That's MY Book!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And killing sprees are just too hard.
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"Iruka-sensei!!" Naruto greeted with his usual enthusiasm.

Bounding towards the chuunin, the little kitsune threw himself at the man as they lapsed into their usual bear-like hug. Or in Naruto's case, fox... uh, hug? Ah, forget it.

For some odd reason, though, Iruka sensed anger emanating hostily from two sources ahead of him. Something which was confirmed as he glanced up at two seemingly disturbed shinobi. The looks on Kakashi and Sakura's face could not quite be described. Was it anger? Frustration? Passion? Uh... er NO. Maybe it was constipation.

Scratching the scar across his nose nervously, the chuunin level teacher attempted to convince himself he was just imagining the tension. What could cause such anger within them, anyways? It's not like HE did anything. Right?

Sakura was grinding her teeth, her fists curled into fists at her side. Her inner self hissed darkly, '...IRUKA... he lied to me. Kakashi wasn't dying.... grrr... So technically, what followed that incident is utlimately his fault.'

She took a step forward, only to be beat by the one and only Copy nin Kakashi.

Now normally, the silver haired jounin never shouts. His voice sort of drawls out like he has all the time in the world. Not to mention he never puts much emotion behind the words he says.

"Iruka, the strawberries are YOUR fault!" But THAT was definately not a drawl. Of any sort.

Okay, stop. Wait. Iruka looked around to see if everything was as it seemed. The person before him WAS in fact, Kakashi. Not some clone or disguise. He had shouted. The pony-tailed chuunin refrained from pinching himself. Yes. Kakashi, this same perverted jounin, had raised his voice. And he wasn't dreaming? No. Iruka looked around again. Were they in a battle?

.....Noooo. All right.

And now there was the fist clutched at his vest. Kakashi's fist. Iruka's vest. Iruka frowned. It was as if... almost as if the jounin were... MAD at him or something. The fist was definately a sign of some sort of anger. Maybe it was all the pent up rage the silver haired man had. Rage that he usually vented during practice or actual missions. Which Iruka rightly concluded had not happened yet.

Okay. Now that all that was cleared up, Iruka cleared his throat, looking up at the taller man's masked face just hand lengths away, "...What was that about strawberries?"

The visible eye blinked. SLOWLY.

Iruka started to feel the beginnings of worry as he felt the grip on his vest tightening. He even managed a gasp when his toes barely touched the ground. Kakashi easily lifted him to eye level, his own black orb sparking.

Kakashi's voice was low as he growled in a menacing tone, "The. Strawberries. Iruka."

Now a look of half-panic appeared on Iruka's face, 'This can NOT be good.'

Well after the poof of smoke dissipated, the three remaining chuunin still stared at the empty spot in shock.

'Kakashi? First being early and then getting upset?' Sasuke's darkened thoughts spread to his face, 'Something's up...'

'What the- what was that all about?' Sakura frowned, 'I'm mad at Iruka. What was Kakashi upset about??'

"Eh," Naruto spoke up first, scratching the back of his blond spiky locks, "remind me never to get Kakashi strawberries, 'kay guys?"

"As if you ever get our sensei anything, Dobe." Sasuke replied.

"What did you say, bastard!!"

Sakura ignored them, looking around worriedly as she wondered, 'Where did they go?'

^-^

Wouldn't you agree the forest is such a great place? So nice. So peaceful. Birds singing. Bunnies shitting. Bears eating. Blood... dripping... from the leaves and-um... the uh, kunais and shurikens.

"Why did you grab my vest?" Iruka's brows were furrowed, crouched defensively, shurikens in hand. Er, fingers.

Stinging cuts could be found, fresh and new, adorning his sleeves and pants like random red slashes.

"Why did you attack me?" Kakashi countered, his voice the deadly calm it usually fell into when fighting.

The jounin wasn't without his small, decorative wounds. But he had significantly less than the panting chuunin before him.

"I thought you were gonna attack me!" Brown eyes flashing in anger, Iruka tensed, awaiting for the new string of attacks that were surely to come soon.

Which is why he felt a sort of detached disappointment when Kakashi put his weapons away and stuck his hands slouchingly into his pockets. Sure, the chuunin had made his decision a long time ago that he wanted to remain in the same rank and teach the future warriors of Konoha village, but that didn't mean he disliked intense sparring. And Kakashi was about the most intense he could get without feeling a more than 90 percent fear for his life.

Giving the brown eyed chuunin a glare, the jounin decided to get straight to the point, "You sent Sakura to my place after the mission, didn't you."

"Only because I KNEW you were lying when you told me that lame excuse."

"Oh, so you KNEW I was lying, huh? So why'd you send her over, then?"

Iruka gave him a dull-eyed stare before stating with a sigh, "Isn't it obvious? You would have DIED without a medic-nin's help."

"I'm standing here now, aren't I?"

Iruka refrained from pulling the jounin's ear out and yelling into it. Growling angrily, the brown haired chuunin breathed deeply, retrieving a small scoop from the well of patience he reserved for his students. Another look at the silver haired man made him rethink that. Maybe a couple dozen bucketfuls and he'd be set.

"Only. Because. I. Sent. Her. TO. You."

"Are you claiming that you single handedly saved my life? Honestly, Iruka," Kakashi shook his head, "that's a little... arrogant and egotistical, isn't it?"

If you could burn someone with your gaze alone, Kakashi would've blazed into dust ten times over by now. Unfortunately, Iruka's well of patience did crack and dry up in the sudden inferno festering inside.

"ARGH!! KAKASHI WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE?!?!?!"

Kakashi, seemingly impervious to fatal shrieks and shouts of death, wiggled a finger in his ear before commenting, "Well, gee, Iruka. No need to inform the whole village."

Too bad everyone else did not seem to have the same immunity. Tsunade, used to such outbursts from time to time, pulled out the earplugs she had trained herself to wear at odd hours of the day. Strangely, it seemed to work every time.

The villagers flinched at the shout that momentarily blanked out any other noise. But other than the tiny, shrieking kids, everyone merely returned to their day.

Having just recovered from the previous attack to his hearing, the new guard grasped a comrade's arm to stand. But at the second wave, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, pitching back to the floor and falling back into the bliss of unconsciousness.

The name that rolled out of the chuunin's tongue was stabbed with venom, "Ka-ka-shi..."

'Hmmm, I seem to be hearing my name in that tone more and more often,' Kakashi noted curiously.

Noticing the second death glare aimed at him since his return, the jounin grinned, "What were we talking about again?"

'Oh, you've GOT to be KIDDING,' Iruka shook with tense irritation, "Str... the str....straw-"

Recieving aid from the reddening face of the younger man before him, Kakashi snapped his fingers, "That's right. Strawberries."

Iruka's eye twitched. He got it. He GOT it?! HE'S the one who had dragged Iruka there in the first place. HOW could he just suddenly GET it?

Before the chuunin's head could implode or something equally as likely due to certain anger issues, Kakashi finally turned a bit serious.

"Iruka. We need to talk."

^-^

Sakura hadn't let the moment pass by without her snatching it. It was her chance. Now. Now she could definately get something done about that book.

When Naruto had spoken up earlier, the pink haired chuunin had gotten hit on the head by a mind numbing idea. It was SO obvious. Why didn't she just go out and BUY another book. Kakashi wouldn't notice the difference. As long as it was the new edition he probably wouldn't even notice if she scribbled across the cover.

And where better to buy the book than from the main source. Jiraiya.