Oi, I know that previous chapter was... short. Maybe I should have stuck
it with the third chapter.
Anyway, on with the fic. [Arggh, I think I'm getting carpal tunnel].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The battle with the Sand and Sound villages proved to one of the worst battles Konoha had hosted. The village's sense of security and their ignorance to the problems outside their country was one of their greatest weaknesses. They had underestimated their enemies. The innumerable amount of lives that were lost was proof of that. The funeral for the Third had commenced and since he never had the chance to choose a successor, the task was handed down to the village elders. Bets were being made and rumors were running rampant.
Iruka stood on the platform looking up at the Hokage Monument. He tried to stop himself from shedding tears but it was just too hard. As a shinobi, you knew the risks at stake and that at any second's notice you would receive news that any one of your comrades had taken a fall. Death can be so easy it was surprsing. It was a hard life to live but it was the one he chose. He took one last look at the faces on the monument and vowed to keep his promise to the Third to protect Konoha and those he loved.
Iruka was hoping to run into Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen but when he got there, he saw the owners boarding up their shop. He was about to question them but they beat him to the punch, "Iruka-san! Where's Naruto-kun? It's been so slow without him. Nothing happened to the boy right? Business has been dead! You wouldn't believe how many customers he brings along with him. Without him, we'd he out of business!"
Iruka was dumbfounded. Naruto was gone?
"Iruka-san!"
Iruka turned around to see a fellow chuunin run up to him. "Have you heard the news? Itachi attacked Kakashi and they think he's after Naruto!"
He looked at the other man quizzically and raised an eyebrow. Everything he heard passing among the village had been nothing more than rumors but at the mention of Naruto's name he ran as quickly as possible to Kakashi's place. He needed the truth from the man himself.
* * *
"Gai-san!" Iruka screamed when he saw the jounin fly out of Kakashi's window.
Gai landed in front of Iruka without any sound, "Iruka! Good timing of you! Ah, youth is in full bloom and you can smell it
Gai landed in front of Iruka without a sound, "Iruka! Good timing of you! It must be your adolescence.
"Iruka! Good timing of you! Ah! Youth, what a beautiful sight it is! How eager you look to learn new things!"
Iruka stared at him blankly. What on earth did that mean? Youth? He was only younger by a few years.
* * *
"Having trouble Hokage-sama?"
Naruto tensed up. He did not sense the person in the room until he had spoken. Being holed up in his office was definitely a disadvantage. He was losing his touch, "Stupid paperwork."
Lee popped up in front of Naruto and gave him his biggest smile. "You must convey Gai-sensei's flair, finesse, brilliance and intellect properly!" Lee said with his eyes tearing and fists in the air.
Naruto handed his pen over to Lee in defeat, "You do it." He had spent the last several nights trying to convey Gai's flair but he couldn't capture the 'essence of Gai' as Lee had put it. Every time he thought back on how Gai spoke, he would break down in tears. The man was just too funny. It was hard to recreate moments like that.
Lee nodded and proceeded to do his sensei proud.
* * * "Dynamic exit!"
"Gai-san!" Iruka screamed when he saw the beautiful green beast of Konoha fly out of his eternal-rival Kakashi's window.
The skilled shinobi landed in front of Iruka without a sound displaying his immense skills, "Iruka! Good timing! It must be the vibrance and the color of your youth that brings you here! You must have deduced our dire situation! Ah.. youth and it's glory."
Iruka nodded eagerly in the presence of such a noble man.
"My expertise is needed elsewhere right now. Please keep an eye on Kakashi until I return! He is a genius and I am sure he will survive to see yet another battle with yours truly." Gai said before flashing his megawatt smile and vanished as silently as he had appeared.
* * *
Naruto read over Lee's paragraph. He was speechless. He didn't know whether to laugh or be relieved Gai's part was done. He managed to give Lee a lopsided smile and thanked him for his help. "Was there anything you needed?"
"Gai-sensei sent me here to make sure his magnificence was adequately portrayed." Lee made another one of pose before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto wondered how he managed to come up with different poses each time they met.
Naruto reached under his robes to pull on the body suit he was wearing. Damn thing was always riding up! Jaraiya had called it a fashion faus pax and refused to be seen in public with him if he were to wear it but now that he was Hokage, the robes concealed everything. He chuckled to himself. The body suit Gai touted as the 'ultimate streamed-lined, form fitting, easily-accessible, perfectly-made body suit ' really did wonders for him and just as Gai promised, he never looked back.
* * *
Iruka reached for the doorknob but stopped himself and decided he should knock first before entering. He knocked on the door softly and upon hearing no response, he let himself in. The apartment was small but impeccably well- kept, though the fact that he had such few belongings may have contributed to it. Iruka walked towards the bed to check up on Kakashi but did a double take when he noticed the matching shuriken comforter and rug. It caught him of guard. Kakashi had always seemed the cold silent type but as he stood there staring at the comforter, those assumptions dissipated. Maybe he had him pegged all wrong.
Iruka was hoping Kakashi would wake up soon so that he would be able to ask him about Naruto's whereabout. He had also promised Gai he would keep an eye on Kakashi until he returned but what was he supposed to do in the time being? He took a quick look around the room before spotting the large bookcase on the right side of the bed. Iruka crouched down until he was eye level with the sleeping figure. The last thing he wanted to have was Kakashi waking up to find him peeking at his Come Come Paradise collection. He was about to get up when an arm came out of nowhere and knocked him onto the floor. Kakashi preformed a self defense jutsu in his sleep? Iruka scrambled to his feet and noticed that Kakashi was tossing and turning in bed; his blankets entwined between his limbs.
"What.....have I done......Obito-kun... Father... why... why... how stupid of me...don't go... please....."
Kakashi was mumbling something incomprehensible. What kind of nightmares could Kakashi be reliving, Iruka thought. Gai mentioned something about Kakashi being under some jutsu but what kind of pain could Itachi be inflicting on his victim long after their battle? Iruka flinched when Kakashi let out a blood-curling scream unexpectedly. Kakashi sat up abruptly and tore off his mask, gasping for air. He pulled up his knee and rested his elbow on it, letting his hand run through his hair. "These wounds don't seem to heal." He muttered to himself.
Iruka stood there hoping to go unnoticed but Kakashi's gaze eventually landed on him. He was too stunned to say a word. Iruka hadn't noticed the scar when Kakashi was sleeping but now that his gaze was on him he felt a chill go down his spine. He never imagined he would someday face the Sharingan eye. Iruka continued to stare; Kakashi appeared more vulnerable without his mask. Iruka looked more carefully, no, it wasn't the mask, there were tears in his eyes.
* * *
Naruto reached up with his arms tilting the chair back as he stretched. It was time he called it a night. Besides, he had forgotten what happened next. Maybe sleep would help clear up his foggy memory. The grabbed his hat and proceeded to the door when he paused, took a step back and shoved Kakashi's book inside his robes. Perhaps he had caught some of Kakashi- sensei's bad habits he thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Woo Hoo! I managed to write more this time!
Iceheart19: It wasn't about measuring one person's pain to another's but ehhh.. it's hard to explain. Hopefully you will know why I included that in the chapter when I'm done with this fic. Thank you for the comments! It really got me to think ne.
Anyway, thank you to all the reviewers! Without you guys, I would have already trashed this fic. Thanks for your continuing support! [Phhehhh... sounds like some cheesy acceptance speech]
HAHA - please please let me know if there is anything wrong with the fic [ie; missing words, letters, misspellings, not matter how small or insignificant. Can't stand it when the story doesn't flow because of small mistakes.]
Hmm.. will not be able to update *too* soon since I've got crappy meetings and presentations for work. [Yeah. real world sucks.. but it pays the bills and supports my obsessions!]
Anyway, on with the fic. [Arggh, I think I'm getting carpal tunnel].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The battle with the Sand and Sound villages proved to one of the worst battles Konoha had hosted. The village's sense of security and their ignorance to the problems outside their country was one of their greatest weaknesses. They had underestimated their enemies. The innumerable amount of lives that were lost was proof of that. The funeral for the Third had commenced and since he never had the chance to choose a successor, the task was handed down to the village elders. Bets were being made and rumors were running rampant.
Iruka stood on the platform looking up at the Hokage Monument. He tried to stop himself from shedding tears but it was just too hard. As a shinobi, you knew the risks at stake and that at any second's notice you would receive news that any one of your comrades had taken a fall. Death can be so easy it was surprsing. It was a hard life to live but it was the one he chose. He took one last look at the faces on the monument and vowed to keep his promise to the Third to protect Konoha and those he loved.
Iruka was hoping to run into Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen but when he got there, he saw the owners boarding up their shop. He was about to question them but they beat him to the punch, "Iruka-san! Where's Naruto-kun? It's been so slow without him. Nothing happened to the boy right? Business has been dead! You wouldn't believe how many customers he brings along with him. Without him, we'd he out of business!"
Iruka was dumbfounded. Naruto was gone?
"Iruka-san!"
Iruka turned around to see a fellow chuunin run up to him. "Have you heard the news? Itachi attacked Kakashi and they think he's after Naruto!"
He looked at the other man quizzically and raised an eyebrow. Everything he heard passing among the village had been nothing more than rumors but at the mention of Naruto's name he ran as quickly as possible to Kakashi's place. He needed the truth from the man himself.
* * *
"Gai-san!" Iruka screamed when he saw the jounin fly out of Kakashi's window.
Gai landed in front of Iruka without any sound, "Iruka! Good timing of you! Ah, youth is in full bloom and you can smell it
Gai landed in front of Iruka without a sound, "Iruka! Good timing of you! It must be your adolescence.
"Iruka! Good timing of you! Ah! Youth, what a beautiful sight it is! How eager you look to learn new things!"
Iruka stared at him blankly. What on earth did that mean? Youth? He was only younger by a few years.
* * *
"Having trouble Hokage-sama?"
Naruto tensed up. He did not sense the person in the room until he had spoken. Being holed up in his office was definitely a disadvantage. He was losing his touch, "Stupid paperwork."
Lee popped up in front of Naruto and gave him his biggest smile. "You must convey Gai-sensei's flair, finesse, brilliance and intellect properly!" Lee said with his eyes tearing and fists in the air.
Naruto handed his pen over to Lee in defeat, "You do it." He had spent the last several nights trying to convey Gai's flair but he couldn't capture the 'essence of Gai' as Lee had put it. Every time he thought back on how Gai spoke, he would break down in tears. The man was just too funny. It was hard to recreate moments like that.
Lee nodded and proceeded to do his sensei proud.
* * * "Dynamic exit!"
"Gai-san!" Iruka screamed when he saw the beautiful green beast of Konoha fly out of his eternal-rival Kakashi's window.
The skilled shinobi landed in front of Iruka without a sound displaying his immense skills, "Iruka! Good timing! It must be the vibrance and the color of your youth that brings you here! You must have deduced our dire situation! Ah.. youth and it's glory."
Iruka nodded eagerly in the presence of such a noble man.
"My expertise is needed elsewhere right now. Please keep an eye on Kakashi until I return! He is a genius and I am sure he will survive to see yet another battle with yours truly." Gai said before flashing his megawatt smile and vanished as silently as he had appeared.
* * *
Naruto read over Lee's paragraph. He was speechless. He didn't know whether to laugh or be relieved Gai's part was done. He managed to give Lee a lopsided smile and thanked him for his help. "Was there anything you needed?"
"Gai-sensei sent me here to make sure his magnificence was adequately portrayed." Lee made another one of pose before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto wondered how he managed to come up with different poses each time they met.
Naruto reached under his robes to pull on the body suit he was wearing. Damn thing was always riding up! Jaraiya had called it a fashion faus pax and refused to be seen in public with him if he were to wear it but now that he was Hokage, the robes concealed everything. He chuckled to himself. The body suit Gai touted as the 'ultimate streamed-lined, form fitting, easily-accessible, perfectly-made body suit ' really did wonders for him and just as Gai promised, he never looked back.
* * *
Iruka reached for the doorknob but stopped himself and decided he should knock first before entering. He knocked on the door softly and upon hearing no response, he let himself in. The apartment was small but impeccably well- kept, though the fact that he had such few belongings may have contributed to it. Iruka walked towards the bed to check up on Kakashi but did a double take when he noticed the matching shuriken comforter and rug. It caught him of guard. Kakashi had always seemed the cold silent type but as he stood there staring at the comforter, those assumptions dissipated. Maybe he had him pegged all wrong.
Iruka was hoping Kakashi would wake up soon so that he would be able to ask him about Naruto's whereabout. He had also promised Gai he would keep an eye on Kakashi until he returned but what was he supposed to do in the time being? He took a quick look around the room before spotting the large bookcase on the right side of the bed. Iruka crouched down until he was eye level with the sleeping figure. The last thing he wanted to have was Kakashi waking up to find him peeking at his Come Come Paradise collection. He was about to get up when an arm came out of nowhere and knocked him onto the floor. Kakashi preformed a self defense jutsu in his sleep? Iruka scrambled to his feet and noticed that Kakashi was tossing and turning in bed; his blankets entwined between his limbs.
"What.....have I done......Obito-kun... Father... why... why... how stupid of me...don't go... please....."
Kakashi was mumbling something incomprehensible. What kind of nightmares could Kakashi be reliving, Iruka thought. Gai mentioned something about Kakashi being under some jutsu but what kind of pain could Itachi be inflicting on his victim long after their battle? Iruka flinched when Kakashi let out a blood-curling scream unexpectedly. Kakashi sat up abruptly and tore off his mask, gasping for air. He pulled up his knee and rested his elbow on it, letting his hand run through his hair. "These wounds don't seem to heal." He muttered to himself.
Iruka stood there hoping to go unnoticed but Kakashi's gaze eventually landed on him. He was too stunned to say a word. Iruka hadn't noticed the scar when Kakashi was sleeping but now that his gaze was on him he felt a chill go down his spine. He never imagined he would someday face the Sharingan eye. Iruka continued to stare; Kakashi appeared more vulnerable without his mask. Iruka looked more carefully, no, it wasn't the mask, there were tears in his eyes.
* * *
Naruto reached up with his arms tilting the chair back as he stretched. It was time he called it a night. Besides, he had forgotten what happened next. Maybe sleep would help clear up his foggy memory. The grabbed his hat and proceeded to the door when he paused, took a step back and shoved Kakashi's book inside his robes. Perhaps he had caught some of Kakashi- sensei's bad habits he thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Woo Hoo! I managed to write more this time!
Iceheart19: It wasn't about measuring one person's pain to another's but ehhh.. it's hard to explain. Hopefully you will know why I included that in the chapter when I'm done with this fic. Thank you for the comments! It really got me to think ne.
Anyway, thank you to all the reviewers! Without you guys, I would have already trashed this fic. Thanks for your continuing support! [Phhehhh... sounds like some cheesy acceptance speech]
HAHA - please please let me know if there is anything wrong with the fic [ie; missing words, letters, misspellings, not matter how small or insignificant. Can't stand it when the story doesn't flow because of small mistakes.]
Hmm.. will not be able to update *too* soon since I've got crappy meetings and presentations for work. [Yeah. real world sucks.. but it pays the bills and supports my obsessions!]