A/N: hey guys! I'm back. School is getting started, so I think I'm going to start my posting schedule next week. So chapter 24 should be posted on Monday!

Twenty-Three: Undercover

It ended up taking Sakura and Kakashi an extra day to reach Gintown, because Kakashi had gotten them lost after day one.

"I could have sworn that guy in the shop said to take a right," Kakashi said, scratching his head when the ANBU pair had found themselves moving deeper and deeper into the forest when they should have been going in the opposite direction.

Sakura had rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. One day wouldn't make much of a difference, and it probably wasn't entirely Kakashi's fault anyway. The old shopkeeper had given them directions, but he had been difficult to understand, and Sakura had been busy picking out civilian clothing for the two of them and hadn't heard the directions either. She would've let Kakashi pick out his own clothes, but when he'd shown her his selection—all varying lengths of plain black shirts and pants—Sakura had decided to take over the job of selecting their outfits herself. Kakashi hadn't protested too much.

"Oh well, let's just make camp here for the night and head out in the morning," she said, resigning herself to another night of sleeping on the hard ground. At least by the next day she should be able to enjoy a nice, comfortable bed—hopefully for a long time.

"While we're stopped here, we might as well go over the plan," Kakashi said, rolling out his sleeping bag and settling in for the night.

"We've been over it a thousand times already," Sakura complained.

"We have to make sure we've got our story straight," he told her. "There will be more scrutiny this time around, and one little slip up could cost us our lives."

"Our lives? More like my life. I'm the one who's going to be going behind enemy lines," Sakura snorted.

"Which is exactly why you have to make sure you've got your story down," he urged.

The tone of his voice was enough to stop Sakura's protests. Kakashi was her team leader, and besides, he was right. It wouldn't hurt to make sure she knew the plan like the back of her hand.

They had discussed it the night before they left—the same night they'd overheard the men talking at the bar. It looked like the rebellion was holding recruiting drives in some of the border cities every now and then, and there was going to be one in Gintown that summer. That would give Kakashi and Sakura a little more than a month to infiltrate the town, convince the villagers of their back story, and then, hopefully, create a convincing case for Sakura to join the rebellion.

They would be posing as a brother and sister fleeing from one of the poorer farming villages closer to the border with the Land of Wind. Kakashi would pretend to be a doctor, which would explain why Sakura was such a good medic.

That was how they were hoping to get her into the rebels' ranks—as a medic. Sakura had come up with the idea one night, saying that she should completely hide the fact that she was able to fight. It would make her appear less suspicious.

Sakura fingered her now auburn-colored hair, which was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck.

"My name is Kaiya Nagasawa. I'm nineteen years old, and I came to Gintown with my older brother, Kenzan, to escape poverty in our village. Kenzan is a doctor, and so was father. Both of them taught me everything I know, which is why, someday, I hope to be a doctor just like them!" Sakura turned to Kakashi. "How did that sound?"

"Good," Kakashi nodded. "You didn't hesitate. You could try to sound a little less confident, though. You sound too much like a fighter."

"Oh," the medic said meekly, making her voice small. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Like that."

"And what about you?" Sakura asked, looking over at the formerly silver-haired Copy Ninja. His hair now matched her own.

"You basically covered it. Kenzan Nagasawa. Twenty-nine." Sakura snorted when he said his age. Kakashi glared, but he kept going. "I'm a doctor, blah, blah. I'm the boring one. You're the one they're going to be interested in."

"Whatever," she said, lying back in her sleeping bag. "Let's just get some sleep so we can get an early start tomorrow. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed again."

"I pamper you too much," Kakashi teased. "I should never have let you have a full week of sleeping in a nice, comfortable hotel."

Sakura snorted. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who was so adamant about taking that recovery week."

"Hm, I guess I was. Well, what can I say? I guess my age is catching up to me."

The pink-haired kunoichi chuckled, rolling over on her side so she was facing him. "Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"I think we're here," Kakashi said as a large gate loomed into view.

"Really?" Sakura said sarcastically. "I never would have guessed."

The two undercover shinobi walked up to the gate, only to be stopped by a gatekeeper.

"What is your purpose here in Gintown?" the man asked.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, who spoke.

"We are refugees looking for a place to stay for a while, and eventually, find work," he said, repeating the cover story they had rehearsed.

The gatekeeper looked them over carefully, then, deciding that their story was believable, agreed to let them through.

"What was that all about?" Sakura asked, frowning back at the gatekeeper.

Kakashi shrugged. "They're probably on edge here. If the rebellion is recruiting heavily in this area, they could be worried that the Sasakis would send troops here to prevent anyone else from joining the army. As long as we lay low, we shouldn't have any trouble. Now come on, let's go look for a place to rent."

"Do we have enough money?"

"We should. But if we run out, I can always send Pakkun back to Konoha for more."

"Alright. Let's go."

It took them a few hours of searching, but the pair of shinobi were finally able to find a small apartment to rent out for a few months that had two bedrooms and wasn't ridiculously expensive. Kakashi had haggled the price down quite a bit, but he had assured Sakura they weren't cheating the man out of his money. Men like him set the price ridiculously high because they liked bartering with customers, he explained. Sakura wasn't sure that she believed him, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

The apartment was nicer than Sakura had expected. It was on the third floor of a six-floor building, and it had a nice view of the town's main street below them. The living room was bigger than her own in Konoha, but the kitchen was smaller. From the living room and kitchen, there was a small hallway that led to their bedrooms. Thankfully, they each had their own bathroom.

"What do you think?" Kakashi asked, coming up to stand behind her in the doorway to her room.

Sakura almost jumped, startled by the fact that she hadn't noticed his presence.

"It's nice," she said honestly. "Actually, it's a lot nicer than I expected."

"Yeah, me too."

"Makes you kind of feel bad for arguing with that guy about the price, doesn't it?"

Kakashi grinned. "Nah. He enjoyed the arguing."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Men. Whatever, let's get unpacked and then I'll go to the store for some groceries so we can eat."

"Okay. I can go with you if you want. You don't have to do all the work yourself."

She smiled. "Okay, sure. I'd like that."

As she closed the door behind her and set about putting away her things, Sakura mentally chided herself.

"'I'd like that?' Who says 'I'd like that?' Get a grip, Haruno," she muttered, putting her clothes away in one of the drawer shelves.

"Just because you're living with a guy for the first time in your pathetic, loveless life doesn't mean you need to get all weird. It's for a mission, and it's Kakashi-sensei, for Kami's sake. Don't freak out on me."

She groaned, realizing she was talking to herself. This was no different from the times Team Seven had stayed together in hotels. No different. Except for the fact that those stays had only been a week or two at most, and it had always been the five or six of them, never just two.

She wondered if living with Kakashi meant she'd get to see his face.

A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. "Sakura! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out!"

They bought their groceries at a market not far from their apartment complex, and headed back to make and eat dinner. Neither shinobi had eaten a good meal in a few days, so even the instant ramen they'd settled on tasted good.

"Naruto would be so proud," Sakura said as they put away their utensils and went to sit in the living room. She supposed she would have to get a hobby if they were going to be spending an extended amount of time in that apartment. It was only a matter of time before the infamous Icha Icha book made an appearance.

"I wonder if there are any ramen shops in the Land of Silver," she mused.

"If there are, then I guarantee Naruto has found them all," Kakashi said.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She thought of her teammates being forced to eat ramen for every meal. Sai, she knew, didn't particularly care, but Sasuke was a different story. "Poor Sasuke."

"Do you miss him?"

"Huh?" That question had come out of nowhere. "Who? Sasuke?"

Kakashi nodded.

She frowned. "I mean, sure. I miss all my teammates and friends when I'm away."

"But you don't miss Sasuke more than the others?"

Sakura couldn't tell if Kakashi was trying—and failing—to be sly, or if he honestly just didn't care to bother with it.

"No…"

"Oh," Kakashi said. "I just knew you two were close again, and you're always partnered up together on missions, and I just thought there might be something going on."

"No," she said again, narrowing her eyes at the Copy Ninja, who was starting to look a little guilty. "Although, come to think of it, it does seem like you're always teaming up with Naruto and Sai and leaving me with Sasuke."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly, like he knew he'd been caught.

"Oh my god," Sakura groaned. "All those times…even when I was sick with that stomach bug, and you made Sasuke stay back and take care of me while you and Naruto went on the mission. I always wondered why it was him that stayed behind."

"Did you want Naruto to be the one to take care of you when you were sick?"

"Okay, fair enough. But still, how could I have not seen it! You were trying to set me and Sasuke up!"

"To be fair, Naruto was in on it too," Kakashi said.

"I'm pretty sure you two are the last people I want setting me up with anybody. I mean, no offense, but Naruto's like, completely oblivious when it comes to just about anything, and…have you even had a girlfriend, Kakashi? Or, um, a boyfriend?" she quickly added, just to be safe.

She was fairly positive Kakashi was straight, but it was Kakashi, and she knew for a fact there were plenty of women and men in the village who wouldn't mind spending a night or two with the great Copy Ninja. She thought of Gai-sensei's crazy antics and felt a smile dance across her lips.

Kakashi fixed her with a funny expression, and she couldn't resist.

"It's fine if you did, by the way. Have a boyfriend. I mean, Gai-sensei might be hurt if you had a boyfriend that wasn't him, but I'm sure Lee and Tenten would take good care of his broken heart. Hm, I guess I should have asked Yamato while we were training. I bet he knows all your secrets…Oh!"

Sakura gasped, amazed she hadn't seen it before. "Wow, I can't believe I never picked up on it. I bet you and Captain Yamato dated back when you were in ANBU, didn't you? You guys fight all the time like an old married couple. I bet that's why you still call him Tenzo too, even though he tells you not to. Because it was your pet name for him!"

"Sakura," Kakashi groaned. "Cut it out. I didn't date Tenzo, or Gai, or anyone else you know. Stop making it seem like I spent my youth gallivanting around Konoha, having illicit romances with everyone I ran across. In fact, stop talking about my love life. It's weirding me out."

"Well it's not my fault you spent a good portion of your days as our sensei making sure we knew as little as possible about you. If you think my theories are crazy, you should hear Naruto's!"

"I don't think I want to," he said with a wince.

"So then, you're not some love god who's slept with half the village? Because that was one theory," Sakura teased.

Kakashi looked over at her, a glint in his eye. "Well, I wouldn't say half the village. Why the sudden interest?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to find more out about my former sensei who I happen to be living with for the next couple months."

"Ah, so purely innocent reasons then. Well, I suppose I can tell you."

"Oh, lucky me," she grumbled, but her eyes were smiling.

"So to answer your question, no. I've had a few flings—not with Tenzo or Gai, before you ask. I'm not gay—but I've never been in a serious relationship."

"Well, that makes two of us," Sakura sighed, leaning farther back on the couch.

"I thought you said you've never been on a date!" Kakashi said, sitting up straight and looking at her with a serious expression. "You're not saying you've…uh, you know…"

He trailed off, clearly realizing he had blurted out his thoughts without thinking them through. Luckily, Sakura took pity on him and laughed it off.

"No, I've never even been kissed, so there's been none of that." She grinned at him. "You don't have to worry about tracking anyone down and breaking any bones, sensei."

"Good. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to my little cherry blossom," he laughed.

Sakura smiled. He only called her cherry blossom when he was feeling particularly affectionate. Or when she was really getting on his nerves, he did it to annoy her back, but she didn't think her teasing had bothered him that much.

"So can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Technically, you just did."

"You know, jokes like that were cute when you were twelve."

She shook her head. "Go ahead."

"Why don't you and Sasuke date? You're both close now, and I know he cares about you, and he respects you."

Sakura sighed. It was a question they got a lot, and rightfully so, considering how she'd chased and thrown herself at him so much when they were younger.

"We're just friends. I love him, and he'll always be one of the people I care about the most, but we could never be anything more than that. Not after all our history." She faltered. "It's hard to explain. It's just, after everything we went through, I realized all I ever wanted was for him to just acknowledge me as an equal—as his friend. It was never really love all along."

She shook her head. "Why are you always so desperate to set me up with Sasuke, anyway?"

Kakashi shrugged, but his expression changed to one Sakura hadn't seen in a long time—not since the war.

"Sasuke's a lot like me," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't want him to be lonely when he grows up."

Sakura frowned. She wanted to ask Kakashi if he was lonely, but she couldn't form the right words. She and Kakashi were close, but there were some things she still didn't know how to talk about with him, and his emotions were definitely one of them.

As it turned out, she didn't have to, because just as she was trying to find her words, there was a knock on their door. Kakashi frowned, reaching over and fingering the kunai he had hidden under the cushion. Sakura shook her head as he made a move to stand up.

"I'll get it."

Kakashi nodded, but he kept a firm grip on the knife in case they ran into trouble. Sakura opened the door hesitantly. Kakashi's caution was rubbing off on her. They'd just moved in, and they hadn't had time to make any friends yet, so why would someone be knocking on their door?

"Hello!" a blonde girl a few years younger than Sakura said, waving excitedly. With her blue eyes and huge grin, she reminded Sakura a bit of Naruto.

"Hi there," Sakura said, switching into the character of Kaiya Nagasawa and opening the door wider so Kakashi could see it wasn't a threat.

"I heard some new people just moved in, so I came over to say hi!" the girl said happily. "My brother's friend Isamu and his dad own this place, and he told me that there was a girl around my age here, so I thought I'd come and welcome you guys. My name's Takara, and I live on the fifth floor with my brother, Mitsuo."

"Nice to meet you," Sakura said, offering her hand for the Takara to shake. "I'm Kaiya Nagasawa. I just moved here as a refugee."

Takara nodded her head in sympathy. Apparently it was a common enough story. Kakashi had chosen their excuse well.

"Ooh, Kaiya, is that your boyfriend?"

Sakura turned back, realizing that Kakashi had moved in behind her.

"Who? Him?" Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "No, that's my older brother, Kenzan."

"Does he always wear a mask? Oh! Sorry! That was probably really rude of me! My brother always says I talk to much for my own good." She laughed nervously, clearly worried they would take offense.

"It's alright," Kakashi said, smiling down at her. "I don't mind. And yes, I do usually wear the mask. An old habit I picked up from working with sick people all the time."

"Oh, that makes sense," Takara said, her eyes widening in wonder. Sakura had to suppress a grin. The girl really was similar to Naruto.

"Hey Kaiya! Want me to introduce you to my brother and his friends? They're all probably just a bit older than you!"

Sakura and Kakashi exchanged a quick glance. This was perfect for their plan. The more people who could vouch for their cover story, the better.

"Sure! I'd love to make some friends, since I'm new here and all," Sakura said.

"Great! Come on, they'll all be over at my place hanging out! Oh wait, do you need to check with your brother first?"

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh and turned to Kakashi, who nodded his permission.

"Just don't stay out past curfew, Kaiya," he said.

Sakura shot him a discreet glare when she was sure Takara wasn't looking. He just couldn't resist…

"Don't worry, I won't be out too late, brother."

Kakashi grinned as she shut the door in his face.

"Older brothers," Takara said sympathetically. "They're always so protective, aren't they?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sakura said, thinking of not only Kakashi, but all her teammates.

"My brother and his friends want to join the rebellion when they come recruiting here again. I want to join too, to stay with them, but Mitsuo says he doesn't want me to be in any danger."

"Ah, I see," Sakura said.

Takara was babbling on about something else, but a new idea had taken root in the kunoichi's mind, so she didn't register any of it. If her new friends were going to join the rebellion, maybe she should let herself be 'inspired' into joining by listening to them. After all, the rebels would have less reason to suspect her if they believed she didn't even have any interest in joining until she met her new friends, and Sakura knew for a fact that joining something because all your friends did was as valid an excuse as any.

"We're here!" Takara said, and Sakura realized she hadn't even noticed that they'd arrived in front of a door. "Ready to meet your new friends?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Yeah, I am."

And ready to get this mission started.

~A/N: Okay, so I realize the whole power structure/political landscape of the Land of Silver may be confusing. The best way for me to describe it would be to say it's kind of like ancient Greece. Back then, what we know as the country now was actually made up of a bunch of individual city-states (Sparta, Athens, etc.) each with their own sovereign before they were eventually united as one nation. Anyway, the LoS is sort of like this. There are the larger villages that have the most power (like a Sparta or Athens) and then there are smaller villages that, while they still have their own rulers, don't have nearly as much power as the larger villages, and therefore probably need to be allied with one for their own protection. Collectively, the entire nation is known as the Land of Silver, but unlike Fire or Earth or Wind, etc. it doesn't have a daimyo to rule over all of it. Okay, I hope that helps!