Well, I've gotten out of my writer's block and once again, I've got a bigger buffer between delivery and creation! YAYYY!

I'm so excited! READ AND REVIEW!

Answers to reviews at the bottom!

Also! A warning! The rating will be going up due to... well, things happening so if you guys can't find it under 'T' look under 'M'.

I do not own Naruto – if I did, Kakashi would really be great – like a Sannin etc etc etc… and we'd see what's under his mask.

Revelation of the Wolf: The Glory of the Hatake Clan

The Path of Others

Temari was quiet for most of the trip home. Kankuuro knew better than to bug her.

The blonde-haired Jounin smiled as she thought of Shikamaru, the black-haired, lazy bastard of a Chuunin. The genius ninja of Konoha. The only man she ever…. considered.

But he was from another village – and totally unmotivated.

Any action between them, would have to be on her part. Initiated by her. Kissing that strange, lazy bodyguard…. Kakashi….

Practice makes perfect….. Perhaps it is possible for me to make a first step. To start small…. Shikamaru will signal to me whether he's interested or not… he can't be that dumb…. So… I will not kiss him right away but hang around with him…. To do that, I'll need to find reasons to get to Konoha…. Gaara, you owe me….

Several weeks later, Gaara had several messages to send to Konoha, special and only to be sent via ninja. Temari took the job and hastily returned to Konoha.

Her home away from home.

As she passed the large posts of the main entrance, flashing her pass, she smiled at the now familiar sight of the cliff's faces, the closely packed shops and houses. The ramen shop. The bookstore. The ices shop. The hospital. The police headquarters. The ninja academy.

Entering the large room, Temari approached the Hokage's desk, and laid down the scrolls.

Mission accomplished. Now for…..

Tsunade looked up with a smile.

"Thank you, Temari-san. How does it go with Sand?"

"It is going well, thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Been kept busy?"

Temari smiled.

"Yes. Yes. Rather."

The kage smiled.

"I guess you're going to go looking for the others…. Well….." She flipped through her lists. "You'll be glad to know Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji, Ino, TenTen, Rock Lee and Chouji are here…"

Temari smiled.

"Thank you."

"Perhaps I'll have something for you to carry back. See me before you leave."

Temari bowed.

"I will."

Walking around the town, Temari looked for the teams. She found Ebisu and his group trying to complete a D-rank mission – weeding. Konohamaru was pulling out the flowers. Temari smiled.

She remembered the kid. Naruto. The yellow-haired boy had tried to defend his friends, but it had been the Uchiha brat who had stopped Kankuuro. Gaara had respected him. But it had been misplaced.

How odd. How easy it is to underestimate people. Naruto. We all thought he wasn't even going to pass the paper test. Shikamaru. I thought he was a one trick horse – but his genius had me guessing. Perhaps Megami-san will be okay.

What did Kakashi say? 'Look underneath the underneath.' Perhaps, one day, Konohamaru will live up to the power of his name….

Temari passed on without comment. She found Iruka and Rock Lee in the field together. Iruka had collapsed against a tree, panting heavily. Rock Lee was praising him.

"Yay! Iruka-sensei! You've really gotten fast! Don't you feel it? The flames of youth!"

Iruka gasped.

Temari smirked. Then winced as Rock Lee caught sight of her.

"Temari-san!" He asked. "You're here!"

"Yes, Rock Lee… I'm here," Temari shrugged. "Seen…. Um…. Sakura? Shikamaru anywhere?"

Rock Lee nodded. "They said they'd be at the ramen shop at about noon for lunch."

Iruka popped open his round pocket watch.

"It-It's about noon now."

Temari turned away.

"Then, I'll be seeing you around."

"Yosh! Iruka-sensei! Let's race to the ramen shop!"

"Lee….."

"READY, SET, GO!"

Iruka and Rock Lee shot off into the distance leaving Temari standing there with her jaw hanging.

She had heard about the brilliant academy teacher. The one with no life. Who did not drink. Or hang with women. A smart, good teacher with very little strength.

And yet… he's running at Lee's speed…. What's going on here?

Arriving at the Ramen shop in her good time, she found the whole group there, waiting for her. Even Shikamaru's normally put-out expression held a small dopey smile.

"So." She said, sitting down and finding her bowl already ordered for her. She winked at Shikamaru, who sighed.

Sakura giggled.

"So," Temari asked. "Who won?"

"Rock Lee."

"But Iruka-sensei was soooo close!" Sakura said.

"Of course!" Ino said. "He's been training hard."

"Really?"

"He needed to beef up, if we are to fight a winning war with Sound," Neji nodded, approving the fighting spirit of Iruka. It was about time the man became a Jounin.

"You guys can stop talking about me, as if I'm not here…" Iruka mumbled, slurping up another noodle. "It wasn't just about the war, either."

"Hoe?" asked Sakura.

"Your sensei advised me to train again when I complained I felt like I was on a plateau."

Sakura looked down at her soup, with a fond smile.

I had lived like Iruka. Content to be a teacher. Content to be a smart ninja. But I had to become strong to protect those important for me. Like when those Sound-nins attacked my team in the Forest of Death. I'd like to think I saved them there…. Or when we went to find Sasuke in Orochimaru's village… Naruto said that I helped him become confident… but still… I went to Tsunade for teaching. I guess Iruka felt the same as me… I am glad that Kakashi-sensei was smart enough to do something about it…. Perhaps, he also realized he should advise people more often too.

Sakura looked up.

"I didn't think that Kakashi-sensei had anything to do with your new training craze."

"Yeah…. He can be pretty persuasive – when he's not being a lazy bastard."

"What's wrong with being laid back?" asked Shikamaru frowning.

Temari felt lightheaded.

"I didn't think that Kakashi-sensei had anything to do with your new training craze."

"So. What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

"Temari. And yours?"

"Ehhh… not as famous as yours to be sure, but you can just call me Kakashi."

"That sounds familiar."

"Really?"

"Have we met?"

"No. I'd remember you if we had."

"He lied."

"What?"

"He lied."

"Who?" asked Shikamaru.

Temari jerked to awareness.

Everybody was staring at her.

"Are you okay, Temari-san?" asked Rock Lee.

"Well… she has been traveling for several days," Tenten pointed out.

Ino nodded.

"She needs rest."

"No. No. I'm fine. It just…. Your sensei's name rang a bell…"

"You never met him, did you?" asked Iruka.

"My brother, Gaara did, one time. He never talked much about it. What's your sensei like, Sakura?"

"Physically?" asked Tenten with a wink. "He's kinda cute – but he wears a mask all the time and never seems to do anything really big."

"He reads those porn books a lot…" Ino wrinkled her nose. "Kurenai doesn't like it when he reads them in public, she says it lowers the image of Konoha."

Shikamaru shrugged.

"I heard he's really smart but he has no ambitions."

"He's closed mouthed."

"Never hangs out with the ladies."

"His hair is weird."

"I never saw him treat his team out…."

"But he's got a name abroad… He MUST be good…."

"He is!" Sakura said, indignantly. "He's amazing."

"You WOULD say, that," Ino smirked. "He's your sensei! Asumo's just as good!"

"No, he isn't, pig!"

"Yes, he is, big forehead!"

"Asumo isn't as fast as he is!"

"Yeah, well, he isn't as big as Asumo is!"

"Size doesn't matter!"

"Yuh-huh! Tell that to the boys, big forehead girl!"

"Stop calling me that, Ino pig."

"Forehead, forehead, forehead."

"Pig, pig, pig."

"Well, your sensei doesn't have cool weapons."

"Your sensei doesn't have a Sharingan like Sasuke!"

"Sharingan?" asked Temari. "Only the Uchiha have that ability."

Neji shook his head.

"I heard my uncle say that Kakashi is known in many countries as the Copy Ninja, having a Sharingan at an early age, being an ANBU and such…. He has copied over a thousand jutsus…."

"A thousand?"

"Over a thousand and counting!" Sakura sniffed.

"I wonder how he got it…." Temari muttered to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"It would be troublesome to ask…."

"He's Gai-sensei's eternal rival!" Rock Lee yelled. "And so far in the matches its eight-three to eighty, in favor of Kakashi."

Neji sighed.

"Their last duel involved who could get a girl at a bar to give them her address first."

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei would win!" Sakura sniffed. "Who could resist that charm?"

"What charm?" asked Temari.

"Kakashi we are all sure, is VERY sexy." Tenten nodded.

Temari cast her mind back to the sexy bodyguard with the sunglasses.

Sunglasses.

Which would hide the Sharingan. It all made sense…..

"Kakashi, ninja's can be terrifying people."

"I can be terrifying too," Kakashi murmured.

She blushed, thinking about her patronizing tone.

"So, he's a Jounin?"

"Oh, yes. Our sensei," Sakura nodded.

"Wasn't he the one who created the chidori?" asked Rock Lee, remembering that fateful Chuunin exam with the last duel between Gaara and Sasuke uncompleted.

"Chidori?"

"That lightning stab technique Sasuke used to penetrate Gaara's absolute defense," Sakura nodded.

Temari blinked.

Wow.

And to think that I thought he was only….

"Don't judge a book by it's cover," Kakashi grinned, tapping her on the nose with his Icha Icha novel. "Look underneath the underneath."

Holy shit! That KISS!

His lips – neither too thin, nor too full. Just perfect. Perfectly placed, Open, warm and inviting. Tasting of eggs and rice. Normal. Beautiful in perfection but a short-lived moment.

Which was just as well, Temari. That was so…. He's way too old for you. Out of bounds. Think Shikamaru.

Temari shrugged.

"I guess I never really met him that time after the Chuunin exam."

"He's a great guy," Iruka nodded. "You should meet him. But he's always late. And has a very dry sense of humour. Soooo….."

Sakura looked sad.

"I really miss him. He was so great to have around, especially with…. Well… with everybody gone…. I remember the first day he came in, Naruto put a chalkboard eraser in the door and it fell on Kakashi-sensei head. He said, 'Well…. My first impression of you guys…. Is I hate you.' I thought the world would end. But then we got close and he taught us important stuff – like thinking before using jutsus, ninjas who don't take care of their friends are worse trash, and looking underneath the underneath….. And he always had lame excuses on why he was late…. Like I lost my dog. I was helping an old lady cross the street. A girl stopped me so I danced….."

Sakura stopped, her eyes a little blurry.

"I think he was the best. I think I've always been too harsh on him for being so laid-back but…."

"Nobody's perfect," Temari shrugged. "He sounds like a shinobi who tried his best."

"So anyway," Shikamaru shrugged. "Are you allowed to tell us why you are here?"

"Just being an errand girl," Temari smiled. "A chance to meet with you guys…"

Okkkaayyyy! Answers!

Kaki-kun: You're welcome! I'm enjoying that fic of yours! Yes! Kakashi is going to get in hot water! And about time too!

Rockbane: Well... Gaara is smart - but for a large period of his life, he was selfish and not really thinking of others so... he may not notice - but, on the other hand, he is the kazekage AND Temari's brother, so he WOULD notice... but on the other hand, I feel that Temari and Shika really play it cool... so nobody would notice, really... pros and cons...

crazy-antman: In response to your question (I sense hesitancy), yes, Temari kisses him 'cos of a bet. Totally out of character. Sadly, yes, I think so... well... my bad... I don't really know why I put it in there - I'm sure it ruins it and all that... but it was a temporary lack of sanity on my part... blame the heat wave... I apologize to all readers here and now!

allyluv: All I can say is 'read on!' Your wishes will come true!