Hi. :)

16

No one was fighting anymore, even though the game wasn't over yet and they knew it. However no one really had it in himself to fight again – Raido with Genma and Kotetsu had been plotting, at first, but quickly lost the topic and started chatting about nothing and everything. Anko with Mizuki were still arguing and trying to tag each other – Anko with amusement, Mizuki with fury. As for Hayate, he was wandering around, hoping to find Iruka. Not succeeding. The three whistles, signalizing end of the game, found Iruka still with Hatake, jumping from branch to branch, as they planned how to get back on Gai for stealing Kakashi's book.

"Wha?" Iruka stumbled and quickly jumped to another tree, before he could fall down.

"Who won?" was Kakashi's calm reaction.

"Donno.." Iruka mumbled. Did he miss the whole game just talking? Maa, that sucked.

"We should head out of the area, to meet the others." Kakashi informed in a way which clearly said not to oppose. It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.

"Aaalright." The turned left, where the calm blueness of the river was seen. "Anyway, we should go trough the 'Freak Gai Up no Jutsu' again.."

"What happened!" Hayate asked the moment he exited the woods. He was breathing hard - running injured was not his hobby.

"..." Hayate watched Iruka's eyes getting wider with every passing second and sighed. Heeere it comes. He sneakily covered his ears.

"What the HELL DID YOU DO?" Iruka pointed towards his bloody torso.

"Well.. I kinda.. sorta.. got into a fight?" Hayate said amused.

"Come right here, right now." the brown-haired genin said firmly and, fortunately, calmly. Hayate obeyed rolling his eyes. He sat down and let Iruka take off his shirt and inspect the wounds.

"Doesn't look nice, Hayate.." he mumbled.

"I know, right. Just.. heal it or something. And tell me who won, damnit." Iruka nodded and took the iodine Hayate had offered him. He wasn't able to do any advanced healing jutsu, only the basic ones, but he still could clean and cloth the injuries.

"We won." Iruka informed him, too absorbed in his work to explain it more clearly.

"Eh? How?" Hayate asked, but his friend didn't even raise his head, neither did he nod to acknowledge he had heard him. He probably hadn't. "Hey, how did we win?" he turned around carefully, not to move his torso too much, and addressed the other four who were sitting around.

"Maa.. your little friend took the flag and threw it into the circle, I believe." Kakashi chuckled pointing to a blushing Izumo.

"Yeah! He was awesome!" Anko declared and half-hugged him with one of her arms.

Mizuki stayed silent, but nodded anyway.

"I didn't do anything special.." Izumo mumbled when Hayate started cheering, getting himself light smack over his head from Iruka for moving. "You all were just too absorbed with your enemies to fight me." he grinned. "I believe my opponent had jogged somewhere else."

Hayate chuckled nervously. "Hehe, you're right.." he reached to scratch his head in a nervous gesture, but quickly thought against it, as Iruka sent him a warning glance.

"Why did he do it anyway?" Mizuki asked with a frown. "It's not really responsible to just leave in a middle of a fight. Even if the fight's just for fun."

"I told him to do so." Hayate answered and hid his face in Iruka's shoulder.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Anko with amusement.

"It was a task."

"And what exactly was his task, if I may ask?" Kakashi joined the conversation when horrible suspicion struck him.

"Well.. I told him.. to borrow your book and deliver it to the Hokage." Hayate mumbled and clenched Iruka's shirt in his hands, hoping that Hatake won't attack the injured, and if he did, then that Iruka would protect him.

"..borrow.. He hadn't asked for it, therefore he stole it. He obviously didn't finish your task."

"I know that." Hayate nodded. "I knew it the moment he left to find you, 'cause I told him not to talk from that moment, and he answered me."

"That means we are in no need to prank him, seeing it wasn't his foult your little baby was stole." Iruka smiled when he finished putting bandages over Hayate's chest. "Trousers, down." he ordered and took out few more packs.

"Well, we as well can." Kakashi eye-smiled on him and Iruka laughed.

"We will talk about it later."

"Are we going up, today?" Izumo asked silently and laid down on the warm grass, closing his eyes and enjoying the sun. "Ko's almost here, so after you finish turning Haya into a mummy, we can as well go." he smiled and Hayate stuck out his tongue.

"Donno about you, but I have one Shiranui to kill, and after that, Jijii-sama promised to take me to the ramen." Iruka laughed silently and cleaned skin around one of the wounds with a iodine covered cotton.

"You are such an addict." Mizuki smiled. Some things never change. "Still plenty of time, after that." he pointed out.

"Well.. I was thinking about asking Ibi-sama if he needed some help, he looked overworked." Iruka shrugged and turned back to his task. "But you go, I will maybe join you after that."

Izumo sighed. "That's second day in a row, you don't love us anymore." he teased half-seriously. "But we will. Don't worry." He grinned.

"Heh. I still love you, don't you dare to underestimate my feelings." Iruka declared dramatically. "As a proof of my undying love, you can take Hatake with you, instead of me. He will keep you company."

"..." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"..." Mizuki blinked in a surprise.

"..." Izumo looked somewhere between being scared and disgusted.

"..." Anko laughed.

"It's actually a good idea.." Hayate titled his head and smiled. He had known his best friend for a while, so he knew that he wouldn't offer it, if he didn't think it will work out.

He was, after all, Ibiki's resident strategist.

Maa, that's it. Be nice and review. :P

Good night, and - hopefully - see you tomorrow (I almost didn't make it today, my apologies -.-").