59 Hours

After Kakashi took a few steps down the road with Gai, Pakkun silently disappeared. Kakashi turned his head at the puff of smoke, and then kept walking. "So, Gai," he drawled, "are you looking forward to speaking with your star student?"

"Very funny, Kakashi. I can see that you are budding with energy this morning! And, so that you won't worry about myself and Rock Lee, I should tell you that I have a brilliant plan!"

"Oh, really?" His eyebrow quirked.

"Yes! It is so great that it cannot fail! I cannot imagine how I failed to think of it sooner!"

"I'm glad you're so confident, Gai, but don't forget who you're dealing with."

"How can I forget? You are my eternal rival, and I must be as brilliant as you in order to win this challenge!" He clenched a raised fist. "Maito Gai will not be defeated, no matter how brilliant the opponent!"

Kakashi just blinked at him.

"You're so hip!" He closed his eyes, manly tears streaming down his face momentarily. Then he gathered himself together again. As they approached a fenced-in area of grass, Gai spread his hands out in front of him. "Behold, the training grounds of the glorious Team 8! The home of the vigorous and dedicated! The birthplace of beauty and liveliness! The-"

"I get it, Gai, thank you. I see you've gotten ahold of a thesaurus?"

"Yes, three! And I have perused them thoroughly!"

"Oh, dear."

Gai stepped back, then kicked open the latch on the chain link gate with a shout, and the two men walked into the training area. "Do you have to repair the gate every time, then?" asked Kakashi.

"Of course! I wouldn't want to leave things worse off than I found them. That would be unkind and impolite!" He strode over to a log and promptly sat down. Kakashi joined him. "Now, we have about an hour before my students arrive. I usually like to come early so I can enjoy some peace and quiet and be there in case someone needs to talk to me alone before we start."

"Interesting idea. Coming early. Novel, really."

"Of course, I know your technique of coming late works just as well. Clearly, you want to encourage team bonding even before you arrive, and want to keep your students alert and on their toes, since they never know exactly when you're going to arrive."

"Actually, I just like bugging them and sleeping in."

"Your attitudes are so puerile! If only I could be the same!"

"Um, I know that's a synonym for youthful, but I'm pretty sure that's an insult. You just called both of us childish."

"So I did! I shall have to work even harder to find more suitable words!"

"So, we've got an hour to kill, then, huh?" Kakashi reached in his pocket, then pulled his hand back out with a look of disappointment. "You're a cruel person, Gai."

"On the contrary, I am not cruel; I am simply helping you overcome something that is holding you back, my rival!"

"Icha Icha is holding me back."

"Yes!"

"From what, exactly?"

"Vibrant life!"

If he was looking for something vibrant, he'd want his books back. "And how is that?"

"You know perfectly well how it holds you back! You use those books as an excuse to push people away and not interact with them. You don't spend time with your old friends. What about Genma, Raido, and Tenzou?"

"I spent a couple hours with them last night, and let me inform you: I would die for those men without a second thought, but I would die of boredom if I had to listen to them ramble on and on for a second more."

"Well, eternal rival, let me cure your boredom!" He leapt up from the log. "Until my students come, I challenge you to a duel using only taijutsu."

"Isn't this whole thing a challenge? Do we have to do another one?"

"Come now, Kakashi, you love looking 'underneath the underneath,' so why not a 'challenge within a challenge'?"

"Fine. Better than sitting here." With a soft grunt, he stood up from the log. "Are you ready?"

"I am always ready for a challenge! If I do not win, I will do 200 pushups with you sitting on my back!"

They both crouched, then sprang into action. Gai sent a kick in the direction of Kakashi's face, which he blocked with two arms crossed in front. As he grabbed Gai's oncoming fist, he launched a punch toward Gai's stomach, but the man spun out of the way. His leg headed for the Kakashi's back, and the copy ninja ducked, forming the sign of the tiger. "10,000 years of death!" Gai jumped out of the way and began a barrage of fists that Kakashi began to swat away. They continued this way for the next hour, getting a few hits each, but mostly being blocked by each other every time. Finally, Kakashi landed a kick that sent Gai sprawling onto the ground.

"Gai-sensei!" Rock Lee ran onto the grass. "Are you alright?"

Gai was about to lift up a hand in a thumbs up, but quickly put his hand back on the ground and nodded instead.

"Just a taijutsu match," Kakashi explained. "Nothing to worry about, Lee. What's the score now, or does this not count, since it's a 'challenge within a challenge'?"

"Of course it counts!" Gai picked himself off the ground. "You bested me at a taijutsu fight, a rare accomplishment-"

"Not that rare!" Kakashi protested, indignant.

"So it will be reflected in the score. 60 to 61," he pointed at Kakashi enthusiastically, "in your favor, my rival!"

"Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei." Neji walked up to the three of them, nodding his head in deference.

Tenten followed him into the training grounds. "Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei? No offense, I mean, it's just, you know, a bit unusual to see you around."

Raising a hand up to reassure her, he replied. "No offense taken. I was bored and figured I might help out with your training. Nothing quite like seeing a new face every now and then to freshen things up."

"Exactly! And to begin our fresh training, we'll split up into groups to spar. Tenten, you and Rock Lee can be a pair, and Neji can-"

"Spar with me!" Kakashi cut in, smiling widely. At least, they all assumed he was smiling widely. It was immediately apparent to Kakashi that Gai meant to tell his other students about the challenge, and have one of them pass the message on to Rock Lee. Simple, but effective. However, plans that were simple to think up were also simple to foil, a fact that Kakashi took quite a bit of pleasure in. "After all, it's not every day I get the chance to spar with a Hyuuga."

Gai looked slightly flustered, but, to his credit, managed to hide it reasonably well. "Alright, then. Go ahead and split into your groups." As they separated, each finding a suitable fighting area, he held up a finger. "On my count: One! Two! Three! Begin!"

The pairs immediately morphed into two masses of fists, legs, and shuriken. Gai noted that Tenten's weapon handling was getting even better, and Rock Lee was on top form, as usual. Glancing to his right, he saw his rival dodging Neji's rapid palms and attempting to get an in. It was turning out to be a heated battle, one tactical genius against another. Gai was pleased to see that his student was resolutely holding his own against his rival. After 15 minutes of this, he raised his voice. "Stop!" The four of them ceased their attacks, panting slightly. "Well done, all of you! The flame of nonage-"

Kakashi snorted.

"-burns brightly in all of you. Now, let us rearrange the pairs. Rock Lee and Neji will be together, and-"

"And I will be sparring with Tenten!" Kakashi's smile was brighter than before, and Gai rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

"Very good," he said. "Take two minutes to get your breath back, then split up into your second groups."

Another round of intense fighting followed, until Gai once again signaled them to stop. "Alright, my vigorous students, this time-"

"I will be facing both Neji and Tenten, and Gai will face Rock Lee." He looked over at Gai innocently. "Is that alright?"

"Eh, um, of course!" They divided into sparring groups, and Gai was convinced that Kakashi looked much too happy to be outnumbered. "On my count!" He smiled at Rock Lee. "One! Two! Three!"

They began to fight, Rock Lee matching Gai punch for punch. The Blue Beast couldn't help but feel proud as he saw how well his star student was doing. After 15 minutes of heavy barrages of attacks, they stopped. Rock Lee straightened up, panting slightly. "How did I do, Gai-sensei?"

Gai smiled and nodded vigorously.

Rock Lee paused for a moment, expecting his teacher to go off on a rant. When none came, his face fell ever so slightly. "I was using the new technique you showed me; did you notice?"

Gai nodded again.

"Did- did I do something wrong?" He was confused. Something was very odd.

Gai shook his head violently, about to strike up the "good guy" pose, and had actually lifted one hand in the air, but caught himself. Instead, he opted for awkwardly swinging the arm back down to his side and smiling widely. He saw Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see the copy ninja watching him intently.

"O-ok, then." Lee's face of disappointment was like a shuriken lodged in Gai's oversized heart.

"Alright, everyone!" He called them together, and noted with a small amount of pleasure that Kakashi was sporting some bruises from taking on his kids two-on-one. Not enough pleasure to take the Rock Lee-sized shuriken out of his heart, but it definitely helped. "You all did very well." He looked pointedly at Rock Lee. "However, that brings us to the end of today's practice. Go home, rest, eat up, and do many vernal activities. I shall see you all tomorrow morning, same time, same place! Have a spectacular afternoon, my students!"

"Farewell, Gai-sensei!"

"See ya!"

Thank you for practice, Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei."

With that, the three kids turned to each other in conversation as they walked away. Gai tried to catch Neji's eye, but to no avail. Which, considering that Neji possessed the byakugan, meant that the Hyuuga was probably ignoring him. He sighed. Would nothing go right today?

"So," Kakashi stepped up beside him, "How's that brilliant plan going for you?"

Gai's fist clenched. "You may have won this round, but I am not defeated yet!"

"We'll see about that, now won't we?"

As Gai's face clouded in a rare moment of anger, Kakashi took a small step back. "I will find a way to communicate with Rock Lee, no matter how many people you try to keep me from talking to." Rock Lee's face of dejection wormed its way into his mind. "This was a low blow, but you will be beaten soundly, my cruel rival!"

Cruel rival? That was new. Kakashi had a fleeting thought of his Icha Icha which was still in Gai's possession, and momentarily regretted angering Gai so much.

Maybe he shouldn't have goaded him on this much?

Nah.

They'd figure it out.

Another chapter up, just in time for exam week! Please let me know your thoughts/comments/suggestions/predictions. You all rock!

~JillianWatson1058