Disclaimer – The people doing the star village arc in the filler episodes have not been taken out back and kicked, thus Naruto is not min.

Spoilers – This contains spoilers for the anime and manga. I am not sure of the exact chapters and episode numbers, but it is beyond what Cartoon network is showing. It is also beyond what is released in English manga by VIZ since I believe the events referenced are in volume 12 of the manga.

This has been a broadcast of the scribbles alert system, we now return you to your regularly scheduled reading

Story status: I have everything plotted out for a while, which will probably take me another 2 or 3 chapters from here, more if more random sentences turn into long descriptions, Then again I could be way off on that since what I thought would be a few hundred words has turned into a few thousand. The spoiler warning on this will stretch into chapter 140 and beyond of the manga

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Water Runs Red – Chapter 15

Kakashi was almost late for his meeting with Iruka. He had just finished reporting into the Hokage about what happened when he visited the hospital room that Sasuke was in. After that massacre, he handpicked the ANBU standing guard over the boy now. Obviously, Kabuto had killed enough ANBU members, he had to make sure the ones guarding now could stand up to him.

When he got to the schoolyard, on autopilot since his mind was pre-occupied, he saw Iruka holding Konohamaru upside down by an ankle. He was yelling, "Udon, get out of that tree right now!" The teacher shook Konohamaru in the direction of the tree; much like someone else would shake a ruler or a stick.

Konohamaru for his part was screaming about how his grandfather was going to be mad.

Kakashi couldn't help himself from smiling as Iruka finally got the children lined up. He set Konohamaru down at the opposite end of the line as Udon and had every child pick up a pebble in front of them.

Iruka then took a deep breath, "OK, now what we are going to try doing is very hard, but since you were too rowdy to sit and listen to the lecture, we're going to try it a different way."

He picked up a rock and started to twirl it in his fingers, "Moegi, where is the easiest place for a ninja to gather chakra?"

The girl looked up, "In the hand?"

Iruka nodded, "And does anyone know the second easiest place?"

A little boy with red tattoos on his face raised his hand and when called on said, "In the feet."

"Very good." He turned his hand upside down to show the rock was still in place, stuck to his hand. "This is a simple trick, and some of you will be able to master this now, others it will take a lot of practice. Your homework is to try to get the rock to stay on your hand like this by using chakra. I will give you a hint though. Different rocks are easier depending on shape and substance, so try your best."

He bit his lip for a second before calling on Konohamaru who was waving his hand frantically, "Yes Konohamaru?"

"Why are we learning silly tricks? We need to learn real skills!"

Iruka smiled, "This silly trick might save your life sometime." He dropped a Kunai onto the ground and picked it up by holding it to the bottom of his foot with chakra, and then he let it go flying with a quick motion of his leg, smiling as it embedded itself into one of the practice dummies. "See what I mean?"

The class for the most part was watching Iruka with wide eyes, even Konohamaru managed to nod.

"Good, now practice hard, dismissed." Suddenly a horde of small children were running to get their backpacks and things and taking off to do whatever children do on beautiful early summer days.

Iruka smiled over towards Kakashi as the children ran past. "I just need to put a few things away." He walked over to the tree and grabbed the Kunai.

"When did chakra control like that get on the curriculum?"

Iruka smiled, "When I decided it should be." He led the way into the classroom and started to shove things into his desk. "As long as I keep turning out students that pass onto Genin teams, they don't pay too much attention. A nice graduation test for the Hokage, and whatever else I cover is fine as long as the jônin–sensei don't bitch too much."

"I see."

"Anyways, Good Chakra control will only help them. Never have had anyone come to me and complain my students can control their chakra too well." He smiled at Kakashi, "Unless you are here to destroy that record?"

Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "I have bad news."

Iruka suddenly turned serious, "What happened?"

Kakashi reached back to scratch the back of his neck, "Kabuto is a traitor."

Iruka's eye's widened, but the man didn't show as much surprise as Kakashi had been expecting.

"He killed the guards watching Sasuke." Iruka's only reaction was to bite his lower lip, obviously waiting for Kakashi continued. "I got there before he could do whatever he intended to do to Sasuke, and I stationed hand picked ANBU at the hospital. The Hokage wants me to take Sasuke from the village for a bit once he wakes up."

Iruka nodded, "I see." Iruka finished making sure everything was put away and asked, "Are you hungry? It's still early for dinner."

"Are you?"

"Not really." Iruka smiled, "Would you like to walk?"

Kakashi nodded and accompanied Iruka away from the academy. They walked through the streets of Konoha. Kakashi was surprised at the number of people who waved or said hi to Iruka as they walked. "I learned something last night."

Kakashi turned towards Iruka, "Are you allowed to tell me."

Iruka shook his head, "Not exactly. I can ask you to please be careful though. Something is up, but we don't know what yet. Izumo, Kotetsu and I have been out every night for the past week, but we can't find anything. Ibiki is getting so desperate he is sending us each out alone to cover more ground."

"You're going on missions alone?" Kakashi couldn't keep the concern from his voice.

"I'm an adult; I've been on missions alone before. Besides, this is just scouting, get information and get out."

"If you can't find anything, how do you know something is up?"

Iruka smiled, "Because we can't find anything. We can normally turn up a few minor treaty violations, a few hidden troop movements, and the standard things. We do it to other countries, they do it to us. Shinobi teams taking shortcuts though other countries, you know, normal stuff." Iruka paused long enough to let his leg get attacked by a small child who was determined to hug the teacher's thigh. With practiced ease, the chuunin unclasped small fingers and with a pat on the head and a smile sent a young girl scampering back to her parents.

Kakashi watched as the young girl waved at Iruka and attached herself to her father's leg before being led off.

"She's a new student. I have the new ones for one day of the week."

Kakashi nodded, "You are amazing with the students." He was quiet for a few minutes, walking in silence with the younger man before speaking, "So we can assume that there is something organized going on. There is no other reason for the standard treaty disruptions to stop. Also, it must be major if they are managing to hide all traces."

Iruka nodded, "Exactly. Everyone seems to be re-distributing troops at their borders into new configurations. If Ibiki knows what is going on, he sure isn't telling me, and I don't know what they're telling the jônin… I just wanted you to know some of what I know so you can keep on guard."

They were walking out of the village proper and into the surrounding area where the training fields were, "I appreciate it. I haven't been able to discover anything yet. So many of the people here for the chuunin test seem suspicious that it's hard to tell who is more suspicious."

Iruka nodded, "I know."

"This is where you were yesterday."

Iruka looked around the training field, "So it is. I must not have been paying attention to where we were going."

"You were sparring with a jônin yesterday."

"So I was."

"But yet you say you can't fight on that level?"

Iruka smiled and shook his head, "You know as well as I do that Anko could kick my butt if we started using jutsu. Unless I got close enough to tickle her, I'd be dead."

"Tickle?"

He smiled, "I have a bit more experience in that area than most of her enemies would."

"I want to see what you can do." Kakashi smiled, "Fighting not tickling."

"So an all out fight? Weapons and jutsu and all?"

Kakashi nodded, "But let's put a timer on it."

"So no grabbing your butt?"

Kakashi shook his head, laughing, "Not in order to win the match at least."

"OK but no Sharingan."

Kakashi agreed and he set the timer he carried for ten minutes. They quickly took their spots in the clearing, Iruka kicking a bit at the leaf litter at his feet before glancing around at the leaves on the trees.

"OK, I'm at the disadvantage so I call go." He smiled and took another step back, "One, two, three, go!"

Iruka went though the seals for a low level fire jutsu as he jumped back from a barrage of shuriken sent by Kakashi.

Kakashi was faster, and easily dodged the fire. He wanted to bring this to hand-to-hand combat, so he rushed forward, throwing a punch followed by a kick at Iruka. The kick landed, but Iruka disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing a log.

Suddenly Kakashi found himself surrounded in smoke, the smoke from where the fire jutsu had caught the leaves and grass on the ground on fire was circling around him in a tight vortex. He was looking around trying to sense an attack, but he couldn't find Iruka's chakra. He deflected three kunai that were coming at him easily and launched returning shuriken to where the blades had originated. With his Sharingan, he could get through this easily, but without it, he was visually blind. He listened careful and kept his other senses open. Even with Iruka's chakra control, he would let something slip at some point.

Kakashi deflected shuriken and kunai returning each weapons barrage with a return grouping of his own. He knew there was a pond not far from here, so he quickly did the seals for a water jutsu. He created a wave that took out the smoke surrounding him and put out the small fire. It also through luck nailed Iruka and caused him to be knocked to the ground. Before Kakashi could take advantage, the chuunin was back up on his feet.

"Nice move, Iruka, but not enough."

Suddenly Iruka's chakra went wild. It flickered and jumped and collapsed in upon itself. The tan man collapsed to the ground, face first into the leaf litter on the ground.

Kakashi quickly ran towards him, he hadn't hit him that hard, maybe the chuunin had pushed himself too hard.

Kakashi rolled the chuunin over, suddenly the man's mouth opened in a gasp. Iruka's eyes looked around, "How long was I out?" He didn't sound surprised that he had passed out.

"Just a few seconds, what the hell happened?"

"I'm really tired and I think I've been using too many stimulants to stay up and I think maybe I'm babbling." Iruka smiled up at Kakashi, "You're supposed to say 'you look cute when you babble.'"

"Oh really?"

Iruka nodded, "Yeah."

"Are you all right? And why are you using stimulants instead of having someone sub for you so you can sleep?"

"I … Umm …" Iruka looked up at the worried jônin, "I'm sorry."

"I am taking you home and making you rest." Kakashi stood up and pulled Iruka up after him.

Iruka didn't argue, instead he followed Kakashi, just looking down at the hand that Kakashi hadn't dropped yet. He smiled as Kakashi lead him back to the village, holding his hand.

After a few minutes Kakashi realized he was still holding Iruka's hand and let go, instead dropping back to be walking next to the chuunin. "That was a nice move you pulled."

"Hmmm?"

"Swirling the smoke around me. With how you can cloak yourself, it did put me at a disadvantage."

"That's only because you weren't using the Sharingan. It also can't work against a Huugya. An Inuzuka would just rely on their nose and an Aberame could send their bugs out past the smoke."

"Iruka, that doesn't make it not a nice move. Does it take a lot of chakra?" Kakashi was getting annoyed with Iruka constantly underestimating his ability.

"No, hardly any. It's like tree climbing. I used it all up doing the fire in order to get something I could swirl." Iruka smiled, "I guess it's no surprise that someone with a name like mine would be bad at fire jutsu?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No seriously, with a name like Umino? So I take it you can do the same thing with water?"

Iruka nodded as Kakashi unlocked an apartment door, "Water, smoke, leaves -- it looks incredible when it's done with flower petals."

"Flower petals?" Kakashi kicked off his sandals and placed them next to the door.

"Yeah, I actually used that one in a mission once." Iruka kicked off his sandals and placed them next to Kakashi's as he entered the other man's apartment.

"Would you like some tea? I have to hear this story."

Iruka nodded, "Yes please." He sat down on the couch, letting his eyes drift half shut, "I was on a mission with unfamiar people once when I was a genin for some extra training. My team was assigned a bodyguard mission. The daughter of a rich merchant, she was getting married and we had to guard her until the marriage ceremony since some competitor wanted to prevent the marriage since it would be a merger or some such. Anyways, the kunoichi on my team and her spent their time in this garden with these huge cherry trees. The other two of us alternated keeping guard. Well, the attack came on my shift. My stamina was much worse then."

"I managed to make some water clones, thankfully there was a koi pond, and we were doing a good job of holding off the attackers and took most of them out. The kunoichi on my team was very good with weapons. Well, we had most of the thugs taken care of when it turned out they had hired an actual ninja to off the girl. This guy was way above our level, and our sensei and other team member were still a few minutes away."

"I knew we couldn't take him, so I had her take over the thugs, and I set myself to delaying the enemy shinobi. I threw an explosive tag on a kunai past him; the idiot thought I was actually aiming for him. It exploded and shook up all the trees and I was able to confuse him with the petals and ricocheting kunai and shuriken off of the stonewalls. He got completely turned around and we had actually managed a few glancing wounds when our sensei got there and took him out."

He laughed as Kakashi handed him a cup of tea, "The girl was so impressed with the move that she wanted to know if I could do it at her wedding."

Kakashi shook his head, "Who would have known you had a second career if you wanted it in performance art." He sat down next to Iruka and looked over at him, "So … after last night am I allowed to ask you on a date?"

Iruka blushed lightly, "I guess so, but drinks probably aren't a good idea with how tired I am."

"Dinner and a movie without leaving the living room?" Kakashi gestured at a stack of DVDs sitting on top of the TV.

"Cooking or delivery?"

"Delivery, I'm not half the cook Kotetsu evidently is." Kakashi got up, walked over to the fridge, and pulled half a dozen menus off of it. "Thai? Chinese? Sushi?" He handed the menus over to Iruka.

Iruka smiled as he flipped through the menus, "If I wanted to be an expensive date I'd go for the sushi, but how about Chinese."

Suddenly a blanket on the floor started to move, "If you guys are ordering…."

Iruka's hand was gripping a kunai as soon as the blanket moved.

Kakashi sighed, "What? Any mention of food and you wake up. If I have something for you to do through you can feign sleeping through a speech by Gai."

A pug head peaked out from under the blanket. "Sorry. Geez, I didn't know you were bringing your koibitto home." Pakkun waddled over to Iruka, "Thank you for the biscuits, by the way, they were much better than anything that cheapskate buys me."

Iruka just laughed and put away his kunai, "You're welcome. Mine name is Iruka, pleased to meet you."

"Pakkun, pleasure is mine. So nice to see my master acting like a normal person finally."

Kakashi grumbled and walked over to a phone to place an order.

Iruka snickered, "So I take it, you were not the one who decided to watch my apartment?"

Pakkun laughed, "Well if I had known about the biscuits, I might have. I didn't come up with the tracking you idea."

Iruka nodded, "Ahh, so your nose is why I didn't sense anyone following me."

Kakashi called out "Pakkun!" in a warning voice.

Pakkun's only answer was, "I want pork or I spill everything!"

Kakashi came back into the living room, "They said thirty minutes. Pakkun, I ordered you pork, if you make yourself scarce there are dumplings in it for you."

Iruka giggled, "I think someone is looking for some privacy? Pretty presumptuous on a first date, especially a cheep first date."

Pakkun rolled onto his back, "I'm not doing anything until I get my pork."

Iruka yawned and stretched, most likely to hid a laugh. He pulled his vest off and set it to the side before Kakashi jumped up and grabbed it, "Here let me hang this up."

Iruka smiled as he pulled of his forehead protector, setting that down along with the ponytail holder. When Kakashi went off to hang up Iruka's vest and take his own off, Iruka leaned over to Pakkun, "Koibitto?"

The pug did a very human like shrug, "Look at how he's acting."

Iruka sat back on the couch and smiled.

Soon they had a movie on, and much to Kakashi's disappointment, he was outvoted by Iruka and Pakkun who evidently wanted to watch something romantic instead of an action movie so all of Kakashi's DVDs were left where they were and something Kakashi had never seen was ordered on Pay Per view.

Kakashi knew better than to bitch about his cable bill or it would lead to Pakkun complaining about Kakashi being a cheapskate again. Soon the food arrived and they ate while watching the movie, everyone sitting on a blanket on the floor. Kakashi cleaned up and put the leftovers in the fridge since the other two were engrossed in the film. Kakashi was having more fun watching Iruka watch the movie. Finally, when the star-crossed lovers ended up in each other's arms sharing a passionate kiss as the credits rolled, Iruka leaned into Kakashi, using his shoulder to brush away a tear.

Iruka grabbed the remote and flicked the TV to some crime drama on one of the stations. He leaned into Kakashi to whisper, "I think your dog is asleep."

Kakashi nodded, he didn't rally care if Pakkun was asleep or not, all he was caring about was that Iruka's hand was gripping his shirt.

Iruka leaned into Kakashi, his mouth almost brushing the mask over the older man's lips. "Would you be more comfortable in the dark?"

Kakashi didn't bother answering; he just pulled down his mask, letting the other man see his face in the dim light of the TV. He leaned into Iruka to kiss him.

Iruka's arms snaked around his head, his fingers ending up entwining in silver hair as he returned the kiss. Iruka was not a quiet kisser, he made little moans and moist sounds and in the struggle for who was kissing whom, their teeth kept on clinking against each other.

Kakashi held Iruka close as he kissed him, marveling at how relaxed the other man was. He was pretty sure that Iruka was half-asleep, but also he felt the man trusted him to be this relaxed. He ran his fingers through Iruka's brown hair, letting the strands slip between his fingers.

Iruka moved his lips, tracing a moist trail from Kakashi's mouth to his exposed ear, softly sucking on the earlobe.

Kakashi snuck his hands across Iruka's waist, slipping them up under his shirt. The skin under the shirt was amazingly warm and soft. Before Kakashi could investigate any more of Iruka's body there was a loud knock on his door.

Both men started and sat up straight and Pakkun snorted, "Huh?"

Kakashi stood up and started to walk towards the door fastening his mask as he walked when suddenly Iruka let out a grunt of pain as he gripped his shoulder, "Fuck, I have to go."

Kakashi opened the door to reveal Asuma, "Hey, we have to go; they called a meeting of all the jônin. What the hell is he doing here?" Asuma tried to push Kakashi aside, but only managed to point at Iruka on the blanket in front of the couch in the mostly dark room.

Iruka was tying his hair back up in its normal ponytail and strapping on his forehead protector as Kakashi growled out, "Normal people call it a date, Asuma."

Iruka grabbed his vest from the hook on the wall and slipped it on. "Sorry for having to run again." He grabbed Kakashi and quickly kissed him over the mask. He bowed to Asuma, "Sarutobi-san" He then darted past the large Jônin and took off towards the center of town.

-------------- Notes --------------------

I had four things I wanted to get done in this chapter. What did I get done? Only the first of them. I swear I can't let Iruka 'on screen' the boy is an attention slut! I mean 'go and sit on the couch can turn into half a page with that boy.

PS who let Pakkun in this fic so much? Anyone?