A/N: Hey, look, it's the last chapter of part 1! Be impressed I've gotten this far, because that means I may actually finish this. Which is good for all of us, ne? Oh, and by the way, I am not going to claim responsibility for outrage caused by plot twists. You've been sufficiently warned.

Iruka and Kakashi's sparing on water match was mostly done because it looked really cool in my head. I haven't actually seen the episode where Naruto is trying to walk on water, but I know he does it successfully and easily in the end when Jiraiya removes Orochimaru's seal. I figured that if Naruto could do it, Iruka and Kakashi probably could too.

All The Broken Pieces
Part I: Chapter 10

'Why am I doing this?' Iruka groaned to himself for the tenth time since he'd left his house. He clenched his hand tighter around the small bag he was carrying. 'Bringing lunch is something Hinata-chan would do for Naruto! Not something you should do for a person training you.'

Iruka looked down at the two bento boxes he had packed and a thermos of eggplant miso soup for them to share. He didn't know why he was doing it. He hadn't thought about it as he was doing it. He'd simply done it; put both boxes in a bag, the thermos best them, and thought how ridiculous and presumptuous he was being only halfway to the bridge to meet Kakashi for Saturday afternoon training.

'If he's heard any of the rumors, he'll think they're true,' Iruka thought to himself and blushed.

He'd started showing up only five minutes before Kakashi would be there, deciding it wasn't worth a whole half-hour of his day to just sit there. He'd been half afraid that Kakashi would only show up later to still make him wait, but if Kakashi knew the difference in his waiting time he never said.

Thus, he hadn't been waiting for very long when Kakashi appeared, and he almost-but-not-quite hid the bag behind his legs. Kakashi glanced at the bag quickly, but smiled up at Iruka with no more than that.

"Good afternoon, Iruka-sensei."

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka managed not to blush as he said it, and was really quite proud of himself for this. 'I'm doomed.'

Kakashi's eye curved up slightly- Iruka had learned by now that the less dramatic the curve the more sincere Kakashi's smile- and he put his hands in his pockets. "I said we'd do some training in the water today, ne?"

Iruka nodded, scratching the back of his neck. He'd forgotten that. "Yes, yes you did."

"Shall we go then?" Kakashi didn't wait for an answer, instead turning and walking away. Iruka followed quickly, the bag held tight in his hand. A couple of times, Kakashi tried to get a glance inside it without any success. Iruka was simply holding it too tight.

At the water's edge, Kakashi quickly stripped off his vest and, as an after thought, his shirt. It was incredibly warm, even for early August, and he had no desire to run around in his long black shirt.

He turned and grinned at Iruka, who was staring in surprise but managing not to gape. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting Kakashi's chest to look like- not, of course, that he'd really given it much thought- and it wasn't the fact that Kakashi's chest was remarkable. In all actuality, it was the complete unremarkableness of it when everything else about Kakashi was so note worthy that took Iruka off guard.

He'd had some vague idea that Kakashi was probably scarred all over, and he certainly hadn't expected Kakashi to be as hairy as every other nearly thirty-year-old male. Neither of these ended up being really very valid. True, Kakashi had a couple long thin scars, but they were barely noticeable unless the sun happened to catch them just right. And yes, the patch of curly silver hair across his upper chest was an odd phenomenon to say the least, but it was still there.

Seeing that Kakashi was looking at him expectantly now, Iruka looked down and blushed furiously. He put down his bag and relieved himself of his vest. This was followed by several minutes of inactivity, during which it became apparent that Iruka was not about to take off his shirt, and Kakashi made the instantaneous decision that it had to go.

"Come on, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi grinned at the man. "You'll overhead if you keep that thing on."

"We'll be in the water," Iruka informed the ground reasonably. "I won't overhead in the water."

"Are you trying to say no to your instructor?"

Iruka's blush depend as he nodded. "My shirt stays on."

"Always have to question me, don't you?" Iruka didn't know it right then, but he'd just sealed his shirt's doom. Kakashi's grin suddenly had a diabolical hint to it. He appeared right beside Iruka, hands tucked innocently behind his back as he tried not to take too much pleasure in the fact that Iruka jumped. "Come now, Iruka-sensei. You don't have anything to hide. Unless there's something about you and gender issues I don't know, in which case…"

Iruka's scowl got darker, but he refused to look at the other man. "It's nothing like that! I just don't want to, that's all."

The Jounin ignored him, now placing his hands on Iruka's waist and tugging up to untuck the shirt. "If you have nothing to hide, then there's no reason not to."

"Kakashi! I said n-" Iruka's protest was cut short by his shirt being forcefully yanked up to his ears. He decided to finish his thought with a yell of indignant outrage, which Kakashi happily ignored as well. Another good yank from the infamous Copy-nin, and Iruka's shirt was at his feet along with the rest of his belongings.

The brunette clenched his fists at his sides, face burning with shame. He knew his body wasn't anywhere near as flawless as Kakashi's. All of his missions, and a few life incidents, had left one mark or other on his body. He was almost painfully aware of the thick bunched scar in the center of his back from where he'd taken Mizuki's shiruken for Naruto.

"There," Kakashi said softly, the playfulness gone as if he'd finally sensed Iruka's distress, "I don't see anything to be ashamed of."

Iruka shut his eyes tight as the other man walked around to see Iruka's face.

He could hear it as Kakashi grinned. "You know, I'd even say you're good looking."

Iruka's eyes snapped open on their own accord, but Kakashi turned around too fast for him to get a good look at the Jounin's face and decide how serious he was being. Instead, he found his shocked gaze getting no answers from a spot between Kakashi's shoulder blades.

"Now that we're both totally prepared," Kakashi said easily as he began to walk out on top of the water, "lets begin."

Still dumbstruck, Iruka followed him. As Kakashi had expected, Iruka had no trouble following him out without getting wet.

The chuunin was no sooner in position than his instructor launched his attack. He ran forward, aiming an elbow at Iruka's chest. Iruka waited, deliberately not dodging until the last possible moment. Water sprayed in the air as Kakashi worked to change directions, and his student used this time to attack. He aimed a kick at the back of Kakashi's head, but with another spray of water the Jounin turned and caught it.

Iruka's eyes widened as Kakashi twisted, throwing him. He skipped a couple of times, sending water flying in all directions, before coming to a stop with one hand and one knee just below the waters surface.

He only paused long enough to regather his chakara before launching an attack at Kakashi again. He attacked low, forming a few hand seals as he went. Kakashi watched with interest as two more Irukas appeared and all three began braiding their paths together to try and make him lose sight of the real one.

Kakashi prepared to block the one on the right, confident in his decision, when all three of them disappeared seconds from him. He blinked in confusion. "Where…"

The sound of something breaking the surface behind him caught the Copy-Nin's attention. He turned just in time to meet Iruka's fist head on.

Kakashi's foot and fingertips sunk below as he stumbled back. He couldn't help but grin at Iruka. The other man was standing there, water dripping from his now loose hair; his hair band seemed to have disappeared.

"That was very clever, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi conceded as he almost laughed. "Creating three clones and hiding behind one until you could dip below the surface and swim behind me. Next time we'll make a rule that the first to break the water's surface loses."

Iruka grinned, more relaxed now that the training was under way. "I look forward to it."

With that statement, the two launched simultaneous attacks, meeting and blocking in the middle. They were both knocked back slightly by the force of the attack, though Iruka a bit further than Kakashi who recovered faster. Kakashi attempted a roundhouse kick, which Iruka ducked, returning the attack with an attempt at an upper cut. Kakashi dodged back avoiding that hit and the punch that followed that one as well. He ducked below the kick Iruka aimed for his head by dropping down on his hands, the motion of his chakara shift causing slight ripples in the water, and tried to trip Iruka with a sweeping kick.

Iruka jumped over Kakashi's feet with a Chakara enhanced jump, pulling out a kunai as he came down. Kakashi shot away, the weapon ripping a small hole in his pants. The chuunin wasn't going to allow him a chance to regroup, following the Jounin's movements closely.

Kakashi dodged twice more some close range attacks before springing up onto his hands, swinging his feet up and catching Iruka on the chin. The academy sensei stumbled back in surprise, and Kakashi pressed his advantage. He launched a series of quick punches, which Iruka was forced to block instead of dodge completely. Kakashi then kicked up, catching Iruka in the chin again.

Iruka shot upward and flew several feet before coming back down. He landed in the water with a splash. Kakashi watched the ripples until Iruka's head broke the surface again with a short gasp for air.

"Well done, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi said, grinning down at him. "You didn't let your concentration slip once!"

In response, Iruka slapped his hand across the water. With an aim developed over years of playing in the water, the clear liquid hit Kakashi directly in the face- specifically where his eye was exposed.

Kakashi blinked in mild surprise as Iruka started to laugh. He could not, of course, let that insult go unpunished. He knew that much, even though he'd never played water games as a kid. With a slight growl, Kakashi ran over and dunked Iruka under water. Iruka returned the gesture by grabbing onto Kakashi's lower arm and yanking him down with him.

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"If anyone asks," Kakashi panted, lying in the mud of the river bank and staring up at the sky as he grinned, "that was a training session."

Iruka, lying on his side nearby, chuckled. "Why would anyone doubt that, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head, the droplets of water catching the sunlight, as he chuckled softly. They were both quiet for a moment before Kakashi spoke again, a voice not much over a whisper. "I don't think I've played…in a very long time…"

Iruka rolled over, chin resting in his hands and elbows in the dirt. "You never play games, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Most of us don't, Iruka-sensei, once we graduate."

'He'd graduated from the academy before kids his own age had even entered it,' Iruka reminded himself. Had it been so long since Kakashi had fun?

The growling of his stomach forced Iruka to momentarily stop his musing as Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"I suppose I should stop and let you eat…"

"You need to eat too," Iruka said, getting up onto his knees. "You can't weigh much more than I do. Food won't stop you from being a good ninja. Look at the Akimichi clan!"

Kakashi rolled over so he could sit up and face Iruka as well, blinking his eye in confusion. "I didn't bring…"

"I made you lunch," Iruka blurted, a blush starting on the tips of his ears and spreading across his scar. "You don't have to eat it you don't want to, I just thought…"

'So that's what's in the bag,' Kakashi thought, slightly confused by the sudden charity.

"I made some rice, and there's broiled saury and miso soup…I only had eggplant so…"

Kakashi couldn't help it. He grinned broadly, grabbing Iruka's wrist, and dragging him back toward the bag. "You have a rather amazing ability at perceiving my favorite foods, Iruka-sensei!"

"I…what?"

Kakashi didn't answer, instead plopping them both down. Iruka was blushing again, but it was faint, and he quickly handed Kakashi his box, poured him a cup of the soup, and handed him a pair of chopsticks before getting his own.

"Itadakimasu," Kakashi said brightly.

"Itadakimasu," Iruka echoed. He broke his chopsticks and opened his box. He took up a bite of food and it was halfway to his mouth before he looked up…to find Kakashi's plate cleaned and his mask firmly in place.

Kakashi almost laughed at the surprised look on Iruka's face as the rice fell out of his chopsticks.

"You…you finished already?"

"It was very good, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi said honestly, grinning even though his tongue was burnt and he wished it wasn't.

"You'll choke eating that fast!" Iruka scolded, lowering his chopsticks as he glared at Kakashi. "Wouldn't that be a terrible death for a Jounin? The great Sharingun Kakashi felled by a too large piece of fish, I can just see it now."

Kakashi could only blink, realizing that Iruka was serious in spite of the joke. The man he was training to become a Jounin was actually lecturing him about the safety of his person from his meals. 'Does he really think I'm so unable to care for myself that he has to make me lunch AND inform me I need to actually chew my food?'

Fortunately for Iruka, Kakashi was interrupted from his rather scathing remark about how over-protective the chuunin could be by the arrival of Kotetsu. If he thought anything about the two of them sitting there, shirtless and dripping wet, he didn't say so.

Instead he bowed to them before speaking. "Forgive me for interrupting, but Hokage-sama requests a meeting with you, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi nodded, setting his empty box down beside Iruka. He replaced his shirt and vest before turning back to his student.

Iruka was watching him expectantly, lunch forgotten.

"Wait here."

Iruka nodded as Kakashi vanished. The Jounin appeared beside Kotetsu in Tsunade's office. He bowed before the Hokage, who nodded in return, as Kotetsu left.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your training of Iruka-sensei, Kakashi, but I have a mission that I think you'd be highly interested in."

Kakashi simply nodded, his mind still trying to get back up to speed and away from the river.

"It seems that, while traveling through Cloud Country, Jiraiya and Naruto were captured."

That had Kakashi's full attention. "Captured?"

Tsunade nodded gravely. "It was witnessed by a team of Chuunin I had sent on a messenger mission there, but because of the sheer number of enemy ninja they were forced to retreat. It seems the large group of Cloud missing Nin was forming a resistance, and they want to push Konoha into attacking Cloud."

Kakashi frowned, "so you want me to go in on a rescue mission."

"Exactly."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but how am I supposed to take on all of them alone if three Chuunin could not?"

"Oh, you aren't going to be alone. You're taking Iruka with you. Consider it a bit of a field test."

Kakashi stared at her. "Iruka-sensei? Hokage-sama, Iruka is not ready for any such…"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly. "Even after all this time, you still underestimate him. Iruka is not as weak as you suppose, Kakashi. You and I both know you're training has brought him up quickly. I'm not sending you alone, but I have no other Jounin to spare at the moment. Iruka is as close as we have, and I already know you two can work well as a team. Naruto and Jiraiya may be in terrible danger, so time is essential, and I will accept no arguments." She extended her arm out to him, a scroll held tightly with in it. "Debrief Iruka, and I expect you both gone within two hours."

Kakashi took the scroll, the visible part of his face clearly dark and unreadable, as he bowed. "Yes, Hokage-sama."