tall dresser that he had somehow missed before. He opened the top drawer, finding kunai pouches neatly lined up sitting in it. Gently lifting one up and finding it to be quite heavy, Iruka guessed all the pouches were filled with weapons. Similarly, he found the next drawer down to be filled with neatly organized bags of shuriken. The third and last drawer was, surprisingly, locked. It only took Iruka a moment of concentration to unlock the drawer with a jutsu Kiba and Naruto had discovered in one of their first years at the academy – a jutsu he was now glad the two deviants had taught him when he discovered them with the answers to the next day's big test. He knelt down in front of the drawer, curious to know what would be in the drawer.

He opened the drawer slowly, focusing his chakra on the piece of furniture, but finding not a single jutsu attached to the only locked thing in Kakashi's entire closet. Iruka's eyes widened when he saw a black box to the right of the drawer and twin swords on the other side. He lifted the two blades out of the drawer as carefully as possible, memorizing their exact position so the jounin wouldn't notice he had gone through his things. Iruka was about to pull one of the blades out of its dark sheathe when he saw something shining from where the swords had just been laying. Placing the swords down on the floor, Iruka lifted the thin strip of metal out of the drawer. He immediately recognized it as a hitai-ate, but furrowed his eyebrows as he studied it more closely. From its style, he knew it to be much older than the protectors every shinobi was given nowadays. It was also much smaller than an adult's hitai-ate, which only confused him more. If he had to guess, he would say it was Kakashi's hitai-ate from when he was young, but he knew that a shinobi was only given a new forehead protector when their old one was destroyed – whether accidentally in battle or on purpose when they moved up in status level to chuunin or jounin. The point behind only having one hitai-ate per shinobi was to keep the chances of someone infiltrating the village under the disguise of a Konoha shinobi down. If they had a real hitai-ate and weren't using any jutsu to change their features, it was very hard to tell that they were enemies unless an expansive search was done to figure out if they were actual shinobi from Konohagure. Usually, by the time it was discovered the shinobi wasn't from the village, their risky mission had already been completed.

Iruka looked over the hitai-ate for another minute, wondering if it might be from one of Kakashi's old teammates – both who were rumored to have been killed while still young. Iruka was about to put the old protector back when he saw a second piece of metal glittering in the drawer. This one, unlike the small one he held in his hands, Iruka could immediately tell was an adult's and, from its style, was also an older hitai-ate. He brushed the tattered material that covered most of the hitai-ate away and froze when he saw the deep crack through the center of it. No, not a crack…Iruka realized as he looked at the metal, too afraid to even touch it as his heart sped up and he lost the ability to breathe. He could see the mark was a scratch that went straight through Konoha's symbol – the mark of a traitor. He quickly put the youth's hitai-ate back over the terrifying object, his heartbeat still racing. Iruka knew Kakashi to be one of the most loyal shinobi to exist, but to have a traitor's hitai-ate in his home was more than suspicious. Iruka looked down at the two swords resting next to him on the floor and remembered the stories – the whispers – he had heard about Kakashi's father. He was considered a traitor…because he killed himself…Iruka reminded himself, his heartbeat starting to finally slow down as he theorized why Kakashi would own such a thing. Iruka carefully set the blades back over the hitai-ates – both of which were illegal to possess, but he could understand why the jounin held onto them, so he knew he wouldn't say anything about them.

Iruka then looked at the black box on the other side of the drawer and, somewhat hesitant to know what else Kakashi could be hiding, lifted the heavy box out and set it down on the floor. Studying the rectangular object, now seeing it wasn't simply a box, but a chest, Iruka flipped open the latches on the chest and slowly lifted back the hinged lid. Almost as soon as he opened the box, he slammed the chest shut with an echoing bang, having only gotten a glimpse of the dark material and white mask in it. His ANBU uniform…Iruka had immediately recognized it, knowing that he couldn't look at the mask long enough to etch it in his memory. To know an ANBU member's true identity was dangerous. Not only would your own life be in danger – because of both the ANBU and whatever enemies wanted to know such precious knowledge would come after you – but that ANBU member's as well for the same reasons. He had only heard of a few instances where Konoha's own citizens disappeared one night because they were said to know a certain ANBU member's identity. The ANBU couldn't risk having anyone outside their own ranks to know such things and took drastic measures – even against their own – to keep identities a complete secret. Iruka quickly closed the latches and set the chest back in its rightful place and silently closed the drawer.

No wonder it was locked…Iruka thought to himself, wondering why Kakashi wouldn't put more protection on such important items than a simple lock, then remembered the jounin's room had been locked. He was so concerned on feigning unconsciousness, Iruka hadn't noticed whether or not the room itself had been protected by any jutsu, only that Kakashi had used a key to open the door.

Iruka quickly stood back up, trying to forget that mask as well as the urge to get a better look at it. He looked around the closet again and quickly picked up one of the jounin's many folded shirts and threw it on. Iruka was immediately amazed at how soft the material was and, for a moment, found himself wondering what Kakashi put in his laundry and if the jounin would share his secret. Shaking his head at such a strange thought, Iruka slipped out of the closet and closed the door as quietly as possible. He quickly checked on Kakashi's chakra, noticing it had hardly moved since he had gotten out of the bed. Raising an eyebrow at this, Iruka padded across the room and opened the door. He peeked into the hallway, wondering if the jounin's chakra was some kind of trick, but didn't see the man waiting outside. Breathing a sigh of relief, hoping Kakashi didn't hear the loud bang the chest had made when he quickly shut it, Iruka walked down the hallway towards the jounin's chakra.

As soon as he reached the living room, which was attached to the kitchen, Iruka caught a glimpse of the jounin and again found his heart racing. Kakashi was sprawled out across the couch and, now seeing the piece of furniture he had been laying on before, Iruka realized how ugly it was and didn't feel at all bad for soaking it. Kakashi looked like he was sleeping, which was strange enough in itself considering the uncomfortable position he was in, but what had gotten Iruka to almost jump was the dark stain trailing down the back of the couch to where the jounin's head was resting on the armrest.

Baka…Iruka inwardly grumbled as he walked over to the man and noticed that the stain wasn't simply contained to the couch, but had already seeped into the armrest, the jounin's normally green jacket, and, somehow, Iruka knew the one side of the man's black mask was also soaked through.

Iruka knelt down next to the couch and studied the man's face. Kakashi was naturally pale, but right now was a few shades lighter than usual. "Oi…" Iruka said softly as he patted the jounin's cheek, remembering the few times he had actually tried to wake other jounin out of their naps and had to dodge kunai like crazy – wondering where the hell all the weapons were coming from – until the sleepy shinobi realized where they were and who he was. It wasn't a happy memory on Iruka's part. He was about to jump back when he saw the man's one visible eye flicker open, but froze when he saw the jounin's unfocused gaze. "Kakashi…?" Iruka spoke gently, hoping not to surprise the jounin into attacking him – if he thought Kurenai was a bad person to wake up, he couldn't imagine what the Copy Cat Nin would do if he thought he was an enemy.

"Uh…" the jounin mumbled, blinking his eye slowly, then finally coming to look at Iruka. "'Ru…ka?" Iruka could immediately hear the slur in his speech, but kept himself from becoming worried, having known some people – like Naruto – who always were like this when they woke up. Then again, how many people slurred their speech when their blood was everywhere? Kakashi recognized him, though, so Iruka breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"Can you sit up?" Iruka asked, not wanting to touch the man just yet. In Asuma's case, it wasn't talking to him, but trying to shake him awake that set him off… The chuunin shivered, remembering how deadly that black-lunged moron could be with his lighter and cigarettes. Kakashi moved his head in what Iruka guessed to be a nod and Iruka stepped back as Kakashi, with a great deal of effort, pushed himself up into a sitting position. Almost instantly, Kakashi slumped forwards, holding the back of his head.

"Kuso!" the jounin cursed painfully. Iruka let out a deep breath of air, relieved to hear the man was slowly returning to normal – or as normal as Kakashi got. The silver-haired shinobi lifted his head enough that he could look at Iruka, but kept a tight hold on the back of his head where he could feel the gentle, warm flow of blood slide between his fingers. "Damn tea…"

If Iruka hadn't been awake for Kakashi's fall before, he knew he would have been puzzled by the man's statement, so he had to bite back an outright laugh and feign confusion. "Are you okay, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, genuinely worried about the man. It wasn't that often that a jounin would pass out, bleeding all over his couch, then wake up slightly disoriented.

"Fine…I get attacked by WASABI, then damn instant water…" the jounin snorted and, for a moment, Iruka swore he could tell the man was pouting. The chuunin merely raised an eyebrow at the 'instant water' part and then tried to think of why a condiment would attack him. After a moment of thinking about it, he remembered the rumors of the secret gang that went by the same name as the green sauce. Iruka studied the jounin, seeing no other obvious, severe injuries than the one on the back of his head that he had given himself. For the group to best a jounin like Kakashi, they must be quite powerful. Iruka wondered momentarily why a gang would call itself Wasabi and, as though Kakashi knew what he was thinking, added, "It's an acronym…a stupid one, too…"

"…okay…" Iruka felt that it was safe enough to get closer to Kakashi, since the man was apparently awake from their confusing conversation. He leaned in towards the jounin and, placing his fingers under the man's masked chin, Iruka lifted Kakashi's head up and studied his face. "Do you feel dizzy or anything, Kakashi?" Iruka asked, wondering how hard the man had whacked himself in the head. From what he had heard, it was a pretty good hit. Kakashi shook his head, his one eye staring at him.

Iruka knew he had to look at the jounin's injury before deciding if he had to take Kakashi to the hospital. He knew almost all shinobi – especially those as powerful and proud as the man sitting in front of him – would ignore any pain they had and lie if asked how they felt. Iruka could only imagine how Kakashi would be mocked if the rest of the jounin community found out he had to go to the hospital after falling and hitting his head in his own home. He pulled Kakashi's hand away from the back of his head – not without a fight on the jounin's part – and when he finally succeeded, Iruka winced as he studied the back of the man's head; almost all of his hair was stained a bright crimson and, with a few gentle prods, Iruka could feel the barest of cracks in the man's skull. How do you crack your skull by slipping in the kitchen? Iruka wondered to himself as he pulled his hand away from the jounin's head and sighed. If it had only been a cut, he would have been more lenient with the man, but he knew that if Kakashi had cracked the bone, there could be more serious injuries than just the bloody cut that had yet to fully clot in the back of his head.

"You're really cute…" Iruka froze when he heard the jounin's comment, instantly admitting that he was taking the man to the hospital, even if Kakashi had to be dragged in, kicking and screaming by every jounin Iruka could find on the way there. For a moment, Iruka basked in the wonderful image that created, then felt slightly ashamed for thinking of such a thing as good. Kakashi hurt himself trying to "help" Iruka and all the chuunin was thinking of was how much pleasure he would get out of stripping Kakashi of his pride.

"Um…thank you…" Iruka replied, leaning back on his heels so he could look into the jounin's face. Even for Kakashi, the man's current expression was quite blank. "Kakashi…you have to go to the hospital, okay? You hit your head pretty hard before." Iruka slowly stood up, pulling the jounin up with him. He almost fell back down, finding the jounin to be surprisingly heavy for his thin frame. Staggering under Kakashi's weight as the man fell forwards, leaning against him, Iruka audibly eeped when the taller man's hand brushed against his posterior.

Go through my closet, will you…kukuku…Kakashi smirked into Iruka's shoulder as he felt the younger man tense under him. Upon waking up, he had immediately noticed the chuunin was wearing one of his shirts – all of which he knew to be in the closet in his room; the same closet that held quite personal items. He had a feeling Iruka knew exactly what was in the only locked drawer in his closet – someone like Iruka must have a few tricks up his sleeve if he was able to teach those demons Kakashi called his genin team.

Of course, Kakashi had to wonder where that 'cute' comment had come from as Iruka half-dragged him towards the front door. He admitted the chuunin wasn't half bad looking before when he carried the sleeping man into his room, but he hadn't meant to say it out loud just now. Well, having already said it, Kakashi knew all he could do was make Iruka think it was the head injury and the jounin knew he would milk this injury as much as possible. As soon as Iruka got him out the door, Kakashi made it a point to "innocently touch" – AKA grope – the poor chuunin as they staggered along the blessedly empty streets. The last thing either of them needed was people to see the chuunin having to steady the bleeding jounin as they walked along or Kakashi grabbing Iruka at every opportunity. Kakashi tried to ignore it, but a part of him couldn't help but admit he liked the way Iruka squeaked every time he did it or how the chuunin blushed furiously for their entire walk.

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Authoress: aw, Kakashi's getting a little bit of revenge…then again, he deserves it after WASABI, ne?...so, thank all of you for reading and I can't wait to hear what you think of how the story's coming along!! So please review or I won't know how much to get back at Kakashi next chapter! Kukuku!!