CHAPTER 2

A MATTER OF OPINION

The tension in the room was strung high and everyone felt it. Hell, even the Hokage was uncomfortable about the whole scene, but unlike the rest, the old ninja master managed to look neutral and unruffled.

Both the shinobis in front of him were glaring daggers at each other. Each relentless stand created the much dreaded friction in the air. He could feel the flare of unbridled intents emanating from the two young men, a myriad of emotions that was very confusing.

Anger….yes, that was the main portion of the strain he could sense in the atmosphere, but there was something else, something more subtle and lethal in its intensity….

Jealousy ?

The old ninja master raised his eyebrows at the possibility….Could it be that there is more to their argument than both of them are willing to let on ?

Kakashi….

Iruka…

How did it come to this ? he thought sadly remembering how close the two were when they were young.

" You can't be serious Jounin-sama " the Chuunin cried, face flushed in anger.

The room was suddenly quiet. All eyes were fixed on the pair as they continued to exchange heated words.

Seeing the other man's reaction, the Jounin smirked under his mask and answered calmly " It will be interesting to see them break "

" How could you ! "

One visible eyes flashed with cold indifference " They are not your concern now sensei " he said in a voice dangerously low " They are my soldiers now "

" They are still children ! "

" They are Genins " Kakashi corrected " And they should be trained accordingly in both physical and mental control "

" But not to this extend. They are not ready ! "

Kakashi eyed the young Chuunin for awhile as if accessing him. " You are far too soft for your own good sensei "

" What are you implying ? "

" Emotions " the Copy-nin said simply " It's bane for a shinobi. It makes one weak and vulnerable " he explained, looking as impassive as ever," No wonder you remained a Chuunin "

Iruka trembled visibly, hands clenched into hard fists at his sides. " To an extend, yes, emotions can be one's weakness. But more often than not, it is also the basis of one's limitless strength " he replied, voice tight with suppressed anger " However, I'm sure that this is something you could never comprehend even with all your superior intelligence, Jounin-sama "

Kakashi flinched. Something in Iruka's words and the look on his face when he said it made his heart clenched due to some strange forgotten emotions.

" Are you insulting me Chuunin ? ", the Cop-nin rebuked trying to mask the painful tightness in his chest

" Perhaps " Iruka answered evenly, his stance poised to an intimidating pose.

The rest of the people in the room seemed to held in their breath. They admire the Chuunin's courage, but at the same time prayed that he would relent since arguments such as this does not bode well for either side.

" I can't believe we're having a spat on such small matters " Kakashi laughed and then leered " It seems that you take a special interest in the Kyuubi boy sensei. So….is there something we should know ? "

That was the final straw of Iruka's self control. " You arrogant fuck ! How dare you suggest such vulgar accusation! "

A firm, strong hand gripped Iruka's trembling shoulders in an effort to contain the Chuunin's outburst " Iruka-sensei, please " Maito Gai begged " stop this…"

Seeing that the situation was finally getting out of control, the Hokage intervened. " Yes, Gai-sensei is right " he said, " I will not tolerate this, especially amongst my shinobis". In a more authoritative voice the old ninja master commanded, " Kakashi ! Iruka! This misunderstanding is not healthy. Resolve it as soon as possible "

And with that the argument was put to an abrupt end.

Or so they thought….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A week later……

One thing Hatake Kakashi hated most was being mad.

In spite of his friendly, laid-back attitude, he was still one of the most feared ninja in Konoha, and pissing him off should be added into the top list of things one should pay some serious consideration.

Everyone knew this of course, even the Hokage himself. But why…oh why such simple warning does not apply to one particular pony-tailed Chuunin-sensei.

Damn that infuriating man !

After his spat with Iruka during the Chuunin nominations, Kakashi was in a foul mood for the whole week. For normal people, having such mood swings was acceptable, but for a highly trained and deadly ex-Anbu, anger was something not to be taken lightly.

Maybe that was the reason why Asuma and Genma dragged him to their favorite pub. They told him he needed to let out some steam and cool off. And in spite of his earlier reluctance, Kakashi found himself doing exactly what his friends suggested.

Once there, he grabbed the first available whore and pulled her to the far end of the room. The other two Jounins could only stare at his impatience. They didn't bother to make any comments though, because as far as they were concerned, the mission to distract the Copy-nin was a success.

Up until Maito Gai walked in….

" Where is my eternal rival ! "

Kakashi was in the process of hiking up the girl's skirt when he heard a rather loud familiar voice calling his name. " What is it you want Gai " Kakashi replied, pushing himself slightly away from the girl's embrace " If you want a match, I think I'm a bit wrapped up now. "

The Green beast of Konoha blushed at the scene. " Errr….sorry Kakashi " he apologized, bowing low " I have some urgent news to tell you "

" Well then, lets hear it "

" Ummm, it's quite confidential"

With a sigh, the Copy-nin reluctantly disengaged himself from the woman's warm coiling arms and stood up " This better be good Gai " he warned, then unexpectedly yanked the girl up and placed a hard kiss on her inviting lips through the mask.

" Where are you going Kakashi-san ? " whined the girl

" This will only take a while " he answered, then patted her rounded hips " Stay warm for me "

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

" It was a wrongly classified mission. Kurenai and her team found him this morning near the borders; barely alive. The rest of the team apparently did not make it " Gai said sadly shaking his head " They shouldn't have sent a Chuunin team on such a mission "

There was a long silence before the Copy-nin finally spoke. " You dragged me all the way here just to tell me this ? "

" I just thought you would like to know " Gai said, looking very confused.

" Well, you thought wrong " snapped the Copy-nin " You should tell Naruto about this not me "

" But Kakashi, Iruka's your friend "

" He was my friend " Kakashi corrected and with that, he turned and walked back into the pub

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night….

The hospital room was dimmed, illuminated only by the subtle moonlight coming from the opened window. Everything remained inanimate and silent save for the beeping of the respiratory machine near the single bed occupied by an unconscious young man.

Like the rest of the furnishings and equipment in the room, the man remained motionless which was a sad parody of his once exuberant self. There were no other palpable signs indicating that he was alive aside from the slight rise and fall of his chest. His normally tanned skin was pale, made ashen by the independent light cast by the moon beam. He looked more like a well sculptured statue than a living person; beautiful in its perfection, but lifeless.

Then, suddenly at the far corner of the room, a dark shadow emerged from within the darkness. Moving silently within the confinement of the room, the figure stopped beside the bed. Slowly a gloved hand reached out to gently caress the soft unbound hair with sure strokes which suggested familiarity. The shadow watched the comatose form with sad mismatched eyes as memories from their past came crashing in…..

xxFlashbackxx

The dark haired boy slumped onto the hard ground, panting and totally exhausted. Although he has reached his limit for the day, there was a still a look of determination on his face which was too intense for someone so young.

He scrambled back on his feet and tried to perform the water jutsu with shaking hands.

" Ruka" said the silver-haired boy who was watching him practice, " I think we should stop now "

" No ! I want to get this right "

" If you keep this up, you'll end up in the hospital " the other boy reasoned " Your chakra level is too low to do it "

" I don't care ! "

The silver-haired boy sighed and grabbed his friend's hands, effectively stopping him from completing the seal " Why are you doing this ?Why are you exerting yourself like this ? "

The dark haired boy raised his face and looked at his best friend with glistering eyes " My parents died protecting me during the Kyuubi attack. I was a burden and because of that they were killed. And now sensei died protecting me too. I want to be stronger so that I don't have to trouble anyone " he sobbed " especially you"

" You're never a burden to me Ruka, surely you know that "

" I am a burden because I'm not strong enough. I want to be strong like you Kashi…" he said, tears streaming down his face " because, I can't bare to loose you too"

The young Chuunin's eyes softened. " you won't loose me Ruka"

"Promise ?"

The silver haired boy considered his answer carefully. It would be a lie to promise his best friend such thing. He was after all Konoha's shinobi and death is always a turn away. But he smiled to himself under his ever present mask, knowing fully well what he can promise to his most precious person.

" Ruka, I can't say I'll live forever, but I promise that I'll always be there for you, by your side to protect you for better or for worse, for as long as I live "

" Always ? "

" Yeah, always"

xxEnd of Flashbackxx

The dark figure was trembling, tremors of grief raking the powerful slender frame. Soft sound of muffled sobs could be heard in the silence of the room.

" I'm sorry Ruka for breaking my promise," whispered the shadow as mismatched eyes shed silent tears for what was lost between them.