ANOTHER SUNSET

As the sun lazily lowered in the west, golden contrasts washed through the evening shadows. Kakashi wandered through the woods, listening to the sounds of birds and echoing insects in the shadows that filtered through the foliage of leaves. Naruto's ever increasing frustration with chores around the village earned them an unplanned journey to a foreign country. Personally, he thought it was a bit soon to take on endeavours beyond their borders, but once the Hokage had decided that they would assume this mission, there was no backing out. It might have been preferable for them to remain close to the village for at least another few months to work on their understanding of each other... He sighed to himself as he slipped through the little wooden gate hidden in the rushes of the forest, and looked up at the cosy hut as darkness washed over the cliff side in the background. He knocked at the door of the secret hut nestled between the forest rushes, and a moment later bright violet eyes welcomed him.

Blood Tiger smiled as she opened the door, her eyes reflecting the last rays of warmth from the setting sun.

"Evening, Kakashi-san," she greeted him, her voice soft and welcoming. She was wearing her sleeveless shirt and flowing pants again.

"Come in, it's good to see you." She stepped aside to let him enter, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before closing the door behind him. Rikimaru's clear blue eyes met his from his place in the back door of the garden.

"And you, Blood Tiger. Unfortunately, I can't stay long tonight. My team and I are leaving early tomorrow for the Country of Waves, escorting a bridge builder back home," he informed.

"Will it be dangerous?" she softly asked.

"It's a simple C-rank mission, so it shouldn't be too harrowing. The worst we should have to deal with are bandits," he assured.

"Oh. Well, you should be careful then, Captain Kakashi. Thieves and cut-throats tend to be precarious." she urged, moving past him to pour hot water into the waiting teapot. His eyes followed her, noting the true length of her hair falling naturally down the length of her back. The tips almost brushed the back of her knees. Then she turned and leaned in slightly as if sharing a secret.

"I hear that the highwaymen are especially scary." she warned in a tease. He chuckled. For all of her depth, he appreciated her innocent sense of humour. He sometimes needed to remind himself that she was a grown woman.

Kakashi chuckled at Blood Tiger's playful warning.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for any scary highwaymen," he replied with a grin.

"And I promise to come see you again when we get back, if I make it through this." He added the last part in a light-hearted tone, though there was a hint of sincerity in his words. Blood Tiger smiled back at him, her eyes sparkling with understanding.

"I'll hold you to that, Kakashi-san," she said softly.

"But for now, let's enjoy the time we have over some tea." She gestured for him to take a seat, and he gladly obliged, knowing that even in the midst of uncertainty, he could find solace in the warmth of their friendship that he'd come to adore so much. After settling down at the low table he removed his gloves, laying them on the surface. He relished the feeling of cool air against his palms, and the scents of wood, tea, incense and the faintest whiff of eucalyptus floating in the air around him.

"Your hair is lovely. I haven't seen it down like this before." Kakashi complimented as she gathered cups onto a tray, and she glanced back with a smile.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san. I seem to have misplaced my tie this afternoon." she replied.

"Misplaced your tie, huh? Must be the work of those mischievous forest spirits again." Kakashi teased lightly, watching as she approached, feeling her footsteps on the wood floor more than hearing it.

"They never learn, do they? But if they need it to build their little bridge between the branches, I guess it can't be helped. I would be grateful if they replaced the things they borrowed from time to time, though." she settled on the opposite side of the table, placing the tray on the surface between them before proceeding to pour the tea.

"True, we wouldn't want them falling behind on their construction projects. I do hope they receive some praise from their superiors for always working so hard." Kakashi continued as Blood Tiger passed him a cup of steaming tea.

"Is the mission taking you far away?" she asked as she brought her own to her mouth.

"Not too far, just a few days' journey. It's a simple task, nothing too demanding. We should be back before you know it." Kakashi reassured.

"Your team must be really excited, boisterous as you've mentioned." Blood Tiger responded with a soft smile as Kakashi raised the cup in his hand, the steam brushing over his cheek.

"They're always eager for an adventure. Especially Naruto and Sasuke. It's like they live for moments like these." he sighed.

"And the girl? Is she the careful one?" Blood Tiger hinted, and Kakashi chuckled lightly,

"Sakura? Yes, she's quite cautious, always thinking things through. She keeps Naruto and Sasuke in line more often than not." Blood Tiger's eyes soften just slightly as she lowers her cup.

"That's good. My grandfather often said that a soft touch reaches deeper than an iron one." she reflected.

"Your grandfather sounds like a wise man," he commented, appreciating the sentiment.

"He was. He survived all of the Wars." she mentioned, glancing at the war bow mounted on the wall.

"He told me so many stories... which kind of reminds me." then she looked back at him.

"Your family name is Hatake, right?" she asked. Kakashi nodded, intrigued by the sudden change in topic.

"Yes, that's right," he confirmed, wondering where Blood Tiger is going with this line of questioning.

"Do you know of a Riku Hatake?" she asked. Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed slightly in thought.

"Riku Hatake? The name sounds familiar, but I can't say I know much about him. Why do you ask?" he inquired, curious about the connection she might have with someone from his family.

"Oh, it was just a thought. My grandfather said he was a good friend, that's all." she said.

"I see. Well, if he was a friend of your grandfather's, he must have been a good person. It's interesting to hear about connections like that." He took a sip of his tea, pondering the significance of the girl's grandfather's friendship with someone from his family.

"Is the tea okay? It's still rather fresh." she asked, noting that Kakashi was a bit more leisurely than before.

"It's perfect, thank you. Your teas always have a unique flavour to them, Blood Tiger. It's one of the reasons I enjoy visiting Sanctuary." he reassured.

"I'm happy to hear that. I've been trying to add mint leaves and blueberry peels to the bottles to see if that might change anything. So far, the Blood Bush has been notably resistive." she mentioned.

"That sounds like an interesting experiment. I've never heard of combining those flavours with tea before. Blood Bush is quite potent, though, so it might take some time to find the right balance," Kakashi replied, showing interest in her botanical pursuits.

"To be quite honest, I'm rather new to the whole natural melding thing. Maybe I should just stick to the consistent methods..." she sighed.

"Experimentation is part of the process, though. Sometimes it's the unexpected combinations that yield the most interesting results," Kakashi offered, trying to encourage her.

"And even if it doesn't turn out as you hoped, it's all part of learning and growing." he added, and saw her smile again, her spirit lifting.

"Yeah, you're right. Thank you. It sounds like you've done quite a few experiments yourself?" she guided. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"More than a few, yes. I've learned that sometimes the most unconventional methods yield the best results. But it's all about trial and error, isn't it?" he said.

"Which become tried and tested in the end. What was your most interesting find?" Blood Tiger asked, gently leaning on the table surface. Kakashi leaned back slightly, reminiscing.

"Hmm, that's a tough one. But I think the most interesting find was when I discovered that blending certain chakra types together could create a new jutsu altogether. It was quite the revelation." Blood Tiger's eyes widened in wonder.

"Really? That sounds fascinating!" Kakashi smiled under his mask, sharing his talents as a shinobi with a tea grower was like being able to put a weight down and breathe for a moment.

"It was. And the applications were endless," Kakashi responded, his tone reflecting a sense of fulfilment in sharing this aspect of his life with her.

"Forgive me for asking, but how does it work? We've never had a need for it." she asked, truly interested. Kakashi leaned back slightly, considering how to explain chakra to someone who hadn't grown up surrounded by ninja culture.

"Well, chakra is basically the energy that fuels our abilities as shinobi. It's a combination of physical and spiritual energy that we can manipulate and control to perform various techniques, like walking on water or climbing trees without using our hands. It's like... an inner power that we learn to harness and use in different ways." He paused, trying to find the right analogy.

"Think of it like a river flowing through your body, and you can direct that flow to different parts of yourself to accomplish different tasks." he continued. She stared at him for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

"Like, taking red water and blue water and mixing them together to make purple water? And then using that purple water to make tea?" she smiled innocently. Kakashi chuckled at her analogy, finding it surprisingly apt.

"Exactly! Mixing different energies together to create something new and useful. Though I must say, I've never heard of purple tea before. Maybe we should give it a try sometime." He grinned, enjoying the light-hearted exchange.

"I'll try adding lavender, or mulberries into the next harvest." she agreed.

"That sounds like a delightful experiment. I'll look forward to tasting it," Kakashi replied with genuine interest, intrigued by the idea of a new tea blend.

After a quick cup of tea, with the world drenched in starlit night air he took his leave. As they stood on the little front porch of the hut, she smiled.

"Take care of each other, okay? I want to hear all about it when you get back," she said, her gentle voice so soothing that he shuddered at the thought of leaving.

"We will. I'll see you again in a couple of weeks." he promised. She waved from the open doorway as sanctuary slowly melted away into the shadows of the woods behind him. As Kakashi made his way back through the forest, he couldn't shake the feeling of warmth and comfort that lingered from his time with Blood Tiger. Her presence had a calming effect on him, and he found himself looking forward to returning to sanctuary after his mission. With a renewed sense of determination, he continued on his way, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead in the Country of Waves.