The Chair in the Tea House

What happens when Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi join forces to fight against an uprising in Tree Country, led by a perverted missing-nin. Kakasaku. (Lemon eventually) This is my first fan-fic. Please R&R. Apologies about any OoCness but that is bound to happen. Sakura and Naruto are 20. Kakashi is 34.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto, just using them in not-so-nice ways for a while.

Chapter One

At twenty, Sakura had been a jounin for over two years now, but this mission was unlike any she'd been asked to complete before. Tsunade had called her protégé into her office early one morning. A new scroll lay open, stretched across her desk. She ignored the pink-haired kunoichi's confused look, knowing what the girl was thinking: why was she being offered a mission alone? The Hidden Village of Konoha generally sent teams of three to execute missions, but only she and Tsunade stood in the godaime's office. Sakura didn't say anything and waited for the blonde sannin to begin.

"This is an S-class mission. We have received a request from the emperor of Tree Country to stop an uprising..." Tsunade said.

"Uprising? But Tree Country is one of the most peaceable and stable nations in the world. Why would someone want to overturn the government there?" Sakura asked. Tsunade glared at her for a moment for interrupting her before her face fell into a small smirk.

"That's what I thought as well, but there is apparently a compound on the edge of the country where a small band of rebels is stationed. Mainly missing-nin from other countries. Tree Country doesn't have their own shinobi and they need our help. You won't be going alone, but I called you in first because there is some extra information about these rebels you should know about."

Sakura's ears colored, and her emerald eyes widened. There were few reasons a young, female kunoichi would need to discuss a mission first without her teammates, and she had a feeling she knew the particular reason Tsunade was about to reveal. Tsunade sat in her chair. She spoke out of a clenched jaw.

"The leader of the band, Hiro, is a skilled missing-nin from Sand. He's also a perverted, old fool who takes to younger women..."

Sakura's heart flipped in her chest. She closed her eyes. This was exactly the reason she feared she was being called in first.

"He may try and take advantage of you, but I need you on this mission," Tsunade said. Sakura bit her bottom lip. She knew precisely what Tsunade meant. Sakura was going to be the bait to get the team into the compound. "With your medic-nin and jounin training – from me – you are a strong fighter, but..." Tsunade's words trailed. Sakura stared at her. She'd never seen her sensei's face fall like this before.

"I understand," Sakura said. Tsunade looked away, towards a window overlooking Konoha. Sakura's back tensed, and she felt a small shiver run up her spine. Who would be joining her on this trip? Sasuke's face flashed within her mind, but immediately, she hoped he wouldn't be on her team. He'd been back for almost two years now, and while her obsessive crush on him had faded well before then, he still spooked her somewhat. He was no longer the same genius ninja he had been before he killed his brother, Itachi. Now, he just wandered the streets, muttering to himself.

"You won't be alone though. I'm going to ask Kakashi-san and Naruto to join you on this mission..."

Sakura's tight stance immediately relaxed. If anyone was going to join her to Tree Country, she was glad to hear it was the two people she could rely on most. She knew they wouldn't be happy to hear the details of the mission and would probably argue with Tsunade to change the plan, but she also knew they would never argue for Sakura to stay home. They'd protect her as much as she would protect them.

"Let's call them in before I discuss the rest of the details. Sakura, if you open the door, I think Shizune will be in the hallway. She'll bring..."

Before Tsunade could finish her sentence, the window beside her opened, and a familiar silver-haired shinobi jumped into the room. His one exposed eye crinkled in a smile, and he held up a hand in greeting. In his other hand was the latest book in the Icha Icha series: Icha Icha Euphoria.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late..."

Sakura and Tsunade stared at him. He was notoriously late to everything, be it training sessions or award ceremonies. He had even been late to Naturo's wedding to Hinata, and he had been one of the groomsmen!

"Uhm, Kakashi-sensei, you're early." Sakura's voice was small. Had he already heard the details of the mission? And if so, why was he smiling so pleasantly?

"Hmm?" Kakashi's one eyebrow danced upwards. Early? He hadn't expected that. He'd stopped by the memorial that morning like usual – the reason he was so often tardy was to pay his respects to his fallen comrades – but a tree of loud, mating birds had distracted him from his regular meditations, and he'd left earlier than he normally did. He shrugged it off and took in the room. Why was Sakura shrinking at the sight of him? No, it wasn't at the sight of him. It was because of the open scroll on Tsunade's desk. He breathed in deeply beneath his mask. Tsunade had called Sakura in first before the rest of the team – before even him, the team leader – to discuss the mission. Why? He grit his teeth. This wasn't going to be good.

"Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" Nartuto bounded into the room, followed by Shizune, carrying Tsunade's fat, squealing pig. Sakura smiled at the sight of Konoha's #1 loudest, most obnoxious shinobi. It'd been over a year since the three of them had worked together. She'd been working in the hospital while Naruto went on missions with Shikamaru and Rock Lee. Kakashi had stopped teaching genin to rejoin ANBU and was hardly ever around these days. The last time she'd seen all of them together had been for Naruto's wedding. The pig oinked.

"You know, Naruto, Sakura, you don't have to call me sensei anymore." Both of them pawed the floor. Once a sensei, always a sensei, right? Sakura didn't have the heart to consider herself his equal. Not when he was so much more experienced than they were – okay, really, then she was – and not when he'd taught them so much. She still called Iruka sensei for that matter, and he hadn't been their teacher since they were twelve.

"Shizune, please shut the door," Tsunade commanded. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi fell into place in front of the godaime's desk. Sakura's shoulders fell a little. She wasn't ready to hear the details again, and especially not in front of them. As Tsunade spoke, she stole glances at both of them, watching Naruto's horror explode across his face and Kakashi-sensei's impassivity remain stoic. She figured he'd probably gone of these kinds of missions before. She knew that many other shinobi and kunoichi had needed to use their bodies to lure men, seduce them, and whatever else. She'd been trained in the ways of using her figure; she'd just never actually had to use it before. She bit her lip again. She needed to suck it up and deal with it, no matter what happened.

"Kakashi, you are going to be Suzki Katsuki, a missing-nin from Konoha who wants to join the rebellion. Naruto, you are going to be Nakamura Nijiya, his apprentice. Sakura, you are going to pose as Takahashi Serika, Katsuki's, uh, traveling companion."

"You can't do that!" Naruto argued. "You can't use Sakura-chan like that!"

Sakura reached out and placed a hand on the blonde ninja's shoulder. "It's all right, Naruto. The three of us will stick together. We'll be okay. I'll be okay." Naruto quieted, but she could tell he didn't really believe her words. Not that she blamed him. She didn't really believe her words either.

Kakashi kept his face calm, but inside, he bubbled. No matter how often these types of missions happened, he would never get used to them. To be honest, he hoped never to get used to them. From the look on Sakura's face when he arrived, he suspected this was her first mission like this. In some ways, he was grateful that she'd lasted this long without having to go on one, but it was still happening and happening now. At least Naruto and he would be here alongside her the whole way.

"The three of you are to infiltrate the compound in whatever way is necessary. You are to collect information on what other people have joined this uprising, and you are to stop it. It's fairly warm in Tree Country right now, so pack lightly. You'll be gone for a month. You'll leave this afternoon."

"This afternoon?" Sakura repeated. She wasn't sure she was ready, but then again, what difference would it make between leaving today and tomorrow morning. The outcome was still the same.

"Yes, it takes over four days to reach Tree Country, and we want to disrupt the rebels as soon as possible. Now, go."

The three headed for the door, but Tsunade's voice made them pause.

"Good luck."

XXXX

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as she fled down the stairs of the hokage's tower. Sakura doubled her speed. She needed to regroup before facing either of them. Maybe if she just ran home, packed, and played some music really loudly, it'd drown out her concerns.

"Naruto, leave her be," Kakashi said. Naruto stopped, spun around, and stared at him. "We don't have long before we start, and you can talk to her then. Give her this little bit of time left to focus herself. She'll be fine."

"That's what she said too," Naruto responded. "Fine, fine. I'll go get ready. But do us both a favor, sensei, and be on time for once. Don't make her wait."

Kakashi threw his hand behind his head. He did want to be on time, but he had several errands to run before they began. Not the least of which required a call to the other living sannin.

He knew some people might not understand going to "ero-sennin" (as Naruto called him) for advice on this matter, but they'd probably be surprised Kakashi was looking for advice at all. He did have some experience with these kinds of missions but never with a former student. He didn't like admitting to himself how much this mission bothered him.
"Sake?" Jirayia poured the bottle before Kakashi could respond. "I'm not sure what you're so worried about. Tsunade's prepared her for this sort of thing."

"It's not her that I'm so worried about..." Kakashi paused for a breath. He never liked admitting any weakness or fallibility. Before he could start again, the white-haired shinobi interrupted him.

"You can't always protect them, you know."

Kakashi sighed. He knew that only too well. Faces of fallen comrades slid through his mind. But that never made it easier. He gulped down the sake beneath his mask.

"I know what you're thinking. Yes, she could have said no, and you already know why she didn't. This mission is important, it has to be done, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let anyone else go in her place. I wish I could promise you she would be all right and that she would return from this exactly the same way she went in, but we both know that isn't true," Jirayia said.

One of the reasons Kakashi came to Jirayia was because the sannin could express the jounin's thoughts openly, in a way the silver-haired fighter never could. He poured himself a second round of sake.

"Here, I have something for you to take..."

For once, Kakashi didn't hope it was a new Icha Icha book. Instead, Jirayia handed him a small, white box. Kakashi stared at it.

"What's this?" he asked. Jirayia's face broke into a wide smile. He urged Kakashi to open the box and waited as he unwrapped the small parcel. Kakashi gazed at the object inside and fingered it gently. He bowed to the older warrior. "Thank you."

XXXX

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when Kakashi was waiting for her at the meeting place. Early again. This was a habit she could get used to. Naruto would be there any minute, she guessed. Kakashi noticed her, waved, and put away his book.

"I guess it would be silly to ask if you're all right?" he spoke.

"Kakashi-sen... Kakashi-sama, I've trained under the best of Konoha. I will be fine." Her inner self screamed a little at the calmness of her voice, but she ignored the little internal demon. Kakashi nodded. She was glad he would be with her. He'd always put his life on the line for Team 7 and Team Kakashi, and she knew that hadn't changed.

He stared at her for a minute too long, and she grew uneasy. What was he thinking? Was he going to start harassing her with lots of questions? She could guess some of them. Whenever shinobi went on missions like this, lots of personal questions arose. Would this affect their love life? Had the person been with someone before? Did they know how to best use themselves to find out information but also to keep themselves protected? Sakura gulped air as the questions jumped through her head.

Fortunately, if it came down to it, this wouldn't be her first time with a man, but she couldn't out and out say that to Kakashi, even if he asked. There had been that night three years ago when she and Naruto had come back from a long, difficult mission. They got a little too drunk and made it as far as his small apartment. While not particularly exciting or romantic, it was a release for both of them. Sakura felt bad about it. She knew that Naruto would have loved to date her, but she hadn't felt ready for that. Not until Sasuke returned. But then, Sasuke did return, and it just made things worse. He had crumbled after his vengeance was fulfilled, and his mental breakdown caused one in her. Sakura again turned to Naruto for comfort but nothing more. She was only vaguely upset when he and Hinata finally connected. He had deserved something more than she could give him then.

But that was some time ago. Since then, she had dated every now and then, slept with a few guys, but never much more than that. Besides with her medic-nin and jounin training, it wasn't like she had all the time in the world either.

And then, there was that night...

Sakura shook herself. She couldn't think about that now. As to the other questions, only completing the mission would answer those.

"There are several hundred people in Tree Country." Kakashi's voice brought her out of her reverie. "This isn't just for the money. We'll be helping all of them."

"I know that."

"I'll be there the whole time."

She smiled through invisible tears. His voice sounded so sure and confident. This time she believed him. He wouldn't let her down.

"Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei! We're all ready?" Naruto appeared, lugging an enormous backpack. Sakura and Kakashi stared at the gigantic bag, which he wielded like a feather.

"Naruto, again, please don't call me sensei. It makes me feel old. We're equals now."

"What's in the bag, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto grinned widely. She and Kakashi cringed, knowing exactly what his answer would be.

"Can't fight on an empty stomach. I have two hundred and twelve packages of ramen!"

The two shinobi groaned. This was going to be a long trip.