Disclaimer: Naruto and friends wasn't filmed in front of a live studio audience, and the proceeds do not go directly to charity.
Kakashi had to lead Iruka to the inn near the village's center through the rain, which wavered in intensity. The merchants and shopkeepers of the area put out lamps and illuminated their various businesses through the pouring water, making the entire settlement gain an almost enchanted glow, the brightest patch being their destination.
While the Center Inn had been nearly deserted on Kakashi's last trip to the area, the sounds coming from it now broadcasted quite a contrast. With trade restored, people wandered in and out of the doorways with baggage and coats sheltering their heads. The rain had closed the workday early for most, and the pub that was undoubtedly inside the building had to have been bustling with traders who had found shelter for the time being.
While the structure of the in in broad daylight seemed enormous in comparison to the other buildings in the area, the heaven's blessings made it appear small. The wood that the building was comprised of was darker with the moisture, and strange patterns appeared on the grains before the trail finally ended with a puddle in the streets, where a foreign peddler's child was being yelled at for mussing up her good clothes.
Closer in, the smells of fresh food and booze flooded the senses. Iruka cast a doubtful glance at Kakashi when they neared the open door. While the person they were looking for really would be of use, the Umino had heard the stories. That being said, Ichi-Icha's author really couldn't have found a better place to kick back for the afternoon.
The two entered the building thoroughly soaked yet again, but nobody made much comment, as they were already too busy with their assorted activities. Kakashi's visible eye lost no time in looking for the tell-tale white bush of a head, and Iruka wasted not a moment in following him. The jounin gently shoved through the rows of tables when he found what he was looking for.
The Toad Sannin of Konohagure took another swig of his umpteenth glass of an alcoholic beverage and wrapped his arm around the shoulder of a woman who looked like she was having second thoughts on her choice of seats. To be fair, though, if it wasn't one creepy old man it would have been another, and at least this one hadn't fondled her in any inappropriate places. Jiraiya was about to remedy this single positive observation before a poke to his shoulder forced him to retrieve the hand he had employed in search of booty.
"Sir." the owner of the hand addressed the Toad summoner with respect, even if the circumstances didn't require it. Jiraiya, though irritated with his failure in goosing, turned to look at the interrupting presence to be greeted with the sight of a duo wearing Konoha's emblem in an article of clothing that was quite similar to the one he sported. His face fell from buzzed giddiness to professional curiosity in a second.
"Yes?" the perverted author asked, the female he had been sharing company with taking this opportunity to bolt. Under his breath, Jiraiya cursed. This had better be important.
The masked ninja who had addressed him in the first place took the seat of the woman who had fled and ordered three drinks, the second being delivered to Jiraiya, and the third being given to the chuunin who had taken the seat on the right side of the infamous pervert. The toad summoner squinted at the two. They were both familiar, but names sometimes escaped him when he was ever-so-slightly drunk.
"You can imagine my surprise when I heard that one of the sannin was in town." the masked man commented, not even touching his drink. The question of why the gray-haired had ordered anything in the first place nagged at Jiraiya's brain, but only for a moment. "You really should learn some patience; the bathhouse isn't even done yet, sir."
"Ah, but you never know with these guys," the smut author snorted, "Their information is only good for what you give them, and I didn't feel generous that day."
Iruka forced the burning liquid from the cup in front of his face down his throat, observing Kakashi's actions very carefully. Had Jiraiya been completely sober, he would have known why Kakashi had ordered an extra cup. Sannin, you see, weren't often known for being willing to help people without cause. Ever since the three 'left' Konoha, the only tales that reached the ears of the village of their youths were often bad or related to something silly done when drugged. That being said, Iruka couldn't deny his superior's ingenuity. The best way to coexist with a sannin was to get them drunk.
"So, when's the next book coming out, then?" Kakashi asked casually, forcing the praise out of Iruka's head as the chuunin was forced to inhale his drink sharply. What did the damn book have to do with anything? There was only so much that Iruka could dismiss as lulling someone into a false sense of security.
"I thought we were here to talk about N-"
"Nothing in particular, right?" Kakashi interrupted, his voice confident. Jiraiya looked between the two of them and snickered, his face a little redder than it had been when they arrived. The Hatake quickly poured some of his own glass into Jiraiya's when the man looked away.
"Ah, you're so tense, kid!" Jiraiya exclaimed, grinning awkwardly at Iruka, who pushed his stool further back in small increments. "Lighten up! There are ladies present."
"There sure are," Kakashi said quickly, staring at Iruka directly. The Umino made no effort to conceal the vein bulging on his forehead.
Jiraiya slapped his thigh with mirth and turned back around to face the Hatake and take another drink.
"I think we've met, eh…"
"Kakashi." the jounin announced, bowing slightly, "-Kakashi Hatake."
"Oh, I know that name!" Jiraiya nodded, and proceeded to make small talk with one of the biggest fans of his work he'd ever meet, not even the slightest bit dissuaded by Iruka's constant leering.
Tazuna waited for the rain to stop for what must have been three hours before finally conceding victory to mother nature's whims. He let the workers leave for home early, and Sakura and Sasuke let out a sigh of relief at not having to worry about slave labor for the time being.
The workers emptied the site of their personal belongings, but the equipment was left in orderly piles. Even though petty theft was not unheard of in the village, not very many common rogues really felt like acting as a kleptomaniac when they were faced with wheelbarrows and shovels.
Sakura waited for Tazuna to finish overseeing his worker's departures. It was somewhat of a long process, and she was beginning to feel her stomach growl. When she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that he hadn't eaten a full and proper meal for several days. Thankfully, the Haruno had the foresight to bring a bag that contained a few choice morsels to snack on.
With consideration for Sasuke(who was probably also hungry), the pink-haired kunoichi reached into her bag to retrieve two packages of nuts when her hand wrapped around something warm and furry instead. Sakura screamed at this discovery. She couldn't be blamed for that; even Kakashi would have flinched considerably if he found a living organism in his luggage that he hadn't invited.
Inari had been closest to Sakura when her shrieking pierced the air, and pulled the bag away from her terrified hands in an instant to look inside. Being a young boy, he couldn't help but investigate. He wondered what sort of gross creature or object could have possibly been inside to create such a reaction. Sasuke soon arrived to uncover the same mystery when their eyes both fell on a very bushy and adorable orange squirrel that leapt out of the bag with natural grace.
"Aw… it's cute." Inari pointed out, joined with a chuckle from his grandfather. Quite honestly, Inari couldn't quite tell why the two young shinobi were staring at the rodent like it was the devil incarnate.
"Is this the one?" Sasuke asked Sakura, his eye twitching with vehemence.
"Y-yes." Sakura informed her teammate breathlessly.
"…and you brought it WITH you?" the Uchiha boy stammered, tensing as the small woodland creature wandered towards them with atypical squirrel boldness.
Sakura shook her head. "No. It must have slipped in on it's own."
Tsuoomi's eyes focused on the two genin with surprising intelligence, causing them to quiver further. Inari continued to watch the spectacle unfold as the squirrel clambered onto the feet of the pink-haired girl. She squeaked and tried to nudge it off with the help of Sasuke, who had reached for it with what appeared to be a bad case of Sciurophobia(the fear of squirrels).
Tsuoomi was undaunted by the Uchiha boy's efforts and used his underlying muscle tone to wriggle upwards, traveling through Sakura's dress and causing screams all around before emerging from the top of her garment to look her in the face.
"Sakura-chan," it squeaked, somehow recognizing her name from Naruto's brief memory transfers that had sparked his transformation.
Sakura's green eyes unfocused near the rodent, and with his words, they widened considerably. She was nearly unable to notice it when Tsuoomi pointed to her bag and…smiled. Normal squirrels didn't have the muscles for that. Between this fact and the manner in which the squirrel had addressed her, Sakura shrieked again and fell to the ground in a cold faint.
Sasuke's twitching had intensified, and after witnessing Sakura's collapse, he blindly ran at the squirrel that had deigned to speak. Inari, at this point, was so confused that all he could do was sit there while the black-haired genin chased a talking orange squirrel that was ultimately caught by Tazuna when he strayed too close to the flustered builder.
When the rough hands enclosed around his tail, Tsuoomi decided that the game was over. He had enough memory of his former self by this point to vanish without a trace, startling the still-coherent humans in the room even further. Plumes of smoke wafted from Tazuna's clutches where the rodent had been, and Inari gave a whistle.
"The hell was that all about?!" the builder demanded. Sasuke walked past him to pick up Sakura's bag. Something had happened inside it, and the damned squirrel itself had pointed to the canvas object. With disregard to the rules of common courtesy, the Uchiha opened the cover flap to reveal a strange-looking scroll. Discretion prevented him from opening the document in any way, and Sasuke decided to simply leave the parcel in the carrier until he could show it to Kakashi.
Sakura recovered within three minutes or so, and there was a nonverbal agreement between all present to act as if the whole squirrel fiasco had never occurred for the time being.
"Yeah, shhhure I'll help you!" Jiraiya slurred, taking the last gulp of what was in his magically-refilling cup. The man was beet red, now, and tilted dangerously when he moved. "Anything, go ahead and name it! That's what frreiiinds are for, right? 'Sides, this Naruto kid sounds familiar…"
"So you'll give me your word, then?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah," Jiraiya agreed sleepily before holding out his hand and making an attempt to stand up.
Iruka watched the famous shinobi stagger out of his seat and fall asleep on the surface of a nearby table, disrupting a card game between a bunch of farmers. The chuunin put his palm to his forehead. Whatever Kakashi had been trying to accomplish, the man may have gone a bit overboard.
"Why didn't you just ask him after the first few rounds?!" Iruka inquired, leaving Kakashi to pick up his drunken 'friend' and hoist him on his back. The jounin grunted with the weight of the sannin on his back and shrugged in response to Iruka's questioning.
"I guess I was having fun." Kakashi remarked, earning him yet another condescending glare from his subordinate.
Iruka left a tip on the counter and followed Kakashi outside grudgingly, and the three wandered back to Tazuna's house in the ever-persistent rain.
Author's note: Have a nice weekend, people.