Hey, I'm back. I feel so bad that it took me so long to post this chapter! My only excuse is that it was a lot harder to write involved ninja plot instead of just fluff - and I didn't even write very much of it! My admiration for you writers out there has gone up considerably I assure you! Well I hope you can forgive me; and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are very much appreciated!
Chapter 3
Whenever Iruka looked back on those first few days of their journey he could never recall very much. Though this new mission brought Iruka out of his village and out of his country and much should have been unusual and exciting, perhaps the events that were to follow were responsible for making these initial days seem mundane by comparison. The – country was 12 days away and as he and Kakashi were in no particular hurry, stealth being the main objective in this mission, they spent this time walking steadily. Their path took them through heavily wooded forest for the most part, though at times they were forced to skirt large meadow clearings or areas of farmland. The countryside seemed peaceful and prosperous and it was hard to imagine the threat that possibly lurked so close to home that could threaten their way of life and difficult to constantly be on guard for any hidden dangers. Iruka found it an increasing struggle to maintain vigilance amongst such tranquil environs and never more so than at night. Nights were spent on the ground without need for a fire as at that time of year the weather was still clement and warm enough to allow comfortable slumber without one. The balmy night air preceded by days of steady exercise had a decidedly soporific effect and Iruka was glad his rigorous ninja training and his own maintenance of that training due to his meticulous character still enabled him to sleep with one metaphorical ear open. Though Iruka was sure Kakashi would have been vigilant enough for the both of them, he did not like the idea of being so reliant on the other man even if he was his superior. Thus his nights were often spent in bouts of sleeping and wakefulness during which he would look at the stars above him through the trees.
On one such night he found himself wondering at the events that had brought him to this point in his life. Parentless and for the most part alone, Iruka had spent his childhood days longing to prove himself and when that seemed more difficult than he had anticipated he had turned to pranks and mischief. His close relationship to Naruto came as no surprise when one considered the similarity of their situations. Becoming a teacher had enabled the honourable and kindly chuunin the opportunity to care for all those who were unfortunate enough to lose a parent, which as they lived in a ninja village was very common. Iruka loved his job even when his pupils drove him to despair at times so it still came as a shock to him when at night he reflected on his current position. In the field on a mission with none other than Hatake Kakashi, the famous copy-nin whose reputation preceded him in almost every respect. Iruka would smile grimly at this thought. His reputation was indeed substantial and his behaviour so far had certainly been in keeping with the image of a deadly assassin. He spoke very rarely and only then to suggest a course of action in a given situation such as when they should stop for the night, when they should eat and what path to take. At night, very little was said as they lay down in relative proximity for much needed rest. Iruka may have found this reticence at communication uncomfortable in a travelling partner had he not been secretly relieved that he need not search for topics of conversation and it was not as if the older man was sullen. In fact he was quite the reverse; Iruka would see him smile to himself when they rounded a corner and a new landscape showed itself to them and all his remarks, when made, were made with a lightness of voice and manner if not with a smile. Iruka even caught the man laughing at him when once he misjudged a delicate step around a small body of water and ended up soaked to mid-shin. The jounin had earned a baleful glare for that one, though not without a hint of self-deprecating humour on Iruka's part. Besides, the peacefulness of their surroundings seemed to encourage quiet reflection and the silence between them was not oppressive; Iruka might even go as far as to call it restive and in some ways, though he wasn't sure if he liked to admit it, companiable. And they did not ignore each other by any means. At a corner or turn in their path, when they had to scout ahead and use extra caution, they seemed to be able to communicate their intentions without using many words.
Yes, thought Iruka, given the potential discomfort that could have been experienced in this situation, due mainly to the rocky start to their acquaintance, the journey was in many ways very pleasant and looked like it wouldn't be as bad as he had thought. Iruka turned his head on the blanket pillowed beneath him and regarded again the man sleeping at the foot of a tree not five metres away, silver hair thrown over his face and glowing faintly in the gentle light from the night sky. He recalled the events of the previous day when they had spoken more words to each other than on the whole journey put together.
The day had started like any other. Waking up on the hard ground in the small clearing they had settled in for the night, Iruka groaned and rolled over pushing himself up on his elbows. He sat up and ran a hand over his hair which, as usual, had come loose from it's tie. He set about fixing it, pulling out the band, running his fingers through his hair to detangle it a little then gathering it in a ponytail and rewinding the tie to secure it. Rising and turning he found Kakashi regarding him from the edge of the clearing. Kakashi smiled and moved forward and Iruka could see he carried something in his arms.
"I saw them as we came this way yesterday," Kakashi explained depositing the mushroom he had collected on the ground. "Thought they'd make a nice addition to breakfast."
They ate in silence then gathered their small packs and blankets and once more resumed their steady pace through the forest. Almost as if we had never stopped thought Iruka to himself.
It wasn't until about midday that they stopped again for a small break and a bite to eat. Finishing off the last of his mushrooms, Iruka stood and reaching for both their water bottles moved off in the direction of the sound of water he had noticed earlier. Kakashi only glanced at him and resumed eating, knowing where he was going and that he would be back.
The small stream was only a short distance away though it took Iruka among the trees out of sight of his companion. He crouched down in the shingle at the bank and refilled the bottles with the cool water, quenching his immediate thirst as he did so. As he was standing and twisting the water-tight stoppers back on the bottles, he felt a presence behind him. Before he could move he felt a firm arm pin his own and a gloved hand press against his mouth. Heart beating wildly, Iruka strained his eyes in their sockets to find the identity of his assailant. With no small measure of relief he glimpsed a wild shock of silver hair. Thank the gods. Once his brain had calmed a little he realised he recognised the smell and chakra signature of the man behind him. Having now spent so much time in Kakashi's presence he had become familiar with both these things. All this happened in an instant and Iruka was jerked back from this brief diversion by a movement at his side. Following Kakashi's pointing finger he saw what had alerted the jounin. The vegetation on the opposite steep bank of the stream had been disturbed, and not too long ago. Once again they communicated without words as Kakashi withdrew his arm and hand and moved to Iruka's side. Indicating his intention with a hand gesture, he moved off right along the river and indicated Iruka should take the left. Tying the half-forgotten water bottles in place, Iruka then did as his companion had silently suggested. Silently, the two ninjas crossed the river, using chakra focused in their feet to walk soundlessly on top of the water. Upon reaching the opposite bank they stole swiftly up the steep slope and found positions among the trees at the top that kept them hidden from any potential observers. The scene that greeted their eyes was not one they would have expected to say the least. Although large trees remained all the ground vegetation had been completely obliterated. The trees that had been spared were scarred and bore black score marks and didn't look as if they would live too much longer. Iruka caught movement to his right and saw Kakashi had pulled up his forehead protector and was scanning the area with his sharingan. After a while he replaced the band and moved out from behind his cover and down the slope. After a pause Iruka followed, trotting to catch up. Kakashi stopped at the first tree he came to and ran his hands over the mangled bark. As Iruka joined him he turned and spoke.
"This was some pretty powerful jutsu," he said calmly, "It was executed about two days ago, there's no one here now."
Iruka nodded. He guessed as much from the fact that the jounin had broken cover. After scouting the area a little more, the two men found nothing more of interest and determined that whoever had performed the jutsu did not want any involvement from anyone who may have found the effects of his jutsu; they had left no further evidence of their presence, arrival or departure.
"Who would come out here in the middle of the woods to perform such a jutsu," Iruka pondered aloud, crouching down and examining the disrupted ground, "And for what purpose?"
Kakashi said nothing and it suddenly occurred to Iruka that he was deliberately saying nothing.
"What?" The younger man asked suspiciously.
"The disturbed vegetation by the river bank…"
Iruka stood and wheeled around, "I know! I should have seen it! You happy! I'm a chuunin and I'm out of practice but I should have seen it!"
Kakashi considered the young man in front of him, saw the disappointment and self anger in his face. "I was going to say, it looks like someone was careless enough to leave some evidence of their passing. Either they know we're in the area and they wanted us to know they were here or they're not as good as they'd like us to think."
"….Oh."
"Yes," was Kakashi's succinct reply. Then he sighed. "Look, Iruka-sensei, you were given this mission for a reason. It would help both of us if you had some confidence in your abilities and didn't assume that I don't."
Iruka was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, "Kakashi waved a hand and smiled, "Let's go." He started back up the slope and back to their original trail.
Iruka took one last look around at the scarred landscape then with a sigh followed the silver haired man. It was after they had resumed the steady pace of their journey that Iruka started thinking again. He was given this mission for a reason? Did Kakashi mean anything by that other than to tell him that as a chuunin he was qualified and as a ninja chosen by the Hokage he was even more so? It would help both of us if you had some confidence in your abilities and didn't assume that I don't. Iruka smiled grimly. Kakashi claimed to have confidence in Iruka's abilities. He would not let him down.
Beside him Kakashi turned and spoke once again.
"We're getting closer to our destination now. It won't be long before we have to start being more cautious."
Iruka stiffened. Was Kakashi warning him that soon there would be no room for mistakes? So much for believing in his abilities!
"Kakashi-sensei," Iruka began and stopped as the jounin turned his head and gave him his full attention. A raised eyebrow urged him on.
"Kakashi- sensei," he began again, "Why didn't you request an alternative partner for this mission? The Hokage trusts you and I'm sure she would have listened to any alterations in the mission details you suggested. A chuunin academy teacher can hardly be much of a team-mate on a mission like this."
Kakashi stopped then.
"Certainly not one that doesn't listen to advice," He said abruptly though not harshly, "This doesn't sound like confidence to me. Yes, the Hokage does sometimes listen to me but I do not ask for changes in mission details once the mission has already been issued. It is not my place. You are my partner on this mission and we are going to complete it to the best of both our abilities. Understood?"
"Yes,"
"Good. Now come on, I want to get a good distance from here by nightfall."
Once again they moved off and the day was spent in relative peace as neither spoke a word to the other. But something had changed in the air between them and the silence was not as companionable as it had been.
Iruka sighed and rolled over turning his back on the slumbering jounin. Interesting journey indeed. Closing his eyes, Iruka consciously slowed his breathing and let his mind wander over less important things: a butterfly he had seen that day, a stream that reminded him of one he used to play in as a boy, the by now familiar scent of the forest floor; and gradually fell asleep. Behind him, with his back to the solid trunk of a tree, Kakashi opened his one visible eye and turned it upon the pony-tailed man so close to him. A flicker of interest and then his brow pulled down in a frown as he squeezed his eyes tight shut once more. It was a while before Kakashi followed his younger companion into sleep.
A/N
If anyone is wondering about the paragraph breaks in the first part of the story, I just felt I had to do something as when I initially posted this chapter it was just one big lump of text. I hate fan fiction dot net's layout sometimes!
And as a small postscript; if anyone feels they want a good sasunaru fic to read, please check out my little sisters fic entitled "Bandage". More reviews might make her updake quicker. I'd prod her myself but being on a different continent has it's drawbacks! Thanks again and I'll try to be more punctual with the next chapter!
