Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twelve Years ❯ Chapter 7: Impending Danger ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Impending Danger

 

 

"Chicken or beef?"

 

I barely heard the question as I bent my head in concentration. Dog, rat, snake… then what? That jutsu was always more trouble than it was worth: too many hand seals. I just wish I could remember their order, I thought to myself.

"I said, chicken or beef?"

 

Wait, I think it was rat and then dog, yeah that makes sense, I continued mulling over the jutsu, nodding my head absently to myself.

 

"Hello?! You deaf or somethin' lady?"

 

I jumped, startled at the shout, and nearly fell off my barstool. A large hand came to my back to steady me and I looked to see its owner, Kakashi, smirking. "Maybe you should give him your ramen order; I think he's cranky," he suggested in a lazy drawl.

 

I growled in irritation at having my thoughts disrupted, then nodded. "Chicken."

 

The waiter gave a sarcastic bow, scribbled on his pad and walked away to prepare our meal.

 

"You take naps in the strangest places, Keika-sensei," Kakashi teased me, then turned serious. "You not getting enough sleep?"

 

"No, I'm fine, I was just trying to remember a jutsu," I told him with a reassuring smile. I shifted my back slightly, realizing his hand was still there.

 

He withdrew his hand immediately as I shifted, looking embarrassed that he had forgotten but trying to hide it with a sudden interest in the wall hanging on his other side.

 

I chuckled silently but my amusement was brought up short by the large bowl of steaming ramen the irritated waiter pushed to me. Kakashi grinned, turning forward again, as he received his own bowl.

 

I snapped my wooden chopsticks apart, smiled cheerfully to Kakashi and began eating. A few moments later I came up for air and looked to my companion, hoping to sneak a glance at his unmasked face. However, he had already completely finished his meal and was putting his napkin back on the table, his dark mask firmly in place, as I turned to him.

 

"Don't eat so quickly; you'll get a stomachache," I scolded him.

 

He rolled his visible eye. "Yes, mother."

 

I continued, ignoring his comment. "And then what fun will sparring with you be?"

 

He considered that a moment then shrugged. "Guess that's true." He leaned back as much as the barstool allowed, watching me with his one dark eye. "So you gonna finish that?"

 

I smirked and looked back at my ramen. "I'll let you finish it if you let me watch," I said, hoping to bribe him with food.

 

"You'd better eat it all, after all that," the waiter interrupted with a growl directed at me.

 

Kakashi laughed briefly then shrugged. "Besides, I'm full, I already finished my meal. All yours, Keika-sensei."

 

I sighed in irritation and picked up my chopsticks again.

 

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I had not told Kakashi any of my new memories from my twelve-year-gone past, or even that I had regained them, yet he seemed to know instinctively that something was bothering me. Of course, being Kakashi, he said nothing of it. And, frankly, it was a relief to know I could continue living in this new life of mine without anyone trying to pry into something painful, dark, and secret. The silver-haired jounin, despite his masked face, was a comfortable and comforting presence.

 

However, both of us were irritated at the moment.

 

"I mean, I was just sayin', it's been a while. Not that we don't want ya, you're more than welcome to come stay at my place, Keika."

 

I ignored the leering Genma and glanced at Kakashi to have something else to look at besides that stupid senbon bobbing up and down.

 

"Genma, I think we're fine. She just needs a place to stay for a time being. Besides, the Hokage chose me to train her," Kakashi said slightly wearily. We had had a long day of sparring and neither of us were in the mood for fending off Genma who, at any other time, likely would not have annoyed us.

 

"Yeah, well you train her right," Genma smirked. Sensing our irritation, he gave a friendly wave and turned to go the way he had been going when we met him in the street.

 

Kakashi gave a barely audible sigh and began walking again, giving me a sidelong glance to make sure I was following.

 

I knew that what Genma had said was true: it had been a long time. I had lived in Kakashi's home for over a month now. Of course there was the easy excuse that I did not yet have enough money to move into my own apartment, but that was not entirely valid since I had received payment and compensation from the B-ranked mission on which Kakashi, Gai, Shikamaru, and I had been sent. There was the other excuse that the house had previously been my own, but it had been so long that few besides me even remembered that fact.

 

But for whatever reason, I still had not moved out of Kakashi's home. Whether for the comfort or convenience or some other reason I did not know, but I was living there nonetheless. I had not offered him pay or any kind of cleaning service in return. I was undeniably mooching.

 

Both Kakashi and I knew it, but he did not seem to mind.

 

I sighed, preparing to bring up the matter with him, but I was spared of having to do this by the pink-haired Sakura running towards us.

 

"Kakashi-sensei!" she called even though she was still quite far away. Kakashi and I immediately ran towards her as well, sensing her anxiety already. "Kakashi-sensei," she repeated, slightly out of breath as we reached each other, "Tsunade-sama wants to see you and Keika. It's urgent, she says."

 

Kakashi and I glanced at each other and then took off running again towards the Hokage's office, Sakura hurrying behind us. Once we reached the building, we were ushered into the room by several anxious-looking assistants.

 

Instead of finding only Tsunade in the room, there was a range of ninjas, some of whom I knew, some I did not. Gai, nearest to us, turned to look as we entered. He gave Kakashi and me a short nod, then looked back to the front.

 

"Is everyone here? Good," Tsunade said without waiting for an answer. "The Sound nins have begun to move again. I fear they will be making a large attack soon. Orochimaru is continually gaining supporters, as you know, and his numbers have been dramatically increasing of late. Even if we cannot stop him this time, at least we can bring down some of his men. I will divide you into three squads: one is the main attack group, the second for backup, and the last to remain in Konoha as a final defense. Any ninja, from Chuunin to ANBU, will be involved in this mission, so if you see that anyone is missing, please inform them immediately of what I have said. I have posted the lists here. Please file through quickly; this mission will begin tomorrow."

 

There was a quiet shuffle to reach the lists and, from my right, I heard an irritated sigh. "How troublesome…" Shikamaru was frowning ill-naturedly at nothing in particular. Silently, I agreed with the young Chuunin. Konoha was not ready for a large-scale attack, especially not from the unpredictable Sound nins.

 

Before long we had reached the lists posted on the wall. Neither Kakashi nor I were surprised to find our names included in the first squad, though I did raise an eyebrow at seeing that our names were both also under the ANBU rank rather than Jounin. The threat must be worse than I imagined, I supposed, still staring at the list.

 

A rather loud voice interrupted my thoughts. "Fighting alongside my eternal rival, I see!"

 

Kakashi turned his head slowly towards Gai. "Hmm?" he asked lazily.

 

Gai clenched his fist and growled in irritation at being foiled again.

 

"Kakashi-sensei?" This time it was Sakura; I had not realized she was still with us.

 

Kakashi turned to her and nodded. The "Hmm?" directed at her was significantly less apathetic than the one he had given to Gai.

 

"Who is Ibiki?" the pink-haired girl asked.

 

"He was in charge of the written Chuunin exam from a year or so ago, remember?" he asked her, the expression on his what one could see of his face showing his disbelief that she could ever forget such a man. Sakura's eyes widened, then returned to normal, indicating that she had, in fact, remembered at her teacher's prompting. "Why do you ask?" Kakashi wondered aloud.

 

"He's in charge of the Chuunin in my squad," the girl answered.

 

Kakashi's visible eye widened and, in a jerky move uncharacteristic of the silver-haired man, he lurched towards Tsunade with a worried expression. "You're sending Sakura out?" he demanded.

 

"She is a Chuunin, or did you forget? Also, she is my student, so she is more than prepared," Tsunade said, looking up at him, completely unruffled.

 

Kakashi shook his head. "But she—"

 

"She is also your student; are you saying you're an incompetent enough of a teacher that she is unable to contribute to this war?" Tsunade interrupted. "Besides, she is a medical nin in the second squad. She will not see any fighting."

 

Kakashi did not look convinced, but he conceded with a nod and turned away, back to me. "Let's go. We've got our assignment and we need to get some sleep," he said.

 

I nodded in agreement and followed him out of the Hokage's office and towards the home that we still shared.

 

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Thanks for the reviews.

AIKOKAKASHI: I'm glad you like it. I'll do my best to keep posting regularly.

 

KYUUBI_SHARINGAN: Thank you very much, I'm glad you approve.

 

NAOMI_SAITOH_: Yeah, I mean they look far too alike to not be related, I think. Anyway, even if it's not true, it still makes for an interesting fic, I think. Thanks for the support.