Chapter 11: New Missions

The trip back to Konoha was an odd one and Kakashi had to wonder if Tsunade was always weird, or if it was Haruno that was making her behave the way she did.

Despite the fact that the other three always walked on Kakashi's blind side, he was aware of the arm waving, hissing, and grunts that came from Tsunade and Haruno. Mostly it was the arm waving from Haruno and the near silent hissing and grunts from Tsunade.

Kakashi didn't know what to make of it, but figured that the Sannin had a problem with his student and decided to follow Shizune's example and not get involved. But of course that was almost impossibly when night rolled around in the fire country and Kakashi called for a break to set up camp.

"You can take my bedroll, Haruno," Kakashi said as he set it up near the fire. He didn't expected to run into his student or the Sannin when he first left Konoha, and so he only packed one, and it looked like Tsunade and Shizune were set with their tent.

"Thanks-" Haruno was saying when Tsunade interrupted him with wide eyes and a panicked look on her face before she shot him a look.

"No! You're sleeping with Shizune!"

Kakashi raised a brow, glancing at Shizune who looked like she expected it and then he looked at Haruno who looked almost as confused as Kakashi felt.

"Tsunade-Sama," Kakashi said, and was that a flinch? "That's not necessary. I'm sure Haruno can live without a roof over his head for a night. He is my student after all." And it really wouldn't be proper for a boy to be sleeping with a girl, in a tent. Never mind the fact that Tsunade claimed seniority and thus should get the best sleeping arrangements.

"I insist," Tsunade said while at the same time Shizune added, "I'm fine with it."

Kakashi sighed, it was almost like Tsunade didn't want him to talk to Haruno. And for that matter, Kakashi was certain that he never had a single chance to talk to his student alone. When Kakashi and Haruno went to the stream to fill up their canteens, Tsunade was there with them.

When Kakashi set out to hunt or fish with the intent of teaching Haruno a trick or two, Tsunade was there with an odd request for Haruno and Kakashi was left to finish the task alone.

Kakashi didn't get it. Was Tsunade trying to protect Haruno from him? Or was Tsunade trying to keep Haruno from telling Kakashi something. Both options seemed bad because either way he looked at it, it seemed like Tsunade didn't trust him.

"Mah, why don't we let Haruno decide where he wants to sleep?" Kakashi suggested.

"I'd like to sleep outside."

"No!" Tsunade shouted, and at Kakashi's incredulous look she gave a sheepish grin. "I mean-"

"Can we talk?" Kakashi interrupted, motioning away from the small campsite. He didn't miss the twin grimaces from Haruno or Tsunade as he walked a distance away and when he finally turned around he slouched and would have put his hands in his pockets but let them hang limply at his sides, showing that he had no weapons.

Not one to beat around the bush, Kakashi asked, "is there something you'd like to tell me?"

There it was, that blank look that Kakashi had no hopes of reading. Someone who trusted him had no reason to mask their emotions, least of all Tsunade. The woman was a Sannin, and could probably beat him with her little pinky. Tsunade was even close to his father and was something like an Aunt to Kakashi. So then why all the secrets? Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, aware that he was probably glaring but didn't care. It would be bad for his team dynamics if one fourth of his team didn't trust him because of what Tsunade was doing.

"Is there a reason you're not allowing me to speak with my student without you hovering over our shoulder?"

A grimace. That was good, at least she felt guilty about it.

"Do you think I'm some sort of spy or traitor? Is that why you want to sleep outside? To keep an eye on me?"

"That's not it," Tsunade admitted, blank look completely cracking into one of defeat.

"Then why?"

She glared at him, but had a smirk on her face. "I trust you brat, and I trust the other brat too, but he knows some things."

"Like?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

"And you're trying to hide this information from me because…?"

"That's none of your business."

"It is when it's affecting my student and I have full clearance on any information that Haruno might have." Hell, he was practically Hokage for two months and if that didn't give him clearance then Kakashi didn't know what would.

"No."

"No?"

Tsunade nodded. "No."

Kakashi growled and took satisfaction in the guilty look Tsunade shot him. Ignoring the older woman, Kakashi stomped back to camp and met Haruno's gaze. "You-"

"Kakashi!"

"Aren't to tell me whatever it is that Tsunade is trying to hide from me," Kakashi said before shooting his attention to Tsunade. "And you will stop doing whatever it is you're doing. You don't need to keep an eye on Haruno 24/7. Understood?"

Kakashi silently thanked every deity that Tsunade wasn't going to be the Hokage, because talking to her like that would have gotten him in trouble. In fact, Kakashi was beginning to regret ordering her around when her eyebrow ticked. She was still a Sannin.

"Fine."

Kakashi blinked, not quite believing his ears.

"Goodnight brats," Tsunade said and retreated into the tent.

xxx

Sakumo played with the leaf in his hands, crushing it before pouring healing Chakra into it and then leeched the water out of it before pushing it back in.

Show off.

'I'm not,' Sakumo lied as he glanced toward Kakashi.

The man had watched him play with the leaf for ten seconds and looked shocked for only one, before turning back to his book.

If you want more of Kakashi's attention you'll need to do something else.

'Like what?'

Try zapping the leaf instead of leeching it.

'But I don't know how to separate the lightening Chakra from the water Chakra.'

Fang hummed in Sakumo's head and he continued to cycle through what he had learned since leaving Konoha. Leeching, soaking, and healing, with the occasional zapping of his own fingers.

That wouldn't be good. Fang suddenly said.

'What wouldn't be good?'

If you splashed Kakashi with the water you pull from the leaf. He'd be able to feel my Chakra if you did that.

Sakumo winced, 'yeah, lets not do that. Tsunade already thinks I'm a medical anomaly.'

Fang chuckled, why don't you just ask him to teach you a Jutsu.

Sakumo's eye brows raised, he had almost forgotten that Kakashi owed him a Jutsu. He had been so focused on the healing Jutsu Shizune was teaching him, that he had forgotten that he wanted to learn a water Jutsu.

"Sensei?" Sakumo asked, aware of Tsunade watching him. "Do you think you can teach me a Jutsu now?"

Kakashi sighed and made a big show of putting his book away. "I suppose."

"Really? I-I mean awesome!" Sakumo grinned. "I want a Jutsu that'll make a water dragon. Just like how Sasuke has his but for fire."

"Why don't I teach you something else," Kakashi offered, studying Sakumo from the corner of his eye.

Sakumo's mood dropped. He wanted to learn how to make a water dragon, and what was up with that look? Did Kakashi not think he could learn how?

There's no lake, Fang said. He wouldn't be able to teach you that unless you could pull the water from the air.

'Oh,' Sakumo thought while he said, "ok."

"You know how to pull the water out of a leaf, now do it to the air and collect it at your palm," Kakashi said. "It's more Chakra control, but it doesn't take hand signs and it's useful if you're in a desert."

"Can you show me?"

Sakumo could have sworn he saw Kakashi roll his eye before he pulled of his glove and sure enough, his palm started to look like it was sweating before he knew it Kakashi was cupping a hand full of water.

Kakashi let the water splash to the ground and he wiped his hands. "It's easier focusing on your breath at first," Kakashi shrugged.

Nodding, Sakumo set himself to start. It took him a few tries, but he managed to make a handful of water within thirty minutes and showed Kakashi who dismissively told him to do it again.

He's impressed. You have really good Chakra control.

'Could have fooled me,' Sakumo said as he continued with the exercise. It was faster this time and before he could even show Kakashi, the man did a few quick hand seals and a tiny dragon slithered to life in his palm.

It felt, well, wet, and it was no bigger than a finger, but Sakumo still watched in awe looped in the air above his hand before crashing down into his palm and becoming a puddle once more.

"Ouch," Sakumo hissed and shook out his hand. Even when it was no bigger than a finger, a Jutsu was still a Jutsu and it had stung.

Sakumo sent a glare at Kakashi who was back to reading his book but one of his hands were cupped with some water and he was saying the hand seals but at the second 'ox' Sakumo zoned out. The water dragon Jutsu took an insane amount of seals and by the amused look in Kakashi's eye, he could tell that Kakashi was having fun at Sakumo's expense. The jerk.

I think that's the longest string of hand seals for a Jutsu, I've ever heard of.

'Your son is a complete jerk. He knows I can't memorize all of that, and he's taunting me with that water!'

"Get all that?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Sakumo wanted to smack that eye-smile off of Kakashi's face.

xxx

Tsunade easily met Haruno and Kakashi, step for step. All four of them were traveling at a civilian pace. It didn't seem like Kakashi was in a rush to return to the village, and Tsunade herself was having second thoughts about going back.

Actually they were second thoughts about traveling with Kakashi. Not that it mattered much. They only had another hour before they reached the village gates.

Watching him interact with the Haruno kid, reminded her of all the moments she missed out with Kakashi. She could have taught her son so much as he was growing up. She certainly would have been a better teacher to Kakashi than Kakashi was to Haruno.

Kakashi sucked at teaching, Tsunade thought with a hint of amusement.

From watching Shizune teach Haruno, Tsunade knew that the kid learned better by example and reading written text. The fact that Kakashi wasn't showing the hand signs and kept repeating them, were just leaving Haruno even more frustrated. And by the looks of it, Kakashi knew this and was taking great joy in riling the kid up.

"Tsunade-Sama," Shizune quietly interrupted her thoughts. "What's going on with you, Kakashi-san and Sakumo-kun?"

Ah, that's right. Shizune didn't know about all the drama Haruno was causing. Her apprentice didn't even know about Kakashi's blood relationship to her. That was shocking. Tsunade had expected Haruno to spill the beans whenever those two were alone. Perhaps the kid was more trustworthy than she gave him credit for.

"Nothing," Tsunade waved off her worry, going back to watch Haruno bare his teeth at Kakashi.

"You suck at teaching!" Haruno hissed.

Kakashi raised a brow, apparently never having to deal with Haruno's temper before. "Never wanted to be a teacher," he said.

"Teach me something else."

"Like what?"

"Anything water related."

"Why don't you keep making puddles?"

"But you still owe me a Jutsu."

"Technically, drawing water out of the air is a technique," Kakashi argued.

"But you taught Naruto and Sasuke two really cool Jutsu, and I can't possibly remember all those hand seals for the water dragon."

"Make shapes," Kakashi sighed.

"What?"

"You have good Chakra control, use it to make shapes with the water."

Haruno grumbled something that Tsunade didn't catch and she watched with amusement as the kid leeched the water from Kakashi's hand to his.

At first Tsunade had forced medical training onto the kid, because she was irritated, but now she could see that the kid was practically a born medic-nin. Anyone would be jealous of the type of Chakra control that came naturally to Haruno. She even caught Kakashi raising a brow.

There was a slight problem though; lightening Chakra always seemed to taint Haruno's Chakra no matter what. Healing himself was no problem, but when he had tried to heal a bruise on Shizune, he ended up zapping her.

For a second Tsunade contemplated making Haruno heal Kakashi, but quickly dismissed the idea. The kid's ghostly secret - which Tsunade still didn't fully believe - was his to tell, and Tsunade didn't want to risk her own getting out. Still, it would be interesting to see if another lightening user would also get shocked.

xxx

An hour later, found Tsunade standing in front of her old teammate. The thought was almost ridiculous. Jiraiya, the Hokage? Tsunade would have laughed if it wasn't true.

"So, did you tell him?" Jiraiya asked.

"Tell who, what?" Tsunade shot back.

"Kakashi, about you and his old man getting some-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll kill you, even if you are the Hokage," Tsunade threatened.

Of course Jiraiya would have heard Haruno's whispered words. The man had been sitting right next her and Sakumo had chosen the ear facing Jiraiya to whisper into. Jiraiya had probably read the kids lips.

"Are you going to tell him?" Jiraiya asked once Tsunade had calmed down a bit.

"One day."

"One day soon?"

"No."

Jiraiya shrugged as if expecting as much before breaking into a wide grin. "So, I'm the Hokage now."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. Jiraiya always knew when to drop a topic. He could read her that well. "I fear for the female population," Tsunade said.

"I'm also your Hokage," He added.

"Don't be getting any ideas."

"Well, how would you like a long term mission outside of the village? It'll be S-Rank, so the pay will be good."

"How good?"

"Hmm, about a million Ryo."

Damn, he knew her so well and she knew him well enough to know he was playing her right into a trap. But damn, that million Ryo sounded really good.

"Fine," Tsuande said.

"Great," Jiraiya's grin widened even more and Tsunade felt a bit of dread. "I need to get Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke out of the village, and I need to maintain my spy network."

"Done," Tsunade nodded. That didn't sound too bad. And think of all that Ryo!

"Oh and Kakashi and Haruno will be going with you. I'm assuming that Shizune will also go."

"Kakashi?!"


A/N: I didn't really like this chapter. Nothing happened and it's pretty much just setting things up. Oh well.