Chapter 5: Mad Jounins

Two days after that day when old Tsunade had informed them that he and Sakura will have a new teammate in the person of the chuunin, Shikamaru she had told them they should get ready for a mission a month or two from now. He had woken up by the blazing sun in the window in his deep sleep. He had not taken his daily trainings after that day, he was worn-out, and spends the next two days in sleeping in his room.

This day he looks forward to his regular training schedules. He got up quickly and took a bath and pulled on his usual orange jumpsuit and his ever 'must have' forehead protector that he rarely polishes but still gleaming when directed by the flaming sun. He got his equipments, his kunai, shurikens and some scrolls and off he left his room to the thick forest of Konoha.

He usually trains in that it spot in the forest. He hums as he walks to the trail and keeps on grinning, he wonders what kind of training Sakura and Shikamaru were doing. Sakura would not be up to her neck or train to death, she was always been doing her mother's errands since they had no missions. Shikamaru on the other hand would be training himself to be a good chuunin (not to mention to be an academy sensei) so he would not be like him, training forever.

He had finally arrived to that spot, and drew the bush to pass through. He heard attacking voice of a person. He walks closer to get a perfect view, who was it.

"HAYAH!" and several banging sounds occur. It was Lee. He was ahead from him in age but he had met him and his teammates in the chuunin exam. He always wear those green fitted jumpsuits like his favorite sensei wear. He also wears his hair like sort of a coconut husk, but it was jet-black. And those ever known orange legwarmers and not to mention his signature thick black eyebrows. He was indeed looked like his sensei, not only in the matter of techniques but also in their looks and attitudes, those thick eyebrows and oh! Those striking 'nice guy pose' that their teeth sparkling like a star that gives him the creeps. But then, Lee was his friend for what happened in the chuunin exam.

It maybe Lee's first day of training, he thought. It was in the chuunin exam when Gaara of the Sand had injured his leg and from now on, he cannot use it. Old Tsunade told him to forget his dream of being one of the greatest ninja in Konoha for his case won't have cure. It was the hardest thing to accept in the ninja world, that you cannot be a ninja forever. Lee and old Tsunade did not lose hope. Old Tsunade did everything to find how Lee could get his leg back. Therefore, old Tsunade performed the operation to Lee, and it was a success, she had advised him not to train for a season to make the wounds healed.

"Hayah!" Another shout from Lee echoed through the trees of the forest. He wanted to join him and congratulate him but his feet uncontrollably turn around and he run back to busy streets of Konoha. He wanted him to have privacy in his 'first day of training'.

Therefore, instead of training in the forest, he decided to change his plan for today, he turn to the other track going to Ichiraku. He would take his breakfast then he would decide what he would do next.

He hums again as he drew closer to the brightly colored stand of the Ichiraku. "Ohayo Naruto!" The man in the Ichiraku greeted him with glee. Naruto had known him ever since he started to the academy. In that, particular restaurant Iruka-sensei had given him free ramen and after graduating, he still eats there and the owner was fond of him. (He even gave Naruto a free delicious ramen with all sorts of sidings before his fight in the main battle of the chuunin exam!)

"Ohayo oji-san!" Naruto greeted him with delightfulness. He can now savor the sumptuous ramen after two long days. "One ramen please!" he shouted and pulled his meal stub in his forehead protector.

"I haven't seen a lot of you Naruto lately, are you busy with your trainings ne?" he asked as he tossed the noodle to the bowl of steaming broth.

"Er… sort of… I was busy in something he he he!" he replied followed by laughs and grins.

"Here is your ramen, Naruto." He handed him the bowl full of mouth-watering ramen. "Thanks oji-san!" replied.

He grabs those wooden chopsticks in the table and snapped it in to two. In no reason, he glances to his left and see who was in Ichiraku in that early…

His eyes popped open and his chopsticks nearly fall out of his hands it was no other than—Kakashi-sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he asked ridiculously. He hasn't seen his jounin instructor lately. And now he had popped out of nowhere when he did not expect it. "How long have you been there?"

"Just a while ago." His sensei replied coolly and not taking off his eyes (or eye) in a red and orange colored book. It was the same book he was reading the day when he had first met his jounin sensei. He scowled, another Icha Icha Paradise day with him. "How are you Naruto, you fine?"

"Er… sort of." He said and starting to eat his ramen. "What about you? I haven't seen you a lot lately, had you gone from a mission?"

"Let's just say it was like that." Again, it did not bother to face Naruto and his gaze still fixed to the book.

Naruto continued to eat again, this conversations would lead to nothing. His sensei is very secretive, even he and his other teammates had not yet seen his whole face, his life before, his parents and sort of. However, he wants to tell him about what old Tsunade had told him, maybe after his breakfast. Kakashi-sensei definitely had no clue what had happen in Konoha after his mission.

"When did you arrive in Konoha, huh, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked still eating and his mouth full of noodles.

Kakashi-sensei gave him a glowered look, "don't talk when your mouth is full, Naruto. I had just arrived today, I am on a holiday."

"Just today, as in now!" he blurted out, "I mean, why are you not resting after a tremendous mission?"

"Don't worry, after my breakfast I would go straight to my apartment and take a good rest." He said. Naruto's forehead wrinkled a bit, Kakashi-sensei had not ordered a single ramen yet, and there were no unused bowls before him.

"Who was with you in your mission?"

"Do I need to answer that?" Kakashi-sensei asked him with a tone, mind-you-own-business.

"Alright then, I need to tell you, old Tsunade had—?" he was cut off.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto. You should pay respect to her." Kakashi told him.

Naruto threw a nasty look at his sensei, "As I was saying old Tsunade had given us a mission. But she did not know when it will start."

"I reckon you fancy a training schedule under me, is that correct Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, "Well spotted! I am free everyday!" he informed him.

"Naruto, I told you, I am into holiday. I would love to train you and the others but I had to do some important things." He refused to him, before Naruto could complain he told him, "More important than your trainings."

"But—But this is important! I need, we need, and Sakura and Shikamaru need your guidance."

"Wait!" he was stopped into the track, "Sakura and Shikamaru!"

"Old Tsunade had told us Shikamaru will be our new teammate temporarily for Sasuke was missing."

"Shikamaru? The newly chuunin?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai! Shikamaru would be part of our team. You won't mind ne?"

Kakashi felt silent, thinks for a while, and put down his book. Naruto on the other hand was still explaining to him, "I mean Shikamaru was a lazy bum but he was really good in combat, he was chosen as a chuunin so it means he is really good…blah…blah…blah!"

"Wait!" Kakashi stops him, "If Shikamaru was your newest teammate, and then why do you need me as a guardian in your trainings—he is a chuunin!"

"You had forgotten that he is lazy! And he is a chuunin, he needs some time to the academy." He told his sensei. How dare he often tell him he was narrow-minded considering he was one!

Kakashi looks like he was defeated and it looks to his masked face that he does not want to train him for he was just wasting his holiday just looking out for his student instead of goofing around and reading his favorite novel. There was a long silence and Naruto was tired of waiting for Kakashi-sensei's answer and sipped the last remaining broth in his bowl.

Another person came in the restaurant and sat to Naruto's right. She was Kurenai, jounin instructor of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. She had a jet-black hair trailing to her shoulders and red-eyed female. She wore some kind of a dress in colors of red and white and white bandages in her arms and of course her green vest indicating she was a jounin. "One ramen please, oji-san!" she shouted with respect to hear her order.

"Yo! Kurenai!" Kakashi greeted her. Kurenai just glance at him and nods. "I see you haven't got Asuma by your side."

"Don't be ridiculous Kakashi. Thank you oji-san." She said as her order came.

"Kurenai-sensei, had you gone from a mission?" Naruto asked her.

"Er… yes, Naruto. I was off in a mission with some of the jounins in our village—including your sensei." She retorted. Naruto rounded at Kakashi who took his book again and began reading it. "How many times had you read that novel, huh, Kakashi?"

"It is none of your business, Kurenai." Kakashi replied coldly.

"Are you on a holiday also?" Naruto asked her.

"Yes, I am. My students and I had promised that we will have a training today but they had given some pesky excuses." She said and gulped down the tea she was drinking. "Shino said he was busy in recruiting in a large rally about the total banning of the pesticides and insecticides. Kiba told me he was helping Shino but I doubt it and Hinata, well… she wants to take a break and also saying she was helping Shino in his mad campaign." Naruto suppressed into giggles. "It's alright to laugh; sometimes my students are a lit bit of—odd."

"So… you do expect that you will be training them today?"

"Er… yes…"

"Then… how about this… Kakashi-sensei had refuse to train me for he told me he was out for a holiday… can you train me?"

"Naruto!" Kakashi now joined them again and slam his book to the table. Naruto jumped to his seat. "I am your sensei; you should ask me about those matters!"

"But—I didn't ask you when the perverted hermit had train me!"

"JIRAIYA-SAMA!" The two jounins chorused.

"Alright, Jiraiya-sama…"

"You missed the point, I am your sensei and Jiraiya-sama was a Sannin. I wouldn't mind if he trains you… but not Kurenai."

"What the—?" Kurenai said her mouth hanging open.

"Our team has secrets that should remain secret to us." Kakashi explained to her.

"We had!" Naruto blurted out and looked alarmed into what Kakashi had said.

"And I think you are just giving that sort of an excuse to spy on my students." Kakashi continued.

Kurenai gave him a glowered look; she could not believe it that Kakashi is accusing her in spying to his students. "You know, Kakashi I am just trying to help here, you told your student that you were on a holiday… then he asked you if you could train him and you said no… I can train him." She said her face looks on heat; he had not seen two jounins (male and female) having a go at each other.

"NO!" Kakashi shouted at her and stands to his seat.

"I can help your student!'

"NO! They were my students, mind your own students if you please." He told to her face.

"FINE! I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP! I DON'T THINK YOU ARE FAIR BETWEEN YOUR STUDENTS KAKASHI!" she yelled at him and stormed out of sight. In a moment, Naruto asked that same statement to himself is Kakashi-sensei really fair between us?

"Kurenai seems haven't got my point."

"Alright then, Kakashi-sensei… I have to dash… I have to catch Kurenai-sensei."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow to him.

"Why did you bother me Naruto?" Sakura asked him and walking to the forest, a few hours later, "In the bright side, okaasan was giving me errands to run…" she said grinning.

"I told you we had to train for our next mission." Naruto then replied to her.

"Is Shikamaru also here?"

"No. He was in the academy, he was busy."

"You mean, it was only the two of us!" she said ridiculously. "What are you trying to do!" she said and lunge a punch to Naruto. It immediately became a smoke. "Bunshin! NARUTO! COME OUT!" she yelled angrily as the birds on the tress flew away form the branches and disturbed.

"Hi there Sakura!" Kakashi-sensei greeted him. He was on the top of the tall tree. Sakura beam to him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she waived to him cheerfully.

"Hi there Sakura! Is that bunshin taking you here?" Naruto grasp her shoulders.

"Er… yes… he is…" She said shyly to him, "When did Kakashi-sensei arrive here?" she asked into a low tone.

"Just now." He whispered.

"That was enough, Naruto, Sakura come up here!" Kakashi called them.

After a tremendous training under their sensei, he had not taken his dinner for he was really tired and jumped to bed and easily drowsed off.

Next day he happily went to the forest to begin his training, Kakashi-sensei told them that he really needs his holiday and he can't train him today so he had to do his own trainings. He arrived to the forest and found Lee accompanied by his sensei, Gai. They were training. Like yesterday he left them unnoticed, it seems that they were father and son, the first time he met those two he had thought that they were, but then they told him that Lee was really admiring his sensei so he had copied his way of dressing and way of thinking and almost all.

Ichiraku ramen was his next destination; he did not expect that his sensei would goof around Ichiraku for a long time after that incident yesterday. Nevertheless, he was terribly wrong when he sat in the tall chair of the restaurant he saw those familiar white silvery spiky in an upward way hair and those ever known black mask and forehead protector.

His jounin instructor jumped into his seat, he was however reading his favorite book again for the nth time but he was aware who were going inside the restaurant stand. "It was you Naruto."

"Yes it was me." He said grinning, "Don't worry Kakashi-sensei; I would not force you today to train me."

"Fair enough." His sensei said in a cold way.

"But would you like to treat me for today?" Naruto asked him hoping he would agree.

"I don't think so Naruto." He said still reading his book.

Naruto's face fallen down, "Alright, oji-san! One special ramen please!" he shouted. "How was you holiday, Kakashi-sensei?" he teased him, "When I had seen the perverted hermit last time, he told me he was busy for the next installment of his novel…" he trailed of, he was expecting his sensei to be alarmed.

"He was!" Kakashi-sensei said his one eye widened in the news.

"But I don't think it will be out this year… he wants the readers to be patient, to wait for his another best seller… I am sorry Kakashi-sensei…" he said pretending he was sorry for his sensei, in fact he hated that Icha Icha Paradise mania! With that, Kakashi-sensei would not have any time to train them.

"What! He told you that the next installment would not come out this year!" he said, "This is mad! I have been reading this book," he gestured in the book he was holding, "…for three years and he announced that the next book will be out this year…"

"Fat chance…"

Other costumers came in; it was Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma together with his student, the fat Choji.

Asuma was a tall jounin, taller than Kakashi-sensei, he had a jet-black hair and also his beard running across his face and he had a bad habit of smoking cigarettes. Choji on the other hand was one of the Akamichi clan. They were all big looking persons so he was really porky, like Shikamaru, he has earrings in both ears. "Student bonding eh? Kakashi?" Asuma greeted to the two.

"Oh, not particularly… we have just met here in Ichiraku." Kakashi explained.

"Choji and I were going to train; we stopped by here before starting…" Asuma said and grinning to him. "Two special ramen!" he gave their orders.

"Congratulation again to your student." Kakashi said.

"Shikamaru? Oh, he really hated me when he was chosen to be a chuunin, he said it was harder than before and he felt he wants to resign."

"You have an odd student, Asuma."

"I know, I haven't seen you here at Ichiraku a lot before… are trying to court oji-san's daughter?" Asuma asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Asuma. I just want to eat here in Ichiraku."

"That's what you get when you always with you ramen freak student…"

"Asuma-sensei… you told me you were bringing a spare ramen after we eat… can I have that?" Choji asked.

"Huh? Oh no… I cannot… I have to give it to—Anko! Yes! Anko was ordering me to give her a ramen this afternoon." Asuma said with uneasy tone, he was sweating.

"To Anko?" Choji asked and his eyes narrowed as if he had known something terribly top secret. "Or to Kurenai-sensei?"

Without warning Asuma said, "'course not! Why would I give Kurenai a ramen?"

Kakashi and Naruto exchange glances. "Because you fancy her!" Choji shouted with victory.

Asuma lunged his palm to his student and covered its mouth. Choji began to struggle to his sensei. Naruto again glance at his sensei and throw a puzzled look but Kakashi-sensei did not looked at him and instead he pushed away his bowl of ramen not yet touched and said, "I have lost my appetite. See you again Naruto." He said and he disappeared into the puffs of smoke.

"What's gotten into—?" Naruto only said with surprise.

"Can I have your sensei's ramen Naruto?" Choji asked him after he got off form his sensei.

After his trainings, he passed by to Ino's flower shop to see if Sakura was there, fortunately she was there.

"I reckon I know why Kakashi-sensei was acting odd today…" she said as they talk outside the flower shop, Naruto had told her what had happened at the ramen house.

"What?"

"Kakashi-sensei fancies Kurenai sensei!" she said giggling.

Naruto's forehead wrinkled, Sakura had used the wrong term in describing what Kakashi-sensei is behaving, "Or you mean envious?"

"Envious! Goodness! You boys are really dense!" she snapped. Dense, what those suppose to mean? He thought. All he knows is Kakashi-sensei had not been envious to his co-jounins. Moreover, if he could be like that, the scene picturing in his mind, that he was brandishing a new copy of the Icha Icha Paradise Series, yes, that will surely make his sensei grew envious. He will surely follow him over town like a hungry dog.

"No, Naruto. He surely fancies Kurenai-sensei, I assure you." She said still giggling.

"How would you know?" he asked her a little bit of annoyed as if Sakura was a fortuneteller that could tell anything in the future.

"Isn't it obvious! Why does he had a go with Kurenai yesterday?"

"Because he wants to…"

"No! Because he was shy to her to let her train his own students!"

"I don't think that so…"

"Why does Kakashi-sensei lost his appetite when Choji shouted that Asuma fancies Kurenai-sensei?"

"I don't know… maybe he was full or they were very noisy or sort of… but you cannot conclude that Kakashi-sensei fancies Kurenai sensei. That was the maddest thing I had ever heard, Sakura. Kakashi-sensei would not fancy a woman."

"Really? Even you a wart fancy someone, why would an Icha Icha Paradise maniac would not?" Sakura snapped at him.

"This is ridiculous, Kakashi-sensei just fancies the woman in the novel and no other than that!"

"Naruto… you are the most insensitive wart I had misfortuned to know… Kakashi-sensei is very secretive does he, why would he blab to you that he really likes her. And besides with that attitude our little sensei is behaving I conclude he really fancies her!" Sakura explained to him.

She saw Naruto's puzzled expression as if not understanding anything she had said. "Alright then, Naruto… imagine you have a girl you really like…"

"Then?"

"What do you if you know someone is fancying the same person?"

Naruto blushed, "I would be jealous…"

"Right! How hard is that? Kakashi-sensei was gone jealous back to the Ichiraku, so he lost his appetite. Would you have the passion to eat knowing that?"

"Er… I would."

Sakura stared at him for a moment. "This is insane! I don't know why I am wasting my time explaining these matters to you. Just see tomorrow morning at the bridge, bring that lazy Shikamaru… we had work to do."

"What?"

"This is my plan…" she said whispering to him.

TBC…