Shizune's "don't over do it" warning had left the building as soon as the newest Icha Icha had fallen into Gai's hands. Kakashi forced more chakra into his feet as he leapt across three rooftops at once, gaining ground on Gai as the man continued to dodge each kunai being thrown at him. The terms of the challenge had been simple enough- they would run three laps around the village before scaling the cliff face of the Hokage monument. Lee was waiting for them at the makeshift finish line, probably beet red and holding the Icha Icha novel at the end of a long stick. Kakashi had been surprised the challange was seemingly so easy, but Gai had apparently taken his last loss more seriously than Kakashi thought; he was faster than before. Gai threw a shuriken behind his back and Kakashi dodged it, lunging forward to close the gap between them and throwing them both off the roof. The ground was coming up fast, so Kakashi launched himself off the walls of the homes before rocketing into the air, hearing the sound of Gai following close after him. Gai had sent them both almost flying into a tree earlier, so a little foul play on Kakashi's part wouldn't go astray.

The three laps around the village had been hard enough, especially considering he hadn't done any training in almost two weeks now. But now, dodging villagers and throwing himself of rooftops was going to make him regret waking up tomorrow. He could see the mountain looming ahead of him, a speck of green at the top peering down. He got a running start before throwing himself into the air, feeling himself begin to fall as he watched the dirt of the mountain come rushing towards him. He dug two kunai into the face of the cliff and began climbing. He could hear Gai just behind him, and his shirt and mask were soaked with sweat from the heat of the day. He was going to get that book, dammit. And then he was going to board up every single peep hole in the women's onsen. He shoved one kunai into the Sandaime's right nostril, heaving his body up before finally finding footing. Gai was hanging off Minato-sensei's chin, using the weight of his body to swing himself higher and higher.

"For our eternal rivalry!" Gai hollered, throwing himself into the air and barely getting his fingertips to grab the shelf of rock that was the Yondaime's eyebrow. Kakashi could see the top of the mountain; Lee's wide eyes and the bright cover of Icha Icha. He finally made it over the crest and dragged himself towards Lee, reaching his feet just as the weight of Gai's body landed on his back. H grunted, but didn't try and move him off.

Was he getting old?

Gai's weight rolled off him and he looked up to see two wide grins staring down at him.

"Kakashi-san, you have bested me once again," Gai bowed and offered the bright yellow book out to Kakashi, who cradled it like a newborn child. His ribs ached, his lungs were burning, and he was pretty sure he had stubbed his big toe, given that it was now a throbbing, bloody mess. But none of that mattered. Kakashi pressed the book to his cheek and tried to suppress a squeal. Gai rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before offering Kakashi a thumbs up.

"As always, it was an honor being your rival!"

"We can be rivals forever, Gai. It's okay."

He was definitely wheezing. He'd have to dodge Shizune's well meaning check in at his apartment today, or she would probably make him suffer for not listening to her. Gai and Lee were both crying tears of joy, and Kakashi bent over and forced himself to take several deep breaths. He needed to stop eating those chocolate pastries. The smooth cover of the book in his hands was keeping him together. All he needed to do was make it back to his apartment, and he could close himself off from the world.

Someone was in his apartment.

He was only at the mouth of the stairs, but he could hear someone shuffling around within. His door was cracked ever so slightly, and he only sometimes forgot to lock it. He heard the gruff sound of Pakkun talking, and he relaxed. If the ninken were there, whoever was inside couldn't be doing too much damage. He felt a flicker of chakra and couldn't help but smile to himself. Sakura was inside. What she was doing, he had no clue, but he had wanted to find her thank her for this morning. It was unfortunate, and fairly awkward to wake up with your former student straddling you as you screamed in unbridled terror; but they had been returning with a vengeance lately, and waking up to her had been better than waking up in a puddle of his own sweat.

He looked mournfully down at the book in his hand, but caught the scent of something wafting in the air. Something spicy and warm; a touch of heat and a pinch of zest. Was Sakura cooking for him? His mouth was watering as he pushed his door open, seeing the ears of his ninken perk as he entered the kitchen. Sakura had her back to him and a disconcertingly large knife in her hand. She was wearing an apron with dancing ramen bowls on it.

"Oh, Kakashi! I was going to wait outside for you but the ninken could smell the sausages so they let me in,"

His spoiled dogs looked up from their bowls, no tinge of regret in their eyes as they continued inhaling the sausages Sakura had laid out for them. Several reusable grocery bags were on his counter, their contents spilling out. Kakashi began poking through the bags curiously; whatever she was cooking was the best thing he had smelled in months.

"Not that I mind, Sakura... but what is the occasion?"

Sakura turned back the heat on the burner and wiped her hands on the apron, "I saw four genin teams at the hospital today... I felt like I should make you dinner. Please, please tell me we weren't that bad."

Kakashi had overheard from Shizune some of the things genin teams came into the hospital with. A shift exclusively on the genin ward was one of Tsunade's favorite punishments. He rubbed his chin, pretending to think hard.

"Ahh, I'm sure the three of you were much worse, actually."

He caught the large chunk of ginger that Sakura tossed at his head and set it on the counter beside the bags. He saw her look him up and down, apparently only just noticing the leaves in his hair; the dirt on his clothes, and the dried blood flaking off his toe and onto the floor. He smiled and wiggled his prize in the air before he explained the situation with Jiraiya and Gai. Sakura was gripping a wooden spoon in her hand and for a brief moment he wondered if he should be worried about her hitting him with it. Instead, she gave him a look he usually only saw her give Naruto and turned back to her meal.

"Just for that, I'm not healing you. All that for a book, ne? Better be worth it, I personally thought Tactics was a little uninspired. Not terrible by any means, but after he made everyone wait three years I don't know why he settled with the plot about the two lovers driven apart by the Feudal Lord. I like the second one," Sakura offered as she busied herself in his kitchen, "Jiraiya really got into the plot for it; I cried when Hakaku had to leave. Much better than Paradise and Tactics put together."

Kakashi was dumbstruck by her words, his mouth falling open as his eye widened in shock. Sakura laughed, "What, Kakashi? I know I always told you off for reading them in public, but Ino bought them for me when I turned eighteen and they're really not that bad. Still not appropriate to be read in public, but definitely not as bad as I had anticipated."

Kakashi shook his head slowly, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose through his mask. This was unacceptable. There was no way he could accept this.

"Sakura... how could you possibly have liked Icha Icha Violence more than Paradise?"

She was wrong. He loved all the novels as deeply as he could, but there was something so heavy about Paradise. Two people falling in love, but not knowing how hard and painful it can be. New love opening their eyes to the warmth of companionship, the intense lust that built between them during their hard times together. Sakura waved the spoon in her hand at him and the ninken dived to collect the small droplets of liquid that splattered on the floor.

"Ne, Paradise was good, but Violence is so... raw with emotion. Hakaku and Tamami are so in love and their lives keep pulling them in different directions! When Hakaku leaves to go on his mission and they've just had that fight that lasted so long, and they both want to forgive the other but they're just too proud. Oh, I was crying while I read it, Jiraiya made me feel like- like-"

"Like someone you loved was leaving you," Kakashi finished for her. He knew the exact scene she was talking about, and not because of the intense love making scene that came just before it that stole his breath every time he read it.

Tamami's eyes glazed over with tears, but she would always be too proud to let them spill over and onto her cheeks. Instead, they clung to her thick lashes and glimmered in the dim light. Hakaku loved her, but he never had the right words to tell her just how much. He wanted to tell her she was beautiful, wrapped only in the silk sheets they had just been tangled in together; her lips red from his own mouth, her hair just as wild as she was.

"I'll return."

The word 'home' lingered on his lips, but he couldn't speak it. Did she think of this as their home, just as he did? Would he ever be able to tell her that wherever she was felt like home to him? Tamami raised her chin at him, a single tear slipping down her face and falling into the well of her collarbone. His breath caught in his throat at her finally allowing herself to cry in front of him; the moment between them more vulnerable than when they had lay naked in front of each other. He wanted to kiss her there, but he refrained. They had already complicated this more by falling into bed again, unable to resist each other.

"Goodbye, Hakaku,"

Their I love yous would remain unsaid.

Sakura was slicing vegetables again, dropping the occasional chunk down for the eager ninken. She had pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, most likely to avoid another incident like the time Naruto had fished a thin pink hair from the depth of his meal.

"Jiraiya was just testing the waters with Paradise; the plot wasn't as strong, even though he had such amazing characters. And I feel like he fell back into an easy plot with Tactics; the Feudal Lord wanting to take the man's wife away; the pregnancy being revealed as they were kidnapping her. It isn't bad by any means, but it lacked the same depths as Violence."

Kakashi watched as she continued adding ingredients to the pan, the warm scent rising into the air and making his ninken whine. On cue, Kakashi's stomach growled low and deep and Sakura laughed as she stood on hr tiptoes to get plates from his cupboards. The cabinet door screeched as it was opened, and Kakashi made a mental note to fix it. And the sink. And probably the weird clunking noise his refrigerator made as well. Maybe Shizune and Genma had the right idea in wanting to renovate. The plate Sakura slid in front of him was piled high with chicken and soba noodles, all glistening with a ginger and soy glaze. He felt a bump on his leg and looked down to find four sets of wide eyes gazing up at him. Sakura beat him to the punch, clapping her hands and shooing them away.

"I just fed the four of you, and good sausages no less! You'll end up like Mr. Wiggles."

That seemed to scare them into their retreat. Kakashi watched Sakura slip into the seat across from him and he looked her over, making no moves to begin his meal. Sakura seemed to sense his gaze and looked up, eyes wide with innocence.

"Yes?"

"Sakura... are you lonely?"

He didn't mind her sudden reoccuring presence, by any means. But it seemed in the weeks since their failed mission, the dynamic of their relationship had changed dramatically on both sides. He no longer saw her as his student, nor the young girl he had known for so long. But he could see a difference in the way she looked at him, and the comfort she seemed to have around him. She was turning pink under his gaze, not quite the same shocking shade as her hair, but bright enough that he felt almost sorry for asking. He worried her lip and poked some vegetables around on her plate, one shoulder rising and falling in a gesture that didn't answer his question.

"Sometimes, I suppose. I mean, can you ever really be lonely in Konoha? But it feels like so much has happened, and so many things are changing. Shikamaru is a sensei; Naruto is training with Tsunade-shishou to be considered a Hokage candidate. Ino is thinking about taking a two year posting to Suna to work as a medical aide. I don't need boyfriend... but sometimes it's nice to have someone to come home to that isn't your roommate stealing your shoes out of your closet."

It wasn't necessarily a sentiment he could share. He had never gotten to the point in a relationship where he had welcomed his girlfriends into his home so readily; but he thought of the times he had come home to darkness and silence. How he had rolled over at night to the cold, empty side of his bed and momentarily wondered what it would be like to have the warmth of skin under his fingertips instead. He pulled his mask down around his neck and brought the steaming slice of chicken to his mouth. He had never asked her why she had stopped seeing Neji, though he knew the never ending Konoha rumor mill was sure Sasuke had been involved. He didn't agree, personally. Though Sasuke had, in the short time he had been back in the village, worked his way back into the group, there had been no spark of romance that he had been aware of. And Sakura didn't strike him as the type to wander. There was no evidence of bad blood between her and the Hyuuga, so it must have been an amicable break.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have trouble finding someone, Sakura,"

She blushed again as she continued pushing the food around on her plate, "I'm too picky, Ino says. I just want someone who doesn't think me being a kunoichi is stupid, knows I need to work at the hospital, won't complain if I go on long missions; isn't a slob, isn't joined at the hip with their mother, doesn't want me to be a housewife, and won't expect me to take care of them. Is that too much to ask?"

They seemed like fairly reasonable requests, as far as he could tell. Though it certainly narrowed down her selection to mostly other shinobi, which introduced a much larger selection of problems. He thought of the chakra stone he had given her, and what he had originally intended on doing with it. He would need to pull some strings, but maybe he could give her something slightly better than a boyfriend.

In his opinion.

Sakura abruptly changed the subject as the pink began to faded from her face, returning to telling him about the various genin teams she had seen today. He listened as he ate, his gaze not once lingering to the Icha Icha book that rested beside his hand. He would save it for later, and stay up all night if he had. He had arranged to meet with Genma and Iruka tomorrow morning, but he was sure they would wait for him. They should have known him long enough to know when he said eight, he meant no earlier than eleven.

Danzo's body was laid out on the table, a bright light shining down on him and washing his skin to an ashen grey. There were no outward signs of trauma, but that didn't rule out some kind of poisoning. Tsunade would admit she was relieved, though it was overshadowed largely by her suspicion. She looked to the two remaining elders, her eyes narrowed.

"You found him like this?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. When he didn't arrive for our designated meeting, we were concerned and went to his house. It looked empty, but when I looked in the window I saw him on the floor. Koharu went for a medic, while I broke in through the window. There was no sign of forced entry or any enemy ninja. He was just... gone." Homaru's eyes were lingering on Danzo's body, disbelief shining through his usually stoic demeanour, "The three of us haven't had a meeting in several days. Who knows how long he had been there?"

Tsunade turned Danzo's bare wrist over in her hand, checking the color of his veins for any obvious poisons forced into his blood, "No more than three hours. I saw him this morning to discuss the missing sharingan scrolls from your archives. He was fine when I left him. We have a window for time of death, but the autopsy will tell us more."

Shizune had Danzo's file open on the table, worrying at her lip as she ran her fingers down the pages and muttered to herself.

"Tsunade-sama, Danzo-san had his last routine physical just a month ago. It was conducted by me, and I found no evidence of organ failure, potential heart disease, or any mental fatigue. His chakra was average for his age, and he assured me that his facial and body injuries were tended to by a medic outside of Konoha."

That piqued her interest. There were few members of the village who were permitted to leave Konoha to see medical treatment, and with herself and Sakura so easily accessed now, she knew of nobody who sought other treatments. Tsunade stared down at the man she had threatened barely hours ago, her brow furrowed. He was old, she had to admit. Many capable shinobi found themselves taken down by age; but Shizune should have found some indicator during his last exam. From the corner of her eye, she could see the two elders having a whispered conversation. It was obviously getting heated, and Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Anything the two of you would like to share with me?"

They exchanged a glance, and said nothing until Tsunade arched her eyebrow and began to tap her foot impatiently.

"Hokage-sama... We located the missing sharingan scrolls. Though there was no obvious reason to suspect foul play in Danzo's death, I checked the rest of the house before the medic arrived. The scrolls were located in an opened loose floorboard in Danzo's bedroom. I'm sure that he simply forgot he had them-"

Tsunade held up her hand, already having heard enough. "That's enough. Those scrolls were not to be taken from the archives, as was ruled by the fire Daimyo. Furthermore, Danzo had the audacity to accuse me and my medics of their theft. He may be dead... but those scrolls were in his possession. And he will receive the appropriate demerit to his character before his burial. As a lifelong villager of Konoha, I will allow his body to buried within the cemetery; but he will not be buried a hero."

The elders were going to argue. She could see it coming.

"Hokage-sama, I must protest! This incident was isolated, and we have no way of knowing what Danzo-san's intentions were. You have no proof that he was nothing more than a good man!"

Shizune scream ricocheted off the walls of the morgue, and Tsunade's gut rolled as she caught sight of what had caused her apprentice such a visceral reaction. Shizune had begun removing Danzo of his clothing, staring with his bandages. An arm of sightless sharingan stared up at her; Danzo's eye uncovered and the sharingan implanted in the socket was weeping blood. A face was protruding out of his arm, the twisted image of her grandfather gazing out at her. She could see the jagged seam where his shoulder met his body, evidence of an ill performed medical technique. Tsunade forced her panic down and kept her face an emotionless mask.

"...I would say that is enough proof... wouldn't you?"

She was going to have to take back that part about him being buried in the Konoha cemetery. He would be lucky if she didn't throw his corpse into the forest to feed the wildlife at this point. The Elders behind her had gasped, but were now blessedly silent. Tsunade hands trembled as she reached for Danzo's cold arm, turning it in her hands to see the multitude of Sharingan. Who had these belonged to? How long had he had them? How had nobody ever known? Rage towards the Sandaime bubbled in her chest again. This man was a monster, and he had been lurking in Konoha for far too long. She thought of how Danzo had lingered over Sasuke Uchiha's body, the hunger etched onto his face. She wondered what would have happened had she not kept the corpse under the close watch of an ANBU squad; found her thoughts lingering on the massacre of the Uchiha clan. How many, if any, of those Sharingan were now staring up at her?

It was hard to think of anyone else who would have been targeting Kakashi. He may not have truly been the last to wield the Sharingan, but he was the last person Danzo would have been able to get his hands on to complete the arm.

"Koharu and Homura, you may both return to your daily duties. This incident is not to be spoken of; should it get out among the public, I will hold the both of you personally responsible."

"Hokage-sama, I must object-"

"Get out."

Tsunade was done taking orders from people who would do nothing but undermine her. Too long she had sat silent under the critical gaze from the pedestals they felt they sat upon. But now here she was, staring down into the empty eyes of who knows how many Uchiha. She could hear the elders scampering out of the room and she caught the inside of her cheek between her teeth, biting down until she could taste copper painting her tongue. What was she supposed to do in this situation?

"Shizune... get Jiraiya. Get me... anyone who can tell me what the hell is going on here. Then I want you to start testing these eyes against every Uchiha DNA sample we have in the lab. I want to know who these belonged to and how the hell Danzo got his hands on them. I..."

She looked at the face protruding from Danzo's arm and bile surged into the back of her throat. The only person she knew who would do such a horrific thing with her grandfather's cells was Orochimaru, and obviously to try and secure the Wood Release.

"I need you to be fast and discreet, Shizune. Go."

She had wanted answers about what was happening in her village, and now here they were. Seemingly wrapped up in a neat package and set out in front of her. Danzo had always wanted control of Konoha, and Tsunade had done her best at stopping him on every occasion. He obviously had a desire for the Sharingan, and he would have known most of the inner workings of the village. He had motive, means and opportunity. And now he was dead. All she had to do was mend bridges with Iwagakure to dispel any of the lingering rumors, and all of her issues would be handled.

So why did all of this feel like it was the beginning of something much worse?

He needed to get Sakura to stop feeding his ninken. They were getting heavy.

Kakashi blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes and looked down at his chest, expecting to see one of his dogs plopped in the centre. Instead, Sakura was curled up against him on the couch, half of her body slung across his chest, her feet curled up under her. He remembered washing their dinner dishes in his bathroom with her, their conversation moving easily. He remembered the way her eyes had lit up when she caught sight of the cactus she had just given him sitting proudly on his windowsill. The soft drizzle of rain that had been pattering his windows through dinner had turned into an outright downpour, bouncing off his balcony and slamming into the window with excessive force. Sakura had insisted she could leave, that the rain wouldn't bother her. It wasn't until a sharp crack of lightning had streaked across the sky and lit up the village that she took him up on his offer to wait out the storm.

She had perused his bookcase for several minutes before somehow finding the only medical textbook he owned and curled up on his couch. He settled himself into his usual dent and relished the feeling of cracking open the newest Icha Icha. Ten pages in, he hadn't seen Sakura flick a single page of her textbook, and looked up to find her squinting to read his novel from her side of the couch.

"You're a slow reader."

Kakashi slid closer, angling the book so she could see it as well. He had hoped Jiraiya would continue his tradition of not including the more steamy passages until at least a quarter of the way through. He was willing to see Sakura as his equal, as she was. But he wasn't prepared to read porn with her. Kakashi was trying to figure out the best way to shift her away from him without waking her up, his bladder beginning to screech in protest. His neck was stiff from where it had been tipped back on the chair, but it was nothing a hot shower wouldn't fix. He poked Sakura gently in the ribcage, dodging back to avoid the hand that came up to smack him away. With meticulous movements and baited breath, he slowly eased Sakura off his chest and settled her onto his couch, tucking a folded blanket under her head and draping another over her. The rain was even heavier now, a dull roar outside the confines of his apartment. He could hear the growls of thunder, the sheets of lightening brightening the sky as though daylight was breaking.

"Boss, someone's outside the door."

Kakashi frowned as he crossed the room and cracked his door open. Tsunade was framed in the doorway, her hand raised and ready to knock. Her lips were pressed into a thin line; and she was looking at him with wide, soft eyes. Jiraiya was behind her, his usual grin and exuberance dulled.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry to bother you so late. May we come in?"