Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Iruka's obsession ❯ Part 5 ( Chapter 5 )

part 5

 

The gossip network in Konoha was more up to date than the ANBU intelligence. There was always something to be talked about, no matter how trivial.

 

Toki-sama was apparently the Daimyo of the Bird country who had paraded around as her dead twin brother who was pretending to be a Samurai ghost. She was supposed to be heart-stoppingly beautiful, capable and…did the report mention beautiful? She was also supposed to have made the Copy-nin Kakashi blush without even looking at him, and she had been fully clothed.

 

It was definitely true, since the person who had reported it back had been TenTen, and Neji (yes, the Hyuuga boy) had confirmed it. (Naruto had also been there but it was well known that the boy didn't notice anything unless it was covered in ramen.) While it would have been nice to confirm the news from the source itself, Hatake Kakashi was nowhere to be found, and the only person available, Maito Gai (last seen doing a hundred laps around the village on his hands), had been rather miffed that anyone suspected his students told anything but the truth.

 

On a less interesting note, Academy teacher Umino Iruka had enticed a foreign ninja to the school basement on a Sunday and knocked him out with a Sexy-no-Jutsu. The poor ninja had to be escorted out by a couple of jounin.

 

“I'm aware it was for the sake of the village,” Iruka said through gritted teeth. “But did you have to distort the facts that much? I would like to have some dignity left, you know. Everyone thinks I tried to seduce some poor idiot in the school basement, and he fainted from shock,”

 

“But just to let you know, Iruka sensei, we really do appreciate this sacrifice you are making,” Genma said, leaning against the mission table. “And if it makes you feel any better, most of the ninjas know what happened. It's just the civilians we're afraid will panic if they know that someone made it through the guards into the village.”

 

“It's a good thing I didn't have much of a personal life, since I'm ruined for good, you know,” Iruka groaned. “Not that people think I'm a pervert or anything. I've just had a lot of friendly offers because of this stupid story because they're feeling sorry for me.”

 

“What friendly offers?” Genma leered and leaned forward, interested, but Iruka waved him away.

 

“My shift is almost over, and I do have papers to grade. Now if you'll excuse m, Genma-san, I have thirty essays from a class of six-year-olds who just learnt how to handle kunais without stabbing each other.” He got up, pushing back his chair, and signed.

 

“Did you hear the other rumor that's going around?” Genma asked, ignoring Iruka's efforts to walk around him. “About Kakashi…”

 

“I heard,” Iruka spat out, feeling a little disheartened. He was actually ashamed of himself for his actions. He had fed Naruto ramen the previous night with the intention of pumping the boy for information --not that it had proved very fruitful. Naruto remembered very little of what Toki-sama had looked like but managed to recount his heroic adventures in the Bird country twice in a very loud voice while consuming sixteen bowls of ramen, which had been a new record.

 

Not that he wanted to know about the female who had shaken the unshakable.

 

“Wonder what she looks like,” Genma said thoughtfully while his senbon bobbed up and down. “This Toki-sama.”

 

Iruka had been wondering the same thing. “It's none of my business,” he said blushing faintly. “Now, weren't you supposed to meet up with Asuma to help demonstrate the use of projectile weapons to his afternoon class?”

 

Genma swore, looked at his watch then the position of the sun outside and swore again. Then he jumped out the window and started to run towards the Academy building, leaving Iruka feeling slightly pleased. But that feeling did not last for long as he pushed aside the collected mission logs and pulled out his homework scrolls which he was taking home with him. Once, his father had told him it was bad form to bring your job home. Your job was limited to office hours, and the rest was reserved for his family. But, Iruka though wryly, it seemed as if his job was his family.

 

He had to write up the mission reports about the Mist-nin attack, and he had to do it soon, since it did not even count as an official mission. He knew from experience just how hard it was to file those, because they were submitted to extra levels of approval. Then there were the test papers to grade and the essays to read from a class where most students were ignorant as to why they should keep their weapons clean.

 

He pushed back his chair, ignoring Anko, who had walked in, having a rather loud argument with Kurenai about something which sounded suspiciously like effective birth control. Iruka collected all his paperwork before the two females could rope him into the conversation and practically jumped out the window in his hurry to get away. He was out of the mission room and had walked almost two blocks before he became aware that he was not alone.

 

Iruka turned carefully and looked at the person who was keeping pace with his brisk walk by taking long strides and therefore maintaining the illusion of strolling casually. Iruka stopped, and the person pacing him also stopped but did not look up from the little orange book he was reading.

 

This time, Iruka noted absentmindedly, the book had a red border and a picture of a skimpily dressed woman with a chest to rival that of the current Hokage's kicking a rather lumpy-looking man between his legs.

 

“Hatake-san,” Iruka said politely. “Can I help you with something?”

 

“How are you Iruka-sensei?” The same question he had asked Iruka when Iruka had approached him on the tree.

 

“I'm fine, thank you,” Iruka replied in the same tone “Is there anything I can help you with other than informing you of my general well being?”

 

“I'm…” Kakashi paused as he marked the place he was reading, closed the book and put it into his back pocket. “I'm…” He paused again, as if looking at something over Iruka's right shoulder.

 

“You're stalling for time,” Iruka said, a little peeved. Kakashi was behaving like one of his students who had not done his homework and was desperately trying to find an excuse. “I have work to do and a mission report to finish, so if you cannot come up with a suitable reason…”

 

“I'm heading up a follow-up investigation,” Kakashi said as Iruka stopped his tirade to breathe. “About the Mist-nin attack. If you come with me and show me exactly how it took place…”

 

“We don't usually do that sort of thing,” Iruka said suspiciously.

 

“Enemy-nin in the village,” Kakashi said causally. “New policy.”

 

“Oh,” said Iruka, a little stumped. It was not as if he could question his senior about his actions, and he could not think of a reason as to why Kakashi would want to spend more time with him than necessary, but still… “Why you?” the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

 

“I have the Sharingan,” Kakashi said without missing beat. “Tsunade-sama said I should check to make sure there weren't any left over traps or traces…”

 

Iruka sagged a little. He was tired, and he needed a shower, but what Kakashi said also made sense. They had no idea how long the enemy nin had been in the basement, and if there were any traps left for some unsuspecting and over curious student to get caught in…”I'll show you where he was hiding,” Iruka agreed.

 

“You need to come,” Kakashi said with a faint smile…or rather, his visible eye crinkled. “I have to erase your chakra signature to see which is yours, and it would be easier if you were there.”

 

“Sure,” said Iruka, giving his bundle of scrolls a squeeze, wondering why he had not stuffed them into his backpack before leaving. He had no idea how the Sharingan worked, and since the Copy-nin was a jounin, he was in no position to argue. “Uh…it's this way…”

 

“I know where the Academy is, Iruka sensei.”

 

“Yes,” Iruka mumbled, blushing scarlet. “The basement is…” he paused and then finished weakly. “…also this way.”

 

Thankfully, it was a short walk, with Kakashi paying attention to their surroundings rather than to Iruka, which was a relief. He was sure he would spontaneously combust if he suddenly became the center of attention of the only Sharingan user in the entire village.

 

“Those look heavy,” Kakashi said all of a sudden. “I could help you…”

 

“What,” said Iruka startled. “These…” he looked at the scrolls in his hand and shook his head. “No…they're not heavy. I'm fine…thank you…” and promptly dropped half his bundle on the ground.

 

He froze; he was sure, had he stooped down to pick up what he had dropped, he would have wound up bumping heads with the other nin. Kakashi calmly stooped down and picked up the scrolls and instead of putting them back into Iruka's hands, stuffed them into his side pocket. They were getting a little crumpled, but Iruka did not complain, feeling embarrassed by his clumsiness.

 

It had been nice of Kakashi not to mention it, when Iruka himself had been behaving so badly, trying to go through Kakashi's personal records and even peeking under the mask. Iruka was going to confess once this investigation, whatever it may, be, was over. He'd invite Kakashi to dinner and then confess. Maybe the Copy-nin would not feel too bad about Iruka if he'd been fed. (Well, it worked for Naruto.) Iruka was still wondering where to take Kakashi to dinner when they reached their destination.

 

The building was deserted, most of the student having gone home. In the practice yard around the corner, he could hear the sound of targets being decimated by students in the advanced class, held by Asuma.

 

Iruka decided it would be prudent to avoid everyone else as he unloaded his scrolls into his locker in the deserted staff room and lead Kakashi down the steps to the basement. They walked down one after another, Iruka aware that he was starting to breathe too hard. He stopped as he reached the bottom step and took in the carnage; the file cabinets with their top halves cleaved off, records of students an unsalvageable mess on the floor - He sighed.

 

“Is something the matter, sensei?” Hot breath fanned his neck

 

Iruka yelped and jumped, startled. He had no idea Kakashi had been so close. “I…” Iruka stammered and moved forward. “I'll be in the other room assessing the damage. If you need me for anything…just give me a shout.”

 

He scampered into an adjoining room before Kakashi could say something about his abilities as a chuunin and gasped in relief when he was alone. The room he had blindly dashed into turned out to be a disused storage room where confiscated material had been dumped. There were boxes along the wall, on the floor and even on some old three-legged tables. There was enough dust for Gaara to carry around in a gourd, should he decide to switch to dust from sand, but it did not deter Iruka from exploring. Some of the open boxes were filled with things Iruka was familiar with; boomerangs, acid bombs, hiccupping power bags, fake boobs, paint spray and expired vomiting pills.

 

Iruka had also been a school troublemaker, and, unlike Naruto, he had not been easily caught. Iruka thought fondly of his Academy days as he traversed the room, looking at all the cardboard boxes stacked against the walls, wondering what was in them. He tried prodding them experimentally, then walked over to the far wall and tried to see what was in the top box.

 

“Iruka-sensei.” Iruka swore, jumped and wondered how Kakashi had managed to get so close to him. He whirled around, flustered, aware that he had somehow gotten cobwebs in his hair and on his clothes. And why did the annoying jounin have to sneak up on him the moment he was facing the wall?

 

“Kakashi-san,” Iruka breathed and then coughed as he inhaled some dust. “Finished with your ...er…investigation?”

 

“Only a few more details to iron out,” the Copy-nin said, sounding rather joyful. “That trap you cast with your chakra…how do you undo it?”

 

“You absorb the chakra back into you,” Iruka said casually, wondering what Kakashi was going for.

 

“But you can do that only if it's your own chakra,” Kakashi said, looking amused. He leaned forward as he spoke, stepping into Iruka's personal space and Iruka had to fight the urge to step back. “What if you were caught in an enemy trap like that?”

 

It was irritating, the way the man was cornering him, and Iruka decided to stand his ground. “You just have to be clever enough not to get caught in it,” Iruka snapped. He used his chakra trap more as a way of subduing hyperactive students than in actual combat. He did not see why Kakashi was so interested in it in the first place. “If you'll excuse me…”

 

Iruka faltered as Kakashi took another step forward. He was practically standing on Iruka's feet. Kakashi smelled nice. Herbal soap, lime from the fabric softener, clean dogs and something elusive which Iruka just couldn't place. While Iruka smelled like…

 

“What is that smell?” Kakashi asked softly, and Iruka wanted to sink into the floor.

 

Iruka was very aware of how he smelled. He was sweaty from a hard day of work, and in the morning a kid from the kindergarten had thrown up on his sandals. Though he had washed it away, he was sure the scent lingered, and the jounin, like any ninja with well- honed senses, must be aware of it, if Iruka could smell Kakashi

 

“Your…shampoo…” Kakashi asked, ignoring Iruka's attempts to move backwards. What do you use?”

 

“I…” Iruka made a feeble attempt to move past the man who was standing almost chest to chest with him and failed. Kakashi was standing so close he could see the iris in his visible eye, the silver hair falling over the head gear and the mask which looked pretty flimsy close up. The fabric of the mask was almost transparent, probably to help fight the heat and to allow the wearer to breathe. Iruka could see the fine mesh of the weave and if he squinted, the gleam of skin through the small gaps. He could see the outline of those lips as he stood there, their height difference of three inches was irrelevant when they were standing so close. Iruka opened his mouth, licked his lips and swallowed.

 

“Shampoo,” Kakashi prodded, even as he leaned slightly forward.

 

Oh god. “Uh,” Iruka tried to speak coherently. So close. He was going to whimper. “Something Naruto recommended.” He managed to speak at last. “I can't remember its name…” He couldn't remember his own name “…but I'll get back to you later with it.”

 

“Can I…” Kakashi paused, inhaling softly. This close, Iruka could see the mask indent when he spoke, and his knees felt week.

 

“Yes…” he breathed out, his voice sounding like Hinata's. I'm never going to blame Hinata for fainting every time she sees Naruto, Iruka thought furiously. I know how it feels.

 

“…see your Sexy-no-Jutsu.”

 

“What!” Iruka squeaked.

 

“Come now, Iruka sensei,” Kakashi spoke in a normal voice. “You know I need to eliminate all the chakra signature from the room, and if I can just see your technique…” The visible eye with it's drooping eyelid was almost pleading, and Iruka could not have refused in any case.

 

“S…sexy-no-jutsu,” he said in a breathless voice and felt the ”poof” of transformation.

 

Kakashi stepped back. He titled his head sideways and studied Iruka carefully. Then his eye smiled. “Thank you, Iruka-sensei,” Kakashi said and teleported away.

 

Iruka froze in the dust-covered room, staring at the empty space, mouth slightly open, as the white smoke dispersed away.

 

“Uh,” he said, unable to comprehend what had happened. He took a step forward - or rather tried to and froze. He couldn't move. Iruka moved his shoulders and leaned forward. What!. Oh!. That bastard!

 

Kakashi had used Iruka's own trap of chakra to glue him to the boxes lining the room while Iruka had been too distracted to notice. He couldn't believe it. The …that…white haired…no good…think, teacher, he did not use swear words…had used Iruka's own trap on him and left.

 

Once his mind cleared enough for him to stop struggling, Iruka shimmied out of his flak vest, which was the only thing attached to the box and then tugged the flak vest loose.

 

*plop*

 

The bastard, and here Iruka had been thinking about how to apologize. As if Iruka was ever going to do that now. He was so humiliated he would never be able to face Kakashi again and that man…*plop* Something orange landed on his foot.

 

Iruka looked down at the object and frowned. At first he assumed Kakashi, in his hurry to leave, had forgotten his book. But looking closer, he noticed that it had a different cover than the one he had observed that…bastard…reading. (Now, he really understood Naruto's need to call Sasuke bastard.) Then another book fell and another and…

 

Iruka was staring at a hole in a box which he had made when he'd pulled his flak vest loose. (Now, he had pieces of cardboard stuck with chakra to the back of his best flak vest.) Inside the box was a collection of confiscated books-- Icha Icha books. Thousands of them…ok, not a thousand …about fifty or sixty, some of them really old.

 

Iruka made to put them back into the box and frowned. Know your opponent, Iruka had always taught his students. He was going to get Kakashi for what he'd just done and to do that, Iruka had to know everything about him, including his reading tastes. Feeling slightly guilty, Iruka picked up a couple of books and tucked them into various pockets in his uniform.

 

This was going to be a long night. He had papers to grade, a mission report to write and cardboard to remove from his flak jacket.

 

The next day, on his way to school, Iruka stopped Genma, who was on his way to meet Raidou, and asked about a follow-up investigation into the Mist-nin attack and was met with a blank look. However, Genma was more that happy to share the latest gossip.

 

According to the rumor mill, Umino Iruka had taken Hatake Kakashi, the Copy nin, down to the Academy basement after school hours to show off his Sexy-no-Jutsu. Sharingan Kakashi had confirmed that the chuunin's female version was very similar to Toki-sama, the Daimyo of the Bird country. The one who had made Hatake Kakashi blush.