"I can't believe he's late…" Kurenai muttered.

"Why? He's late to everything," Asuma replied with an eyebrow raised and a slow drag of his cigarette.

They were waiting in front of the restaurant where they had agreed to meet for their unofficial double date. Their last member was fifteen minutes late.

"I'm sorry," Hana sighed, "I should have thought about picking him up instead of giving him a meeting place, but this is the first time it happens."

"It is?" Asuma gave her a surprised glance and adjusted his position to the wind to keep the smoke away from her and her dogs (it always made them sneeze).

"Yes. Usually, we just… meet each other…" Hana explained as she rubbed her brows, trying to muster as much patience as possible. It was her first time experiencing her boyfriend's bad habit and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. It certainly calmed her excitement for their first (secret) date. "I'm not used to this." And she didn't want to be. "How much is he late usually?"

"It depends." Asuma shrugged. "Half an hour if it's important, two hours if he's in a bad mood."

She groaned and crossed her arms. "I don't care. If he's not here in five minutes, we're eating without him. I'm ravenous." Haimaru barked in agreement at her feet. They had an early training this morning, precisely to not be late.

Kurenai squeezed her shoulder gently in silent compassion. Hana gave her a small smile to convince her that she was fine. She knew what she was signing for with Hatake Kakashi as a boyfriend; she could deal with it but if he expected her to always wait for him, he had another thing coming… especially when it was about food.

Ma whined and nudged her hand. She patted his head with understanding. "I know, I know. We'll have our revenge by ordering the most expensive dishes and get him to pay for it. Okay?"

"Good luck with that," Asuma replied. "He gets the others to pay for him, not the reverse."

"Well. He can pay or he can play it solo for a while," Hana grumbled, getting small smirks from her friends as they understood her innuendo.

"I'll pay." Kakashi dropped from the roof to land in front of them and waved. "Sorry for the wait. Let's go eat, shall we?" He caught Hana by the waist and pushed her in, using this small opportunity to whisper in her ear: "I'm really sorry."

"The boys and I are really hungry, Kakashi, you better have your wallet," she grumbled in answer, without much heat but without excusing him either. If she started to forgive him too easily, he might get the idea that it was okay. She had raised a brother and trained dogs, she knew how these things worked.

"I'll make up for it," he promised. They chose to sit at a low table since it was easier than a booth with the Haimaru brothers lounging around them. Nonetheless, Kakashi sat next to her and used the cover of the table to squeeze her hand.

She gave him a small smile and let him withdraw without a comment, pleased that he spontaneously gave her a small token of intimacy despite everything.

"So? No fancy excuses today, Kakashi?" Asuma teased with a lopsided smile.

"Maa. I had to escape Naruto. He was rather determined that I enroll him in the Chuunin Exams."

"Good thing that you already did, then, uh?"

"What?" Hana looked up from the menu. "You did?"

"We all did," Kurenai confirmed.

"You did?!" Hana repeated, this time a little more high-pitched. She blanched at the image of her little brother in a chuunin vest then she thought about what he would have to go through to get that vest and she raised a hand to ask for a bottle of sake. "Isn't it a bit early? They graduated only three months ago!"

"They made a lot of progress Hana, they will be fine," Kurenai tried to comfort her.

"And it's much better to have their first try here," Asuma pointed out.

"True," Hana mumbled, "but still… they're just kids." She felt the mood shift a little without understanding why. Asuma was staring at Kakashi as if he was waiting for him to react and Kurenai had her jaw clenched as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself from doing so. In doubt, Hana clarified: "I mean, my jounin sensei only let us participate when we were fourteen. Do you know how much Kiba is going to brag about doing it younger than me?"

That seemed to break the ice somehow as they all laughed at her. They took a break to order their meal and any tension disappeared

"Where was your exam?" Kurenai asked.

"In Suna. It was the end of spring and it was so hot. Right, guys?" The Haimaru brothers whined and turned on their back, paws in the air and tongue dangling to illustrate what they thought of it. "Yes, it was torture," Hana approved, nodding very seriously. "I didn't care about anything else than being done as soon as possible to escape the heat. As a result, I basically beat them all into submission. Some people were pissed because the fights were so short." She shrugged. "So, the first try was enough. What about you three?"

"Well, things were a bit different at the time, it was in the middle of the Third War after all, so it was Konoha nin only," Kurenai explained succinctly.

"Ah, of course." Hana nodded and, understanding that anything about the war wasn't good conversation material for a double date, she redirected the discussion: "At least, you're right, it should be more secure in Konoha. It was pretty tough in Suna and they're allies, but here…" She shrugged. "If you think that Kiba is ready for this then I trust you, you've worked with him more than I did these last months."

Kurenai smiled and relaxed a little. "I am sure. Those rookies are talented."

"They are," Asuma agreed, "all they need is a wakeup call to the reality of the job and I think that the Chuunin Exams could give them that in a controlled space."

"So… you're not really planning on them getting promoted?" Hana asked, just to be sure.

"I think that Shino could be, maybe," Kurenai said with her chin on her hand.

"Shikamaru might," Asuma noted.

They turned to Kakashi who had stayed rather quiet during the conversation, although his book was nowhere in sight. "Mh? Oh. Yeah, Sasuke, maybe," he acknowledged.

Their food arrived, stopping any more questioning on the subject. As Hana leaned back to hand over the raw meat to her ninken, she moved to whisper in her boyfriend's ear: "Everything's alright?"

He nodded and offered her an eye-smile. She didn't believe him one bit but she wasn't going to push the matter here and now. She focused on her katsudon and the stories they traded about training genins (and pups). After a while, Kakashi shared a few of his own anecdotes – he had a lot to say about Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja – and they got a good conversation flowing, relaxed and friendly.

When they separated, Hana was quite happy with her lunch but she hadn't forgotten Kakashi's weird mood. She fell into step behind him, itching to take his hand in hers. The book was back though, which was just as good as a sign saying "back off". So she stayed quiet and simply followed him around with her hands in her red skirt's pockets (because yes, she had put on casual clothes for their date and her skirt had pockets! Bless skirts and dresses with pockets).

"You're not going to let me go, are you?" Kakashi sighed after they passed by the road leading to Hana's house.

"Nope!" She confirmed cheerfully. "Do you want to get some tea at my house? Kiba should have already left to meet his team."

"… Alright."

Home was indeed empty and the Haimaru brothers chose to run around the compound with some of their friends, leaving them both alone. The book was still stuck in front of Kakashi's eye however and she barely got a thank you for the tea she served him.

With a sigh, she stood up and left the living room. She came back from her bedroom with the Icha Icha Paradise that Kakashi had lent to her and that she had never found the occasion to give back (she was a little embarrassed by the idea of walking around with this on her). "Here, before I forget again," she said, putting the book on the table in front of him.

"Forget? How could you, Hana-chan," Kakashi exclaimed, mock-outraged, "I thought you were keeping it to savor it!"

"Uhuh, once was enough, thanks." She went to sit on the other side of the table but Kakashi caught her hand and pulled her on his lap. It was a nice change to his previous mood so she went with it, putting her arms around his neck for balance.

"Oh, Hana, my beloved, moon of my life, you sparked in me a fire without any other…"

Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare!"

But Kakashi continued, mercilessly delivering the most famous tirade of the book and adding ad-lib parts: "… but your appreciation of a literature masterpiece left to be desire."

She burst into laughter and hit him lightly in the chest in retaliation. "Idiot."

"I'll pretend you didn't try an obvious distraction tactic if you forget I ever said that."

She only laughed harder, not even surprised that he had seen through her attempt to make him talk to her one way or another (and it had worked). "I won't ever forget that, this was too incongruous." she replied, drying the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand. She snuggled in his arms and kissed his covered cheek. "I'm sorry. I understand that you like to keep to yourself sometimes. Just… tell me if you're getting any second thoughts about us?"

"I'm not," he replied calmly, "I'm sorry that I was late and not very good company but it's unrelated to us, I promise."

She relaxed and gave him a small smile. "Alright."

Kakashi removed his mask in a silent invitation. They kissed slowly, conveying with their lips apologies and forgiveness, tenderness and care.

That sweet moment was broken by the loud opening of the front door and Kiba's impending arrival. Although they separated and the Icha Icha books disappeared from view, Hana was still on Kakashi's lap when the living room's door slid open.

"Hana! Guess what!" Her brother froze and gaped at the sight welcoming him. Once he recovered, he pointed at the jounin accusingly. "You pervert! Get away from my sister!"

"There is an uncanny resemblance to Naruto," Kakashi mumbled, tilting his head.

Hana was too busy throwing her slipper at Kiba's head to answer. "You idiot! Sit down and don't be so rude!"

The boy rubbed his face and lazily threw back the shoe at her but he didn't stop grumbling under his breath. Akamaru was wisely staying out of the line of fire by walking and sitting down behind his master.

"Kakashi is my boyfriend. I expect you to welcome him." 'Or else' was heavily implied by her glare.

"But, but… he's old!" Kiba avoided the next hit and insisted: "He's like… ten years older than you!"

"Nine," Kakashi clarified in a sing-song voice. He was obviously much more amused than offended by her brother's comments. Naruto probably had him prepared to something of the sort.

"See? He's way too old for you!"

"Don't be an idiot, Kiba. dad's eight years older than mom."

"Yeah, well, they're not a good reference, are they?"

Her eyebrow twitched and she pulled herself out of Kakashi's lap to jump at Kiba's neck, catching him in an armlock and giving him a painful noogie. "Listen, you little mutt, I don't care what you think but you better deal with it and behave!"

"Mom won't approve! You're supposed to introduce him to her first!" He whined, trying to get out of her hold, in vain.

"Actually, I totally approve," Tsume replied cheerfully from the doorway. "Hatake gets my sense of humor, which makes him perfect!"

"But mom! He's old!"

"Nah, that's the grey hair, it's misleading," their mother replied with a wave of her hand. "He's in his prime. Perfect material for baby making!"

Kakashi visibly sweatdropped and Hana immediately let go of her brother – who was too busy gagging theatrically to care anyway. "Alright, we get it mom. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Akamaru was walking along the wall for a strategic retreat, leaving his partner rolling on the ground.

"Stop being so dramatic, Kiba," Tsume sighed with her arms crossed, "aren't you supposed to pretend you're ready to be a chuunin or something?"

He immediately jumped to his feet. "Right! I'm going to participate to the Chuunin Exams! I'm totally ready!"

"Right," Hana drawled, squinting at him before crawling back to Kakashi and hiding her face against his shoulder. "He's going to get killed," she mumbled, dejected.

"There, there," Kakashi replied, patting her head gently. "I'm sure his teammates won't let that happen."

"Hey!"

oOo

Hana had volunteered to be a standby medic-nin in the tower of the Forest of Death during the exam. She had thought she could stay informed in this way… and she was starting to wonder if it was such a good idea. It certainly played on her nerves.

With the rumor of Orochimaru's intrusion (Orochimaru! of all people! only Itachi could have been worse), she had tried to catch Kakashi but he had only reassured her that every rookie had reached the tower mostly uninjured before immediately disappearing on her.

Fine, okay, she understood that he must be busy and preoccupied. So she went back to work and stayed focused.

The first matches were perfectly normal with only mild injuries. Once Sakura and Ino regained consciousness, she took a minute to congratulate them on their match. They had taken their training seriously and it had shown: though they were even-matched and unable to use iryou-ninjutsu in battle yet, they had fought well. On Sakura's demand, Hana helped her to untie her hair, the tight bun that she had used making it harder to rest comfortably.

The following fights were calm enough that she was able to see the match between her brother and Naruto. Considering that she loved them both, she was glad that any cheering on her part would have been unprofessional, forcing her to keep quiet. She couldn't help but snort and cover her eyes though, when Naruto farted, sharing her little brother's pain at having to smell this in his transformed state. Beside him, the Haimaru brothers whined low and covered their muzzle.

This fight wasn't going in any history book, that's for sure, but it will teach Kiba to not underestimate his opponents. Naruto definitely was unpredictable.

And if it meant that she didn't need to worry anymore about her little brother getting hurt in this exam… well, that was a bonus that she would keep for herself.

The following match broke the peaceful rhythm, forcing her medic team to rush at Hinata's side and take her to the emergency room. The damages were intern, caused by chakra coils' rupture or loss of chakra flow in the organs, both tricky to heal but near impossible without the help of a Hyuuga. Thankfully they had one, who ended up doing most of the work on his own.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing considering that several of them were being called back by the medic standing by the arena. As soon as she stepped in, Hana understood why. The Sand nin was on a murderous level like no other. For a few seconds, she was convinced that they would have to evacuate a corpse, if he even left one intact. At Gai's intervention, she didn't waste a second, ignoring the killing intent coming from the crazy kid since there was a jounin between he and she. She held back a wince at the sight of Lee standing up despite the fact that he was unconscious with a mashed leg. That was Gai's apprentice alright.

His leg and arm injuries were more of her specialty: they were the kind that could be encountered in the field. However, adding to that the opening of three of the Eight Gates, which left the body severely stressed… It's not like Lee's chakra coils were optimal in the first place. It was a very frustrating process which was not helped by Gai barging in to ask about his student's health. "Get the fuck out of here, Gai!" She cursed, forgetting any politeness as she tried to save the muscles. The bones had already been tricky, fragmented as they had been, but the torn muscles were a mess. She barely registered the nurse wiping her sweating forehead or her two colleagues working on the leg (it looked even worse if that was possible, and Lee's unconscious stunt certainly hadn't helped).

She didn't notice the Akimichi heir being brought in and by the time she was done, the finals' matches had been decided and everyone had been dismissed.

Teams were still waiting for news about their injured members however. And, since she had the gall to shout at a renowned jounin like Gai, she was appointed spokeswoman. She rolled her eyes at them all, washed her hands, downed a glass of water and stepped into the waiting room.

Gai immediately grasped her shoulders, lifting her from the ground. "How is he?" He asked in a voice so calm that it was worrying compared to his usual excitement.

"Gai, put her down if you want her to talk," Kakashi advised. Hana was surprised that he was still here considering that Sakura had already been released, just like Ino and Tenten. A look around informed her that every rookie was here.

"Of course! My apologies, Hana-san."

"Thanks," she sighed when her feet touched the ground. "Lee is… compromised. We expect a full recovery for his arm although he'll need reeducation. However his leg… a loss of mobility is very likely. There is little chance that he'll be able to resume his career," she explained bluntly.

"I see… Can I see him?" Gai asked, subdued.

"Don't touch him, don't wake him, don't even talk to him: if he pulls off his sleep walk again and messes up his leg even more, I'll release the Inuzuka's kennels on you," she warned with a finger raised. That was a bit exaggerated but it was Gai she was talking to: it was necessary. It even seemed to help his mood.

"Understood! Your dedication to Lee's well-being is heart-warming, Hana-san!" He hugged her suddenly and so quickly that he left her spinning once he was gone.

"Whatever," she grumbled, turning back the right way. She caught sight of the Hyuuga's upturned nose and glared at him before being grabbed by her little brother.

"How's Hinata?" He blurted out.

She reflexively punched him on the head. "Stop shaking me for Kami's sake! Hinata's fine," she replied shortly. "We expect a full recovery but she'll need time for her body to recuperate, one to two months probably. Her lungs took most of the damage."

Kurenai nodded in understanding. Lungs were one of the most fragile organs (right, Asuma?). Kiba, however, growled and glared at Neji, forcing his sister to hold him back with a arm around his neck (not that she wouldn't have like to throttle that asshole of a Hyuuga either, she kinda liked the little heiress, at least because she wasn't as snob as the rest of her family). Ignoring his struggling, she turned to Team 10.

"Chouji is fine, he woke up a few minutes ago. His inner ear is a mess but there's nothing much we can do about it. It should resolve itself fully in a few days. In the meantime, his balance will be shot to hell so just keep an eye on him and steady him if he's reeling a bit too much."

"Thank you Hana-san!" Ino replied as Asuma nodded his head and Shikamaru sighed (in relief? annoyance? Hard to tell).

Tenten and Neji left to see their teammate, freeing the room from a lot of glares.

"Are you done?" Hana asked her brother.

"I'm gonna kick his ass!" Kiba grumbled.

"Not now, you won't. A Konoha shinobi doesn't attack a fellow shinobi, you know that. That someone conveniently forgot basic rules don't allow you to do the same. Just make sure to cheer on Naruto when he'll kick his ass."

"Yeah! You can count on me!" Naruto shouted as he jumped on his feet. He was finally free from the hand – Kakashi's – who had kept him sitting while he glared at Neji.

Hana shut out the following conversation between the two hotheads and threw a curious glance at Kakashi as he walked to her.

"I'd like you to take a look at Sasuke, off the books," he murmured.

She frowned. "Okay, sure."

That's how, two hours later, she found herself inside Sasuke's apartment, staring at a curse seal that turned her blood to ice.

Orochimaru was in that forest. This was crazy. Like Anko didn't freak her out enough as it was, now there was a second cursed one. Great.

"This is way out of my expertise, Kakashi," she pointed out.

"Just make sure that everything else is normal," the jounin replied casually, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Sasuke was waiting impatiently on the couch, sullen and being his usual ray of sunshine.

"Alright," she sighed. To be honest, she wasn't looking forward to it. She had healed Mitarashi Anko before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience, even disregarding her peculiar personality. The cursed seal… it had a presence… any diagnostic jutsu would allow you to feel it, there was no way to ignore it or to hide it. It was distracting and disturbing.

She sat down by Sasuke's side, molded her chakra, closed her eyes and prepared herself to the unpleasant feeling. As soon as she put a hand on Sasuke's back, she felt it, just like she remembered. After a few minutes of a thorough check-up, she shook her head. "Like I said, I'm not an expert: everything seems in order to me but I would recommend a check-up from time to time anyway to monitor any long exposure's effects."

Kakashi nodded and went for the door. "Alright. Thanks for checking, Hana. Sasuke, you have tomorrow free, get some rest."

Hana stood up and smiled to the genin. "You did great today, Sasuke. Congratulations."

She got a nod in answer after the grunt sent at Kakashi and she left, holding back a roll of her eyes. Uchiha were as bad as Hyuuga.

Night had fallen, putting an end to a tiring day. The little streets were quiet, the silence barely broken by the shinobis running on the rooftops. Hana allowed herself to walk a little closer to Kakashi than she would in daylight. She was longing to put her head on his shoulder but that would be unpractical as they walked anyway.

Sasuke's apartment wasn't far from Kakashi's but on the opposite side of town from the Inuzuka compound. As such, Hana chose to invite herself at her boyfriend's home, following him without a thought. She kept the door opened for her ninken, took off her shoes then crashed on the couch and closed her eyes blissfully. For a few minutes, she simply appreciated the quiet until the storm in her mind summarized itself in one sentence: "I'm so glad that Kiba lost." She blinked and stretched her hand to stroke Ru's fur. "Is it bad? It's bad, isn't it?"

Kakashi was heating up water in the kitchen, probably to cook some instant noodles for diner. He shrugged. "Depends why you feel that way, I guess."

"I don't want him to face Gaara, like… ever." She straightened up on an elbow and pushed herself against the back of the couch to free some space in front of her, letting the youngest of her ninken snuggle against her as the two others lied down close by for comfort. She hid her face in Ru's fur and groaned. "Gai's student was such a mess. A little more and he'd have died a ugly death. As it is, even though he has trained so hard, he probably won't reach chuunin."

"That's the risks," Kakashi reminded her as he brought two cups of soba over.

"I understand taking those risks during a mission, but this? This is madness. Who is that kid? How can anyone be so… murderous at this age?"

"He smells like blood," Hai added, "his sand reeks of it."

"He's the jinchuriki of the Ichibi," Kakashi announced casually.

Hana gaped at him and shuddered. "I'm so glad that Kiba lose and I don't care if it makes me a bad sister," she mumbled in Ru's fur, hugging him fiercely. Naruto was great: she knew him since he was a little kid in Kiba's class and she had quickly forgotten any doubt about the Kyuubi container after witnessing how similar he was to her little brother. But a murderous jinchuriki? Scary.

"You're not a bad sister but a worried one." Kakashi cautiously picked his way between paws and tails before lifting Hana's feet to put them back on his lap once he was sitting. Ma put his tail on Kakashi's bare feet to keep them warm.

"Yes," she sighed, "I am. However, between a crazy sannin and a murderous jinchuriki, I feel justified in my worry."

"Never said you weren't," he appeased her with a caress on her ankle.

She watched him with half-closed eyes. "Are you worried about Sasuke?"

"For many reasons," he admitted with a nod.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining so much when you have your own worries."

He simply shook his head, which she took to mean that he didn't want to talk about it anyway. They ate in silence and went through their bedtime routine in the same way. At one point, Kakashi summoned Pakkun to keep the Haimaru brothers company and they made a dent in his food supply. Hana was too tired to care about it or any compensation. She was already half-asleep when Kakashi joined her in bed, adjusting her body around his to make up for the lack of space.

In the morning, they were both in a more talkative mood and Kakashi shared his plan for the month while they ate breakfast.

Hana couldn't help but frown at the idea that he will left for a month. "Alright," she agreed nonetheless because it was his decision and she understood the need to prepare Sasuke for an opponent like Gaara. "What about Naruto?"

"He needs to refine his skills. I'll find him an appropriate teacher."

"Like who?" She asked, a bit skeptical. Most jounin or tokubetsu jounin she knew were kept busy by the upcoming event.

"I was thinking about Ebisu."

It took several seconds for the name to register since this man wasn't part of her acquaintances. "Ebisu… Like… the man who tutors and guards the Hokage's grandkid?"

Kakashi hummed in confirmation around his miso soup.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? From what I heard about him he's kinda…"

"Mh?"

"Well… like a stick-in-the-mud, stern and not very open-minded. He doesn't seem to be the kind of teacher that Naruto would listen to."

"Maa, he'll have to if he wants to be serious in his training," Kakashi replied nonchalantly as he reached for his rice bowl.

Hana pinched the bridge of her nose. Was he missing the point on purpose? Did she need to spell it for him? Apparently. "Kakashi, you're going to let one of your student – one orphaned and neglected boy might I add – alone for a month with a teacher that he doesn't know and that he'll most likely detest to personally train your other student one to one, without any possibility for the first one to go to you for advices or support. Is there nothing that shocks you in this?"

Kakashi barely froze with his chopsticks in the air before resuming his meal. "I can't afford to coddle Naruto. Sasuke needs to improve to have a chance against Gaara."

"Of course he does and I understand that you make him your priority" (even if she didn't necessarily approve) "but why don't you stay in Konoha to do so and keep an eye on Naruto's training in the meantime? This has nothing to do with coddling!"

He shook his head. "There would be too many distractions in Konoha."

She gripped her chopsticks tighter. "So, that's it? You'll neglect one of your students because he's a distraction?"

"That's not what I said…"

"That was heavily implied!" She retorted, slamming her empty bowl on the table. The dogs started and watched them warily from the corner where they were huddled together. "Do you even listen to yourself? How would you have felt if your sensei had done that to you? Oh, but I forget, that wouldn't have happen because you were the prodigy!"

Kakashi watched her from the corner of his eye, motionless and impassive. "Don't mix things up."

"Am I?" She challenged him, tilting her head. "Am I? Because it seems to me that there's more to it than the simple need to train Sasuke. You're making excuses up." She could see his jaw clench and she knew she was threading on thin ground but she wasn't going to back down from this. She was upset on Naruto's behalf and on a personal level because this didn't mesh well with her pack mentality at all.

"I'll leave with Sasuke for a month and that's final," he stated clearly.

"Fine." She stood up and walked to the door in a few steps. "When I'll see Naruto, angry and hurt that you left him alone with Ebisu, I'll be sure to commiserate with him at length about what a moron you're. In the meantime, have fun sharing monosyllables with Sasuke and reading erotica all day for a fucking month."

Her ninken quickly followed her, stepping out first, knowing that she wanted to slam the door behind her – which she very happily did. They all ran back to the compound for her to let off some steam.

They never saw Pakkun staring at his master insistently until Kakashi growled at him: "Just say it and be done with it."

"I was just thinking how fitting it was that your first tiff was about the pups. Still, that's a bit early in your relationship, don't ya think?" The pug disappeared in a cloud of smoke as a bowl was thrown at his head.

oOo

"Hello Naruto-kun, how are you?" Only a heavy frown answered her and she sighed. "Oh, pup… I know, I know, Kakashi is a moron. How bad is it with your teacher?"

"He's so boring! And annoying!"

"… Do you want me to help you think about pulling a prank on Kakashi? … over some ramen at Ichiraku?"

"Yay! You're the best Hana-san!"

Yeah, she didn't feel guilty at all that her boyfriend was an asshole… not at all. Thank Kami that ramen was cheap.


Katsudon is rice, egg, and sauce topped with deep-fried pork.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter to reassure me you were still there and enjoying this. That was nice of you. I hope you liked this chapter too. At first, Kakashi and Hana were supposed to meet Jiraiya by going to the onsen, thus solving the problem of Naruto's tutor but I thought this was too easy and apparently they were eager to have their first fight so here it is...