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Getting lost on the road of life was an important aspect in the way how Hatake Kakashi viewed himself. Should it be either his past, present or uncertain future, he always took a moment to wander inside his mind and lose his tracks to the harsh reality from time to time.
The ignorant might claim that he daydreamed.
The ones who actually knew him didn't comment on it.
Then, there was the former Team Seven.
“What are you plotting, Kakashi-sensei?” The faint trace of irritation was understandable in Sakura's voice that carried over the general murmur in the negotiation room as the kunoichi addressed her former teacher who slouched in his spot by the wall next to her, the jounin's arms crossed over the breastplate of his new uniform and his shoulders slightly hunched. To her credit, in Kakashi's amused opinion, while the young woman was more interested in the odd mood she had apparently detected on her former mentor than the public they were viewing, the young nin knew better than to give away her shift of focus, her spring green eyes staring determinately at both past acquaintances and new faces slipping past them in the large hall.
Knowing that it usually irritated his former student some more, the accused Rokudaime let a noncommittal hum act as his answer before continuing in a nonchalant tone: “I am merely eavesdropping the annual hospital overview like you are, Sakura. Ino is currently giving quite a thorough presentation on your monthly budget request to the Daimyo's Minister of Funds, if you haven't noticed.” Just like his student, the Hokage kept looking at the cluster of people that roamed in the annual conference meeting for the administrative personnel, the young Yamanaka heir's voice serving as a nice background murmur to soothe his overwhelmed ears. Keen sense of hearing had plenty of downsides now that his active mission days were over.
All in all, the elite tactician had a feeling that their new inter-village meetings and conferences were designed with the sole purpose to keep the Kages out of their comfort zone enough to force them to stay awake during such dull gatherings. That or the young generation of the administrative nins were just mocking their intelligence.
Judging from the air of brewing temper that circled one certain headmaster of Konoha Shinobi Academy who had been pulled into an enthusiastic debate about scholarships a few feet away from them, Kakashi suspected that Iruka felt the same.
On the other hand, spying the polite yet strained looks of the other chuunin and jounin representatives who were attending the general meeting and were forced to take care of the civilian guests made the superior commander briefly wonder if it was only his generation of shinobi who found themselves missing the simple days of ink, paper and a lot of overworked messenger birds. Nara Shikamaru looked positively tortured on his seat by the desk of the conference organizers – though that could also be because it seemed that Naruto was in deep thought next to him, and anyone who knew the boy knew what that most likely meant. Kakashi could only sympathize.
Given that Iruka was also checking cautiously the thoughtful Uzumaki's expression was enough of a confirmation.
“I didn't spend the years of my pre-teens under your sadistic command to forget how you look like when you plot something, sensei,” Sakura calmly responded and reeled the topic back into discussion, which made the jounin's ears perk at her direction shortly before tuning back to hear yet another snip of information shared by two passing chuunins that consisted mainly of odd statistics; to either underline the need for newly graduated genins in the villages or emphasize the importance of new puppies at the ninken kennels, the Hokage didn't dare to guess which.
“It surely wasn't that bad.” With no quip forthcoming from the other's side, the jounin discreetly turned his full attention to the pink-haired medic, part of him grateful to the young nin for the merciful break his brain was given from the monotonous parade of statistics. “Alright. Let's assume that I am plotting. I give you three tries.”
The roll of the spring green eyes was fondly frustrated, yet the curious kunoichi was undoubtedly game. On the other hand, had she indeed been taking notice of his work manners all those years when suffering as his underling, the young woman undoubtedly had already noticed his eagerness to chat about something entirely else than just politics and economics. “How to create a shadow clone and let that die of boredom instead without nobody catching onto your grand escape?”
At that, the jounin gave an unimpressed glance at his former student. “There's no saying that I wouldn't already be a shadow clone and you know my strategies well enough to know that. Next.”
Letting the snide reply slide like water over a happily quacking duckling's back, the pink-haired kunoichi stood straighter by the wall and gave a sly smile. “How to make the electronics in this room to short-circuit without anyone guessing that it was your chidori that fried the cabling?”
The pause in the jounin's thoughts was visible, and he tapped his fingers once against his elbow, as if chewing over a sudden possibility; Sakura had learned to celebrate her small victories. “I will hold you accountable for giving me ideas. Next.”
The look in Sakura's eyes turned sharper than any chakra scalpel she had learned to wield as she sensed the suspicious look that her another former teacher gave them two from the group the man had joined, the tokujo's keen hearing undoubtedly catching onto bits of their tittering in the back, just like in the Academy. Keeping that in mind, the grinning kunoichi dropped her voice an octave lower as she moved in for the kill. “Anything related to Iruka-sensei.”
There was nothing in the older shinobi's presence giving away that the words struck true, and yet it was painfully obvious to someone who had been working with the silver-haired elite for several years. “That covers quite a lot of ground, Sakura.”
“So I am given notice.” That was the closest he would get for a verbal confirmation to some things he and Iruka had suspected.
As if suddenly catching onto the same train of thought, the headmaster in question gave a fleeting glance at the still thinking Uzumaki, who, now that Kakashi paid better attention to the young man, was looking at him and Sakura. Or, more precisely, Sakura's mouth.
The Rokudaime felt briefly torn between swelling from pride and the urge to first smack the blond for the sheer nerve and then himself for not noticing.
“Maa. I won't be held responsible if you brats get any ideas,” Kakashi jibed back, entertained by now from the light banter and aware that he had completely missed over half of the discussion that had something to do with their hospital school program when Ino finished the presentation to the Minister with a prim smile. Ah well. “Thank you Ino for the presentation,” he announced to no-one in particular before the Minister could spot his presence and jump at him with questions, “I suppose Sakura could give the Minister a review on your needs concerning the update of the medical equipment at the autopsy section.” Then, as smoothly as he had been raised to be, the Hokage steered himself well out of the range when Sakura finally caught onto his dirty trick.
Not for the first time, Kakashi was grateful for the mask hiding his smug face. The brats were a hundred years too early to try to pull one on him.
However, if the looks shared by his two former students were any hint, his clever evasive maneuver had been anticipated and the counterattack was already on its way. It took no longer than a couple of minutes for the murmur to cease to his left, followed by the echoes of shuffling feet and hushed greetings, with folders and papers rustling, when one certain raven-haired troublemaker made his way towards the older shinobi.
He had to give the young man credit for exposing himself willingly to the crowd this large after his release.
...Unless the widely grinning Hokage-wannabe and the smug-looking medic-sidekick, who most likely was the ultimate brains in the whole charade, had something to do with the Uchiha's appearance. Kakashi could almost hear the pep-talks they had undoubtedly inflicted on their teammate when the young man had been imprisoned and incapable of busting his way out of Ibiki's facilities.
“...Kakashi-sensei.”
“...Sasuke.”
Of course, the exposure to Naruto's and Sakura's bubbly personalities had yet to affect the stoic man's small talk skills. Not that Kakashi deemed himself any better, but in his case he had recently felt strongly inclined to offer his input to the inane chatter. That could have also been because someone unmentioned who he happened to share his apartment with had made a rather loud and spectacularly well enunciated opinion heard a couple of days prior at the end of one disastrously dull faculty meeting.
Kakashi now knew for certain that he was a hundred years too early to try to pull one over Iruka when bureaucratic subjects were under discussion.
“I take it you had a good summer, sensei.”
It also seemed that he was a hundred years late if an Uchiha made an attempt at casual chit-chat before he did.
“Maa. A bit of this and that. Trying to run a village. Mostly succeeding.” Considering the look on Sasuke's face the young man had not anticipated his former sensei to know the art of rambling. Casual verbal subterfuge, the jounin called it; Iruka called it Being An Uninformative Ass.
Nevertheless, it had null wished effect on the level-headed Uchiha, as the man just gave a hum and then proceeded to give the room a deceivingly vague once-over before settling to look at one specific corner. “I guess you've had good people helping out with it. Like Iruka-sensei.”
This was new – and only a bit alarming. He should nip it in the bud right then. “Naruto finally figured it all out and pestered you to bother me, didn't he.”
The dreadfully bored shrug that bumped up and down the Uchiha's shoulders was more than enough of an answer. “Mostly. But I have also been left out of the grapevine for quite some time.”
An Uchiha that was curious about village gossip. Anytime now the Hyuugas would start a full-blown orgy.
Not to let his opponent catch onto his thoughts, Kakashi turned his back against the nearest wall, if only to stop the chills. “You all could just ask Iruka and come visit us.”
“That would be an easily given possibility,” Sasuke amended, and then offered Kakashi an expression that was probably making the former elite captain produce a sound of some sort, considering the worried look he was given by a passing summon: the bastard cracked a smile. “However, when it's about your privacy there's nothing easy about it.”
Privacy, eh. Ah. “Oh yes, the mask incident a few years back.” Kakashi let himself chuckle before fixing a cheerfully icy look at one particular blond who had finally made his nonchalant appearance in their company. “Not in million years.”
“You have no right to complain, you've been plotting all afternoon,” came the equally cocky reply from the blond in question, the whiskers on his cheeks matching the mischievous grin that was etched on Naruto's face. “Iruka-sensei says he shouldn't take long, by the way.”
Amidst the common chaos and chatter, indeed, one tan tokujo was making subtle looks on his way. Well. The afternoon had dragged on quite a while already. A vicious grin tilted the jounin's masked mouth when he spotted one chuunin from the organizing team to skiddle by, and raised his voice just enough: “Maa, it appears that some of the guests are starting to feel rather peckish, hopefully the staff has taken into account the need for a coffee break soon.”
Judging by the annoyed looks he was given from all members of Team Seven, his blatant dodging attempt had not went unnoticed when the staff took one look at all Kages present and raised the alarm for the afternoon break, the harried announcement for refreshments putting a prompt stop to the formed deals and nearly signed papers. It was a wonder how well-behaved most of the notorious older generation representatives were when taking their cue to go get some badly needed fresh air, given that they've all had stood dead on their feed for the past twenty minutes. Those who knew exactly who had saved them from a mental lobotomy gave a discreet thank you on their way out, only to share a confused look with two young men, one blond and one dark-haired, who then realized that they've lost their prey in the commotion.
As it was, in the middle of the mingling crowd one man was subtly ambushed by another while the rest of the conference guests made their way out; all unaware of a cut-off question followed by a muffled hum and a pop of displaced air behind their backs, with everyone all too focused to ambush the buffet table set out for them.
If anyone noticed the absence of Hatake-sama and Umino-san when the runner from the facility maintenance team came a few moments later, not many took a moment to comment on it, as they were all faced with the fact of being sent to another administrative wing to further continue the meeting due to a strangely local short-circuiting that had roasted the electronics in every conference room in the main building.
“Troublesome,” noted Shikamaru on his way out, and yet there was no hiding the knowing smile on his face. As he joined the others to herd the visitors to the new location, there stood three young shinobis on the side of the group, all having equally victorious smirks on their faces before vanishing into the maze of corridors.
“Now then, mind telling me why you encouraged those three to gang up against me today?” His voice was smooth and casual, but Kakashi knew that the look in his gray eyes was anything but and the man he had cornered in a stationery storage room was well-informed on that fact, at least if the unrepentant grin on the tan face was any indication.
“Because I know you enjoy the occasional challenge,” was offered by the warm baritone, and if anything, the smirk on Iruka's face grew an inch by the mildly insulted look crossing his lover's masked face. Then, gradually, the smirk slipped into a soft smile. “It could also be because I thought it would do all three of them good to let go of their burdens for a moment and focus on some...lighter topics, for a change.”
A sound of metal clinking against metal was heard when the Rokudaime's forehead protector bumped gently against the Academy headmaster's own, the masked jounin giving a long look at the trapped man. “I know you care more than is healthy about those kids, but you're looking too ready to believe your own words to make me believe that.”
The small space echoed with a short bark of laughter coming from the tan nin in question, and the man's hands found their way up to their planned destination, the dark eyes glinting with delight in the room's dim light. “Someone is in a sharp mood today.”
“Not as sharp as something else here is, apparently,” the thin lips formed words on the pale face when one of Konoha's best guarded secret was exposed to the room temperature, a filthy grin stretching the jounin's mouth when he pushed his hips closer to the other man's, “my, my, Umino-san.”
“I'm only after a kiss, mind you,” Iruka defended, albeit ineffectively considering the small hitch of breath that ghosted along the Rokudaime's jawline and the tinge of red blooming on his high cheeks when the jounin slid his hands around the man's narrow hips. “Felt like there's been enough time since the last one.”
A silvery eyebrow rose on the pale forehead at that. “Four hours and forty-five minutes.”
A dark, slender eyebrow rose to meet the challenge on the teacher's forehead, it matching the amused look that flashed in the dark brown eyes. Not that the silver-haired ex-ANBU was noticing any of that, for the man was much more interested in the way the full lips were licked by a sleek tongue flicking out for a show. “You keep track. I don't know if it's sweet or alarming.”
“Have small talk with Sasuke and then you know,” Kakashi murmured and then dove in for the kiss before his lover could start asking how chatting with the former missing nin had anything to do with the village's leader keeping track on their kisses. Surely enough, the dark-haired academician seemed to forget well enough whatever it was that he had been thinking, and the small moan rising from the tan throat did wonders to Kakashi's mood that had suffered quite a blow from the day's mind-numbing meetings.
Although, to be honest with himself, the silver-haired commander didn't mind numbing his senses with some company, particularly so when the said company slipped in some tongue in a way he hadn't even known he had missed during the dreadful day.
However, there was a reason why a part of him kept telling him that his neck had tingled for the past three minutes.
“Alright,” he said after a final peck to the lips he already found himself missing when he turned to glare coldly at the three thorns on his side who were lurking behind the office tape boxes and staring at the scene they had bamphed upon, “this can go two ways, and both options are harmful to your health, so I suggest you take your fill on this,” the pale fingers circled vaguely around the exposed area in question, “and then be ever grateful to Iruka who may be able to persuade me to not hand you the shittiest D-ranks available – if he feels so inclined. Unless,” he there turned to scowl disappointedly at the slightly paling bastard in question, “he has already struck a deal with you lot, in which case you're in for a world of trouble, sensei.”
The stunned silence that fell upon their small group after his steely words held for one whole minute before Kakashi felt his poker face slip.
Really, they were all a hundred years too early.