Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The rookies have really grown up, haven’t they?”

Sakura, on her way to Kakashi for their weekly sparring session, paused when she heard Genma’s loud voice from the jounin lounge.

Like any self-respecting shinobi, Sakura was immediately curious. The pink-haired kunoichi hid just around the corner, muting her chakra. Though she couldn’t see anything from this position, she could hear whomever was in the lounge clearly.

In the jounin lounge itself, four shinobi were hanging around in a rare moment of shared free time, indulging in a shinobi’s favourite pastime: exchanging information.

Some might call it gossiping.

“They sure did, Genma,” Izumo, one of the regular gate guards, piped up. “Have you seen Ino walk by lately? She has grown… in more ways than one.” Unseen by Sakura, Izumo made unnecessary gestures in front of his chest.

Genma’s laugh, joined by another, rang clearly from the lounge.

“She’s almost as big as our Hokage, Izumo!” the owner of the second laugh, Kotetsu, agreed with his fellow gate-guard.

“And she’s not afraid to show it off, either!” Genma added with a dreamy look in his eyes. “The way she uses her body as a weapon is admirable… and for once, I wouldn’t mind being the target.”

The hitherto silent fourth shinobi in took this moment to cut in.

“Mah,” a familiar voice that Sakura recognized to belong to her childhood sensei piped up, “be careful what you wish for, my friend. Along with Ino’s expertise in seduction, she has also become even more of an expert on poison and psychological torture…”

Kakashi lounged on the only couch in the jounin lounge, eyes on his beloved Icha Icha. Unlike Genma, who was slouching against the wall, or Izumo and Kotetsu, who were standing next to each other, Kakashi seemed right at home in the beige-and-yellow lounge.

“Please,” Genma responded, “the fact that she knows just as much about poisons as I do and can take over my body if I’m not careful only makes her sexier. When I was her age, I was nowhere near as strong as she is now. And, come on, body-switching during sex, think of the possibilities!”

There was a beat of silence as everyone, even the still eavesdropping Sakura, did.

Though Kotetsu made interested noises, Izumo just shook his head with a smile. “To each their own,” Izumo mumbled. “But it’s not just Ino and Hinata. The other rookies have matured as well.”

Sakura felt a little hurt she wasn’t included in that list but could not deny it was true. While at 21, her body had developed fully, she’d never reached more than a B-cup. She’d considered stimulating her body’s natural growth like Tsunade had done, but her shishou had advised against it. Not worth the trouble, the Hokage had muttered several times.

On the bright side, it did mean that when people came up to flirt with her, they weren’t just eying her rack the whole time: a problem Ino found herself constantly annoyed by whenever they explored Konoha’s nightlife.

Distracted by her thoughts, Sakura forgot to listen in, and re-focused.

“…lost the little-brother charm and is quickly moving into the hot-guy-on-the-beach charm,” Izumo said with a dirty grin.

Kotetsu snickered in agreement. “The Hyuuga heiress certainly seems to appreciate that.”

“Yeah,” Izumo continued, nodding, “and have you seen Shikamaru? Ever since the Akatsuki have popped up he really seems to take his training seriously. And it shows. He’s finally acquired the body of a shinobi, and it looks good on him.”

Kotetsu hummed. “That scar on his cheek he got last year really gives him that rough-and-tough vibe. That’s someone I wouldn’t mind spending a night with.”

“Oh,” Genma cut in, “the shadows! That’s something I want to try. Imagine him use his Kagemane to take control over your body and do wicked things to you…”

Sakura could just hear the lecherous grin that sentence ended in.

“Maybe you just have a fetish, Genma.” Kakashi deadpanned, turning a page of his Icha Icha.

Genma wiggled his eyebrows in response, not denying it. “Who doesn’t?”

“But you agree, right, Kakashi?” Kotetsu asked the Copy-nin, who had been trying to pretend he was not part of the conversation.

Kakashi hummed in response, which was as good as agreeing.

She could imagine Kakashi was not too eager to participate in describing the attractiveness of the Konoha 11. Not only was he a former sensei, he also was a private person in general. On the other hand, all of them had been adults for along time. Age mattered little in a world where a thirteen-year old could kill you with a kunai the same way a thirty-year old could.

Had Sakura mentioned gossiping was fun yet? Besides, the kunoichi herself could admit to checking out the silver-haired Copy Nin’s ass once or twice.

It was a nice ass.

More importantly, the older jounin had discussed Ino, Naruto, Shika… Sakura couldn’t help but think, now me!

“I mean,” Genma continued while putting a new senbon in his mouth and whirling it from left to right, “you used to be the sensei of two of the Konoha 11. We’ve already discussed Naruto, but I know for a fact that you spar almost weekly with a certain pink-haired mini-Tsunade…”

Yes!

As Izumo and Kotetsu made interested noises, Kakashi asked neutrally, “and what of it?”

“Well,” Genma started, mischief in his voice, “I’m sure we could all agree she’s the one who changed the most out of all of them. Back then, none of us would have expected her to be the medical genius that she is now, never mind her joining ANBU. She’s grown into a very delicate and innocent-looking beauty who is actually an unbreakable kunoichi with a spine of steel – and the strength to match it.”

Izumo nodded. “Absolutely. She may not have the rack of her mentor, but her petite figure makes her strength even more impressive. And have you seen those legs? They go on for ages!”

“And that ass…” Kotetsu sighed. “If I weren’t so afraid of what Hokage-sama would do to me if she found out, I certainly would have made a move.”

Sakura grinned proudly, still hidden around the corner. In the jounin lounge, Kakashi visibly tensed.

The two gate-guards were too distracted to notice. Genma’s eyes, however, sharpened as he regarded his friend.

“You spar with her so often, Kakashi. Seeing her all sweaty, chest heaving, clothes torn… Her monstrous strength…” the senbon-wielding tokubetsu jounin said casually. “Has a spar never ended with you flat on your back as she holds you down? Her pink hair falling in strands from her ponytail, breath coming in quick gasps?”

Brown eyes inspected the Copy-nin as Genma lowered his voice suggestively. “You fantasizing about her pulling your pants down as she holds you down with one hand, yanking her own skirt up, riding you until you see stars?”

The sound of a book snapping shut was deafening in the sudden silence.

If Sakura could have seen Kakashi in that moment, she would have seen nothing of the goofy, weirdo sensei he always pretended to be when she was younger.

This Kakashi was sprawled along the couch like he owned it; his legs stretched out, taking up the whole couch; the orange book now out of sight, one of his hands playing idly with a kunai in feigned boredom. The predatory stillness in his visible half-lidded eye betrayed his nonchalance, the one thing of his posture not feigned.

Genma was not deterred even as Kakashi shifted. He could push more, the tokubetsu decided. Kakashi was usually almost impossibly to ruffle – this reaction was out of the norm for him, and Genma wanted to know more.

He was onto something.

“Maybe you have a different fantasy. Instead, as she lets you up after she just won the second round, you flip her around and settle between her legs, one hand on her firm ass, the other next to her head as you lean in to capture her lips… Maybe she even calls out: sensei, what are you doing?”

Kakashi had shifted from his previous lazy vertical position on the couch. Instead of facing the ceiling, he’d turned to face Genma, body language slowly evolving into something more threatening.

“Maybe,” the arrogant predator drawled lazily behind his mask, “I should tell my cute precious Sakura-chan what exactly her colleagues think of her. I’m sure you’ll appreciate her… strength when she shows you just what she learned all these years in ANBU. And under Tsunade. And,” his eye darkened, “under me.”

Genma, a long-time friend of the Copy-nin and a monster on the battlefield in his own right, was not intimidated. “I’m sure you want her to learn that much more under you.” he shot back while spitting the senbon out of his mouth. “Tell me, colleague, how hard is it to keep your mind on the fight and not on the way her ass wiggles in those kata Tsunade-sama favours when you spar?”

Sakura felt flushed with anticipation as she awaited his answer, holding her breath. She’d never dreamed the other jounin would see her like that – confident, strong, sexy. And she was flattered. She was a woman now, damnit, and it was high time others acknowledged that.

But Kakashi?

Kakashi was staring Genma down with a dangerous look in his lone eye, focused on his friend like he was prey. Izumo and Kotetsu had taken a step back, holding their breath, unknowingly mirroring their eavesdropper.

For a moment, it seemed like Kakashi was about to punch Genma in the face.

Then he fell down back into the couch, all fight leaving him, and closed his eye.

“Very hard, Genma,” Kakashi sighed like a confession, “very hard.”

As the other jounin started laughing, Sakura slipped away unnoticed.

“Why did you want to meet up, Forehead?” Ino greeted as she opened the door to her apartment.

The pink-haired jounin smiled at her best friend. “Well, I haven’t seen you in a while and my weekly spar with Kakashi has been pushed back to tomorrow. So I thought, why not?”

The truth was, after the conversation she’d overheard, she sent Kakashi a message that something had come up.

“Sure,” Ino answered, clearly sceptical.

As the two kunoichi started eating dinner, chatting casually, Sakura was only half paying attention. Her mind was whirling.

Kakashi.

Liked her.

Or was attracted to her, at least.

But they were also friends. Friends plus sexual attraction should mean he liked her, right? And Kakashi didn’t seem like the type to be up for something like friends with benefits or a casual fling. Knowing him, and she did, it was either a meaningless one-night stand or he went all in.

Which was actually kind of scary to think about.

She’d always kept him in the “teammates” category, not in the “potential lover” category. Not that he couldn’t be one, maybe, she’d just never really thought about him in that way.

For all his perverted Icha Icha-reading, she had never seen Kakashi behave disrespectfully towards a woman. Nor had he, as far as she was aware, a bad reputation on that front.

And he was smart. And funny. And weird, but a cute kind of weird. They had been through so much together.

Maybe they had been through too much together. Or he could admit she was attractive, but didn’t actually plan to follow up on it. After all, he had admitted Shikamaru had grown into an attractive man as well, and she couldn’t see him actually doing anything about that.

Though it was quite an interesting fantasy to indulge in.

“Sakura!”

Oops.

“Sorry, Ino,” she apologized, their plates now empty. “I was distracted.”

“You sure were,” Ino agreed, “and I know something is up. You’re not the type to just randomly invite me out one evening. Either you would go to the hospital, sleep, or invite all the girls, not just me. So tell me – what’s on your mind?”

Sakura scratched her head, embarrassed that her friend knew her so well. She sighed, giving in.

“Okay, so I overheard something today, and it made me think.”

“Gossip!” Ino exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, gossip, but I do not want anyone to know I overheard this. Scratch that, I want the part about me left out of the gossip mill entirely. What you want to do about your part, or Shika’s, whatever, but not mine!”

“Sakura,” Ino whined, “You can’t get me all hot and bothered and then give me restrictions like that! You’re evil.”

“Agree to it!” Sakura ordered with a grin. “Otherwise I won’t tell you anything more – and there are boys involved…”

Ino threw herself on the table dramatically, arms splayed wide. “Okay, okay, I promise. But it better be worth it!”

Sakura grinned. “It is.”

First, she outlined the situation, and who were there. Then she told Ino what they said about her – “Oh, I knew Genma liked me, but It’s always nice to hear a compliment. And I always thought he needed to be taken down a peg – to hear that he’s into it only makes it better! Wait, what did he say about the Shintenshin jutsu?” – and about how they discussed Naruto for a bit and then Shikamaru more elaborately, to which Ino only hummed, interested, filing the titbits away like ammunition.

The discussion covering both genders wasn’t that surprising – after a certain power level, most shinobi were attracted to power more than gender. When you were able to kill with your hands tied behind your back, you wanted a partner who could handle you. These were always people who could kill you in return, or at least put up a good fight. The more powerful you got, the less possible candidates there were with whom you trusted yourself in bed – never mind in a relationship – so what was between your partner’s legs mattered less. People still had preferences, but in most shinobi were flexible.

The specific people that were being discussed, however…

“So Genma asked Kakashi about his other student – me. And they started describing me… Well.” She blushed happily. “My strength, legs, and even my ass are apparently very attractive.”

Ino nodded sagely. “You’ve grown into one sexy badass, Sakura, as I’ve told you before. But I can’t believe that’s everything. Sure, it’s not everyday you hear people describe how much they would like to fuck you, but c’mon, we’re grown kunoichi. There must be something else!”

Sakura swallowed, thinking about how to articulate the next part. Sakura was certainly no longer a virgin – she’d had a few partners in the last couple of years. One was a civilian, which didn’t work out for long. The second was Neji, though they parted ways peacefully. She’d also dated Yugao for a week or two, but that was more like a fling, in the end. She had grown not only as a kunoichi, but as a woman – and felt more confident in her body and sexuality.

Still, to just recite what Genma had said… She wasn’t quite as confident as Ino, yet.

“You’re right, of course. Well, you know that Kakashi and I spar every week when we can. And Genma started, well, teasing him. Kakashi, I mean.”

She paused for a moment, a blush appearing on her cheeks, and Ino gestured for her to continue.

“Well, I won’t repeat everything he said, but it was pretty graphic. And pretty hot as well, though I’m not surprised Genma has a dirty mouth like that.”

“What did he say, Forehead, details. Don’t leave me hanging like this!”

“I’m not gonna repeat that, Ino-pig! But well, it was mostly about how our spar would end with one of us pinning the other down and then instead of stopping, Genma teased that Kakashi would rather take my clothes off.”

“Ahw,” Ino whined, “can’t you give more details than that?”

Sakura blushed. “No way. And that’s not the most important part, anyway.”

Ino raised her eyebrows at Sakura, waiting.

“So Kakashi warns Genma to watch what he’s saying, right, because I’m his friend and former student and all. And Genma accuses Kakashi of being attracted to me and fantasizing about me! He basically says something that boils down to “admit that It’s hard to concentrate on the spar instead of fantasizing about how you want to fuck her”!”

Ino gasped in delight.

“And I’m waiting there for Kakashi to start punching Genma in earnest,” Sakura said, voice pitched higher, “but instead he agrees! He admitted it, Ino! He basically confessed that it was hard for him to not get distracted in our spars because of my sexiness! Ino, what do I do?!”

Sakura threw her hands in the air, her face beet red. “And he didn’t act anything like that when they discussed Naruto.” she murmured with a sigh as she let her hands fall in her lap.

Ino started laughing. “That’s amazing! I love Genma!”

“Ino!” Sakura exclaimed, blushing even harder.

“Ahw, come on, Sakura, don’t tell me you’re surprised.” Ino responded, still giggling.

Sakura arched one eyebrow. “What, that Kakashi can be a pervert?”

Ino shook her head. “Well, yeah, that he’d fuck you. I mean, you heard Genma, we’ve both powerful kunoichi. I think most of the single jounin wouldn’t say no if we asked – there are more powerful male than female nin after all, so we’re more of a rarity.”

“We’re not objects, Ino.”

Ino waved her hand. “You know what I mean. Point is, of course Kakashi has entertained certain thoughts about you. Although I’m surprised he actually admitted to it – he always likes to fake his indifference in, well, anything, really.”

Sakura covered her face with her hands. How could Ino be so blasé about it? Sure, on some level she knew Kakashi was an attractive man, and she was an attractive woman, so of course he may have entertained a thought or two. But she knew that on a superficial level, like she knew Naruto masturbated – dontthinkaboutit – she’d never actually taken time to consider the thought.

“But Ino,” she sighed, “I never thought of him that way before, really. Well, I wondered what was under his mask, but never… you know. Actually thought about having sex with him.”

Ino leaned in. “And now you have. And if you’re so embarrassed about admitting that, it means you liked it.”

Sakura made a high-pitched sound that fell somewhere in the vicinity of a whine.

Ino smirked. “Oh, Sakura, do I hear a chance for a boy toy?”

“Ino!” Sakura shrieked, battering her hands at her blonde friend, warmth and affection spreading in her chest for her best friend even as she was being teased mercilessly.

“Oh, come on, it has been like a year since you ended it with Neji, right? And one night stands are not your style, so I know it’s been a while…”

Ino knew her too well.

“But you don’t understand, Ino. The way Kakashi talked… First defending me, and then admitting to wanting me like it was losing a war! If he’d just liked my body, he would’ve casually agreed about my attractiveness like he did with you or Shika. But he’s a private person. Admitting such a thing openly like this, it sounded like…”

Sakura trailed off, and Ino turned to look at her seriously.

“It sounded like he liked me,” she eventually confessed.

Ino stayed quiet this time, her bright pupilless eyes scanning the pink-haired kunoichi thoroughly.

“Do you like him?”

Sakura ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. He’s one of my closest friends, he’s funny… I think he’s attractive, but I just never looked at us in that way.”

Ino hummed. “Well, I can tell you about what I know from his exploits. As far as I know, Kakashi has never dated anyone seriously – ever. There were some rumours about a girl on his genin team that he was in love with that died, but those are vague whispers at most.”

Sakura stayed silent. Kakashi had actually told her about Rin, Obito, and everything that happened, but that was not her secret to share.

“Other than that,” Ino continued, unaware of Sakura’s inner thoughts, “he does take someone home once in a while. Often, people who have the balls to approach him first. Mostly civilians or low-level chunin.”

People who weren’t a threat. People to fuck, but not to fall asleep next to.

“He has no real preference gender or appearance-wise. But,” Ino smiled mischievously, “he’s rumoured to be quite the lover – and an adventurous one at that. All the Icha Icha he reads must be very educational, for there were several people that were disappointed he was not looking for something more permanent. Though,” a little disappointment crept into Ino’s voice, “his face has always remained a mystery.”

Sakura giggled. “Well, that’s good to know, but I’m not worried about the hypothetical sex. If we would do this, we’re too close to just have sex without strings. And I’m unsure about whether we would, well, fit that way, or if there’s nothing more between us than friendship. We’ve never had that spark, you know?”

Ino nodded. Her expression turned mischievous.

“There is only one way to find out!”

The Hidden Kunai was the most popular shinobi bar in all of Konoha and it looked like it. Booths with enough space between them to make it obvious when someone was listening in, bitter sake, a lack of fancy decorations, and plenty of dark corners to hide in.

When Ino and Sakura entered the bar, their blonde and pink hair were the brightest spots of colour in the whole place.

The atmosphere was good, though. Comfortable. There were plenty of shinobi already at the bar and several heads turned as the kunoichi walked in.

As they should. When Ino proposed they “dress up, go out, and seduce some jounin” Sakura had tried to protest but ultimately given in. Her strapless emerald-green dress was skin tight and still managed to hide a kunai or five.

While her silver, elaborate necklace diverted her attention away from her modest chest, the dress ended just below the curve of her ass and directed all eyes there. Her legs were bare and shiny, looking even longer than normal. A pair of black heels finished the outfit, no makeup needed.

(Except the foundation covering her ANBU-tattoo, of course.)

Ino, meanwhile, went with the classic little black dress with a low neckline, not wanting to “upstage you too much, Forehead, tonight is your night”, bandaged thighs, and simple red heels which matched her lipstick.

They were dressed up for a fun night out. As they looked around for familiar faces (or searching for specific ones), they spotted some at their usual table.

“Hey guys!” Ino called out as Sakura waved and they made their way over. Behind her back, Ino made some gestures to Kiba who was standing at the bar.

As Kiba came back, carrying drinks, the rest of the table came into view. Shikamaru was relaxing at one end, a spot for Kiba next to him. In the middle of the booth Genma and Raidou were whispering together as they scanned the crowd. Next to them, Gai was talking loudly about nothing in particular while waving his arms.

Next to Gai, slouching casually in the shadowy end of the booth and easily overlooked next to the enthusiastic Green Beast of Konoha, was Kakashi. The spots next to Kakashi, on the other end of the U-shaped booth facing Kiba and Shikamaru, were empty.

Sakura smiled at him and her stomach fluttered nervously at his returning eye-crinkle.

Taking her chance – feeling Ino’s eyes on her – Sakura casually slid into the seat next to Kakashi as Ino joined her to fill out the booth completely.

“Hi guys!” Ino greeted as she grabbed a drink from the tray Kiba had brought with him.

“That was mine, troublesome woman,” Shikamaru sighed, but obediently grabbed a different drink. Sakura stifled a laugh as she picked a beer at random.

Next to her, Kakashi straightened. “Something came up, right?” he teased, referring to her cancelation.

Sakura smiled. “Well, you know I can never say no to Ino. Besides, I have tomorrow evening free as well – you’ll survive.”

Kakashi gasped. “But Sakura, tomorrow evening I may have a very important appointment with some very important people that I can not miss at all!”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: Reading Icha Icha and hiding from Gai? Besides, I checked the mission roster – nothing there.”

“What do I hear about you hiding from me, eternal rival!” Gai shouted as Kakashi gave her an innocent eye-crinkle which meant she was right and he wouldn’t admit it. “I will find you! And if I cannot find you, I will do a thousand push-ups! And if I cannot do a thousand push-ups, I will run five hundred laps around Konoha, backwards! And if I cannot-”

“Sorry, Gai,” Sakura interrupted him before he really got going, “but I’m going to keep Kakashi busy tomorrow night, You’ll have to find him another time.” She pretended politely not to hear Kakashi’s relieved sigh.

Gai nodded gravely. “Of course, young cherry blossom. I would not dream about disturbing the passionate power of youth between you and my eternal rival!”

The worst thing was that this was not a weird thing coming from Gai.

Ino burst into giggles. Kakashi groaned while swatting a hand at Gai as Sakura felt a blush creep up her face. Normally she would take Gai’s youthfulness in stride, but now it hit a little too close to home.

“How many drinks did you guys have already?” Ino asked.

“The sun went down hours ago,” Kakashi told her, “and everyone knows the best way to make up for her lost warmth is to get inside and warm each other up with friendship. And alcohol. Lots of alcohol.”

Now that she was looking more closely at the rowdy group, Sakura agreed with Ino. No one was drunk yet, but the rising volume indicated there were well on their way.

“It seems we have some catching up to do, Ino-pig!” Sakura said to her best friend.

A fire lit in the blonde’s eyes, and Sakura swallowed. She’d forgotten for a moment Ino was a woman on a mission. “You’re right, Forehead. I’ll be back in a moment!”

As the blonde disappeared, Sakura turned to Kakashi, whose glass was suddenly empty. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she sighed.

Kakashi chuckled. “Well, you guys came here for a reason, right? Beautifully dressed up like that – there must be something to celebrate.”

Sakura was glad the blush was still on her face from Gai, or it would have appeared once more. He thought she was beautiful? Keeping a straight face, she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “We don’t need a reason to look good,” she said.

“Yeah girl! You can look good all over me any time!” Genma shouted from her left with a lecherous grin, though without much intent behind it.

Remembering the way he had described her just this afternoon, Sakura couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll keep my good-lookingness on this side of the table, thank you very much,” she responded good-naturedly.

“Be that way. I’m sure Kakashi doesn’t mind,” he replied.

If Sakura hadn’t been looking for it, she would’ve missed the dangerous flash that appeared in the Copy-nin’s lone eye as he glared at Genma, who gulped in response.

Luckily Sakura was saved from having to respond by Ino arriving at their table with a bottle of sake. “Here you go, Sakura. Time for us to catch up!” the blonde shouted as she slammed several shot glasses next to the bottle.

Sakura grinned devilishly at her best friend. As a medic-nin and student of Tsunade, she could hold her liquor, to say it lightly. Not only was she used to drinking with her shishou, she could also speed up her metabolism with nary a thought – and cure any hangovers the next morning, which made Ino declare to want her babies time and time again.

“Now,” Ino said, “Let’s make a bet. We each have eight shots. Whomever tosses them back the fastest, wins.”

The rest of the table had turned their attention on them by now. “Oh, oh!” Kiba cut in. “I know, whomever wins has to kiss the loser!”

Raidou shook his head even as Genma made an interested noise. “That doesn’t even make sense. But, you’re both single, right? So… Whomever loses has to kiss Genma!”

Genma made a wounded noise. “Hey! Kissing me is not a punishment!”

Ino was too busy laughing, but Sakura was not. “No way! I’m not kissing Genma!” Not after what he said about her. Genma pouted dramatically, but Sakura rolled her eyes at him. “You’re just not my type, loverboy.”

“So insulted!” Genma cried out.

Raidou sniggered. “Okay. If Ino loses she has to kiss Genma. Sakura, if you lose, you have to kiss…”

Raidou’s eyes swept around the table, taking in Gai’s too-blinding smile, Kiba’s silly posturing, Shikamaru’s raised eyebrow, and Ino’s meaningful look, before landing on…

“…Kakashi!”

Sakura felt her former sensei freeze next her in surprise and forced herself to not look at him as she met Raidou’s challenging gaze and smirked.

“You’re on.”

Kiba nodded in approval as Shikamaru added, “without his mask!” with an innocent look.

This was enough for Kakashi to unfreeze, barely clamping down the strangled noise wanting to erupt from his throat. The Copy-nin straightened and asked airily, “what mask?” as his left hand straightened the very mask he was denying the existence of.

Ino poured the sake bottle into the sixteen shot glasses. There was only a small bottom of sake left, which she passed to Kiba. “You know what, sure!” she proclaimed as Genma cheered once more. “Let’s go. You’re on, Forehead.”

The two friends exchanged a look as the table made room for them to face each other, shot glasses in hand. Shikamaru had dubbed himself the referee by virtue of being too lazy to make room in the middle for someone else.

This is your chance, Forehead, Ino’s eyes told her.

Please, Pig, like I would ever lose to you, Sakura’s inner fire responded.

Shikamaru sighed before opening his mouth.

“Three…”

Though Sakura admired the tactic, there was no way she would be voluntarily losing to Ino in anything.

“Two…”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kakashi being unusually attentive while playing it off as bored – his orange book nowhere in sight.

“One…”

Did she think this was the best way to test out the waters between them? A dare-kiss on his probably masked mouth in a public place like this?

“Go!”

No.

With lighting fast speed, both kunoichi drowned their first shots. And second. And third. The fourth and the fifth went down without effort, but the sixth made them both slow down for just a little bit.

As Ino drowned the seventh, her face had become red and she had to pause to take a breath for just a moment.

Sakura had already sped up her oxygen intake on her last breath to be able to drink in one go for longer than any non-medic nin could manage.

(Tsunade had been a good shishou.)

The seventh and eight went down without pause, finishing the last one just a second before Ino, who had drowned the last two in one go.

But it was not enough.

“Winner, Sakura!” Shikamaru proclaimed with all the enthusiasm that he could muster. Which was more than she’d expected of him – but still very little.

“Ha!” Sakura cried out as she threw her arms in the air, while Ino groaned in defeat.

“Stupid Forehead-girl,” Ino grumbled, but she was smiling.

Sakura threw her a wink and then gestured for Genma to lean forward. “Well, sir, I think Ino has something to show you?”

Genma almost crawled over the table with a big smile, hanging still in the middle of the table, waiting for Ino to come to him.

Sakura flopped down next to Kakashi with a smile as Ino threw her hair back and started kissing Genma with more enthusiasm than she’d expected from her friend.

Leave it to Ino to never leave a stone unturned.

As the others were distracted by the spectacle of Ino kissing Genma as theatrically as possible, Sakura turned to Kakashi, who was staring at the table resolutely.

Lowering her voice, she curled her hair around a finger and smirked. “Disappointed?” she asked playfully, the alcohol already in her system boosting her nerves. A side effect of the sped-up metabolism.

Instead of blushing or ignoring her, as she’d expected, Kakashi instead turned to meet her eyes. His lone eye studied her, trailing upwards from her neck, pausing on her smirking lips, before finally looking at her. She couldn’t read the emotions that flashed in his eye.

“Maybe,” he murmured.

Her breath caught in her throat at the hint of heat in his voice. Sakura wanted to respond but was interrupted by Ino and Genma breaking off their exaggerated kiss and Ino falling down next to her in her seat, pushing her half in Kakashi’s lap.

One of his arms caught her waist before she could literally fall into his groin, and she could not help the small shiver that ran up her spine as his warm hand helped her back into her seat.

Impulsively, she trailed a hand faux-casually along his leg as she climbed off him. She was sure she didn’t imagine the tightening of his grip on her arm.

Two things happened at the same time.

First, shy from her impulse, Sakura focused her gaze on Ino next to her, missing both the way Kakashi’s eye followed her hand and the knowing smirk of Raidou who was watching both of them.

Secondly, she could feel a sudden spark of heat that ignited in her belly. For a moment, she had the sudden urge to climb back into Kakashi’s lap again.

Shit.

“Your turn, Kiba. Fuck, marry, kill – Hyuuga Hiashi, Shino, Jiraya,” Genma said.

Several drinks later, the atmosphere had become even rowdier and all of them had gotten more drunk. Gai had left the table, as he always got up at five in the goddamn morning, but the shinobi that were left were getting cosier. Sakura was managing just fine on the edge of pleasantly buzzed, too aware of Kakashi next to her to drink much more.

“I’d marry Shino, easy. He’s a cool guy! And… Hmmm, I guess I’d go with killing Jiraya – too old and too straight – and see if Hiashi really has a stick up his ass.” Kiba whispered the last part with a grin.

“I hope he never hears that,” Shikamaru complained. “So troublesome.”

“Ahw, c’mon, Shika, as if you would say anything different. That makes it your turn, you know! For you…” Kiba”s eyes roamed around the table, “Izumo, Kakashi, Ayame.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Okay. I’d marry Ayame, because that seems the least troublesome option and I actually like ramen. And then I’d kill Izumo and fuck Kakashi.”

“I’m flattered,” the Copy-nin said, fluttering his eyelash.

Shikamaru blew him a kiss as Sakura tried not to let her mind wander down the gutter.

“That’s good, because it means you’re next. How about,” Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed slightly, noticing how close the Copy-nin was sitting to his pink-haired friend. “Genma, Shizune, Sakura.”

Sakura swallowed, trying to act casual as she turned to look at her former sensei. He was pretending to think it over, eye turned skywards and finger tapping his chin.

“I’d fuck Shizune and kill Genma, just to make him shut up.” He ignored the indignant shout the aforementioned ninja gave.

Sakura couldn’t help but snort. “I think fucking Genma is more effective in shutting him up,” she murmured while Ino started laughing.

“I’d marry my cute Sakura-chan, of course! Even though she makes dirty jokes like that,” Kakashi said with a too-innocent look.

Sakura pouted, not too sure what to feel about that. Did that mean he only liked her as a friend after all? At the same time, he called her “my cute Sakura-chan” a few hours ago when moments later admitting to wanting her.

Ever the wingman, Ino was a little more sober and leaned over to poke Kakashi in the side. “Scared you can’t handle my beautiful best friend? She is a wild one,” the blonde said teasingly, though Sakura could hear the sharp serious note in her voice.

Sakura made a token noise of protest.

Kakashi just shrugged, and Sakura was about to deflate, taking a sip of her beer, before the Copy-nin said, “You know, Ino, people tell me I have a thing with wild animals. I tamed my ninken myself.”

Sakura choked on her drink as Ino stared approvingly at Kakashi, who was steadily holding her gaze. Was that a hint of red she saw peek above his mask? Before Sakura had more time to think about Kakashi’s words, the silver haired shinobi addressed Ino once more.

“Since you’re so interested in my choices, it’s your turn, Ino. Genma, Gai, Shikamaru.”

Ino rolled her eyes. “Marry Shika, fuck Genma, kill Gai.”

“Glad to see my kissing skills didn’t disappoint,” Genma bragged as Ino stuck her tongue out to him.

“Please, woman, don’t. That would involve far too much effort.” Shikamaru sighed.

Ino ignored him and turned to Sakura with an evil smile. “Your turn, Forehead. Kakashi, Neji, and… me!”

“You can’t nominate yourself!” Sakura admonished while at the same time admiring Ino’s move.

Sly little vixen.

“Why not?” she responded with a grin, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’m a catch!”

“Hell yeah!” Genma put in his two cents.

Sakura sighed. “Okay, okay, sure. Well, since you’re my best friend, I’d marry you, of course.”

“Ahww, yeah!” Ino exclaimed while pumping her first in the air like she hadn’t planned that exact response.

(As if Ino wouldn’t have killed her if she said otherwise.)

But now she had to choose between her ex, who everyone knew she had liked – and fucked – at one point, and Kakashi. Who was her… could be her… something.

Well, whatever.

Next to her she could feel Kakashi shift slightly in his seat, raising his beer to take another sip.

Tapping her chin, gathering her courage, she waited a single beat.

“Kill Neji, fuck Kakashi.”

The sound of the spit-take Kakashi made next to her did wonders to soothe her daring nerves.

“Really? Didn’t you date Neji for a while, Sakura?” Raidou asked as he shot a look at Kakashi that Sakura could not interpret.

Sakura shrugged, deliberately casual, twirling her hair. “Been there, done that, you know? Besides,” she continued as she turned to Kakashi, “maybe I have a thing for masks.”

And winked.

Kakashi had recovered admirably and was now arching his eyebrow at her. “If that’s your motivation for fucking me, I’d have to disappoint you, Sakura. I don’t take my mask of that easily – not even for a pretty kunoichi,” he said though his voice hitched slightly on the word fucking.

Sakura smiled at his compliment but leaned forward with an exaggerated pout. If she’d had bigger boobs and no necklace, Kakashi would have had a nice view. As it were, his eye flickered down for a moment, anyway. “I’m not just any pretty kunoichi though, sensei,” she said softly, almost purring the last word while she fluttered her lashes at the silver-haired jounin.

This time, she did not miss the way lone eye widened in shock as his pupil dilated.

Sakura smirked.

Then Genma called, “What are you guys whispering about over– ouch, Raidou!” and the moment was broken.

Fast-forward again until only Genma, Ino, Kakashi and herself were left at the table.

The hour was late, and the bar emptier. The loud, enthusiastic atmosphere from earlier had been replaced by an easy but intimate feeling, the few groups left huddled close in their own corner. The music had been toned down to a pleasant background hum.

They were, of course, playing truth or dare.

No one ever said they were classy.

“Ugh!” Genma made a face after having to drink a mix of sake, lemon juice, and pepper. Lots of pepper.

Kakashi, the one to give him the dare, was smirking cockily behind his mask, headband askew.

Ino was smiling as well though her eyes were glazed over. “Whatever, sucker, stop complaining. It’s my turn! I chose dare.”

Genma brightened, as he was the one to chose the truths and dares for Ino. “Okay, okay – well, I need something to get this taste out of my mouth,” he suggested coyly.

Ino sighed. “I’m not kissing you again, Genma, be original.”

Genma pouted. “Okay,” he said sadly, then smirked as his eyes lit up. “Then you can kiss Sakura.”

Sakura shrugged. Not like they hadn’t done this before – often in very similar situations.

“Men,” Ino sighed, but still turned to face Sakura.

Sakura was about to lean in to give Ino quick kiss on her mouth, but Ino’s eyes flickered to Kakashi.

Right, Sakura thought through the alcohol-induced daze in her mind. She was on a mission tonight. Find out if she and Kakashi had and kind of “spark”.

But hadn’t she already had that spark way earlier? Did this mean she was seducing him now?

Then Sakura was distracted by Ino’s mouth on hers and mentally threw her hands in the air. If I’m seducing Kakashi, I’ll do it right. I’m a badass bitch like that, shannaro!

Angling her head and putting one hand in Ino’s hair, which had come loose from her ponytail at some point, she let herself be led by Ino – who was always bossy, even when kissing.

Ino gave her a few soft closed-mouthed kisses, first catching her bottom lip in her mouth and then the upper as Sakura dimly heard Genma cheer.

Instead of stopping there, however, Sakura opened her mouth willingly and Ino took her chance to explore Sakura’s mouth with her tongue. She felt Ino’s hand stroke her arm, the pink-haired kunoichi’s other arm busy playing with Ino’s long strands.

Ino leaned forward just a bit as her tongue twirled around Sakura’s, and Sakura decided to push back just a bit, twisting them both a little to the left.

Coincidentally giving Kakashi the perfect view.

Kissing Ino for just a moment more – she was a good kisser, after all – Sakura pulled back, and Ino let her, though she fell forward into her best friend’s arms afterwards. Sakura felt Ino grin against her bicep.

“How many did you have again, Ino-pig?” she teased, knowing full well that the Yamanaka was the most sober out of the four of them.

She was also the sneakiest.

Sakura gestured at Kakashi and Genma in a “what can you do” manner. She had to hold back her cocky smile as she saw Genma had let his beer spill all over the table, mouth fallen open.

On the contrary, Kakashi was sitting straight in his seat, leaning forward just a bit as if trying to stop himself, completely focused on the two kunoichi in front of him. Sakura’s tongue impulsively swiped across her bottom lip, and his eyes shot to her face with a fire-like intensity.

Specifically, to her lips.

More specifically, both his eyes were on her lips.

Sakura let Ino fall to the table (“Hey!”) as she turned towards the silver-haired shinobi, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Kakashi,” she said sweetly, “why do you have your sharingan uncovered?”

“Ah,” the Copy-nin said sweat-dropping, “that explains why I could suddenly see better in the dark. You see, I thought I had spontaneously developed night vision. What a disappointment.”

Sakura leaned in close, mouth just a little bit open, lips still pink and wet from kissing Ino. The kunoichi planted both hands on Kakashi’s legs and channelled chakra to keep him in place.

The fact that this position once again gave him a perfect view of her cleavage was, of course, not deliberate at all.

This time, Kakashi could neither help nor disguise the way both his eyes flickered downwards once more.

Ignoring the way her own body started to tingle and the hairs on Kakashi’s arm were raised upright, Sakura punctuated each word slowly – as if she wasn’t enjoying this as much as he was.

“Put. It. Away.”

Kakashi obeyed sheepishly.

As Sakura leaned back, Genma judged it safe enough to cut in. “Kakashi! Now I know why they call you a genius, my friend,” he said as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

As Kakashi turned to Genma with a sheepish neck-scratch, Sakura held her hand behind her back. Ino responded with a subtle high-five.

Grinning internally, Sakura thought she wasn’t exactly sure why she had suddenly decided to seduce Kakashi – she only knew it was working.

The four shinobi resumed their game without any fuss. Sakura admitted that yes, she had seen Tsunade-shishou’s breasts once – and they were glorious. Kakashi was not-so-subtly ordered to lick Sakura’s ear – “Ewww! Now you suddenly have no problem taking your mask off?” “No one saw, plus, You’re not just any kunoichi, right?” – and Genma was dared to get them drinks, much to his disappointment.

As Ino said truth, Genma wiggled his eyebrows and asked “Would you fuck me?” to which Ino only replied with “If that’s your best move, no,” which caused Sakura to giggle uncontrollably.

Then, it was Sakura’s turn again, who was starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed. There was a lot happening tonight. “Okay, I chose truth.”

“Is that because you don’t want to actually get up from your seat and do something?”

Sakura smiled at her best friend. “Maybe?”

Kakashi huffed out a laugh, and Ino sighed. “Sure then, Forehead. Let’s see… Oh, I know one!”

Seeing the flustered look on her friend’s face Ino decided to have mercy. “If you had to chose, out of all the shinobi in the bingo book, who would you want to sleep with?”

The two older jounin made interested noises, both going over their own mental bingo book as well. Sakura, with her near-perfect memory, did not have to think long.

“Well,” she admitted with a small blush, “it might be a little taboo, but…”

The other ninja at the table watched her attentively.

“Eh, Uchiha Itachi for sure.”

Genma gasped. “Konoha’s very own boogyman? Daring, daring, Sakura!”

Kakashi simply hummed next to her. “Same,” he added casually.

Sakura whipped around to face him. “Really?”

Kakashi met her gaze solemnly for a moment as something unsaid passed between the two shinobi. Ino frowned at the pair, but they paid her no mind.

The moment passed and Kakashi shrugged. “Super dangerous, super pretty, super untouchable – It’s like an Icha Icha fantasy.”

Sakura nodded, relieved. “Yeah, exactly.”

Everyone at the table politely did not mention anything about the other Uchiha in the bingo book.

“You make a good point, actually,” Genma said.

“I always make good points,” Kakashi agreed.

“Inflate his ego more, Genma, as if he needs that,” Sakura said. “Besides,” she protested, “it was originally my point, so I win!”

“Was it a competition?” Ino wondered.

“When is it not? And I won it. So now I get to choose for you, Kakashi! Truth or dare?” The medic leaned back and watched him with half-lidded eyes.

Kakashi regarded her for a moment, then leaned back with an eye-crinkle. “Truth, of course. I’m always honest.”

Sakura raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Sure. Then, tell us – what is the kinkiest thing you’ve ever done in the bedroom? Or out of it. Not for a mission – for your own pleasure!”

“Ooohhh,” Ino chimed in, “please do tell. I’ve heard– well, never mind.”

Kakashi ignored Ino and shrugged, shifting subtly into a more aloof position. “Well, It’s actually pretty hard to experiment in the bedroom when my mask is always in the way. Plus, I am a very boring person. I don’t even know what you mean with the word “kink”. Does this mean there is a problem somewhere? Because I can assure you, though I may not be adventurous, everything is working exactly as it should be.”

Genma sighed. “Never mind, Sakura, he’s entered bullshit-mode. That’s the most you’ll get out of him. I’m actually surprised about how sociable he’s been up until this point.”

Sakura shared a look with Ino, and therefore missed Genma leaning in and mouthing to Kakashi, “you’ll never get her that way,” only for Kakashi to glare at him.

“Well,” Ino piped up, “it’s time to call it a night, anyway. We have things to do tomorrow,” she said as she waved her arms vaguely.

“Spoilsport,” Genma accused Ino with a smile. “But alright. You can go – if I get a kiss!”

Ino sighed and leaned over to plant a big, fat kiss on Genma’s cheek, to which he grinned stupidly.

Sakura, distracted by her two friends and leaning down to grab her bag, almost missed Kakashi leaning in towards her ear, murmuring softly.

“Icha Icha Paradise, page 145.”

“Sakura, I love you. Please have my babies.”

Ino sighed happily as the pink-haired medic moved her green-glowing hands away from her best friend’s head, own hangover already gone.

The morning sun shone on the two kunoichi as they slumped over Ino’s couch.

“Love you too, Pig. Talking about love – you have those Icha Icha novels, right?”

Ino waved her hand towards one of her bookcases. “Bottom shelf, why?”

Sakura skimmed the collection of dirty novels until she found the one she was looking for. “Paradise?” Ino asked. “That’s the best, but…”

Sakura hummed as she sat next to Ino and sank backwards into the soft couch she herself had hauled one-handed from the department store three years ago. “Let’s see, page 100… 120… 142… aha, 145!” she said triumphantly as the two kunoichi look at the page.

At the image on that page.

Both of their eyes widened.

“That’s a nice view, Forehead, but why…?”

Sakura blushed and gaped like a fish, unable to get words out for a moment. Whatever she’d expected when she remembered Kakashi’s words to her yesterday, it certainly wasn’t this.

The illustration pictured a woman laying on her back on a large bed, cockily smiling at the reader, confident and seductive. All eyes were drawn to her smile, which was impressive considering the rest of the picture. The woman’s left hand was holding the head of a short-haired male laying on her left, who was showering her breasts with attention while wearing a very distracted expression. The source of the distraction was clear when you looked at the right hand of the woman, which teasing the rim of a very pert ass that belonged to a second man, kneeling on her right side. He was kneeling over the lower half of her body, hands unseen but probably doing naughty things to the woman’s private parts as his head was on groin-level with the shorter-haired male. Though the second male had longer hair which obscured the view, there was no doubt on what his mouth was doing with the other men’s cock.

“Well, yesterday, remember the last question? To Kakashi?”

Ino made an interested noise. “The one he evaded?”

Sakura nodded. “Well, as you were squabbling with Genma, he whispered this page number to me.”

“Ah-ha!” Ino exclaimed. “Even more proof that he likes you. And seeing this – well, admit it, you would love being that woman. Oh, oh, read the whole scene, don’t just look at the pictures!”

Sakura felt her ears go red, resolving to do that later in private even as several pleasing images popped up in her head. “I don’t know, Ino. He only confessed that he did something like this once – but that doesn’t mean he wants to do that with me. And whomever the third person would be. I don’t even know if I would like that.”

Ino shrugged. “It’s called Kage Bunshin, honey. And I can bet a strong shinobi like him is impressed by your strength and confidence, or else he wouldn’t get turned on by sparring with you. He doesn’t seem like the submissive type, though – I think he’s more someone who likes a partner who can stand her ground as his equal.”

Sakura hummed in agreement.

“And never mind Kakashi’s kinky tales – I’m more interested in Sakura’s seduction experience! You felt a spark, didn’t you?”

Sakura smiled at her friend. “Yeah, I did.”

Ino nodded. “I noticed. Because girl, you had game last night!” She faked a tear. “I’m so proud of you. I’ve never actually seen Kakashi look that surprised before. Twice.”

Sakura hung her head in her hands. “Oh, stop it, Ino! I don’t know what came over me last night. I’ve never been so daring before.”

Ino smiled. “Well, I think you did well. Kakashi may be one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, he’s still an awkward dork. He either tends to joke his way out of things or not show up in the first place. His actions yesterday only prove he likes you. That still means you have to keep workin’ it like that, girl.”

Sakura laughed. “Okay, okay! And I don’t regret it at all. I’m just surprised at how smooth it went.” Her voice became quieter. “I really had fun last night.”

Ino nudged her. “Admit it. You liiiiiiiike him,” she sing-songed.

Sakura tried to give her the best eye-crinkle she could, lowering her voice to imitate Kakashi the best she could. “What is liking someone, really? Is it more than just a mix or hormones and pheromones telling us a suitable partner is near? What is the difference between hugging a friend and hugging a partner? Can we even really like someone, if life is fleeting?”

Ino poked her friend on the nose, smiling softly. “Don’t worry. I think he likes you, too.”

Her hospital shift flew by. Before she knew it she’d dwarfed down her dinner and changed into her training outfit. She was halfway down to training ground 15 before she realized this week’s sparring session would be different.

Kakashi and her had been sparring for weekly almost two years now. They had grown apart while she was training under Tsunade, barely seeing each other thrice in just as many years, but that all changed after the Hokage called them both in their office one late afternoon.

She could remember it as if it were yesterday.

Sakura stood to attention in front of the Hokage’s desk, wondering what her shishou would need of her, hoping she didn’t have to go on another spontaneous sake run. When she saw the other ninja in attendance was Hatake Kakashi, Sakura realized this was going to be serious.

“Are we waiting for Naruto, shishou?” Sakura asked after Tsunade had said nothing for a minute. Why else would she call on Kakashi and her? They never really worked together, or did anything together, really.

But the blonde Hokage shook her head. Instead of answering, she made a series of hand symbols and slammed her hand on a seal on the underside of her desk.

Sakura straightened as Kakashi did the same. She knew that seal. The office had become secure and sound-proof to even the Hokage’s personal ANBU.

What was going on?

Deciding to keep silent, Sakura took note the blank expression on Tsunade’s face and the sharpness of her eyes as the Hokage raised her head.

“I have called you two here for several reasons. First, Kakashi, you are my chosen successor – don’t give me that,” she chastised him as the Copy-nin made a noise of protest. “Second, Sakura, you are my chosen medical successor – this involves eventually leading Konoha’s hospital, as we’ve talked about before, but several other things as well.”

Sakura swallowed. She knew the hospital director part, but this was the first time Tsunade had ever mentioned other things.

“Third,” the Hokage continued, “you are both teammates and precious people to Naruto Uzumaki. Fourth, you are both former teammates of Sasuke Uchiha.” She saw Kakashi stiffen next to her, and felt her own body tense up as well. What did this have to do with Sasuke?

“Lastly,” Tsunade finished, “I can trust you.”

A flock of crows flew by, calling out over the city of Konoha. No sound travelled inside the office. Tsunade rose from her position behind her desk, clasped her hands behind her back, and met both of their gazes.

“I am a different Hokage than Sarutobi-sensei, bless his soul. I, too, am aware of Konoha’s darker side, but I’ve chosen to not hide them from those I trust, even as I am aware I will burden you with the weight of Konoha’s shadow like it weighs on my own shoulders, every single day.”

Tsunade paused to take a deep breath.

“You are both smart and rational people, who are used to the darker side of shinobi life. Unlike your teammate, you do not hold yourself and the world around you to unreachable ideals.” She sighed. “While I admire the strength of Naruto’s faith, and know that if we all thought like him the world would be a better place, this faith and refusal to give up means he is not ready to confront some truths about Konoha. They would break him.”

From an unseen drawer of the Hokage’s desk, Tsunade took out a single file. At first glance, it seemed like it was only a few pages thick.

The way their Hokage held it made it seem like it held a library.

“I ask you both to read the whole report before asking me questions or drawing your conclusions. Know that most of the people responsible for this are either dead, enemies of Konoha, or a certain councilman we are working to get rid off.”

Danzõ. Sakura was not surprised he was somehow involved in this.

She waited a moment, but it seemed like Tsunade was done speaking. The Hokage laid the report on her desk and shoved it towards the two shinobi.

Sakura exchanged a look with Kakashi, then nodded in determination.

As Kakashi uncovered his sharingan, Sakura was the one to take the file and remove the front cover.

Only to take a step back immediately.

“No.”

It was out of her mouth before she had any control over it.

She’d always been a fast reader.

She did not want to read this. But she had to.

Kakashi was next to her, unmoving.

It took more willpower than she’d ever admit to lift her hand to turn the pages of the report.

Slowly, page by page, eight in total, student and teacher read about the greatest crime Konoha had ever committed.

All of it put on the shoulders of one man.

After reading the file, Tsunade had explained that Itachi’s eyes were deteriorating and Sakura was now his medic in case he ever requested her help. She also expressed that it was unlikely he’d ever ask, that he’d never come to her, even when she knew his eyes were getting worse and worse.

Oh, and Itachi expressively ordered that Sasuke would never hear of this.

After that conversation, Sakura and Kakashi made their way silently in unspoken agreement to the training grounds to completely beat the crap out of each other.

If it were any other day Sakura would have been proud for keeping up with her former sensei, seeing the surprise in his lone eye.

But there was no joy to be found today.

There was frustration of knowing but being able to do nothing about it – confrontation with the blood stained hands of Konoha, too red even for ANBU-captain Hound – the sadness this would one day bring their bright, blonde teammate – desperation about how this could send their missing teammate down a dangerous path – and most of all, grief for the most loyal shinobi Konoha had ever produced, treated like trash.

“How could they do this to him?” Sakura whispered as they laid side-by-side in a crater in the middle of training ground 15, heart aching.

“I was his captain,” Kakashi whispered back, his voice more broken than Sakura had ever heard him before. “How could I have not seen this?” There was more self-loathing in his voice than she knew how to deal with. Either he trusted her more than she thought, or there was something else going on there.

“He was 13 when this happened. His own family,” she said.

“He’d always told me he was a pacifist at heart. Never killing when he could knock someone out, never raising a hand when he could open his mouth instead.”

Sakura had grasped Kakashi’s hand. “He’s dying, he will die, unknown, unloved.”

Kakashi, to her surprise, squeezed back so hard she had to reinforce it with chakra. “He chose the people of Konoha above his own flesh and blood, and as a reward got thrown into the most brutal missing-nin organization known to us for years.”

Sakura barked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. Remembering the Shinobi Rule Book she had memorized since she was eight, Sakura recited: “It is honourable and sweet, to sacrifice yourself for the Village.”

A moment of silence.

“The oldest lie of them all.”

Some experiences brought people closer together, no matter who. In another world, that something would be defeating a troll in a girl’s bathroom. In this world, it was learning about the bloodiest secret from the village you’ve killed for.

From that day on, the two members of team 7 met up regularly at training ground 15. In the beginning, it had been about simply being together with the one other person – aside from Jiraya, who was never in Konoha, and the Hokage herself – who knew. A secret as heavy as that, shared between two shinobi who had been through much together already, created a bond.

Then their spars actually turned out to be a lot of fun.

They were pretty evenly matched; Sakura still lost, most of the time, but it became less and less as the days went by. The first time she managed to press Kakashi against the ground with a kunai to his throat and did not let him get up, three months after their weekly spars started, Sakura had felt like she could topple mountains.

Never mind that she actually could.

Now, with two years of ANBU-training and a solid friendship between the two of them, sparring with Kakashi was always a bright spot in Sakura’s week. She was confident it was the same for him.

It was relaxing. Easy. Familiar.

Until it was not.

As Sakura entered Training Ground 15, she could see the grey mop of hair already lazing under a tree.

“Every time you’re here earlier than I am, I can’t help but be shocked,” Sakura greeted her sparring partner.

Kakashi gave a lazy wave back, eye on his book. “It just so happens that one of my favourite hiding spots to read Icha Icha is underneath this very tree.”

Sakura snorted.

“Besides,” he continued casually, “some things are worth being on time for.”

Fighting back a small blush, Sakura couldn’t help the soft smile that she covered up by grinning. “You must love getting you ass kicked.”

“Mah, don’t be so hard on your old sensei! Don’t I get senior privileges?”

“Please,” the pink haired kunoichi replied sarcastically, “You’re not that old. You’re just trying to play up your age to change Tsunade-shishou’s mind about being her successor.”

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha with a wounded expression. “Long hours, massive amounts of paperwork, political nonsense, and no free time to read at all. I don’t wannaaaa…” he whined.

Sakura was always impressed by the way one of the strongest shinobi in the village could act like such a child. “You were saying something about being old?”

Kakashi pouted, then huffed. “Time is just an illusion anyway. I don’t even like time. It’s always passing me by – sneaking up behind me, ready to take me down when I least expect it.”

Sakura laughed and shook her head. “You done your warm-up stretches, yet?”

Kakashi just hummed, eye back on his book.

Shrugging, Sakura started warming up. Cracking her shoulder and neck muscles, she started to fall into a familiar routine. Circling her arms to get the blood flowing, she threw her medic pack on the ground next to Kakashi, smirking when he threw her an accusing look.

Sakura unzipped her vest next. It would be warm enough when they got going.

She almost didn’t catch the way Kakashi’s eye lingered on her zipper moving down, before his eye flashed back to his book again.

Right. Right.

A flicker of heat appeared in her abdomen.

Sakura cursed silently. She’d been so caught up in reminiscing what brought them here that she’d completely forgot about what happened yesterday.

But it did happen. And she liked it.

Apart from kicking his ass, Sakura had another mission concerning Kakashi today.

Turning her back to her former sensei, Sakura started her next series of stretches. Moving her hips for her back muscles, then bringing her hands to her feet to stretch her legs.

If she happened to add a bit of sway to her hips, pushing her ass back a little bit more than usual, well, she was just stretching, right? Slowly, sensually, almost caressing her legs with her hands as she straightened. Arching her back while her hands pressed some of her back muscles, resting her hands on the crook of her hips when she was done.

Sakura quickly turned around to smile innocently at Kakashi. “I’m ready!” she chirped.

Though his eye was once again on his book, she did not miss the faint hint of red that peeked out above his mask.

Who knew the great Copy-nin blushed that easily? That must be why he wore a mask. Sakura wondered what his blush would look like without it.

Kakashi put his book away and rose to stand in front of her, giving her an eye crinkle. “The usual, today?” The usual being no restrictions except the more dire techniques like Kakashi’s Mangekyõ or her Strength of a Hundred seal.

Sakura pretended to think it over. “Actually,” she said, “Let’s make it taijutsu-only. I need some physical exercise,” sort of true, “and I have some chakra-intensive surgeries tomorrow,” lie.

Kakashi narrowed his eye. “Sure, but you can’t use your chakra-enhanced strength. I’d like to keep my bones un-broken.”

Sakura smiled. “If you keep your sharingan covered, deal.”

A sigh. “The things I do for my favourite– hey!”

Kakashi was unable to finish his whining by a fist appearing in the place his head occupied a fraction of a second ago. Not wasting any more time, he jumped back to make room between them before falling into a defensive stance.

“You’re so mean, Sakura,” Kakashi complained. Behind his mask, Sakura could spot the outline of a grin.

Sakura grinned, the thrill of a fight already beginning to make itself known. He wanted her to take the lead, right? Prove herself his equal? Let it be never said that Haruno Sakura backed down from a challenge!

“Shannaro!” the pink-haired kunoichi cried out as she advanced upon Kakashi with a mighty jump.

She could see Kakashi’s grin growing even bigger underneath his mask as he blocked her first assault, which was only really a feint anyway. Familiar with each other’s fighting styles, the duo traded a well-matched series of punches, dodges, kicks, and blocks.

The sun shone brightly on the two of them, the cold wind from the west pleasantly cooling their skin. After a few minutes they were starting to work up a good sweat. An excellent time for banter, if you asked Sakura.

“You’re getting slow, old man,” Sakura taunted as she narrowly evaded Kakashi’s elbow.

“Says the one holed up in the hospital all day,” her opponent shot back, even as he let out a soft “oof” as one of her kicks grazed his stomach.

“At least I’m using my skills for something other than reading porn!” she called out while dodging a punch.

“It’s not porn, It’s adult reading material. You’re an adult yourself, Sakura, have you never been curious about Icha Icha? I can really recommend them,” Kakashi teased while dodging to the left.

Sakura smirked, thinking of Ino’s collection. “Actually,” she said with a devilish look in her eye, “I’ve read one. Icha Icha Paradise, to be exact.”

His lone eye widened. “You have?!” he answered in disbelief, his movements slowing in surprise.

Sakura shot him an innocent smile before going in for the kill. “I’ve read better,” she told him nonchalantly while taking advantage of his shock by kicking him square in the chest and halfway across the training field.

Kakashi wasn’t being considered as the next Hokage for nothing and landed neatly on his feet. Even at this distance, she could see the affronted look on his face and couldn’t help but smile.

“How can you say that!” he cried out as he appeared in front of her in a flash. Sakura backed off, trying to create space between them, but felt her back hit a tree as Kakashi neatly manoeuvred her in a corner. Shit.

“Please,” Sakura kept up the conversation even as she tried to slip by him back onto the open field, “the plot twists were interesting but the dialogue was just too cheesy.”

Kakashi didn’t let her escape. He managed to catch both her hands in his own and press them above her head. Pressing his leg between hers, he effectively pinned her against the tree.

They both stilled, breathing heavily. Her mouth tasted like salt. She could smell Kakashi, the usual smell of sweat mixed with something earthly and sweet that was uniquely him.

Sakura suddenly became very much aware of the intimate position they were in. Kakashi’s covered face was close to hers and she could feel his breath through the mask on her forehead. He was looking down on her, after all these years still the taller of the two. Both his arms were above his head, holding her wrists together against the tree. She could feel every inch of his leg pressed between her thighs.

Tilting her head and looking Kakashi in the eye, she could see by the slight widening of his eye that he himself was also not unaffected.

But the spar was not over yet. He was not just going to let her go because of some awkward positioning. He was too competitive for that, and they’d been in similar positions like this before.

Then why was it only now affecting her so much?

Kakashi spoke up. “I’m hurt, Sakura, hearing you critique Jiraya-sama’s masterpiece so easily. Cheesy dialogue? You’re just making things up.”

Sakura snorted before giving him an evil grin, an idea popping up in her head. “I’m not,” she replied as she rolled her eyes. “I mean, there are just too many examples to think of – all in this one book.”

With her back against the tree like this, Sakura could not escape without using her chakra-enhanced strength. But she did have some room to manoeuvre.

Tilting her head further back against the tree, Sakura arched her back sideways to show off the curve of her ass. At the same time, she pressed her chest forward, angling it just so.

“Oh, Ruko-sensei,” Sakura repeated the heroine of the Icha Icha Paradise series in an breathy voice, looking down in a faux-shy manner, “you are so strong… Please, you have to help me. I would do anything to become a better ninja!” she said while looking up, catching Kakashi’s eye, then licking her bottom lip and pouting slightly.

Kakashi’s eye was staring at her lips, pupil dilated. His mouth was slightly open beneath his mask, and once again a hint of red was peeking above his cheeks.

His grip slackened.

The only warning Kakashi had was her pout morphing into an evil grin.

Sakura changed from the innocent seductress back to the battle-ready kunoichi in the blink of an eye, bringing her hands down to the side while using her elbows to push him away from her. A second later, she was free and back into the middle of the training field, looking at her former sensei with triumph.

The famous Copy-nin was still looking at her as if in trance, but only for a moment. As soon as he realized what had happened, he laughed while running his hand through his hair.

“You’ve always been a smart kunoichi,” he remarked with an eye-crinkle, a flash of something in his visible eye.

He thinks I was just teasing him, Sakura thought. Well, I was, but there was nothing “just” about it.

She smiled at him. “And I’ve grown up into an even smarter one,” she answered while moving in an offensive stance again and crooking her fingers.

Kakashi shook his head, composing himself, before coming at her once more.

They fell into an easy dance, but Sakura was not planning on giving Kakashi much time to recover. After a few moments, as the silver-haired jounin threw another punch at her, she made her move.

Instead of simply dodging, as she normally would’ve done, started to dodge only to grab his wrist at the last moment. With a burst of chakra, her other free hand grabbed his as she threw him against the ground with her chakra-enhanced strength.

As Kakashi’s back hit the ground, he tried to kick with his feet to hold her off, but her strength was too much for him. Sakura moved down with him, using her burst of speed to straddle his hips with her own as she held his hands against the ground next to his head.

Just like Genma had described.

Kakashi glared at her accusingly, still with his head in the fight. “Cheater,” he proclaimed like it was a punishable offence.

Sakura smirked. “Shinobi.”

The masked nin sighed, letting his head fall back to the ground. “You learned from the best,” he said playfully.

“And I won from them, as well,” Sakura replied triumphantly.

“Yes, you did.” Kakashi said, the ghost of a proud smile visible under his mask.

A beat of silence.

“You can let me up now.”

Sakura pretended to think it over. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, and Sakura took the opportunity to shift her own hips downwards just a bit until she was sitting directly atop of his groin, one leg at either side of him. Kakashi stilled.

She acted as if nothing was wrong. “It’s not every day I win our spars, you know. You have to let me enjoy my victory.”

“Sakura,” Kakashi groaned, and the sound sent a shiver up her spine. “This is quite an uncomfortable position.”

“Really? I’m feeling quite comfortable,” she said while moving her hips slightly, grinding softly against Kakashi’s groin.

She could feel him respond underneath her as his visible pupil dilated once again.

“You’ve grown into quite the beautiful woman, Sakura-chan, and you may have noticed that I am but a simple man…” Kakashi tried once more, but Sakura was not deterred by the use of her childhood form of address like that.

If he was trying to reminded her about he had (sort of) taught her for barley a year, if he was trying to find an excuse to not do something about the sexual tension between them, she was not going to let him.

“Really? A simple man? Can a complex organism such as the human race ever be described as simple?” Sakura responded in the same manner Kakashi himself often used as an avoidance tactic.

“Although,” she whispered cockily as she brought her face closer to his, “I can give you the man part.” His eye bore into hers, and there was no mistaking the heat in his gaze. This time, she grinded their groins together more obviously, and there was no mistaking the growing hardness she felt starting to poke into her centre, even separated by layers of clothing.

Then Sakura straightened, letting go of his hands. She didn’t want to force things between them.

“Well then,” she sighed dramatically, “I better listen to my elder and-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Kakashi surged upward with a growl and flipped them around in a flash.

Now she was the one laying on her back, and he was in-between her legs, grinding down on her. His hands were next to her head, holding her in place.

Maybe Genma was a fortune teller, Sakura mused even as she was distracted by the way his hips pressed into hers. She could not deny the heat that was coursing through her body, her excitement and pride over her own forwardness mixed with the satisfaction of being able to tease the great Copy-nin so much that he gave in to his own desires.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, woman,” Kakashi said lowly even as he moved one of his hands from next to her head towards her hips, trailing down her side as he did so.

“It’s one I’m inviting you to play with me,” she shot back, tongue slowly wetting her bottom lip, unafraid of his posturing.

Then his masked lips were on hers.

Sakura smiled in triumph before responding as well as she could. She moved one hand to his hair and another to his neck, keeping him pressed close against her. She felt the hand on her hip moving to her ass, stroking it reverently before squeezing it softly.

Kakashi nibbled on her bottom lip, but all she could taste was the mask. She knew how big of a thing it was for him, and did not try to take it off, but it did bother her.

Sakura kissed back the best she could, moving her head in tandem with his even as one of her hands snuck toward his hitai-ate to uncover the sharingan.

As soon as his left eye was uncovered, Kakashi leaned back and stared at her with both eyes open, the question in them clear.

She smiled at him with a mix of heat and affection in her gaze, hair ruffled and a blush on her face, clothes rumpled, giving his sharingan time to take it all in as Kakashi dragged his eyes up and down her body tangled with his.

When his eyes reached her face again, Sakura opened her mouth. “Next time, Kakashi,” she told him, “I want to kiss the man, not the mask.”

He closed his eyes in something akin to pain, and Sakura quickly moved her hand to his face, holding him in place tenderly but firmly. She knew his tendency to overthink everything, and not in a good way. She was determined to prevent that.

“We’ve known each other for a long time now, Kakashi, and we’re good friends. If we are going to be serious about this, and I intend to be, we’re going to have to let each other in.”

When Kakashi opened his eyes again, the pain in them had transformed into something like hope.

“Okay,” he agreed softly. “Okay.”

Sakura waved at Shizune as she approached the Hokage’s office. After her conversation with Kakashi, they’d each gone their separate ways, needing some time alone to think. Now, two days later, she was summoned by Tsunade-shishou.

“Hey, Sakura,” Shizune greeted. “Time for your monthly mission?”

Sakura nodded. “Yeah. I’m itching for some action.”

Shizune laughed. “I still remember the tantrum you threw when you and Tsunade were making the one-mission-per-month-at-minimum deal. It’s good that you did, though. You seem happier ever since.”

Sakura’s eyes softened. “I am.”

Shizune smiled back at her friend. “Well, go on ahead, your mission partner is already in there.”

Sakura nodded and went to enter the Hokage’s office. She was mostly sent on shorter missions because of her work at the hospital, so she didn’t work in a set team like most shinobi. She did have a few common partners she worked well with, like Shikamaru, Team Gai, or Ino.

And, of course, though less often paired together because of him being in high-demand, was…

“Kakashi,” she greeted the shinobi with a hint or surprise. “On time, again! You’re losing your touch.”

The object of her thoughts waved back at her, slouched in front of the Hokage’s desk.

Tsunade smirked at her apprentice. “I told him the meeting was two hours earlier than it actually was. I can’t use that technique too often, sadly, or he’ll start showing up even later. Also, again?”

Colouring slightly at the reminder of their last spar, Sakura cleared her throat. “Sharp as ever, shishou. Does this mean we have a mission together?” she asked while shooting a look at Kakashi, who seemed aloof as usual.

He met her eyes, and she forced herself not to show anything. She’d felt so confident on the training field, but right now, she was just nervous.

Tsunade nodded. “That’s right.”

Distracted by each other, both shinobi missed the way their Hokage’s eyes flickered between them.

Tsunade’s hand, which had been hovering over their pre-designated mission scroll, moved slightly to the left until it grasped a different one.

Smirking ever-so-slightly, the Hokage cleared her throat and pretended to ignore the way two of her best shinobi startled at the sound of her voice. It seemed like the rumours Raidou brought to her were not too far-fetched after all.

Sakura needed to lighten up a little, anyway. After all, in her years of traveling outside Konoha Tsunade had gotten up to all kinds of fun.

“The client paid enough for this mission to be handled like the A-rank it pretends to be instead of the B-rank it is. Both of you work hard for Konoha, so think of this as a reward,” Tsunade told the duo casually.

Sakura perked up in interest.

“The client requested a pair of shinobi to go undercover in guise of going on a honeymoon to his resort aimed at married couples.” The Hokage’s smiled turned devious. “There has been money disappearing from their vault for a while now, small amounts each time but over time starting to amount to almost a million yen. Go there, find the thief, and stop him. Undercover, of course. You have two weeks.”

Kakashi was silent for a moment before speaking up. “Undercover operations are not our specialty, Hokage-sama.”

Tsunade arched an eyebrow. “Did I hear you say: gosh, Hokage-sama, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to learn and develop my skills?”

Kakashi hung his head and sighed towards the floor at the same time as Sakura smiled shyly but gratefully at her shishou, recognizing the glint in her eyes.

Two weeks with Kakashi, pretending to be a couple.

Sakura loved her shishou.

So she threw Kakashi a knowing look, enjoying the way his hands itched to fidget with something, and bowed to her Hokage.

“Hai.”