Chapter 2 – Mission to Kumo
"Sasuke!"
He fell back, horror twisting his heart as a familiar figure shoved him away, darting in front of the oncoming Chidori.
"Sasuke, no! Move!"
The raven-haired General glanced back a heartbeat before the attack struck, a smirk playing on the man's lips even as Sharingan eyes met cerulean. And then blue-white lightning seemed to explode in front of them, engulfing the Uchiha as Madara's hand thrust clean through Sasuke's chest. Streaks of lightning spread outward like snakes, wrapping around arms and legs and twisting them to awkward angles.
Through it all, he stayed frozen to the ground, breath frozen in his lungs as the lightning died and a broken body tilted backwards. He barely managed to pull enough brain cells together to catch the deadweight before the General hit the ground.
"S-Sasuke?"
His eyes drifted to the gaping bloody hole in the Uchiha's chest, seeing the damning injury and smelling the sickening scent of burnt flesh but not comprehending. This was Sasuke, his teammate, his rival, his best friend, his brother, and this was not supposed to happen.
"D-Don't you- dare," Shocked blue eyes flickered back up to meet dull onyx, the light inside them fading fast even as the Uchiha's gaze clung desperately to his. "Don't you dare..." Sasuke rasped again, crimson spilling from his mouth and staining his lips. "Let him win. Naruto."
And then he was gone, black eyes becoming sightless as the last spark of life spluttered and died, his entire body turning slack.
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't hear anything as he strained his ears in vain to catch the telltale breaths from the prone figure he was crouching over save for the harsh raucous laughter of the man standing only steps away from them.
"He's gone now too, Naruto-kun. Another one you led to his death. Another one you killed. When will you learn your lesson? It is futile to stand against me. This one's last of your pawns too, is he not? Or do you have another one to sacri-"
In the next moment, all he could hear was screaming and he barely registered that the agonized sounds splitting the air were coming from his own throat as he hurtled at the mocking figure with a vengeance, insanity threatening to conquer his mind. Yet still, still he could hear the sound of mad laughter, cutting into him with terrifying accuracy because Madara was right, it was his fault, his fault again, and once more he had lost another of his precious people, lost the last of whom he had sworn to protect-
With a choked-off cry, Haruki shot up in his bed, momentarily disoriented and drenched in sweat as he gasped for breath. One shaky hand reached up to cover his eyes, mentally pushing the most recent of his former life's memories back. He could still feel the his chakra presence in the air that he had unwillingly released, now thankful for the privacy and chakra dampening seals he had put in place the night before.
Sasuke had been the last of his friends to go, loyal and unwavering to the very end. They had battled for 3 days strait pulling out every trump card and strategy they could think of. Yet it seemed for every tactic they used Madara was prepared for it. Even rallying after Kabuto and Obito's demise was not enough to turn the tide. That Sasuke was gone now, the one with whom he could banter with and spar with and be Naruto with, not Hokage, but there was another Sasuke he could still save, one that he now had a chance of giving a better life to.
Breathing finally steadying, Haruki lowered his hand, dropping it back into his lap as he glanced at the plastic clock he had bought yesterday. 5:10AM stared back at him and the redhead could only sigh as he tossed back the blankets and got out of bed. Three hours of sleep was actually pretty good in his book so he wasn't complaining. He still wasn't used to sleeping in a bed and contemplated sleeping on the floor tonight.
A quick shower and a cup of ramen later and Haruki was on his way out the door, whisker markings hidden behind a henge and his new weapons concealed on his body. He had gone on a shopping spree yesterday and had even managed to find a lightweight katana, one with an indigo hilt and a blade of tamahagane so strong that a hint shimmering blue flashed across the blade when wielded properly. The katana could channel elemental chakra, which was perfect for Haruki because most of his attacks with his old katana consisted of combining chakra with the sword. Haruki had bought it at Tenten's family store, and while he hadn't seen the future Weapons Mistress, he had shaken hands with her father. The man had recommended this katana after listening to Haruki's detailed description of his former blade.
Locking his apartment door behind him and subtly activating the security seals on it, Haruki turned in the direction of the village's front gates, only to stop and blink in mild surprise when he caught sight of familiar blue eyes staring inquisitively back up at him.
"Good morning," Haruki greeted his younger counterpart after a short, contemplative moment. While he was now living next door to the twelve-year-old, he hadn't expected to have to interact with him until after he got back from Kumo. "I believe I'm your new neighbor, Kazama Haruki. Nice to meet you."
This seemed to snap the boy out of whatever fascinated trance he had been in. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond chirped brightly, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty that Haruki easily detected, recognizing it from his own childhood whenever he had to force aside the fear of being rejected and hated so he could introduce himself. "You're living next to me now?"
Haruki offered a faint half-smile to the Genin. "Yes. I just got back from a long-term mission."
Naruto frowned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "So you had to get a new apartment?"
"It was an eight-year-long mission," Haruki clarified, suppressing another smile at the awed expression that spread across the blond's face. Had he really been this open when he was a child? "Having to keep up the rent on my old place would've been a waste of money so I had to find a different place to live in now that I'm back."
"You must be really good for the old man to give you such a long mission!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement. "And you're living next to me!" The blond fell silent for a moment as he eyed Haruki's ninja garb. "Are you going on another mission already?"
Haruki nodded, slipping his hands into the Jounin vest he was currently wearing. An ANBU had dropped off both the vest and a brand-new hitai-ate last night. "Yes, but it's a top-secret mission and I'll be back in five days so don't tell anyone, okay?"
If there was one thing Haruki knew his current self and his younger self would always share, it was the adamant refusal to break their word. When Naruto nodded seriously, Haruki knew the younger boy would take the information to his grave.
With a satisfied nod, Haruki checked the sky, noting the rising sun before turning back to Naruto. "I still have some time before I have to leave. Have you had breakfast yet? We could go get some ramen or something."
As expected, Naruto immediately brightened at the mention of ramen, but deflated again almost immediately. "I can't. I have to meet my new team at six for our test to become Genin and our sensei told us not to eat anything."
Haruki considered this thoughtfully. Really, looking back, Kakashi could've at least let them eat, especially when the man was going to be late. "Who is your sensei?"
"Hatake Kakashi." Naruto made a face. "He's kinda weird."
Haruki found himself grinning a little at this. "Ah, I've heard of him. He's famous for being late to everything by at least two hours. You must have met him yesterday. Was he late?"
Naruto's eyes widened as he nodded vigorously. "Yeah, he was over three hours late!"
Haruki sweatdropped. He had forgotten how long it took for Kakashi to pick them up the first time around, but even for the Copy-nin, over three hours seemed a bit excessive. "Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. I guarantee he won't meet up with you and your team for at least a few hours. A little breakfast now wouldn't hurt either. You'll have digested it all by the time he arrives anyway."
Still, Naruto hesitated, shifting indecisively from foot to foot. "But Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan won't have anything to eat."
Haruki smiled again in approval. "How about this then? We still have some time before six so we can swing by Ichiraku's, pick up some ramen, and then you can take some back to your teammates. My treat, since you're keeping a secret for me."
The blond's eyes lit up again, obviously pleased by this suggestion. "'Kay! Thanks, Kazama-san!"
Haruki quirked an eyebrow as they began their trek to the ramen stand. "Haruki is fine. Kazama-san makes me feel old." 'Although,' He thought reflectively. 'I feel old either way.'
"Haruki-san then," Naruto peered almost shyly up at him. "You're being really nice."
The redhead suppressed the faint stirring of anger welling up inside him. While he knew the blond was simply him as a child, it felt worse this time around seeing the loneliness in someone who, technically, was another person. His younger counterpart very much reminded him of Yousuke at the moment...
And thinking of Yousuke, Haruki would have to find a way to adopt him again, but that would have to wait, no matter how much he disliked the idea. Leaving a six-year-old alone in his apartment was hardly ideal. He would work on it when he came back.
"Can't I be nice to a new friend?" Haruki smiled gently down at the boy, who ducked his head and flushed red with embarrassment but seemed equally pleased at the same time. The redhead decided at that very moment that this Naruto, who had already suffered twelve years as the Konoha's pariah, would never know that pain and loneliness again, not while he was here. When he came back from Kumo, if he noticed so much as a glare from any of the villagers, he or she would be getting a taste (only a taste as he didn't think Sarutobi would be very pleased with him if he did any real damage to any of them, no matter how much they would deserve it) as to why enemy-nin had all been ordered to flee-on-sight if they ever laid eyes on him before he had even turned eighteen.
By the time they had reached the ramen stand, Naruto had opened up and had gone through all the reasons for disliking Sasuke-teme (he's a jerk and an arrogant bastard and he has the personality of a rock) as well as all the reasons for liking Sakura-chan (she's pretty and cute and she has cool hair!). Haruki only chuckled, absently surprised at the sound since he couldn't remember the last time he had openly shown amusement. Or shown amusement at all, for that matter.
"What would you like?" Haruki eyed his wallet, wondering if he had promised 'my treat' a bit too soon but Naruto showed a commendable amount of restraint when he only listed three types of ramen.
"Could I have a Miso Ramen, a Tonkatsu Ramen for Sasuke, and a Toriniku Ramen for Sakura-chan? Please?"
Haruki smiled and nodded, glancing up when Teuchi, the old chef, stepped out of the back of the shop, already smiling a greeting at the short blond. And oh, the man was a sight for sore eyes. Both Teuchi and Ayame had died when Konoha had been burned to the ground, but up until the very last moment, both father and daughter had carried on working, determined to give the Konoha citizens some semblance of normalcy amidst the depression of war.
"Good morning Naruto! You're up early!"
Naruto grinned brightly at the owner of the ramen stand. "Morning Teuchi-san! I have training with my Genin team this morning but I came by to pick up breakfast first!"
Realization dawned on Teuchi's face. "That's right; you've been assigned to a Genin team. Well, a young ninja can't go hungry! What would you like?"
While Naruto rattled off his orders, Haruki caught the older man's gaze as Teuchi gave him an assessing look. He could recall that both Teuchi and Ayame had been very protective of him, especially when he was younger, so the redhead figured he should probably put the man at ease.
"Kazama Haruki," Haruki offered once Naruto finished talking. "Naruto-kun's next-door neighbour."
Teuchi squinted at him. "I haven't seen you around before."
Naruto cut in before Haruki could reply. "Haruki-san's been away for a long time. He just got back yesterday and he's treating me to ramen as a... welcoming present?"
Naruto blinked almost owlishly as he seemed to realize that welcoming presents were usually given to the person moving in, and Haruki chuckled again, not noticing the way Teuchi relaxed at the unexpectedly warm sound, nor the way Naruto stilled at it, a look of wonder lighting his eyes as if unable to believe that anyone could laugh like that in his presence.
"Yes," Haruki shrugged taking out a few bills to cover the ramen fee. "I just moved in and met Naruto-kun this morning. Since neither of us have had breakfast yet (a lie, and Haruki reflexively crossed his fingers behind his wallet), I thought we'd swing by for ramen. Please add another Miso Ramen to the order."
Teuchi smiled again, waving a careless hand in the air as he started on the ramen. "Half-price on everything today. Consider it a welcome home present from me, Haruki-san."
Haruki blinked and then nodded his thanks, placing the correct amount of money on the counter before taking the seat next to Naruto to wait.
"Haruki-san?"
The redhead glanced down at his younger counterpart, raising an eyebrow in question. The blond squirmed in his seat, seemingly torn between two decisions before finally blurting out, "Could you show me a jutsu?"
Haruki blinked at the request, taking in the puppy-like eagerness that was blatant on the blond's face before nodding. As if he could refuse the blond anything with a face like that. Besides, the boy reminded him far too much of his own Genin team eight years ago. Those three had learned how to play him for a sucker way too quickly, not that he had tried particularly hard to stop them.
Staring out at the quiet town, Haruki considered his jutsus before raising his hands and going through the proper seals, "Futon: Go-Dankaitsu Hoshi no Mori." (Wind release: Five-Pointed Star Spear)
The blue swirl of wind chakra rushed around the street outside the stand, a gentle breeze compared to the maelstrom of wind Haruki was used to whipping up. Lances formed in the air at five equal points, surrounding one area before shooting forward. With a flick of his wrist, Haruki quickly dispelled it. Even holding back, a sizeable hole would've formed in the ground and he had no wish to do manual labor for the Sandaime anytime soon.
Turning back to Naruto, Haruki blinked at the awestruck expression on the blond's face. "That was so cool!" Naruto gushed, nearly bouncing in his seat. "You're really strong!"
Haruki found himself rubbing the back of his head in his habitual movement when embarrassed. It wasn't as if the jutsu had been any higher than a B-rank, and Naruto would one day be able to do it as well seeing as he had been the one to create it. It wasn't even all that impressive, but he supposed, to a Genin, it really was something to see.
"You'll be that strong one day too," Haruki answered firmly, and watched in satisfaction as Naruto beamed up at him, obviously hearing the sincerity in the redhead's voice. It wasn't as if he was lying either, and the blond seemed to realize this as he sat a little taller.
"Your ramen," Teuchi cut in, placing four steaming bowls in front of them. As Naruto quickly dug into his bowl, the ramen stand owner glanced at Haruki again, his gaze softer this time but also slightly puzzled.
"You seem somewhat familiar," The man finally voiced, and Haruki forced himself not to tense up. "But I could swear I've never met you before."
Haruki shrugged and said nothing, plucking a napkin from the counter and handing it to his younger counterpart as the blond inhaled his ramen before picking up two more bowls and waiting for Naruto to finish.
Teuchi shook his head, offering a warm smile. "Nevermind. Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. Come back anytime. We're open the entire day."
Haruki nodded silently, gaze sliding to Naruto as the boy finished up, shouted his thanks, and picked up the remaining bowl, Sasuke's, with careful hands as he slid off his seat and joined Haruki as he ducked out of the shop. Teuchi waved them out with a smile, one which Naruto answered with a grin of his own before the two set out towards the bridge. Haruki barely remembered to let Naruto lead, as he wasn't supposed to know where they were going.
Soon, black and pink caught their attention and Naruto quickly shouted out a greeting. Sasuke only cast the blond a disinterested look before glancing at Haruki, black eyes assessing, and Haruki felt his heart twist painfully in his chest. He quickly turned his gaze to the last Genin of Team 7, watching as she scowled in Naruto's direction but directed a curious look at him. Again, the wide green eyes sent a rush of memories through his mind, some good, some bad, and all of them painful. He finally settled for keeping his eyes on his blond companion. Somehow, that hurt less.
"Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme! I brought you food!"
"Baka!" Sakura immediately snapped, swatting at the blond. "You're late, and we're not supposed to eat!"
Naruto pouted and rubbed his head. "But Kakashi-sensei's going to be late anyway and a small breakfast won't hurt! Besides, Haruki-san says it's okay!"
Haruki almost sweatdropped when three pairs of eyes turned on him. Technically, he hadn't said it was okay, per se, but he supposed he had implied it, which meant he now had to take responsibility for his words. With an inward sigh, Haruki nodded cautiously. "Training with nothing in your stomach is dangerous for you. A small meal wouldn't hurt and your sensei will be late anyway. You'll have digested everything by the time he gets here."
"See?" Naruto thrust the ramen bowl he had been holding in Sasuke's direction, taking the boy off-guard and somehow managing to dump the bowl into the Uchiha's hands. "Eat it, before it gets cold!"
Sasuke barely spared the blond a glance before directing his cool gaze at Haruki. "Who are you?" He asked bluntly, his words falling just short of rude.
Haruki, now more than used to Sasuke's personality, replied without being offended while Naruto scowled at the raven-haired boy, "Kazama Haruki, Naruto-kun's next-door neighbour. I met up with him this morning and thought some breakfast would help keep your strength up today."
Sasuke said nothing more but, after a moment of consideration and a quick scan of Haruki's Jounin vest, dug into his breakfast, nodding curtly at both him and Naruto.
Haruki turned his gaze on the pink-haired kunoichi next and offered the Toriniku Ramen for the girl. Sakura blushed, ducking her head shyly as she glanced at Sasuke before replying uncertainly, "I'm on a diet..."
Haruki tilted his head contemplatively. He had forgotten that the Sakura at this age was much more, well, girl than kunoichi. "It won't hurt," He assured after a moment, searching for the right words to convince her. Sakura liked books and facts so Haruki would use that. "You need a well-rounded diet to get a good figure and that includes carbohydrates. As a kunoichi, you'll burn off anything you don't need when you train later. Not eating or only eating certain foods is bad for your body in the long run."
Sakura's cheeks darkened as she glanced hesitantly at him. "You sure?"
Haruki allowed a small smile to curve his lips as he extended the bowl again. "I'm sure."
Mere seconds later, Haruki had Sakura eating her breakfast as well and he turned to the blond still standing at his side, now eyeing his teammates' ramen enviously. The redhead smothered his amusement and extended his own bowl instead. "I can pick up my own breakfast later, Naruto-kun. Growing boys need food."
Naruto only hesitated for a brief moment before flashing a grateful smile up at him and accepting the bowl, digging in with little fanfare.
Haruki nodded in satisfaction before glancing up at the sky. "I should get going. Things to do. A bit of advice though: do a bit of a warm-up after you finish eating. It'll help digestion," He directed another smile in Sakura's direction who promptly blushed. "And it'll loosen your muscles when you're running around later. And later, during your test and even after that, try not to think too individually. You're a team now, and your teammates are what will make you strong." Haruki carefully kept his gaze focused on all three of them, not singling anyone out. Sasuke would get defensive otherwise. "It's a testament to your own strength if you can see the strengths in other people and learn to work with them. Letting your teammates down because of pride or arrogance means you are just as weak as those who don't have enough physical strength. Weaker, because you have no excuse."
All three nodded, even Sasuke who seemed surprisingly at ease in Haruki's presence, reminding the redhead of his Sasuke, the one who had been happy with himself and content with the people around him. They looked somewhat puzzled at his last hint and Sasuke frowned a little at the mention of pride being a weakness but none of them questioned him further. Haruki hoped it would be enough to get the Uchiha thinking. He knew how the adult Sasuke thought, knew what buttons to push to encourage the part of Sasuke that would one day grow up to be a great man but he could only start the ball rolling now and give a hand to the boy now and then. The rest would be up to the future ANBU General.
Naruto paused from his eating, voicing a question that bordered on insecurity. "I'll see you later?"
Haruki smiled at the blond's tact as he nodded, reaching out absently to ruffle his younger counterpart's bright hair as he stared down into inquisitive blue eyes. "Of course. Good luck on your test, duckling."
Naruto blinked, obviously startled, though it was a toss-up as to who was more so; the blond or Haruki. "'Duckling'?"
The redhead found himself rubbing the back of his head again, repressing the embarrassment threatening to show on his face. "Ah, you reminded me of my old Genin team for a moment. Short and small and, well... My apologies."
Naruto seemed to consider this for a moment, pouting most likely at the 'short and small' part before flashing an almost pleased grin up at Haruki. "It's okay! I don't mind!"
Haruki raised his eyebrows but said nothing more, nodding a farewell to the blond before doing the same to the other two. Without another word, the redhead quickly hurried away. He had planned to start out earlier, but he hadn't taken lingering with the rest of Team 7 to give them health advice into account. No matter; five days was plenty to get to Kumo and back if he kept moving.
x.X.x
"Yo!"
All three soon-to-be Genin members of Team 7 turned various expressions of murder on the silver-haired Jounin in front of them. "YOU'RE LATE!" Both Naruto and Sakura accused, while even Sasuke glared daggers at the masked nin.
Kakashi just eye-smiled at them. "Sorry, sorry, I got lost on the road of life-"
"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura chimed again in unison, scowling fiercely at the Jounin.
Kakashi shrugged carelessly, eyes flickering briefly to the nearby trashcan and noting the three bowls of ramen. "Maa, ready for your test?"
x.X.x
Naruto pouted as he eyed the lunch box in each of his teammates' hands. He wriggled from his position, struggling with the ropes holding him to the tree stump. His stomach suddenly growled, breaking the silence and the blond promptly scowled, ducking his head as both his teammates glanced at him.
He jerked a little when a bento box appeared in his line of sight and, following the hand that held it, Naruto blinked in confusion as he found himself staring into onyx. Sasuke only frowned a little, extending some tempura in the blond's direction.
"Eat," Sasuke snapped gruffly. "You got us breakfast earlier. I'm just paying you back."
Naruto gaped before grinning widely and accepting the food. He almost choked on it when another bento was thrust into his face, a red-faced Sakura scowling at him.
"Just this once!" The kunoichi snapped, offering one of the rice balls from her lunch. "And it isn't as if you bought us breakfast, but like Haruki-san said, you'll be useless if you don't eat something!"
Naruto grinned again, features bright. "Thanks Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!"
Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Hn. Just hurry up dobe, before sensei gets back."
Naruto quickly swallowed the rice ball, smiling contentedly for a moment before his eyes widened, watching as a strong wind rolled in and the sky darkened. Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, staring forebodingly at them as the ground shook.
"YOU THREE!" He barked, looming over them. "Sasuke, Sakura, I told you not to feed him! What have you got to say for yourselves?"
Sasuke only glared right back, chin tilted up defiantly as he unconsciously shifted to place Naruto further behind him. Beside him, Sakura had flushed and her eyes were wide with alarm but her shoulders squared as if preparing for battle and her gaze never wavered from the Copy-nin. Behind both of them, Naruto scowled at Kakashi, blue eyes narrowed. This was his team, damn it! They had gone to bat for him. He couldn't let them take the fall.
"We're a team!" Naruto glared fiercely as their sensei's gaze turned on him. "Don't just single them out! Besides, I'm the one who ate the food!"
"Shut up dobe," Sasuke tossed a dark look over his shoulder at the blond. "I offered when you were already hungry. It's not just your fault."
Sakura scrambled closer to her two teammates, elbowing the tied-up Genin roughly. "Yeah, I chose to feed you too! Stop trying to act tough! It makes you look stupid!"
All three turned back to their sensei as Kakashi came even closer, visible eye unreadable. "If that's how you three feel, then I have no choice but to pass judgement on you... YOU! Pass."
A stunned silence fell over the three Genin as their surroundings returned to normal and Kakashi eye-smiled at them again, crouching down to their level.
"You three are the first team I've ever passed," He told them cheerfully. "You stuck up for one another instead of just listening to me." His eye turned somber, studying them with careful consideration. "The purpose of the bells was to try and turn you against one another. To see if you would put yourselves above the team. And it worked for a time which is to be expected, but in what you just did you showed me the beginnings of teamwork, the beginnings of caring about the team's strength not just your own. You have to remember: in the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
All three Genin were quiet for a moment, taking this in as Haruki's last piece of advice came back to them. They glanced at each other; how had the redhead known?
"Well," Kakashi continued in a lighter tone, rising and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Team 7 will start missions tomorrow. Meet at the bridge at six!"
With a poof, the Copy-nin disappeared and, unbeknownst to the newly-formed Team 7, reappeared in a tree nearby, observing them with a steady eye.
Below, Sasuke rose to his feet, dusting himself off as Sakura quickly packed up the lunches and placed them by the stump. Kakashi would probably come back for them later. Both of them turned to stare at the blond of their team before Sasuke finally heaved a sigh and took out a kunai, cutting the ropes with quick efficiency.
"Oi dobe," Sasuke voiced, idly twirling his kunai as Naruto landed on his feet and stretched out his limbs. "Who is your neighbour? How did he know Kakashi-sensei's test would be based on teamwork?"
Naruto shrugged sheepishly as even Sakura focused on him with curious attentiveness. "I dunno. He just moved in next to me. He just returned from an eight-year-long mission and needed a new place to live. And he knew Kakashi-sensei was going to be late, which was why he offered to buy us breakfast."
"Just like that?" Sakura questioned, looking puzzled. "I mean, he doesn't really know us, does he? And he's a Jounin. Why would he bother with a bunch of Genin?"
Naruto shrugged again, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his head. "I don't know teme, but-"
"Dobe, stop." Sasuke suddenly ordered, and Naruto instinctively froze as even Sakura was blinking at him with a startled expression on her face. Sasuke studied the smaller boy with careful consideration before murmuring, "He did the exact same thing."
"Er... did what?" Naruto glanced nervously between his two teammates. "Can I put my arm down now?"
Sakura quickly nodded but didn't look away as Naruto dropped his arm back to his side. "Naruto," She said in a hushed voice. "Are you sure you don't know him? Haruki-san rubbed his head like that too."
Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Lots of people do that, don't they? I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one."
Sasuke and Sakura actually exchanged a look before turning back to the blond. "Yeah," Sasuke agreed carefully. "But the way he does it just gives off the same..." He trailed off, eyes flickering away as he seemed to realize he was taking far too much interest in something unrelated to his training.
Sakura quickly picked up the train of thought from her crush though. "It gives off the same feel," She tried to explain. "I mean, when Haruki-san did it earlier, the action seemed really familiar to me but I didn't make the connection until I saw you do it now. You always rub your head like that."
Naruto frowned but dropped any suspicions easily enough. "Well I've never met him before but I think he's nice. And I don't think he was faking any of it either. And he's super strong too! I got him to show me a jutsu when we were getting ramen and he made the wind do super cool stuff. So I think is good to take his advice. I mean, even Sasuke-teme listened to him without pretending not to."
Sasuke twitched before tucking his kunai away and turning in the direction of his home. "Hn, whatever. I'm leaving. Do us all a favour dobe, and don't get tied to anymore tree stumps."
And just like that, everything went back to normal as Sakura rushed after the raven-haired Genin asking for a date with a rising blush in her face, and Naruto scowled after them and went on his own way, deciding to head to Iruka's apartment first to tell the man the good news.
Still hidden in the shadows of the nearby tree, Kakashi ran an absent hand through his hair. Interesting; someone in Konoha knew of his tardiness and more importantly, his tests, someone who had been away from Konoha for the past eight years and with a wind affinity no less. Last time he checked, he hadn't been a sensei eight years ago. He paused to consider this. Surely the Sandaime would be willing to tell him something about this Haruki. He checked the sun's position and, deeming himself a sufficient three hours late for reporting back to the Hokage, disappeared in a puff of smoke.