Over the next three days, Kakashi tried multiple times to get in to Tsunade's office to see about updates on Tenzo. He knew his friend was capable - more capable than most, in fact. Even on a solo mission like the one he was on, Kakashi was sure that his former teammate would have no problem in reaching the cave in the North Pass and retrieving the girl's remains quickly. This wasn't a dangerous mission, he told himself. He had no reason to worry. Still, though, there was that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that wouldn't quite go away, and as he faced off against Gai in the middle of Training Ground 6 that afternoon, the worry was evident on his face.

"Your mind isn't in this, my friend," Gai's voice spoke. Kakashi blinked, turning his attention back to the other man, exhaling a small huff of air as he dropped his stance.

"I can't quite make sense of something," Kakashi admitted, frowning underneath his mask. Gai's face flashed a knowing look, and he patted the silver-haired man's shoulder.

"It's about the explosions, isn't it?"

Kakashi's silence spoke for him, his eyes directed at the ground now as he went over everything he knew in his mind. The mission seventeen years ago had been to Iwa; to retrieve a package, a girl. He didn't know why they'd been sent and she had never said. He remembered that she had been about his age, and that she'd been terrified. He remembered that awful, three day blizzard; how she'd been curled up at the back of the cave, afraid that the fire would bring Iwa ninja to their location even despite the whiteout conditions.

And then, his eyes flashed nearly black, he remembered finding her the morning of that fourth day; her blue lips, the way her stringy brown hair had clung to her face, frozen in place with her fever sweat. Kakashi had been numb, and he remembered Tenzo having to lead him to the mouth of the cave for some fresh air. It had been Yoji that had done the check of her body, and the only thing he'd found had been a single bug bite on her lower back. Kakashi, too in shock at the sight of another dead girl in front of him and Tenzo, too worried about his Captain's well-being, had not confirmed for themselves that the bite had been there.

That was what was bothering him. Even back then, Yoji had been a part of Root - an important part. From what Kakashi remembered about his dark days in that organization, Yoji had been close to its leader, Shimura Danzo. He knew even then that the mute Aburame had been placed on Team Ro not because of merit, but to keep an eye on its members. It had always seemed suspicious to Kakashi, but the arrangement had never interfered with a mission so far as he'd ever been able to tell.

"Kakashi?"

He blinked again, giving an apologetic look to his friend as he lifted his hand to the back of his head, scratching at his nape. "I really am sorry, Gai."

"I heard a rumor the other day, you know," the black-haired man told him as they walked over to a shade tree, where they both sat. Kakashi grabbed a bottle of water and took a long swig as Gai continued, "Someone I overheard at Ichiraku was telling his friend that he had heard all three targets were from Team Ro."

Kakashi sighed, dropping the bottle to the ground as he tilted his head up to look at the branches against the sky as he spoke, "I can't talk about Team Ro with you, Gai. You know that."

"I know, I know," Gai answered. The two settled back into silence, the sound of birdsong filling the air around them. It went on like that for quite awhile until Kakashi arched his eyebrow at the sound of a distant rumble, followed by a quake in the ground.

"What the-" He started before he was cut off by another louder sound, this one more like another explosion, followed by more violent quaking in the ground. His eyes sharpened, and he was on his feet in an instant, his eyes meeting Gai's.

"It's coming from that direction," Gai told him, pointing south. Kakashi nodded in agreement and the two began making their way; Kakashi cursing the injuries to his leg and his chest the entire way. The sounds became louder the further south that they got. Finally, they stopped at the edge of what Kakashi knew was Training Ground 2. Gai had already come to a stop at the edge of the field, near enough to the treeline that whoever was out there wouldn't see him until he was ready. Kakashi had just reached his side as the other man let out a hearty laugh, pointing to the center of the field.

"It would seem Lady Hokage and Sakura have resumed training," Gai explained. Kakashi squinted, smiling when he saw her familiar pink hair. Tsunade was standing beside her, in perfect form above a huge fissure in the ground.

"The Cherry Blossom Impact," Kakashi murmured, his voice impressed. Gai made a move to approach, but he held him back, giving him a stern look. He knew how hard Sakura had been working on this move, and he wanted her to have no distractions before her attempt. "Watch her," he whispered to Gai with a smile.

The two men watched from the shadows of the trees as Sakura took her stance, feet evenly spread on the ground. Kakashi could almost see the determined look on her face; the way her eyes would become fierce, how she'd bite the corner of her lip in concentration as she readied her fist.

"Chhh'yaaaaaaa!" He heard her battle cry from across the field, her raised arm now crashing down against the ground, her fist colliding hard. A booming, thunderous sound erupted, the sound waves blowing back the treetops and sending flocks of birds airborne. The ground cracked; large clumps of earth sent flying away from the two women. His eyes widened as the fissure neared the length of Tsunade's own. The resulting earthquake sent Kakashi to his knees and sent Gai flying into a bush headfirst, earning a chuckle from the silver-haired man.

"That's my girl," he murmured quietly under his breath as he regained his footing, ignoring Gai as he finally made his approach to where she stood. As he neared her, he couldn't help but feel his chest swell with pride for his former student, for her success. She was beaming, her face glowing with success and a sheen of sweat that made her look strikingly beautiful to him in that moment.

"Kakashi?" She asked, not hiding the confusion, her chest heaving with heavy breaths. "Did you see?" She didn't wait for him to explain his presence, moving to wrap her arms around him, still hopping up and down in excitement. A small laugh rumbled through his throat as he wrapped an arm loosely around Sakura's waist, giving Tsunade a cautious look. The Hokage just rolled her eyes, but he saw the shadow of a smile there on her lips before she turned to watch Gai approaching.

"I saw," he answered her, giving her hip a gentle squeeze. "You landed the Cherry Blossom Impact."

"She did," Tsunade agreed proudly before arching her eyebrow, looking out over the fissures again before adding, "She can improve; but she's close, Kakashi. You should be proud of your...former student."

There was a glint in her hazel eyes as she said her last words, and Kakashi just shrugged, kissing the top of Sakura's head through his mask. "I am. But," he looked down at Sakura with a crinkle in his eye. "I'm prouder of my partner."

"Partner, hmm?" Tsunade asked with an arched eyebrow.

Kakashi just nodded. With everything that had been going on, he hadn't given even a second thought to what label might apply to him and Sakura now that they'd begun sleeping together and confessed to love each other. He had never quite liked the term girlfriend; particularly if the 'girl' in question was a trained, lethal kunoichi like Sakura. It seemed almost degrading, in a way. When he thought back on the one example of a solid relationship he'd ever witnessed in his life - the one between Minato-sensei and his wife, Kushina - he recalled how Minato had always referred to Kushina as his partner in all things. It had warmed Kakashi's heart then, and when he looked at Sakura, that's the only word he could think of that adequately covered all that she was to him.

"That was incredible, Sakura!" Gai's voice finally called out as he approached the group.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," Sakura grinned. "Lady Tsunade started teaching me about a mo-" she started before a loud and desperate cry from the end of the field nearest the road called out, cutting her off.

"Lady Tsunade!" The voice called out, louder this time as the figure made fast work of crossing the expanse of land. Within seconds, Shizune came in to view, and Tsunade's face turned serious.

"What is it, Shizune?"

"An urgent request," the woman exclaimed, holding up a small animal that looked as though it were covered in wood shingles. Kakashi's eyes narrowed, recognizing the thing as one of Tenzo's pangolin summons.

"Tenzo," both he and Shizune spoke at the same time. The lady Hokage held her hand out, allowing the animal to drop a note that had been hastily scrawled onto a scrap piece of paper. The fact that it wasn't written on a scroll sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine; it meant that his friend hadn't had the time to write a formal letter to the Hokage.

"He's being tracked and fears an ambush is imminent," Tsunade said the words as she read them, her eyes narrowing as the pangolin dropped a small insect into her hand. "By the looks of this beetle," her fingers clenched around the bug, "It's got something to do with Root."

"I've already sent notice to Boar," Shizune spoke quickly. "He's on his way here with his team."

Right on cue, the ANBU agent known as Boar dropped from a tree branch, gracefully moving to his knees and bowing his head before Tsunade. Behind him was another agent that Kakashi recognized only as Eagle. The uneasiness he'd been feeling lightened just a little; he'd worked with both of these men before, and he knew they were a lethal combination in the field.

"What are our orders, Lady Hokage?"

"You are to locate Tenzo and render the aid he has requested. If there are enemy combatants, I want them captured alive and returned to the village. This is a black ops mission, Boar; it will not be on the record. Understood?"

"Yes, Lady Ho-"

"What if he's injured, Lady Tsunade?" Sakura blurted out, cutting off Boar's response. "I should go with! I can-"

"Absolutely not!" Kakashi exclaimed at the same time as Tsunade also voiced her dissent.

"No, Sakura," Tsunade told the pink-haired kunoichi. "You haven't mastered your use of medical chakra enough to be sent into the field yet; nor are you a capable enough kunoichi to handle anyone from Root."

"I'll go," Shizune spoke from next to Tsunade. "I already have my medical kit and I am equipped, Lady Tsunade."

"Lady Tsunade, let me send Pakkun along," Kakashi requested, his voice tense. "He can track Tenzo's scent and trail from that note. It will help Boar and his team find him more quickly."

Tsunade nodded and Kakashi split his thumb quickly with the tip of his kunai, smearing the blood down his palm before slamming it down onto the ground. Pakkun appeared moments later, a poof of smoke dissipating around him.

"Capture this scent," Kakashi spoke to the small pug, not wasting time with greetings. This was too important. "It's Tenzo, and he could be hurt. Help Boar and his team locate him."

"You got it, Boss," Pakkun nodded, holding his nose to the note before he quickly circled the area, finally nodding towards the northwest. "This way, everyone!"

Boar and his team followed Pakkun's fast pace, quickly disappearing from view. Kakashi could feel Sakura's eyes burning into his even as they all made their way back towards Konoha and he knew that she was going to have something to say about how he'd disagreed with her joining Boar's team. As Tsunade and Gai walked ahead of them, he hung back and met Sakura's gaze. He reached for her hand, his fingertips grazing hers. She pulled her fingers away, shooting kunai at him with her stormy green eyes.

"You did it again," she hissed at him. Kakashi frowned, stopping in his tracks and grabbing her elbow when he saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Stop that," he told her firmly, his grey eye turning steely grey. "You know damn well how capable I think you are, Sakura. But the people trailing Tenzo; they're not just any shinobi. Even I would have a hard time against them."

A small sound fell from Sakura's lips as she looked down at the ground. She knew that he was right. She had done well today in training, but just one application of the Cherry Blossom Impact had left her chakra reserves drained and her body exhausted. She still couldn't fully close wounds, or save a life on her own. She had known even as she'd suggested she join the team that it wasn't a good idea. The last thing Boar and Eagle needed on a backup mission was to look out for someone else.

"You'll get there, Sakura," Kakashi's voice, now turned gentle as he pulled her against his chest. "Just because you're not there yet doesn't mean it's never going to happen."

She didn't say anything, but the silver-haired man knew her anger was gone when he felt her arms snake around his waist, her fingers pressing into the corded muscles of his back. He kissed the top of her head through his mask, letting his fingers trail back through her hair. As he comforted her, he tried to ignore his own worries. He had to put faith in Boar that his team would reach Tenzo in time.