They spent the entire weekend in backbreaking work. Sakura was glad this wasn't the tryout process for the team, though Kakashi must have told the whole team to cycle through. On Saturday, Yugao came by to kick Sakura's ass. On Sunday, Ko and Tenzo separately visited.
But Kakashi himself was the one constant. He was there, surprisingly on time, from the minute they started to the minute they ended.
At times he would spar with them, and at other times, he would suddenly pull away to observe in the treeline. The cruelest was when he would return to the fray without notice, darting out like a deranged flash of silver. At best, Sakura would be a little startled and redo her footwork. At worst, he'd delivered a nasty gash to her side, which she had to heal gradually and painfully over the ensuing two hours of sparring.
And at the end of every day, Kakashi also demanded that she heal whoever else was present. On Saturday, he even purposely gouged himself in the thigh with a kunai, and sat there calmly with expectant eyes as she threw her hands up in frustration.
How could she leave him? He'd die from the blood loss in ten.
Sakura had to drag herself home and it took everything not to collapse before getting into her bed. Kyuta asked about her but she was too tired to say anything more than a muffled, "I'm fine, just sleepy" into her pillow before passing out.
On Sunday, Kakashi brought out his ninken. One by one, he politely introduced them like children, and then instructed them to "have at it" with Sakura. It was the ultimate test of agility and endurance as she rounded off the pack of ten dogs, careful not to hurt any of them.
Frustrated at her pacifist behavior in battle, Kakashi rolled up his sleeve and went after her with a chidori, which gave Sakura a mild shock and earned him a dislocated shoulder in response.
And then Ko and Tenzo showed up.
By the end of the day, Sakura was lying flat on the ground, spread eagle. Her chest huffed up and down and her mouth was completely dry from dehydration. Kakashi strolled up to her, gently holding on to his shoulder, and peered down at the medic on the ground.
"Captain, this is it," she croaked. "I'm actually going to die if you push me any more."
"No more fighting," he agreed. She sighed in relief.
"But I heard there's two genin teams nearby, let's go offer them some healing, ne?"
Sakura could have cried.
In the end, she sat with her back propped against a tree as the tiny genin, some of them as young as six, toddled up to where she sat and offered her their various bumps and bruises. One of them had a cut from falling into a particularly sharp tree root, and was in tears as Sakura coaxed him over and soothed down his fat dirt-speckled cheek.
Kakashi stood off to the side, quietly carrying on a conversation with the jounin instructors. She recognized one of them as Genma Shiranui, a cheeky man of around Kakashi's age. Sakura knew him well from his hospital stays, which he always insisted on, and always requested her as his healer. The man who cried wolf, she thought with a chuckle, and this teary baby boy must also be on his team.
Done with the healing, Sakura gave the young boy a reassuring smile. He continued to look worried, and clutched her hand without intention to release it.
"Oy—Haruki-chan, you gotta let her go!" Genma shouted, but the boy shot him a fierce scowl. "Sakura-san's my friend!"
Young Haruki-chan started arguing back, in a raspy set of growls and barks that reminded Sakura of the nin-ken. She cradled her head in her free hand. Genma had to physically come over and extricate the taken boy, prying his chubby fingers one by one off of Sakura and hauling him over his shoulder.
"Say goodbye now!" He instructed Haruki as he walked them away. The boy began to cry and his wails were heard until they were out of sight.
Kakashi whistled low as he strolled up to her slumped form. Sakura had to force her eyes up to meet him, creaking her sore neck. Kakashi looked none worse for wear, hands in his pockets, maybe at worst like he'd just gone out for a night of drinking.
"Captain," she groaned.
Kakashi offered her a hand up, which she took with effort. He had to mostly haul her up, after which she stood with wobbly legs.
He scanned her low chakra levels. "You alright?" He asked, blasé.
Sakura leaned back on the tree. She gave him a bleary smile as she answered.
"This would be one of those mission nights where I would promptly pass out and ask for the last watch shift."
Something that sounded like a laugh came out of Kakashi, which spooked Sakura so much that she almost stumbled forward. When she looked at him again, he was crouched on the ground in front of her, back presented.
"Come on, last shift it is. I'll take you home."
Sakura reeled a little at the unexpected offer. Slowly, she ambled forward and gingerly placed herself behind Kakashi. He hitched his arms under her knees and she leaned forward to grasp his neck.
Sakura tried hard to keep her posture tight, maintaining a professional distance between them, but she soon gave in to exhaustion and sagged forward as he took them across the rooftops.
"Captain?"
"Yeah?"
"Did I pass?"
He was quiet for a bit. Even in exhaustion, Sakura's heart raced for the answer. Finally he spoke.
"I think so. I'll let you know otherwise."
She sighed and smiled. Sakura could see the top of her apartment coming up and tapped on his shoulder.
"Captain, I can get off here."
He slowed and looked at her inquisitively.
"My house is right up there," Sakura explained as she got off and took a creaky step forward. Kakashi shrugged and watched as she went, her walk vaguely similar to that of the baby genin, as she made a final leap onto her balcony. She gave a tired wave to him and a thanks.
He watched her fumble for her keys, and jiggle the door open. Once it shut, Kakashi heard her say to someone inside, "I'm home."
Satisfied, Kakashi nodded to himself and turned to leave.
"Oy, Kakashi!" Genma's hot breath in his ear told him the man had already been drinking. Kakashi cringed at the volume and intimacy and shouldered him away.
"You bastard, you didn't tell me you got Sakura Haruno on your team."
Kakashi gave him a dull stare over his drink as Genma settled into the booth seat across from him, without invitation.
"Well it's not like she could have joined your genin team," he drawled.
"Why the hell not! Did you see her with Haruki?" Genma barked a laugh. "Boy's in love! Hell, I'm in love."
Genma nursed a broad smile to himself, eyes glinting. "You ever see those jounin instructors with the pretty young wives? Matsumoto on team eighteen?" He pressed his finger on the table to emphasize each word, "His beautiful bride brings him bento to the training grounds every day."
Kakashi looked nonplussed.
The other man shot him a sorrowful look, "Meanwhile, no Sakura and some friend you are—cold enough to be an ex."
The copy nin snorted into his drink. "Any ex of yours is the opposite of icy. Did you forget about Ank—"
"Don't say her name!" He shouted, swinging at Kakashi. His eyes darted around the bar for the devil's summon.
"Yeesh," he sighed into his seat, seated once he didn't see any flash of spiky purple hair. "You did that on purpose. Bastard."
Kakashi laughed. "Maybe."
Genma took a gulp of beer, then eyed Kakashi. "So you're really telling me that you're not interested?"
His friend gave him a look so guileless it was as if he didn't know the definition of interested.
Genma grumbled at him. Kakashi shrugged and took a moment before speaking, opening his mouth long before he said anything.
"I think it's too soon."
He could see the gears turning as the other man furiously gnawed on a toothpick.
"Too soon since what?"
A sigh. "Since Rin, asshole."
"Rin? Nohara?" Genma tsked as Kakashi nodded.
"It's not like she's dead. If anything," Genma eyed Kakashi, carefully judging what he would say next, "it's more like she left you."
The copy nin debated getting physical with Genma. He meant to give a withering glare but only managed a tired, baleful stare.
Genma snorted at the lack of enthusiasm in his ire. He honestly could't get it. Kakashi had landed one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Konoha, delivered and tied with a bow on his doorstep. The taichou kouhai relationship—was there anything more delectable?
The senbon nin needed to find out what was Kakashi's deal, and whether or not he was serious about not pursuing Sakura. Then he could decide if we needed to move in. She had looked susceptible to his cute genin, as any large-hearted medic should be…
"What's the harm of having a little fun?" He waved for another round as he said this. "You know, keep it casual, see if you like her. If you do, then great! Girlfriend, wife, whatever."
At another reproachful look from Kakashi, Genma continued, "If you don't, then whenever Rin almighty comes back, nobody has to tell her."
At least, that's how Genma would have done it himself. Everybody was a trial run for the final partner of a lifetime. He shrugged, half to himself. It made total sense, from an optimization perspective.
"Honestly, this is a problem of having too many good options. Only a bastard like you has problems of this sort." He accused Kakashi.
"What problem does Kakashi have now?" A smooth voice intoned. The two of them in the booth turned to Ko as he slid down next to Kakashi and clapped him lightly on the back in greeting.
"Ko!" Genma bellowed in greeting, he leaned in deviously. "Listen, we were just discussing the beautiful new addition to your team."
"He was," Kakashi corrected.
Ko's smile slowly lowered. He looked from Kakashi to Genma, and sat a little straighter in his seat.
"Did you see that?" Genma near shouted. "Yo…"
Ko kept his tone even, eyes trained on the table, as he pulled one of the beers towards him. "Sakura-san is very special."
Genma's eyes grew to be saucers. Even Kakashi stiffened a little. In all of their years of knowing Ko, for Genma, since they were on the same genin team, it was rare to ever hear the solemn man say anything about liking a woman.
Kakashi looked at Ko and the Hyuuga stared back with a casual shrug. His face looked serious, no sign of the leering that Genma had plastered all over.
The copy nin raised his eyebrows and had to take a deep drink, while shooting looks of confusion to Genma, who shook his head in return.
"So…" Kakashi's mouth was cotton dry, he wasn't used to being at a loss for words.
Genma completed his sentence for him, "What are you going to do?"
"See if she likes me back," Ko said evenly, and with gravity.
Genma sighed at his lost chance at love. Kakashi sighed at the stress of another vector to consider on their team.
"Sakura, stay behind." Tsunade waved off the other team members.
Sakura moved closer to the large desk that her shishou sat behind. She placed on hand on a pile of paperwork, and smiled at Tsunade.
"How are you liking this team?"
Sakura nodded. "I like them, shishou. That first mission was challenging—"
"But there wasn't any combat?"
She shook her head. "Not physically. Just, learning everyone's styles."
Tsunade gave her a long look before reading between the lines. "Hatake's style."
Sakura couldn't help but hem and haw a little bit.
"Listen Sakura, I'm sending you to an unincorporated area this time, north of us." The tannin studied her seriously. "They reached out to us for a lot of civilian help healing. But there's been intel of instability. We really don't know what's there, which is why I'm sending a damn army with you."
Sakura nodded.
Tsunade sighed as she studied the girl she trained. "My point in telling you this is… be careful. Anbu is a class of its own."
Author's note:
I apologize! This week's chapter is shorter than the rest. We're gearing up for an adventure! Thank you to everyone who followed or favorited the story! And of course, thank you to those who left me your thoughts: Guest-san, Leafshadow2, LoeraHaram, smbxoo, and smar0403. I read every comment and appreciate them all. Do let me know if you have feedback also.
Writing this week's training scene and convo with Genma made me laugh pretty hard. I love imagining the team in action and musing about what antics serious, driven Kakashi would use to test his medic's skills. I also love the idea that he has a friend like Genma, open, heart on his sleeve, filthy at times. Let me know what you think!
Oh, and an extra prompt for this week: Do you have a favorite sakusasu, kakasaku or itasaku fic? One that you think is less well known? I've worked my way through many of the top favorited ones but I'm always looking for more.
Thanks! And see you next Sunday.