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.

hkfanaticblurnuts: Thank you for your faithfulness and encouragement! It's always nice to hear from somebody new, even if it's a long time fan! I'm slightly unhappy with myself since I'm not really into OC fiction but, hey, some ideas have been burgeoning in my brain and it looks like I might be able to hint at something new for my next (if I ever publish it) Hatake story: Gentle Lesson.

allyluv: My head is turned! That is too say I'm glad you're excited and positive about the whole thing. Personally, I'm not too sure about love scene since I have had no practice at all... hehehe! But hey... there's a first time for everyone!

zenna: I try to be prompt in updating (how well do I know the pain of people not updating often!) - and I hope you will have more enjoyment with the newest chapters.

krows scared, kunoichi008: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Enjoy the updates! I'm glad I kick major ass! It's all Kakashi though!

kaki-kun: Redoing the final chapters realized that the unveiling of the traitor will have to come later. But I hope you enjoy the new chapters regardless. I'm glad you liked it!

Well... things are getting busy... I'm running around trying to piece my id back together again (I lost my wallet) and am basically worried about stuff. The only thing keeping me sane is writing. Right now I'm writing some silly stuff in between my regular stuff... busy, busy, busy! That's the life.

Was rereading Kakashi's Gaiden and realized with a start that I have left out the whole 'one eye crying' phenomenon and Kakashi's white chakra blade ability... geez! I'm so stupid. (hits one's head with the monitor, Dobby-style) Two huge wholes in a fanfic series!

Arrrrgggghhh! Am in depression just thinking on it... well... maybe it'll be implemented in my other Hatake stories...

Revelation of the Wolf: The Glory of the Hatake Clan

Wills of Fire

When Genma, Raido and Iruka left with the kage on the trip to Thunder, they were aware they had back up in the form of one ANBU shinobi – however, the fact that Cloud was on the other side of Rice Field Country (Orochimaru's playground) made them uneasy.

"Damn Kakashi and his antics," muttered Genma, peering through the dense foliage at Fire's border. "If he hadn't caused Cloud to go on edge so much – we'd be allowed a better escort than this!"

Kakashi, watching overhead unnoticed, drooped imperceptibly at the senbon-sucking Jounin's words.

Genma is right. But…. Still…. Life does go on… he's been saying this for the last hour! It's seriously getting old…. If only I could go down there and –
Tsunade nodded.

"Stealth, boys. Stealth."

"We do have ANBU, right?" Iruka asked, trying to tamp down his nervousness and excitement. "I can't feel him anywhere!"

"Good." Tsunade said shortly. "If we did, he's not completing his mission properly."

"But we don't even know what he looks like, Hokage-sama!"

"You'll know if you see him." Tsunade said cryptically.

Raido and Genma nodded.

"Iruka, let's not mention him again, okay?" Raido added, kindly. "We don't want Sound figuring out our numbers."

"Hand signals will be the best," Genma drawled, tipping his senbon down.

"Minimal noise." Tusnade smiled. "I like it, let's get going."

Iruka followed his three teammates, feeling for all the world like a nerdy bookworm. His neck was constantly prickling as he visualized the hidden shinobi, looking down on him – seeing everything but never being seen.

ANBU was a closed book to him – another world which dealt with random killings, torture, interrogations and other things he had always feared as a child. As a shinobi, Iruka handled a lot of paperwork – and heard a lot of wild reports but most of those were few and far in between and the reason for most of them, he could understand.

On the other hand, he never ever handled ANBU paperwork – and so everything he knew was based on vague rumours.

The silent world of white masks (which reminded him of tree spirits) made him uneasy to say the least. The shinobi no longer human but more a part of a child's nightmare. And there was one watching out for them – an extreme killer.

More than before, he wondered what the hell he was doing on a mission like this.

As the day slowly passed, the five travelers took extreme care and precaution to avoid conflict with anybody – going so far as to mask their chakra and walk on foot. However, within three hours, they bumped into a pair of scouts.

The two Sound-nins succumbed to two well-placed senbons.

"Good work, Genma," Tsunade nodded cheerfully, as the group of four looked down at the pair of scouts. Her brow wrinkled slightly as she checked them over. "Target work, precise. Very neat. Somebody's been training. However…. They're still alive."

Genma's eyebrows rose, he rolled his eyes. "You wanted them dead? Tch. Why didn't you say so?"

Iruka gulped.

"They look dead to me – did you put them into a near death trance, Genma?"

"Yep – they'll wake up several hours from now unable to move a muscle for several days –"

" – but with flapping tongues," Raido sighed.

The four looked at each other. Nobody wanted to admit it, but none of them really wanted to kill the men when they were already down. It wasn't as honourable as open combat.

Tsunade shut her eyes, wishing for some sake.

"Leave it. It will be dealt with…"

She trailed off suggestively.

Genma and Raido nodded.

Iruka gawked at the surrounding trees.

"Get going, Iruka," Genma nudged the chuunin. "It's going to be cared for by…."

"Yeah, yeah," Iruka muttered.

Kakashi looked down at the now emptied clearing and the two unconscious shinobi. His eyes drooped in exasperation.

Geez! Not only does she work us hard – but as a woman, she's got a woman's sense of humour – cruel and vengeful.
Looking through the surrounding trees, finding the rapidly distancing chakra flares of his team, Kakashi double checked for any other watchers before apparating beside the fallen enemies.
Don't think.
Withdrawing his longer kunai, Kakashi slit their throats, wiped his blade on the grass and leapt away, putting as much distance as he could between the clearing and himself.
A form of denial, maybe?

As if I can forget.

Kakashi, for one split second, really hated Tsunade.

The second patrol was another two man team, which Raido insisted on subdueing by himself. He killed them cleanly in fifteen minutes, while his three friends watched through thick shrubbery.

A broken neck. A sliced throat.

Wiping his short blade on the grass, Raido accepted the compliments of Genma ('Have I told you that you look sexy breaking a guy's neck?') and Tsunade ('Good work, Raido. I liked the head lock move – very quick break!')

Iruka watched again as five hours later, Tsunade battered four more shinobi to death. Well, one had a broken neck, two died of poison and one was stabbed to the heart. Once again, he watched disbelievingly, feeling more idiotic as they traveled onward finally nearing the border of Lightning and Rice Field.

"Did you see him?" Raido laughed quietly, as they settled down in a small dell for the night. "He was, like, "oh!" and I was, like, "You're goin' down fuckin' bastard!""

"Yeah, but wait till next time," Genma growled. "Next time, I'm shooting to kill. They won't even have time to say 'Oh.'"

"You should try an underhanded approach next time."

"They do expect you to come from above, don't they?"

"Must be because that's our forte – fighting in the trees and all that."

Iruka sat, arms wrapped around his legs, feeling silly. He was a Chuunin – he had completed some A-Ranks with friends before. But as he watched Genma and Raido fall asleep, he wondered if he would ever be able to grow an elephant's skin as the two Jounins obviously had.

Something told Iruka that the next patrol they met – it would be up to him.

And it was rather hard to admit – but he had never killed anybody at close quarters before. Already, his hands were shaking.

"You cold?" A subsonic whisper behind his left ear.

"Ahhh!" gasped Iruka, nearly shitting himself. His eyes darted around.

Trees. Trees. More Trees.

Genma. Raido.

Tsunade.

A dark shadow poised on the edge of the dell.

Tsunade calmly unpacked her bag, placed several pieces of food in a small bag and threw it. It disappeared with the dark presence.

Iruka tried to calm his shaking hands, mentally berating himself.

Idiot!
"Relax, Iruka! It's highly unlikely we'll run into anymore trouble since we're so close to the border."

"I'm fine, Hokage-sama." Iruka said, through gritted teeth.

I'm a proud shinobi of Leaf, dammit. Born with the Will of Fire. I'm Urmino Iruka – the ninja with the most know-how and two and a half jutsus created by himself! I can finish the mission – and with flying colours!
He shook his fist in the air, clenching his teeth. Tsunade stared, eyebrows raised.
Sarutobi-sensei, I know you thought highly of this young man – but frankly, he puzzles me. He's not lazy, not stupid – and yet, onlya Chuunin….. not that being a Chuunin is bad – but Kotetsu and Izumo are already preparing for the Jounin trials and Iruka – who has obviously great experience – doesn't seem to care about stuff like that. And what's with his habit of talking to himself?
Ruminating on the Sondaime's favorite Jounins (although he tried hard not to play the favorite game), Tsunade just had to shake her head.
They are some weird people.

Gai and his "Eternal Flame of Youth" spiel.

Asumo and Kurenai living life in full denial.

What was with Kurenai's clothes anyway?

Genma and Raido

She didn't want to know.

Ebisu.

'Nuff said.

Ibiki.

A sadistic bastard.

And Kakashi.

Like Iruka, Tsunade still felt there was potential still to be tested.
It's always 'Kakashi this', 'Kakashi that' and 'Sharingan no Kakashi!' – but what have I really seen? A guy who has great potential, who may (or may not) be able to summon something worthwhile and is remarkably quick in completing his missions. On the other hand, he failed to win against Itachi, couldn't keep his team together, has a bad habit of reading porn novels and just made the headlines.
Looking sideways at her chuunin escort, trying to look in control, being brave although uncertain, Tsunade couldn't help but give the two guys points for guts.
And, be honest, Iruka is a sweetie – when he looks at you with those honest brown eyes – how could you NOT melt? The more time you spend with him, the more you see that here, here is something to be treasured.

But it won't last for long.

Tsunade shut her eyes in memory.
"Iruka really needs to move on. With war coming, we need more active men in the field. True, Iruka has proven his worth in the schoolroom, but I feel that he too should get a chance on the field."

"I don't want war. But it is coming and Iruka will have to learn how to survive."

"Hn. Survive?"

"Survive? He will become either a dead casualty or a walking corpse."

"And you, Kakashi? A walking corpse?"

"Did you know that when your mother went off to fight the Kyuubi, she was pregnant?"

Iruka's eyes widened.

"Eh?"

"Did you know she was in the early stages of pregnancy when she died?"

Iruka was silent for a long moment, listening to the leaves rustling overhead in the night wind.

Mother.
He curled up even closer.

"No."

He paused.

"I never knew…."

"Do you have an idea why she would do that?" asked Tsunade, trying to make her tone a bit softer than usual.

Shock tactics won't work here.
There was a moment of silence as Tsunade gave Iruka the time to put the pieces together.

"I guess, she wanted to save Konoha – or me…"

"Hmmmm… she came out of retirement to protect the ones she loved. To protect you. She died a true shinobi."

Iruka batted tears away furiously, trying to read underneath the underneath.

Tsunade-sama would never give pain unless for a reason, right? So think, Iruka!
"The Hokage called it the Will of Fire," Iruka said softly. "I remember him telling me so at the monument…"

"Ah yes – the Will of Fire – he liked to talk about that." Tsunade smiled. "The Fire of the burning Leaf."

"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?" asked Iruka, timidly.

Tsuande laughed lightly, tipping her head back to look at the stars.

"Iruka, even the smallest burning leaf can make a forest fire… the only thing that will hold you back is you." She smiled in the dark. "You shouldn't worry so much, Iruka. Our team is not weaker because of your presence but stronger."

Iruka nodded.

"I think you have allowed yourself to be underestimated for too long." Tsunade smiled. "Don't you think its time to throw off the mantle of teacher and move on ahead to other things?"

"I've been trying to do that lately," Iruka said. "Kakashi told me he had reached a plateau but through hardwork was able to increase his strength. So he told me to train also – and so I have been."

"Hoe?" Tsunade asked.

Since when….?
"Kakashi?" She asked skeptically. "We're speaking of the lazy bum, here, right?"

Nearby, Kakashi sneezed, nearly choking on his rice cake.

"Aaaaa….." Iruka laughed softly. "He does seem that way, doesn't he?"

"So he has been getting serious?"

"Well…. He's never lied to me before – so he must be…."

"Hmph…. Why hasn't he said anything, then?"

"He's just a secretive person. He never really likes to talk about himself. I hardly know anything…."

Tsunade shrugged.

"I guess we'll see what we shall see… In the meantime, you get some sleep now, Iruka."

"Eh? But, Hokage-sama, it's our turn to watch – "

"I need to have time to talk –"

She glanced away.

Iruka nodded in instant comprehension. He lay down, his body relaxed, fatigue finally catching up with him. As his eyes drooped, he heard the strike of a match as Tsunade lit a tiny fire.

As if in a bad dream, he saw the shadows unfurl revealing a black uniform, ivory vest, a trim body and the absolutely silent movement of a crouch. When sleep took over, the faceless façade followed him into his dreams. The white mask briefly illuminated by the dim lit.

No. It was only a ghost. Or was it?

When Iruka woke up, Tsunade was stretching her stiff limbs, still rather sleepy, while Genma and Raido wolfed down the last of the rice cakes and meat.

"Hey!" hissed Iruka in a sleepy croak. "Save some for me!"

"You snooze, you lose," Genma smirked.

Iruka lunged and snatched the last rice cake from the Jounin's relaxed fingers. It disappeared down his throat, while Genma and Raido stared in shock at the early morning aggressiveness of Iruka.

"Is he always like this in the morning?" asked Raido, moving slowly and sleepily.

"My brain's still trying to keep awake."

"It must be his lifestyle – waking up early for Academy," yawned Genma. "If I wasn't so bushed from guard duty, I'd beat your butt, Iruka-sensei."

"As if," snorted Iruka, more cheerfully.

His talk with Tsunade had encouraged him and raised his spirits.

Genma glared dopily.

"Are you trying to get a raincheck on it?" Genma asked. "'Cause when I get into the land of the living, boy, you're going down."

"Sure, sure," Iruka said, hefting his backpack and cricking his neck, relaxing a knot that had formed overnight.

"Okay, Tsunade-sama." Raido said. "What did you give Iruka-chan?"

'Iruka-chan' glared.

Tsunade laughed.

"A pep talk."

"I'm surprised that Iruka-chan hasn't burst into flames of youth like Gai," Genma chortled. "That'd really wake me up!"

"Genmaaa!" squawked Iruka. "Raidooo! Stop calling me that!"

"Calling you what, Ruka-chan?"

"Calling me 'chan'!"

"But," Raido said, shifting on his pack and jumping up to a tree limb. "How can we not? With those chocolate eyes of yours, you're such a bon bon."

"Arrrrgggghhhh!"

Iruka swung on a snickering Genma and began to beat on him. Raido joined the tussle.

"Boys!" snapped Tsunade, with a it's-six-in-the-morning-don't-mess-with-me tone.

The three shinobi froze.

"Why don't you go knock on Orochimaru's door so he can notice us easier and join your fight?"

Sheepishly, the three men disentangled themselves, and apologizing, followed Tsunade quickly.

"I saw him last night," Iruka said, during a break.

It was a chance to catch their breath after they finally entered Thunder Country.

"You saw -?" Raido prompted.

"HIM!" Iruka said.

Genma blinked.

"Yeah, so your point is -?"

"Well, he was scary looking!"

"Scarier than Genma's hair in the morning?" asked Raido, eyes twinkling.

Genma mock glared, then he turned to Iruka, who was behaving, in his point of view, like an irritating pansy – AGAIN!

Just asking me to kick him in the pants.
"So, you caught a glimpse of our ANBU escort – big deal. I've seen ANBU tons of times – in broad daylight no less." Genma shrugged.

"Iruka, what did he look like?" Raido asked kindly, deciding to be nicer to the obviously star-struck Chuunin.

Iruka wrinkled his nose in thought.

"Well… I was falling asleep when he came and crouched down by Tsunade. He creeped me out. He looked like a ghost."

"Why do you think you have a complex about these guys?" asked Tsunade, opening one eye.

Iruka blushed hotly.

"They don't creep you out? My mom always used to say –"

"Yeah, my mom did too," Raido nodded. "'If you don't get into bed, the ANBU who come out late at night, will snatch you'."

"Geez!" Genma rolled his eyes. "Your moms had issues, although my mom was scarey enough. I didn't have time to worry about ANBU when Mom was on the rampage."

"Well," said Iruka. "That's how it is."

"If you'd talk to them often enough, you'll find them to be as human as anybody," Tsunade drawled.

Raido looked skeptical.

"Ehhh? Really? I mean, I'm an elite Jounin – I have healthy respect for those guys. And I don't think I'm going to – much less be allowed to – have a nice chat over a cup of tea."

"You talk with Ibiki…." Tsunade pointed out.

"Talk? Nobody talks with Ibiki!" Genma snorted. "A talk with Ibiki ends up with the poor shinobi spilling his dirty laundry or being psychoanalyzed."

Iruka laughed.

"In fact, most real ex-ANBU – you know, the ones who were there for more than five years – they never advertise their associations and never talk – the only ex-ANBU who talk are the ones who washed out within a year – and they can tell a pretty horror story." Raido said.

"Which must be nothing compared to some of the old-timer's experiences," Iruka reasoned.

"Whatever," Tsunade smirked. "ANBU isn't a squad for monsters. Iruka, you needn't get so – tense – about it."

"Yeah," Genma nodded, his eyes solemn. "They are shinobi who wear masks to hide themselves – to remove who they are when they end up in an untenable situation. That way, when they retire, they have an untouched life to go back to – at least, that's what I think."

Everybody considered this for several minutes.

"They are people who feel just like we do, only as time passes by, the buffer between their missions and their daily life thins. It breaks, and their masks crack – see? And they pull out."

There was another pause before Genma began again.

"Those who don't, end up broken."

"You speak as if from experience," Iruka said softly.

"Ahhhh… well… Hayate was a good friend of ours. He met his girlfriend in ANBU – but he was gentle-hearted and left it after a couple of years. When he died, her heart broke – I feel sorry for her – she's got no life to fall back on and no heart to break."

"Which is why she'll last longer than most," Raido nodded. "Tragic, really."

"How horrible," Iruka breathed.

There was another pause.

"Speaking of which," Tsunade got to her feet, with a huff. "You've become quite the psychoanalyst, haven't you, Genma?"

Genma rolled his eyes.

"Blame it on Ibiki. It's all those damn Chuunin exams, finally wearing off on me."

"Speaking of which…" Iruka asked, switching the subject suddenly. "How's your team?"

Genma sighed. Raido shook his head in mock sorrow.

"Seems like they took the team spirit too far and contracted measles."

"Measles?" asked Iruka, startled. "Didn't they just get over the pox?"

Tsunade sighed.

"Childhood friends – mothers were childhood friends – never separated, they share EVERYTHING! Except common sense." She shook her head. "Haven't these women ever heard of vaccinations?"

Raido shrugged.

"Well, it let Genma off the hook again…."

"And not a moment too soon – any more D-ranks, and I would have gone crazy."

"Aw, c'mon, Genma! It can't be that bad," Iruka said, jumping up to a tree branch behind Tsunade.

"You'll see," Genma said darkly. "You'll see."