Getting Lost on the Roads of Life - a KakaSaku Story [CONCLUDED]

Susanoo

"Senpai!" Yamato said, letting his round eyes glide over Kakashi's body with great puzzlement, "where is your uniform?"

"A good junior would have known to bring me one," Kakashi shot back, squinting at the strange blue lights visible along the city wall in the distance. Fires with a strange color? With no smoke? While the sirens continued to blare their warning, more and more Anbu Black Ops members appeared on the torch-lit roof of the Hokage Tower all around them.

"Hatake!" the Hokage bellowed somewhere behind him, "what kind of role model are you? PUT ON A SHIRT!"

"Give me yours, Tenzo," Kakashi said to Yamato and pointed at his junior's flak jacket demandingly.

"B... but Senpai!" Yamato stuttered, protectively putting his arms around his uniform, "this is mine!"

Kakashi sighed, watching Yamato scurry away from him. "Aren't I supposed to be some kind of commander around here? Don't tell me nobody has an extra shirt and jacket for me! Hey! You!" Kakashi signalled a young Anbu operative that happened to look in his direction. "Get me a uniform. And weapons. Quickly!"

"Yes, sir!" the man saluted and almost tripped over his legs in his haste to obey.

"There is no report from the wall guards and none from the sector patrol units either," Tsunade informed him grimly as she appeared at his elbow, her blonde tails whipping in the wind, "I sent a reconnaissance unit to check out the situation, they should get back to me shortly. I want you to stand by and await my orders, I will send you in next. I am expecting the worst if it's the same thing that attacked the Anbu last night..."

"So you're changing my status to active?" Kakashi asked amicably.

"Hell yes, Hatake," Tsunade snapped, "and don't you dare say 'I told you so'. Yamato is on your team, freely pick to others."

"Whom else have we got? Naruto?"

"No," Tsunade nervously bit her lip, "he left for an escorting mission only yesterday. With Shikamaru. Damn, I had a bad feeling about it all along!"

"Sasuke?"

Her face darkened. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Dammit, Tsunade. I promise to keep an eye on him. He's one of our best. And if the situation is as serious as you say...."

"You know they were after him, right?"

"What do you prefer, him a sitting duck in the middle of Konoha or him an active soldier fighting back? Come on, Tsunade!"

"Okay, fine," the Hokage said, "but he is your responsibility." Rather unexpectedly, Tsunade sniffed the wind next, narrowing her eyes. "Did you take a shower in Sasuke's apartment?"

Well damn for good noses that recognized the soap from the Tower apartments. But this did not change anything. Kakashi was of the opinion that in a village the size of Konoha, keeping secrets for extended periods of time was an impossibility anyway. Sakura had clearly been very happy to take a shower with him and that was all that mattered. Her decision, none of the Hokage's business. He wasn't stupid enough to build any expectations on it, but he would also not deny that he would do it again immediately given the chance. Sakura was...

...stepping out on the roof behind Tsunade at this very moment in her medical-nin uniform, busy with tying back her hair. The Hokage whipped around, following Kakashi's stare.

"Sakura!" Tsunade said in surprise. "Should you not be resting in bed?"

"I told her so too," Kakashi frowned, but he was too distracted by the determination and fierceness on Sakura's face to be angry, the expression he had always liked the best, feeling a fluttering in his stomach and an impulse to step over to shield her from the wind that was picking up force.