Chapter 2: The Old and the New

The sun was now directly overhead. Naruto had grown hungry and wiped his mouth with his sleeve as the fifth bowl of ramen settled down. He paid his fee and got up. Kakashi had told him to meet him at the Hokage's tower. Most likely he'd be there before his sensei.

The tower stood over Konoha proudly. The fire emblem on the front of it. 'I'll be in that tower someday.' Naruto thought about his dream to become Hokage someday. A smile crossed his face.

Xx--xxx--xX

Splash! A fish wriggled back into the pool. It left behind a puddle where it had been laying. A scale or two had fallen off when it struggled to get back. Now they lay against the dark stone. Gleaming in the sun. Bright red with a speck of white.

Delicately, Sakura picked them up. It had been a success. She was able to get the fish's heart beating again. This was a big step in her training. Not only could shes heal it, but she brought it back to life. Yet it was only a minor fish injury. Still, this could lead to bigger things for the young medical ninja.

The marble glistened against the sun. Sakura watched in peace as the fish rejoined its group. The water waving up and down, the green plants swaying with the motion of the world that only existed to those in the pond. "I wonder how peaceful your lives really are?"

She set her head on her crossed arms. One of the fish jumped up for a bug and splashed her. "Hey!" Sakura laughed. "I guess that's for taking your friend!" Her legs pushed up and she stood. Her footsteps faded as she walked back into the Hokage's tower.

Xx--xxx--xX

The blue sandals clapped against the hard stone of the tower floors. Naruto walked up the steps and rounded a corner or two. He was itching for a mission. Kakashi had been so vague on what they were going to do.

The silver haired ninja stood before his students. He was reading one of his infamous Itcha Itcha Paradise books when he finally glanced up and began to speak. "Tomorrow, I want you two to meet me in Hokage-sama's office." Naruto raised his hand for no reason and blurted out:

"What for Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed at his nosey student and replied, "We have to take care of some old buisness.

That was that. No questions asked. 'I wonder what Kakashi-sensei meant about it?' Naruto shrugged at the thought. Right now it didn't matter.

Xx--xxx-xX

Sakura had trouble keeping her balance on the steps. Tsunade had asked her to bring up some books. "Doing chores for her again," the young girl grumbled to herself. For the past three days that's all she seemed to be doing.

Then suddenly, around the corner, CASH! Books flew up into the air, Sakura lost her balance and fell to the floor, steamed. Her hand rubbeb her head as she winced. Then her eyes rose to see who she ran into.

A blonde headed boy sat up. "Oi! Sakura-chan! Are you alright." Sakura scowled at Naruto.

Naruto was afraid of the silence, so he stood up and shot his hand at the fallen girl. "Here, let me help you up." Sakura sighed and grabbed his hand. She was hefted up to her feet. Then they stood there. Naruto smiled when he realized he was still holding her hand. Sakura gently pulled away and began to pick up the books she had dropped. He thought it only right to help, so Naruto dropped beside Sakura.

They were unusual books for Tsunade to be asking for. Not the ususual medical books, criminal/mission record books. No these were books all by the same person. Plus they had nothing to do with shinobi in general. They were cooking books. Nine little cooking books. "Cakes, Cookies, and Other Goods," "Noodles and Soup," "100 Ways to Use Bean Paste," these were only a few. The author was Akira Ishida.

"Sakura-chan, why does Granny-Tsunade need these books anyway?"

"I don't know," that was all that was said on the matter. Naruto had grabbed five books, Sakura the other four. Naruto offered to carry all the books, but to his dismay Sakura needn't nor wanted the help. Still she let him carry the books he picked up.

Xx--xxx--xX

Kakashi waited in the Hokage's office. Tsunade sat at her desk fiddling through papers. He trusty assistant stood by her side holding more paperwork. 'Hurry up Sakura! Where's Naruto by the way?' Tsunade thought, knowing that the genin's arrival would soon end her torture of paperwork and filing.

The silver haired ninja stood silent in the corner of a room. Old memories washing over his mind. 'How long has it been since that day?' He counted the years in his head. 15, exactly 15 tomorrow.

"Come on Kakashi-kun! you can do it!" A young boy with wild red hair ran through a stream. Water splashing behind. His companion which he had called to came up close behind. Jumping the stream and landing 3 steps behind the other boy. "Your fast, but are you fast enough?" He teased Kakashi. Now the silver haired boy was fired up and ready to go.

Ishida could only blink in time to see Kakashi swing over his head on a branch and land at the finish line. Kakashi turned around and mocked, "Gee, I wonder if your fast enough?" His finger tapping his chin. Ishida laughed and ran over to the his friend. As expected, Kakashi raced up the tree and slipped through the hole in the bottom of the tree house. Ishida close behind. Both boys collapsed on the floor laughing until their sides split.

Now that tree house would be broken down and most likely fallen apart in some places. Still it gave Kakashi a reason to smile under his mask. Besides his close family, and a couple of close friends who were now gone, Ishida was one of the small group of people to see Kakashi's true face. But it had changed over the years that had passed by. No doubt though, if he were to meet Ishida someday, the hair might give him away.

Xx--xxx--xX

Naruto and Sakura stood at Tsunade's office door. Sakura opened the door and let Naruto in first. She followed close behind. Tsunade motioned for the door to be shut. In the corner of his eye Naruto saw his sensei. Wait, his sensei! 'He's not late! What's going on here.' Naruto dropped his books on the floor and stared at Kakashi. Kakashi saw him and smiled under the mask, his visible eye crinkling.

"I was here late, you just came later," his eye opened again and it turned towards the books on the floor. They probably meant more to him than to anyone else in the room. His knees bent and his fingers gripped the edge of a small red book. It was as bright as the boy's hair had been.

Slowly he flipped through the pages. Each page had a golden lining. The title was written in gold lettering on the spine. "Tradgedies of a Solid Mind," it wasn't a cooking book like the others. Infact they may seem as cooking books on the cover and in it's pages, but they were more.

Tsunade looked at Sakura, "Put them on my desk." The girl nodded and brought them over. Naruto picked up his own pile and placed them down on the desk. "Now, shall I tell you what we are doing here?"

Naruto smiled anxious to get busy with whatever the Hokage had in order. Tsunade's face grew stern and serious. Sakura saw her sensei leaning on the wall. His visible looked to the floor and seemed sad.

The lights had been out for several hours now. But still they roamed the cliffs. Each reach brought about a new adventure. "Be quiet Ishida!." Kakashi held the ladder for his friend. The red headed boy pulled out book after book off the library's book shelves.

A couple times a book or two had falllen onto the floor. Making a slight noise that seemed like a million glasses shattering to the two boys. "I'm trying to be quiet!" Ishida hissed between his teeth. The young boy was entirely interested in books. He always wanted books of his own. But he didn't have money for it. Ishida was afraid to rent books from the library so he stole them in the dead of night. Kakashi would always come as the lookout. They never got caught. Until tonght.

Ishida pulled out one last book that looked interesting and that's when he heard it. Kakashi stood there frozen in fear when he felt the cold icey breath down his back. Something's drewl was dripping down his shirt. "Ishida?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to go now."

"That would be a good idea," just as he said that Kakashi pushed the ladder away. He then turned to face the biggest meanest dog he had ever seen. It's coat was jet black, to the young boy his eyes seemed to glow with evil. Kakashi pulled out a kunai. The dog stood there. He began to back away. Still it didn't move. He wasn't going to stick around and wait for it to move, but just as he jumped, the dog jolted forward and nearly nicked his heel.

The ladder stopped as it hit the end of the bookshelf. Ishida jumped off at that time and landed on the floor. The five books he had been carrying fell to the floor in a clatter. His little arms swarmed like crazy to pick them up. Behind him his silver headed comrade was jumping around trying to dodge the guard. Ishida saw that he was cornered. He had wanted these books for a long time. Ishida sighed and picked up one of the books.

Kakashi tripped and fell against one of the shelves. The dog came up to him. His teeth showing, his throat releasing a growl that got Kakashi's heart pounding. Then something blue hit the dog in the head. Another and another. Books! Ishida screamed to Kakashi, "Hurry! Let's go!" the last book left his hand and the dog was now throughly distracted. Kakashi picked up his feet and ran for it. Soon both of them were weaving in and out of cases trying to dodge the large dog.

"The door!"

"We can't Kakashi! We might get caught."

"You wan to get torn up by that thing instead?" both of them glanced over their shoulders to see that the dog was closer than they had expected. It was decided, door or dog. "Door!" they screamed as they busted through the glass. An alarm went off and soon the boys had more to run from.

They slipped through the shadows. Lights were on and lights were off. Some shinobi raced to see what was the matter. When Ishida's foot finally hit the doorstep of Kakahsi's house they stopped running. Both of them laughed. "That was a bit more than I expected." Kakashi said slipping up to his windowsill. Ishida saw him go in and then jumped up and crouched on the edge. "Good, my mom's still asleep."

Ishida smiled at the boy. "I hope she doesn't find out about this." Kakashi smiled. Then an idea struck him and he ran to his desk. In one of the drawers he pulled out several note books. He tied a string around them and then handed them to Ishida.

"Since you can't get books, write books!"

Kakashi's thought drained of that night and his attention turned to his new found friends. Naruto and Sakura.

Xx--XXX--xX

hoped you liked this chapter. More to come later this week. Not as many or as long memories though. this was just to give you an idea of how Ishida and Kakashi are connected.

Read on...