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Iruka had so much paperwork to do, and he couldn’t focus. Just that morning he had heard that Team 7 would be entered into the Chunin Exams. ALREADY! He was both filled with pride and worry, but mostly worry, and it had rendered him distracted for the rest of the day. He combed his fingers back through his hair, his head leaning into his hands as he stared at the wooden desk nicked with so many kunai and shuriken gouges that he had to write everything on a clipboard or he would risk putting holes in the papers on that uneven surface.
To top things off, it was the hottest day yet that year. Why did he have to have a west facing window? He leaned back and waved his clipboard back and forth to create a breeze against his skin. “Too hot to think straight.” Iruka mumbled, closing his eyes for a moment to rest.
“I don’t think you’re straight even when you’re not hot. Which by the way, you’re always hott, hot.” A familiar voice came from the doorway. Genma walked in, hands in pockets, senbon in his mouth as usual.
“Why do you tease me when I’m exhausted?” Iruka complained and sat up, still fanning himself, his unkempt hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.
“Beeeeecause you’d stay moping for much longer if I didn’t.” Genma retorted and walked over, and leaned on the side of Iruka’s desk.
Iruka rolled his eyes and let the clipboard plap onto his thigh, too exhausted to even keep fanning himself. It was time for him to get a new area fan, and at least go home for the day.
“Why are you here so late?” Iruka asked.
“Well, would you believe me if I said I was a little worried about you today?” Genma asked, picking up a homework sheet and gesturing at it. “Because you’re clearly distracted. You always have this done by now.”
“I’m just…. my mind is scrambled from the heat-” Iruka started to say.
“And Kakashi san.” Genma provided as he squinted at the terrible handwriting on the worksheet.
“What? No! I’m just… we disagree on some things, and when it happens to do with the safety of my students-”
“-Your *former* students.” Genma interrupted. But his tone was gentle, and simply matter of fact.
Iruka let out a click of dissatisfaction. “-theeeen it requires my attention, and when necessary, my involvement as an intermediary. I’ve known them for years, Genma. They aren’t ready for the Chunin Exams yet! They should get more experience first! You remember what a different playing field it was when we transitioned from D and C rank missions to competing against our own classmates and other village genin to prove ourselves ready for the next step! It was like nothing we had done before! They had skills we had never even seen in real life yet!”
“Iruka, I know, but at some point you have to let them try things on their own, and… make room for their new sensei to do *his* job.”
“He’s never even *done* his job fully before. He’s never passed a single team before this.” Iruka stated plainly. “I’m sorry, I just don’t think he’s being responsible.” Iruka had gotten up and started to pace the room and gesture with his arms. Genma knew something was deeper than what he was saying aloud.
“Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?” Genma picked up the clipboard and started to fan himself. The evening heat really did stream in through that window.
“What? You think there’s something else?” Iruka said, stopping and turning to face Genma.
Genma paused in fanning himself. “I don’t know, maybe. You tell me.”
“I’m not jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Iruka said, and crossed his arms.
“I’m not thinking that you’re jealous. I mean, well, maybe a little, based on that being the first thing you thought of.”
Iruka fixed him with a look and walked over to take the clipboard back. He fanned himself a few times and set it on his desk, taking a moment to think about it.
“I do miss teaching them. ALL of them. Every new class that comes and goes takes me for a loop. I know I get attached to them. But, it’s not that I’m jealous of Kakashi specifically. I just sometimes wish I could move up with them, to keep teaching them all the way through. He- Kakashi sensei has gotten the three of them to actually work together in a way I thought would take years to develop, if it ever did. But he set the groundwork for that with them on day one. How did he figure them out so quickly?” Iruka held his hands out openly, his expression miffed.
“I think you mayyyy be a *little* jealous.”
Iruka sighed. “Maybe a bit, but look, it’s not even that. Not really. I’m… impressed by him.”
“Kakashi sensei?”
“Ugh, YES. * Him *.” Iruka groaned and scrunched his hands in frustration. Genma tried to tell if Iruka was blushing but he was already red and sweaty so he couldn’t tell. But there was one way to find out if he was on the mark.
“You liiiiiike him. Oh, you *like* like him!” Genma teased.
Iruka made a garbled half noise, half complaint. “*shhhhhuuuut,fuuuugrrrah! Genma! Please, don’t complicate this! I just admitted to a small… compliment. A secret compliment by the way, one that will never leave your lips. Or my kunai will find its way to keep your lips s-h-u-t. Shut.” Iruka was now pointing a dull pencil at him threateningly. But Genma was used to this by now. Iruka had a funny way of trying to deny when he had a crush. And it was sooo adoooooorable.
“That pencil is dull, by the way.” Genma said with a smirk. “But my perceptions are sharp. You can’t hide the truth from me. I know you too well.” Genma stood up triumphantly.
Iruka sighed again and slumped back into his chair. “Whyyyy do I even talk to you? You’re so unbearably persistent, and hard to actually be mad at.”
Genma chuckled and slid past Iruka and moved Iruka’s hands from his temples, where he was doing more harm than good to try and relieve his headache. “Here, may I?” Genma said, and gestured at Iruka’s head.
“Huh? Oh, sure, that’s fine.” Iruka said, and moved his hands out of the way. Genma gently placed his fingers on Iruka’s temples, and began a light massage there, that then moved on to his forehead, then the spot between his brows that he always scrunched up so tight when he was stressed, and finally started a massage on his scalp.
Iruka sighed.
Genma smiled, and thought about how hard Iruka worked to protect and prepare his students for the life of being a shinobi. Iruka would often talk about his students, or the faculty, or the lesson plans, during their after work drinks. And he especially found it endearing when Iruka vented about things he wanted to improve about the place. He was such a dedicated teacher. And Genma was inspired by him. Genma found himself helping Iruka with the odd project now and again and Iruka would beam with joy when it was a success. Genma gazed at the top of Iruka’s head as he worked his magic. Thinking about how much he loved his dearest friend.
“Can I put your hair down?” Genma asked, and Iruka just hummed an “mm hmm.” with his eyes closed and his shoulders finally relaxed. Genma proceeded to make Iruka’s mind go quiet for a few minutes with the relaxing scalp massage, and to top it all off, he even asked if Iruka had a hairbrush handy.
“Bottom right hand drawer.” Iruka mumbled and pointed. Genma got it and asked “Can I brush your hair?” And Iruka nodded calmly. “Thanks Genma….” He let out a soft sigh, with a hint of a sniffle at the end of it. Iruka’s arms were folded across his chest, almost hugging himself gently.
“You know, I bet those three are gonna surprise you, Iruka. I really do.” Genma said honestly. In a hushed, calm, reassuring volume.
Iruka sniffled again and wiped his nose. “I- I know they will. I do, I just… they grow up so quick. And now I’m getting ollllllddddd.” Genma saw a tear escape down Iruka’s cheek and he gently pulled Iruka’s hair into a loose ponytail so that it wouldn’t be so tight on his head anymore for the rest of the day. Genma lowered himself and gave Iruka a hug over the shoulders from behind. Resting his head on Iruka’s shoulder.
“You’re not *old* Iruka. Oh my kami. You’re twenty-three! You can’t call yourself old because I’m older than you, and I’m not about to start calling myself old yet, ya geezer.”
Iruka let out a laugh of release, and he fought off his tears and hugged Genma’s arms that were wrapped around him. “Thanks, Genma.”
“Hey, anytime.” Genma said and stayed there for a moment letting the hug soak in, and stroked his hands over Iruka’s beautiful hair, admiring how the setting sunlight reflected like amber off of his dark brown locks. It was heavenly. Genma was a bit jealous of Iruka’s hair. But he enjoyed getting to play with his hair from time to time. He remembered that one evening when Iruka was so distracted with the movie they were watching, that he put it into a french braid, and he just about died from how pretty it was. Iruka was asleep by the end of the movie, none the wiser. So, when they got up in the morning, and Iruka let his hair down, it was in loose waves, and Genma wasn’t the only one distracted by Iruka’s hair when they went out for breakfast. In order to protect this beautiful rare vision, Genma had to glare off a couple of people who looked like they wanted to compliment Iruka’s hair. But Genma knew if anyone pointed it out, he’d never let him braid his hair again.
Genma smiled to himself remembering that day, and stood up slowly, before continuing the conversation.
“Now, how about you gather your papers, grab your bag, and we go get some fucking icecream before *I* melt to death here. Jeez, how do you stand teaching in this hot box of a room?!”
“I’m usually headed home by the time it gets bad.” Iruka said and gathered his things, and started to follow Genma out. They chatted idly as they left the school, and made their way down the road towards the shops to go get some ice cream.
- - -
Once they got to the ice cream stand, they paid and waited on their cones. While they were standing idly, Genma turned his head, and peered into the close distance. “Is that…….. Kakashi?”
Iruka turned to look in the direction Genma was squinting, and sure enough, there was Kakashi, quietly jumping down from a tree in a park, and walked over to the public garden, tucked his ‘romance novel’ into his back pocket, and squatted next to a bush and started picking blueberries and…. Magically? Eating them past his mask, somehow….
The vendor held out their cones, and the two of them systematically took their cones from him without even breaking eye contact from the odd sight of the white haired shinobi. In the WILD!
“Is he… picking berries?” Iruka whispered to Genma.
“I… think so…” Genma just licked his ice cream and stared at Kakashi.
“He’s sooo *weird.*” Iruka said with his face all scrunchy.
Genma looked over at Iruka amused that he was gossiping about The Kakashi Hatake. “Well, he *is* ex-Anbu. So of course he’s weird. They all are.” Genma concluded and shrugged. “Do you think he’s actually eating them?”
“He must be. I don’t think he’d be the type to waste public garden food instead of… I dunno, whatever he could be doing.” Iruka gestured, his hand all wiggly-like for emphasis.
Iruka’s ice cream was melting all over his hand now. Genma leaned over to lick his cone. Iruka realized what Genma was attempting, and smacked him for his trouble. “Hey! Stop that! You have your own!”
“Well, then don’t let yours go to waste! I didn’t realize you were so easily distracted by him.” Genma teased with a little wiggle of his shoulders for extra pizzazz.
“I’m not, I just think it’s weird that he’s grazing on public-”
“Oh, shit. He’s behind you now.” Genma gasped.
“be-ERRIES!!! Holy fuck!” Iruka launched into a 180, to turn around and face the ninja. Hands at the ready. But…. he wasn’t there. He was still over by the bushes. Although, now that Iruka loudly made a scene, and tossed his ice cream on top of the vendor cart, Kakashi's head popped up with a couple leaves on his hair at the sudden shout, and was confusedly staring right back at Iruka.
Iruka’s face flushed red from neck to head and all up his ears. Frozen in place, with both rage, and embarrassment. And quietly through gritted teeth, Iruka growled “I’m gonna KILL YOU.” to Genma. But Kakashi, not unfamiliar with lip reading, deduced the short sentence, and pointed at himself with confusion. To which, Iruka’s eyes bugged out, and he shook his head profusely, and lunged at Genma, pulling him bodily behind the vendor cart and out of sight. Genma, now pouting because he had also dropped his ice cream in the shuffle, complained to Iruka, not acknowledging the danger he was in of possibly being brutally murdered by his best friend.
“Awwww, you made me drop my Lemon Pie Ice cream…..” Genma mourned.
Iruka had him by the collar. “I’m gonna kill you! I’m, gonna KILL you, I’m gonna kill YOU!!!” Iruka roared.
Genma put his hands up and looked away avoiding eye contact. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the one who accidentally to his face told the Copy Ninja that you’re gonna kill him. I’d run if I were you. Or I dunno. Apologize?”
“Apologize? APOLOGIZE?!?! Me??? Youuuuuuu!!!!” Iruka hissed. And then softly, politely, from behind him, a throat cleared.
Iruka froze.
“He’s right behind me NOW though, isn’t he, Genma?”
“Yup. Uh, Hiya Kakashi san. Don’t mind us, we’re just uh, playfully arguing.”
“We are NOT playfully arguing.” Iruka hissed under his breath to Genma, and gently released his collar with a flick, his eyes clearly stating this was not over by a long shot, and then calmly slathered on a polite expression and turned to face Kakashi.
“Hello, Kakashi san.” Iruka said with a tight smile. The vein clearly popping a bit on his forehead.
Kakashi started ruthlessly: “Do you customarily anoint the vendors with their own products during your friendly arguments? Because I don’t think the vendor liked that…. Sensei.”
Iruka’s vein got bigger still. “Well then, in that case, GENMA, why don’t you go offer to help clean it off his roof, while I clear up things here, with Kakashi san.”
“Right, um… I’ll….” Genma gestured away from the drama and went to dutifully excuse himself from the messy situation, to deal with one he could actually clean up.
Once a few quiet moments had passed, Iruka started the conversation again. “Sorry about that. That statement wasn’t actually directed at you. Um, my apologies.” Iruka shifted his weight and took a step back, relaxing his stance. Trying to indicate that he wasn’t upset with the shinobi standing in front of him.
“...” There was a long pause before Kakashi responded. “No harm done.”
Another long pause. “Are you all right, sensei?” Kakashi asked, to Iruka’s surprise.
“I’m not sure what you mean… Oh, You mean that? Genma is an old old friend, we were just… joking around.”
Kakashi nodded slowly. “Glad to see you still have your sense of humor. I had wondered.”
Iruka cocked his head. “My… sense of humor?”
Kakashi nodded again.
Iruka wet his lips awkwardly, looking for a way out of this conversation. But he realized he did have something else he should say… before he chickened out.
“I’m sorry, by the way.” He started.
“For what?” Kakashi asked, calmly, and seemingly oblivious to where this was going.
“For challenging your authority on what…. your… team is ready for.” Iruka struggled to slide in that *your*.
“Thank you, but it’s not necessary. Sometimes people disagree, it doesn’t always need to be fixed.”
“But, do you understand why I said it, right? I mean, don’t you think you’re rushing things that don’t need to be rushed?” Iruka persuaded.
Kakashi leveled his gaze with Iruka. And plainly, if not bluntly, said: “You, more than most, know exactly why they don’t get the luxury of taking the slow road to success.”
Iruka’s mind flashed over memories of the nine-tails sealed inside of Naruto, a force he must master, lest it overcome him. Sasuke, and the darkness inside of him that grew with every passing day. And Sakura, tied in the middle of it all, caring more than she knows about the safety and happiness of both her team members, and currently feeling helpless to do anything about it. Things wouldn’t wait for them to grow up and get stronger. After all, it didn’t wait for him. Or Kakashi for that matter. Iruka was hit with the reality of it. The reality that Kakashi probably could sense the urgency needed to prepare them for what lay ahead. And that Kakashi himself had already lived through a heart wrenching experience of not being prepared, when everything else came for them sooner than they were ready for it.
Timidly, Iruka said “I’m sorry, you are so right, I didn’t think of it like that. Sometimes I forget that things aren’t as peaceful as they seem on the surface right now. I suppose you see more of it, being out there on missions all the time.”
“I’m sure you can sense it here too. The village is still…”
“Turbulent?” Iruka provided.
“Scared.” Kakashi stated, with a somber tone.
Iruka’s expression softened. Such a big feeling to admit aloud. Being afraid. Somehow it made Iruka see a piece of how Kakashi thought, and how it played into his actions. How subtle he was, and how easily misunderstood his actions were. Even by Iruka himself.
Realizing it now, Iruka was in awe of the honest dedication Kakashi showed to his village, just based on this interaction alone, and he found himself wondering why Kakashi revealed it to him, here, now.
And upon pondering for a moment, he realized that in his own way, this was Kakashi trying to soften the blow for why he couldn’t let them stay unprepared, and stumbling on the slow track to becoming shinobi. Because the world would eat them alive and spit them out. And he didn’t want them to end up like….. us.
“You’re perfect…” Iruka let slip from his mouth.
“What?” Kakashi asked, his eyes only marginally widening. A sign he was trying not to show his shock.
Awkwardly, Iruka back tracked. “Nothing, just, um, you do fine. Um, teaching them. I mean….” He trailed off. And composed himself.
“I trust you to prepare them properly. Kakashi Sensei.” And he gave a curt nod of respect and turned to go.
A mere moment passed but Iruka found himself slowed to a stop by a gentle hand touching his. He looked back and saw it was Kakashi holding his hand, by the tips of his fingers, almost reverently.
“Thank you, Iruka sensei. I will.” And he let his fingers gently slip from Iruka’s. And he stood for a moment, gave a bob of his head in return, and popped into white smoke.
“Suck up.” Iruka mused as he sighed at the open space where The Copy Nin had been a moment before.
His heart felt lighter, and his worries and doubts seemed to be sated for the time being. But knowing him, they would soon return when next he heard about some daring escapade that team 7 would surely get up to, and marginally escape death.
Those 4 would give him a heart attack.
But… maybe that’s not so bad, as long as they survive and learn from it. And stick together. Together they could do anything.
Believe it!!!
[END]