Over two weeks passed before Kakashi finally managed to seduce a nurse to falsify his papers so he could be released. He had felt healed enough since day two, but Tsunade was drunkenly determined to heal every scratch on his body. Kakashi felt better than he had in a very long time, but at what price? He hadn't even touched a blade since he was admitted. Kakashi felt naked as he walked the streets to his home without any weapons, but he didn't risk trying to get them back from the hospital. Tsunade was a smart lady, and he had no doubts she already knew of his escape.

Kakashi landed with ease on his rooftop, taking in his surroundings while he adjusted his ANBU mask. He frowned, noticing other familiar hidden chakras around his home. Kakashi slipped inside through his bedroom window without any trouble. He looked around and grabbed the kunai hidden under his pillow. Kakashi silently walked over and opened his door without making a sound. Someone was in his house, and ANBU were lurking in the shadows outside. He crouched down and turned to look over his shoulder into the living room.

Light came from the windows above his couch to bathe a familiar sleeping brunette. Work was littered in messy piles on his coffee table, and for once, his home looked lived in. Kakashi relaxed and put his kunai into his weapons pouch. He hadn't expected Iruka to be in his home, waiting for him. Kakashi walked behind the couch and looked out the windows before closing the curtains. The ANBU were getting out of control, to the point they were even spying on Iruka in his home. He was going to have to have a word with them later. Kakashi leaned over the couch, put his hand on the brunette's shoulder, and gently shook him.

"Iruka-sensei, Iruka-sensei," he called softly. The chunin stirred slowly awake, rubbing his eyes like a little kid. His eyes widened significantly as he realized who was touching him, "Hound-sama!" Iruka blurted out as he took in the shape of the mask. He sighed in relief, "Oh, thank god. No one would tell me how you were doing, and I couldn't come visit you in the hospital," he rambled. "I'm glad you're okay."

Kakashi was stunned, no one had ever said that to him before. Those warm chocolate brown eyes were as radiant as the sun as they looked up at him. He smiled, not a fake one, or a half-amused smile, but a genuine smile. Iruka sensed a change in the atmosphere and became aware of his surroundings for the first time.

"Holy shi-eesh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude! I just came here to check and see, so I let myself in like always, I shouldn't have. I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so rude, but it was so quiet that I just fell asleep." Iruka smiled softly, "It's just, something always seems to be happening at home lately." Kakashi held his hand up to stop Iruka's rambling, " It's quite all right, Iruka-sensei. I understand."

Again, Iruka's shoulders relaxed, and that cute, shy smile appeared on his face, with a familiar pink hue to his cheeks. Kakashi frowned, the ANBU were going too far with their obsession if Iruka was uncomfortable in his own home. There was also no way he had left his home unlocked, meaning that someone else had broken in and disassembled his traps to let the brunette wander inside. He really needed to have a word with them.

Cat abruptly appeared before them, "Iruka-san, Lord Hokage wishes to have a word with you." Iruka was stunned for a few moments before nodding, "I'll, uh, be right back." Kakashi could only nod as Iruka ran out the door. Kakashi turned to his kouhai, "What's this all about, Tenzo?"

"Lord Hokage wishes to see you immediately, as Kakashi." Kakashi raised a brow, but Tenzo had disappeared before he could say anything. He scratched the back of his head before he went to his room to replace his gear with his regular jounin uniform. It was rare to be summoned by the Hokage as himself.

He was extremely late when he strolled through the doors into the Hokage's office. Kakashi was two and a half hours late, as a matter of fact. He had taken a leisurely stroll to the outskirts where his nifty little weapons shack was before returning at the same pace. To his surprise, Iruka was there as well, with his arms crossed, silently fuming. Kakashi halfheartedly smiled, "I'm afraid a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take a different route and got lost."

"Cut the crap, Kakashi-san." Kakashi frowned at Iruka's temper. He supposed he kind of deserved it if he had kept the chunin waiting. What was he doing here anyway? The Third loudly coughed to purposely get their attention, chuckling once he had it. Iruka was angrily tapping his foot as he glared at the silver-haired jounin.

"Now, now, Iruka, calm down. I will now explain the contents of the mission to Kakashi," the third Hokage interjected. Iruka huffed and put his hands on his hips, but he did not say another word. The Third took a long drag from his pipe before exhaling the toxic smoke. "Iruka-sensei has been specifically requested by Emperor Ryuzaki as a private tutor for his son Kato in a Foreign Teacher Exchange between the Leaf and the Mist. Of course, the Mist are not our allies, but a compromise for an armistice for three weeks makes this mission possible. Meanwhile, they will send their best tutor here for Konohamaru in exchange. Your purpose in this mission is to guard Iruka and the secrets of the Leaf to the best of your abilities in case of a breach of contract. They expect you two within two days. Iruka-sensei had already packed while he was waiting."

Kakashi nodded as he stared into the old man's eyes with his singular. Scratching his head as he opened the scroll the third handed him, a C-rank mission. It was simple enough, nothing extreme. He had never heard of a foreign teacher exchange before. Kakashi was an ANBU first, so he was very rarely assigned to an actual mission beyond that.

"Is this mission not perhaps better suited for another Chunin?" Iruka rolled his eyes at the typical jounin trying to get out of a lower-ranked mission.

"Perhaps," the Third laced his hands together, silently daring Kakashi to defy him. Kakashi shrugged, who was he to complain about a break for special missions? He rolled his shoulders, for once, not feeling sore. However, wouldn't it be better for him to go on another special mission while he was in such great shape? Maybe the Third thought he took too long with the last assassination. Or maybe he made a bigger scene than he thought he did in the Missions Office? He was told he only knocked Guy out. Did he hurt anyone else?

"Don't fret, Kakashi. This will be a learning experience. You are dismissed." Kakashi had half the mind to ask what he was supposed to be learning, but Iruka was already heading towards the door. He shrugged as he saw the old man wave them off. Kakashi kept his distance as he walked behind Iruka. He observed the way Iruka's shoulders tensed each time a jounin passed him, muttering angel.

Apparently, the hype had spread to every Jounin-ANBU as even Kurenai-san called him a blessed angel. Kakashi grinned as he saw Iruka's temper soar to levels he hadn't seen before. The brunette internally fumed; he felt as though he was suddenly being hazed by all the most elite ninja in the village, and he had no idea why. Genma and Raido waved them off with smirks and playful winks. Kakashi frowned at that before Iruka turned to regard him for the first time since they left.

"Don't you need to pack?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I have enough weapons and soldier pills to last me three weeks." Iruka sighed, "I don't know why, but I knew you would say that. Luckily enough for you, I packed food for both of us and spare clothes in case." Kakashi nodded and decided it was safe enough to walk by Iruka's side in silence. As soon as they were a good mile from the gates, Iruka had had enough of the silence.

"Do you know why everyone calls me Angel?" Kakashi shrugged, pretending to think it over.

"You were once referred to by an ANBU as that, and it sort of, well, you know, stuck." Kakashi was doomed if he admitted that ANBU had been him. He hadn't thought the Head of the ANBU was such a gossip for it to spread the way that it did. Iruka sighed, defeated. He only knew one ANBU, it could have been. Iruka rubbed his forehead, he would have to have a talk with the ANBU when they returned.

"Does that mean you're an ANBU as well?" Kakashi nodded solemnly, most of the jounin-level ninja in the village were. Iruka smiled softly, "I know most of the Jounin, but I had never seen you before. Are you new?"

"I've been a Jounin since I was 9 years old, so no, I'm not exactly new. I'm just very busy," Kakashi said nonchalantly. Iruka gaped so wide his mouth resembled a pufferfish, "What? How long have you been an ANBU?"

Kakashi pondered for a moment, "I believe I was 13 when the Fourth Hokage put me in ANBU." He frowned now, reminded of his loved ones he hadn't visited. Kakashi walked ahead, hoping Iruka could tell he wanted to drop the subject. They had at least a two-day walk to the Mist, and he was already icy, as Genma once dubbed it. It wouldn't do him well to reveal too much information about himself anyway.

"Have I met you before?" Kakashi froze, had Iruka figured out his identity already? "Were you the one that I talked about, uh, Naruto with?" The jounin thought about it for a long while, vaguely remembering a hazy memory in a park. Now that he thought about it more, he remembered constantly watching out for the kid once he entered the Academy. The boy had no one else to look after him, it had become a pastime to at least make sure he was alive.

"Did we meet in a park?" Iruka smiled broadly, "Yes! That's it! I can't believe I forgot who you were. You never told me your name." Honestly, Kakashi had forgotten it had even happened. Kakashi simply shrugged; he had never been one to give out his name freely.

"You were right, you know, to give Naruto a chance. He's a good kid." Kakashi nodded, after all, the Third Hokage wasn't the only one paying, so Naruto could live a decent life. He had always donated a portion of his wages to support the troubled youth. He desperately wanted to take out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise but restrained himself so as not to blow his cover.

"Truth be told, this will be my second time making this trip. To think that I will get to see Kato again fills me with excitement." Kakashi hummed, figuring that letting Iruka talk would be better than him trying to make conversation. He listened calmly as Iruka blabbered on in that cheerful way of his. "Kato is the young son of the Emperor. It was only two months after I started teaching that I was allowed to make the last trip. To think that I would be suggested to go again!" Iruka was smiling now, broad and toothy. Kakashi finally allowed himself to relax, "How long has it been?"

"Three years." Kakashi nodded, "Did you report anything suspicious?" Iruka shrugged, "It's the village Hidden in the Mist, where their children kill each other as a test to become a ninja." The brunette frowned in deep thought. Kakashi scratched his head, still confused as to why he was put on a C-rank mission. There was no doubt his secondary identity would most likely be discovered within the span of the next few weeks. Iruka was not stupid, and it wouldn't take long to think about how many jounin rank ninja in the village were also ANBU who had spiky silver hair. It was like figuring out Tortoise was Maito Guy by the exuberant displays of youth and love.

If Iruka had realized, he hadn't said anything yet, and Kakashi wouldn't purposely expose himself, though his reputation itself might give him away. He sighed, desperately wanting his fingers to touch a blade or the familiar pages of his book. They had been walking for around an hour by now, and the mission was already too slow for Kakashi's usually run-or-die-paced missions. If he had been with an ANBU squad, they would be nearing the border by now.

"Mah~ this is the slowest route I've ever taken."

"This was the route suggested by Lord Hokage," Iruka said whilst taking the map out anyway. "This route allows us to get there in two days rather than 3 and a half." Iruka carefully looked over the contents and then showed Kakashi. Kakashi sighed and put his hands in his pockets, "Why are we walking?" They were leaf ninjas; running through the trees was their thing.

"Lord Hokage said you would be weary from another mission, and to take it slow. He said to think of it as a vacation." The jounin frowned, he was not weary, if anything, he was more on edge from lack of fighting. The Old Man had said it would be a learning experience, for what exactly?

"I'm not weary, if we hurry, we could make it there by nightfall." Iruka gaped before adjusting his backpack, sighing, "I'll try and keep up."

…

They arrived at the gates two hours after daybreak, and Iruka was heaving with his hands on his knees from the constant running. The jounin had no idea about the concept of breaks and jumped from tree to tree without breaking a sweat. Kakashi's pace had been God tier level, and Iruka felt as if he was sprinting a marathon. Who sprinted marathons? No one, it was about endurance.

"Fuck, I'm out of shape," Iruka cursed, a rarity on its own. Kakashi chuckled, "Mah~ I'm shocked, what a dirty mouth from a teacher." The brunette glared up at him from his position, the jounin looked as if he had hardly broken a sweat. Iruka stretched out and approached the gate with the scroll, allowing their entrance. A female Mist jounin took the scroll and opened the contents before glaring and throwing the scroll to Kakashi. He caught it with ease before casually putting it back in his weapons pouch.

"So, filth like you have been reduced to doing C-rank missions with Chunin, Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi chuckled before shrugging, "I suppose it could be worse; I could be guarding a gate." Iruka tensed, having no idea where the sudden hostility came from. They were supposed to be honored guests during the exchange. It was important for the villages to learn about each other's cultures so as not to worsen their feud.

"Remari, hold your tongue. There is an armistice with the Leaf." An older, muscled man stated calmly. He was about the size of two Kakashi's put together. He looked at the two calmly, "Come with us, we will show you to the estate." Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he put his hands in his pockets, on guard, and the more serious than Iruka had seen him thus far. They were escorted by the two Mist jounin to a large building near the outskirts of the village. The atmosphere was tense, and Iruka looked to Kakashi for any signs as to what was happening. All he got was a coy smile before he went back to observing the aptitude of the other two. Remari seemed to be fighting an internal battle where she decided on whether to start a war or not by seemingly trying to kill Kakashi.

Iruka frowned but remained quiet, determined to ask what this was all about later. They arrived soon enough, thank goodness, because the tension was suffocating. Remari knocked loudly on the door, "The Leaf Ninja are here for the foreign exchange!" She shouted loud enough to wake up the village. The group waited several minutes before the door opened. Iruka didn't have the chance to react before he was barreled into and tackled, before his hands were pinned to the ground.

The brunette groaned as his head hit the dirt, and the wind was knocked out of him before looking into the cheeky face of a seventeen-year-old Kato Ryuzaki. His red hair was tied loosely behind in a simple ponytail as he looked down at Iruka with happy green eyes and a childish grin that made his freckles stand out. Kato was not the young boy that he remembered, and the position he found himself in had been more suggestive than he felt comfortable with. The young boy had turned into a young man after all.

"I finally got you," he practically purred with a deep voice that sent shivers down Iruka's spine. Iruka gulped, feeling a pink blush coming to his face, "S-so it seems." Kato smirked before he released Iruka as he noticed the kunai around his neck for the first time. Kakashi held the kunai to the boy's neck until Iruka got up from the ground. He slowly loosened the pressure of the blade against the tender flesh with slight reluctance.

In the instant he had seen the ninja attack Iruka, he had equipped the kunai hidden within his sleeve and held it to the enemy's neck before Iruka could be killed. Remari had almost leaped with joy at the chance of finally taking down the man who killed her brother, before realizing who the kunai was held against. Instead, she held back, ready to attack Kakashi in case he did kill the son of the Emperor. Kato held his hands up in mock surrender, "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't hold back when I saw Iruka-sensei."

"It's all right, Kakashi-san, it's just a game we used to play between us," Iruka stated as he brushed the dust off himself. Kato smirked as Kakashi slowly lowered his weapon. Kato wrapped an arm around his former teacher's shoulders, grinning at their height difference now, he was taller than three years ago. Iruka was still as cute as a button, and still oblivious to all of his flirtations from years ago. Kato was determined to finally make Iruka-sensei his after all these years.

He locked eyes with the jounin who had accompanied Iruka from his village. Kato watched as Kakashi smiled and waved at him as if he hadn't held a kunai to his neck only seconds ago. The redhead smiled back, pulling Iruka closer, much to the brunette's confusion, but Iruka was as polite as ever and gave him a shy smile. Kakashi frowned at the blatant disrespect towards the teacher. Kato looked down at him and into those chocolate eyes he loved from years back, "Come, let me show you my home."