Hey guys! This chapter is a little slow, but it's going to set up for the next one which should be faster paced! Hopefully having a point of view from a new character will help tie you over until then! Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

Chapter 4: Accepting the Mission

After Kakashi bid Sakura goodbye at her door, he took to the rooftops, doing his best to hide his presence. He could only imagine what the rumor mills were saying about him. When he and Sakura were leaving the training grounds, he calculated the risk before subtly moving Sakura toward the main road rather than the buildings.

He was right that people would find out about him eventually. This village wasn't known for its secrecy. How bothersome, he sighed, his good eye lifting to the cloudy skies. His feet barely touched the roof before he sprung off to the next one.

Kakashi didn't care what they thought, but what he didn't want was people tripping over themselves to bug him - or Sakura since she was with him - with questions. Kakashi rather liked his dramaless life. Hopefully he'd be gone by tomorrow and none of this would matter. The village would move onto the next scandal within the week. But judging by their rapid curiosity, he hoped Sakura didn't go crazy by then.

Kakashi didn't realize where his feet were taking him until he ended up standing in front of his forgotten home. He exhaled, slouching lower. It'd been his ritual for years to visit his childhood home and then the memorial grounds after every mission.

Going through the movements, Kakashi was absorbed in his thoughts. He absently sat down on a large flat rock, leaning onto an old, rotten tree.

He wanted to go after Migato right now, to find him and force the bastard to change him back. But Kakashi was anything but rash. He needed to think of a game plan, and not one that had a high percentage of turning him into a teenager.

So, Kakashi decided the best course of action was to take a mission before going after Migato. Something where he could test out his skills in combat. Not having as much chakra was tricky, since he'd need to rely solely on jutsus to capture him (because he wouldn't be able to get close enough to touch him). Practicing his techniques in a real life situation would prove incredibly helpful...

Kakashi opened his eye and stood swiftly. The sun was setting in the horizon, painting the sky crimson. He must have drifted asleep. He turned and sprinted toward the Hokage tower. He wanted to talk to Tsunade tonight and he lost a lot of time with his inopportune nap. As lazy as Kakashi looked to be, he didn't take a nap too often. Most of his downtime involved a certain inappropriate series created by a certain pervy friend. Maybe my body is still recovering, he pondered.

He entered the Hokage's office by his usual way: through the window. Tsunade's face was twisted in frustration as she signed paper after paper from the never ending piles stacked on her desk. She didn't look up from her work.

He was relieved to see that there were significantly less sake cups around her desk. More than any sane person would have, but per Tsunade's standards it was much less.

"Don't you ever knock?" She grumbled, slapping a signed paper on top of the smallest pile.

"Bad day?" Kakashi smirked. While Tsunade didn't see it, he was positive it leaked into his voice.

"The absolute worst! Shizune is making me finish all of these papers tonight. Something about them being late, but look at all of these documents!" She wildly gestured to the many stacks. "I tried to convince her it's not possible but she wouldn't listen! And then, if you can believe it, she hid all of the sake! I had to resort to my secret stash!" Tsunade threw down her work, waving her hands in the air dramatically.

Kakashi watched her angry rant with a bemused smile. At least he knew why the sake cups were lacking tonight. He deftly changed the subject before Tsunade started begging him to help her.

"I want to go on a mission. But not Migato, not yet."

Tsunade leaned forward in her chair, stopping mid-tirade to look him over. "That's not what I thought you were going to say. But that's probably for the best. We haven't had any intel on where Migato is since you last tangled with him. He's gone off grid. The plus side is he hasn't killed anyone else."

Kakashi gravely nodded, though internally he was surprised. Migato was getting into a routine of killing one person a day. Why would Migato stop his attacks? How would he ever find the man again if he could barely find him when he had a trail of bodies to follow? He blinked once, deciding to focus on that after the mission.

"I wanted to talk to you anyway, Kakashi," Tsunade continued, rummaging through a haphazard stack of papers. She pulled one out and laid it flat on the table. He could see the Land of Mist seal from across the room. "The Kinaggi clan sent word back to us, but they refuse to talk about their art unless it is in person." She scanned the note. "They don't want any of their secrets getting into the wrong hands, so they are coming here."

Again, Kakashi held back his surprise and aggravation of still not having an answer. Couldn't they have sent a simple yes or no?

Tsunade smiled. "Which will work out perfectly. By the time you get back from your mission, they will be here to talk, and to hopefully fix your little problem. Not that I'd view it as a problem, but the young life isn't for everyone, I'm afraid."

Kakashi gave her a pointed look as she began rambling about the pros and cons of youth. "Do you have a mission for me?"

Tsunade halted her speech, giving Kakashi her best evil eye. Slowly, her glare turned into a wicked smile and she crossed her arms. Kakashi suddenly became very uneasy. "Actually yes, I do have a mission for you." She ruffled through a different pile, handing Kakashi an open scroll.

He examined its content, only getting a quarter of the way through before annoyance flushed through him. "I wanted a more… difficult mission than this. Give me something to test my skills."

Tsunade didn't waver, she just tilted her head slightly. "I think you should finish reading the assignment before you turn it down."

He fought a sigh, lowering his gaze back to the paper. It was an easy enough mission. He was to guard one of their own medic ninjas while they treated a rampant illness that was going through a small village in the Land of Sound. And the medic assigned to the mission was - "Sakura?" He voiced. "Why is she going?" From what Kakashi knew, Sakura hadn't gone on a mission in at least the last five months. Konoha hadn't been able to afford her leaving the hospital, especially since the Hokage stepped back as a medic to fulfill her leadership duties. If something were to happen to Sakura, that would be a major blow to the Hidden Leaf village.

"The Land of Sound specifically requested her. I guess her medic skills are becoming quite known throughout the land. They want her to treat the disease before it spreads to more villages."

"What if it's a trap?" Kakashi struggled to keep the concern from his voice and maintain his unbothered stance.

"I doubt it. I looked into it myself: the village is small and secluded and there's no one suspicious around. Most of the people are bedridden anyway. Trust me, I wouldn't be sending out my best medic if I thought something bad was going to happen to her. Besides, it's a smart move to put you with a medic, since we still don't know the long term effects of your new look." Tsunade smirked.

Kakashi hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. The majority of him wanted to accept the mission, but a small part of him still clung to the idea of a solo mission in which justus would need to be performed. If he didn't get a chance to fight, then he would have to take another mission, which put him ever father from capturing Migato. Unless one of the Kinaggi clan can change me back.

"If you don't want it," Tsunade drawled, surveying his torn expression, "I can always give it to another jonin. They can protect her." Her face lit up. "I know, Genma is available!"

"I'll accept the mission," Kakashi growled. No way was he letting that womanizer anywhere near Sakura. He didn't trust anyone but himself to keep her safe.

"Great," Tsunade started scribbling on a blank sheet. "You leave tomorrow morning at dawn. I'll clear Sakura's schedule at the hospital for the next three days, that should give her plenty of time to cure everyone. Just watch her back, she'll be too tired to defend herself during her healings."

Kakashi nodded. Being able to wield chakra to heal others was something he always admired, as much as he disdained medics trying to fix his own injuries. The idea of leaving yourself vulnerable to attack while helping others in need was honorable. He handed the scroll back to Tsunade, having already memorized the details. Kakashi turned to leave but Tsunade called out to him.

"One more thing, Kakashi. Sakura has a tendency to go beyond her limits to make sure others are taken care of. It makes her an amazing medic, but, well, it can take a toll on the body." The Hokage leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and folding her fingers under her chin. "Keep an eye on her health and energy levels. She'll probably want to cure them all on the first day. I trust you'll stop her from pushing herself too hard."

Kakashi dipped his head in silent understanding before he vanished as quickly as he came. He already knew about this particular trait that Sakura possessed, even when she was young she had the tendency to put others before herself.

An image of Sakura wavering after she healed his rib during their scrimmage flashed in his mind. She pushed herself today, too, and it was just a training match. He couldn't imagine what she would do in a real situation.

Kakashi shook his head, landing on top of his apartment building. He would make sure that she was safe, no matter what. And if he had to protect her from herself, then so be it.

Tsunade rose from her office chair in one angry, fluid motion. She was getting tired of all this paperwork. Her reasons for choosing Hokage were becoming quite foggy. Was it too much to ask to just gamble and drink all day?

She sighed heavily, walking around her desk and planting herself in front of the window that looked out over Kohona. The sight helped calm her frazzled nerves. Not like a good cup of sake could, of course, but she used up all of her secret stash within the first hour of Shizune's confiscation.

Being Hokage was not without its interesting moments, though. Watching a young Kakashi storm into her office was something she never thought would happen. She snickered at the thought of him. Poor Kakashi. She'd already heard the rumors.

One Tsunade found particularly intriguing was that Sakura and Kakashi's younger cousin had begun secretly dating. She lifted a hand to rub her chin. Since Tsunade knew about Kakashi's condition, she couldn't help but wonder if this was just civilian gossip or… something more.

Tsunade was curious to see how the mission would turn out. She knew the two had grown close throughout the years, but she always assumed it was in a friendly sense. With these rumors going around, well, it opened her mind to the possibility.

What were the odds that these two unlikely people would find real love? Tsunade smirked. This was one bet that Tsunade was willing to gamble on.

Shizune bust through the door, starling the thoughtful Hokage.

"Lady Tsunade! What are you doing? You have to finish these papers tonight! And what are all these cups from? I know I took away all of your sake!" Tsunade did her best to tune out her assistant with a sigh. No, being Hokage wasn't so bad. It was pretty entertaining to see Shizune get worked up.

Grumbling, Tsunade shuffled back to her desk, an irritated Shizune on her heels. Her assistant threatened to stand behind her the whole time if she was "caught out of this chair again."

Tsunade was afraid she would run out of oxygen as she heaved out another exhale. It's going to be a long night. Why did I make my secret stash so small?

Sakura had just finished mending a large gash on a man's lower leg when one of the older medic ninjas walked into the room. Sakura didn't look up, too focused on completely healing the wound. Sakura didn't want any underlying damage that could fester into an infection.

The medic patiently waited until Sakura sent the grateful shinobi out of the room before speaking up.

"Lady Tsunade has given you an assignment. I'm going to finish your shift for you tonight, and you are to report to the front gates in the morning." The woman's blond hair was pulled tightly into a bun and her face was serious. Sakura accepted the scroll the ninja held out for her with surprise. It's been a while since she's been out on a mission. Tsunade always said she was needed here too much.

Sakura thanked her and left the room, slowly gathering her things as she read through the scroll. Excitement flowed through her. She would leave tomorrow for the Land of Sound, where a village needed a medic ninja to cure a deadly illness. It would be amazing to finally leave the village and test out her skills. Her mentor loved to comment on how much she'd grown.

It also seemed that another shinobi, a jonin, would be assigned to the mission with her, but it didn't say who. Sakura briefly wondered who was in the village that could accept it. Kakashi's face briefly flashed in her mind but she shook the image away. She highly doubted he'd take a simple mission like this one, if it was even given to him as an option.

She sighed. Sakura wished it could be Kakashi. She wanted more time with him than their half a day, who knows when they would see each other again. He was one of the few people that she truly felt at ease with.

Sakura walked through the front doors, ignoring the big, curious eyes of the receptionist. She had assumed that she'd be in the hospital well into the night, so the unexpected free time had her at a loss.

An idea popped into her head and she spun around, dashing in the opposite direction of her home.

Kakashi was surprised to hear the light rapping on his door. He was just about to take a shower, the soft sound of running water echoing through the small apartment. Crossing through the living room, he opened his door with a flourish.

Sakura stood on the other side, her hands wrapped around her elbows as she gave him a sheepish smile. Her eyes traveled down his body, taking notice of his clothing. In preparation for his shower, Kakashi had stripped down to his skin tight black shirt, his loose black pants fitting low on his hips. He watched in amusement as her eyes slightly glazed before she startled out of her trance, coughing slightly as her cheeks flushed red.

"Oh, um, sorry to barge in on you, but I wanted to let you know I have a mission and I'll be leaving in the morning." She stumbled through the words as her eyes looked anywhere but at him. He couldn't help the tiny smirk that graced his lips as he raised his hand in an offer to let her in.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I have a lot to do to get ready, but I, uh, just wanted to say I enjoyed our day and hope to see you again soon."

Kakashi leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms as he watched her finally calm down. It was obvious that her mission details did not include who her bodyguard would be. He quickly debated telling her, but decided that seeing her shocked expression in the morning would be worth the pummeling he'd get.

"I did as well, and I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again faster than you think. Goodnight." He waved his hand in a salute and closed the door on her confused expression, laughing to himself. Yes, he was definitely grateful that he accepted the mission.

Migato's arms strained as he pulled himself against the trunk of a tree, heaving out uneven breaths. It had been an entire day since his run in with the infamous Copy Ninja, but he still felt like every nerve ending was pulsing with pain.

Even through the agony, a wicked smile curled his lips. Kakashi was far more powerful than he expected, but it was Migato's own fault he was in this cursed state. Of course the shinobi's energy would be far greater than that of a lowly political officer. When he sucked away his life force, of course it would overload his system.

But Migato was happy, a delirious happiness fueled on torment and the beginnings of a ruthless plan. Forget his next target, Kakashi was the only man he wanted.

Unfortunately, the element of surprise was now gone and Migato doubted that the Copy Ninja would allow himself to get caught again. Which meant that Migato would have to use... unique methods to take the rest of the ninja's life. And with Kakashi's death, Migato would receive so much power that he would be unstoppable. He thought slowly gaining his power through weaker men would suffice to reach his plans, but with the taste of the strength that would soon fill his body once the pain was gone, Migato knew nothing else would satisfy him.

All Migato had to do was wait for the suffering to stop and then he would find Kakashi. He would track down Kakashi and kill him.