Sorry for the slow update. I can't seem to find a good way to start this
chapter. It's taken me days just to write the first paragraph! I cannot
emphasize how excruciating and agonizing it has been for me to write this
chapter. So please, please review!
Please note the asterisk * in certain areas. In case you do not know what it is referencing, please check the end of the chapter for an explanation. ~~~
Iruka continued to stare at Kakashi, watching the man bring his hand up to his face, briefly touching the trail of tears. He felt uncomfortable watching something so intimate but the thought of leaving was a fleeting one; he had promised Gai he would stay until he returned and most of all, he still needed to ask about Naruto's whereabouts.
"Are you ok?" Iruka managed to say.
Kakashi returned his gaze to Iruka, he had sensed someone was there but Iruka was the last person he expected. He had been a bit harsh on Iruka on several occasions but Iruka had a way of taking it too personally. He shrugged it off, so maybe his teaching techniques didn't work for everyone. Perhaps he should try a different approach; he smiled at Iruka and gave a small nodd. Iruka was too stunned to say anything, there was a warmth in Kakashi's smile that surprised him. As he continued to stare, a thought dawned on him, not only had he seen Kakashi's sharingan but he was seeing him without his mask for the first time. Truth be told, there were probably far fewer people that had seen him without his mask than the latter. The man was beautiful, no other words could describe it.
"I'm ok." Kakashi said, interrupting Iruka's thoughts. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, Kakashi reached for his sharingan letting out a small gasp. The encounter with Itachi had taken its toll on his body. Not only had he had to relive his past mistakes but he had to deal with Itachi's constant and ongoing mental attacks. Kakashi fumbled around for his head protector when he hand landed on something soft. Iruka blushed when Kakashi began to feel around and quickly swatted his hand away. He found the the head protector nearby and shoved it in front of Kakashi. "K- Kakashi, about Naruto." Iruka stammered, a bit nervous all of a sudden.
"He's with Jaraiya-sama."
"Jaraiya....?" Iruka paused, the name sounded familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "The author of Icha Icha Paradise?!" Iruka yelped, pointing towards the bookcase for emphasis.
"He's also one of the three legendary nins." Kakashi pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his bookcase, taking out a volume of the aforementioned books. "Iruka. You weren't going to ask my permission to look at them before, were you?" Kakashi said raising an eyebrow suggestively at the other man.
"Who said I? I wasn't- those books are- I..."
"Why do you think you landed on the floor in the first place?"
"You!! That's-" Iruka stopped mid-sentence when he heard laughter. Once again, he found himself staring at Kakashi. He was laughing and there was sound coming out of his mouth but it just didn't seem right. Whatever he hid behind his usual mask, he hid something even deeper beneath the surface.
"You... you're different. You remind me of Naruto."
"Kakashi...why was Itachi here? Is it Sasuke?"
Iruka deserved to know the truth but if Kakashi told him, he would just have to deal with Iruka's constant worrying and annoying questions. "He's after the Fourth's isan." Kakashi muttered. He just didn't have the heart to tell Iruka that Itachi was after Naruto but he didn't want to lie to him either.
Whether or not they were aware of it, it was the beginning of something that both men could not prevent from happening. Fate however, only works on your side when you let it.
* * *
Naruto held the photo up and twirled it languorously between his fingers. Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had been missing for a few years now but he never once lost hope that they would someday return. He flipped over the photo and re-read the description on the back, the words Iruka-chan was written on the back but the 'chan' part was crossed out. Next to it, the word 'kun' was crossed out and replaced but 'sama' written in big bold characters.
* * *
Shortly after Tsunade was established as the new and Fifth Hokage, she dispersed most of Konoha's ninjas on various missions hoping their commissions would be enough to rebuild the village. Kakashi had been given an A ranked mission assassination mission and with the academy temporarily closed, even Iruka was away on a mission. As fate would have it, both men ran into each other on their way to the Konoha. News had reached them that all of Konoha's ninjas were to return home at once.
"What do you think this is all about?" Iruka pondered.
"It's war now."
"War?"
Kakashi shrugged, "Something important must have happened."
Iruka nodded but it still unnerved him.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Kakashi said as they reached the surrounding wall around the city's limits.
When the two reached the Hokage's office, all but a few ninjas were assembled and were quietly murmuring among themselves. The crowd hushed as Tsunade made her way towards her seat between the elders with Jaraiya following close behind. "The reason why I've asked you all to return immediately is because I have an official announcement. Today, is the beginning of the real war. Orochimaru's attack was just the tip of the iceberg. What information we have gathered is that Orochimaru is the least of our worries." Tsunade paused, signaling for Jaraiya to continue where she left off.
"Akatsuki is an organization that consists of nine shinobi, Orochimaru being one that has already deflected. They are all considered to be S-class criminals and up until this point there has been very little activity. We have now confirmed that they are in fact after Naruto."
The room erupted in outbursts. Iruka looked over at Kakashi accusingly and mouthed the words 'Liar'. Kakashi would have mouthed something in response but anything would have been lost in his mask so he just shook his head.
"People, please settle down." Tsunade said exasperated. The Hokage title was more physically draining than she had expected. She now fully understood why it took the village's strongest ninja, what with all the paperwork involved. "We believe Akatsuki will lay low and observe him to better understand the Kyubi's powers. I have called you all back here to reassign new missions but I also have other news. On a sadder note, we will be holding a memorial service this afternoon for some of Konoha's fallen heroes."
The room erupted in outbursts once again. Iruka looked over at Kakashi but the other man refused to look his way.
"Hokage-sama, who has fallen in battle?"
Tsunade frowned, "Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, Genma*, Midou Hidehito."
After the announcement, Iruka was crestfallen. Nothing could have prepared him for this; never did he expect his former students to die before him. Iruka thought back to the time they had graduated. He felt such a sense of pride and hope for the future of Konoha. In that class alone he had the brightest children of the village. As he watched each of them pass their final exams, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride but at the same time, he felt wary that they would eventually find the real world too harsh. He was wrong to think they would not be able to cope with the real world. The fact that Chouji and Kiba sacrificed themselves for the greater good of the village was proof enough that the children were learning what it truly meant to carry the will of fire*. They were ninjas now and they knew what responsibilities that it carried.
* * *
"Baka." Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Nnn" Shikamaru grunted in agreement, his face emotionless.
On her right, Naruto had his teeth clenched and his hands balled tightly into fists. She knew it took every ounce of strength and self restraint he could muster to hold his temper in. Sakura turned to look at Shikamaru; he stood there lifelessly staring straight ahead. His eyes were empty and glazed over, his arms hanging limply by his sides.
The details of their mission were never disclosed but everyone had come to their own conclusions. It was well known that Choji and Kiba had sacrificed themselves in order for their team to complete their mission, but the whereabouts of Neji and Sasuke were unknown. Sakura felt nauseated. She couldn't help but think what if she had only succeeded in stopping Sasuke from leaving that night. Now she had the burden on guilt weigh heavily on her shoulders. Sakura felt someone place a hand on her shoulder, "Don't think for one moment that you could have prevented it. It's not your fault."
"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura turned around to look at Kakashi and was surprised to find they were face to face. He had bent over to give her a reassuring smile but there was something unsettling about it. She could not explain it but his smile was different.
Iruka hoped he would find Naruto after the ceremony so that he may comfort him and inquire about their mission, but instead he spotted Kakashi inconspicuously slipping away from the crowd. Perhaps the man knew more than he let on. Iruka made sure there was enough distance between them as he followed Kakashi over the rooftops of Konoha, silently leaping from one building to the next. Iruka was more than a little concerned. Although most conversations between the shinobi revolved around Shikamaru's mission, there had been hushed whispers regarding Kakashi's return as well. It seemed he had lost it during his assassination mission. He was only required to find the target and take him out with discretion but Kakashi had left a bloody mess for the victim's family to find. Tsunade had informed Kakashi that although his condition had returned to normal, she did not yet know the long term effects of Itachi's jutsu. Iruka managed to follow Kakashi all the way to Konoha Hospital when he lost sight of him. He ran to the ledge and saw two ANBU members on guard. Iruka surveyed the other rooms and noticed there was only one room being guarded. He dropped down onto the streets silently and walked up the front steps; there was no way he could have gone around those ANBU guards.
"Iruka-san! You must be here to visit Sasuke!" The head nurse greeted Iruka warmly, holding his hands between hers. "You're such a good person, always here visiting. Neji is also here if you would like visit him but his condition..." she trailed off, shaking her head sadly.
"You! Stop right there." A voice called out.
"Go! Room 801." The nurse whispered and winked at Iruka, "I'll keep him busy."
Had it not been for Naruto and his constant trouble making that landed him here, he would have never made friends with the nurses. Iruka stopped in front of Sasuke's door and leaned in closer to hear Kakashi's voice.
* * *
Tsunade landed on the balcony railing and dismissed the ANBU members with a wave of her hand. Naruto arrived shortly after. The boy had asked to follow along when she made her rounds at the hospital but she knew he had an ulterior motive. He needed her to get past the ANBU guarding Sasuke's room. She agreed to it, curious as to what Naruto wanted with Sasuke. Naruto was about to walk in when Tsunade extended her arm and held him back, placing one finger over her lips. Naruto obeyed her orders kept quiet. Naruto inched closer to the opened door and peered inside the room. Kakashi was standing next to Sasuke's bed.
"Sasuke..."
Sasuke turned his head slowly toward his teacher, his face grimacing in pain, "Are they..."
"I'm sorry Sasuke. I thought I could save you from going down the same path as I did. I've failed you. I will find you, Naruto and Sakura a better teacher."
Naruto got up, ready to charge in but before he knew what happened, he was face down on the floor with Tsunade's foot firmly planted on his back. He gave up on struggling and turned his ear toward the door to get a better listen.
"Who... Who was it?" Sasuke muttered.
"Choji, Kiba and Neji still hasn't woken up."
Sasuke looked away. He felt something tugging him on the inside. Kakashi took a seat by the foot of the bed, "I'll say this again, you'll only hurt and suffer more. Even if you are successful, all you'll be left with is emptiness. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Sasuke remembered the time Kakashi had tied him to a tree and lectured him about using Chidori against Naruto. He also remembered how Kakashi was able to smile even as he revealed his loved ones had already been killed. Sasuke closed his eyes, "Who killed your loved ones?"
"Most shinobi's hands are stained with blood, but mine," Kakashi raised his hands and stared at his opened palms before slowly closing them and placing them back in his pockets, "they're stained with innocent blood. And now, with Choji and Kiba's deaths, you will carry that same burden."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Genma: What's his full name??? *Will of Fire: It's the will of all shinobi to protect the village of Konoha, as told to Iruka but the Third.
Sorry for ending it there, but I haven't really thought out the rest of the story and I'm trying really trying hard to write this. It's getting tough now. Please review! I hoping that they aren't OOC, so please let me know what you think of the way I've been writing the characters.
Hehehe.. off to watch Full Metal... O_O.
Arigatou!
Please note the asterisk * in certain areas. In case you do not know what it is referencing, please check the end of the chapter for an explanation. ~~~
Iruka continued to stare at Kakashi, watching the man bring his hand up to his face, briefly touching the trail of tears. He felt uncomfortable watching something so intimate but the thought of leaving was a fleeting one; he had promised Gai he would stay until he returned and most of all, he still needed to ask about Naruto's whereabouts.
"Are you ok?" Iruka managed to say.
Kakashi returned his gaze to Iruka, he had sensed someone was there but Iruka was the last person he expected. He had been a bit harsh on Iruka on several occasions but Iruka had a way of taking it too personally. He shrugged it off, so maybe his teaching techniques didn't work for everyone. Perhaps he should try a different approach; he smiled at Iruka and gave a small nodd. Iruka was too stunned to say anything, there was a warmth in Kakashi's smile that surprised him. As he continued to stare, a thought dawned on him, not only had he seen Kakashi's sharingan but he was seeing him without his mask for the first time. Truth be told, there were probably far fewer people that had seen him without his mask than the latter. The man was beautiful, no other words could describe it.
"I'm ok." Kakashi said, interrupting Iruka's thoughts. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, Kakashi reached for his sharingan letting out a small gasp. The encounter with Itachi had taken its toll on his body. Not only had he had to relive his past mistakes but he had to deal with Itachi's constant and ongoing mental attacks. Kakashi fumbled around for his head protector when he hand landed on something soft. Iruka blushed when Kakashi began to feel around and quickly swatted his hand away. He found the the head protector nearby and shoved it in front of Kakashi. "K- Kakashi, about Naruto." Iruka stammered, a bit nervous all of a sudden.
"He's with Jaraiya-sama."
"Jaraiya....?" Iruka paused, the name sounded familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "The author of Icha Icha Paradise?!" Iruka yelped, pointing towards the bookcase for emphasis.
"He's also one of the three legendary nins." Kakashi pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his bookcase, taking out a volume of the aforementioned books. "Iruka. You weren't going to ask my permission to look at them before, were you?" Kakashi said raising an eyebrow suggestively at the other man.
"Who said I? I wasn't- those books are- I..."
"Why do you think you landed on the floor in the first place?"
"You!! That's-" Iruka stopped mid-sentence when he heard laughter. Once again, he found himself staring at Kakashi. He was laughing and there was sound coming out of his mouth but it just didn't seem right. Whatever he hid behind his usual mask, he hid something even deeper beneath the surface.
"You... you're different. You remind me of Naruto."
"Kakashi...why was Itachi here? Is it Sasuke?"
Iruka deserved to know the truth but if Kakashi told him, he would just have to deal with Iruka's constant worrying and annoying questions. "He's after the Fourth's isan." Kakashi muttered. He just didn't have the heart to tell Iruka that Itachi was after Naruto but he didn't want to lie to him either.
Whether or not they were aware of it, it was the beginning of something that both men could not prevent from happening. Fate however, only works on your side when you let it.
* * *
Naruto held the photo up and twirled it languorously between his fingers. Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had been missing for a few years now but he never once lost hope that they would someday return. He flipped over the photo and re-read the description on the back, the words Iruka-chan was written on the back but the 'chan' part was crossed out. Next to it, the word 'kun' was crossed out and replaced but 'sama' written in big bold characters.
* * *
Shortly after Tsunade was established as the new and Fifth Hokage, she dispersed most of Konoha's ninjas on various missions hoping their commissions would be enough to rebuild the village. Kakashi had been given an A ranked mission assassination mission and with the academy temporarily closed, even Iruka was away on a mission. As fate would have it, both men ran into each other on their way to the Konoha. News had reached them that all of Konoha's ninjas were to return home at once.
"What do you think this is all about?" Iruka pondered.
"It's war now."
"War?"
Kakashi shrugged, "Something important must have happened."
Iruka nodded but it still unnerved him.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Kakashi said as they reached the surrounding wall around the city's limits.
When the two reached the Hokage's office, all but a few ninjas were assembled and were quietly murmuring among themselves. The crowd hushed as Tsunade made her way towards her seat between the elders with Jaraiya following close behind. "The reason why I've asked you all to return immediately is because I have an official announcement. Today, is the beginning of the real war. Orochimaru's attack was just the tip of the iceberg. What information we have gathered is that Orochimaru is the least of our worries." Tsunade paused, signaling for Jaraiya to continue where she left off.
"Akatsuki is an organization that consists of nine shinobi, Orochimaru being one that has already deflected. They are all considered to be S-class criminals and up until this point there has been very little activity. We have now confirmed that they are in fact after Naruto."
The room erupted in outbursts. Iruka looked over at Kakashi accusingly and mouthed the words 'Liar'. Kakashi would have mouthed something in response but anything would have been lost in his mask so he just shook his head.
"People, please settle down." Tsunade said exasperated. The Hokage title was more physically draining than she had expected. She now fully understood why it took the village's strongest ninja, what with all the paperwork involved. "We believe Akatsuki will lay low and observe him to better understand the Kyubi's powers. I have called you all back here to reassign new missions but I also have other news. On a sadder note, we will be holding a memorial service this afternoon for some of Konoha's fallen heroes."
The room erupted in outbursts once again. Iruka looked over at Kakashi but the other man refused to look his way.
"Hokage-sama, who has fallen in battle?"
Tsunade frowned, "Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, Genma*, Midou Hidehito."
After the announcement, Iruka was crestfallen. Nothing could have prepared him for this; never did he expect his former students to die before him. Iruka thought back to the time they had graduated. He felt such a sense of pride and hope for the future of Konoha. In that class alone he had the brightest children of the village. As he watched each of them pass their final exams, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride but at the same time, he felt wary that they would eventually find the real world too harsh. He was wrong to think they would not be able to cope with the real world. The fact that Chouji and Kiba sacrificed themselves for the greater good of the village was proof enough that the children were learning what it truly meant to carry the will of fire*. They were ninjas now and they knew what responsibilities that it carried.
* * *
"Baka." Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Nnn" Shikamaru grunted in agreement, his face emotionless.
On her right, Naruto had his teeth clenched and his hands balled tightly into fists. She knew it took every ounce of strength and self restraint he could muster to hold his temper in. Sakura turned to look at Shikamaru; he stood there lifelessly staring straight ahead. His eyes were empty and glazed over, his arms hanging limply by his sides.
The details of their mission were never disclosed but everyone had come to their own conclusions. It was well known that Choji and Kiba had sacrificed themselves in order for their team to complete their mission, but the whereabouts of Neji and Sasuke were unknown. Sakura felt nauseated. She couldn't help but think what if she had only succeeded in stopping Sasuke from leaving that night. Now she had the burden on guilt weigh heavily on her shoulders. Sakura felt someone place a hand on her shoulder, "Don't think for one moment that you could have prevented it. It's not your fault."
"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura turned around to look at Kakashi and was surprised to find they were face to face. He had bent over to give her a reassuring smile but there was something unsettling about it. She could not explain it but his smile was different.
Iruka hoped he would find Naruto after the ceremony so that he may comfort him and inquire about their mission, but instead he spotted Kakashi inconspicuously slipping away from the crowd. Perhaps the man knew more than he let on. Iruka made sure there was enough distance between them as he followed Kakashi over the rooftops of Konoha, silently leaping from one building to the next. Iruka was more than a little concerned. Although most conversations between the shinobi revolved around Shikamaru's mission, there had been hushed whispers regarding Kakashi's return as well. It seemed he had lost it during his assassination mission. He was only required to find the target and take him out with discretion but Kakashi had left a bloody mess for the victim's family to find. Tsunade had informed Kakashi that although his condition had returned to normal, she did not yet know the long term effects of Itachi's jutsu. Iruka managed to follow Kakashi all the way to Konoha Hospital when he lost sight of him. He ran to the ledge and saw two ANBU members on guard. Iruka surveyed the other rooms and noticed there was only one room being guarded. He dropped down onto the streets silently and walked up the front steps; there was no way he could have gone around those ANBU guards.
"Iruka-san! You must be here to visit Sasuke!" The head nurse greeted Iruka warmly, holding his hands between hers. "You're such a good person, always here visiting. Neji is also here if you would like visit him but his condition..." she trailed off, shaking her head sadly.
"You! Stop right there." A voice called out.
"Go! Room 801." The nurse whispered and winked at Iruka, "I'll keep him busy."
Had it not been for Naruto and his constant trouble making that landed him here, he would have never made friends with the nurses. Iruka stopped in front of Sasuke's door and leaned in closer to hear Kakashi's voice.
* * *
Tsunade landed on the balcony railing and dismissed the ANBU members with a wave of her hand. Naruto arrived shortly after. The boy had asked to follow along when she made her rounds at the hospital but she knew he had an ulterior motive. He needed her to get past the ANBU guarding Sasuke's room. She agreed to it, curious as to what Naruto wanted with Sasuke. Naruto was about to walk in when Tsunade extended her arm and held him back, placing one finger over her lips. Naruto obeyed her orders kept quiet. Naruto inched closer to the opened door and peered inside the room. Kakashi was standing next to Sasuke's bed.
"Sasuke..."
Sasuke turned his head slowly toward his teacher, his face grimacing in pain, "Are they..."
"I'm sorry Sasuke. I thought I could save you from going down the same path as I did. I've failed you. I will find you, Naruto and Sakura a better teacher."
Naruto got up, ready to charge in but before he knew what happened, he was face down on the floor with Tsunade's foot firmly planted on his back. He gave up on struggling and turned his ear toward the door to get a better listen.
"Who... Who was it?" Sasuke muttered.
"Choji, Kiba and Neji still hasn't woken up."
Sasuke looked away. He felt something tugging him on the inside. Kakashi took a seat by the foot of the bed, "I'll say this again, you'll only hurt and suffer more. Even if you are successful, all you'll be left with is emptiness. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Sasuke remembered the time Kakashi had tied him to a tree and lectured him about using Chidori against Naruto. He also remembered how Kakashi was able to smile even as he revealed his loved ones had already been killed. Sasuke closed his eyes, "Who killed your loved ones?"
"Most shinobi's hands are stained with blood, but mine," Kakashi raised his hands and stared at his opened palms before slowly closing them and placing them back in his pockets, "they're stained with innocent blood. And now, with Choji and Kiba's deaths, you will carry that same burden."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Genma: What's his full name??? *Will of Fire: It's the will of all shinobi to protect the village of Konoha, as told to Iruka but the Third.
Sorry for ending it there, but I haven't really thought out the rest of the story and I'm trying really trying hard to write this. It's getting tough now. Please review! I hoping that they aren't OOC, so please let me know what you think of the way I've been writing the characters.
Hehehe.. off to watch Full Metal... O_O.
Arigatou!