*Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. I simply borrow them for my own musings and fantasies and do not get paid for their use in said musings or fantasies. –Nira

Chapter 29

Team Seven had been giving their mission debrief about finding a Feudal Lord's wife's missing cat in the Hokage's office when Naruto was very vocal in complaining about how all of the missions they'd been given were boring and easy. With his grumbling, the Hokage caved and decided to give them a C ranked mission to escort a master bridge builder named Tazuna to the Land of Waves and protect him and the bridge that was being built for the remainder of the building process.

"Finally, we get a real mission!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement.

"Your team will be accompanied on this mission, however," the elder stated as he drew from his pipe with a smile on his face.

The confused looks on everyone's face to include Kakashi's made the old man chuckle and just then there was a knock at the door that drew everyone's attention. As the door opened Yuriko bowed and entered. A moment of silence passed in the room and Naruto's jaw dropped before he hollered out "Yuriko nee-chan?! What are you doing here?!"

Yuriko simply nodded with a smile and even Kakashi seemed surprised that she was there. With the team having already gotten their mission brief, the Genin trio was dismissed while Kakashi and Yuriko stayed back for a more in-depth brief and an explanation of why she would be joining them.

"I'm sure the two of you are wondering why I am sending Yuriko with Team Seven on this mission," Sandaime sighed, his expression stern. When neither answered, he continued. "This mission is ranked at a C level, but I have my suspicions that it will not remain as such. There have been rumors of suspicious shinobi activities in the area that you will be traveling to despite the area not having shinobi, and your mission, Yuriko, is to act as support to the team and conduct reconnaissance of the regional situation. I pray that your new medical skills and your working history together will not be necessary."

With a better grasp of the situation, both Kakashi and Yuriko nodded in tense understanding as to the possibility of true combat. With that, they were dismissed to prepare for their mission and meet with the team and Tazuna for departure. Yuriko packed light like she normally did on missions bringing only the weapons that she could carry, her tea, a change of clothes, a notebook and pen, and a new book that she'd bought. She and Kakashi left their apartments around the same time and walked toward the main gate together in content though charged silence. It had been some time since the Genin trio had passed Kakashi's survival test. Their emotional conversation at that time had been left hanging after Yuriko had removed herself from it since Kakashi had been extremely busy with the team on several missions, as he assumed he would so they hadn't seen each other or talked much except passing salutations. The Jounin duo was the last to arrive but both were surprised to see that Iruka was waiting with the group.

"Iruka-san, what are you doing here?" Yuriko inquired as they approached and though it was very slight, she noticed that Kakashi had tensed up upon seeing him there almost defensively.

"Naruto-kun told me that you would be joining his team on their mission, so I came to see you off." His smile wasn't as wide as it normally was so she instantly knew that something was bothering him and that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"You came to see me off? Or the team?"

"Uh… both," he chuckled nervously, a blush spreading across his cheeks and making Kakashi tense up even more.

Yuriko turned to Kakashi with an almost guilty or apologetic smile and said that she'd catch up, sensing that there was more that Iruka wanted to say without the audience. Iruka's demeanor relaxed, but it seemed to transfer to Kakashi instead who responded with a forced smile and nod before he gathered the group and started making their way out the gate. Naruto and Sakura each held their gaze on Iruka and Yuriko for a moment, Naruto's grin wide and mischievous and Sakura's gaze questioning. As they walked away, Sakura's gaze turned to Kakashi in curiosity trying to decipher what he was thinking despite his stoic expression. Kakashi was frustrated with himself because he knew exactly what was happening and he'd done nothing to that point to help lessen or prevent such negative feelings of envy about the two of them spending time together. With him being so busy, she was bound to spend more time with others, but knowing that didn't make it hurt any less. As soon as the group was out of earshot, Yuriko turned her attention back to Iruka with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep you up. I just… I had something that I wanted to tell you before you left," Iruka muttered, his blush intensifying and gaze never meeting hers as he spoke.

"Yes?"

"I know that it's a low-level mission, but something about it doesn't sit right with me, especially since the Hokage decided to send you with them. It made me think that the mission may be more than what it seems and… well…" Iruka paused to gather his senses and nerves, took a deep breath, and met her gaze with an ironclad look of his own before he continued; "I wanted to let you know that I care for you… a lot… and that it would ruin me if something bad were to happen to you, so, please… be careful out there and come home safe."

Yuriko's heart skipped a beat at the intensity in which he'd spoken and shock as she absorbed what he'd just confessed to her. It took her a while to process that he'd just admitted that he cared for her and that he was anxiously awaiting her safe return. Warmth spread through her, starting in her stomach and creeping up until her ears were burning and as the feeling intensified, she began to fidget more and more and found it extremely difficult to hold his gaze.

"I… I don't know what to say," she admitted as her fingers played with her hair, apprehensive. "Thank you, Iruka-san. You really are too kind."

Iruka's smile was warm and endearing as he watched her tough exterior crumble before his eyes and turn her into a blushing giddy mess. As much as he would have loved to keep watching her in her vulnerability, she had a mission to begin and a team waiting for her.

"That's all I wanted to say. You should probably go catch up with your group now. I've kept you long enough," he smiled, offering her an escape since he knew that that was what she was looking for.

Relieved that he'd given her the opportunity rather than her turning to literally run from the situation as she'd run from Kakashi's confession, Yuriko nodded and forced herself back into mission mode, though her blush and the butterflies in her stomach remained. Iruka waved after her though she made a point not to look back, loneliness and worry suddenly gripping his heart as he watched her go until he could no longer see her or the others. When she had caught up to the group, the looks that she got from everyone varied from suspicion to disgust to smug grins. The look that concerned her the most and made her stomach feel like a brick of lead dropped into it, though, was the one of indifference from Kakashi.

"Yuriko nee-chan, are you and Iruka-sensei dating?" Naruto blurted out with the grace and tact of a rhinoceros in an antique china shop and everyone cringed at how incredibly painful it was.

"No, we're not," she stated in a curt tone though she was immediately nervous and uncomfortable with the topic. She'd never dated anyone, but she didn't want to admit that to children, for one, but to Kakashi even less. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Iruka. It was strange and she couldn't describe it, but it was the same feeling that she had when she was with Kakashi, confusing her even more.

"Do you want to be?" he prodded, his grin too smug and mischievous.

"Naruto baka!" Sakura yelled and punched him on the head. "It's none of your business! Stop asking such personal questions! We're on a mission!"

Yuriko smirked internally, grateful for her interjection but remained silent as they continued. Kakashi's tension, however, was a constant presence and made her feel guilty and nervous for a reason that she couldn't pinpoint or understand. Meanwhile, Kakashi was lost in thought. He couldn't figure out Yuriko's expression when she'd asked him and the team to go ahead so she could talk with Iruka. He wondered what they'd talked about and why Yuriko seemed so nervous and guilty when she'd sent him ahead. It really was none of his business, he knew, but he couldn't help the disgusting jealousy that flared up at the sight of them together or Iruka's boyish grin whenever he was around her. He knew that Iruka liked Yuriko and he suspected that she liked him back, but if that was true, why had she looked at Kakashi as if she was apologizing for talking with Iruka? He'd seen Yuriko look at him the same way she looked at Iruka and knew that she cared for him, but what did that mean exactly? Could it be possible that she had romantic feelings for them both? And if so, what was the extent of those feelings? He wanted to ask, but Sakura was right. They were on a mission and such things were unimportant. He would have to wait until they returned to the village, whenever that would be, but the curiosity gnawed at him.

As the group continued walking, both Yuriko and Kakashi noticed a puddle on the ground that seemed out of place since the rest of the ground was dry and it hadn't rained in days. They shared a knowing glance and Kakashi and Yuriko each used a substitution to take their place so that they could hide and observe from the shadows. Once the group had passed the puddle, two shinobi wearing headbands from Kirigakure emerged and attacked both of the clones. When the clones were easily disposed of, the Genin trio panicked with Naruto freezing while the attack continued. Sasuke stepped up to the plate defending not only Naruto but effectively rendering the attackers' weapons useless and stepping in front of Sakura who had put herself between the Mist shinobi and Tazuna. It was then that Kakashi and Yuriko stepped in and stopped their assailants, having found out their objective and true target.

"Yo," Kakashi stated with the shinobi unconscious and held like a sack of rice under each arm.

"Sorry we didn't step in sooner, Naruto-kun. You got hurt, didn't you?" Yuriko inquired, walking over to him and examining his hand. "We didn't think you'd completely freeze."

"Good work, Sasuke. You too, Sakura."

Naruto was staring at Sasuke, his whole body trembling as he was enraptured in his own thoughts and Yuriko watched, knowing that expression and feeling. She'd been there once a long time ago- afraid of combat and amazed by the confident actions of someone stepping up to defend her.

"Hey, are you hurt, scaredy-cat?" Sasuke chided and Naruto glared, yelling his name in frustration.

"Oi, Naruto, don't move so much. Their weapons are poisoned. You'll spread it more," Yuriko stated in a calm voice. "I don't know how to extract poison yet so we'll have to bleed it out."

Naruto looked down at his hand while Kakashi tied up the two assailants and explained that they were Chuunin from Kirigakure who fought relentlessly, regardless of the sacrifice. He detailed how he and Yuriko knew that they would attack and how they didn't step in right away so they could determine their target. Knowing that Tazuna was being targeted by shinobi would have made the mission a B rank or higher and it also would have made the mission request more expensive, so Kakashi's steely gaze and calm voice made the elder man hang his head. Tazuna explained about his village being poor and that the bridge-building operation was under a lot of pressure because the man who monopolized trade and all of the money in the area saw the bridge as a threat to his business. The others debated about abandoning the mission to take Naruto back to the village for a doctor, but at the thought of giving up, Naruto stabbed his wounded hand deep with his kunai to bleed the poison out and continue the mission.

"I'll protect you, old man… with this kunai. The mission continues!" Naruto proclaimed and Yuriko smirked with a sigh.

"Naruto-kun, bleeding the poison out is fine, but that's too much. You could bleed out and die," she chuckled.

"Oh no! I can't die like this! What do I do?! Yuriko nee-chan, help me!" he hollered, freaking out.

"Come here, dummy," she chuckled and when Yuriko looked at it her eyes widened that the wound was already beginning to heal rather rapidly. She gave Kakashi a loaded glance whose own expression also grew serious, but she bandaged Naruto up anyway.

"Am I going to be okay? You have an awfully serious look on your face, nee-chan."

"You'll be fine, Naruto-kun. Just try not to intentionally hurt yourself like that again, okay? It's a bit concerning that you did it so easily and readily."

With that, the group continued on with a heightened sense of security and a foreboding feeling brewing in Yuriko's stomach. Her parents had always warned her about the Village Hidden in the Mist. If Kirigakure was involved, this was indeed bound to be a much more difficult mission than originally thought.