Archive of Our Own

The apartment is calm around him, the window opened to let in a breeze. He’s got work in front of him: various scrolls and seal paper scattered across his table, but he can’t concentrate. Sighing, Iruka turns to look out the window, chin resting on his hand.

“What’s with that forlorn sigh?” Shisui asks, draped across Iruka’s couch dressed as Fox. Kakashi is leaned against it, reading even while wearing his Hound mask, both jounin currently on ‘guard duty’ though they honestly don’t even consider it that much anymore. After the last few years of Iruka being in ANBU, he got tired of his guards sitting out in the elements and told them point blank that they could come inside and watch him just as easily inside the apartment as outside. Needless to say they took him up on it, spending most of their time lazing in the apartment and passing their shifts talking with Iruka whenever he’s home.

“Naruto?” Kakashi asks, looking up from his book.

“Am I that obvious?” Iruka asks, turning to look at them, shifting back to rest some of his weight on his hands. He looks up at the ceiling. “It’s been about three years now, huh,” he mutters.

“Just about,” Shisui says, leaning forward a little. “Maybe he’ll be home soon.”

“Maybe,” Iruka says with a smile. The only contact he’s had with Naruto is through their monthly letters, though sometimes there had been gaps, Naruto and Jiraiya unable to send messages back to the village for one reason or another. A lot of what Naruto wrote about was sanitized, the boy unable to say anything that might give away their location, Jiraiya often going through his letters to cross out bits and pieces. But he seemed in good health when he wrote and getting stronger, Naruto going on about some of the things Jiraiya had taught him.

Shaking his head, he sits back up and turns back to his research. Shisui cocks his head, looking at his things upside down, obviously trying to figure out Iruka’s latest project in sealing, always up to being Iruka’s test subject for some of his more…creative seals. Some of the time they worked. Most of the time, they didn’t and needed work or reworking to be even remotely plausible. “What’s this about?” Shisui asks, obviously not able to parse what it does from previous exposure to other seals.

“Hmm, oh, it’s the Hiraishin,” he says with a wry twist to his lips, noticing Kakashi start faintly out of the corner of his eye. “Well, it’s the Nidaime’s Hiraishin. The Yondaime’s…well, it was starting to give me a headache so I switched scrolls for the moment,” Iruka explains.

“Too complicated?” Shisui asks, sounding interested.

Iruka snorts, “No, it’s nearly illegible,” he explains, reaching towards one of his closed scrolls and pulls it out to show Shisui the horror that is the Yondaime’s handwriting. He looks over at Kakashi, “Please tell me you wrote your mission reports when he was your jounin sensei. I shudder to think of the mission reports that would have been turned in.”

Kakashi huffs faintly, “We did,” he admits with a faint nod. “I can’t say anything about his work as the Yondaime though,” he admits and Iruka blinks and shudders, feeling sorry for the Yondaime’s people who had to parse through the man’s work and rewrite it.

“Give me the Nidaime’s work any day,” he declares, rolling up Minato’s scroll. “There was a man who knew the joys of excellent penmanship and properly filled out reports,” he says with a laugh.

“Do you have a crush on the Nidaime, Iruka-chan?” Shisui mocks.

Iruka frowns at him but can’t stop the faint smile coming up, “You obviously don’t know the agonizing pain of working the mission desk or you would understand what I mean. Half the time they turn their reports in illegible, partially filed out, filled out incorrectly or covered in blood. We have a biohazard bin for the last ones,” Iruka says with a frown.

“I’m sure,” Shisui says. “So, are you planning to learn the Hiraishin?” he asks, getting back to their previous conversation.

“Hmm, oh, no, not really,” he admits with a sigh, looking down at the scroll. “I don’t have the chakra control necessary to use it. Believe me, I’ve tried,” he admits with a huff.

“Really?” Shisui asks.

“Yeah, I couldn’t hit the target and kept landing large distances away from where I was aiming for. You need precision to hit your target, like anything else,” he explains.

“I have a question,” Shisui says, studying the Nidaime’s seal upside down. “Why are the Nidaime and Yondaime’s Hiraishin seals so different?”

“Oh, hang on,” Iruka says excitedly, pulling the Yondaime’s scroll back out and unrolling it to the actual seal, laying them down next to each other. “It’s different because they used them differently,” Iruka explains with a grin. “See, here and here,” he points to a section in each of them, “This is the base of the Hiraishin, basically what makes it both a space and time jutsu. It’s split evenly between time and space. However, from there the Nidaime and Yondaime took different routes.”

“How?” Kakashi asks, looking up from his book, seeming interested in the conversation.

“Well, the Nidaime focused more on the space side of the jutsu, moving from one point to the other in an instant. He was raised fighting Uchiha whose Sharingan’s predictive abilities were the bane of many battles. He created the Hiraishin to completely negate their ability to predict his movement. From there, he also increased the speed at which he moved from one point to the next. The Nidaime was known for his speed, even during the Waring States Period, so he compounded on this by increasing his speed even further so that he was able to increase the power behind his strikes. His motto seemed to be strike hard and fast and put the enemy down with one blow. He was very effective at this tactic,” Iruka says with contemplatively.

He gestures to the Yondaime’s seal. “On the other hand, the Yondaime went the other way and focused more on time. I’m sure you remember his tactics during the Third War, jumping from point to point and taking out large amounts of enemies as they came, seemingly in seconds,” he says to Kakashi and the man nods. “Well, right here,” he points to a section of the Yondaime’s seal, “he actually folds time slightly. In essence, time slows around him for a fraction of a second. This slowing allowed him to evaluate the enemy, attack and then jump to the next marker before they even knew what hit them. It’s why he was called the fasted shinobi alive. It’s hard to attack someone moving faster than you can even react.”

“Jeez, this is complicated,” Shisui grumbles. “Could anyone use it?” he asks.

Iruka shrugs, “Presumably, but like I said, it takes precision and the further you jump, the more chakra it uses so someone with bigger reserves could jump further or more often. I know the Yondaime taught his Guard Platoon how to use it, though it takes all three of them to have the precision to hit the marker accurately. I picked Genma’s brain a few weeks ago about how they did it before I attempted to use it. Why? Are you thinking of learning?” he asks, looking at Shisui.

The Uchiha shrugs, “Maybe. You’ve got to admit, that kind of jutsu is legendary and what shinobi doesn’t want to learn something that powerful,” he says.

Iruka hums, looking between the seals and Shisui, “You’ve got the speed already and the precision, though it would take practice to use it well enough in battle. And while you could use their seals yourself, it might be better to craft your own suited to what you want to accomplish.”

“Could you…make a seal suited for me?” Shisui asks curiously.

Iruka blinks, frowning as he considers the challenge of making a new unique Hiraishin seal. “Maybe…I’d need to do more research but…it’s possible. You could practice with the seals if you wanted to, to see how they feel and understand the difference between them,” he offers.

Shisui pauses, obviously thinking over the offer. “I might take you up on that offer later,” he says and Iruka nods with a huff as Shisui sits back. He can see Kakashi eyeing him from the couch as well before he turns back to his book.

Setting aside his thoughts on how he could craft such a seal, he goes back to reading over the Nidaime’s notes. Silence settles over them and the sound of the village hums in the background.

~*~

Iruka wakes a few weeks later and feels…off. Not bad, just jittery and anticipatory, though why he can’t say. He doesn’t have any missions and he hadn’t picked up any shifts at the mission desk or the patrol roster, taking a nice few days off after a hard mission the week before.

Shrugging the feeling off, he settles into his morning routine, eating and showering, though he’s got a spar planned later with the others if nothing calls them out. He wiles away the morning tinkering with some seals and fussing with his work on Shisui’s Hiraishin seal. The man had finally outright asked him to start it and Iruka had agreed, looking forward to the challenge. He also has a side project he’s been tinkering with but it’s been giving him problems because of the amount of chakra it takes to use it but it’s not in any rush.

Lunch comes and goes and he heads out, grabbing his things as he heads for their usual sparring ground. As he nears, he sees Itachi is already there, though he knows Shisui is on guard duty today with Tenzo out on a mission but Kakashi is leaned against a tree reading as usual.

“Yo,” Kakashi says with a wave, Itachi nodding at his arrival.

“No Kenna or Gai?” he asks, the Majestic Green Beast having joined their sparring sessions last year when Iruka was…properly introduced to him by Kakashi throwing him at the man to avoid a challenge.

“She was called out last night,” Itachi says as Iruka sets his things down and starts to stretch a little to warm up.

“Gai picked up a mission with his team a few days ago and isn’t due back for a few more days,” Kakashi says.

“Oh well, just us then,” he says with a shrug. “Where are Sakura and Sasuke?” The two often came with Kakashi when he was in the village and neither of them didn’t have missions or previously scheduled duties with their other teachers. Though they were technically Kakashi’s students still, their missions had tapered off a little due to Kakashi being called out often for ANBU or high ranking missions. Sakura had ended up being taken under Tsunade’s wing when the Hokage had seen Sakura’s aptitude with healing and her fiery temper and she had blossomed under the Godaime’s tutelage. Sasuke splits his time between Gekkō Hayate, acting as his apprentice in regards to Kenjutsu, Kakashi in regards to his elemental affinity, and Itachi and Shisui to train his Sharingan. The boy has grown fast under their heavy handed teaching.

“Sakura is helping Shizune and the Godaime at the hospital and Sasuke said he was meeting Hayate for a training session,” Itachi speaks up as Iruka finishes his stretching.

“Ah,” Iruka says and nods. “I’m ready,” he adds with a grin, getting into a ready stance as Itachi does so as well.

They move without saying a word, sticking to taijutsu for the moment, just needing to get rid of some energy. However, Iruka’s distracted as that feeling from this morning lingers and they both notice.

Itachi pulls a blow and jumps back, stopping the match. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

Iruka shrugs, “I’ve felt off all morning. It’s fine,” he assures him and wipes some sweat from his brow.

“Should we stop?” Itachi asks, letting him decide if he can continue and Iruka’s about to nod when he feels a little warmth in his gut and he pauses with a frown. The Kyuubi has been pretty quiet here lately, only really making itself known during dicey missions with scathing comments and grumbles about some of the enemies Iruka’s faced.

“I…,” he pauses, feeling a faint tug in his gut and his breath catches in his chest, realizing what exactly he’s feeling and braces a second before a streak of blonde and orange comes barreling into the clearing and slams into him.

A loud, “Iruka-nii!” is yelled into his ear as Iruka, despite bracing for it, goes down in a tangle of limbs and laughing Naruto.

“Naruto!” Iruka huffs out as his heart beats wildly in his chest and he pulls back to see Naruto grinning down at him. “You…you grew up,” he says and then pulls him back in for another hug with a laugh. He spies a white figure stepping through the trees as Jiraiya brings up the rear.

“They haven’t changed one bit,” Jiraiya says with an amused huff, looking at Kakashi and Itachi who both nod.

Eventually, Iruka and Naruto pull apart, Naruto grinning as they stand up, dusting dirt off their clothes. “Look at you,” Iruka says, stepping back to get a better look at Naruto.

Naruto laughs, standing straighter. “I’m almost as tall as you, Iruka-nii,” he says.

“Hmm, almost…You’ve still got a few inches to go,” Iruka points out, ruffling Naruto’s hair.

Itachi steps forward, “It’s good to see you, Naruto-kun,” he says with a smile.

“Itachi-san,” he looks to Itachi’s right and sees Kakashi, “and Kakashi-sensei. Why are you both here?” he asks in confusion.

“Well, we were in the middle of a spar until someone interrupted,” Kakashi says, lowering his book slightly with a raised brow at Naruto.

Naruto chuckles guiltily, “Oops, sorry,” he says.

“It’s fine,” Iruka reassures him, too happy to care now that Naruto is here.

“Oh, hey, Kakashi-sensei, I’ve actually got a present for you,” Naruto says and yanks his pack off, rummaging through it. “I put it here somewhere,” he mutters before he makes an ‘ah-ha!’ and pulls out a book with a familiar lurid cover. “Here,” he says, holding it out to Kakashi.

Kakashi’s eye is wide, looking at the book in a sort of awe. “Where did you get this?” he asks in shock. Iruka looks closer and sees the cover reads ‘Icha Icha Make Out Tactics.’

“Hmm, Ero-Sennin gave it to me. I read it but it was really boring. I know you like them so here,” he says with a shrug. Kakashi snatches out of Naruto’s hand.

Iruka looks to Jiraiya with a raised brow, “Really, Jiraiya? You gave him Icha Icha?” he asks with an annoyed twitch to his eyebrow.

Jiraiya shrugs, not looking repentant at all. “He’s got to learn at some point,” Jiraiya says with smirk.

“Oh, I’m sure he learned plenty from you, but he doesn’t need fake and highly inaccurate trash to teach him,” Iruka reminds him with a sharp smile.

“You dare call my master piece trash?” Jiraiya asks in shock.

“You forget I’ve read them. I know what’s in them,” Iruka reminds him.

“You’ve read them, Iruka-nii?” Naruto asks. “Should I have given that to you instead?” Naruto asks curiously. Kakashi steps back, clutching the book to his chest.

“No, no, it’s fine Naruto. Kakashi will appreciate it more than I would. Let’s just say Kakashi lent them to me while on missions,” Iruka says with a grin.

“More like he took them away from Kakashi to make him listen,” Itachi says mildly, looking at Kakashi who shrugs unconcerned as he opens the book to begin reading.

“What! You took Kakashi-sensei’s books?” Naruto asks, intrigued.

“I’m sure he let me,” Iruka says, waving it off.

“Ah,” Naruto says with a dramatic sigh and then straightens with a grin. “You know what I’ve been wanting almost as much as seeing you, Iruka-nii?” Naruto asks excitedly.

Iruka smiles fondly at him, “I think I can make an educated guess,” Iruka says with a huff.

“Iruka-nii! I haven’t had Ichiraku’s in sooooo long,” Naruto whines. “And I need to say hi to Teuchi-jii-san and Ayame-san, plus he said my first bowl back was free so, come on,” Naruto says excitedly, grabbing Iruka’s arm and starts to drag him out of the training field.

“Hang on, Naruto. Let me grab my stuff,” Iruka huffs out and Naruto lets him go long enough to grab his gear. “Sorry,” he mutters to Itachi and Kakashi for leaving in the middle of their spar.

“Maa, maa, we’re hungry too,” Kakashi says with an eye smile and Itachi nods with a faint smile of his own.

Iruka frowns, looking at them, “I take it I’m treating you,” he says lowly.

“Please, Iruka-sensei. We would be ever so grateful,” Kakashi wheedles.

“Fine,” Iruka grumbles but can’t help but smile. He glances at Jiraiya. “I guess I can pay for yours as well, though I feel like I shouldn’t after you gave him that trash,” he mutters.

Jiraiya huffs, “Kid, you’re much too young to be holding a grudge like that,” Jiraiya says, keeping pace as they all migrate from the training field, Naruto leading the way and exclaiming in excitement at all the changes he sees as they head through the village.

Iruka can’t keep the smile off his face at Naruto’s enthusiasm, but a small part of him is sad to have missed so much of Naruto’s life. He’s grown up and grown stronger and Iruka wasn’t there. “Naruto-kun has grown into a good shinobi, no?” Itachi murmurs beside Iruka, dark eyes glancing at Iruka.

“He has,” Iruka agrees.

“It’s hard to realize they don’t need us as much as they used to,” Itachi murmurs, a small frown marring his brow.

“That it is,” Iruka agrees, bumping his shoulder into Itachi’s with a smile.

Up ahead, Naruto lets out a shocked sound and Iruka looks ahead to see what caught his eyes. Coming down the road towards them, Tsunade and Sakura are busy discussing something before Tsunade’s gaze flicks up to them.

“Sakura-chan! Tsunade-baa!” Naruto shouts, rushing up to them.

“Naruto,” Sakura says in shock before she smiles. “You’re back!” She rushes up to pull him into a hug.

“Yep, finally,” Naruto agrees.

“Oh where’s Sasuke when you need him,” Sakura grumbles with a laugh.

Tsunade reaches over and does a ‘gentle’ tap on Naruto’s head, making the boy yelp and clutch it. “What did I say about calling me that in public?” she snaps, though a small smile is curling at the corner of her mouth.

“I forgot,” Naruto grumbles, pouting. “I’ve been gone for three years,” he huffs out, rubbing at his head.

“I see you haven’t changed one bit,” Jiraiya speaks up and Tsunade’s green eyes flick to him.

“I see you have,” she huffs back. “You’ve gotten older.”

“Not all of us care about our looks that much,” Jiraiya grumbles and Iruka and Itachi step to the side hurriedly as Tsunade’s brow twitches and even Kakashi makes himself scarce to clear Tsunade’s path.

“Oh!” Naruto exclaims, pointing and the tension is broken. “Sasuke-teme!” he yells out, waving and they look down a different road to see the dark haired Uchiha coming towards them, blade strapped across his back, Hayate at his side as they discuss something. Sasuke’s dark eyes snap up and lock onto Naruto, widening a fraction. “I’m back!”

Hayate waves Sasuke to go on ahead with a nod and a smile and Sasuke nods back, bounding forward towards their group. “I see you’re still as loud as ever,” Sasuke says and Naruto narrows his eyes at him. Sasuke smirks but holds up his fist and Naruto laughs, bumping fists together.

“Looks like Team 7 is back together,” Tsunade says with smile.

“Is this your way of saying I’m being pulled from the duty roster until we’re ready, Hokage-sama?” Kakashi asks over the top of his book.

“It is,” she says with a smirk. “You’ve got three days to evaluate them and then turn in the required paperwork Kakashi,” she orders. Kakashi sighs, but nods. “Sakura, you’re free for the day,” Tsunade adds.

“Thank you, Tsunade-shishou,” Sakura says with a smile.

Waving her off, Tsunade sends a look at Jiraiya. “I’ll speak with you later,” she says and Jiraiya nods. With a final look around at them, she marches off, heels clicking on the stone of the street.

“You’ll never believe some of the places I’ve been,” Naruto says excitedly to Sakura and Sasuke.

“Naruto, why don’t we put off Ichiraku until dinner so you can catch up with your team,” Iruka says, breaking into his excited story.

Naruto pauses, looking surprised and a little worried, “But what about you Iruka-nii?” he asks.

“We’ll have plenty of time to catch up, don’t worry,” Iruka reassures hm with a smile. “I don’t mind,” he adds.

Naruto stares at him for a moment and then nods. “Okay,” he agrees with a smile.

“Meet us there at sunset,” Iruka calls as Naruto starts to walk off and he waves with a nod before turning back to his team to continue his story.

“You didn’t have to,” Itachi says softly.

Iruka shrugs with a wan smile. “He’s home. That’s the most important part to me. We’ll have time to talk later,” he adds.

“Well, I don’t know about you three, but I’m hungry. Join me,” Jiraiya orders and they nod, following behind the Sannin towards a different restaurant. Jiraiya picks a booth in the corner of the restaurant, Iruka, Kakashi and Itachi all pilling in around him.

A waitress bustles over to take their orders and they wait in silence for their food to be brought out before talking. Pulling out a familiar seal, Jiraiya sets it on the table and channels a little chakra into it, the world muffling around them.

Kakashi and Itachi both study the seal in interest. “This is what you based your other seal off?” Itachi asks Iruka.

“Hmm,” Iruka hums, taking a bite of food.

“That was a good bit of seal work,” Jiraiya admits. “Got me and the brat out of a few hairy situations over the years,” he says, sipping his drink. Setting his cup back down, he sighs. “We’ll probably need it more before long. Akatsuki’s on the move again,” he says with a frown.

“They’ve not been very active since they came after Iruka,” Kakashi says.

“Hmm, that was to lay the ground work for something later. They didn’t want him or Naruto at the time. I managed to confirm that the two Iwa Jinchuuriki were taken by Akatsuki and I’m guessing they either have them locked away somewhere for their plans or they’ve already ripped the bijuu from them and found new hosts for them,” Jiraiya states matter-of-factly and Iruka pales a little.

“The others?” Itachi asks softly.

“I’ve not heard anything for a while, but none of the villages have been up in arms about their Jinchuuriki going missing so I don’t think they’ve been taken…yet.”

“Then what have they been doing all this time?” Iruka asks with a frown.

“Working,” Jiraiya says simply. “I’ve tracked them to multiple countries doing mercenary work. As well, there’s been a rash of bounties by two shinobi turned in to multiple bounty stations across the Elemental Nations as well: missing nin, gang leaders, a few corrupt politicians and even a few loyal shinobi, have all had their heads or full bodies brought to the stations. I’ve not been able to pin down who is doing it, but it’s always the same two members in the black and red cloaks of Akatsuki,” Jiraiya says with a shrug.

“Did you ever find anything on this Puppet Master?” Kakashi asks.

“Hmm, no…though I’ve tried. He’s good at hiding behind his people and sticking to the shadows. He’s a whisper, a ghost and anyone who’s ever interacted with him has only ever met his puppets speaking his words. He’s definitely Akatsuki’s spy master,” Jiraiya says, taking a bite of food.

“Have any of the other countries been warned?” Kakashi asks.

“I’ve a contact in Iwa, not that it did them much good and one in Taki who promised to give the warning to the higher ups there. Kumo I sent a messenger toad, but if they did anything with it, I’ve not heard. Kiri is still a hot mess, though it’s improving and I got word to someone I know there but so far only Suna has actually done anything. They’ve got people on alert in strategic positions across the desert and along their border and have taken precautions for their internal security but I doubt it will do as much as they hope. Akatsuki has already shown that defenses mean nothing to what they want,” Jiraiya says, sending a glance towards Iruka who nods with a grimace.

“So, does Naruto know about Gaara yet?” Kakashi asks, lightening the mood.

“Not yet, but I’m sure your other two brats will fill him in soon enough,” Jiraiya says with a huff and even Iruka and Itachi chuckle, recalling Naruto’s very loud goals.

“Were you able to find anything new out?” Itachi asks.

Jiraiya shrugs, “Most of what I’ve found, I’m sure Tsunade has already shared with you lot. Unfortunately, a lot of the threads I came across I couldn’t track while I had Naruto with me for fear of having them deciding to take him then and there…which on that note,” Jiraiya looks at Kakashi. “He’s officially your problem now.”

Iruka snorts recalling some of the pranks and stunts Naruto wrote him about getting up to on his travels that involved Jiraiya. Iruka might have…given him a few pointers and tips along the way. Jiraiya sends him a knowing look but doesn’t say anything.

“Where to next?” Iruka asks instead.

Jiraiya shrugs, “No clue just yet. I’ve got a few leads I want to look into and a few on Orochimaru as well. He worked with them for a time and I’m sure he knows more about them then they wanted him to know, the sneaky bastard. I’d stay and talk shop with you kid, but this takes precedence,” Jiraiya apologizes.

Iruka shrugs, “It’s fine. I’m sure if I ever need to get a message to you, Naruto can be of assistance,” Iruka assures him.

They finish the meal catching Jiraiya up on some of the things that happened in village and then part ways, Jiraiya aiming for the Hokage Tower to have his delayed conversation with Tsunade before he leaves in a few days after resting and resupplying, both on gear and rumors from Inoichi and Ibiki.

Iruka sighs as he watches Jiraiya’s broad form disappear into the crowd. “Is it foolish to wish Akatsuki would just go disappear somewhere forever?” he asks aloud without looking at either jounin.

“No,” Itachi says and Kakashi hums in agreement.

“What are you feeling?” Kakashi asks, used to Iruka’s strange way of sensing certain things over the years.

“Nothing yet, but…I’ve just got a bad feeling in my gut that this is only going to keep getting worse before it ever gets better and part of me wanders how much blood will be spilt before that happens,” Iruka admits morbidly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Sorry, I’m just tired,” Iruka waves his words off.

“You’re allowed to be tired,” Kakashi says with a shrug. “And we’ll just keep an eye out for anything coming our way.” He snaps his book closed and tucks it away. “I need to get started on paperwork,” he says with an aggrieved sigh that pulls a small smile to Iruka’s lips. “I’ll meet up at Ichiraku’s,” he says and they both nod before he disappears in a swirl of leaves.

Huffing faintly, Iruka and Itachi keep following the road, wandering the village to kill time as they wait for sunset to head for dinner. When it gets close, they aim towards the restaurant and soon the others follow, Shisui having managed to get off guard duty to come as well and the crowd is boisterous and full of good cheer, Naruto telling stories and listening to some of the ones from home, a few of his year mates stopping by to say hi.

Iruka just basks in the moment of calm and happiness, knowing that eventually the other shoe will drop and this won’t be happening again for a long while. He doesn’t show his bitter thoughts though, laughing and joking with Naruto, soaking up the warmth of all his friends and found family around him.

Eventually, the night comes to a close. He and Naruto taking their leave to get to bed, Kakashi telling Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke to meet at their usual training ground at dawn for a proper test to see how much they’ve all grown and to see if they can work together as a team again after three years apart.

Iruka shows Naruto his room, nothing much having changed in his absence, though his plants are still alive and well cared for and a few trinkets Iruka had gotten for him over the years but was never able to actually give him resting on his bed for Naruto to look over at his leisure. Naruto bids him good night after a long hug and Iruka hugs back just as hard before letting him go and shutting the door behind him as he makes his way to his own room.

Lying down, Iruka listens to the apartment settle, the faint sounds of Naruto getting ready for bed and then quiet. The soft sound of Naruto’s breathing is barely heard from the other side of their shared wall but it helps something in him settle that has been in a knot since Naruto left and he sleeps better than he has in a while.

~*~

Iruka chuckles as Naruto goes on a full winded story about Team Kakashi’s test against their jounin sensei and how Naruto had found Kakashi’s weak point. Their breakfast is half eaten, both getting lost in stories to share and before long, it is mid-morning and Naruto has to meet up with his team. They clean the dishes standing side by side as they had in years past, Naruto still gloating at getting one over on Kakashi.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Iruka warns with a mock frown, hip checking Naruto as he hands him a plate. “That trick won’t work twice. Next time you spar with Kakashi, you’ll have to actually find a weakness that isn’t gratuitous porn. Though I will say, that was a good tactic. I’ll be sure to tell Tenzo when he gets back. He’ll fall over laughing,” Iruka says with a chuckle.

Dishes done, they gather their things, Iruka wanting to tag along mainly because he has nothing better to do and he’s doesn’t want to let Naruto out of his sight for at least a little longer. Outside, the air is warm and people are out and about. A few, recognizing Naruto and Iruka, give sneers or glares but for the most part, people just ignore them, letting the pair fade into the crowd like everyone else.

Sakura and Sasuke are already waiting by Administration for Naruto and Kakashi to arrive and Iruka waves in greeting. “I hear congratulations are in order,” Iruka says with a chuckle. Sakura giggles and even Sasuke looks smug.

“Sensei should know better than to leave such an obvious weakness,” Sasuke says with a pointed look behind them and Iruka looks to see Kakashi walking up to them, his new book out as he reads and walks, a feat Iruka still isn’t sure is a ruse or if he actually reads.

“You’re actually on time for once,” Iruka comments mildly with a raised brow.

“Maa, maa, I’ve got to keep my cute students on their toes now or they’ll just run roughshod all over me,” Kakashi says, tucking his book away.

The three of them glare at Kakashi but follow behind him and Iruka as they head inside and up the stairs towards the Missions Desk. Iruka is surprised to see Tsunade there, the woman usually handing off the duty to Shizune when she could to have more time in the hospital.

Iruka stands off to the side as Naruto squabbles with Tsunade, not liking the missions she offers, grumbling that he should do something better. Iruka wants to reach over and smack him upside the head but refrains mainly to give Tsunade the pleasure as the woman’s brows draw closer and closer together with Naruto’s words.

“What was that, brat?” she snaps, standing up and forcing her chair to scrap back and nearly topple over as she towers over the desk and glares at Naruto. Kakashi looks like he wants to duck for cover, Sasuke looks bored but Iruka can see he silently agrees with Naruto’s words and Sakura looks torn between her loyalty between her team and her shishou.

Before it can escalate, the door behind them snaps open, a chuunin stumbling in with a shouted, “Hokage-sama!”

Tsunade pulls back, straightening up and looks at the woman. “This better be good,” she says in annoyance.

“We just got word from Suna. The village was attacked by Akatsuki and their Kazekage has been taken by them,” she says hurriedly and Iruka pales, his heart plummeting as the other shoe drops.

The room stills, silence hanging over them as Tsunade takes this in, green eyes narrowed as she comes to a decision. Naruto turns to look at Iruka, eyes wide and mouth thin in fear over Gaara. Tsunade shifts and all eyes turn to her. “Well, Team Kakashi, your mission has been decided. You’re to head to Suna, figure out what happened and assist them in any capacity they require in finding and rescuing the Godaime Kazekage Gaara. Is this understood?” she snaps out and they nod.

Iruka straightens, hands fisting by his side and steps forward. “Hokage-sama,” he says softly and she looks at him. “I request to go on this mission,” he says quickly.

Tsunade arches a brow as she crosses her arms under her chest. “And why should I risk both of you?” she asks evenly.

“Because this is what you’ve been training us for,” Iruka says back simply, heart beating heavily in his chest. He feels the Kyuubi stir within him and ignores it. “Because the whole reason for the last three years was in preparation for the day we would have to confront Akatsuki.”

“The reason we split you two up was to keep them from getting their hands on both of you,” Tsunade says.

“Yes and you knew from the beginning that that tactic wouldn’t last for long. Akatsuki has already shown they could get to either of us easily. They just took the Kazekage from the center of his village where he should have been safest. They got through all of our defenses and barriers to come after me. That won’t suffice anymore,” Iruka pushes, voice rising slightly in frustration. “I’m tired of waiting for these bastards to come after us,” he says sharply.

Tsunade stares at him for a long drawn out moment, green eyes giving nothing away before a small smile curls across her face. “Very well, you can join. Don’t make me regret this decision, Umino,” she snaps and he nods, bowing hastily. She looks at Kakashi, “You’re in charge. Keep me posted,” she orders.

“Of course, Hokage-sama,” he murmurs.

“Now get the hell out of my hair,” she grumbles and they leave quickly in the lingering silence.

Iruka pauses in the hall, glancing at Kakashi, “That was a test, wasn’t it?” he murmurs as the three younger shinobi are further ahead.

“It was,” Kakashi nods.

Iruka sighs but straightens his shoulders. “Okay then,” he says with a nod and keeps walking, the two of them keeping pace.

“You’ve got twenty minutes to gather your gear for the mission and then meet me at the main gate,” Kakashi orders and they nod, Sakura and Sasuke rushing off. Kakashi nods to Iruka and then he disappears in a whirl of leaves.

Iruka looks at Naruto, “Let’s go get ready,” he says and Naruto nods silently, the two taking to the roof tops, aiming for their apartment.

Iruka already has a go bag ready after three years of steady missions and it’s not hard to pack what he needs, stuffing scrolls into scroll pockets and weapons into his weapon’s pouch. Reaching into his locked seal box, he snags his bundle of seals, not sure what he’ll need but he’d rather be prepared and tucks them away as well.

Stepping into the kitchen after he has everything he’ll need, wakizashi a comforting weight across his back, he finds Shisui standing just inside the window, Fox mask on. “Fox,” Iruka says, bending into the fridge to turn the seal on in their and then turns to face him once more.

“We’ve been put on standby in case something happens but you’ll be on your own out there,” Shisui says and Iruka nods in understanding.

“We’ll be fine,” Iruka reassures Fox.

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Shisui says, glancing towards Naruto’s room where something crashes and the boy mutters loudly. “Jiraiya gave us some improved suppression seals but here’s a few for you in case something happens,” Shisui says, handing over a couple of small white seals.

“Thanks,” Iruka murmurs, eyeing the seals before tucking them away.

“Also, Kakashi told me to give this to you. Said you should do the honors,” Shisui says and holds up a chuunin flak vest and Iruka laughs and nods. “Good luck and don’t die, Iruka. I will be very put out if you do,” Shisui says, hand on Iruka’s shoulder before he blurs out of the room, the window shutting with a click behind him.

“Who was that?” Naruto asks, coming in from his room as he ties his hitai-ate around his forehead.

“A friend delivering a few things,” Iruka says and then turns to face Naruto fully. “This is for you,” he says with a proud smile, holding up the flak vest.

Naruto’s eyes go wide at the sight of it. Unfortunately, over the last three years, Naruto hadn’t been able to attend the chuunin exams, Tsunade claiming it was either too dangerous or Naruto being too far away to reach them in time. She had finally relented to Jiraiya and Iruka’s subtle pressing and had sent a team to test the boy personally the second year to determine if a field promotion was allowable. Naruto failed the first testing but last year had passed the test, informing Iruka all about it in his letters. However, he hadn’t gotten the actual flak vest that signaled his rise in rank.

“Oh, yeah, I can wear this now,” Naruto says with a grin and rushes forward to pull it from Iruka’s grip as he shrugs off his pack. He shrugs it on, zipping the vest up and then turns to look at Iruka. “How do I look?” he asks.

“Like an excellent shinobi,” Iruka says, ruffling his hair. Iruka glances at the clock and steps back. “Come on, we’ve got five minutes to reach the gate,” he warns and Naruto nods, following Iruka out onto the balcony, locking up before they head out over the rooftops once again at speed to reach the gate on time.

The others are already there, as are Tsunade, Itachi and Jiraiya, the two Sannin looking grim. “Well,” Tsunade says with a huff, “at least we’re sending some of our best,” she says wryly. “Don’t do anything stupid please.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t embarrass us,” Iruka assures with a smile, Naruto huffing and Kakashi side eyeing him.

“Naruto,” Jiraiya says with a frown and the teen straightens. “You’ve gotten stronger, I’ll say that but you still lack control. If you feel yourself losing control, back down and take a breath,” he warns and Naruto nods with grim look on his face. “And don’t use that jutsu,” Jiraiya adds. Iruka arches a brow at the Sannin but he just shakes his head. He’ll find out sooner or later and lets it rest.

“Let’s go,” Sasuke snaps out turning away after sharing a look with his brother.

Iruka pauses, letting the others pass and looks at Itachi. “I’ll keep an eye on him,” he promises his friend and Itachi gives a grateful smile.

“Iruka-nii, we’re going to leave you behind,” Naruto calls out and Iruka gives one last nod to the three before rushing after them.

~*~

It’s Sakura who spots the lone figure walking down the road, calling out, “Temari-san,” and the group comes to a halt before the Suna kunoichi.

“Sakura-san,” she murmurs, but her gaze is pulled to Iruka and Naruto, recognizing them from before during the Chuunin exams and afterwards, when they had been the ones to accompany Gaara to the gate to reunite with his siblings and travel back to Suna. “Hello,” she greets with a nod.

“Have you received word from Suna?” Sasuke asks brusquely.

“Word of what?” she asks, worry crossing her face.

“Akatsuki attacked the village, they took Gaara,” Iruka says softly.

Temari takes a step back in shock, her hands fisting. “I thought something was wrong,” she murmurs. “I thought I was just being superstitious.”

“We’ve been sent by the Hokage to assist in tracking Gaara down and getting him back,” Kakashi says evenly.

“Then let’s go,” she says and they quickly take back to the trees, grim faced but determined and keeping pace with them.

They travel a while in silence before Naruto speaks up beside Iruka. “Iruka-nii,” he says softly, staring ahead.

“Hmm,” Iruka acknowledges.

“Why is it always us?” he asks, a faint curl of anger in his voice. “Why is it us ‘monsters’ that are always the ones to suffer?” he demands.

Iruka sighs softly, “I don’t know, Naruto,” Iruka admits, recalling their lives over the years, remembering the desolate loneliness of a young boy who had had no one to really call family and had been all but abandoned and ostracized by his village, only acknowledged as a weapon to be thrown at their enemies and feared the rest of the time. “People fear what they do not understand or seek to take what is not theirs to take. Wars have been fought because of this, people have died for this, all the while justifying their righteousness,” he says calmly. “The world is often ugly, dark and bloody, and not just the shinobi world. But it’s the good that makes it worthwhile. The friends and family we make, the love we give and receive. The good we put out into the world,” he looks at Naruto, “and the promises we keep.”

“We promised to be his friend,” Naruto says softly and Iruka notices the faint flinch on Temari’s face as she listens to their conversation.

“We did and so we’ll save him no matter what stands in our way,” Iruka says with a smile and Naruto nods, pressing onward with grim determination to run beside Sakura and Sasuke. Iruka waits until Naruto won’t see him before he lets his expression fall. He hopes he can keep this promise, because he doesn’t know what Akatsuki plans for Gaara and the two of them but he doubts it is something they’ll survive if it is allowed to happen. He sees Kakashi eyeing him and shrugs with a wan smile and Kakashi turns back to face ahead.

~*~

Iruka stands off to the side with Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi as Sakura works. He’d known intellectually, that Sakura had been studying under Tsunade directly for almost as long as Naruto had been gone but he hadn’t realized how much she had advanced and he can’t help being impressed by her abilities.

As she orders people about while attending to Kankuro, Iruka sends a glance towards Kakashi who has been giving the Suna Elder Chiyo a wide berth since she attacked him thinking he was the White Fang. Iruka knows a little of Kakashi’s past. What little he’s picked up from stories, comments, thing’s Kakashi has told him or things the other have said to keep Iruka from saying anything that might target a little too close to home. He hopes Kakashi is alright with this reminder.

Kakashi steps up to Baki, the man eyeing Kakashi a little warily but holds his ground. “Who was part of the team to track Akatsuki?” Kakashi asks. “I’m an expert tracker and would like to go over their report,” he adds.

“There wasn’t any tracking team. Kankuro was the only one to go after them and after we found him…I’m afraid are resources are limited and we chose to focus on Kankuro in case of the worst,” he says, not saying in case Gaara is killed and we need a replacement for our leader.

A groan has them all looking to see Kankuro sitting up with a grimace, looking ready to pass out but pushing through despite the obvious pain and exhaustion. Sakura sighs and sits back, something floating in the fluid she is manipulating, dark and metallic. “I managed to directly remove the poison from his body, but I’ll need to make an antidote to take care of the residual poison there and to reverse the symptoms,” she says.

“I’ll show you where we keep our medical herbs,” one of the medics helping Sakura says and she nods with a tired smile and follows him out of the room.

Kakashi sighs, “Even if there’s only a small chance of tracking them, I’d still like to go to the battleground where they fought Kankuro. If even a hint of their scent remains, I might be able to track them,” Kakashi says.

“No need,” Kankuro gets out with a grimace. “I…I managed to get a piece of the puppet user’s clothing in Crow,” he says with a faint triumphant grin.

“That will make tracking them easier,” Kakashi says with an impressed nod.

“Can you tell us anything about who attacked?” Iruka asks, stepping forward, Naruto and Sasuke coming close as well.

Kankuro frowns, staring at Iruka, “You’re…from before,” he mutters and nods. “There were two,” he says. “The blonde could make some sort of explosives and make them move, like birds and spiders and such,” he grimaces and settles a little better. “I managed to see his hitai-ate: it was Iwa, but crossed out. The other was large, very large and a puppet user.” He looks over at Chiyo. “He said his name was Sasori of the Red Sands,” he admits and Chiyo looks crestfallen.

“You’re sure?” she asks.

Kankuro nods, “He knew my puppets by name,” Kankuro says and that seems to be all the confirmation she needs.

Iruka frowns at the description and looks at Kakashi, “The Puppet Master?” he asks with a raised brow.

“More than likely. We always did wander if there was a Suna connection,” Kakashi admits.

“What do you mean” Baki asks.

“About three years ago, we came across a man who had had a secret blindfolded meeting with someone called the Puppet Master. The only clue to Akatsuki was a sliver of their cloak visible in the memory. From there, our findings led to a group known as Kagetsūka, a wealthy person’s club that had been infiltrated and taken over by a group of his…puppets so to speak. They were planting dead man triggers into people’s minds and forcing them to do their bidding with the threat of killing them should they disobey. We took them down and encountered one of Sasori’s people who had come to collect payment and pass on information but who then exploded when it became obvious we would survive the fight to try and take us out. If the Iwa shinobi can make explosives, I would bet that was one of his implanted in his living puppet,” Kakashi explains rapidly. “We’ve found further threads from Akatsuki’s spy master but nothing ever lead back to the man.”

The room remains silent as they digest his words and Sakura comes back in, a stoppered vial in hand. “I’ve managed to create three antidotes with what they had and left instructions on how to make more. Some of your shinobi are heading out now to collect the necessary ingredients to make more but it will be a bit before they have enough to make more antidotes,” she says, hustling over to Kankuro, having him drink the antidote. “Now, you need to rest. The paralysis will wear off soon but you will still sleep for quite a bit as your body reverses the damage. Don’t fight your medics orders if they say to rest,” she warns and Kankuro nods with a chuckle, Temari stepping closer to grip his hand, relief stark on her face at not losing a second sibling.

Chiyo leaves after that, disappearing with her brother and Iruka watches her go, wondering how she knows Sasori. “What do you know about Sasori?” he asks, looking at Baki.

“He’s a puppet master in the truest sense. Many of the puppets and puppetry techniques we use today are his make or based off his designs. He is Chiyo-baa-san’s grandson. He lost both his parents at a very young age and was mostly raised by Chiyo-baa-san and Ebizō-jii-san. He was a prodigy, but his mind turned to a darker path and it was only after he left the village that we realized he was experimenting with humans and attempting to make them puppets, though even I don’t know if he ever succeeded. No one has seen him in over twenty years and it was assumed he had perished by now but it seems he is still alive,” Baki says with a grimace.

“Ah,” Kakashi murmurs, taking in his words. “If you could get me the scent sample, we’ll meet you by where the battle actually happened and go from there,” he says and Baki nods, motioning to one of the shinobi in the hall to show them to where Kankuro fought Sasori.

“Please find my brother,” Kankuro murmurs, looking at Iruka and Naruto.

“We will,” Naruto assures, expression determined and Iruka nods with him. They all troop out of the village’s hospital, following their guide through the winding streets of Suna. They can see the damage from the battle: cracked buildings, soot streaked streets, and broken windows all give testament to what happened. The people go about their day with one eye on the sky and a look of despair on their faces in the face of their leader being taken.

Iruka wanders how they’ll react if Gaara is alive and how they’ll react if he’s dead. These are the same people who feared and lashed out at a child, just because of what had been put into him, a creature he couldn’t control. It was only after Jiraiya had taken a closer look at Gaara’s seal and found it to be…flawed, that they realized the extent of the damage done.

Instead of keeping the two separate, the seal had allowed a backdoor into Gaara’s mind that the Ichibi could use when the boy slept and take over. Jiraiya had painstakingly altered the seal to lock that door and allow Gaara to function like a person but the damage had been done and while he could move on from it, much of himself had been altered by the Ichibi’s rampage through his mind and the village, and his village’s hate and mistrust of him for something that wasn’t his fault.

Iruka is amazed by Gaara’s ability to overcome his past and gain not only his life back and seeming to gain at least the respect of the village, enough to gain him the mantle of Kazekage. Sighing at the direction of his thoughts, he glances to the side to see Baki has rejoined them.

Baki looks over at him and then grimaces as they pass near a partially collapsed building. “It’s our fault Gaara-sama was taken,” he murmurs.

“I believe the fault lies with Akatsuki,” Iruka points out.

“He was protecting us,” Baki explains. “He was so busy protecting us and the village from the explosions, he allowed himself to become vulnerable. If he hadn’t been forced to defend, he would have surely won,” Baki says with a look of guilt.

“Your assumption it wrong,” Kakashi speaks up, grey eye flicking over to him. “Akatsuki has been training and building their tools and skills up to capture the Jinchuuriki. They were prepared and knew in advance at least a little of Gaara’s abilities. In all likelihood, this would have happened, even if he hadn’t been defending the village,” Kakashi points out.

“Ah,” Baki says but doesn’t comment further. They reach the pass through the wall and Iruka has a moment to actually look around instead of rushing as they had been when they first arrived.

“Why did you have no warning about Akatsuki’s arrival?” he asks, noting the splashes of blood still on the walls, dark now that it’s dried, and takes in the terraces up the side of the bowl that cups the village.

Baki looks grim, gaze flicking around at the signs of battle. “We went through our whole roster for who was posted on the wall that day. Everybody was accounted for…except for one. Captain Yuura’s body was never recovered,” he says and lets them draw their own conclusions.

“I take it you are expecting the worst and hoping for the best?” Kakashi asks.

“No, we know the worst. No one has seen Yuura since the council meeting three hours before the attack. He started his shift on the wall an hour before the attack. His home is empty and after a thorough look through the village, we have concluded he is not here. The only conclusion to draw is either he is a traitor or has been coerced in some way, but either way, he was the one responsible for the death of all the shinobi on duty that day. They were killed before the battle, before Akatsuki even stepped foot in the village,” he murmurs.

The silence is tense as they finally step out from between the two slabs of rock and out into the early afternoon sunlight, the heat making everything ripple around them. Stepping a little passed everyone, Kakashi runs through hand signs and touches the ground, an explosion of smoke heralding the arrival of his ninken.

Iruka smiles down at Pakkun and the rest of Kakashi’s mangy pack of hounds, his words, not Iruka’s. “Hello, Pakkun,” Iruka greets.

“Iruka-sensei,” Pakkun says back and then his gaze falls on the rest of the team. “Ah, I see the pack is whole again.”

“It is,” Iruka agrees as Kakashi accepts the scent sample from Baki.

“Akatsuki has taken the Kazekage, Gaara, who is the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. This is one of their scents, Sasori of the Red Sands. Spread out, search for their trail. Report back when you have something,” Kakashi orders. He fills them in quickly on everything they know so far and then the pack scatters out across the sands and soon from sight.

“Will they be okay in this heat?” Iruka asks.

“They’ll be fine. They’ve trained in many environments,” Kakashi says and dusts sand off his hands as he stands from his crouch. He spends a few minutes looking over what little is left of the actual battleground, the elements and time having erased most of it.

Footsteps sound behind them and they turn to see Temari coming towards them outfitted for battle, her war fan strapped on her back. “Temari-san,” Iruka greets. The three chuunin and Kakashi nod as well.

“I’m coming with you,” she declares with a frown.

“That won’t be necessary, Temari-san,” someone calls out and they look to see Chiyo descending the terraces in bounds to land beside the group.

“Chiyo-baa-san,” Temari greets with a frown. “With all due respect, Gaara is my brother and since Kankuro is too injured to do it, I will go after him with everything I have.”

“You are needed to help with the defense of the village and our border. Kazekage-sama is gone and Kankuro is indisposed. We are vulnerable and there are those who won’t hesitate to take advantage of our struggles,” Chiyo says with a pointed look.

“She’s right, Temari-sama. We need you. You are next in rank after Gaara. The village will fall to chaos without someone to take the reins in a firm grip and right now, you’re the only one who can,” Baki says pragmatically but also kindly, understanding her desire to save her brother.

“Don’t worry, girl, I’ll be more than enough match to these youngsters,” Chiyo says with a laugh. “And besides, it’s long overdue that I had a reunion with my dear grandson. You wouldn’t deny an old woman this, would you?” she asks, looking at Temari.

Sighing, Temari seems to deflate. “Alright, please save Gaara. Please save my brother,” she begs and the group nods.

In the distance, a howl goes up and Kakashi tilts his head, listening to it and nods. “Bisuke has found a lead,” he murmurs.

“Go, we’ll take care of things here. We’ll send a bird to Tsunade to keep her updated and let her know where you are going,” Baki assures and Kakashi nods.

“We’ll leave trail markers. If anyone comes to help us, tell them to follow them,” Kakashi says and Baki nods. “Come along, we’ve got a trail to follow,” Kakashi orders and Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke fall in line behind him, Iruka bringing up the rear with Chiyo.

They run in silence over the sand dunes away from Suna and towards Kaze’s border with Kawa, the sun blazing down and the wind blowing faintly. Every once in a while, Bisuke will signal again and Kakashi adjusts their path until they reach the beginnings of the edge of the desert, the sand dunes becoming cracked and dried ground, scrub bushes and small clumps of pitiful grasses growing where they can.

Bisuke wiggles out from under a pile of rocks where a small gap had been eroded away underneath. The dog pants with his tongue lolling and trots ahead to show them where he found the trail. Kakashi bends down to study partial foot print pressed into the dry earth.

“A few days old,” Kakashi mutters, standing up to dust his hands off. “There’s only one set of tracks. Either they split up, or one of them is moving without leaving a trail. It seems to lead towards Kawa,” he says and Bisuke barks softly and takes point, leading the way.

“So,” Chiyo says softly as they run, dark eyes glancing at Iruka sideways. “You and the blonde boy seem very invested in Gaara-sama.”

“You could say that,” Iruka agrees mildly.

“I take it you’ve got a bijuu sealed inside you two as well? Like calling to like and all that?” she asks.

Iruka frowns, glancing at her but finally answers, “Yes. Naruto and I each have half the Kyuubi inside us,” he admits.

“I’m surprised that Slug Princess let you two out. Better to keep you leashed where they can watch you. It’s why the council agreed to Gaara’s appointment as Kazekage. Better he be bound into the protection of Suna willingly than left to his own devices. That was Rasa’s flaw. He gave the boy entirely too much head and he rampaged all over the village as a result. Better to put the rabid beast down than to let him live to-,” she says.

“Chiyo-baa-san,” Iruka interrupts sharply, keeping his voice even despite the anger spiking in his chest at her words. “Please do not speak on things you have no understanding of or I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep myself in check,” he says sharply, smiling thinly.

Chiyo snorts, “So he does have bite after all. I was afraid they had broken your entirely. Keep that fire alive, boy. Too often those in charge try to smother it to make people agreeable. I can leave Kazekage-sama in your care without worry,” she says and Iruka blinks, completely wrong footed as she cackles and pulls ahead to run beside Sakura to begin grilling her on Tsunade, or the Slug Princess as she is fond of calling her.

They finally leave the desert for good, the land growing wetter with plants, and trees sprouting in the rich soil of Kawa as said rivers cut ravines and canyons through the sandstone and granite of the area. They’re just reaching a thick cluster of trees when Kakashi pulls up, signaling for them to stop as Bisuke growls.

“What is it?” Sasuke asks, looking around.

“We’re not alone,” Kakashi says as someone steps around one of the trees, a familiar black and red cloak billowing in the breeze, a heavy sword braced against one shoulder as he looks at them.