Chapter Thirty One:
Two weeks later and Kakashi was dropping off his retrieved nin at the hunter-corps building. The package had been a pain in the ass. He'd walked through swamp water with Pakkun on his head to find the little shit and he'd slipped out of his clutches twice.
Bastard knew a few tricks.
But those tricks were Kakashi's now. Sealed in his memory for use of his own.
But, perhaps he was getting older, younger Kakashi wouldn't had taken three attempts to catch him.
Or maybe he just needed a partner to wade in the swamp with. Someone who would be willing to pull the leeches off his back without leaving scratch marks.
That was the day he also learnt ninken did not like leeches.
Then again, Sakura would have kept them in a jar in case they needed their medical assistance later in the mission.
Plus, the battle had cost him one of his favourite blades. It was somewhere at the bottom of the aforementioned swamp. Sakura would have probably found some woman-logic way to locate and save it. Kakashi had just pushed on, insistent upon chasing down his target.
But… he did like the blade, it had a nice weight to it that made it feel like it was part of his arm.
He paused outside the building, contemplating how much it would cost him to dictate his report to Sakura and for her to write it on his behalf. He hated having to sit and write down what he did. It was irrelevant, he got the job done.
Perhaps he could bribe her with something from the blacksmith, if he had to go there anyway, maybe she'd appreciate a matching sword?
He nudged the hitai-ate up discreetly, scanning the village for his favourite brand of medic nin.
Although… he came up empty.
Surely she wasn't out of the village. He made a deal with Tsunade.
He spotted Kurenai coming out of the nearby park with two toddlers around her ankles.
Kurenai had her fingers on the pulse.
"Good Afternoon Kakashi." she greeted before he could teleport in front of her. She always did see through his tricks. "Good mission?" she asked.
"Hai. Hai." He fell into step with her, hands in his pockets, usual slouch applied to give him the carefree attitude he boasted. The toddlers were looking at him with wide eyes. It was odd.
"Hm. I hear your actions certainly are getting bolder these days." Odd phrasing. He answered with a shrug. "However, I am going to meet with Gai, so if you don't intend to make nice, I suggest you ask what you want to ask."
"Have you seen Sakura?"
"Oh, I see." She hid a laugh behind her sleeve. "I've just seen Tsunade-sama, she mentioned she had a meeting with your student. Sorry, ex-student." Again, another slight eye that clicked the intelligence into his mind.
Ino had, as predicted, spread the rumour as truth.
"You don't approve?" Kakashi guessed.
"You're both consenting adults." She shrugged. "And she's the only one who can put up with you, so who else would have you?" Kurenai laughed outright, obviously enjoying herself. "But, Gai-sensei is having a bit of… difficulty processing the news."
News, not rumour, which meant it had been accepted by most shinobi.
"Reports to hand in." he tapped his pocket, making his excuse. "I should go before I'm late."
"Of course. Nice see-." She rose her hand in goodbye, knowing he was already off before she'd finish her sentence.
He crossed the roofing until he reached the Hokage tower. He used the door instead of the window this time, hoping, and thankfully succeeding in finding anyone else to ask instead of the Hokage direct.
Shizune was at the door, struggling with the papers in her hand and the potted plant balanced on them.
Kakashi took the plant before she realised his presence.
He might have been slightly happy with the jolt that passed through her before she realised and relaxed.
"Thank you Kakashi. Would you mind?" She nodded up the long corridor to the Hokage's office and with a gesture they both walked up. "Are you here about the mission?"
"Sadly, I left my report in my other vest. I'll bring it by later."
He earned a scowl, a disbelieving glare, but she continued walking and he took it as a success.
"Fine. When you see Sakura, let her know Tsunade-sama wants to see her, please."
"She's not here already?"
"No. She's late." The glower directed for him spoke the words unsaid 'and we all know where she got that habit from'.
He smiled at her widely and continued his steps up the tower, thankful that she followed.
"Any idea where she is?" he asked, already planning a scout around the training grounds, it was one of her old haunts.
"Probably the hospital. She was popping in to check on the hydroponics. Which, I meant to thank you for actually." Shizune stopped and shifted the papers onto her hip, freeing up a hand to extend out to shake. "Without your hard work, we wouldn't be able to do anywhere near as much research as we can now."
"Of co-" But his hand was captured in a vice.
"If I find out you ever hurt her. I will make you endure the effects of each of my poisons one by one, until you beg for mercy."
Kakashi felt the threat settle successfully, making him withdraw an inch from the poison expert's grip. "And thankfully, we have many more plants to experiment with poison derivatives now"
'Thanks for providing additional ammo against you' was the underlying comment in her glee. "You can set the plant down there."
No sooner had the plant pot touched onto the desk, the copy nin was gone, taking himself to the front steps of the hospital, alarming a few civilians with his sudden arrival.
It didn't bother him how they gave him a wide berth.
But, he did pause to consider himself again, Kakashi Hatake, legendary copy nin, willing to go into the hospital – again- for one woman.
Damn him for working with a med nin.
Why couldn't he have trained Sakura to be a stealth assassin or an ambassador?
Well, sure, he wouldn't have had as much use for her in his usual string of mission types.
And her talents had saved his bacon more times than he could recall.
But really… a hospital?
So he caught the first nurse stepping out of the doors and asked her to call Sakura to the front desk for him.
She replied that Sakura had left the hospital an hour or so ago. Perhaps he should try the Academy.
And hence, he was on his way to the Academy, slightly concerned he still couldn't pick up her chakra signature in the entire village.
However, having the sharingan active did give him ample warning for the fox-possessed nin that came flying at his head as he passed the training grounds.
"Teme!" The fist was easily dodged with a side step. He didn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets. Naruto crashed to all fours on the dirt road before turning and launching himself at Kakashi again.
The nin had far too much anger to properly fight. His emotions had got the better of him. As they so often did.
The orange glow of chakra tails that sprouted out the back of him though, that was new.
Kakashi took another side step and turned into the gates of the training ground. If he wanted to explode, it was easier to clean up in the training grounds- they had scheduled maintenance. The public roads came with extra paperwork.
Sarutobi had taught him that from all the extra papers Naruto caused him.
Perhaps it was time for Naruto to learn that lesson too.
"And they call me perverted." Kakashi turned to the casual voice that came with humorous judgement. Jiraiya.
Seems like Naruto had rushed away from his regular training session to wail on his ex-sensei.
"Hm?" Ignorance was bliss. But returning to a village of judgement didn't allow for much of either.
"Guess we should have known from all the books." Jiraiya chuckled to himself, settling against a tree and fishing a peach out of his pack. "Sensei and student relationship eh?" He rubbed the peach on his sleeve as Kakashi stepped out of the way of several poorly positioned kicks. "Your technique is piss poor." Jiraiya offered to Naruto as he charged past Kakashi again. "Use your head, not your emotions." he provided in teaching.
"How could you?!" Naruto cried across the distance, summoning his chakra to his right hand, a sloppy rasengan forming. "She trusted you. You were her teacher!"
"Her perverted teacher." Jiraiya slipped in, wiggling his eyebrows as he stirred the pot, knowing he was doing the exact opposite of helping. Not that Kakashi was in any danger.
If Naruto was calm, then perhaps the playing field was evened. "He probably touched her on every mission they did." Jiraiya continued.
"Teme! She deserves better!" The rasengan was building too slowly for its users liking and Naruto tried to turn it into a chakra punch.
Again, the ex-sensei body flickered to the left and the chakra dissipated into the air, crackling like a stale firecracker.
"I agree." Kakashi spoke. "She does."
"So why?" Naruto stopped, like he'd hit pause. The anger bubbled, but Kakashi was agreeing with it.
"Because it's what she wanted."
"She doesn't know what she wants!" Naruto fired up again and charged head first.
"She came onto you, huh?" Jiraiya offered from his position against the tree, slurping on the juices of the peach. "Mind if I borrow that for my next book?"
"You're not putting Sakura in your porn book!" Naruto bit the words out to his current trainer, another tail taking full form.
"No, no." Jiraiya conceded. "We'll call her something else. And we'll make it so her teacher doesn't blame his student for it happening." Jiraiya knew exactly how to stir his student back to his current stressor.
"I won't let this happen." Naruto vowed.
"It's Sakura's choice." Kakashi spoke calmly. He didn't understand it either. He thought he was just a lecherous old man getting the hots for a young woman whom showed outstanding chakra control and whom he worked exceptionally well with. Just over familiarity of working together in close knit situations. Just… because she was there and his sex drive wasn't dead. He never expected it to be so persistent over the years, or that she'd ever return it.
"M'hm, and when did it start?" Jiraiya asked, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the pencil poised above the notebook he held. Kakashi didn't answer, he wasn't giving anything more than he needed. So Jiraiya fed his student's anger to manipulate an answer. "For all we know, this has been going on since he was teaching you all. When she was still so young… so vulnerable. Right under your noses while you slept in the same room."
"Teme!" Naruto roared. His chakra was really quite suffocating now, even outside in the training arena. "How long?!"
"Not long." Kakashi advised. Sure he'd lusted after her for a few years, but nothing had come from it. "I haven't even kissed her." He provided the truth with the trust that it would settle Naruto. And it was truth, Sakura had kissed him on that dark night when she slipped away, but it could hardly be called a real kiss. Not by his definition.
The words just confused Naruto, drawing the fox-child to a stop, chakra tails swaying behind him like stalks in the wind.
"What do you mean?" Naruto voiced.
"Not even kissed her?" Jiraiya piped up. "You know what they say about women you'll sleep with but won't kiss."
"You're treating her like a whore?!" That comment earned a fist that sailed through Kakashi's hair, barely evading in time.
"You need to have this conversation with Sakura." Kakashi answered. "I don't see how it's anybody else's business." His words were directed pointedly to Jiraiya.
The pervy sage held his hands up in surrender.
"Fine. Naruto, stand down." Jiraiya's voice came soft and short, an order, but a gentle one. "We trust Kakashi, until he does something wrong."
And like an unruly dog brought to order, Naruto took a moment and the chakra tails started to recede, the chakra heat disappeared and a boy stood before him. One who valued his teammates and hated to lose anyone.
"She says you fixed her when no-one else could." Naruto confessed. "Said it was none of our business…" which Naruto's tone clearly showed how much he disagreed with that statement. "But she's happier than she was last year, and… if you helped do that… its worth any price."
"Good." Jiraiya praised. "All out of your system now lad?"
Naruto nodded quickly.
Jiraiya's pot stirring possibly had another explanation. Was it to exorcise Naruto's demons about the relationship fully in one go? Or was it simply to enjoy the drama it caused?
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the pairing, but went on his way direct to the academy.
He dropped straight into the training field, startling a few rugrats in training and meeting the soft smile of Hinata.
She offered a kind welcome in her features.
"Are you here for Sakura?" she quietly spoke. "She just left, heading to the Hokage tower for a meeting."
"She's teaching again?"
"Helping us out for practical sessions, as and when she can. We uh, we designed a full curriculum of practical exercise to tailor to the upcoming chunin exams." she beamed proudly. "She's been a great help. I couldn't have done it without her." Hinata's warmth was a direct opposite of what he'd just experienced with Naruto and it put him on the backfoot.
"She's happy?" Kakashi had to ask.
"Absolutely. But, she'll be happier now you're back." Hinata offered a small bow of apology as she rushed off to the distracted children playing with kunai in a dangerous manner.
Her place was taken by an intimidating aura though.
One that seemed to burrow directly into his skin.
Kakashi turned to the external gate where Iruka stood, arms crossed on his chest.
Guess it was a day for being judged.
He almost regretted his choice of exposure- perhaps Ino was too good with gossip spreading.
Almost.
It had dealt with the barrier like a sledgehammer.
"You never were good at understanding your role in the relationship with your students." Iruka began.
"I never asked for students." Kakashi clarified. "Or how I feel." he added honestly.
"Hm. I may not have the skill or ability to take you in a fight. But if you hurt her, I will make it my personal mission to turn every nin in this town against you."
"She enjoyed working at the academy- thank you." Kakashi replied, a hand to the shoulder of the shorter man as he passed him and hopped the gate.
If Sakura was heading to the Hokage tower, she'd be on the paths somewhere.
But he still couldn't see her with his sharingan and he was getting a bit more concerned the longer this goose chase took.
So when he saw pink hair bobbing in the crowd, the brambles in his chest stopped crushing him and finally let him breath. His sharingan settled on her and her network was all black, no chakra to be felt.
Had something happened?
Had she lost her chakra control?
Was her injury worse than thought?!
Why wasn't she in the hospital?!
"Sakura." he called and she turned a glance over her shoulder.
Her smile bloomed bright over her lips.
"You're back!" she whirled and pushed herself to crash into him, arms around him in a soul-healing hug.
"Your chakra…"
"My chakra? What ab- oh, I was teaching the children about chakra concealment. I must have forgotten to release it." And with a single motion her colour burst into his sharingan vision, the chakra network alive and vibrating. "How did the mission go?"
"Successfully." He saw the looks of the civilians that walked past, the silent question about the age difference, the internal judgement of what the hug meant. But the civilians shrugged and kept walking. Nin business was none of their own. The dynamics were different. Civilians and nin peacefully co-existed, but they did so by respecting each had their own set of rules.
So Kakashi let their presence disappear from his mind and returned the hug to his former student, taking comfort in the way her size curled into him, her head tucked under his chin.
Like she was taking his strength and doubling it back to him.
"Good." And then she pulled back, a little too soon for him. "Because you owe the Academy their talk."
"Fairly certain I did that. You must have forgotten." He fell into step with her as she turned to continue towards the Hokage tower.
"You didn't do it, and I haven't forgotten. And the kids asked me when the copy nin was coming in, like he promised them he would." Her words were inflected just right to put the blame back on him. Her glare followed them as well. It wasn't looking like he could wriggle out of this one. "And when you do," she continued. "Then, you can have your date." Bargaining, like he'd always told her to do when she really wanted something. "But, since I'm only assisting with practical sessions, I've taken the liberty of promising your attendance for a full day, and yes, I've already written up your notes and how they fit into the lesson plan. And, I need you to perfect the isolation of the senses for the jutsu you were going to teach me." she rambled on, the only suggestion he was listening being the mere presence next to her that hadn't taken to the rooftops and away from her stream of thought. "I don't need you to teach it, but, I'm hoping if you can isolate each sense, then we can use it for the mock tests in the run up to the Chunin exams. So, I just need a day set aside somewhere in the next 2 weeks. And then… you can have your date." She finally turned to smile at him, knowing full well what she had done.
"A full day" he questioned rhetorically and Sakura knew the tone as a familiar one of bargaining. "An awful lot to ask of an ANBU agent."
"And a date with me isn't prize enough?" She batted her eyelashes and paused to strike a hand on her hip, an eyebrow raised to warn him of the dangerously deep waters he was about to wade into. Perhaps it was a bit manipulative, but the kids could learn so much from him.
"Mah," A hand ran to the safety harbour of his hair, tumbling in the wild style as he considered his options. Sakura was kind enough to stand there with a smirk on her lips as he failed to find an escape clause. "I remember our deal involving something about an answer as well." he started. "Description of a certain fantasy that happened." He felt the tables tilt in his favour as she coloured up with pink cheeks. "A name, that was spoken."
"You're a pervert." she dismissed.
"Perhaps, but the longer I don't know, the more time I have to invent a fitting scenario." He stroked his fingers down his chin, a twinkle in his grey eye.
And then Kakashi felt dread as he watched a thought cross his ex-students mind, one brilliant and cunning enough to strike a slow smile to spread across her face.
"One full day." she spoke slowly. "From 7 until 5, you provide full enthusiastic training to support the academy and all of the students training- however that may be." He could be a great tutor for all ages really, he had a lot to offer. "Following my lesson plan." She was quick to add. "And not only will I accept your invitation to a date, but, you can cast your jutsu again on me, and, see what I see."
Sakura had the winning ticket flashing in front of his face.
"You'll be at the academy?"
"To observe intently." she confirmed.
"Then we have a deal." he accepted, a hand extended across the distance.
"Good. You'll be booked in for Friday. I'll run it past Tsunade so you won't get double booked." And Sakura took off at a run to the Hokage tower, barely passing a wave behind her.
"Rival!" And Kakashi felt a shiver up his spine as the call of a familiar title came followed by thunderously paced footsteps.
The green hurricane of Konoha squealed to a stop in front of him, hands dropping to knees to steal deep breaths of oxygen. "Kurenai-sensei told me you had returned from your quest."
Damn Kurenai, he knew it was too good to be true to have stumbled across her. "I see you are in good health, so you must join me on the battlefield."
Kakashi rose an eyebrow. "Now now, surely you did not think stealing the heart of our fair maiden of the blossoms would go without any consequences." Gai struck his forearm to his head with the drama that the moment possessed. "Our spring bloom, torn from the bud before it's time."
"I-"
"No, don't speak, I know your defence would be both heartbreaking and enraging and I could not bear such agony."
"Lee's still hasn't returned then." Kakashi noted, turning to return to his apartment. As predicted the spandex and its wearer were hot on his heels.
"12 months!" Gai launched himself across the street in front of Kakashi to showcase the raw emotion on his face, the tears a nice addition to the usual spiel. "And I know nothing more than he lives!" Kakashi slowly passed the man on his knees drawing attention from the civilians, Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash towards the wreck howling into the pavement. "Another child in the springtime of life, stolen away by responsibility and duty. Halfway across the world and I am meant to sit on my hands like I have not lost an extension of myself?" The green flash of the jumpsuit came from left to right and Kakashi side stepped to avoid the prone man begging the universe to return his mini-me.
The civilians, as used to Gai as they were, were becoming concerned, so Kakashi took his journey to the rooftops. Gai followed, as was expected. "Every night, wondering if he will return. Every morning, training alone. I took it upon myself to triple my usual routines, but even that doesn't work like it used to. We were meant to be together. Destined to roam the world side by side, saving women and children, shaking hands with men who would never compare to us. Sparing in every continent, earning the name of the green beast twins. An unstoppable force. And I am left bereft of the other half of myself."
"Hm." Kakashi leapt across the line of roofs onto the next street over.
Gai copied with a double twisted somersault, landing on his hands.
"There is no competition without him, even this has lost its joy." Gai righted himself and stopped dead.
Kakashi wasn't falling for it again, he carried on, picking up speed to return home.
Not fast enough, Gai recovered from his depressive mood quick enough to diagnose emotional whiplash and he landed directly before Kakashi's next step, hands on his hips, smile beaming on his lips. "So I must turn my attentions to the other students in need I have adopted."
"Adopted?" Kakashi slid left and avoided colliding with the unpredictable beast on his second wind.
"Sakura-san of course, Kakashi." A booming laugh followed such an obvious point and a backflip landed the dynamic nin in front of his target again, walking backwards at speed to keep them face to face as Kakashi soldiered onwards. "So you must best me in a fight to win her heart. I know you feel you intention are pure, but there is nothing pure about ripping such a sparkling blossom from the springtime of her youth and into your autumnal years."
And Kakashi stopped.
Both feet stopped.
Middle of a roof stopped.
Is that what they thought about him? That he had stolen Sakura's glory years by pairing up with him? That she was wasting her life.
"Rival?" Gai noted the odd behaviour with a hand waved in front of the copy nin's face.
"You want an explanation?" Kakashi offered.
"Haha! There is no explanation that could justify-"
"Lee." Kakashi began, ripping the opposing nin's attention with the harsh word. "Ditto."
He was only two blocks away from his apartment, but he smashed his fingers into each other to transport himself straight there.
It didn't prevent his enhanced hearing from picking up Gai's revelation as he loudly and proudly announced that his eternal rival had the truest of feelings and the relationship was embracing the summer of love.
Maybe Kakashi was an old pervert…
He certainly wasn't as young as he once was.
But surely that was a choice for Sakura to make… right?