Day 7, Evening / Night: Comparing notes
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Many had said that he could use a slap or two occasionally.
Tap.
Preferably several with a mean wrist move for extra effect.
Tap.
Even to him, though, this was a new way to cool his head.
Tap.
His bad mood having faded away as rapidly as it had surfaced, Kakashi blinked slowly a couple of times to get out of his stupor while his mind kicked in a gear or two in the silver-haired head and tried to wrap around the sudden turn of events he was currently presented with.
Tap.
He had been slapped to the head with a cold wave of water.
Tap.
Slowly, the ex-ANBU raised his hand to his head and examined silently the damage. His hair clung to his skull and face, the silver strands feeling like being blown to the side by a strong gust of wind and then glued to stay put. Then he pale hand patted through the man's clothing. The upper part of his dark singlet was thoroughly soaked. His shoulders and upper back were cold and still dripping wet and his mask was unpleasantly damp now that his breathing seemed to warm up the fabric covering both his mouth and nose. That and his ears caught the monotonous sound of water drops tapping against the wet wooden floor under his body, not to mention the even pattern of breathing mixing with the noises brought by the surrounding village life in the background.
Tap.
For his further astonishment, he found his counterpart utterly speechless.
Tap.
Iruka gaped at him with the dark eyes wide and the jaw dropped open, the remnants of their squabble still lingering on the slightly flushed cheekbones. The sensei seemed to have frozen on the spot, and the tanned hand was still held in the air, as if the man couldn't decide whether to drop it or give a new go with it.
Tap.
It seemed that neither of them dared to break the silence that had been dropped on them.
Tap.
Once more, the dark gray eye looked over his demeanor and the jounin's mind worked on the given twist, taking notes as he counted the facts. He had again snapped without any warning, which was unexpected and thus mildly unsettling to him. It usually took a great deal to reach his boiling point, but based on the couple of days he could suspect his uncharacteristically explosive temper having something to do with him being without almost all of his chakra, furthermore with his rebellious element that couldn't be picked as the most placid one. The unpredictable nature of lightning might apparently have its downsides as well. On the more current level he felt like being thrown into a cold shower, which was quite interesting in itself, since the temperature of the water hadn't reflected the boiling nature of its sender on any level. But, with all things considered, one fact proved to be far more interesting than others.
Tap.
There had indeed been no jutsu involved.
While gradually getting over his shock, Iruka spotted a new, far more intense glint appear in the lone eye. He could already feel his alertness triple as the eye narrowed its look and the jounin focused his attention to him, the man having undoubtedly processed and examined the whole situation during the timid minutes when they had stared at each other. The chuunin lowered his hand slowly to his lap, but the muscle tension of the said limb didn't relax. He might need it still.
"The training room. Now", the jounin said suddenly and without further warning scrambled up and strode briskly into the dim, ascetic room.
Iruka blinked a couple of times at the empty spot that just previously had a masked man on it, the actions of the older man speaking strongly against their usual choreography for what it came to their bickering. What in the world was the man up to now?
"Come on, sensei, we don't have all evening", came the hurried words from the other room.
For a passing second, Iruka opted to take something to throw for extra precautions if the silver-haired pest was planning something objectionable for him. Then again, if the copy-nin had wanted to make him suffer for the water trick he would have done it already. With a concerned frown darkening his face, the tanned teacher stood up and cautiously followed the other's footsteps into the spacious room. As the jounin turned around to give him a long look, Iruka cocked a hesitating eyebrow at the unusually excited look in the narrow eye, all of his senses yelling at him to run for it as far as he could, the high fence wall be damned. "Kakashi-san...?"
"Dodge", was the only word he received before the man vanished from sight.
Without a second thought, the chuunin's reflexes kicked in the moment his sight caught the pale fist that was sent towards his chest. He blocked the punch with his crossed arms, but was still forced to take couple of steps back due to the power behind the hit. Before his mind was able to catch up with what was happening, Iruka ducked to the side and turned around in a nick of time to block the second attack of a double punch directed at both at his shoulder and stomach. The third and fourth blows followed seamlessly the previous ones, and to his dismay Iruka noticed Kakashi to pick up speed with every following hit.
"Wait! Kakas-! Could you just-! Watch it, will you!" The teacher shouted while he did everything to keep away from the all the while quickening assaults, ducking down to dodge high kicks and rather feeling than seeing his hands fend off the landing blows. After sending the other stumble past him, the teacher spun around on his heels and took a few running steps away from the strangely acting jounin, only to hear the following footfalls resonate next to his just before his escape was cut by a swift kick at his abdomen. He managed to seize the kicking leg and with a quick move pulled the older nin out of balance, making him fall to the floor with a thump. With a growl, Iruka dropped himself on the man's stomach with his knee and slammed his hands on the dark-clothed shoulders, lowering his blazing eyes to scowl straight at the floored man. "That's enough now! What has gotten into you?"
"Take a guess, sensei." Kakashi smirked, took a hold of the tanned arms while his legs bent under the lean body of his opponent, and kicked the teacher flying over his head in an impressive arc. Iruka gave a pained grunt as he landed on his back on the floor and scrambled hastily on his knees after having shaken the pale hands off his own, both men staggering quickly back up and fixing the other with a calculating look. Kakashi shifted his weight from one leg to other, his whole posture taut like a predator playing with its prey. "I know you're far brighter than the average nin, so it shouldn't be that difficult to understand what I'm aiming for. Unless you're as hard-headed as your students, neh?"
"What are you- whoa!" Iruka didn't get a chance to end his question as the sharingan user once again plunged himself within the hitting range. Iruka's mind raced with the punches and kicks he blocked one after one, his thoughts trying desperately to keep up with the rest of the situation. Why were they sparring all of a sudden? Why wasn't he given any time to compose himself for it? Why did Kakashi observe his hands so keenly with every block and blow-
"You're trying to repeat what happened." Iruka blurted out suddenly and stopped to an abrupt halt, thus stopping Kakashi as well, the jounin's fists being pressed against the chuunin's forearms.
The older shinobi nodded briefly. "Well thought, sensei." Then the man took a step back and gave two strong hits with his own forearms, forcing Iruka to steps backwards as the teacher tried to keep his head from being hit. "Tsunade-sama said that our elements are breaking loose, right? I'm keen to see to what extent it has already progressed."
Oh, I could give you a briefing on that, bastard...Iruka felt the heat rise to his face at the passing thought while the rather vivid images concerning the earlier clash of their elements popped into his head. There was no way for him to reveal voluntarily what had happened while the jounin had been unconscious. The hits from both fists and feet continued to land on the tanned forearms, and Iruka was certain that he would have a rather impressive set of dark marks on them the next day as he kept on defending himself against the powerful blows. Then the tanned cheeks took a turn towards a more grayish color scale as a far more unpleasant idea knocked down the immaterial doors in his mind, almost making him trip on his own feet.
What if the same thing happened now?
"...What makes you so sure that it will happen?" Iruka tried to keep his voice steady without the nervous pitch that was determined to creep into it, hoping that the man took his winces as a sign of hurting arms rather than having disturbing thoughts currently infiltrating his head and doing unspeakable things to the mental barriers on their happy way. He couldn't let the man smell the fear that was slowly furnishing a cozy nest in his gut and inviting its friends over for a tea. He couldn't even finish the question in his head as to how the older nin would have reacted earlier if he just suddenly had woken up to a...
Furthermore, it would be impossible to spar in that state!
"Well, you see, that's the point. I'm not", Kakashi said and offered a pair of brightly smiling eyes before he delivered a roundhouse kick at the younger man. "It could also be connected to something very different than sparring. That's why I'm interested to see if the elements will react to what we're doing at the moment." Through his smiling eyes, he was already searching for an opening in the man's defense. Time to reel back on track. "But for now, I'd like us to continue where we left off-", in a flash the dark brown eyes stared at the smiling pair of mismatched eyes just a few inches away, "-and see how far I can push to get that reaction out of you, sensei."
Iruka snarled loudly and dodged down, aiming his fist at Kakashi's side. Without hesitation, Kakashi took the swinging fist into his own and twisted it sharply, gaining a hiss of pain from the tanned man. Iruka yanked his hand back to safety and took a few hurried steps away from the jounin, his dark eyes setting into a narrow glare as they followed each twitch of muscles on the pale man's body while his brain worked vigorously over his newest problem. He had close to nil possibilities to talk himself out of the situation, and if he started to protest too eagerly, the bastard was sure to notice something being amiss, and knowing what kind of pain the man then was in his cinnamon-colored ass was the last nail on his metaphorical coffin. No matter how he mulled the issue over, it all came down to one solution.
He had no other choice than to fight his way out of it.
The teacher looked over his opponent who seemed to wait for his next move, the gray eye steel-hard and narrow. The jounin had been out cold when the mishap had happened, and the man didn't seem to remember all of their discussions with Tsunade, since there hadn't been any lewd comments yet concerning his problems with controlling his lower anatomy (hell, even he had forgotten it before the incident happened). He just had to keep his head cool and senses alert, furthermore avoid the man's touch the instant when he would start to feel...strained. After making the decision and setting his mind on the customary mission mode, Iruka bent slightly from his knees before lunging himself at the other man, the chuunin's eyes drilling into his opponent's still form. The moment he reached the ideal distance, Iruka pulled his fists back and with a quick spin lashed his right out to land the initial hit before joining it with the left. With trained gracefulness, Kakashi stepped out of reach for the flying fists and rounded the man before sending him stumble on the matted floor by a mighty blow into the tanned back. Before he could grab the man for further beating, though, Iruka danced away from his hands and dashed to Kakashi's left with silent steps, the man apparently aiming once again for the blind spot.
A tiny smirk crept on Kakashi's hidden lips. Getting a desired reaction or not, he was certainly getting kicks out of this match. His eye made contact with the burning brown ones, and not for the first time the smile grew wider underneath the mask while he blocked a combo of two high kicks followed by four remarkably accurate blows. Even though the whole man was a joy to watch, the chuunin's eyes were a sight worth staring on their own. Never before had he met someone so complex and passionate with their emotions, not until he got introduced with the tanned firecracker. He was naturally taken aback by how quickly the chuunin's moods shifted during their interaction, but he was specifically intrigued on how the man could both at the same time reveal and conceal his true thoughts so smoothly. On some level, it felt similar to talking with an ANBU. They had had their training on reigning in their emotions and keeping them out of their work, but also how to use them for their advantage when needed. On many occasions, the teacher's open display of emotions could be seen like a hidden blade, if one knew where to look for the well-honed edge. The next crossing thought made Kakashi falter in his steps for the shortest second.
"- - that doesn't mean that I'm not scared of you on some degree, Kakashi-san. Maybe that's actually the key factor as to why I want to fight with you. Have you ever considered that option?"
"You're leaving yourself open, Kakashi-san", said the mellow voice before Kakashi felt a mean kick land against his side that sent him flying a couple of meters before hitting the ground. In seconds he rolled away from the cruel heel that whammed against the matted floor. He pushed himself up with a huff and hopped a few long steps backwards to dodge a set of blows directed at his torso. His mind was turned into full gear now and his keen eye followed every step the tanned man made towards him, the deft pale hands and legs blocking the delivered hits mostly on trained reflex rather than with guided thought. He felt his gut stir for some reason at the man's words and his sharp look turned into a piercing glare. How much of that blade stayed in the sheath when the teacher was with him? The jounin nearly stepped into a fist as yet another peculiar thought unceremoniously dumped his mind into a deep and dark gutter.
How open did the man leave himself?
"Kakashi-san!" An annoyed, unnecessarily loud bark made him halt completely as his mind was snatched back to pay full attention at his likely doom. For some reason the dark scowl that was thrown at him by the narrowed pair of brown eyes made him feel like a genin failing on his first lesson on taijutsu. He dared to give a better look at the unimpressed academy teacher who clearly took his time to observe him with unmistakable signs of disdain present on the puffing man's face. Then the chuunin took a deeper breath, more likely to calm his ticking nerves than balancing his breathing in the copy-nin's opinion, before putting the already bruising hands on the firm hips and having a slightly twitching eyebrow raised for a question. "What, exactly, do you call that stance?"
When the ex-ANBU took in his rather unprofessional appearance with both hands held palms open and only halfway up for defense and his legs in ridiculously wide stand on straight knees, he did feel a bit silly.
Recognizing the familiar tone he had been introduced with during the many visits in the mission room whenever he had decided to brighten the tanned tyrant's day with his skills in novelty literature, Kakashi cleared his throat, still holding his awkward stance unchanged, and gambled a sheepish grin at his fuming adversary. "...Ah...this here is the result of the ANBU training, so unfortunately I can't tell you, sensei." The dryly cocked dark eyebrow rose yet another millimeter at his apparently ludicrous choice of words, and the jounin watched in cautious curiosity as the sun-kissed lips formed a silent 'oh'. Alas, he knew that to be just the prelude.
"With all due respect for the ANBU and your personal efforts for keeping our psyche-nins sufficiently employed, that is by far the worst defending stance I have ever witnessed during my days as an academy instructor. What in hell's name possessed you to even consider that as a suitable move? Even my students could beat you up as you are now, for crying out loud!"
Ignoring his miserably wailing ego mauled by a one peeved Umino, Kakashi straightened his posture and scratched his masked cheek with a happy smile in his eyes. He had forgotten how perceptive the other man really was, and it didn't take long for him to understand that he was in for more than just a heated lecture on defense tactics if he didn't choose his next words more carefully. Among their profession it was commonly considered rude to think of other things when matching with someone, for there was no clearer message to let the other know how weak they were considered. Therefore doing it to a man who was particularly sensitive around that matter could be considered as smart as giving the finger to Enma [1] himself (or yelling the completely wrong name in the heat of the moment, which in most cases could quickly lead to greeting the aforementioned deity sitting behing the ethereal office desk [2]). Then again, the copy-nin had always preferred to live dangerously. "..Maa, just got lost in the road of life, sensei."
"And which one of those undoubtedly fascinating roads was it this time?" Iruka felt his vein tick at the man's smiling eyes. Kakashi had been distracted once before during their matches, but this time it was blatantly obvious that the bastard's mind was nowhere near the present situation. The chuunin didn't disregard good openings during a fight, but attacking someone lost it their thoughts, especially if the targeted person was one's mission partner, made his moral scream in alert. He never got kicks out of a dirty fight, unlike some other shinobis he unfortunately knew to enjoy even more if they got to use their corrupted methods on their opponents. Plus, he didn't like the implications of him being hardly a threat to the arrogant pest if the other had time to indulge himself with other issues. Someday he would forget to act by his reputation as the straight-laced sensei.
"Ah, but this one was a brand new with a delightful coastal view, you see, and they told me to get as much humid ocean air as possible to keep my sense of smell in good condition. Who am I to pass an opportunity to keep myself in shape for missions?" Kakashi said with a tiny smirk adorning his masked features, the gray eye bright and mischievous. Slowly, he set his muscles ready underneath his dark clothes.
Iruka felt a persistent tug on his lips and he gave a soft snort at the masked man. A pervert and a pathological liar aside, the older nin knew the ways to make his anger subside. "I see. What a diligent jounin you are." Carefully, his shoulders set themselves low and ready, his hands slowly flexed each of his fingers and he felt both his calves and thighs twitch in excitement. He could see the other's deceivingly laid-back pose morph gradually into something more dangerous, and with each passing second the amount of adrenaline increased in his system. The tiny tug slipped into an outright devilish grin on the dark-skinned face. "Should I start to doubt that you're not as lazy, arrogant, sadistic and perverted as the rumors make you appear?"
When a playful spark took over the gray eye, the bronze-skinned chuunin had already forgotten why he had opposed their match in the first place. After the last days with more or less negative news, it seemed that both of them needed something familiar in order to ground them back to their actual mission. And if there happened to be a possibility for him to give the jounin a few good hits on the way, he wasn't against the offer.
"I have always admired your optimism, sensei", Kakashi said with a happy tilt of the head. A gesture which smoothly turned into a dip of the silver-haired head as the jounin plummeted himself towards the chuunin, his silent feet rushing him to the man's front and then plunging him in the air for a ruthless upper-cut kick.
Having expected the assault, Iruka dashed away from the cutting kick and then delivered his own at the jounin the moment the pale leg made contact with the floor, sending the pale jounin down with a loud wham as his heel connected with the man's upper chest. Continuing his momentum, Iruka swept down to drive his fists into the man's gut, only to hit the floor as the jounin retreated away from the range. In a blink he felt two blows against his back crush him face first to the floor, after which a strong grip grabbed his ponytail and lifted him back up on his knees. The moment the hand disappeared from his hair Iruka felt a rough punch make itself known to his diaphragm, the air leaving him with a violent wheeze. Not waiting for the finishing kick, the chuunin dropped down on his side and rolled on his back, seeing the kicking leg swing past above his figure. Then he supported his upper body on the already trembling arms and swung his strong legs sideways in a resemblance to a windmill, the lean shins and thighs grazing the matted surface by deadly speed. To his disappointment, the jounin hopped over the widely kicking legs before aiming a knee at chuunin's abs, a move familiar to Iruka as he had made the same thing just a few moments earlier. The bronze-skinned man lifted both his legs and arms over his torso and managed to fend off the cruel knee, then the teacher scrambled back on all fours and continued his retreat to avoid the following fists hitting the matted floor right where his body was seconds ago. Cursing vehemently under his breath, the chuunin pushed himself up on his knees and slapped the fists away before delivering a rough, unrefined punch with knuckles at the masked jaw, sending the older nin reeling to the side.
The second his whole body touched the floor, Kakashi changed the direction of his momentum and hopped back up with ease. Not giving his opponent time to see his next moves, the jounin all but launched himself at the chuunin. Iruka saw the approach and kept his eyes trained on the oncoming assault while his body regrouped itself, his squat low and solid with the tanned hands and legs pressed firmly against the floor. Kakashi noticed the man's change of posture and made a quick move to the side, all the while feeling the keen eyes on him as he gradually circled closer to the sharp-minded sensei. Iruka followed the pale man both with his eyes and all of his senses, his mind scanning through the strategic archives at the same speed with the encircling jounin and discarding the possible attacks one after one when they didn't fit the information he gathered from the advancing shinobi. Suddenly a fist passing next to his head sent a gust of wind brushing against his skin, and Iruka flattened himself on the floor as the anticipated kick sailed above his head. Then he once again pushed himself sideways with his arms and legs to avoid the cutting punch aimed at his back, but he hadn't expected to feel a firm grip suddenly take hold of his shoulder and pull him on his back with a thunk, his fate sealed when the grip changed into tendon-crushing weight pushing against his captured shoulder, thus effectively forcing him to stay put.
A victorious chuckle was all the warning Kakashi gave to the younger man before his firm fist drove in to the man's abdomen, the tatami mat giving a crack in its fibers as the set of merciless fingers and knuckles made full impact to the tanned body with the jounin's full weight enhancing the blow.
Iruka heaved painfully for air after the contact was made and his back felt like having caught on fire due to the harsh collision with the woven mat. That was a mean trick, and his glare was certain to deliver his thoughts at the bastard hovering above him. Then suddenly, the same deadly fist slammed next to his head and he could feel the tiny shockwave of air caress the strands of hair on his temple, hushing every witty retort he had gathered on his tongue.
"...That could have crushed your frontal lobe, sensei", a low, dangerous voice said above his face. Iruka fixed his eyes to answer the given look from the gray eye, the jounin's expression unusually blank and unreadable. After a moment of silence, the older man spoke out the awaited explanation.
"...As tempting as it was, we're here to spar rather than kill each other. At least that's what was written in my scroll. Can't be sure about yours, though. But the next time, as much as you seem to enjoy it, don't spend so much time on the floor, neh? You're offering yourself as an easy target that way", the copy-nin said lightly and the mismatched eyes formed brightly smiling crescents above the dark mask, replacing the sudden seriousness from the man's appearance. "That aside, have you felt anything yet?"
Iruka looked silently at the man above him for a heartbeat and then gave a pensive look at the ceiling behind the silver-haired jounin. "...Well, for one, I'm fairly sure that there are smoother ways to seduce a person..." His face split into a devious smirk at the older man's shocked expression. Served the genius right for asking idiotic questions. "Honestly, what did you think I'd answer, numbskull?"
Kakashi gave a tired sigh, but couldn't hide his amusement at the man's words. Truth to be told, he should have expected something akin to the smart-assing he got when he asked the question. He lifted himself away from the teacher and leaned on his arms while the other seemed to be comfortable on the floor. The lone eye watched the darkened yard outside the training room, the evening having turned into night during their match. It was actually a bit dark in the training room as well, now that he gave the space a second look. That explained why for a moment he had worried if his eyesight was getting bad.
"Though the answer to your question is still negative, Kakashi-san", Iruka said and observed the ceiling above him, noticing for the first time how dark it actually was in the room. No wonder he had had difficulties to keep up with the man from time to time. "I felt nothing significant whatsoever." Luckily, in his opinion. He gave a tired yawn and stretched his back, regretting it the second the still hurting skin area moved against the floor. He was going to have a fun night with the new injuries done to his body, not to mention the delightful joys of pain that awaited him in the morning.
Kakashi huffed in thought and ignored the faint flow of curses being muttered from the teacher's direction when his mind turned to ponder on the current information they had managed to gather so far. If their elements didn't rebel during their fights, then what was it that ignited the reaction? What had he missed?
"...It could be emotional", Iruka's voice carried through the thoughtful silence. The jounin cast a questioning look at the chuunin, the other man keeping his dark eyes on the dark ceiling. Both men weighed the said words in brief silence. Then the teacher gave a quick glance at the jounin who was still observing him. "I was mightily pissed when I slapped you, so it could be tied to emotional stress on some level."
On those words Kakashi sat up more properly and propped his clothed jaw on his hands, and through the darkness Iruka saw the gray eye grow distant. The man was clearly losing himself into his thoughts again. Suddenly the copy-nin hummed in a low voice, and the chuunin was quite sure that he detected a sliver of amusement in the tune. "So you're suggesting that I should get you riled up in order to get a reaction? Haven't we solved that equation even before this mission, or am I missing something vital here?"
Iruka gave a short laugh at the man's lightly teasing words, the jounin had hit a good point with that. "We have, but you wouldn't want a cold shower from now on whenever you press my buttons, Kakashi-san."
Kakashi shrugged lazily at that. "You have a point there, I suppose. But then again, it could have its perks whenever my uniform gets dirty on the missions. They say the blood has to be washed off when it's still fresh to avoid visible stains, not to mention the other body fluids", Kakashi gave the man a leer with mischievously smiling eyes. Shame that the room was so dark, since he was fairly sure that the chuunin's cheeks sported a nice blush at that moment if the appalled sputtering was anything to go by.
"I'll have you disinfected and wrapped tightly in a cling film the next time you approach my desk, pervert." He should have known where their discussions would lead sooner or later. With a tired sigh, Iruka picked himself up, cursing briefly the hurting back on his way, and felt an eye on him as he went to the terrace to pick up the tray with the leftovers of their late supper. Carrying the dirty dishes towards the kitchen, he cast a small smile at the silent jounin. "It's rather late. We can concentrate on this riddle better tomorrow when I have more in my head than just the nagging wish to get some sleep. I suspect that your body feels the same, Kakashi-san, even though you have slept most of the day." The chuunin walked to the kitchen and as the hot water filled up the sink he had put the dishes in, he heard the other's footfalls land on the terrace. From the corner of his eye, Iruka spotted Kakashi stand on the edge of the wooden porch, facing the dark night in his usual slouch, the man seemingly alone with his thoughts.
As the teacher finished washing the last plate, he sensed more than heard the other enter the kitchen on silent feet.
"What is it in me that you're afraid of, Iruka-sensei?"
The quietly spoken question made the plate slip from Iruka's hands and fall back to the sink with an echoing clang, spilling a good amount of warm water on his clothes in the process. A muttered curse left the teacher's lips and he took the plate again, rinsed it swiftly and put it into cupboard with the others. With no hurry, he wiped his hands dry as they both silently observed the used water flow down the drain. Then Iruka shifted his already aching muscles to lean his weight lightly against the counter and lifted the slightly tired eyes to challenge the intensively staring gray orb. A slender eyebrow rose to counter the seriously spoken question and the chuunin's voice carried a deceivingly light tone in it. "I thought we had already discussed that matter. When was the last time you had your hearing checked?"
Unfortunately, the teacher had forgotten who he played against.
With a deliberately slow step forward, Kakashi tilted his head closer to the tanned man. "It will take more than that to make me lose the scent the second time, sensei." Intrigued, the jounin observed as one of the chuunin's fingers halted in the air, just half an inch above the hard counter it had been absently tapping against. A subtle warning meant for him.
"...Saa, you're demanding a straight answer from a shinobi? Is this something you picked up along the way when adventuring in the road of life? Let me guess, this time it had an oasis in it, eh?" The mellow voice spoke in a tantalizing tone, and Kakashi could see the challenge shine bright in the teacher's eyes. In the days to come, he just might forget his vow not to use the sharingan on his comrades. They all made slips, even him.
"You're avoiding the subject, sensei", pointed the quiet remark from the jounin's side.
As easily as it had appeared, the spark in Iruka's eyes faded away and the chuunin settled for a more unreadable look. The decrease of temperature in the usually warm and rich baritone was an interesting note in the copy-nin's books. "As convenient as it could be, I'm not. I have given all the information you need. It's not my problem if you can't use that porn-corrupted head more properly to get the answers that you're lacking or the right questions you could be asking instead of focusing on trivial little details. You're a jounin and an ex-ANBU, Kakashi-san, and I expect you to act as your rank dictates. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less." With that the tanned man pushed himself off the counter and set his way towards the shared bedroom. He felt really tired and debating over insignificant matters with the one-eyed air-head wasn't a valid reason for him to skip a good night's sleep. He sensed the other follow him with his eye and his teacher senses alerted him to prepare for the last comment for the night. Sadly, he wasn't disappointed.
"You're admitting that there's more to it, sensei." Kakashi observed the man stop by the bedroom door, the other's hand ready to pull the door open. Instead of getting a mere glare or a general mutter on 'stupid jounin', the lightning user was granted with an unfazed look over the bronze-skinned shoulder.
"You'd be worse than an idiot not to spot that." The passing, teasing smirk didn't miss its mark, and Kakashi could feel his own brows twitch at the smug look in the other's eyes. Thus, he couldn't help but give his own contribution to their tongue-lashing.
"Maa. For a man to demand mature behavior from his peers, you're quite a flippant little fucker yourself, sensei."
Of all the violent outcomes he was prepared to defend himself against, the loud laughter that escaped the chuunin's lips wasn't on any of his lists. The tanned fingers wiped over the tired eyes before the chuunin served the surprised upper rank with a toothy grin. "Remind me to give you a kunai sticker for that when the mission ends, ge-ni-us."And with a last, wicked look cast at the nonplussed jounin, the smirking chuunin disappeared to the bedroom, the proud, spiky ponytail swaying as the man shook his head on the way.
As the soft click of the closing door registered in his stunned mind, Kakashi found himself left alone in the faint glow of the kitchen light, only the silence as his company. That had been an unexpected conversation, but, if he was honest with himself, he had anticipated it to leave him with a whole bunch of new questions concerning the ambivalent sensei rather than getting what he had wanted from the infuriatingly moody man. As he slowly replayed their evening down to the last words before Iruka had left to sleep, some other connections made themselves suddenly active in his head, which led to unravel a few almost forgotten memories concerning their latest adventures in the world of chakra. The moment when one particular snippet of dialogue clicked into place, all the other thoughts were promptly thrown out of his mind's surreal window into the absurd maze that was the ex-ANBU's logic.
"...It was only Iruka-sensei who got the reaction."
Even the pin itself wanted to keep the intense silence uninterrupted. Then, a quiet, rumbling chuckle that was tinted with an evil undertone rose slowly from the masked throat while the man of thousand jutsus casually clicked the feeble light out and shambled in the darkness to enjoy a warm shower before joining the current target of his musings for a sleep, the new, insidious plans being formed in the genius mind.
A well-hidden blade, indeed.
[1] Enma is a god of hell in the Buddhist mythology, who judges the dead based on their deeds and determines who goes to heaven and who is sent to hell.
Coincidentally enough, Naruto series has a character of the monkey king Enma, who is the Sandaime Hokage's summon and could be seen in action for example when Sarutobi fought against Orochimaru during Naruto's chuunin tests.
In any case, I could hazard a guess that neither of these guys would take it well if one flips off at them, so basically you get to choose the one that suits your taste. Have fun.
[2] In Dragon Ball series, the man had a nice office. That's all.