Double Edged

Note To All Readers:: Thanks goes to Kitt and darkxkunoichi for pointing out a couple things I’d missed when reading through the previous chapters. Yes, kitt, I do read back on my stuff. My only excuse for missing something like that is being human. I’m working on the divinity thing though. –winks- Anyway, there were some rather major edits made to the previous chapter for the Pakkun/Sakura conversation and Kakashi’s POV as a result of this, as well as a minor edit to chapter six. If you feel like reading the last chapter again, go for it, but the cliffnotes version is this: I didn’t pay attention to how long I’d left Kakashi single and sexless. From this point on, he’s been in that unfortunate state for a year.

Also, a thousand apologies for the long delay in posting. There were some… creative issues with it this time around. It was written, deleted, written again, mostly deleted and then finally I just got sick of it and said, ‘screw it, I’m posting’. Thank you, redbrunja, for your advice on this one. I appreciate your patience and honesty very much.

_________________________________________________________

Song Reference: What She Came For
Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Lyrics: Whoa, look out/You’re what she came for/You’re what she came for/No question, no doubt/Whoa, look out/You’re what she came for/Knows what she came for/You’re question?/No doubt

________________________________________________________

“Keep up, you two! I know Lee and I are setting an intimidating pace, but it should only encourage you to get stronger!”

Tenten ignored Gai’s attempt at verbal encouragement as she leapt into the next tree branch. Neji was right along side her and it made her snicker to see he had the same idea as she did. What was the point of going faster when their two spandex clad teammates would only speed up once they broke even? So long as they kept Lee and Gai-sensei in sight (which she normally preferred not to do from behind) they were okay.

They were coming back from a ten day mission to Wind Country and damn was she glad to be back on familiar ground! Wind Country was so… empty. It was all sand and flat lands with nothing to see except for the occasional cliff. The wind had been horrible, which was to be expected since it was Wind Country. But to top it off, Lee had spent a good amount of time moping.

The reason their usually effervescent teammate was feeling rather glum was that he’d asked Gai-sensei last night if he was ready to face is ‘rival in love’ (how Kakashi-sensei was now being referred to, though she personally didn’t see any rivalry there at all) and their team leader had said… absolutely not. All three of them had been shocked by Maito Gai’s bluntness, and Lee came incredibly close to tears at his idol’s disapproval.

Of course, the remedy for that was to work harder… which they did. Incessantly. Poor Lee trained every minute of every day, excluding the time needed for their mission. He and Gai-sensei were up before the sun and didn’t rest until the sky was starting to lighten. How he hadn’t collapsed yet from sheer exhaustion, she had no idea. But she wasn’t gonna complain about all the training since it meant she and Neji were left alone more often than they usually were. And man, oh man, was she ever grateful for that!

They’d managed to get in their first and only date during the four day break they’d had and honestly… it wasn’t as great as she’d hoped it would be. That didn’t mean she wasn’t eager to get the hell back and give it another go, merely that it had left her feeling a little underwhelmed by the whole experience. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that she’d been unfortunate enough to discover she was allergic to bees. Nothing killed romance like rushing your date to the hospital because her arm started swelling up.

Still though, even without that bee incident it hadn’t been a very good first date. Neji hadn’t said much and when he did speak it was to inform her of the genus of such-and-such flower. He’d sounded like a freakin’ horticultural guide. She’d tried to ask about his personal interests, but the answers to those questions were short, clipped and definitely carrying a do-not-ask vibe. So… they’d talked about training, their teammates, and missions past and in the future. All of it nice, safe and totally not what people were supposed to talk about on dates.

The really strange thing though was that during their alone time on the mission, Neji had been just fine. They’d talked easily enough and she’d even managed to get a couple smiles out of him. It was completely different from the stiff, formal person she’d gone out with before. He’d been relaxed (or as relaxed as a Hyuuga ever got) and didn’t speak as if he were reading the dictionary out loud. If she didn’t know any better, Tenten would almost say that Hyuuga Neji had been nervous on their first date.

Which was why she was willing to go on a second date with him, only this time… she was picking the place.

Tenten glanced ahead to make certain Gai and Lee were out of earshot before calling over to Neji, “Hey, I know we’re still technically on a mission… but wanna do something when we get back?”

For a split second, she could have sworn Neji lost his footing on the branch he’d just landed on. There was a beat of silence where they continued to leap from tree to tree before he called back, “Such as?”

Good question. She hadn’t thought further ahead than asking him out, actually. Tenten fell quiet as she frantically tried to think of something they could do together. Finally, an idea hit her. It was something she’d loved to do with her uncle before he died and she was pretty certain the Hyuuga prodigy had never done anything like it before. “Meet me by the bridge going over the Shirakaba River two days from now. Say… six in the morning.”

Neji glanced over at her, one brow quirked and a calculating look in his eyes. He had an idea of what she was up to, that much was obvious. The question was if he would still be game knowing that was her plan. She got her answer when he replied evenly, “Very well. The bridge at six in the morning. I’ll be there.”

Grinning, Tenten pushed off the next branch a little harder, giving herself enough forward momentum to move faster through the trees. She was still grinning as their team made it to the gates of the village and checked in with the guards sitting there. And she was still grinning later that afternoon when they’d collected their mission pay (plus the one from last time that they hadn’t received due to a system glitch) and gone their separate ways. She couldn’t help being in such a good mood over his response.

Because in two days she and Hyuuga Neji… were going fishing. She could not wait to get his hot ass in the water!


__________________________________________


Sakura hurried into the locker room of the hospital to grab her stuff and get out of there. She was running late because Tsunade had her doing extra errands in preparation for the arrival of the Suna delegation in a few days’ time. She’d spent the entire afternoon couriering around housing documents, organizing catering contracts, signing for decorations for the formal dinner, directing deliveries… to say it was a bit chaotic was an understatement.

She ran out the door before anyone noticed her hasty departure, using the opportunity provided by Tsunade being in a meeting to sneak out while she could. Normally, she wouldn’t have minded staying late to help in whatever capacity she could… but not tonight. Tonight was a bit of a special one and she needed to prepare for it.

Because tonight… she was going to steal Icha Icha from Kakashi.

Unofficially, they’d been dating for a little over one month now. That one month included the two weeks he’d been away in Grass, so officially it was more like a little over three weeks. Close enough as far as she was concerned. In that time she’d made some progress with him, most notably the fact that he was now kissing her without the mask— though she still had yet to actually see his face. But as far as progress toward her objective? Nothing. She didn’t have a damn thing to show for it.

Inspiration had finally struck two days ago, when she and Ino had been sitting on the couch trying to come up with a way to separate Icha Icha from Kakashi. They’d spent hours concocting plans, some of which were so ridiculous that they had to pause for a few minutes just to laugh at them. The conversation from there had gotten off topic as they reminisced about their genin days, their teammates both present and missing… and that was when Sakura stumbled upon the solution to the problem; Naruto. Or, to be more specific, they way Naruto used simple, basic jutsu to maximum result. In particular, the Bunshin and Henge no Jutsu.

After several minutes of excited screeching, Ino shouting to know what was going on and their downstairs neighbor banging on the floor with a broom handle, Sakura finally calmed down enough to explain her epiphany. The idea was to take a book— any book—and carry it around in her purse. She would then very subtly find out which Icha Icha book Kakashi had on him, slip into the bathroom, Henge no Jutsu her book to match the one he had and then switch the books out during the goodnight kiss.

There was no doubt in her mind that he would figure out his book had been switched, but there would be no proof that she’d been the one to do it. The streets of Konoha were rife with ninja, some of whom would regard stealing Icha Icha from the resident pervert a rite of passage of sorts. It very easily could have been anyone who happened to pass him by on the way home… or at least that was what she would argue if or when he asked her about it.

It was a simple, clever plan… but there was one problem with it, and that was the part where she swapped books while he kissed her. It was the perfect opportunity to do so since he would be distracted and she would have a legitimate reason to have her hands behind his back. However… every time he kissed her, she lost focus of everything but his mouth. With an operation like this, getting distracted meant the difference between success and being turned an ungodly shade of blue.

For the first couple times, she could understand having that sort of reaction. She’d never been kissed like that before so naturally the newness of the situation would be a little overwhelming. It stood to reason that eventually the novelty would wear off and kissing him would be commonplace. This was just like when a new ice cream flavor came out; everyone ate it because it was new, but after a while it was about as common place as vanilla.

Unfortunately, Kakashi’s mouth hadn’t lost any of its appeal yet. It was almost getting to the point where she looked forward to the end of the date, just because it meant he would pull that mask down and make the warm, tingling sensation flood through her. Her body all but shivered in anticipation for that initial contact of skin on skin, eager for the gentle brush of his tongue over hers. It was a heady, overwhelming feeling that was very addictive… which was a little scary, actually. There were times during the day where she swore she had a craving for his mouth.

So that was why she was going to do it tonight. She was starting to fear that maybe Ino had been right in saying she felt more for Kakashi than she wanted to admit, which was something she could not let happen. The minute Kakashi found out she’d only been dating him to for his smutty books (which sounded much worse than it actually was), there wouldn’t be a chance in hell that he’d ever go out with her again. Hell, she’d be lucky if he so much as glanced her way in passing after this…

Which actually brought up a very interesting point; this was something that very well could affect their team relationship. Tsunade had to know Kakashi was going to be pissed when he discovered his books were missing, and after the second one goes missing it wouldn’t take him long to figure out she was behind it. Was this bet really so important to Tsunade that she’d risk fracturing Team Seven even further? Or maybe she didn’t think the fallout would be too terrible since the books would only be gone for a week.

The idea of just saying ‘screw it’ to the mission and enjoying herself with Kakashi for real had crossed her mind a few days ago. It had been very tempting… but she’d very quickly talked herself out of it. Her reasoning had nothing to do with a year of graveyard shifts, though it had factored into her overall decision not to give up. What had gotten her to throw the idea out completely was the fact that her gut was telling her there was more to all this than met the eye.

What if this was some sort of test from Tsunade? It really wouldn’t surprise her if it was. Tsunade was worse than Kakashi when it came to giving unusual tests. Why, during her first week of training under the Sannin she’d been strapped onto six foot tall stilts and told to walk around the village for a few hours. It had taken her nearly half an hour before she’d figured out that she was supposed to channel chakra into the damn stilts in order to keep her balance. The practice had been good for her since healing required that she channel chakra into a foreign body. The demonstration though had not only been difficult but embarrassing.

Tsunade’s intentions aside, she still needed to get those books. It was starting to become a matter of pride as well for her. She was a kunoichi of Konoha, damn it! Her mentor was one of the legendary three Sannin. She was one of the smartest students in her class, had near perfect chakra control and was one of the best medics in the village. The fact that she couldn’t get a couple volumes of porn off of her team leader, not to mention the fact that her plan of seducing him was starting to bite her on the ass, was downright embarrassing.

So, tonight was it. She was going to stay focused, keep her head clear and when he was kissing her she would—

“Hello, Sakura-san.”

Sakura broke out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She turned, a warm smile lighting her face the minute she saw the owner that familiar voice. “Lee-san!” she exclaimed happily as she reached out to give his hand a quick, friendly squeeze. “When did you get back?”

A bright pink color flooded across his cheeks and his round eyes widened just the slightest. “J-Just now,” he stammered, his voice breaking a little. “Have you… been well, Sakura-san?”

Laughing, she tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear and shrugged. “Well enough, I suppose. Tsunade-sama has me working extra hard, what with the Suna delegation due to arrive in three days. Oh! Will your team be around for the welcoming ceremonies? I can’t really disclose all the details, but it’s definitely gonna be something you don’t wanna miss.”

“We will be here for it, yes,” he confirmed.

“That’s great! Maybe we’ll bump into each other there. You could buy me a couple sticks of dango or something,” she replied, winking to let him know it was a joke.

Lee’s cheeks brightened even further as his shoulders went back just a little more, pushing his chest out proudly. “I would gladly buy you as much dango as you could possibly want, Sakura-san,” he stated in a tone of utmost solemnity.

Sakura blushed at the sincerity behind his statement and adjusted the strap of her medic bag on her shoulder. Lee was one of the sweetest guys she knew… but sometimes he took the whole friendship thing a little far. There was no doubt in her mind that he would actually go through with his promise of buying her dango all night if she really wanted him to. An awkward silence fell between them as both of them continued to stand there, Sakura shifting uncertainly from foot to foot while Lee continued to stand at firm attention.

Deciding it was time to make her exit (she did have a date she needed to get ready for, after all), Sakura gave him one last smile and said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you around then. It’s good to have you back, Lee-san!”

She had just turned her back and started walking away when Lee suddenly called out, “Sakura-san… will you do me the great honor of having dinner with me tonight?”

Crap… Ever since the chuunin exams, Lee had been asking her out fairly regularly. It was definitely very flattering that he was being so persistent and she wished like hell she could return his affections. But she didn’t. She loved having Rock Lee as a friend, but she couldn’t actually see herself loving him. Every time he asked her out, she always politely refused while hoping maybe this time he would take the hint. She felt bad for doing it but it was better to be honest than to lie or give him the false impression that she was interested in him like that.

Slowly, she pivoted around to face him again, her fingers rubbing at her bag strap nervously. “Actually, Lee-san,” she began quietly. “Sorry… I can’t. I already made plans tonight. But thanks for asking.”

A suspiciously moist look came to his eyes as he nodded slowly, ducking his head down to stare at his feet. “Very well. Please enjoy your evening, Sakura-san.”

“You, too, Lee-san.” With a final smile and wave, Sakura hurried the rest of her way to her apartment. It was five o’clock now and Kakashi said he was going to be there at five-thirty… which meant six at the earliest in Hatake Time. That gave her a little under an hour to shower, change and pick out a book neither she nor Ino liked for the switch. And then… she just had to remember to keep her head when he was kissing her in order to follow through.


___________________________________________


Lee felt his breath catch and a cold sensation ran through his body at the sight of her leaving. It was painful to watch his special person hurry off to meet his rival in love for a romantic evening together. Haruno Sakura was the epitome of youthly beauty to him, a fresh blossom of womanhood. She was the one he cherished above his own life. And yet… it was not his side that she chose to stand by. Oh, the cruelty of love denied!

A tight, aching sensation spread through his chest and a queasy feeling came to his stomach as her lovely pink hair finally disappeared from view. When? When was he going to be ready to prove himself to Sakura? He’d been working harder than he ever had before, learning techniques of a dishonorable nature in order to help her any way that he could. Yes, Kakashi-sensei was strong enough to give Gai-sensei a hard fight… but surely he was almost ready to face him. He had to be! To watch the blossom of his heart shower her love on another… it was disheartening.

Lee’s fists curled tightly and a determined glint flashed through his dark eyes. No… he would not think like that! He had to stay positive. If he could steal Kakashi-sensei’s book then surely Sakura would be proud to be seen with him. He had to do this, to show her he was a man worthy of her affection.

And he would do it tonight. He could not wait a moment longer to show Sakura that he was a man now. Gai-sensei said he wasn’t ready… but he couldn’t bear the thought of Sakura showing such tender attention to another any longer. As he hurried through the streets back to his own house, he ran through the mental checklist of things he would need in order to be successful. He knew Gai-sensei would be upset with him and he would beg forgiveness from his mentor as soon as possible. But for now… he would set the plan in motion and hopefully win the heart of the girl who already had his!

__________________________________________________


“… and with the chuunin exams being hosted in Suna this year, we will be having officials from our ally frequenting the village. This means we have to tighten our security measures, not just for the protection of the Suna officials but for Konoha as well. We may be friends with Suna but they are still a rival village. We can’t have them stealing off our secrets,” Tsunade continued as Shizune began passing out scrolls to everyone present.

Shizune smiled warmly at Kakashi as she handed him a scroll, a smile he didn’t bother to reciprocate. He took the scroll from her with a soft, reluctant sigh and glanced at the clock again. Five-thirty-three. Shit, he was going to be extremely late picking Sakura up. It wasn’t like he could get a message to her either, seeing as he was in the middle of a meeting concerning security for impending arrival of visitors from Suna. Passing notes during a security debriefing was considered a big no-no.

Normally, he wouldn’t have cared so much if he was running late, but tonight was a little different. She’d reminded him yesterday that, as of today, they’d been dating for almost one month. It was hard to believe at first, but he didn’t question her on the fact. At least she’d been kind enough to remind him in advance as opposed to simply hoping he would remember and then getting mad at him when he didn’t. He knew a few women like that and it was beyond irritating, to say the least.

One month already? Time really did fly when you were having fun, it seemed. And he was having fun, far more than he’d thought he would have. Haruno Sakura was a very unique and intriguing girl. She was terrifically smart (which he’d always known), sweet when she wasn’t giving him hell and definitely a fast learner. It was almost unnerving how well she’d picked up on the art of kissing. That last one… Kakashi quickly cut off the instant replay before it could go much farther. It would be embarrassing if people thought he got hard over security meetings.

“Inside these scrolls are the names, ranks and photographs of the Sand ninja we are expecting in two weeks,” the Hokage continued to explain, speaking loud enough to be heard in a room crammed with jounin. “These are the only ninja from Suna allowed within our walls. Along with each description are a safety question and its appropriate response. The Kazekage and I decided that this was a necessary measure to prevent anyone sneaking in with a Henge no Jutsu. The Suna delegates know only their specific answer and question. Should you ask the wrong question to the wrong Sand ninja and receive a correct response, that person is to be arrested on the spot and treated as a hostile force until proven otherwise. Yes, Chiichi?”

“What if we get the right response but we still think something isn’t right?” the jounin addressed asked in a low, deep voice.

“Do as you would in the field; go with your gut. If you think something’s amiss, then act on it. Chances are if it’s the correct Sand Nin they’ll go along with you peacefully. The only reason for them to resist whatever precautionary measures you deem necessary is if they’re a spy.”

“Or if they’re acting like a typical Suna Nin; all arrogance and bad attitude,” someone called from near the back. The few chuckles the comment produced were killed dead by the icy glare Tsunade directed around the room.

“Let me reiterate this for those of you who didn’t catch it the first time,” she bit out in a tone of voice that made Kakashi’s blood run cold, even if it wasn’t being directed specifically at him. “Suna is a friend to Konoha. They will be treated with respect. Remember you’re not only representing your village but your Hokage as well. And I do not take kindly to being embarrassed. Any complaints made by the Suna delegation will be handled by me personally. Is that in any way unclear?”

There was a general murmur of, “yes, Hokage-sama,” throughout the room. Kakashi sighed under his breath and gave his head the barest of shakes. The war had been over for many years, and yet the hostilities still lingered. He couldn’t completely say he faulted the man for that though. After all, Suna had killed quite a few Leaf shinobi during the war. It was hard to go from viewing them as enemies to viewing them as allies. He just wished the man wouldn’t choose to share those views now. The meeting had already run much longer than the messenger had said and he had a pretty girl he was trying to get to.

“Now, as for the chuunin exams themselves… a new policy is being implemented to insure that none of the instructors are putting unnecessary pressure onto their genin to take the exam. In addition to the team leader’s nomination, all candidates must be reviewed by two members of the selected screening panel. The jounin on this panel were chosen by myself and the Counsel to make very certain Konoha not only sends its best but its most capable as well.”

“And who exactly is on the screening panel?” someone asked from the far side of the room.

Tsunade’s lips curved into a small, wry smile as she said, “Everyone, look at your scrolls. Those of you with a blue seal were chosen to act as screeners.”

The rustle of paper filled the room as everyone quickly checked to see whether they’d been tagged or not. Kakashi pulled his scroll out again… and groaned in defeat when he spotted the blue seal. He felt someone watching him and slowly looked up to find the steady amber eyes of the Hokage pinned on him. Oh, yes… there was absolutely no doubt that she’d had a very heavy hand in his nomination for the task. How lovely.

As soon as the disappointed groans and soft cries of success died down, Tsunade carried on with the meeting. “The chuunin exams are scheduled to take place next month. As you all know, my attendance is mandatory for this. Seeing as Konoha will be without its Hokage for a minimum of twelve days, I will be electing an interim Hokage for that time. If anyone wishes to suggest someone for consideration, you’re free to do so. However, understand that the final say on this matter is mine. Any questions?” Silence descended upon those gathered, one that was punctuated by the anxious scuffing of feet. Closing her eyes, Tsunade said the words everyone was waiting to hear: “Dismissed.”

There was a rush of bodies for the door, some muttering in annoyance over having been selected for the screening process while others laughed in relief at having not been chosen. Kakashi was just two steps away from freedom when someone tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Damn it… he’d been so close! Turning with the intent of telling whoever it was to shove off, he ended up lifting an inquiring brow instead when he noticed it was Shizune. The dark haired woman gave him an apologetic little bow as she said, “The Hokage has requested that you remain for a few minutes, Kakashi-san.”

Kakashi cast a wistful glance at the door before nodding. “Of course. Thanks, Shizune-san.” Great… he’d been hoping to get in a quick shower before meeting up with her.

Shizune smiled and moved past him to follow the last of the jounin out the door. As soon as the room was clear and the door had clicked shut, Kakashi moved until he was standing directly in front of the Hokage’s desk and met the woman’s gaze steadily. “You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?” he asked, keeping his voice politely bland.

“Have a seat, Kakashi. We need to have a little chat,” Tsunade answered, indicating one of the chairs with her hand.

Kakashi did as she’d asked, though he kept a cautious eye on her in case he needed to make a run for it. She didn’t look angry… but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get angry if he said the wrong thing.

Tsunade placed her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers together, her eyes watching him just as closely as he was her. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’ve been selected as a screener.”

“I have a couple ideas as to why,” he replied slowly. It was either because he had a good track record for weeding out unsuitable candidates… or else Tsunade was torturing him for dating her apprentice. Either scenario was perfectly plausible, though neither were particularly pleasing.

“I wasn’t the one to mention your name, though if it hadn’t come up I would have,” she explained. “It was actually Shizune who suggested you be assigned the task. The Elders were against it initially, seeing as the missions you’re typically assigned to bring in a tidy sum for the village, but Shizune put up a very good argument in favor of it.”

He nodded but refrained from saying anything. Honestly, he was a little surprised it was Shizune responsible for the deed. He hadn’t expected her to be quite as vindictive as her mentor.

Sighing, Tsunade lounged back in her chair, her green nails tapping along the arm idly. “Her reasoning was sound, Kakashi. You have a good eye for spotting talent. No pun intended.”

“Thank goodness.”

“However… it’d be a lie to say the nomination was completely unbiased.”

“So, you’re removing me from active mission status to give the genin teams a once over,” he concluded quietly. He wasn’t surprised, nor was he particularly upset over the confession. How could he be when he’d been expecting it? “Does this have anything to do with my relationship with Sakura?”

Tsunade didn’t so much as twitch a muscle at his statement. She was being careful, he realized, not to do anything that could end up biting her at a later point in time. “Shizune will be running things while I’m away,” she added.

Kakashi nodded, a bit of surprise coming with that announcement. It wasn’t that he doubted Shizune’s ability to act as Hokage, merely that he’d never heard her name mentioned in conjunction with it before. Actually, now that he thought about it, Shizune would probably make a very good Hokage.

“Between you and me, you were my first pick… but you’d make an awful mess of my paperwork and would more than likely drink my sake reserves dry. Besides, you’re going to be busy around that time anyway.”

“Oh?”

An envelope was slid across the desk to him. Kakashi took it and removed the letter from inside curiously.


"Dearest Wife,

Sorry it’s been a while. The kid and I have been keeping busy, what with that snake problem. It’s the time of year for them to be going underground, so finding them hasn’t been easy. Don’t worry; I’ll hopefully have it solved in two weeks. And no, I haven’t told the kid that snakes burrow. No need to send him into a frenzy, eh?

It looks like rain right now, but who knows? Tracking the weather is never exact. All I know is that the weather will definitely not be good for those pesky snakes, haha!

If business goes well, the boy and I will be home in about two weeks. I can’t wait to sample your bounty again!


With All My Heart"


Kakashi read the note through once more before meeting Tsunade’s gaze over the upper edge. “When did this come in?” he asked softly as a combination of shock and awe coursed through him. If he was reading this correctly, not only did Jiraiya have a good idea as to where Orochimaru was hiding but he was also going to be in Konoha soon… with Naruto. It was relieving beyond words to hear that loud mouthed brat was doing well, especially since most of the updates hadn’t been shared with him over the last two years.

Tsunade’s eyes were gleaming with delight at his reaction as she replied, “It came in two days ago and is dated for five days before that. That means sometime next week… they’ll be home. Kakashi, I know there’s no way I can stop the three of you from trying to rescue Sasuke and I’m not going to even try. However, I want you to promise me one thing before you do.”

“And what’s that, Hokage-sama?”

“I want you to test both Naruto and Sakura, to make certain they’re fully capable of handling what’s waiting for them. If they aren’t ready… I don’t care how you do it, but don’t let them go.”

“Understood.”

Tsunade took the letter when he handed it back to her, her eyes narrowing in thought as she glanced over the contents again. Kakashi waited quietly for her to continue. He could understand why she looked worried. If he read that correctly, it sounded as if Rain Country was tied into this, most likely having something to do with Akatsuki. And that weather comment… it suggested perhaps Akatsuki and Orochimaru weren’t exactly on friendly terms. That could be very useful in the future. Pitting one enemy against the other was usually a very sound strategy.

The Hokage sighed and opened the top drawer of her desk to pull out a small jar of sake and a cup. She held a second cup in question to him, which he declined with a small wave. Snorting, Tsunade returned it to her drawer and muttered, “How rude, not having a celebratory drink with me.”

Kakashi chuckled at the joke and stood up, bowing respectfully to the woman behind the desk. ”Normally, Tsunade-sama, I’d join you, but I can’t tonight.”

“Oh? Have a hot date, do you?” the older woman purred knowingly, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

“Your choice of words, not mine.” He agreed with her assessment, though there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to say that out loud. Something told him Tsunade wouldn’t take kindly to him telling her just how attractive her apprentice was.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and tipped back her sake in one go. “Fine, fine,” she grumbled, shooing him toward the door with a wave of her hand. “I can tell when someone’s in a rush to leave. Before you go, though, I need to ask you one more favor.”

“And that is?”

“Don’t tell Sakura about Naruto.”

He froze, a frown coming to his lips at the unexpected request. Nodding slowly, he murmured, “Very well. I won’t tell her.” With that, he left the Hokage’s office, still feeling as if he’d suffered a blow to the head. After two and a half years away… It was going to be interesting to see just how much Naruto had changed. Hopefully, the rambunctious boy had matured a bit under Jiraiya’s care. Because if he hadn’t… telling Naruto that he and Sakura were now dating was going to be a nightmare.

Sighing, Kakashi set aside that concern for the time being and hurried down the steps of the administration building. He had to move quickly in order to meet Sakura in a fairly timely manner. Or as timely as one could get after being tied up in a meeting with seemingly no end. Rooftop travel was out of the question since it was the time of evening where people would be having dinner. Most civilians tended to frown upon having their meals interrupted by random ninja running across their roofs. So, that left one option; transportation jutsu.

Kakashi was only half way through the needed seals when a sudden blur of movement went ripping by behind his back. What the hell… He followed the after image of the figure in black as it sped away, confused as to what was so important that a person had to run that fast. Whoever it was came damned close to taking him out, too. In fact, they’d been close enough to graze his hip in passing, which was… wait… no… oh, hell no! Kakashi practically ripped his pouch from his belt in order to rummage inside it frantically. A small, choked gasp managed to squeeze out of his suddenly tight throat as a feeling of lightheadedness came over him.

Gone… Icha Icha Violence was gone. That son of a bitch had stolen his book.

He was off after the thief in the next instant, whipping down the street at the same breakneck speed he’d been complaining about only moments before. People were diving out of his way left and right, their terrified faces nothing more than blurs as he raced by. He wound and zigzagged his way through the maze of streets, his pouch clutched in one hand and a malicious gleam in his eye.

The idea that this was Sakura’s big move came to mind. He’d been expecting her to do something for the last couple weeks, but so far she hadn’t. This didn’t seem like the sort of thing she would do, though. The whole thing felt very desperate and unplanned. That wasn’t like Sakura at all. She was a planner, an organizer. She wouldn’t just make a grab for his books and not have a better exit strategy than to run as quickly as possible.

He stuck with the thief for every duck, hairpin turn and switchback they took, never once letting them out of his sight. Down side streets, dodging through the busy market district, cutting through private gardens… wherever his target went, he was right behind. When the person switched to the rooftops, he did as well, leaping easily between buildings and over power lines in his haste to catch up. But for as hard as he pushed himself to go faster, the thief was faster still. Damn it… they were getting away!

It was time to put an end to this.

Without once breaking pace, Kakashi whipped out the summoning scroll from his vest and activated it as quickly as possible. There was a series of poofing sounds from behind him, followed immediately by the fierce barking of dogs on the hunt. He could hear their claws scrabbling on the rooftops as they too broke out running, catching up to him in a matter of seconds.

“What’s goin’ on?” Pakkun shouted from Kakashi’s ankles.

“No time to explain,” Kakashi called back as he made the jump for the next rooftop. “Pakkun, you and Anu find Sakura. Tell her I’m running late and stay with her until I arrive.” In case this actually did have anything to do with her, he wanted to have his dogs there in case the thief somehow managed to escape and make the drop.

“Right!” The two dogs in question disappeared in a puff of grayish blue smoke instantly.

“The rest of you… get my damn book back!”

The ninken broke away from him immediately, barking loudly in pursuit of the speeding target. Kakashi maintained pace, keeping the dogs in sight as they rapidly gained ground on their prey. There wasn’t a person alive who could escape his dogs, he was confident of that.

And when they did finally corner their target… the person behind the theft had better pray that there was no damage done to Icha Icha Violence or there would be some severe hell to pay.


________________________________________


Damn it… where the hell was Kakashi? Yeah, she’d been expecting him to be late, but not this late. Sakura let out an irritated puff of breath and scowled at the clock telling her it was now about a quarter after seven. He was almost an hour and a half late and she was starving! Sighing as she pushed up off the couch, she tugged her strapless dress more firmly in place and went into the kitchen to grab a quick snack.

The dress she was wearing actually belonged to Ino. The blonde had purchased it without trying it on and only discovered once she’d gotten it home that there was no way in hell it would ever fit over her breasts. So in a fit of charity, she’d given it to Sakura to wear. Initially, she’d been against the strapless teal dress for the very simple fact that she was afraid it would slip down during the evening. But after the blonde had assured her repeatedly that wouldn’t happen (while suggesting she should wear a cute bra just in case it does), she’d finally given in.

Unfortunately, she’d had to take it in a little on top to make it fit… but thankfully Ino had refrained from commenting on that.

The color did look really pretty with her hair, and the silver jewelry Ino let her borrow fit very nicely. Her roommate also loaned her a tube of lip gloss that tasted like a butterscotch sundae. It seemed a little masochistic to her that someone who was on a perpetual diet had a dessert flavored lip gloss, but she wasn’t gonna complain about it. Not when it tasted this good. She couldn’t wait to see what Kakashi thought of it.

There was one thing she wasn’t wearing tonight: a hair tie. She’d purposely foregone it for two reasons. First, it was going to be tricky enough picking his pocket while kissing him and with her hands behind his back. She didn’t need to complicate it even more by being blindfolded in the process. Second, if Kakashi wanted to kiss her tonight… he’d have to let her see his face to do it. She would essentially being killing two birds with one stone. If he ever got there, that was.

Sakura had just opened one of the cupboards in the kitchen when she heard the telltale poof of smoke the heralded someone appearing in her apartment. Finally! She was beginning to wonder if he’d stood her up. “You pervert!” she called teasingly as she slammed the cabinet door shut and headed back for the living room. “You had no idea whether or not I was nak— Oh, hello, Pakkun. Um… who’s your friend? And where’s Kakashi?”

“He actually told me and Anu to come over here,” the pug explained as the larger, yellow dog with a rather unsettling leer began sniffing around her apartment curiously. “Something came up so he’s gonna be late.”

That made a worried knot form in her stomach. If Kakashi was going to be late because he was a lazy jerk, he wouldn’t have bothered sending Pakkun over with some lame excuse about something coming up. It made her think that perhaps something very serious had happened, maybe something to do with the upcoming chuunin exams. Or maybe even… Swallowing hard, Sakura asked softly, “What happened?”

“Somebody went an’ stole his book,” Pakkun supplied casually as the other dog went and made himself comfortable on the couch. “He’s busy trackin’ ‘em down with the other dogs right now.”

“WHAT?” Sakura reeled back a step as shock and ire warred inside her. Someone… stole his book?! Who would… why would anyone… “You have got to be kidding me!”

Great… about the last thing she needed right now was a rival in her mission to steal Icha Icha. Whoever it was, they’d better hope like hell Kakashi catches them and gets his book back. Because if he doesn’t and she finds out their identity… pain. They’ll be in for lots and lots of pain for messing up her plans.