Chapter 22

The solid sound of Shuriken hitting wood could be heard throughout the area. Sasuke huffed as he continued pushing. He had to get stronger and nothing was going to stop him. Hiding just out of sight was Kakashi. He watched Sasuke with his arms crossed as he leaned against the tree. Naruto and Sakura had returned home over an hour ago and the sun was beginning to set. The area was blanketed in a warm yellow hue due to the setting sun. Kakashi had to wonder how much longer Sasuke was going to be out training.

His eyes narrowed, recalling what Keiko had said to him. She thought he needed to have a conversation with Sasuke, that she was worried about him. Keiko knew that Sasuke wouldn't listen to her and thought that maybe he would listen to Kakashi. His hand gripped his arm tighter as his gaze grew more intense. Talk to Sasuke? He wasn't even sure how to begin. It was obvious to him that Sasuke wasn't taking his lessons on team work as seriously as he would like. He still viewed Naruto and Sakura as less than his equal. There was no way they would make it if Sasuke held them back because of his own mindset. Granted, he would never actually say that to his students face. It was something Sasuke needed to figure out on his own.

He watched as Sasuke flipped around, using the Phoenix Flower jutsu to conceal shuriken as they hit their mark. Kakashi looked on in astonishment at the feat, there were few Genin who would be able to pull something like that off. While Sasuke crouched on the ground catching his breath, Kakashi thought that it would be as good a time as any to make himself known.

Sasuke pushed himself up to his feat. He had to keep going. During their practice today he had noticed Naruto had gotten better, even Sakura was improving. Naruto's face flashed in his mind and he let out a small snarl before bringing his hands up to form a seal. He would not let Naruto get the better of him!

"That was very well done, Sasuke."

Sasuke jumped in surprise and turned to see his Sensei standing there, hands in his pockets as usual. He did his best to calm his breathing before deciding to speak. "Sensei, what do you want?"

Kakashi walked forward, eyeing the perfectly aimed shuriken on the training posts. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

The Uchiha scoffed, "Don't tell me Keiko told you to talk to me." He turned his head to the side and glared off into the distance. That woman needed to learn to mind her own business.

Kakashi watched him intently, studying his body language. "Sasuke, why do you dislike Keiko?"

He could no longer see his student's face but the way his fists tightened was not lost on him. Sasuke stayed quiet for several long moments. The wind picked up, causing leaves to fly past him and a chill rested in the air. "She's always smiling." His teacher remained silent, willing him to continue. "I know that she was close with him. There were times I thought they viewed each other like siblings."

Sasuke paused again, giving Kakashi a moment for the words to sink in. Was Sasuke jealous? As soon as the thought entered his mind he shut it down. Perhaps, in the past he had been, but this Sasuke wasn't one to get jealous over such petty things.

"So," Sasuke continued, "when he murdered everyone I thought that maybe, she would feel the same." He paused again and turned to face Kakashi, making eye contact. "But no, she continued on as if nothing had ever happened. I'm the only one who suffers. I'm the only one who can take revenge for what he did."

The Jonin closed his eyes and took a breath. He had a better understanding of his student now and he had to try and do something for him. What could he say though? There was a pause before a memory flashed in his mind. The night at the memorial stone. It was the first time Kakashi had really taken notice of her character, the moment he began to truly respect her. He opened his eyes, "Sasuke, Keiko did suffer, and still does." He had to agree with his student that Keiko was always smiling. There were many things that she would brush off or stow away. She would much rather smile and claim she was fine than have others worry about her.

He noticed Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and he had his gaze fixated on Kakashi. Sasuke was challenging him. Challenging Kakashi to prove him wrong.

Kakashi shifted his weight, "After the incident, Keiko spent a good amount of her time blaming herself for what Itachi did." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his interest immediately peaked. "She was close to Itachi, closer than she likes to admit. That's why she blames herself. She thought, out of everyone, she should have seen it coming." Kakashi watched Sasuke as he looked away, the gears in the boys head turning. Little did Sasuke know, Keiko's feelings closely reflected his own in regards to Itachi. Kakashi had been like a mentor to Itachi, after all. He continued, "For a while, there was hardly a day that she went without drowning her sorrows in alcohol."

Sasuke was taken aback by the idea, "Keiko... drinking?"

Kakashi chuckled lightheartedly, "Yes, the thought sounds weird now. She hasn't touched a drop in almost four or five years. Itachi's betrayal cut so deep, she would have rather lived in a haze than face that pain." Kakashi walked closer to Sasuke as their gazes connected. Kakashi remembered the nights Guy or Iruka would take her home, or raid her apartment for any hidden bottles of liquor. "Through it all, Keiko had people to support her but that didn't mean anything when she wouldn't listen to them."

The boy jumped a little and looked away, clenching and unclenching his fists. He had a feeling Kakashi was talking about more than just Keiko now.

"It took Keiko a while to realize that there were people around her she could rely on. People who could help her overcome her trauma. It was at that point she tried to help you as well." Sasuke looked to the side, unwilling to meet Kakashi's gaze. Kakashi's hand came to rest on Sasuke's shoulder and he smiled, "Keiko had the support of her friends to overcome her trauma. Now you do too."

Sasuke's eyes locked with Kakashi's. The image of Naruto and Sakura flashing in his mind. He had been pushing them away. All this time he didn't think the bonds he had were meaningful, they wouldn't serve a purpose. Could he be wrong?

There was silence between the two before Sasuke brushed off Kakashi's hand. His gaze flickered to Kakashi's covered Sharingan. He wanted to bring it up and get an answer but he had a gut feeling that Kakashi still wasn't going to tell him anything. Instead, he asked another question that had been on his mind for some time, "What exactly is your relationship with Keiko anyway?"

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise at the question. His hand came up to his neck as he shifted his weight. "She's a fellow comrade, beyond that I really don't have to tell you anything."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and yet you know all this stuff about her." He turned to walk toward the posts to gather his shuriken.

Kakashi watched the boy mumble a few things to himself. People who didn't know Sasuke might say that Kakashi's talk was meaningless, that it didn't do anything. He could tell he had gotten Sasuke to think. It was up to Sasuke to piece it all together now though.

He turned to leave, his hand digging into his pouch for his favorite book. Kakashi was feeling a bit tense and Make Out Paradise was one of his favorite escapes from the world around him. As he began to read he thought over what Sasuke had said. He did know a lot about Keiko, but that was only natural considering their history. She was one of the few people he could consider a true friend.

A small blush rose to his cheeks as he delved into the book, picking up at a rather risque scene. He continued reading for several minutes before halting in his tracks. His head leaned back to look at the sky, one hand combing through his hair as a soft curse escaped his lips.

She was his friend, though as time passed he pictured more and more himself and Keiko as the main characters in his book.

~0~

A few days later Sakura and Naruto sat at Ichiraku Ramen enjoying a meal. Sakura did her best to ignore her teammates loud slurping as she looked longingly at the seat next to her that was empty. She had offered for Sasuke to join them and it seemed like he wasn't going to show up. Her head fell in defeat. Was it because Naruto was there? No, that wouldn't matter. Sasuke didn't seem to want anything to do with either of them.

Naruto noticed Sakura's sullen demeanor and wiped his mouth, "Hey, you okay, Sakura?"

She cast a glance over to him, "Yeah, just seems like Sasuke isn't coming."

The blonds eyes narrowed at the empty seat. Of course he didn't show up, what was Sakura expecting? He was too cool to be seen with them. Naruto thought that after what happened in the Land of Waves, they had become closer but it seemed like Sasuke was pushing them away more than ever! He finished the last of his ramen and slammed the bowl down and grumbled, "Well, who needs that show off anyway?"

Sakura cast him a glare, "He's not a show off. You're just jealous because he's better than you."

Naruto stiffened at the accusation, "Hey, I'll show you, I'll become even stronger than Sasuke!"

"Good luck."

Sakura and Naruto blinked in surprise. In unison the two turned to see their teammate standing there. Naruto was surprised to see him but his eyes narrowed. His eyes shifted toward Sakura and he instantly knew that his alone time with her was up. Sakura had actually been giving him the time of day recently and he wasn't sure how or why but he was going to take advantage of the situation while he could. With Sasuke here, he was sure all her attention would be on Sasuke, like it always was.

"Sasuke!" Sakura beamed, "You did come!"

The Uchiha sat at the counter next to Sakura. He ordered a bowl of Ramen as well before casting a glance at his teammates who were staring at him expectantly. He could feel a bead of sweat start to form thanks to the awkward atmosphere, "What?"

Naruto rested his head in his palm, leaning on the counter. He fixed Sasuke with a questioning and suspicious look, determined not to show that a small part of him was pleased that Sasuke did show up. "Didn't think you'd actually show up. Why are you here?"

Sakura's smile twitched at Naruto's rude tone and resisted the urge to smack him. She shot Naruto a dark glare that made him lean back and laugh awkwardly before turning to Sasuke with a genuine smile, "Don't mind him, Sasuke. But, he does have a point, we didn't think you'd show up."

The boy looked off to the side away from them, a small blush fighting it's way too his cheeks. He scoffed, "I was hungry, you two just happened to be here."

Naruto and Sakura shared a quizzical glance, that didn't seem like Sasuke. The Sasuke they knew would have seen them and kept walking. Naruto crossed his arms, "Alright, just who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched in annoyance and turned toward Naruto, "You idiot, would you just shut up?!"

Sakura turned her head side to side listening to her teammates bicker. This was the first time she had seen Sasuke actually go back and fourth with Naruto for so long. Naruto grew more and more riled up and Sasuke's lip was actually curled upward in a smirk. Her eyes grew wide, was Sasuke having fun riling up Naruto?

Suddenly, Teuchi stood in front of them, ladle in hand. "Alright, that's enough! I don't mind you kids being in here but lets keep it down. Got it, Naruto?" Naruto crossed his arms and grumbled an apology to the older man.

Teuchi placed Sasuke's ramen before him and as the boy dug in Sakura clapped her hands. A determined smile spread across her face, "Yeah, we shouldn't be fighting. We're a team!"

Across the street, blue eyes were watching the three Genin. Keiko smiled warmly seeing Sasuke willingly seek out his teammates, "Seems you were able to help him after all, Kakashi."

~0~

It was two days later that the Hokage finally summoned all of the Jonin to announce the Chunin Exams. There was little time for pleasantries between the Jonin team leaders before the Hokage cleared his throat. Keiko scanned the room, finding Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Guy among the Jonin. Toward the back she spotted Iruka who stood among a few of the spectating Chunin who were helping to run the Exams. Keiko herself stood by the Hokage's desk, a clipboard in hand that held all the Genin names in Konoha who were eligible for the exam.

The Hokage eyed the room full of ninja and spoke loudly from his seat behind the desk, "I have summoned you for a very important purpose. Seeing your fellow Jonin here, I'm sure you know what this is about."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed in thought. He knew the Chunin exams were coming close but he thought they would have a little more time.

Asuma spoke up, "I take it all the other lands have been notified about the event. I've noticed some of their Genin have already arrived in the village."

"And, when do we start?" Kurenai questioned.

"We will begin in one week." A few of the Jonin were surprised by this. In the past they were generally given a bit longer to help their Genin prepare. The Hokage grasped his pipe from his mouth, "Take heed. Exactly seven days from today, on the first day of July, the Genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin."

The Hokage allowed a few moments for the information to sink in before continuing. He motioned for Keiko and she stepped forward, taking up her clipboard, "All right, it is time we chose our candidates for the Chunin Examinations. To begin, will those in charge of the rookie Genin step forward?"

The three Jonin stepped forward, an air of determination around them. Keiko wanted to smile but didn't, she had a feeling what they were going to say.

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma. What do you say? Are there any in your squads you recommend who are ready for the exams despite their inexperience? As you know, any Genin who was carried out eight or more missions is technically eligible for the examination. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready." He turned his gaze on Kakashi, "So, Kakashi, you begin."

Kakashi held up his hand and said the pledge, "I lead squad seven, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin selection exams."

There was an audible gasp from the room and while Keiko knew who it was, she eyed Kakashi with a grin. Her eyes lingered on him before marking something down and listening to Kurenai and Asuma also recommend their own Genin. Keiko couldn't say she was surprised, all of these students showed remarkable potential in the academy.

As she marked the referrals down on her clipboard, a familiar voice sounded, "Hold on, just a minute!"

Herself and Hiruzen looked up to see Iruka who had pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Yes, what is it, Iruka?" The Hokage questioned.

"Lord Hokage, with all respect, the nine names given were all my students at the academy. I know their skills and abilities. Everyone of them has great promise, but it's too soon. They need more experience before they are tested. If they try now they're sure to fail the exam."

Kakashi and his fellow Jonin turned to look at Iruka. "When I became a Chunin, I was six years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi's eyes narrowed, he knew out of all the students, it was Naruto he was most concerned with.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" Iruka barked angrily, stepping forward to be closer to the three Jonin. "Are you trying to destroy them?"

"Well, they're always complaining about not being challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

Iruka looked at Kakashi incredulously, "Wh- What did you say?"

Kakashi continued nonchalantly, "Oh, nothing fatal of course. But seriously, Iruka. Relax." Iruka wanted to say something but he couldn't find the words. This man... How Keiko put up with him he would never know! "Listen," Kakashi continued, "I understand how you feel. It's very personal for you and it upsets you, but-"

Kurenai interrupted him seeing how frustrated Iruka was becoming, "All right, Kakashi. Back off. You've said enough."

"No."

All heads turned to Keiko, she cast Iruka a soft smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. "Iruka, I was close to these students as well, remember that." She closed her eyes, "This is something Iruka needs to hear."

Kakashi returned his gaze to Iruka, "They are not your students anymore. They're mine."

Iruka stepped forward, gesturing with his hands, "But these exams could destroy them! You know that! Keiko, how can you agree with them?!"

"Iruka!" The Hokage said firmly, stopping Iruka in his tracks, "You have made your point. I understand." He paused, "Unfortunately, the decision is not up to you or I. If Kakashi feels that his students are ready, that is the end of it."

~0~

"He did seem pretty upset." Kakashi commented as he walked down the streets of Konoha, hands deep in his pockets.

Keiko walked beside him and sighed, crossing her arms, "He came to me afterwards rather distressed. He thinks you're trying to kill them."

"Who said I'm not?"

She chuckled, bumping her shoulder against him as they walked, "You want them to do well. If you didn't think they had a chance you wouldn't have recommended them."

Kakashi grinned, "You're right."

She looked up to the clouds, "I think they will surprise him. They might even surprise you and me."

He nodded, "You were right about that once before." She had said the same thing before he gave them the bell test. He had been sure that this team was going to be like all the others, no sense of teamwork. They had proved him wrong though, and had come a long way since then. "Their teamwork's improved."

"They have you to thank for that." She smiled at him, "Your talk with Sasuke seemed to open things up. What did you say to him anyway?"

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment, "Nothing important." He might have crossed a line saying what he did, but he wasn't sure. Eventually, she would know Sasuke was aware of her struggle but he wasn't sure if he wanted to disclose that at the moment.

She hummed in thought and looked Kakashi up and down and cast a glance at his side pouch. "I've noticed you haven't been reading your book lately. Have you lost interest in it?"

The man stopped walking and looked away, a noticeable blush dusting his cheeks. "No, it's just... inappropriate," he finished awkwardly.

She cocked her head to the side and eyed him curiously, "Since when do you care that the book is indecent?" He refused to meet her gaze or even look in her direction, "Kakashi?"

His mind was racing trying to think of something to say. He could tell her most anything, he knew that. But, the thoughts and feelings he had about her when he read that book were too much for him. He was already ashamed for having such thoughts, there was no way he would tell her.

She stepped closer to him, hands on her hips as she looked up at him, "Kakashi, what's wrong?"

He laughed awkwardly, trying to think of a way out of this situation without being too rude. He looked behind her suddenly and spotted a familiar head of pink hair, "Oh, it's Sakura, she must be looking to talk to you. I'll give you ladies some alone time." He smiled with his eye before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Keiko turned her head to look at Sakura and then back around to say something but groaned when she found Kakashi had fled. Her eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips, what had gotten him so flustered? The two of them had talked about the book on numerous occasions. She knew he got that way when discussing the book with others but not with her. Had something happened to make him so flustered? Was it something she did?

Sakura ran up to her, "Keiko Sensei, did Kakashi Sensei need to go somewhere?"

The Jonin sighed and turned back to face Sakura, "Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. What brings you around, Sakura?"

The girl crossed her arms and huffed, "I wanted to talk to Kakashi Sensei about some training, I want to get stronger for the Chunin Exams." Kakashi had come to them that morning saying he had recommended them. She knew she had gotten stronger but she needed to improve if she was going to be of any use to Naruto and Sasuke. Not to mention, they had ran into the Genin from the Sand village. She knew at her level she wouldn't stand a chance against them or others that could be attending. She didn't want to rely on Naruto and Sasuke to save her anymore.

Keiko eyed Sakura for a moment before a small smile graced her lips, "Sakura, how about you do a little training with me?"

Her head shot up, "Really? Are you sure?"

She chuckled, "Of course I am. If you can catch on to what I teach you it will certainly give you an advantage."

Sakura smiled, her eyes shining with determination, "Let's do this."

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Posted - 7/25/2021