Title: Restart

Series: Naruto

Author: Miali

Chapter two: Play

Disclaimer: The story idea doesn't belong to me, neither do the characters. However, the events from this chapter onward are NOT taken from the doujinshi, they're my own personal take on how the story would continue and end.

Oi. So I'm stressed about this story to the point where I may drop it. The way reviews work with me is the good ones get me all excited and make me want to write more for you guys. The flames work the other way… I updated the first chapter so now it says the name of the doujinshi and the author.

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Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as the chuunin walked away, off to his shift at the mission room. Watching him go, the jounin murmured something which was caught and absorbed by the wall of black fabric. "Just say you love me." Within the blink of an eye, the nin turned and began once again toward his destination. And the game begins again.

Play.

Iruka arrived home late that evening, he had brought his favorite blonde student out for Ramen at Ichiraku and questioned the boy about his new teacher. The genin had been obviously exhausted but couldn't turn down a free meal with the chocolate-haired teacher.

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"So, Naruto, what's Kakashi-sensei like?" The brunette asked curiously, something about the jounin seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Mnph." Naruto responded through his ramen before swallowing the noodles, "I don't like him much, he's lazy and doesn't take us out for food, and he's always late in the mornings an' he always has some stupid excuse."

"I see-" Iruka was cut off by the blonde, who obviously wasn't finished talking.

"Yeah, and he always wears that mask, but he won't let us see what's underneath. It's almost like he has fish lips or something!"

Iruka chuckled softly at the kyuubi vessel's imagination. Naruto ordered another bowl of ramen and quickly began to inhale the steaming noodles. "Well," Iruka began, "I'd think fish lips would be pretty hard to hide under that mask. Although there probably is just a normal face under there anyway. Of course, the man's motto is 'look beneath the underneath' or something like that…"

Naruto nodded, the noodles in his mouth wiggling, "Essh, buh mubh isht," he gulped down the steaming food, "Yes, but maybe it's something like big teeth – he could hide those pretty easily under his fish lips! And that would be beneath the underneath." He grinned his fox-like grin at his amazing deductive skills as Iruka laughed a little louder before digging into his ramen once again. Iruka followed suit, hoping to finish his meal before it cooled off, but not with the speed of the genin.

On the roof, Kakashi's eyebrow twitched, but he had to laugh at the genin's creativity. He however was going to make a point to torture them about it and had the means to as the child below him began to tell Iruka of team seven's plan to "damask" the teacher.

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Iruka settled down onto his couch, student homework in hand, as well as a pile of quizzes. He began to read each paper, the topic of henge so familiar that he allowed his mind to shut down and let the rest of him do the grading, falling into the gentle monotony of the written words.

The pile of graded homework was stacked neatly on the coffee table, next to it a similar pile of quizzes. The chuunin stretched and yawned, standing from his seat on the couch and allowing more blood to return to his legs, which had begun to fall asleep. He wandered toward the bedroom and a few minutes and a warm shower later he was turning off the lights and crawling into bed.

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A tanned hand streaked across a sweaty forehead. Iruka rolled over, the blankets curling too tightly around him. He kicked them off and onto the floor. The fabric curled in a heap as the chuunin groaned and tossed and turned in his sleep.

Everything was blurry, only the vague outlines of trees and other landscape could be seen. There was pain, sharp pain throughout his body, and he slumped against a rough object, either tree or rock. A voice interrupted his thoughts. He couldn't see the person, nor understand what was being said. The landscape swirled and there was red, a bright, crimson red. Three small black dots spun and his hand burned.

Iruka sat up, panting. He blinked a few times and gazed about the room. Nothing had changed, his blankets were piled where he had assumed he'd kicked them and the window next to his bed was open, curtains lightly dancing in the breeze.

"Just a dream," the teacher muttered before falling back into a dreamless sleep.

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Kakashi walked down the road leading from Iruka's apartment, sharingan whirling silently. I don't think you're ready for our game, Iruka-sensei…

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A/N: Short chapter, I know… But I really wanted to get this posted before my internet went out. Hopefully more will come soon!