Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Lessons in Shinobi Love ❯ Lesson 9: To Heal ( Chapter 9 )

A/N: Here I am with another chapter of Lessons in Shinobi Love. I'm actually sort of on time this time. I wanted to wait a few days so reviewers wouldn't be behind.

 

Anyway, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

::

 

Lessons in Shinobi Love

 

By: Melissa Norvell

 

Lesson 9: To Heal

 

::

 

 

Upon approaching Tazuna's house, the four of them each helped carry the weary Kakashi in doors. They prepared a futon on the floor for him and attempted to make him feel as comfortable as possible.

 

While they men lay out the futon, and get the necessary equipment to set up, so the weary ninja could feel more comfortable and let his wounds heal, Sakura propped him up on the floor, a hand supporting his back and an arm around him.

 

“Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?” Green eyes looked upon him with a cultured sorrow and worry for his well-being.

 

A weary dark eye was slowly produced as he turned his head to her. “I'll be alright, Sakura. I've just used a considerable amount of energy from activating the Sharingan.”

 

A small hand reached for the heavy backpack on his shoulders. “Here, let me remove this heavy thing from your back, and then you can relax a little more. You won't have all that pressure on you. It wouldn't be good for your body to carry that extra baggage around.”

 

“Thank you, Sakura…”

 

A small smile adorned pink lips.

 

“Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei, I'll take care of you.”

 

“Hn?” Was the only sound to escape the jounin's masked face as his student removed the heavy bag from his shoulders, the weight being lifted.

 

The silver haired ninja sat there in the silent company of his comrade, feeling the warmth from her body and closed his eyes, leaning into her.

 

“Kakashi-sensei?” He heard a soft voice.

 

“Yes, Sakura?” An equally soft and weak voice asked.

 

“Do you feel faint?”

 

“A little, probably from blood loss. I need to stay warm. Do you think that you could stay close to me, until they have a bed prepared and share your body heat with me?” Kakashi asked.

 

A silent and shy nod was produced as the jounin wrapped an arm about the girl, hugging her close to absorb the warmth radiating from her form. As he lay there, awaiting Tazuna and the other two students of his to prepare the bed, he felt all of the same feelings from survival training resurface: the loneliness and need to be comforted.

 

He knew what he felt was wrong, and forced it to the back of his mind as the young girl below him tried her best to keep his body touching hers, occasionally glancing over to Naruto and Sasuke.

 

The blonde gave her a weird look.

 

She glared over her shoulder. “What are you looking at, Naruto?” Sakura asked in annoyance.

 

“What are you doing, Sakura?”

 

“I'm tending to Kakashi-sensei. He's feeling weak from blood loss, so I'm giving him body heat. If you'd quit being so lazy and hurry up with that futon, he wouldn't be cold, would he?”

 

Her team mate cast an annoyed look back as he walked off grumbling.

 

Soon he came back with Tazuna and Sasuke, and the three began to set up the bed, then, then four of them gently lifted Kakashi into the bed, setting him down gently. The pink haired girl grabbed the covers and gently pulled them over her sensei, giving him an `it's going to be alright' look.

 

Naruto and Sasuke looked at Sakura, pondering over her recent actions.

 

`Why is Sakura so close to Kakashi-sensei all of a sudden?' Naruto thought to himself. `What's up with that?'

 

Sasuke said nothing, and sat on the floor.

 

A hand was sat on Naruto's shoulder, causing the blonde to slip out of his thoughts and look over to the one who placed it there.

 

It was Tazuna.

 

“You're friend's certainly playing the nurse over there.” The old man commented, and then smiled. “Looks like the two of you will just have to lick each other's wounds then.” Tazuna laughed and walked into the kitchen.

 

The two boys both cast annoyed looks at each other.

 

`Lick Sasuke's wounds!? NO WAY!' The blonde's mind protested.

 

`He can be a loser on his own…' Sasuke thought.

 

The pink haired girl sat faithfully beside of her sensei, not really noticing the dirty look contest that was being held behind her. She gently fluffed Kakashi's pillow. “I hope you're comfortable now, Kakashi-sensei.”

 

“Yes, I am. Thank you, Sakura.” His usual happy eye was produced.

 

Viridian eyes narrowed as an annoyed look crossed the girl's face. She turned her head to see Naruto and Sasuke arguing. “NARUTO!” She yelled in her normal warning tone. “Can't you see that Kakashi-sensei is tryingto sleep? “

 

“Me?” The blonde pointed to himself. “What about Sasuke!?” The finger pointed back to the figure on the floor.

 

“You're the one who started it.”

 

“Hmpf…Loser…” The dark eyed boy put his folded hands under his chin and remained quiet on the floor.

 

Naruto growled to himself and sat across from Sakura, at his sensei's right side.

 

Kakashi looked over towards the boy, and then back at Sakura, who was glaring at Naruto.

 

“Kakashi-sensei needs rest. He can't get well with you screaming all of the time. We're supposed to be helping him.”

 

“Right.” The blonde nodded. “You just tell me if you need anything. Anything at all Kakashi-sensei and I'll get it.”

 

“Thank you Naruto, but I'm sure I can manage.”

 

A moment of silence passed as Tazuna came back into the room and lay in the middle of the floor, breathing heavily from putting strain on his old muscles when he carried Kakashi back to his house.

 

Afterwards, footsteps were heard echoing on the wooden floor and a feminine voice was heard.

 

“Are you alright, sensei?” A dark haired woman stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

 

Kakashi looked over to the young woman. “No, but I should be in about a week.”

 

“The Sharingan Eye is an incredible power…” Sakura said. “But doesn't all the strain it puts on your body ever make you wonder if it's worth it?”

 

“This time you took down your strongest foe yet, so you can just relax now.” Tazuna replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with a white towel.

 

“I can't get my mind off of that masked kid…” Sakura said.

 

“That mask is worn by the most elite and secret ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Shinobi Hunters wear them. Their unit is codenamed `The Undertaker Squad' because they dispose of corpses so thoroughly it was as if they never existed.” Kakashi informed. “Even after death, a shinobi's corpse may yield up it's secrets, exposing the secrets of the skills it has mastered as well as retaining the aura of the chakras it was steeped in the ninja's native land…Even the ingredients of any drugs or potions that the body consumed may become an open book. In the same way, when I die, if an enemy were to take possession of my remains, the corpse would reveal all of the anatomical idiosyncrasies unique to possessors of the Sharingan Eye. In the worst case, the enemy might gain enough information to duplicate and master that power. Ninja corpses tell too many tales. Basically, shinobi hunters specialize in tracking down and eliminating rouge ninja and obliterating their remains…In order to protect the secrets of their home village from the rest of the world.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“Silently and without a trace. That is how ninja leave the world.”

 

“So, Zabuza's corpse will be dismembered and destroyed? That's so creepy!” Sakura replied, thinking on what a fate that would be for herself if she had ever died in battle.

 

There was a long silence after Sakura's statement, as if everyone in the room were trying to grasp and think on the information divulged to them by Kakashi.

 

The meadows cast down a look at the now slumbering jounin in the bed at her side.

 

Given that information, Zabuza should be gone for good.

 

Perhaps she could rest easier and concentrate on her sensei's recovery and go back to thinking about the whole incident that happened at survival training.

 

She couldn't help but remember Kakashi's statement.

 

`But I can teach you that there are more things to life then Sasuke…'

 

Green eyes looked to her teacher and a small smile crossed her face.

 

He was peaceful when he slept. Something that she never saw often on his face. Usually he seemed serious, lazy or stone cold, but now he seemed kind of human.

 

`Get well soon…Kakashi-sensei…'

 

A slender hand reached up and small fingers threaded their way through tresses of silver, feeling the feathery texture between them as she ran her hand through his hair.

 

After a few petting motions, her hand trailed down his hair, down his headband and to the side of his face. It lingered for a while as meadows shown in content, then it was pulled away almost forcefully, as if the hand itself wanted to stay upon the small area of skin which shown itself as it sat quaintly back in her lap.

 

Sakura could feel herself being stared at and twitched with annoyance.

 

As expected…

 

It was Naruto.

 

“What are you looking at, Naruto?”

 

“…” The child gave no answer, but kept giving her a scrutinizing gaze.

 

A pink eyebrow was arched.

 

A moment of silence was passed.

 

“Look, whatever Naruto.” She huffed and turned her attention back to Kakashi's face.

 

Why couldn't she tear her gaze from him?

 

Why did she want to touch his face again?

 

Why did she feel so protected when he was near her?

 

Why did it feel so right, yet so wrong?

 

Or was it so wrong, yet so right?

 

Was Sakura attracted to her teacher? Or older men in general?

 

Viridian eyes glanced back at Sasuke, who also seemed to be watching her along with Naruto. She blinked.

 

What's gotten in to them? Was her concern for Kakashi that noticeable?

 

 

 

TBC

 

 

A/N: Another chapter done. Sorry about the delays, I went Christmas shopping last week and was busy buying presents. *sigh* I need to be more prompt, I know. Bare with me, holidays tend to be a hassle on my updates.

 

There I go with my Shikamaru self again…

 

Ah well, please leave a nice review, believe it or not they DO encourage me to write more.

 

Oh, also go and check out my other stories. I have a new SakuKaka one out called Oh, Sensei. You guys might like it, but it's more of a mature fanfic, so please follow the warning.