Best Friend's Brother 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used aside from my OC.

It had been two weeks since Natsumi had been taken on as Kakashi-sensei's teacher's aide. From making copies, grading papers, inputting grades, managing his email and even being a gofer between him and Obito-sensei, Natsumi was an exceptional worker. She never complained when he had asked her to perform a new task, always completed what she needed to in a timely manner, and even managed to stay on top of her other classes (granted she never had to miss a class as she used the fourth hour time slot to complete everything). So it came as a shock to her when Kakashi had given her a low evaluation.

Natsumi stared blankly at the paper in front of her as she sat in Shizune-sensei's classroom.

"Natsumi are you alright?" Hinata asked with worry in her tone as looked over her dark haired friend who sat silently with no response, as the bell rang indicating the beginning of their fourth hour.

"Alright class lets settle down" Shizune-sensei said as she walked to the front of the room, immediately gathering the attention of the class. "It's good to see all of you after this long. I hope you all enjoyed your first two weeks as aides and are probably wondering why you were called here today" she continued as Natsumi's eyes finally looked up from the sheet of paper with a hollow look.

'Why did Kakashi-sensei write this?' Natsumi thought staring ahead with a blank look on her face.

"Well this is your biweekly evaluation" the woman exclaimed placing her hands on her hips. "Today your teacher's informed you to meet here along with their reports that sit in front of you" Shizune went on, but most of the students had already figured this. "So for now I want you all to read over what they've written and reflect on how you can improve before the quarter ends" she instructed as the room's attention turned to the sheets of paper in front of them.

Natsumi looked down solemnly with a dark aura surrounding her as she read over Kakashi's feedback, or lack thereof.

C

She couldn't understand why the silver haired man had given her this report. There were no other notes on how the dark haired teen could improve, only the simple letter. Had she not been the best aide he'd had? Was putting her best foot forward simply not enough to please him? Was this just the beginning to her being dropped as his TA, just like all the others?

These thoughts raced through Natsumi's mind, making the teen sit silently.

'I guess I'll ask him at lunch' she thought releasing a heavy breath, before class continued.

...

As she made her way down the halls Natsumi kept her eyes down casted to the floor while the flow of lunch time traffic parted around her. She wore no expression and there seemed to be a certain gloom about her presence. Everyone who passed the black haired girl seemed to pick up on this vibe as they avoided her, all but of course a certain blonde.

"Hey Natsumi!" Naruto called happily running up to the girl with a large smile on his face. "Are you ready for lunch?" he asked excitedly before noticing the grim expression that the young girl wore.

"Hey Naruto" Natsumi greeted the young man in a monotone voice as she lifted her gaze to meet his now concerned blue eyes.

"Natsumi, are you alright?" Naruto asked with a worried tone as he furrowed his brows. "What's going on?" he asked as she stared blankly at him.

"I-I just have a lot on my mind" Natsumi replied trying to wave off the boy's worry.

"Uh huh" Naruto said doubtfully crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at the dark haired girl.

"I'm serious everything's fine Naruto" Natsumi said taking a step back from the boy.

"Oh yeah" Naruto said with a serious expression on his face.

By now the hallways were mostly clear, leaving a long silence between the two until the loud sound of Naruto's stomach growling disrupted the serious moment.

"Well whatever it is, you can tell me all about it at lunch" Naruto said with a grin playing onto his lips as he reached down to take hold of the dark haired girl's hand. Yet upon doing so, Natsumi took another step back to avoid the blonde's grasp, leaving him with a confused look to play upon his face.

"I actually have to meet with Kakashi-sensei this lunch period" Natsumi explained with an apologetic smile that she offered the blonde.

"Well I can just go with you before we go to the cafeteria to eat" Naruto offered placing his hands behind his head before giving the girl a closed eyed smile.

"Naruto its fine" Natsumi said abruptly bringing her hands up to stop the young man. "I'm not too sure how long I'll be and I'd hate to make you miss lunch" she argued as Naruto's arms dropped to his sides again.

"But what about you Natsumi?" Naruto asked in a concerned tone as he looked over the girl.

"I'll be fine" Natsumi stated offering the boy a reassuring smile. "If not I can just get something after school" she went on before Naruto's face lit up.

"You're right!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly, making Natsumi jump at his volume increase. "I'll go eat lunch now if you come with me to Ichiraku Ramen after school!" Naruto announced before his stomach growled loudly once more, making the boy grin sheepishly as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Uh ok" Natsumi replied as she sweat dropped.

"Well I'll see you later Natsumi!" Naruto said before making his way past the girl and sprinting in the direction of the cafeteria, leaving the dark haired girl to stare after him until he disappeared.

'Leave it to Naruto, to take my mind off something so serious' Natsumi thought shaking her head dismissively before continuing on her way.

Arriving at Kakashi-sensei's classroom, Natsumi felt a nervous pit form in her stomach as she stood outside the door, trying to work up the nerve to go in.

'It's all going to be fine, I just have to talk to him about my evaluation' the dark haired girl thought before reaching for the door and entering the room.

Once inside, Natsumi saw the silver haired man sat at his desk, seemingly unaffected by her entrance as he shifted through a few sheets of paper and typed on his computer. He seemed to be switching between the two activities with so much focus; he still paid no attention to Natsumi who now stood closer.

"Kakashi-sensei" she greeted as she stood beside the man, yet he still gave no indication of addressing her as he continued to work.

A moment of silence passed with Natsumi looking at the man in disbelief before clearing her throat loudly and finally catching his attention as he turned to her.

"Natsumi, you're here" he said lifting his head from his work as he sat up and faced her. "Sorry I was a little preoccupied" he said with a closed eyed smile as he motioned to the mess of papers on his desk.

Allowing her eyes to further examine what he was doing, Natsumi saw that the man was currently grading papers and inputting grades, which left the teen with a perplexed look as she had thought she'd taken care of most of his grading. Noting the confused look that his aide wore, Kakashi's eyes lit up in realization before he spoke.

"All of the grading for MY classes is done thanks to you" Kakashi-sensei stated as Natsumi looked at him. "But Obito hasn't really been himself lately, so he asked me to take care of some of the last minute grades for the classes we co-teach" he explained earning a nod of understanding from the teen, as he turned his attention back to his computer while her eyes traveled back to the many papers on Kakashi's desk.

'If this is 'some of the last minute grades', I wonder what a lot would be a lot to Obito-sensei?' Natsumi thought as her eyes went over the desk before landing back on her silver haired teacher.

Only now did Natsumi really take in his appearance to see how done the usually laid back teacher was. His usually dull eyes now held the faintest hint of exhaustion and this was only further supported when the man released a yawn from his mask covered face as he stretched.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Natsumi asked, speaking before thinking as she set down her school bag on the side of Kakashi's desk and looked over the many stacks of sheets, waiting for his instruction on what she could work on.

Kakashi perked up hearing his student's offer, turning to look at her he gave her his usual closed eyed smile.

"If you could take over inputting the grades into the computer while I finish grading the rest, that would be great" the man stated earning an nod of understanding as Natsumi began to gather the papers that were already graded, as Kakashi stood from his seat to allow the girl to sit in front of his computer.

He walked around his desk, taking one of the seats from the front row desks and brought it forward to sit opposite of Natsumi while he finished grading the other papers. It didn't take long for the duo to find a steady rhythm as they worked in silence. They had gotten a pretty good portion done before a light grumble was heard.

"Sorry" Natsumi apologized as her face lit ablaze in a blush of embarrassment.

The dark haired teen sheepishly looked down hoping the silver haired man hadn't noticed the redness of her face, she felt completely mortified until she heard the light laugh of Kakashi, immediately making the teen raise her head to look at the man.

"You came straight here instead of getting lunch first, didn't you?" he asked knowingly, earning a shy nod as a response before shaking his head disapprovingly as he stood.

Natsumi watched the man walk back around to the side of the desk she was on and reach under the desk as she scooted away. She watched curiously as he had produced a white plastic bag and held it out to the girl who simple blinked before reaching out to take hold of it.

"Go ahead and take your pick" Kakashi stated as he returned to the other side of the desk, taking his seat nonchalantly before returning to his grading.

Natsumi didn't know what to say as she stared at the man for a moment before opening the bag and discovering its contents to be a couple cold sandwiches and a various assortment of pastries and other breads.

"Is this your lunch Kakashi-sensei?" Natsumi asked curiously as she looked back the silver haired man.

"Yeah I had a late night and forgot to pack a lunch last night, so I picked that up from the store earlier" the man explained, making the teen feel a pang of guilt as she looked back down to the bag.

'He was probably reading that pervy book' Natsumi thought inwardly rolling her eyes. 'Even still, it's nice of him to offer me something but then again I would feel bad taking it' Natsumi thought biting the inside of her cheek as a moment of silence passed.

Sensing his student's apprehension, Kakashi glanced up from his work, looking over the thoughtful expression Natsumi wore, before offering the teen a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry too much about me Natsumi; I have plans with Obito to grab a bite after school anyways" Kakashi said before the teen nodded in understanding.

"Hn" Natsumi said debating on whether or not to accept that answer, before her stomach growled again, only this time being much louder.

An immediate blush of red lit the teen's face as her brows rose in surprise at the sudden sound, making all thought of turning down the offer disappear. She immediately stuck a hand into the white bag, feeling around before pulling out an object at random. Looking at what she held, Natsumi saw it was a sandwich, which she began to unwrap as Kakashi chuckled at her antics.

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei" Natsumi said appreciatively as she handed the bag over the desk to him. He nodded in reply before taking the bag and pulling the other sandwich out.

The two ate in a comfortable silence while they continued to work with Kakashi handing newly graded sheets to Natsumi while she recorded the grades in the computer for the gradebook. It went on like this for a while until the pair had finally completed the task. Natsumi released a breath of relief as she pressed save on the program and looked at the time on the clock. The dark haired teen mentally noted lunch was almost over, with about 15 minutes remaining, before her face lit up in realization.

'I was supposed to talk to him about my grade!' Natsumi thought as her brown eyes immediately shifted to the silver haired man that sat across from her, who to no one's surprise had his nose glued to his book. 'Why am I not surprised?' Natsumi thought as she sweat dropped at the sight.

"Um Kakashi-sensei?" Natsumi asked she began, before being interrupted as Asuma-sensei entered the classroom abruptly.

"Kakashi did you get the email about homecoming?" Asuma-sensei asked as he walked into the room, bringing the silver haired man's attention away from his book as he turned his head to look at him.

"I'm sorry what email?" Kakashi asked setting his book down with the cover facing down.

'Real smooth' Natsumi thought sarcastically as she stared blankly at the man.

"The one requesting teachers volunteer time, donate money, or organize for extra help" Asuma replied.

Kakashi gave no response, instead turning to Natsumi and giving her a look with a nod that she immediately understood as she opened his email account and found the homecoming email addressed to all staff members.

"Attention staff members of Konoha High, as you all know our annual Homecoming celebration is approaching. As per usual the elected student council members are getting a head start on the planning and would like to request your assistance. Whether this be a monetary donation to help assist in any costs, volunteering your time as a chaperone for any events, or organizing for having your students get involved in the upcoming events. Keep in mind we will need coordinators for planning meetings, chaperones for monitoring student activities such as float decorating, dance decorating, and for the evening affair itself. There will be a brief planning meeting scheduled after school today in the main office conference room, so please be prompt in attendance (i.e. Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha).

Sincerely,

Principal Tsunade and the Konoha Student Government"

Natsumi read aloud, suppressing a laugh as she neared the end, noting that the two male teacher's tardiness was a common thing among the staff wide email.

Kakashi sighed deeply as Natsumi finished reading, running a hand through his hair as Asuma chuckled.

"Well looks like that'll put a dent in my plans" Kakashi exclaimed as Asuma leaned against his desk.

"I figured I'd ask, otherwise if you hadn't known, who knows when you would've showed up" Asuma said jokingly. "But also to ask if you'd like to go in on a donation with me and Kurenai?" the man went on catching the silver haired male's attention.

"Oh I wasn't your first stop?" Kakashi asked with a teasing tone, that made the other man blush a light shade of pink in embarrassment.

"I'm asking almost everyone!" Asuma argued back.

"So out of everyone, Kurenai is the only one to agree?" Kakashi asked, making the other man stiffen.

"I'm going to ask everyone!" Asuma corrected himself as Kakashi released a light chuckle.

Natsumi simply watched the two interact, unsure of what she should do. She could leave, but she still needed to discuss her evaluation with Kakashi-sensei. She nervously glanced at the clock of the classroom, counting down the minutes that remained, inwardly hoping that the two would end their talk so she could address the matter of her C with Kakashi before the end of the lunch period.

Kakashi and Asuma talked for a while longer, before the silver haired teacher noticed how quiet his teacher's aide had become. Taking the opportunity, he glanced over to see the teen staring at the clock.

"Um I'm sorry Asuma one second" Kakashi said interrupting his dark haired friend, as he turned his head to fully look at the dark haired teen girl.

"Natsumi" Kakashi said catching the girl's attention as she turned her head to face him. "I'm sorry were you going to say something earlier?" he asked, remembering that she had called his name just before Asuma entered.

Natsumi nervously looked between the two men before losing her nerve as she shook her head dismissively.

"Oh ok, well do you think you could do me a quick favor before lunch ends?" the silver haired male teacher asked as Natsumi nodded in reply.

"Of course" Natsumi said as she stood from her seat at his desk and reached for her bag.

"Great" Kakashi said standing from his seat as well. "I need this file dropped off with Obito before lunch ends, I would've done it myself but I'm a little busy and your such a big help" he went on, making the girl narrow her eyes in disbelief.

'Does he actually mean that or is this like the time he talked Obito sensei into paying for our lunch?' Natsumi thought as she stared at the silver haired man as he approached her with a file.

"Ok Kakashi-sensei" Natsumi said wearily as she accepted the file.

The teen girl waved goodbye to both teachers before exiting the room.

'Crap I'm going to have to talk with Kakashi some other time on the evaluation' the teen girl thought releasing a dejected sigh as she walked the empty hallway.

...

Upon arriving at Obito-sensei's classroom, Natsumi knocked lightly on the door before entering to see the dark haired teacher sitting at his desk typing on his computer. He wore a blue button up with a black tie and pants.

"Obito-sensei" Natsumi greeted as she approached the young man, unknowingly make him stiffen as he recognized her voice.

"Natsumi!" Obito-sensei exclaimed jumping from his seat in surprise.

"Kakash-" the teen began before coming to a halt as she noticed the freaked out look that the man wore. "Is everything alright sensei?" Natsumi asked furrowing her brows in concern.

She slowly took a step forward, only to watch the man jump five feet away from her.

"Everything is fine!" he said holding his hands up to stop the young girl once more.

Natsumi simply blinked at the dark haired man, before setting the file down on his desk.

"Kakashi-sensei asked me to deliver these to you" she informed the man as she stepped back from his desk and gave him a weary look.

The man stood leaning against the far wall of the room with a worried look on his face. Natsumi was at a loss on what to do next, so she just stared at the timid man. While waiting for any type of response from the man, Natsumi studied over him. Her eyes went over his dark hair and his half scared face. She had yet to learn the reason behind this as Obito-sensei didn't seem to be the most comfortable around the teen girl. The cheery demeanor he had when he first met her, now replaced with worry and discomfort. Maybe it had something to do with the details of their last encounter, either way though she knew better than to pry and simply accepted matters for how they were for now.

"Thank you Natsumi" Obito said as he waited for the teen girl to make her exit. In all truth the Uchiha did find himself to be uncomfortable around the dark haired girl after their first encounter. Even if he was only kidding, he was a teacher who flirted with a student and on top of that did other things that he hoped wouldn't repeat. Every time the girl was around he found himself growing nervous as he hoped he wouldn't do anything more to embarrass himself, yet while he thought of all this, he was unaware of how Natsumi viewed the circumstances.

'I do a pretty good job with everything Kakashi-sensei assigns, except my interacting with Obito-sensei isn't the best' the teen thought glancing downwards as her mind went back to her evaluation, bringing her a newfound determination as she looked back up to Obito-sensei.

"Obito-sensei, I have something to ask" Natsumi said suddenly bringing the man more alarm. "Kakashi-sensei said you were his best friend, that would mean that you would know him well ... so could you tell me where he might think I'm lacking in my performance as his aide?" the dark haired teen girl asked, surprising the man.

"A-are you serious?" Obito-sensei asked in disbelief as he looked over the serious expression that the teen girl wore.

"I understand it's a lot to ask but I received a C on my evaluation and I just want to figure out why" Natsumi explained perplexing the dark haired man.

'He gave her a C?!' Obito-sensei thought, taken aback by the girl's words.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Obito stood up straight as he pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"It's actually hard to believe that Kakashi would give you such a low score, considering all the work you do" Obito-sensei replied honestly as he ran a hand through his black locks in thought.

"Is there anything I'm doing that you think needs to be done better?" Natsumi asked.

"In all honesty I think you're perfect" Obito admitted before back tracking on his words. "I mean in the assisting type of way of course" he sputtered out nervously. "Look to be completely honest, if you hadn't come along when you did with the ethic you have, Kakashi would be up to his neck in work and probably more late than usual" Obito went on.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with an understanding nod, before giving the man an appreciative smile before turning to make her exit through the door.

Not long after Natsumi's departure, Obito-sensei was greeted by the emergence of Kakashi-sensei as the silver haired man strolled into the room with his nose in his usual book.

"Kakashi!" Obito said as the man approached, pulling up a seat to his desk as he set down a bag with his lunch.

"Yo" the silver haired man greeted holding up a peace sign before taking his seat.

"You just missed your teacher's aide" Obito said looking over his silver haired friend.

"Oh did you get the file?" Kakashi asked not lifting his gaze from his book.

"Yes but-" Obito began before reaching over the desk to push Kakashi's book down, so he could gain his attention.

"I'm listening" Kakashi said placing the book down.

"Why did you score Natsumi so low for her evaluation?" Obito asked in an annoyed tone as he looked over his white haired with narrowed eyes.

"She brought that up with you?" Kakashi asked raising a brow in interest.

"She asked if I would know where you think she's lacking as your aide" Obito replied, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kakashi gave a thoughtful nod of understanding before Obito notice the white plastic bag the silver hair man had.

"Is that lunch?" Obito asked with a childlike curiosity filling his onyx eyes.

"Oh yeah" Kakashi replied placing the bag in front of the Uchiha who immediately opened up the bag excitedly before his smile dropped from his face.

"Where's my sandwich?" Obito asked dejectedly as he only saw a few rolls of bread and couple different pastries.

The dark haired man looked up with a disappointed look on his face, only to see his friend gone. Turning his head he found Kakashi to be partially out of the classroom door with his book opened. Obito had an immediate irk mark appear as he looked after the silver haired man, until a sudden thought struck him.

"Kakashi wait!" Obito called out bringing the man to a halt as he stood in the doorway and looked back to see why his friend had called out to him. "What's going on with Natsumi?" the dark haired Uchiha asked raising a brow in curiosity.

"A little test" Kakashi stated simply as he lowered his book.

"What kind of test?" Obito asked watching as Kakashi took a moment to think before replying.

"Every year the rumor about how hard it is being my teacher's aide goes around and anyone brave enough to take on the job gets a grade, that I leave up to them to see if they'll just accept or actually come and speak with me about to change" Kakashi explained as Obito furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Why are you contributing to the rumor by failing your kids?!" Obito asked with an annoyed tone.

"I'm testing them" Kakashi replied giving the dark haired man a serious look. "It's completely up to them if they want to believe the rumors and doubt their abilities in their work or fight for the grade they deserve" Kakashi went on as Obito nodded in understanding.

"But don't you think it might be bad if they think it's ok to pick fights with their teachers?" Obito asked running a hand through his hair.

"It's not about the fight Obito. I want them to believe in themselves. Even if it's going against authority they've been taught to obey, they should be able to stand up confidently for the work they do" Kakashi explained.

"Oh I see" Obito said now taking a seat back at his desk while Kakashi turned to leave again.

"Alright" Kakashi said simply before Obito shot up from his desk.

"Wait!" Obito called bringing the man to a stop again, much to his dismay as he looked back to him. "Why did you ask Natsumi to bring me a file if you were coming here anyways?" the dark haired man asked.

"I noticed you're not the most comfortable with her so I figured sending her might help you get used to her" Kakashi replied with a closed eyed smile that struck a nerve with Obito.

"You've been doing it on purpose?!" Obito asked as he could feel his temper rise.

"I've never seen you so driven up a wall by anyone before" Kakashi laughed, making a new irk mark appears on Obito's head.

"Kakashi you're such an-" Obito began to insult the man before being cut off by the silver haired man.

"I'll see you later" Kakashi said loudly with a light wave before exiting the room.

...

Natsumi released a heavy sigh as she shut her locker and leaned against it, still deep in thought of her predicament with her grade as Kakashi's teacher's aide.

"The dobe mentioned you skipped lunch" Sasuke's voice then said making the teen turn her head to the side to see the Uchiha approaching, before tossing an apple at the girl, which she caught clumsily.

"Yeah I had to see Kakashi-sensei about something" Natsumi replied as she fumbled with the fruit as Sasuke gave her a weary look as he leaned against the lockers beside her. "It was nothing bad" Natsumi clarified.

"Hn" Sasuke replied in a dull tone as he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"It's not like it even mattered since I ended up helping him with some grading for other classes instead of talking to him" Natsumi said releasing a heavy sigh that earned her a sideways glance from the Uchiha.

"Were you going to confess or something?" Sasuke asked raising a brow at the girl.

"No it was going to be about my grade, you jerk" Natsumi retorted with a glare that made the Uchiha roll his eyes.

"Whatever" Sasuke said dismissively as the teens stood in silence for the remaining few minutes of lunch until the bell rang.

Natsumi gave Sasuke an appreciative nod as she held up the apple, while he too gave a nod before turning to walk to his next class. She watched as the once empty halls now began to fill with the many students from lunch, before deciding to start her trip to her art class.

"Hey Natsumi" she heard someone call bringing the girl to an abrupt halt as she turned to the source to see Kakashi-sensei approaching her.

"Kakashi-sensei" she said as she waited for the silver haired man to catch up with her.

"Two things" he said as he walked alongside the dark haired girl, bringing a look of confusion to her face.

"First, I'm going to need you at that planning meeting with me after school" he said as the girl simply nodded in understanding before her continued. "Secondly, I would like my hoodie back from a couple weeks ago" he said holding up two fingers as a look of alarm crossed the teen girl's face.

'I forgot to give back his hoodie!' Natsumi thought as she thought back to the windy day when Obito had spilled water on her coat. 'Is that why Kakashi gave me a low evaluation?!' Natsumi thought in a panic, before noticing Kakashi waving his hand in front of her face.

"You alright?" he asked as he caught the young girl's attention.

"Yeah" she nodded as the silver haired man nodded in understanding before waving to the girl as the pair separated with him turning in the direction of his class.

'Well now I have something else to worry about' Natsumi thought dejectedly as her head hung, before taking notice to the sudden presence beside her.

Turning her head to see who walked beside her, she was surprised to see Kabuto. Upon noticing her gaze, the young man offered Natsumi a kind smile before speaking.

"Hey Natsumi we haven't talked in a while" the silver haired young man said pushing his glasses up by the middle of the frame as Natsumi simply nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I haven't really seen you in Orochimaru's class" Natsumi replied as she turned her attention forward.

"I've been a little preoccupied with my own classes, but lucky for me Orochimaru didn't really need me around lately" he stated as Natsumi glanced to him.

"Oh that's good" Natsumi said, before a thought struck her. "Are you not busy now?" she asked curiously as she noticed the young man's empty hands.

"Yeah Orochimaru sent me on lunch" he replied casually scratching the back of his neck as he offered the young girl a kind smile.

"Oh" Natsumi replied as the pair continued in the direction of her art class, before she remembered the apple she held in her hand.

Looking down to the red fruit in her hand, a small smile crossed her face as she thought.

'Did Sasuke only give me this since I missed lunch?' she thought, as Kabuto took notice to the item.

"Not have time to finish your lunch?" he asked catching the girl's attention as she turned to look at him again.

"Oh I was busy during lunch so Sasuke grabbed it for me" Natsumi explained, earning a questionable look from Kabuto.

"I didn't realize you two had gotten so close" Kabuto said in a monotone voice as he turned his gaze away from the black haired teen. "I actually heard a rumor that you two were dating, but I thought you were smarter than that" he stated in a snarky tone that caught the teen girl off guard.

Natsumi's brows rose in alarm at what Kabuto was implying.

"We're just friends" Natsumi stated with furrowed brows as the young man turned back to meet the gaze of her brown hues.

"I knew you knew better" Kabuto praised with a smile as he placed a hand on top of the girl's head.

'What's his deal?' Natsumi thought as she raised a brow at the young man, before side stepping to bring her out of his reach.

"Yeah anyways ... have a nice lunch" Natsumi said as she looked at the silver haired boy with a blank look that brought the pair to a halt.

"I'm sorry did I offend you?" Kabuto asked turning his head to the side as he studied the dark haired girl.

"No" Natsumi stated simply as she looked at the young man with an unchanging expression. "I just figured you might not want to waste your lunch break, walking me to my art class" Natsumi went on, earning a smirk from the silver haired boy.

"Spending time with you isn't a waste" Kabuto said, making the girl feel embarrassed at his compliment.

"What are friends for?" Natsumi asked after regaining her composure as she offered Kabuto her own light smile.

Taken aback by her question he let a light chuckle escape before he spoke again.

"I actually wanted to ask you something" he said as Natsumi looked at him blankly again. "What are you doing after school?" he asked, surprising the teen girl.

"I'm going to be attending the planning meeting with Kakashi-sensei then going out to eat with Naruto" she said wearily.

"That's perfect; I was hoping you could take some notes at the planning meeting for me? Orochimaru and I aren't going to be able to make it so it would be a really big help" Kabuto said, allowing the girl to release a breath of relief as she nodded in agreement, before the warning bell rang.

"Alright, see you later Kabuto" Natsumi said with a small smile and wave before rushing away.

'So she's closer with Sasuke now ... interesting' Kabuto thought as he looked after the dark haired teen before he turned to make his way to the main entrance of the school.

...

The next two class periods went by fairly quickly according to the dark haired beauty as not much happened in them. Sitting in Kakashi's math class probably the most eventful as the students sat waiting for class to begin. The usual chatter was heard from the students while the silver haired teacher busied himself with his book. All was normal until Guy-sensei and Lee arrived into the class, walking on their hands.

"Well if it isn't my rival Kakashi" Guy-sensei said in a cocky tone after jumping to his feet and put a hand on Kakashi's desk as he leaned onto it.

"Oh Guy" Kakashi said lifting his gaze from his book. "I'm sorry did you say something?" Kakashi asked in a calm tone, that made Guy-sensei do an anime fall.

"Always the cool one" Guy mumbled with a clenched fist as he jumped up from the floor, making Kakashi sweat drop.

"Uh huh" Kakashi said raising a brow in confusion before he noticed Lee jump into a standing position from where he stood on his hands. "Is there anything I can help you two with?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Well Kakashi, there is" Guy-sensei said placing his hands on his hips as he spoke. "I had Lee out of class during his math class and I heard he missed a quiz" the man went on as Kakashi nodded. "That was a mistake on my part so I was hoping you could let him take his quiz now" Guy went on with a smile and thumb up at the end.

"Uh sure" Kakashi said crossing his arms across his chest as he watched Lee bow.

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei" Lee thanked the silver haired man.

"I knew you'd understand Kakashi" Guy said with a cheeky smile. "After all you have an aide, so you know what it's like when they need to make up work for a class they missed" he went on as Kakashi stood from his seat, making his way to the filing cabinet to retrieve a quiz for Lee.

"Actually I wouldn't" Kakashi said as he pulled the sheet out. "My TA hasn't missed a class yet since everything gets finished during the assigned time" he went on making Guy's smile falter.

"You're TA hasn't missed a class yet?" Guy asked in disbelief. "Who is it? Is it Sasuke Uchiha?" Guy speculated as he glanced in the direction of the dark haired boy.

Naruto couldn't help but try to stifle his laughter as the scene unfolded.

"Actually it's-" Kakashi started to correct Guy before Lee exploded in an outburst.

"Sasuke! Our mentors are rivals so we are destined to follow in their footsteps!" Lee shouted pointing to the Uchiha dramatically.

By this time Naruto had fallen out of his chair in laughter, while Sasuke rolled his eyes and Natsumi sunk back in her chair.

"Impressive as ever Kakashi" Guy said folding his arms over his chest as he clenched a fist. "To think you started a competition of who among us would disrupt our TA's schedule the most!" Guy exclaimed pointing upwards dramatically, as Kakashi sweat dropped.

"It's not a competition" Kakashi stated with a confused look in his eyes. "And Sasuke's not my TA" he went on further alarming the man with the bowl haircut.

"Who is it?! I really can't imagine anyone else fitting better with you" Guy thought aloud as he placed a thoughtful hand under his chin.

"It's Natsumi" Kakashi said pointing up to where the girl sat beside Sasuke, awkwardly smiling at the similar looking teacher and student, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course!" Guy exclaimed as he looked between the dark haired girl and Kakashi. "Natsumi is one of my best students! Her drive and dedication make her exceptional, surely this is what must help her exceed under you!" Guy said loudly.

"Yes! That's extremely wise Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed as he suddenly produced a notepad and began to record the man's words vigorously.

"Lee! Now is not the time to be taking notes!" Guy yelled turning to his pupil who still held his notebook.

"Yes more great wisdom!" Lee said continuing to write as the entire class sweat dropped.

"So Kakashi, has she really not missed any classes since becoming your TA?" Guy asked turning back to the silver haired teacher.

"Natsumi, tell Guy-sensei how many classes you've missed doing your teacher's aide duties" Kakashi called back to the dark haired girl.

"None sir" Natsumi replied as Guy looked to her.

"Extraordinary!" Guy complimented before turning his own attention back to Kakashi. "You run a tight ship rival" Guy said giving the man a thumb up with a shiny smile.

"Yeah ..." Kakashi said simply before turning his attention to Lee. "Here's your quiz, you can go ahead and take a seat in one of the empty desks so you can take it" Kakashi said as he handed the paper to the dark haired boy.

"Thank you sensei" Lee said as he bowed again before making his way to an empty seat, setting his things down and then clasping his hands together as if to pray. "If I cannot pass this quiz with at least an 80% I will reread the entire chapter repeatedly until I run 300 laps!" Lee exclaimed before taking out a pencil and beginning his work.

"That's the spirit! Good luck Lee!" Guy-sensei said giving the boy and encouraging smile with a thumb up, before being pushed out by Kakashi as the bell rang.

"You have a class to teach and so do I!" Kakashi said as he pushed the man into the hall before shutting the door to his class to start his students on their own quiz (much to their dismay).

...

Loud chatter filled the girl's locker room as the students filed back in to change after finishing up their PE class that day. Not much happened aside from the usual warmup laps and a few games of dodgeball and basketball. The students were almost done changing when a thought struck Natsumi; she had yet to tell Naruto about a change in plans as she was to attend the planning meeting with Kakashi-sensei. She had just finished buttoning her top when a new idea struck her. She quickly rounded the corner of the girl's lockers to find Hinata in the process of tying her bow tie.

"Hinata" Natsumi said as she approached the teen girl with a smile.

"Natsumi" Hinata said as she turned to face her dark haired friend.

"Do you want to go to Ichiraku after school today?" Natsumi asked hopefully as Hinata's eyes widened interest.

"I-I would love to ..." the shy girl replied before a light blush crossed her face. "B-but what if we see Naruto there?" she asked in a worried tone as the shade of her face darkened to a deeper shade of pink.

"Well we'd actually be going with Naruto" Natsumi said sheepishly as she grabbed the back of her neck.

Hinata's face immediately turned bright red at the thought of spending time with the blonde.

"I-I don't think I could handle it being just us" Hinata admitted bringing her hands to her face.

"What's wrong?" Natsumi asked holding her hands up, readying herself to catch the Hyuga in case she were to faint.

"It's just ... will it be just you, Na-Naruto, and I?" Hinata asked timidly with her face still glowing red.

"Uh yeah, unless you wanted it to be just the two of you" Natsumi offered raising a brow in question.

Hinata immediately shook her head rapidly in a no.

"I-I don't want you to not come!" Hinata said continuing to shake her head back and forth.

"Hey whatever you want to do" Natsumi said holding her hands up to stop Hinata's actions.

"I-I just think ... it'll be a little awkward with just the three of us" Hinata admitted looking at the ground shyly.

"Oh ... yeah I guess it could be" Natsumi agreed before another idea struck her, making her brown eyes light up. "I could invite Sasuke and then it'll be like a group thing!" Natsumi stated as Hinata nodded in agreement.

"A group thing with Sasuke?!" two voices called out catching the attention of the two dark haired girl's as they turned their heads to see Sakura and Ino standing in the doorway of the locker section, fresh out of the shower with towels wrapped around their bodies.

"Uh yeah we're going to Ichiraku later" Natsumi stated taken aback by the excited looks in their eyes.

'Did they come straight out of the shower when they heard Sasuke's name?' Natsumi thought raising a brow at the two girls.

"With Sasuke?!" they asked in unison again, as Natsumi nodded wearily in response, before both gave high pitched squeals of excitement, before Sakura's green eyes shifted over to Natsumi.

"We can invite Kiba if you want" the pink haired girl offered with a smile, as a look of realization struck Ino.

"Yeah like a makeup date" the blonde said in a cheery tone as Natsumi sweat dropped.

"But that wasn't-" Natsumi started to correct the pair before being cut off.

"That sounds perfect!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly before taking Ino by the hand and pulling the blonde away.

Natsumi and Hinata awkwardly looked after the pair, unsure of what to say. Simply shrugging her shoulders Natsumi turned to Hinata giving her a small wave before making her way back to own PE locker to finish putting her uniform on.

As she exited the girls' locker room, Natsumi's brows rose in surprise as she saw Ino and Sakura run up to Sasuke.

'How did they get out of the locker room before me, if I was dressed before them?' Natsumi thought with a confused look crossing her face, before taking in the scene unfolding.

"See you later Sasuke" Ino said giving the boy a flirtatious wink.

"Make sure to save me a seat Sasuke" Sakura said with a girlish giggle, before being yanked away by Ino.

"Dream on Billboard Brow, I'm sitting next to him later" the blonde said as she pulled Sakura ahead.

"Like he would want to sit by you, Ino-pig!" Sakura shot back as the girl's walked out of the gym.

Sasuke came to an immediate halt after the two left, turning on his heel he spotted Natsumi approaching and rose a brow at the girl, giving her a look which demanded more information.

"Want to go to Ichiraku after school?" the dark haired teen asked awkwardly as she stopped in front of the dark haired boy.

"Is that what those two were talking about?" Sasuke asked in a dull tone as he stared down at Natsumi.

"Yeah" Natsumi admitted sheepishly as Sasuke rolled his eyes before walking beside the young girl. "So?" Natsumi asked as the teens approached the exit of the gym.

Sasuke gave her a sideways glance as they made their out of the building, making her shift her gaze downwards.

"Why?" Sasuke asked in a monotone voice as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Hinata didn't want it to an awkward three person thing with Naruto" Natsumi explained.

"Then what was with them?" Sasuke asked holding up an arm to motion in the direction of Sakura and Ino.

"They invited themselves" Natsumi said with a dismissive wave.

"No" Sasuke said bluntly.

"Oh come on Sasuke please don't make me deal with it on my own" Natsumi pleaded, earning an eye roll from the boy before he released a heavy sigh.

"Fine but you owe me" Sasuke said earning a sigh of relief from the teen girl.

"Great now I just have to tell Naruto" Natsumi said as she released a breath of relief.

"Tell Naruto what?" the familiar loud voice of the blonde boy boomed behind her, surprising the teen girl so much she had lost her footing, taking a misstep that could have led to her tripping.

Immediately she took hold of Sasuke's forearm, steadying herself before turning to the dark haired young man, who had stiffened to help stabilize her.

"Sorry about that" Natsumi apologized regaining her composure before releasing him and turning to look back at the blonde. "Hey Naruto" she greeted the young man who smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry for scaring you Natsumi" Naruto apologized as he scratched the back of his neck.

"It's fine" Natsumi said with a dismissive wave before she stepped aside to make room for Naruto to walk between her and Sasuke.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Naruto asked curiously as the teens started to walk again.

"Well there's been a few changes to our after school plan" Natsumi said casually running a hand through her dark locks, as the blonde turned his head to look down at her.

"What's wrong Natsumi?" Naruto asked furrowing his brows.

"I have to go with Kakashi-sensei to the planning meeting after school today" the dark haired girl said, allowing a look of relief to cross the blonde's face.

"Oh we can just go after that" Naruto said with a kind smile crossing his face.

"Yeah ... with Hinata, Sasuke, Ino, Kiba, and Sakura" Natsumi said slowly as Naruto's face went through a variety of expressions that ranged from no expression to an apprehensive one, and finally an excited one.

"Sakura is coming?" Naruto asked with a grin that made Natsumi's shoulders drop in disappointment.

'Idiot' Natsumi thought looking over the blonde boy before the sound of her name being called caught her attention, turning to the source she saw Kakashi-sensei waving her over.

She quickly nodded goodbye to the boys before rushing over to the silver haired teacher.

...

The meeting was rather benign, with the basic discussion on the events to take place. Homecoming seemed to be fast approaching within the month and although most things were taken care of, there were still a few details that called for the attention of the staff. The theme was given along with a schedule for chaperoning and the amount needed for donations. Overall it was very informative but still rather boring for Natsumi. The dark haired teen was pleased to see that she wasn't the only teenager in attendance as other teachers had brought along their TA's (like Asuma and Shikamaru and Guy and Lee) and even a few Student Council Officers (i.e. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari).

By the end Natsumi felt exhausted as she looked down to the notes she had taken before letting her gaze drift around the room. It was then she noticed that Kakashi-sensei wasn't paying attention at all as he had been reading his book. Even Guy-sensei and Lee weren't focused as the pair seemed to be on the floor doing push-ups. While Asuma-sensei and Shikamaru had dozed off, until Temari had elbowed Shikamaru, who then jolted up and awoke Asuma.

Temari scolded the dark haired teen boy with a look that sent shivers up even Natsumi's spine. And although the boy seemed pretty unaffected Natsumi could tell he took the blonde girl serious, as he remained awake until Principal Tsunade dismissed everyone.

'I wonder what's going on with those two' Natsumi thought as she watched the two students interact.

As the staff and students exited the conference room Natsumi noticed Kakashi-sensei motion Lee over, followed by Guy-sensei. Ever the curious one, Natsumi stayed behind as well to see what was happening.

"I used my 8th period prep hour to grade your quiz" Kakashi-sensei stated simply as he pulled out a folded up sheet from his back pocket.

Guy-sensei and Lee immediately perked up upon hearing this. They were anxious as they watched the silver haired man unfold the sheet to reveal the score: 62%.

Upon seeing this both dark haired males did dramatic anime falls before streams of tears poured down their faces, while Kakashi and Natsumi awkwardly watched.

"I have failed!" Lee cried as he punched the ground.

"No Lee!" Guy-sensei said as he stood wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. "You can always retake a quiz but the true failure is if you give up!" he went on dramatically clenching a fist.

"True wisdom!" Lee exclaimed wiping his face as well.

"Remember the promise you made to yourself, so you may push yourself to improve!" Guy yelled pointing upwards.

"Yes of course!" Lee said loudly as he pulled a math text book from his bag, opened to a chapter, and took off into a run while reading. "I will reread this chapter repeatedly until I complete 300 laps!" Lee yelled as he ran.

"That's the power of youth! Let it carry you to success!" Guy yelled after the boy before turning his attention back to Kakashi and Natsumi. "Well it looks like you're not the only one capable of inspiring you pupil Kakash-" Guy began before noticing the pair had left. "You must think you're so cool" Guy said clenching his fist before taking off in a sprint to follow Lee.

"It looks like Guy-sensei went after Lee" Natsumi said as she stepped out of the conference room followed by Kakashi-sensei.

"Oh it does" Kakashi said as he noted the empty area. "Thanks again for helping me find my book Natsumi. I guess I didn't remember setting it down when we left the meeting" Kakashi said sheepishly running a hand through his hair while Natsumi simply gave him a blank stare before the sight of Temari and Shikamaru caught her attention.

Noticing the stare of the dark haired girl, Shikamaru came to a halt, before making his way over to the young girl.

"Shikamaru" Natsumi said in greeting as the young man approached.

"I got a text from Choji saying something about Ichiraku after the meeting, are you headed over?" Shikamaru asked looking over the dark haired girl.

"Um yeah" Natsumi replied turning to face the dark haired young man. "Are you coming too?" she asked curiously as she wondered how word of the outing had spread to Choji now.

"Nah, Asuma volunteered me to help the council collect donations from local businesses so I'm going to be spending my evening walking around Konoha with Temari" Shikamaru said placing his hands behind his head as he nodded in the direction of the blonde girl waiting for him.

"Oh" Natsumi replied. "I'm sorry you guys can't make it" she apologized.

"Yeah it's such a drag but the thing is I owed Choji a bowl of ramen for a favor he's doing for me, so I was hoping you could give him this for me" Shikamaru said now pulling a bill from his pocket and handing it to the young girl.

"Sure" Natsumi agreed taking the item before the boy nodded in goodbye and turned to leave.

"Well, have fun tonight Natsumi" Kakashi said offering the girl his usual closed eyed smile before patting her on the head.

"See you Kakashi" Natsumi said in an annoyed tone as she pushed his hand away as the man left.

'But I wonder if anything is going on between Shikamaru and Temari' Natsumi thought as she walked to the exit of the building.

...

"I still don't get it" Natsumi said with a confused look crossing her face as she looked at her friends.

After Natsumi left the conference room, she met up with her friends at Ichiraku Ramen and was pulled down to sit next to Sasuke. After ordering she decided to ask about Shikamaru and Temari's relationship.

"Shikamaru and Temari have a complicated relationship" Ino stated as the teens ate.

"I thought they were together for a while too Natsumi" Naruto said as he finished off another bowl of ramen.

"Well they kind of are" Sakura said thoughtfully.

"Who knows? Maybe they could be dating in secrecy" Kiba implied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Shikamaru's never been too close with any other girls besides her" Choji said as he slurped a few noodles into his mouth.

"Oh yeah, what about me?" Ino asked in an angry tone that made the boy choke.

"He said girls not pigs" Sakura said snidely, earning a glare from the blonde girl.

This soon turned into an argument among the two girls with the others watching awkwardly as they ate. The teens sat at the counter stacking bowls upon bowls as they talked. Sasuke sat at the end, next Natsumi, then Kiba, then Hinata, beside her Naruto then Sakura, then Ino and finally Choji.

"Why did you want to know anyways?" Sasuke asked in a low voice so only Natsumi would hear him.

"I've been curious about it since the first week actually" Natsumi replied before taking a sip of her water.

"Hn" Sasuke said with an understanding nod, before the arrival of a new customer caught the teen's attention.

"Ah you must be the to go order" Ichiraku greeted the new comers.

"Yes we're here to pick it up" an all too familiar voice said making Sasuke and Natsumi stiffen, before turning to the source and seeing Itachi with a tall spiky haired friend.

"Hey Itachi, isn't that your brother" the tall one said pointing at Sasuke. "He sure does look a lot like you" the young man went on.

"Hn" Itachi nodded before his eyes landed on the dark haired girl beside his brother.

"Hey Itachi" Naruto greeted the dark haired young man, bringing his gaze away from Natsumi as he smiled at the blonde.

"Naruto it's good to see you" Itachi replied in greeting.

"Yeah what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he turned in his stool to face the Uchiha.

"Grabbing a bite for some friends" Itachi responded.

"By that he means, we drew the short straws" the tall one said as he pulled out his wallet to pay for their order.

"Who's your friend?" Naruto asked curiously as he eyed the tall young man.

"Kisame" Itachi stated motioning to the young man, who then smiled revealing an array of sharp teeth.

"Hello" Kisame said. "And who are these other friends Itachi?" he asked.

"Oh these are Sasuke's friends" Itachi replied.

"This is Choji, Ino, Sakura, I'm Naruto, then we have Hinata, Kiba and Natsumi" Naruto cut in pointing out the teens as he named them.

"Hi Itachi" Natsumi said with a small smile after she was introduced.

"Hello Nats-" he said before Kisame swung an arm over his shoulder abruptly.

"Natsumi? Like the girl Deidara and Sasori talk about?" Kisame asked as his eyes ran over the young girl curiously.

'Deidara and Sasori?' the young girl thought furrowing her brows in curiosity, before taking notice to the glare Sasuke had directed at the pair. 'What's his problem?' the dark haired teen thought as she turned to face the young Uchiha.

"Looks like someone is going to be in for some competition" Ino said snidely, looking at Kiba who obliviously ate his meal, unaware of what the girls were discussing.

"Itachi" Sasuke said in a tone that commanded the attention of the room. "Shouldn't you be leaving now" he said in a cold tone that brought about an awkward silence.

"Come on Sasuke don't be like that" Naruto said trying to ease the tension. "I haven't seen Itachi in forever so we're just catching up" the blonde went on making the Uchiha turn his glare to him.

"He has his own friends to get back to" Sasuke said snidely, bringing the blonde to silence.

"No it's alright he has a point" Itachi said offering Naruto a reassuring smile. "They'll be upset if we're out too long, but it was nice seeing all of you" he said looking over the group and ending with Natsumi, who shyly stared back. "I'll see you at home Sasuke" Itachi said to his brother, who then turned away rudely.

'Dramatic much?' Natsumi thought looking at the boy with an alarmed look, before taking notice to his brother pulling out his wallet and whispering something to Ichiraku. 'Didn't his friend Kisame already pay for their order?' Natsumi thought before the pair exited with the containers of food.

"That was awkward" Choji said finishing up another bowl. "I'm glad it didn't upset my appetite though" he said a smile. "Another order please!" he called out cheerily as some of the others sweat dropped.

"You have to admit though, Sasuke's brother is kind of cute" Ino said earning a glare from Sasuke that immediately silenced her.

"Would you calm down Sasuke?" Naruto asked apprehensively as he looked at the young man.

"Whatever" Sasuke mumbled turning his attention away.

There was more silence until the teens finished their meal, yet upon seeing the check Sasuke's eyes lit up in anger.

"What's wrong?" Natsumi asked furrowing her brows in confusion as she looked at the check.

"Everything has to be about him. It's not enough that he has my parents and his friends because he wants mine" Sasuke said lowly as he clenched a fist.

It was then she noticed that 8 bowls of ramen had been taken off the order. Sasuke then stormed out. Everyone awkwardly looked to one another before Ichiraku finally spoke.

"His older brother paid in advance for 5 of Naruto's bowls, Sasuke's 2 and Natsumi's one" he said as the teens took in this new information.

There was silence as everyone processed this information before Kiba finally spoke.

"Wow he didn't pay for any of our bowls" he said.

'What the hell am I in the middle of?' Natsumi thought as she released a deep breath and dropped her shoulders dejectedly.

...

A/N: Another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm sorry that I'm uploading a little late ... it's been a bit of a busy week and on top of it I just caught a cold. A lot happened with a lot of characters so feel free to give me your thoughts in the comments. Like how do you like the character development of everyone? I'm pretty confident in the Kakashi scenes, as well as the Guy and Lee ones but the others ... I'm not sure, so please read and review