A/N: SO, SO sorry it's taken me a while to put this up. ^^; NaNoWriMo ate up my life. Anyway, enough of that! Here comes Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! ~


Chapter Seven

It all continued this way for a while. Kakashi supervised Naruto's training every day, making sure that the genin learned to manipulate his wind nature and control his chakra at the same time. It was the usual routine.

Meanwhile, on his side of things, Iruka felt that he was regaining a sense of normalcy again in his life. He only went to visit the doctor once more, and that was to finally give his pain medication back; it was no longer needed. He resumed his teaching duties at the academy, much to his students' excitement as well as his own. Sure, he still occasionally thought of the chuunin life he really wanted— going on missions and all of that. But, after what he had been through those past few weeks, it was nice to simply pick up where he had left off.

It wasn't like before though. Iruka no longer felt sad about not being a part of Naruto's saw Naruto all the time now because of Kakashi. Any spare time they took off of training, Kakashi and Naruto met up with Iruka at Ichiraku Ramen. Sometimes, Yamato would join in, too. It was everything Iruka had been dreaming about.

On one particularly hot day, the steaming noodle dish didn't really sound appealing to any of them, even Naruto. He was so eager to conclude his training that he decided to stay out on the field with Yamato. Kakashi insisted that he stay, too; however, Naruto wouldn't have it.

"No way, Kakashi-sensei!" The blonde said confidently. "You go do what you want to do today!" Naruto's voice lowered as he looked off toward the woods. "I think someone's willing to keep you company."

Kakashi's eyebrow arched in confusion. His eyes glanced in the general direction that Naruto's had. Sure enough, standing there with a broad smile on his face, was Iruka. He waved shyly. If it hadn't been for his mask, Naruto and Yamato both would have seen Kakashi's face and neck flush red. He cleared his throat as he turned to Yamato.

"Are you sure you can handle him alone?" Kakashi asked.

"It's not a problem, senpai." Yamato replied. Kakashi nodded as he faced Naruto again.

"You're almost there. Push to the finish." he stated.

With a sharp salute, Naruto beamed. "Yes, sir!"

Kakashi saluted as well and headed for the trees, leaving Naruto and Yamato to begin. He strode up to Iruka casually, gesturing over his shoulder.

"You put Naruto up to this, didn't you?"

Iruka laughed softly, adjusting his headband a little. They both knew the answer to that question, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he turned and began to walk. Kakashi walked slightly behind him, and as soon as they were far enough away from the clearing, Kakashi took his chance. He snaked his arms around Iruka's waist, and Iruka yelped in surprise. Kakashi whirled Iruka behind the nearest tree, pressing the chuunin up against its trunk. He yanked down his mask and devoured Iruka's lips with his. At first, Iruka struggled, but then his eyes fluttered closed, and his arms wrapped around Kakashi's neck. The kiss went on for another minute before Iruka pulled away, trying to catch his breath.

"K-Kakashi!" he managed.

The jounin chuckled mischievously. "Don't tell me you're complaining, Iruka."

Yet, Iruka's eyes were wide with fear, his cheeks red with embarrassment as he squeaked, "We're not alone…"

Kakashi quickly moved away from Iruka, yanked his mask back into place, and whipped around. He felt his cheeks burn red as well upon seeing Sakura. She was merely feet away from the two, grasping a basket of soldier pills with both hands, and her lips were pressed into a firm line. Iruka swallowed nervously as he tried walking towards her.

"S-Sakura, um…" he trailed off, failing to find the right words.

The pink-haired chuunin continued to stand there in silence. She studied them both for a moment, noticing their flustered faces. Finally, a bright smile crossed her face.

"I can't believe you two have kept this a secret." she said excitedly.

"Well…" Iruka began. Yet, he felt Kakashi's hand grasp his, and he fell silent. He looked to Kakashi to find that the Copy Ninja was smiling.

"There's no need for it to be a secret anymore." Kakashi told her honestly. "Sakura… besides Naruto, you should be one of the first to know."

Sakura pouted playfully. "So even Naruto knew before me? That's low, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi chuckled a little. Upon seeing this, Iruka grinned and began to laugh, too. For both of them, this was a bit out of relief. Each man had a huge doubt that Sakura would be so open to the idea of their relationship. But, now that she was, they both could relax.

"Well, I'd better get these to him." Sakura said. She approached Kakashi, now holding her basket with one hand. With the other, she punched him VERY lightly in the shoulder. Kakashi was thankful for it.

"You two are adorable." she quipped, her smile widening. She then turned to go.

"Wait a minute, Sakura." Iruka piped up.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, facing her two teachers once more. "What is it, Iruka-sensei?"

Her fellow chuunin scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "W-Would you mind not telling anyone about this?" he asked. He squeezed Kakashi's hand. "I mean, while it shouldn't be a secret anymore… I think we'd both like to do that ourselves."

"Of course." Sakura answered waved as she ran off toward the training field.

The minute she left their field of vision, Iruka let out a large sigh. He pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead. "That could've been so much worse." He then looked to Kakashi, a smile crossing his face. "You know that right?"

"Absolutely." Kakashi said, taking no hesitation in responding. He faced Iruka again, his voice lowering. "We have to understand though."

"Understand what?" Iruka asked, his smile falling a little.

"That not everyone is going to be so open about it."

Iruka's gaze shifted to the ground. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Kakashi was right. In his heart, he feared telling Tsunade the most. She was the Hokage after all. What if their relationship would affect their positions in the village? His lower lip trembled at the thought. It would be a huge risk.

"We have to tell Tsunade-sama, Iruka." Kakashi stated.

Iruka's eyes went wide as they locked with Kakashi's. It was as though the Copy Ninja had read his mind.

"B-But, I may lose my job at the Academy! And she might make us retire from being chuunin and jounin! How are we going to convince her to—"

"I don't think it's going to matter."

Iruka opened his mouth to protest, but he halted. He squeezed Kakashi's hand tenderly. He gave Kakashi the time to explain himself.

"If she goes with it, then great. It won't change anything at all. And if she doesn't… well, it still won't change anything. Going into retirement will give us even more time together." Kakashi's eyes met Iruka's. "We could even move in together."

Iruka scoffed with a smile. "L-Like we already haven't."

Kakashi grinned as he took both of Iruka's hands, their fingers weaving as Kakashi continued.

"That's why I think it won't matter what Tsunade-sama decides. And as long as I'm with you, I don't care."

Iruka's mouth hung agape, a blush burning his face and neck. He chuckled a bit as he swung their arms back and forth.

"Then, I don't care either. As long as I'm with you, Kakashi."


It didn't mean that Iruka still wasn't scared out of his mind.

He tried breathing evenly as he and Kakashi stood outside of Tsunade's office a few hours later. He worried about his ribcage being bruised from how hard his heart was beating. Yet, it was now or never. Tsunade would either accept or reject it. There was no way that Iruka wanted his relationship with Kakashi to remain shrouded in the shadows.

Deep down, Kakashi was worrying just as much, but he refused to show it. Any faltering, any hesitation at all would make Tsunade doubt his stability as well as Iruka's. That was one of the last things Kakashi wanted.

The door to Tsunade's office swung open, sending both men reeling for a moment. Shizune stood there, smiling at them. The pixie brunette was her usual self, her shoulders pulled back and her chin tilted up in assurance.

"Tsunade-sama will see you now." she stated. Her voice softened a little. "But, I would go easy on her. She's had a very busy day."

Iruka glanced nervously at Kakashi, but the Copy Ninja returned Iruka's gaze with a confident nod. The moment had arrived. The two stepped into Tsunade's office, and Shizune closed the door behind them. She then dutifully returned to her place beside Tsunade. The Fifth Hokage slumped in her chair a bit, propping her chin with one hand as her other twirled a pencil in thought. There were slight circles under her eyes, and she cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Gentlemen. You needed to see me?"

Kakashi put his hands to his sides before bowing. "Thank you for fitting us into your schedule, Tsunade-sama." he addressed her. "We wanted to discuss something with you."

Tsunade now held her head high. "Is it about Naruto? Or his newest mission to pursue Akatsuki?"

"Neither." Iruka spoke up. Tsunade's eyes fell on him, immediately rendering him speechless. Kakashi decided to pick it back up.

"Iruka's right. It's not about Naruto." The jounin explained. "It's about… us, actually."

"Really?" Tsunade asked with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

If this were to go badly, Iruka didn't want Kakashi to completely take the fall. Suddenly, he grasped Kakashi's hand in his, holding it in plain sight for Tsunade. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise, as did Tsunade's and Shizune's. The room fell silent for a fraction of a second. Iruka swallowed nervously.

"We had to tell you, Hokage-sama… that we are in a relationship."

Tsunade visibly stiffened. Even Shizune winced. The office was enveloped with a much longer silence this time. However, Kakashi wouldn't let it stay that way.

"Yes. That's what we've come here to tell you." He squeezed Iruka's hand. "And we want to assure you that it won't affect our positions here in Konoha. I will still focus on my duties as a sensei and a jounin, while Iruka remains focused on his duties as a teacher and chuunin. We won't let this interfere with what needs to be done."

"W-We know it's a bit unexpected." Iruka continued. "But… this feels right." He smiled. "I wouldn't be who I am today without Kakashi, and I'm sure he can say the same of me. You are one of the only people in the village who knows besides Naruto and Sakura, and we had an obligation to tell you because, well, you're our Hokage. You're supposed to know everything that happens in Konoha…"

Tsunade didn't speak. Shizune looked back and forth between the two shinobi and then set her eyes cautiously on Tsunade. The Hokage folded her hands together, her elbows resting on her desk as she stared them down. Kakashi and Iruka both stood firm. She closed her eyes. Iruka's heart nearly stopped as her lips formed words.

"I could give you both an honorable discharge. I could say that you felt that it was your time to quit being shinobi… because to openly admit of a relationship like this to your comrades and the rest of the village could call your reputations into question."

Kakashi and Iruka remained mute. Tsunade's eyes opened.

"Asuma and Kurenai managed it, and I'm sure you could as well, yet this is different. Asuma had his credibility as the Third's son. Also, their relationship was clearly… heterosexual."

Iruka flinched at the word. He laced his fingers with Kakashi's.

Tsunade stood, her hands pressed into the wood of her desk. "Yet, your places in the village are too important to relinquish as of this moment. The Academy is struggling to find willing ninja to fill positions, and Naruto needs to resume his training. Therefore, I won't pass judgment."

Although both Iruka and Kakashi felt a huge weight leave their shoulders, they stayed rooted to their spots. Tsunade's gaze was still stern and upon them.

"Understand, however, that if your romance impedes on your ability to complete your tasks, you'll report back here to sign resignation documents. Is that clear?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Iruka answered. "We won't let you down."

"Good." Tsunade said. "Now, get out. I have things to do."

Kakashi and Iruka locked eyes, and both could tell that the other was relieved and elated at the news. They bowed briefly before exiting Tsunade's office, shutting the door behind them.

Tsunade let out a sigh that she had obviously been holding back. Shizune looked at her superior.

"I had no clue that they were…"

"I did." Tsunade confessed.

Shizune looked at the Hokage quizzically. Tsunade returned her gaze with a small smile.

"They've reached out to each other since they were boys. After Kakashi lost his father and Obito and Iruka lost his parents, they had a new respect for one another." She shook her head in disbelief. "They're good at not showing it though, especially Kakashi."

Shizune blinked. "So, what are you going to do?"

Tsunade said nothing at first. Finally, when she did, it was with a shrug.

"I'm going to see if they can manage it."


A/N: Finished AT LAST! Good grief haha. Thanks for sticking with me, people! Review, review, review, and Chapter 8 will be out soon!