The next day whirled passed the team in a haze. The high foot traffic in the small village was enough to keep the understaffed hospital on its toes even with the help of experts from Konoha. As if the work load weren't enough to put a damper on the group, the weather became uncharacteristically warm and wet. Instead of a chilly early winter day, it felt like a muggy autumn afternoon. Outside the dimly illuminated window panes, the browning vegetation glistened with the collected water that clung to the air.
Sakura peered out into the shrubs, observing the dreary weather before jotting down the last of her notes for a patient who just came out of surgery and handing the clipboard off to a scruffy nurse who looked like she had gone days without sleep. The nurse gave a short nod to Sakura before scurrying off. She went to check in with Toku, the head nurse that showed Sakura and her cohort around the hospital the night of their arrival. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, noting that the humidity added more than a touch of frizz to her otherwise usually smooth pink hair. When she arrived a floor down, she found Toku busy as always. The pleasantly plump old woman moved with hurried footsteps.
Toku was directing a young nurse to the NICU to check on the four newborn babies delivered earlier that morning. Sakura waited patiently for Toku to finish before greeting the older woman.
"It's been a busy few days. We appreciate the help," Toku said warmly.
"We're happy to be of service," Sakura said with equal warmth. Sakura thought back to her days in residency when there was never enough time or enough hands to manage the emergency wing. The constant onslaught of injured shinobi and civilians resulted in many sleep deprived nights.
"You have a visitor, I assume. A young man strapped with equipment has been lurching around the front entrance of the hospital for a few minutes now."
Sakura thanked Toku and headed back to the lobby. Sakura was eager to find out if any recon work yielded a promising lead. When she reached the main floor heading towards the entrance, she saw that Genma had already beaten her to it. The young shinobi contact was already deep in conversation with Genma. The two men felt Sakura approach and paused.
"What's going on?" Sakura questioned.
"I've been sent by the Hokage," the young shinobi paused to shake Sakura's hand.
Genma sighed and took a sweep of the lobby with his eyes before speaking. "Several people have gone missing in neighboring villages. Two people went missing from a village less than ten miles out from here. These fuckers are toying with us." Genma growled.
"A total of six have gone missing. No bodies were found yet. On my way here, I was able to pick up bits and pieces of information that indicate that the last disappearance happened a day ago. The village is only ten miles away and was the last of the four villages targeted. The culprits must not have gotten far. I'm going to work my way up to Shimogakure before the rest of your team arrives. I was instructed that should I encounter hostiles, to round back your team first and return to Konoha as one unit. If your team is under attack, you will take a defensive lead and return to Konoha as soon as possible. The changes in your mission are listed here" The young shinobi handed them a scroll stamped with the seal of the Hokage. Genma quietly tucked it into his sleeve.
"Well, you'd better not let more people see you talking to us and get out to Shimogakure as fast as you can. If the culprits were this close to our location, we can't deduce if they have spies in a nearby region. Take care of yourself…" Sakura trailed off without realizing as she didn't know the young man's name. She didn't recognize the young shinobi, something that was normal enough as many often fell in the line of duty. It was one thing that seemed to tug at her heart any time she was reminded of how many never make it back home.
"Tatsunori, and I will. Kakashi-san will be joining you before nightfall." With that, Tatusnori bowed lightly and disappeared through the entrances once again.
"I'm telling you Pinky, something is going to happen soon. I can feel it."
As much as Sakura wanted to tell Genma he's just paranoid, she felt it in her gut too. Hearing that Kakashi would be here soon gave her a little comfort.
The sun was falling well behind the trees as the last gleams of light faded in vibrant hues. Thankfully, today's schedule was set to finish earlier than the last few days. Sakura pulled her medical coat off and threw it in the office hamper. Her attention was drawn down the hall where she could hear Moeka and the others arguing. Sakura thought the night seemed awfully quiet, but now it seemed it would be as loud and boisterous as it was the past few days.
"Seiji, just admit it. You didn't want to help because you thought it was too low for you," Yuri seethed as she rolled her eyes. Seiji ignored her and instead brushed passed her into the office.
"A nurse could have done that. It wasn't necessary."
"I swear to Kami, one day, I WILL punch him in the face."
"What's going on?" Sakura asked. The unit was falling apart by the minute and what little patience Sakura had left in her being was unwillingly going to be wasted on this seemingly petty situation. Sakura picked up a stack of medical files that seemed to have been left by the previous nurse in charge of filing them away before reporting back to her department. Sakura looked at the first sheet. A report made about a child with hives being admitted into the emergency room. The next was a little more interesting. A 28-year-old man jumped off a cliff to dive into frigid waters and ended up grazing the rock wall on his way down. He managed to snap his radius bone. Sakura raised a brow and decided this must have been some idiotic dare accepted during a drunken escapade. As she looked further down, her assumptions were confirmed as it was noted he was in fact intoxicated with a higher blood alcohol level than most normal people could withstand. As her thoughts trailed off on the remainder of the files, she realized that nobody had answered her question.
"I asked you what hell all this ridiculous bickering is about," Sakura repeated with a note of finality.
"Seiji refused to give a child a topical anesthetic when he was going to get more than 15 stitches from a large tear on his back after a biking accident. He's a complete dick!" Yuri shouted almost on the verge of insanity at how heartless he could be.
"It doesn't matter if he was a child or not. Stitches are bearable. If he needed pain relief, the nurses could have applied it for him."
"WHAT?! Of course it makes a difference! Your patient was a child. How could you not care what your patient was experiencing at the time? The poor boy was basically balling his eyes out and you iced him out. You decided that wasn't a big deal and left him to suffer for almost an hour before the nurses came to assist you!" Yuri seethed while stabbing an accusing finger on his shoulder.
"Enough!" Sakura found herself slamming her hands down with some chakra enforced strength. The metal table under the stacks of paper buckled under the force and crumpled inward. The table had all but folded completely in half. The neat stack of files slowly slid to the center before slowly floating off the desk to the cold floor. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. She hadn't quite meant to get so annoyed or to destroy the property of an already underfunded hospital. Perhaps when they returned to Konoha, she might arrange for some new office furniture to be delivered.
"Sakura-san is right. We really need to keep the bickering to a minimum. We shouldn't be arguing every second," Moeka chimed in.
"Says the mindless mouse. Always the timid peacekeeper. Pisses me off" Ibiki remarked as he sat up and lifted his feet to rest on the coffee table. Moeka shot him a glare as she held her fists tight. She felt her cheeks grow hot. She turned to give him a piece of her mind, but Sakura cut in.
"Cut the shit Ibiki. I'm responsible for this team. I don't give a shit if you aren't shinobi. You still follow my lead and do what I say if you know what's good for you. There are dangers out there if you haven't noticed. If you want to stay safe and return back to your prestigious little job, back to your little glorified throne and the only place where you're recognized, I suggest you knock it off. Now. And Seiji, it doesn't matter what hospital you work for, shitty bedside manners aren't appreciated anywhere." Sakura said lifting her slender leg to firmly kick his foot off the coffee table. "Get your belongings. We're going back to the inn. As a group."
Sakura's tone of finality was not challenged. As soon as she placed the scattered papers in an organized stack again, Yuri and Moeka both followed suit. The ladies neatly tucked their jackets and other work belongings into the lockers Toku had given them. The gentlemen decided not to anger the master medic shinobi. Instead, they silently packed their belongings away and waited at the door with their hands in their pockets. As they made their way down the sets of stairs and to the hospital lobby, Genma joined them after winking to the young receptionist at the sign-in desk.
The group made a way out into the dimmed streets of the quiet village. The evening was a stark contrast from the muggy warm afternoon. The night air dropped in temperature and became icy. Sakura fought the urge to shiver but couldn't stave off the goosebumps that rose up on her skin. Moeka and Yuri opted to cling to each other as they walked alongside Sakura. The gentlemen trailed closely behind them as they chatted about their positions back in Konoha and their plans to demand a pay raise after their work on the mission. Sakura rolled her eyes at their selfish endeavors. Their shallow conversations were none of her concern. Her concern was how quiet the village seemed. It was almost eerie on this particular night. She had grown accustomed to the busy streets of Konoha. In the evenings, Konoha lit up with all of its beautiful lanterns and streetlights to guide busy patrons to late night bars, eateries and shops. Here, most of the light that helped them through the quiet streets came from the windows of lit homes. Most of the village had already closed their doors and drawn their curtains for the evening.
After one more turn, they could spot the small inn. The quiet and soothing sound of running water hit her ears. After a long day, Sakura planned to make use of the small hot spring the inn housed in the back courtyard. She could already imagine the scent of the Hinoki wood as she would knock back a sip of warm sake to relax her tightened muscles. Sweet Kami, she sounded just like her shishou. Clearing her throat and her mind of frightening thoughts, she continued to the front entrance of the inn.
"We leave the inn to report to the hospital by 5am sharp. I expect everyone to be in the lobby by 4:50am latest," Sakura stated coolly.
Seiji frowned. "We can just report to the hospital for our shifts at 5. Why is it necessary to meet in the lobby?"
Sensing another opportunity for a small war to break out among the male and female medical staff, Genma stepped in to intervene. "Because it is much safer to move in a group."
Seiji narrowed his eyes as he looked on at Sakura. He gave a hard glare to which Sakura responded by raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. Was he trying to provoke her yet again?
"If Genma-san says so, I'll believe him."
"Whaaa? When did you start calling me -san?" Genma inquired as the rest of the men made their way up the stairs to their shared room. "I swear, these guys get more confusing by the day. Why don't you send up the ladies to rest. We need to have a chat about the mission." Sakura nodded before quickly turning to the ladies.
"Why don't you girls go on up and start to change. I won't be too long. We can go for a peaceful dip in the small hot spring after," Sakura smiled. Yuri and Moeka headed up the stairs after Yuri bid Genma a good night. As per usual, Moeka only huffed at him before turning away.
Genma sighed as he and Sakura headed to the small common area. The common area had a few cushions spread out on a large tatami mat with a low wooden table, a stack of shogi boards and some card games. A dated vending machine light flickered from its place on the back wall. Knowing the room was empty, Genma started the conversation.
"We need to have a plan. In the case that nothing happens, we move on to Shimogakure as soon as possible to complete our mission before returning. No stops," Genma urged.
Sakura sighed as she thought about the rough road ahead for their troupe full of civilians. "I wanted to spare them from intense travel, but I guess we don't have much of a choice. You're right. We really shouldn't stop anywhere. In the case that we encounter hostiles, we'll move back south to make our way back to Konoha. I'm sure Tatsunori will meet us on the way down. Let's think about our plan B once Kakashi-sensei gets here."
Kakashi slowly made his way down from the trees onto the dirt path leading to the small inn. His previous mission had been simple enough. In writing that is. This mission was an ANBU assignment as he was sent out to use his tracking skills to find a particularly notorious and nasty target, Cobra, who preached along the same lines as Orochimaru had in his days of playing God. The man had started an organization campaigning about unlimited power for those who joined his ranks. The invitation to join would only be initiated if prospective members brought their own test subjects for experiments. The organization had kidnapped and abused more than thirty-five children of varying ages. Only four out of the thirty-five children survived by the time Kakashi and his team arrived to take out Cobra. The fight was tough as he and his two teammates had been against around eight other members on strength enhancing drugs. They put up a good fight. But not that good. Kakashi sustained quite a few injuries before finally driving his chidori through Cobra's chest. Normally, Kakashi never felt satisfaction from taking life. In this particular mission, he was almost pleased to have taken out Cobra as he had not only experimented on young helpless children but abused them both sexually and mentally.
Knowing this was now of the past, all Kakashi wanted was to join his other teammates back on their journey home to Konoha. However, Kakashi's life was never so easy. This might partially explain his reluctance to ever be on time. It just meant the number of missions away from home would be greeting him sooner. Since returning home wasn't an option, he would opt for a good hot shower to rid himself of the dirt, grime and blood that still clung to his body. He tried to wash himself as best he could in a river with only one good arm. Cobra had managed to drive a dagger right through the top of his shoulder the moment he charged up to send the chidori that would end Cobra's life. Knowing he wouldn't be welcomed warmly into the small village if he entered with wounds and blood all over, Kakashi took a short rest at the river 3 miles west to wash before advancing further.
When he reached the fence that surrounded the inn, he read the small wooden sign with faded paint that indicated a small hot spring. Intrigued by the idea of a nice hot soak, Kakashi made up his mind to get a vacant room and make his way first to the hot spring.
As soon as Kakashi set his pack down, he stripped off his armor and uniform, opting to simply step out in a soft robe and towel before limping down the stairs to the hot spring. The steam drifted through the air and instantly relaxed his strained muscles. When he dipped into the small spring, it was heaven. The only two things missing were a little bit of alcohol and his beloved Icha Icha books. The only reason he hadn't brought one was because the moisture might damage the pages.
Closing his eyes and adjusting his mask to avoid touching the water, he leaned back against the rocks and savored the spring. He could feel himself drifting between light sleep and consciousness. A few minutes of rest after completing one mission and before commencing another seemed like a reasonable reward. When he was finally slipping into sleep, he heard feminine laughter and voices. Instantly he recognized Sakura's voice and the boisterous laughter of the overly talkative nurse and the soft words of the shy nurse Sakura worked with at the hospital.
He tried to block out their voices to go back to dreaming of his Icha Icha characters but froze when the topic shifted to something a little more uncomfortable.
Sakura, Yuri and Moeka excitedly slipped on their wooden sandals before heading down to the private women's entrance of the hot spring. The cold night air seemed to make the women even more giddy than usual. In moments like this, Sakura felt like a regular civilian spending time with her friends. It felt good to take pleasure in the simple things. The girls took off their sandals after entering and putting away their warm robes into a wooden cubby. They wrapped their bodies in soft plush towels before quickly dipping into the small hot spring to avoid the bite of the cold air.
Sakura let out a squeal of delight as she stepped into the water. The ladies found comfortable spots among the rock formations before settling down.
"You know Sakura-san, you are quite cute when you aren't going around breaking tables," Moeka teased.
"I don't go breaking hospital property all the time. Just when I'm super pissed," Sakura laughed.
"Well, I don't know about you ladies, but I need a drink," Yuri exclaimed.
Sakura groaned. She could go for a nice drink too. Unfortunately, the kitchen staff had already closed the small shop on the first floor of the inn. They only sold small plates, finger foods and noodles, but they also carried a small assortment of alcohol. The tiny devil sitting on her shoulder also pointed out that the mission scroll also didn't include specifics about allowing herself or Genma to drink on the job.
Moeka shot Yuri a mischievous grin. Sakura caught their little exchange and looked at them questioningly. Before she could open her mouth to ask, Yuri lifted her hand out of the water with two small glass bottles of sake held in her palms.
"Where did you get those from?" Sakura laughed. This is exactly why the three of them got along well. The perfect mixture of sweet, dangerous, feisty and mischievous.
"I had them tucked away in my pack of course! While you two were too worried about bringing supplies for everyone else, I was sooooo worried for our team and thought to bring some life-sustaining beverages." Yuri laughed in delight at her own plan.
Seeing the size of the bottles, Sakura supposed sharing two small bottles of sake between the three of them would be better than nothing. "We'll just have a taste. Can't get drunk on the job. Just one sip," Sakura mused out loud.
Moeka giggled before lifting her hand out of the water with two more small bottles of sake. Sakura couldn't help but erupt in laughter as seeing the sweet woman so proudly lifting her hand out to show off the goods. "That's what these are for!"
"I swear, Moeka. You are much more of a troublemaker than you let on," Sakura laughed as she accepted a bottle Moeka handed her. She twisted the cap off and took a deep whiff of the sake. Just the smell alone cleared up her mind.
"I'm also thoughtful enough to have convinced Yuri we shouldn't bring full sized bottles. It would interfere with your mission if we were all to get drunk" Moeka said proudly as she nodded at her correct choice.
Yuri huffed. "You know, Sakura-san might not be allowed to drink on a mission, but we could have."
"I don't think running from danger would be so easy when we would have to haul your drunk ass everywhere," Sakura laughed. Yuri scoffed at Sakura's statement.
"I can hold my liquor, thank you very much. Anyway ladies, cheers to our last day here before we head out!" Yuri announced as they clinked their bottles and took a sip. Sakura took a sip before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and handing the bottle over to Yuri. Better to have it out of reach before she was tempted to finish it off.
"Ah~ that's good," Yuri said licking her lips. "Sakura-san, I've been meaning to ask. How are things with you and that tall dark handsome Uchiha? It's the talk of the village. I'm sure you already know."
Sakura inwardly groaned. Maybe she should take the miniature bottle of sake back. She was off the hook from her medical duties, but she certainly wasn't off the hook with her lackluster love life when Yuri was around. "Not much to tell at this point."
"That's no fun. What about you Moeka? Have you found a new boyfriend yet?"
Moeka opted to take another swig of sake instead of answering the question. Yuri took that as a no.
"Well, we're a sad bunch, aren't we?" Yuri mused to herself. Moeka and Sakura nodded in unison before laughing.
"I don't know. It's nice not to be tied down anyway," Moeka admitted.
"I suppose in some ways it is," Sakura said. Inwardly, she thought of all the free time she had devoted to her work at the hospital. Thinking about her teammates and wondering about Sasuke was never a bad thing, but when you're in a relationship, it was a little different. She supposed that her mind would be preoccupied more often. At the hospital, Tsunade would never allow that.
"I don't know how you stay single when you have so many hot men around you," Yuri sighed as she shifted to shift deeper in the hot spring.
"Hot men?" Sakura questioned.
"Uh…Yea?! You seem to be blind to the amount of handsome single men around you Sakura-san. If I were in your position, I would have jumped Kakashi or the Hokage by now," Yuri confessed.
In the quiet still of the night, Sakura heard a faint noise that almost sounded like a muffled choke. "Did you hear that?" she asked the other girls. Their confused expressions squashed her suspicion. "First of all, Naruto has Hinata. Sure, he's handsome, and I've seen a number of women in the village swooning over him, but he's always been a brother to me. In the case of Kakashi-sensei, he's exactly that. MY SENSEI."
"He's your EX-sensei. You're no longer bound by the restrictions of a student and teacher relationship. Besides, he's so hot!" Yuri holding her face as she turned red. She wasn't the only one going red in the face. Moeka seemed to have lost her voice and turned into the shade of a tomato.
"How would you know? You've never seen his face before," Sakura noted.
"You don't need to see his face to know he's gorgeous. I bet Moeka agrees." Yuri gave Moeka a wicked grin and a nudge.
"He's more than that. He's a respectable man," Moeka said playing with a strand of wet hair.
"You should start a fan club. You talk like you've known him for years," Yuri said sipping her sake. Sakura took a sip too as she listened to her friends gossiping about her old sensei. As some of the gossip around the village made her feel a tad uncomfortable, a part of her was still curious about what people actually said about her boys.
"When I was dating Daichi, he would talk about Kakashi-san. They all did," Moeka said sighing as she took a sip of sake.
"They?" Sakura and Yuri inquired in unison.
"Daichi's ANBU friends. They always came when we went out, especially for drinks. They made it a point to wear their sleeveless uniforms to show off their tattoos. I know most of ANBU are elitist, but this bunch takes first place in elitist nonsense. They would talk about different missions, and the ones involving Kakashi-san always seemed different."
"How? Was he always the hero? Swooping to save the damsel in distress?" Yuri said as she placed a hand over her chest and the other draped over her eyes in a dramatic gesture.
Moeka played with her half empty bottle of sake between her fingers, searching for the right words to convey her feelings. "Well, no. I don't think Kakashi-san is the kind of man who wants to be in the spotlight. I think...I think he's just always thoughtful. He's careful about his actions and words. He does things with a purpose," Moeka said softly.
For a moment, Sakura had forgotten this conversation was about Kakashi. Her mind momentarily drifted to Sasuke and how he seemed so similar in that respect. All his moves previously had been calculated and done with purpose. These days, his purpose changed as everything that had hurt him disappeared. She supposed his renewed purpose was to revive his clan and to live a semi-normal life. The kind that his fallen parents and brother would wish for him. One that would love him and stand by him forever.
Moeka brought her knees to her chest and hugged her arms around them before continuing. "When he went on a mission to Sand, he took a hit to his back from shielding a teammate. His teammate had already taken a fatal blow and was going to die. Kakashi-san knew that but shielded him anyway. Daichi went on and on about how dumb that was. The ANBU officer had only a ten percent chance at survival if that. The injury was severe. The only way he would survive was if medics were on site, but they knew ANBU missions rarely had medical backup. So many times, they were a one-way deal."
"It's sad, but that's the nature of ANBU. There's a reason not everyone becomes a member," Sakura said with a heavy heart. She had seen her share of deceased ANBU. Every time she would see a lifeless ANBU corpse make its way into the hospital and down to the coroner's wing, she would personally take the body herself. In the moments of privacy, she would lift the masks away to see their faces. ANBU was all about concealing identities, but it didn't matter when they were gone. It wasn't fair to leave them as nameless bodies. Instead, she honored them for who they were under the mask. Of course, she never shared their identities with anyone. The shinobi in the village would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Wait, Daichi would tell you all of this? He would mention Kakashi-sensei by name when he recounted these ANBU missions? Those are supposed to be strictly confidential," Sakura warned.
"No, no. Daichi might have been a jerk, but he wasn't careless. I realized it was Kakashi when you were treating him a few months ago. Do you remember that day in early summer when we went to get spicy curry for lunch?"
"Yeah, I do. I was late from treating him. He had…" Sakura nodded as she pulled the memory from her hazy mind.
"several senbon lodged in his back with one dangerously close to his spinal chord and shrapnel riddled throughout his back. One was lodged in between his disks. Details I heard from Daichi's story. When you told me about his surgery, I put two and two together," Moeka had answered before Sakura could continue.
"Hm…so that's what happened," Sakura mused out loud.
"So, you're in love with him now?" Yuri inquired more seriously as the conversation took a more somber mood.
"I dated a guy who was a selfish narcissist, so hearing and seeing men who aren't like that gave me a little hope. Even though his teammate had a small chance at survival, Kakashi-san refused to throw that small chance away. I think he took that hit in hopes to go home…together," Moeka said dreamily as she felt the alcohol warming her body. The steam from the spring made her head feel heavy. She rested her head on her knees as the conversation continued.
Sakura smiled and nodded. It was true, Kakashi would never leave a member behind. His respect for his team was always strong. In her younger years, Sakura figured his sense of loyalty was strongest with Team 7 because they grew up together and had undergone so much. But really, his loyalty and protective nature extended to all the teams he led. He equally cared for each teammate. It was quite different from the usual reclusive and antisocial front he put up when not on a mission.
"So, you love him?" Yuri asked in confusion as she tipped her bottle completely upside down over her open mouth. A single drop trickled down as she shook it, trying her hardest to get every last bit. Her eyes lit up when she realized she had Sakura's unfinished bottle to polish off.
There was a strangled cough.
This time, all three women heard it this time. They all suspiciously turned back to look at the wooden wall separating the women from the men's section of the bathing pools. Sakura glowered as she tried her best to read any signatures that might be hostile. She sensed Kakashi's familiar chakra before it was snuffed out completely in a moment. Realizing that her former sensei must have arrived for the remainder of their mission, Sakura understood their topic of conversation had better change before things got awkward for more than just a few people.
"Aaaaaanyway, how about we move onto something a little less depressing? When are we having a girl's night?" Sakura suggested. Yuri and Moeka eyed Sakura as she quickly changed the subject.
The moment Kakashi heard the word "love" being tossed around in the conversation, he felt his throat tighten. It was entirely inappropriate for these ladies to mention the word love and his own name in one sentence. Love did not fit in his life. In that split second, he let another strangled choking sound escape his lips. Instantly, he cloaked his chakra entirely before Sakura became any more suspicious. He was sure that Sakura would now be aware of his presence across the thick wooden wall. As soon as he saw Genma emerge out of the changing area into the open, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh in frustration. He had only just returned from a hard mission and was hoping this new assignment would be relatively uneventful. The mission for him had only just started. It seemed the people on the mission would prove to be the issue and not the mission itself.
Kakashi decided to go the silent route and leaned his head back on a rock. He closed his eyes and lifted a finger to his lips, hoping his long-haired friend would get the message and remain quiet. All hopes were dashed when Genma opened his mouth to speak rather loudly.
"Kakashi! When did you get here?" Genma exclaimed boisterously. He nearly dove into the water to get to where Kakashi attempted to rest.
Kakashi could only pinch the bridge of his nose. The mental image of three distraught and angry women danced behind his closed eyes. He could feel Sakura's chakra spike just a tad. Was it a threat? He wasn't sure, but he was certain he heard the young shy nurse gasp when she heard his name.
"Jerk!"
"Eavesdropper!"
All Kakashi wanted was a nice soak after a long day. Instead, he was being called names when he was only 7 minutes and 28 seconds into this mission. Kakashi took a deep breath and submerged himself completely under the surface of the steaming water.
"Ah~ the ladies are on the other side? Hi girls! What do you say we just break this rickety old wall and bathe together? You won't be disappointed by what you see!" Genma laughed as he confidently placed his hands on his waist. A few moments later, he hopped around to avoid the sudden barrage of stones that were thrown over the wall.
"Shut your mouth you dirty pervert!" Yuri yelled as she pulled another rock off the formation of their hot spring.
"Woooah! Ladies! You could hurt someone! If you don't want me, you could always ask Kakashi to entertain you!" Genma teased.
Before he could continue his teasing, a smaller rock broke the surface of the water behind him to smack the back of his head with substantial force.
"OW! Kakashi, I could have been injured," Genma whimpered.
The only response he got was a gurgling cluster of bubbles where Kakashi was submerged and a lone middle finger on a hand breaching the surface.