Naruto 1. FortyFour Arrivals

ANIME/MANGA NARUTO

NEW CHARACTERS AND KAKASHI'S HEARTACHE

_**Part 1**_

A bunch of kids were huddled around their invention, slightly put out. It was supposed to be able to transport them into the television network but instead it had just steamed up.

'Maybe we should push this–' started a boy, his finger inches away from a bright red button protruding from the machine.

'NO!' Forty-three voices shouted angrily at him. The boy removed his finger reluctantly.

'Don't touch anything. It must something wrong about the program we chose because some might not work at all,' A girl in a low ponytail said, tapping something into the side of the machine.

'Yeah, due to the government policy, or something of that sort,'

A burst of babble broke out from the group and they started arguing which was the real point of distracting the machine from transporting. A number of people were siding with the problem of the time limit they were able to stay in the television program.

The boy who wanted to push the button was fidgeting with his fingers. Unable to contain himself, he watched his friends carefully then stabbed at the red button just in time as the girl with the ponytail spotted him.

She lunged out and tried to stop him but the machine was activated. A billowing tunnel emerged from the machine's funnel and the kids were thrown into it. They spun around, their eyes taking nothing in.

They could feel their bodies stretching and their faces bubbling, changing into different features to disguise them. Their normal clothes seemed to melt away and replaced with more flowing ones.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the spinning stopped and the children knew that the transformation part was complete. Since they created and wrote the manual for the machine, they knew its stages clearly. Next was the stage of destination, which they didn't decide yet.

Then, the tunnel reached an end. It burped out the children one by one and swiveled into nothingness. The children couldn't hear their voices and they fell headlong in front a crowd of people, separating them immediately.

'Where?' the boy who had pushed the button fumbled around and a trace of electricity flow through his body.

The rest of them looked up and their mouths dropped open. No, it can't be.

They were in the middle of a battle in the series, _Naruto_!

The recognized the blonde kid in the orange jersey with his teammates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno along with their sensei, Kakashi Hatake. The cartoon characters looked positively shocked and their enemies had paused to stare at them. And the enemy was none other than the criminal organization, Akatsuki but without their leader Pain. They were in a chamber.

Just then, a sharp kunai whizzed through the air and headed straight towards the children. Automatically, they brought out their hands to shield themselves and received a surprise.

Red, blue, green, brown and all sorts of coloured shields shot out from the children's palms and deflected the kunai. It shuddered and slowed down, and then it stopped, its tip touching the shield.

A girl who had fired the only red shield was nearest to the weapon. Slowly, she pulled her hand back and the shield bent in, taking the kunai with it. Now smiling, she turned the kunai over using the shield and let go.

It was more unexpected than the Akatsuki expected. The kunai raced at them, a fire tail at its end. But the Akatsuki members acted quickly and disappeared. The kunai hit the opposite wall.

'Ahhh, nooo!' Naruto's voice rang across the chamber. The shields flickered away and the children turned to look at him. He was clutching his head, 'How could you just let them go? It took forever to look for them!'

The girl who had fired the kunai was exhausted after releasing all her strength to pull the kunai. And most importantly, she was feeling snappish, which was something her friends understand completely.

She scowled at Naruto but said nothing. For the first time, the children noticed their changes.

Their faces had changed and transformed into a cartoon form but they were much more better looking and different that they couldn't really tell each other apart. Their garments had changed to, into what most characters in the village of Konohagakure. All of them had rucksacks on their backs too.

Their hair remained the same but the exhausted girl was completely different from the hot-tempered and strong-willed girl they knew. Her hair was strung up in a ponytail and in the colour of reddish-bronze, which made her head looked as if on fire.

She was dressed entirely in black and she wore fingerless gloves identical to Kakashi's. Her forehead just reached his eyes and she had a similar bored look on her sharp face.

'Hey–' a boy called out to her but stopped in mid-sentence as his friend slapped a hand across his mouth.

Ignoring the four people behind them, they huddled together and whispered urgently.

'We can't use our real names! What if someone who knew heard our names?'

'We'll just need to create new ones and keep it like that until we find a way to go back.'

'But, we're don't know any Japanese names so let's think out of the box!'

'What?' the boy who pressed the machine' button exclaimed incredulously.

The fiery-headed girl seized the front of his clothes, 'Well, you pushed the button and you brought us here. So this time, we're in charge of what's in coming and you shut up!' She snarled at him.

'Uh, can someone tell me what's going on here?' Naruto's voice said from in the group. Surprised, they jumped back and refused to look into his blue eyes. But the fiery-headed girl took action and walked forward.

'I'm Fury of Fire. See?' she said. She held out her hand and a red ball of fire appeared. Her friends behind her exchanged smiles. Fury had found out a way to save their cover; one by one, they introduced themselves using normal nouns and adjectives.

'Rush of Air.'

'Whirl of Water.'

'Flash of Lightning.'

Of course, the names had to go with their powers, which they quickly discovered. Naruto and the others were curious.

'Are you using any chakra at all to control the elements?' Kakashi asked. He had remained silently all through and he couldn't help himself.

'No.' Fury replied agitatedly. She sent a ball of fire at Flash, the boy who had pushed the stupid button. Kakashi looked straight at her and she glared. He turned away hastily at Sasuke who was talking to Rush.

'So basically, this machine is a network transporter and where we're moving pictures?' Sasuke said coolly. Rush nodded then pulled the emergency remote control from his pocket. He sighed and tapped the screen.

Fury perked up. 'What is it? Are we able to go back?'

'Not unless you want to be Swiss cheese,' Rush replied sarcastically. Naruto was still confused.

'What? I don't understand.' He moaned.

'Of course you don't, you idiot,' Sakura said to him. 'He meant we are merely characters form a fiction comic book and they're normal people who got transported here. They turned into people like us to blend in.'

Naruto laughed. 'That's impossible! We're not cartoons, we're ninjas!'

Whirl of Water stared at him pointedly. 'Yeah, ninja in a comic book and television. See?' She reached into her rucksack and fished out a box. Fumbling in it, she took out a game card and gave it to him.

Naruto's expression was blank. 'Er, I don't read whatever language this is but I can see my picture.' Whirl slapped her forehead and laughed.

'Oh, sorry, I forgot you were translated from Japanese to English but not on paper!' she explained. Naruto looked more confused and Whirl gave up.

'Hey, guys, I'm starving!' a boy making ice cubes groaned loudly. Naruto brightened up.

'Well, what are we waiting for? I know this really good place for ramen,'

Kakashi hesitated. 'Don't you think we should report to the Fifth Hokage first?' Fury shrugged while the others exchanged worried glances. Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets. 'This should be interesting.

_**Part 2**_

'WHAT? YOU BLEW THE MISSION!' The Fifth Hokage's voice thundered at Team 7. Naruto sighed, strongly reminded of the time when the both of them battled. She wasn't a very patient ninja and had a nasty temper.

Rush stepped forward and tried to assure her. 'It wasn't their fault. We just landed on a bad time. You see…' As Rush explained, Kakashi stole glances occasionally at Fury who was flipping through a book casually, not in the least taking in Rush's explanations.

'Kakashi sensei? Are you okay?' Sakura's voice made him started.

He rubbed his neck and smiled awkwardly for he had been staring at Fury for ten minutes already. 'No. Why would you ask?'

Sakura was just about to snap at him when she saw her sensei's eyes flickered meaningfully at Fury. She hid a smile.

_Kakashi sensei is in love with Fury, who would have thought someone like him would actually like Fury, _as Sakura thought this through, she had to admit that Fury had admirable quality. She was hot-tempered but she took everything, like her sudden power, calmly.

Rush had finally finished explaining to the Fifth Hokage. She looked unconvinced until Naruto shouted out. 'C'mon, Grandma Tsunade, they can't help it. You've got to believe them, you're the Fifth Hokage!'

Something about Naruto's words made the Fifth Hokage relaxed. She trusted Naruto and if he trusted this people, she would follow him. Nodding slightly, she let them go without contradicting them any further about the Akatsuki.

'C'mon guys, I'm all set for some ramen already!' Naruto shouted, beckoning them out of the building to his favourite ramen stall, Ichiraku.

The ramen stall owner and his daughter were shocked at the sudden increase number of guests. His daughter, Ayame hurried to serve them. After a few arguments between the different flavours, they finally decided.

To the children's surprise, they had a thick roll of money in their pockets. Feeling the transporter had given them currency to the village, they happily ordered their lunch.

'Two beef ramen! No, make that vegetable ramen!'

''Oh, shut it! The original ramen is the best!'

'Sez who?!'

It was almost two o'clock when their ramen were ready. The children ate greedily because the journey through the transporter had made them dizzy and hungry. Naruto ate through his usual number of bowls while Kakashi stood off the side, watching his Genins and reading at his novel.

Kakashi was sitting beside Fury but it wasn't his idea because Sakura had given a shove when he wanted to walk away. Half-thinking that Sakura had already figured out his heartthrob, he focused his concentration at his favourite book.

He stole a glance at Fury who had finished her ramen and was, once again, flipping through her own book. He couldn't read that language but couldn't help feeling that Fury had some things in common besides his coolness and her heat.

Returning to his book, Kakashi saw Sakura gave him a slight evil smirk from behind her ramen. He frowned at her and she looked away from him.

Their lunchtime took nearly two hours. Then, the children followed Kakashi and his team to their training field. Sasuke was suggesting a battle with one of them since he saw their extraordinary, non-chakra powers.

'I don't really think we're all that non-chakra.' said Fury simply.

Sasuke shot her a suspicious look. 'Can you prove it?'

Fury brought her hands in front of her, ready to perform a jutsu. However, Rush grabbed her hands.

'Fury, wait, what if we don't HAVE any chakra or even manage a hand sign.' He advised her urgently. Fury frowned a bit then removed her hands from her friend's grip.

'I've seen the series a hundred times, I'm sure I can pull it off.' Fury answered. She adjusted her fingers and decided to perform the common jutsu.

'Shadow Clone Jutsu!' Ignoring Naruto's awed gasp, Fury closed her eyes tightly.

POOF. BANG.

Two shadow clones of Fury stood beside her, appearing behind a cloud of smoke. They let out proud 'Ha's and high-fived. The others gaped at her and her clones.

'Wow, you used my signature move! Alright!' Naruto yelled, punching his fist in the air. The Furys smiled at him then poofed into thin air.

The real Fury folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at Rush. He looked dumb then grinned suddenly. Kakashi looked stunned. When he thought that Fury said they used no chakra to summon up their powers, he thought that they had ZERO chakra.

But, it seemed that they had special reserved chakra all along. Sasuke released a small smile. 'So, who's ready for a battle?' Rush stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.

'I am.'

*

Sasuke tried to draw breath but the second attack of Rush's Air Slice Jutsu crossed his chance. He had to dodge it and reached behind his back.

Rush created an air force field as Sasuke's shurikens headed straight toward him.

'You show them, Rush!' Whirl and Fury shrieked. Kakashi began to wonder if Fury and Rush had a crush on each other. Deciding to confront Whirl who seemed to be Fury's best friend, he turned back to the match.

Sasuke scowled and started to perform his signature move. 'Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu!' A streak of fire burst from his mouth, causing Rush to jump aside and burning his shirt.

'Oh yeah! Show them what you've got!' Sakura cheered while Naruto stood beside her with a grin on his face.

'Not bad, huh, your Sasuke?' Fury said in an amused voice. Sakura flushed then leaned closer to her.

'Me? What about Kakashi sensei? He's the one in love with you!' Sakura shot back. Fury eyebrows contracted and whispered back to Sakura. 'What d'you mean?!'

Sakura smirked and said in a very low tone that Fury had to strain her ears. 'Just look at his face whenever you talk and when you and Rush are in conversation.' Realizing what she said about the last part, she looked a bit surprised. 'Hey, you don't like Rush by any chance, do you!' She shouted the last part.

Everyone's head including Sasuke and Rush's whipped around to look at the pink and red-bronze heads bent close to each other.

'Oops!' Sakura slapped a hand to her mouth while Fury's face was now a color of a burning fire.

Flash spluttered while some other boys joined him. 'No kidding! He's her crush since–'

'Shut up!' Fury spat at him. A ball of flame shot across the ground and reached Flash's shoes. He yelled and the others fell about laughing. Kakashi's expression tightened and he pretended not to have heard their conversation.

Fury remembered Sakura's words and darted a glance at him. She couldn't help but felt a bit suspicious – Kakashi was apathetic as usual and he was looking far off.

'Get up! It's not funny!' She looked back at her friends who were bursting from giggles and Rush's pink face. He gave her a fleeting smile but it disappeared quickly.

Sasuke couldn't help smiling too even though he was too cold to care about love relationships. 'I guess that's it for today then!'

Fury opened a folded scrap of paper and consulted it. 'Erm, our house is somewhere in the middle of a forest. I guess we'll have it. _Now_!' She snapped at Flash who was chuckling and pointing at her, his shoes singed.

Sakura dragged Naruto and him to another direction from the departing children. 'I don't know if you've noticed it but Kakashi's in love with Fury!' she murmured in a soft tone, looking at Kakashi who was standing motionlessly at his spot.

Sasuke made an impatient noise. 'Yeah, I noticed it alright. He's got this strange look every time he looks at her.'

Naruto tried not to look surprised. 'Poor guy! I think Rush and Fury like each other but Kakashi sensei's got a chance.'

Sakura glared at him. 'How does that work out, idiot?'

Naruto slammed his fist on his left palm. 'That's it! The both of them didn't like others to know their feelings so they avoid each other. But their love can't expand because they daren't talk in secret so that means Kakashi can cut in and make Fury like him!'

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged glances, none too impressed. 'When did you become the love expert?' Sakura snipped.

'After spending about a year's time with the Pervy Sage.' Naruto replied.

'So let's make sure Kakashi sensei has the confidence to make out to her!' Sakura declared then froze as Kakashi turned around to face them. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking bored.

'I wonder if Fury would really prefer him with this attitude, not to mention the unemotional problem.' She thought. Sasuke looked away from Naruto who was snickering.

'I don't think I'll be a part of this,' he said quickly. 'Not after what happened when we tried to unmask Kakashi.'

Sakura was disappointed. 'That was a minor mission. This is serious!'

Naruto stopped laughing to contradict Sasuke. 'Yeah! You don't want Kakashi to grow all alone, do you?'

Sasuke groaned softly and close his eyes. 'His personal love life is not my problem at all.' He replied scathingly.

'What if Kakashi suddenly marries and let us free?' Naruto pushed teasingly. Sasuke opened his eyes and turned rigid.

_**Part 3**_

'Aye, eee, aye, eee, aye, aye, aye, Fury's in luuuuurve and there's not denying, however hard she's trying, there's no hiding…' Center of Rock sang after they had found and settled in the house.

Fury snarled and fired flaming balls at him. Laughing, he raised his hand and a slab of rock blocked the fire. Rush raised an eyebrow.

'Give it a rest, Center, so what if she likes me?' he said. The others froze, shocked by this sudden honesty. 'We're just friends now. She deserves someone better, if she fancies them.'

Fury gave Flash and Center a half-triumphant glint with her fiery eyes. She made a mental note to thank Rush after this. It was true, she had given up on him but she had already fancied another person.

She had been hiding it because she felt sure her friends would definitely laugh at her. She had fallen in love with Kakashi. When Sakura announced his feelings out loud to her, she felt pleasantly happy and contented.

Whirl shot disgusted looks at the boys before whispering to Fury. 'Talking about relationships, don't be mad at me, but I think Kakashi fancies _you_. He was looking at you with this far-off look!' The sides of Whirl's mouth twitched.

Fury faked a cough then drew her friend aside. 'For the record, he does. Sakura told me,' she added to Whirl's amazed expression. 'And as my best friend, it would help a lot if you won't tell the others that I liked him too.' Whirl hid a smile in the shade of the trees but she couldn't deceive Fury whose eyes saw through the dark shadows.

'I know it's funny to like a cartoon but it can't be helped.' She retorted.

'Well, ask him out!' urged Whirl. 'Pretend you're lost in the village and accidentally on purpose bump into him then spend a lovely moonlit night together.'

Fury eyed her ruefully. 'You've been watching too much teen drama again, haven't you?' Whirl shrugged helplessly. Her friend sighed. 'Fine, I'll do it.'

'Yes! Don't worry, I'll cover for you.' Whirl assured her.

Fury went back to the yard where the others were having a competition of catching different elemental balls. Unable to resist the urge, Fury conjured a fireball and tossed it to Flash who electrocuted himself.

'Where are you going?' He yelled at her, tending his burned hands.

'Finding a bookstore,'

'I want to find one too!'

'No, you don't!' Whirl snapped at him, aiming a water ball at his palms just as they crackled with electricity. Squeezing their eyes, the others knew that Flash had managed to electrocuted himself. Again.

Fury slipped away secretly and sighed with relief. She looked around the village, amused. Then, she past a store and stopped suddenly as she heard her name being called.

She turned around and saw Kakashi walking out of a store called The Pink Bookstore. Remembering reading a story where the bookstore took place and what kind of books it sold, Fury's skin tingled.

Kakashi's right eye was shut, which meant he was smiling. Fury smiled back then watched him curiously as he tried to stuff an orange-covered book in his pocket.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. 'Don't you have like a training session at a time like this?' Fury rolled her eyes.

'The most training we ever get is power fights.' She

'Okay then.' Kakashi moved aside and walked away, leaving her standing in the middle of the street. He couldn't express his feelings towards her, not just yet.

'Fine.' He heard her mumble and strolled off casually.

Back at the house, Fury had arrived just in time to hear her friends deciding a name for it. For some reason, the name Power House seemed to have a big affect and attract plenty of laughs.

'Found the bookshop?' Flash and Whirl asked. Fury walked into her bedroom and shut the door. Flash shrugged but Whirl could sense something wrong. And just at that moment, Fury shoved a note from under the door.

Picking it up, Whirl read it curiously. 'He's definitely not interested. Who cares? I've been wrong about boys before.' She had scrawled. Whirl felt a slight twinge of disappointment and anger but let it go. Fury wasn't the type to let her crush slip out.

At that moment, Rush and the others were nailing a board into the ground. The name of the house was written over it in charcoal. Fury listened to their quarrels and hammering noise peacefully.

She was a normal girl at her own world but right here, she was a ninja and ninja she will be. She stood up and shuffled to the window. A heavy-looking shape was plunging straight towards her window.

She dodged just in time as a hammer crashed through her window. She picked it up angrily and looked out the window with its broken shards. 'Who did that?'

'Not me!' all the boys yelled. Fury growled then heated the handle of the hammer. It rose up in the air then spun out of the window and straight towards the boys. They yelled and the hammer made contact with Center's hand.

'It was you!' she bawled then stepped out into the yard in top speed.

'Wait! It was an accident–' Center's explanation was cut short as Fury lunged at him, her left hand holding a spinning ball of fire. He ducked and put his hand to the ground.

A slab of rock shot up and knocked her out of the way. She flew into the sky then backflipped neatly back onto the ground. Center pressed harder on the ground. More rocks shot up from the ground and each one nearly hit Fury as she jumped over them.

'Wow! That's so cool!' Naruto's voice startled them. Center stopped summoning up rocks and the fire died in Fury's hand. He was accompanied by Sakura, Sasuke and, Fury saw with burning rage, Kakashi.

'What is this? Some kind of ritual battle?' he said without expression.

'It's none of your business.' Whirl snapped at him. He looked surprised and turned away to look at the board. Center flapped a hand and the rocks wormed back into the ground. A girl, Spread of Green, pointed two fingers at the messy ground and fresh grass sprouted rapidly.

'Did you want something?' Rush asked hostilely, pretending that the fight had never happened.

'Yes!' Sakura shouted out in relief. She moved over to Fury who smiled at her and dragged her to their group.

'Really! There's no plenty of time.' Flash said and received a sharp sting as Whirl's water hit his ever-crackling hands. 'Ouch!'

Sakura hadn't heard his comment so she kept pushing Fury. Naruto helped her then Kakashi and Sasuke walked back down on the path. Fury released herself from the pink and orange-haired Genins after the house disappeared from sight.

'What are you doing?' she said furiously.

Naruto shook his head. 'Not us. You and Kakashi sensei!' Sakura nodded eagerly.

Kakashi turned around and fixed his pupils with a serious look. 'Oh. Is this why you three dragged me here?'

'Leave me out of this.' Sasuke cut in scathingly, his hands in his pockets and a haughty look on his face.

Sakura gazed pleadingly at her sensei. 'Please, Kakashi sensei. Just let us take you to a place and we'll let you figure it out.'

Kakashi looked annoyed. 'I'm not entering into your games, S–' Naruto gave him a shove but he didn't flinch. He sighed and decided to follow the Genins, hoping they weren't planning some romantic fad for him and Fury.

Finally, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke stopped in front of a set of gates. They let their sensei and Fury go and sped off, but not before saying, 'Good luck!'

Warily, Kakashi opened the gates and groaned. Fury bit her lip in exasperation. They were in the Leaf Village's hot springs. Fury burst out unexpectedly, 'Really, do they really think we're going out?'

As she said this, a middle-aged woman zipped in front of them and pulled them in, muttering, 'Tut, tut, don't you know leaving the door open will let the cooling steam and peace flow away.' Then she turned to them brightly and they were forced into a vacant spot.

'Enjoy.' She said cheerfully. She locked the door and chuckled.

Fury shrugged her shoulders. 'Well, I don't care if Naruto and the other two plans to have some relationship coming between you and me, but I won't pass up an opportunity like this.' She said then disappeared into a changing room.

Kakashi couldn't help but admire her coolness. He had expected to blow up then realized that Fury had refrained doing this in his presence. Flushing, he decided to follow Fury. After all, one dip couldn't hurt, would it?

*

Fury sighed peacefully as she dipped herself into the steaming water. This was more relaxing than she had thought.

Suddenly, she heard a light sound of another person coming into the water. She froze in horror, willing it would not be whom she expected. She tried to scrabble up and get out of the pool.

Too late. Kakashi's silver hair bobbed from behind the steam and she lowered herself into the water, praying he had not seen her. But with his headband gone, his Sharingan was active and he could feel her hesitating nearby.

'Really, a hothead like you dipping in water?' he called out mockingly and stopped on a ledge. Her reddish-bronze hair cocked a little, giving her place away. Kakashi smiled behind the cloth he had wrapped around his nose and mouth.

As silent and swift as he could, he made his way to her.

Fury was looking heavenly from the steam. Some of her oddly coloured hair had dropped from her hair and the flicks framed her face. Her shoulders, pale and smooth, were visible to Kakashi too. She wasn't aware of his presence yet.

'The both of us really should get out more often,' he hissed into her ear.

She gave a small yelp and backed away from Kakashi who was grinning at her. She lost her footing on the rocks and slipped. Quick as lightning, Kakashi caught her hands and pulled her up.

Fury raised her head and stiffened when she saw how close the both of them were. His nose was actually a few millimeters apart from her. He was still grasping her hands, reluctant to let go. She blushed and tugged them away from him.

'Can you do me a favour and move away a little?' she said in a small voice. Kakashi raised his eyebrows as if saying _why should I? _

'Please?' Fury added. Kakashi sighed and stepped away from her. He leaned against the edge and watched Fury edging away, her pale back glistening with hot water. Without meaning to, he reached out and stroked her.

Fury stopped moving and readied herself when she felt Kakashi wading towards her. She turned her head. He was staring at her with a soft look in his dark eyes. Suddenly, he bent down and tugged the cloth away from his face. His lips landed on her cheek.

His hands moved in the water and grabbed her slim waist. She flinched but pressed closer until he could feel her chest heaving nervously. He nudged her with his nose and whispered, 'Hey, calm down, this is just the beginning.'

Fury managed a small smile. 'All I know is that you're an extreme pervert!'

Kakashi let out a soft laugh and stroked her waist. He tipped Fury's chin and his kiss fitted perfectly on her mouth. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed back. Kakashi suddenly realized that she was almost as tall as he was and felt a bit surprised. Apparently, all the girls he didn't like was tall too, and very nasty.

But Fury, she belonged to him right now. Then he remembered wildly of the familiar feeling. He unhooked her hands and backed away, mumbling, 'I'm sorry,'

Fury turned quickly and got out of the water before Kakashi could raise his head. He melted into the foggy steam and reappeared again, striding slowly beside the pool, fully dressed.

Fury tied her headband on her head and knocked at the door. 'You can let us out now. We're done!' A key was fitted into the keyhole and a reassuring click came. The both of them walked out the gates.

_**Part 4**_

Whirl jumped out from her hiding place as soon as the three Genins disappeared down the path. She looked at the hot springs gate despairingly, wondering if Sakura was right in the head about this.

'Are you going in?' a cool voice said from behind her. She jumped and spun around.

A young ninja in his mid-twenties was gazing at her enquiringly. He had brown eyes and shoulder-length hair with the same colour. His Konoha headband was worn backwards above a dark blue cloth cap. There was a senbon in his mouth. Whirl frowned at his somewhat attractive and familiar.

She shook her head and replied. 'No, it's just that I saw Naruto and his teammates standing here a while ago.'

'Naruto? That kid from the chunin exams?' he asked incredulously.

At the mention of the chunin exams, Whirl suddenly remembered, 'Wait, you're Genma, aren't you? The prospector of both chunin exams?'

He raised an eyebrow. 'Yes, I am. I've never seen you before,'

'I'm Whirl of Water. I'm not from around here. You see…' Whirl explained while Genma listened patiently. He was more interested in her looks but he took in what she said.

'And you can't go back?' he asked. Whirl shrugged. He pressed her on, 'It's getting dark, and the forest is probably quite dangerous. Maybe I'll walk you home.'

'That would be nice.' Whirl said graciously. She clutched his hand and turned. 'Here, I know a shortcut.'

As her hand touched Genma's, he felt a warm and pleasant feeling squirming in his insides. Whirl didn't seem to notice so she hastily made her way around the trees. Genma took her hand and removed it gently.

'Oops!' Whirl blushed furiously but he smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

'Do you happen to have anyone special to you?' he asked, making conversation.

Whirl considered his question then realized what he was on about. 'No, not really. My friends are just mainly my friends.'

'You want to go out sometime?' Genma moved closer to her and murmured. 'With me.' He added quickly. Whirl hesitated.

She had most of her classmates crushing on her but no one of them was this courageous. No doubt she was good-looking but she had good intentions. Genma had liked her for it but she couldn't really go out, not when Dense of Earth was still keen to please her.

'I don't know.' She finally said. 'I got most people trying to ask me but I don't really fancy them and I really don't want to hurt their feelings.' She stopped walking and Genma followed her. 'But, none of them really asked me and they just have normal crushes. Crushes just come and go.'

Genma smiled. 'So is that a yes?' Whirl smiled and hooked her hand through the crook of his arm. They continued striding down the midst of the forest. The thick trees hiding them as Genma pecked Whirl on her forehead.

Kakashi seized Fury's hand and gave her an apologetic look.

Sighing, Fury slipped her hand away, trying not to hurt his feelings. 'I know why you freaked out in the hot springs.'

'You do?' Kakashi's voice was hopeful.

'If you become close to someone you really care about, and if they should die, then you'll get the feeling of pain and remorse that's unable to get rid of. It's more easier to keep relationships simple and keep distant with others.' Fury murmured softly. 'You're a fiction character to me and trust me, I've done research on you.'

Kakashi cupped her head in his hands. 'I'm touched but I think it would be nice to feel true love again.' he whispered, his voice full with regret and reminiscence his closest friends dying in front of him.

Slowly, he let his hands slip from Fury. She sighed again and turned away so that he wouldn't see the tears that she was trying to hold in. 'I want to like you but I feel like I know you too well. It would be selfish if I let you feel the pain again.'

'You're right but you're not from here. Your powers can protect you from death.' He said, closing his eye and breathing heavily.

'Maybe, but I can't make any promises that I'll stay forever.' Her reply came like a cold knife plunging into his heart. He opened his eye and saw that Fury was already walking into the forest. He hurried and fall into step with her.

She had a sad and angry look on her face. Kakashi stepped in front of her and hugged her tightly. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away but hugged him back. Kakashi felt sure that something warm and wet dripped onto his dark blue long-sleeved shirt.

He pressed his lips to her ear. 'Fury, please don't cry, please don't cry.' His words hit him like a metal stone. The exact words he had said to his friend but different in another way.

_Obito, please don't die, please don't die, Kakashi moaned, looking at his best friend. _

_Kakashi, promise me to protect Rin with your life, promise me, Obito breathed out then laid on the rubble, his eyes like orbs and his body lifeless._

'OK, I won't.' Fury's warm voice clung to him and he buried his head in her shoulder, trying to shake Obito's dead body from his head.

The next thing was a complete blur as Kakashi shoved Fury onto the leafy ground and started kissing her madly. She kissed back and he was suddenly seized by a strong desired urge to love and protect her forever.

_**Part 5**_

Fury woke up with a pounding headache. She was lying on her bed. She breathed slowly and tried to recollect her thoughts.

After Kakashi had finished kissing her, she was feeling rather tired. Fury rubbed her sore head then remembered Kakashi's strong arms insisting to carry her home. She looked out of the window and wildly glanced at the clock beside her bed. It was midnight.

The others weren't around. Fury assumed that Kakashi had carried her back in secret, wanting to avoid questions. _Smart, _she thought grumpily.

Suddenly, somebody knocked on her door softly. She paused then threw off her covers. Realizing that her upper shirt-dress was gone and she was only in her long-sleeved shirt and black tights, she gasped. Kakashi had actually took care to dress her for bed.

Flushing a little, she made her way to the door. Whirl's voice came to her like a lightning bolt, 'Fury? Are you awake? I need to speak to you–' Before she could finish, Fury had thrown open the door and pulled her in.

She looked at her friend's clothing awestruck, 'Wow, he actually undressed you for _bed_.'

Fury flushed deeper. 'How do you know about that?' she demanded in a hiss. Whirl shrugged and sat down on a chair.

'I met him when Genma went back. I offered to help him but Kakashi denied my offer and carried you to the window of your room.' she explained, flipping casually at Fury's books.

Fury's mouth dropped open. 'Genma? That prospector?'

It was Whirl's turn to blush. She gave a hacking cough that didn't deceive Fury at all. 'Er, yeah. He met me and we kind of got along. You were with Kakashi then.' She fumbled.

Fury grinned and sat down on her bed. 'He asked you out?' When she nodded, Fury let out a soft laugh and starred at Whirl impressively. 'Amazing! All you had to do is bump into an attractive guy who gets mesmerized by you and in a few mere minutes, he's asking you out!'

Whirl looked awkward. 'He wasn't mesmerized but I won't pretend that he isn't good-looking. With that brown eyes and shoulder-length hair,–'

'He's just like you.' Fury finished, grinning from ear to ear. In a weird way, Whirl was actually perfect with someone like Genma whom she knew to be cool, calm and rarely annoyed. Like Whirl. His brown features made the both of them looked more like a couple.

'Don't tell anyone! Especially Dense!' Whirl said shrilly. Fury gave her a promising wink and looked at the door.

'Dense still wants you to like him, huh?' she said sympathetically, remembering the headstrong and short-tempered guy trying to impress Whirl. Unfortunately for him, he failed and luckily for Whirl, he annoyed her even further. Whirl brushed back her shoulder-length hair and sighed.

'Does he know you're going out with Genma?' Fury pressed.

Whirl scowled but looked contented. 'I'm not going out with him yet and no, Dense does not know. He would probably freak out and tell everyone about Genma. Your secret would probably be out by then too.' She said, reaching for a box of cards. She fumbled in it then found a picture of Genma Shiranui.

Fury snatched the box from her and covered it quickly. 'There's too much print-outs of Kakashi for you to gawk over.' She mumbled. Whirl grinned, pocketed the Genma card and headed out of the bedroom.

'Oh, and before I leave,' Whirl poked her head out from the door and winked. 'Kakashi told me to give you a message. He said he wanted to meet you,' she added before leaving.

'When?' Fury asked but she could hear Whirl shuffling back to her room.

She smiled to herself and got into bed, throwing the blanket over her. She hesitated then looked at the plain blanket, as if she could see Kakashi smoothing his hands over it. She turned over then fell asleep.

'Fury, Fury, wake up!' a familiar masculine voice whispered to her urgently.

Fury reluctantly opened her eyes then sat up, groaning at her lack of sleep. It was the crack of dawn. She turned and suddenly found herself in Kakashi arms. He smiled down at her and she gasped.

He quickly leaned closer until their noses touched. 'Shush, I wanted to see you before the others wake up.' He said lovingly, stroking her upper hand.

'Well, you came at the right time. Dense and Scream would probably be up by now.' She replied sarcastically. Kakashi just smiled at her and brushed her cheek with his masked lips.

He pulled her to her feet and led her to the open window. He put a leg on the sill and jumped out. Fury followed him and they jumped over the forest's trees. She moved closer to Kakashi until their shoulders touched.

He took her hand and steered her to another direction. Fury saw a gleam of water from the direction he was taking her. With amazement, she realized he was leading her to a river.

They jumped the last branch and landed on a small hill, overlooking the sunrise. Kakashi put a hand over Fury's shoulders and hugged her tightly. He pressed against her cheek, 'Let's just enjoy the sunrise.'

The sky was slowly turning pink and yellowish. The cool air blew at the couple. Fury leaned against Kakashi's shoulder, enjoying where she was right now.

Suddenly, he removed his hand and turned around to face her. His hand was moving to his mask and another clutched at the bare skin above Fury's fingerless gloves. She clung back as his lips crashed into hers. They fell back onto the soft grass, or at least Fury did.

It felt like he was eating away at her lips but Fury didn't mind. It wasn't every day a guy like Kakashi comes along and starts kissing you as if you were his long-lost lover.

When they finally pulled apart, Fury remembered Whirl. She looked up at Kakashi who was brushing her annoyingly parted fringe. 'What do you know about Genma?' she gushed. He looked surprised.

'Not much, except that he's tall as me but much lighter. His personality is similar to mine but he doesn't wear a mask since he always has his senbon in his mouth.' Kakashi said, a sarcastic tone in his voice. Fury had to suppress a laugh.

'I don't like him.' She grinned, slipping her hand into Kakashi's. 'He likes Whirl. He asked her out yesterday.' Kakashi gave a light laugh and widened his eye.

'Genma fancies your friend, huh?' he said, amused. 'He usually keeps to himself but to be drawn by Whirl is news to me. But Whirl has the looks to set anyone in a trance.' He commented.

Fury nodded. 'That's what I told her. Apparently, she likes him too but she's got a lot of boys going after her already.' She said. Kakashi shrugged and supported himself with his elbows as he looked at the clouds.

'Not surprising. But she's not my type – too calm, cool and good.' He said, a bit scathingly. 'I prefer someone with more character. Like you,' he murmured in a soft tone that touched Fury very much. She kissed him affectionately.

He sat up and patted her ponytail then planted soft kiss on her head. He stroked her face lovingly and settled his hand at the back of her neck.

'I don't want to lose you, ever.' He said seriously. She nodded and gave him a kiss on his head in return.

'I'm not that easy to get rid of.' She said lightly. Kakashi smiled then gave an amused 'Hmm,' as her stomach rumbled. She blushed. 'I forgot to mention that I have a big appetite especially in the morning.'


	2. Getting to Know Each Other

She got up and turned on her heels to return to her home. Kakashi suddenly whipped out a hand and grabbed her wrist firmly. Fury hesitated then turned to see Kakashi giving her a warning look. She was puzzled then she heard the sudden soft crunch of foot on gravel.

Kakashi got up and dragged her into a bush. It was a small one so the both of them were squeezed together. Fury felt a tingle when Kakashi breathed down her neck softly.

Reaching out and careful not to rustle the bush, she used a finger to part out some leaves. Kakashi leaned his face and bumped his sharp cheek on hers.

Suddenly, a high and cheerful laugh came from above them. Fury's mouth dropped open as she recognized the voice and saw Whirl walking side by side with a tall brown-haired ninja. Genma Shiranui.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. From one side, she could see his lips edged from his mask. Suppressing the urge to kiss him in the lips, she turned to her friend and Genma who had stopped under a tree.

'OK,' Fury breathed out loud, fuming. 'If they are deciding to kiss then they've gone too far–it's only their first date. What if he start stripping her next in front of us?'

Kakashi cocked his head. 'It's our first date too and we've kissed.' He pointed out, brushing aside the fact that a pretty blush was spreading across Fury's cheek. 'Besides, Genma isn't a pervert. He won't start stripping some girl he hasn't ever really met.'

Fury frowned, thinking what Kakashi said was right. Her friend was happy that she was actually going out with an attractive guy and she, her best friend, was happy for her too. Maybe she was a bit over-protective of her. She lifted her head then nearly shrieked.

The dark shade of the tree prevented anyone from seeing what Genma was doing with Whirl. But Fury happened to have eyes of fire that see through darkness. She watched as Genma slowly moved his lips over Whirl's gentle ones.

Just then, she felt Kakashi's hand on her back. She looked at him and he gave a glance she couldn't read. Then, without warning, he leaned over and threw his masked lips on her mouth. Fury panicked as her leg slipped and the both of them hit the ground.

Miraculously, Kakashi had managed not to make a single noise that could arouse suspicion. He pushed on her mouth and a finger traced over Fury's jaw line. Evidently, he was completely thrown by her looks as his hand settled on the place between her neck and cheek.

'Genma…' Fury and Kakashi stopped and looked from the bush. His hand immediately flew over her shoulders. Genma had unplugged his mouth from Whirl's and now his hands were wrapped lovingly over her. She had her gentle smile on her face and their bodies were too close, Fury noted.

'Too bad I'm not that romantic.' A sarcastic voice whispered in her ear. She jumped and turned her head. Kakashi arched his eyebrow and came closer. 'I bet you're disappointed.'

Automatically, Fury half-shook her head and he grinned. His lips were once again on hers before she knew it. Hoping to have no interruptions this time, Fury clung at his muscled upper arms and pulled him closer. Obeying her thoughts, he cocked his head sideways and slowly tugged at his mask.

The mask slipped and Fury bumped into Kakashi's soft lips. They were moving and chewing away at her mouth and she couldn't help but enjoy it. Though if any boy had done that to her, she would have set him on fire without mercy.

When they pulled apart, Fury sneaked one more look from the bush. Genma planted a kiss on Whirl's neck and they set down a path. There was a rustle beside her and she saw Kakashi advancing out of the bush.

She raised herself then Kakashi stuck out a hand and she took it. He tactfully helped her out.

'Do you still want breakfast?' he asked teasingly. Fury smiled and nodded.

'I don't feel going back now anyway, not after seeing Whirl in this state.' She said defensively, hoping Kakashi would not suspect that in truth, she wanted to be with him.

He smiled and they sauntered away without bothering following the path. The both of them had no intention of obeying rules at this time.

_**Part 6**_

Fury cautiously looked into the ramen shop and thankfully, Naruto wasn't there. Kakashi passed her some money and she slipped into the stall alone. She ordered a take-away but decided against getting one for Kakashi since he wouldn't ever literally take off his mask in public to eat.

The old man handed over a steaming container and she tipped the money into his hand. She sneaked out quietly and nearly tripped over Kakashi who was leaning nonchalantly beside the stall.

He caught her and smiled amusingly. She scowled a bit. 'I think I'd better take this back to the Power House and say I got it early in the morning. It'd avoid awkward questions.'

Kakashi's smile disappeared and he looked at her worriedly. 'Shouldn't I take you home? I mean, it's still dark in the forest.' He said.

'Nah, I'll handle it myself. Your arrival, either noticed or unseen, would arouse suspicion anyway if I bump into Whirl. But it's sweet of you to be concerned.' She added lightly and kissed him.

She leaped on a roof, waved at Kakashi and continued leaping on roofs and trees. Kakashi watched her black figure getting smaller and smaller every second. Suddenly, he was aware of someone behind him.

He turned casually and opened the lid of a woven wicket basket. 'Naruto, Sakura, this is a pleasant surprise. Or not,' he greeted bluntly.

Naruto jumped out of the basket with Sakura beside him. The pink-haired Genin peered at her sensei eagerly. 'So did it go well? Did she say anything interesting?' she gushed. Naruto smirked at his sensei and nodded at Sakura's words.

Kakashi sighed and looked at the roof Fury had leaped on. 'That's strictly none of your business. You shouldn't be tailing me anyway, older grown-ups' actions are not fit for young eyes.' He said, turning to leave.

'Oh, you mean like kissing Fury in the mouth and talking about love?' Naruto asked sarcastically. Kakashi froze in his steps, he looked back at Naruto.

'Really! Is this a good time?' he started. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.

'C'mon, Kakashi sensei! You enjoy being with Fury even if you don't show it, she's perfect for you.' She cried over-enthusiastically. 'She likes very much and you can't build up your courage to actually confess your feelings?'

'Well, I'll think about it…'

Naruto growled. "You always say that but you never do ANYTHING!' he shouted at Kakashi who sighed again.

'Look I just…just need time to think, okay?' he said looking thoroughly bored. 'And what does it matters, we kissed, that means we're in love. She doesn't need confessions to know that.'

Sakura rolled her eyes expertly. 'That's what men think but _girls_ think that a true confession means the guy is totally in love with her. You read pervert books, you're supposed to know!' she shrieked at her not-so-genius sensei.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Girls! Alright, I'll choose a good time to say it to her.'

'That's more like it!' Sakura and Naruto grinned at each other. Kakashi groaned and sighed for the third time.

*

'So how did it go?' an irritated but eager voice whispered through the darkness when Fury slipped through the back door. She jumped and automatically produced a fireball in her palm.

'Rush!' she exclaimed. 'What are you–? How did you–?'

Rush, grinning from ear to ear, ignored her splutters. 'Don't sweat it! I saw you slip out with that gray-haired c–, I mean, person.' He stopped himself as he was about say the word 'creep'. He was over Fury but couldn't help feeling irate that she was getting on well with Kakashi Hatake.

Fury looked around the kitchen helplessly and switched on the lights. Rush raised his eyebrows when he saw the polystyrene container of ramen. She opened it on a table and picked up her chopsticks.

'You didn't answer my question!' Rush said urgently. Fury gave him an evil glare and he subsided.

'You ready to answer now?' he asked timidly when she had finished her breakfast. When she didn't answer, Rush grinned and reached into his pocket. Fury looked up quickly and in Rush's hand was a sideways picture of Kakashi smiling. He waved it imperiously, 'If you want this Kakashi picture, you'll need to answer me!'

Fury closed her eyes. 'Bribes does NOT work on me! But, if you're so interested…'

She leaned close and Rush followed suit eagerly. He nearly slipped from his chair when he knew that Whirl was out with Genma but all he said was 'Dense is going to freak out.' and continued listening to his ex-crush and her date.

Fury watched Rush closely while she related her first date. His face was enthusiastic but his eyes were a bit cold and he reeked with jealousy.

'Rush, are you okay?' Fury asked mockingly when she had finished and her friend looked letdown. He nodded moodily and stared at the clock. She sighed and stood up, 'Come here.' She beckoned him to the kitchen.

'What?' he demanded then nearly fainted when her lips suddenly brushed against on his cheek.

Fury pulled back and his face was turning tomato red. 'I figured that since we've had crushes and never actually kissed, this one is just one to prove we're done.' She whispered gently.

'But you're going out with–' Rush couldn't get out the words instead he just smiled embarrassedly and rubbed his right cheek. Fury shrugged and lightly punched him.

'Forget it. I'm going for a shower.' She said as if the whole thing never happened.

Just as Fury disappeared into her room, the kitchen door clicked for the second time and Rush spun around shocked, expecting to see Kakashi. But he saw a tuft of brown hair peeking out and sighed in relief.

'Whirl?' he called out. 'It's me.' Whirl breathed out and called his name.

'I don't think this is such a good idea,' a different yet familiar voice caught Rush's ears. He turned away and grinned. Genma, of course. _Thank goodness Kakashi isn't as sweet as he is, _he thought darkly.

Melting away in the shadows, he left a flustered Whirl and a dazed Genma alone to talk. Just in time, Fury flounced out of her bedroom, tying her hair while trying to smooth down her shirtdress. Stuffed in the pocket was her headband.

'Is this necessary?' Rush grimaced. Fury shook her head at him and glanced at the kitchen, she shot him a meaning look. He nodded and the both of them suppressed chuckles.

'Rush, Fury, nice to meet, isn't it?' Dense's voice snickered testily. They turned wildly to see Dense leaning against his bedroom door, arms folded.

'Ah…' Fury darted away from him. Rush was left to bicker with him. She decided to take a long long walk away from the house for a while. At least there might something more interesting.

_**Part 7**_

Whirl frowned and looked down at the cards in her hand. No way was she going to lose again. To a jerk like Flash.

'Well, Whirl, are you going to deal?' snickered Flash, tapping at his perfect set of cards. The other forty-one teenagers looked intently at Whirl who was grinding her teeth. _Not this time, no, someone help me! _She pleaded.

BANG!

They swiveled around and saw a worn-out Fury standing at the doorway. Flash was annoyed. 'Fury, close the door, there's a draft in here.' Fury growled and shot a ball of fire at him.

'Guys, I just met Shizune and she told me the Fifth Hokage wanted to see us for an urgent mission.' She gasped out. Whirl threw down the cards on the table.

'_YEESS!!_' She shrieked and jumped to her feet. The others put on expressions of surprise and got up to follow Fury to meet the Hokage.

'Did Shizune say what the mission was about?' Rush asked quickly.

'No. But apparently it's very important and we're having another team of ninja escorting us.' Fury informed him, lightening her hands in the dark forest. Rush asked again who the team was but she shrugged and strolled on.

Finally, they reached the Hokage office. Shizune opened the door and led them in. Fury, Rush and Whirl froze in shock when they saw Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke waiting impatiently in front of Tsunade's desk.

The Fifth Hokage looked up at them impatiently. 'Finally, you're here. I've got a very dangerous S-ranked mission for all for you.' She snapped.

'The Akatsuki again?' Flash said. The Fifth Hokage nodded irritably and started to explain the mission.

'We got a tip-off from Jiraiya that a criminal had joined the Akatsuki. This new recruit is very dangerous.' She warned. 'He doesn't have a name but we know that he was from Kirigakure. He's a very accomplished ninja but was banished from the village when discovered he was serving as a spy from another criminal organization. The village turned him out before the organization could use his information to attack the village.'

She paused and gave the group a sharp glance. 'Your mission is to hunt him down and kill him before he starts a death war between the Five Great Shinobi Nations.'

Sasuke's eyebrows tightened. 'A death war between the Five Great Shinobi Nations? That's quite impossible.' He said.

The Fifth Hokage closed her eyes and grunted. 'Don't forget he's a top ninja and high-leveled S-ranked criminal. And he's got the Akatsuki to back him up anytime.'

'Don't worry, we're on it.' Naruto said confidently. She smiled at him and dismissed the meeting.

Naruto laughed out loud when they were out of the building. 'Finally, a new mission. An S-ranked one too.'

'The Fifth Hokage really thinks we could handle it?' wondered Sakura worryingly.

Dense grinned. 'Of course, that's why she had us put together.' Sasuke nodded but said nothing more.

Kakashi moved closer to Fury. 'Are you worried?' he said teasingly.

Fury smiled. 'No, just a bit nervous that's all. I mean, the Akatsuki is big business.' She said, pushing back her hair. Kakashi gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and moved back to his three genins.

Sakura punched him on the arm. 'So did you say anything to her?' she hissed eagerly. Naruto stopped laughing and acting maniacally to listen. Even Sasuke paused ignoring them for a moment.

Kakashi avoided their curious eyes. 'No, I didn't.' Naruto gave an exasperated 'Arrgghh!' and sent a violent punch at him, which he dodged quickly.

'Better save that strength for the mission, Naruto,' Sasuke said in a bored voice. Rush chose that moment to appear beside them.

'He's right but I would have done the same if it wasn't for that mission.' He said, throwing a filthy look at Kakashi. Kakashi knew that he still had feelings for Fury so he said nothing. Whirl was just behind Rush and she saw their expressions.

She thumped Rush on the arm. 'Cool it! She's with him and he cares for her.' She reminded him.

'Probably not as much as I do.' He grinded. A strong surge of air swept around his feet and Whirl nearly tripped. 'I would have been hers if he hadn't cut into her life. I should have revealed my feelings sooner.' He said regretfully.

'That was your mistake.' She replied.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged puzzled looks. Sakura worked this out in silence. So Rush liked Fury and she liked Kakashi, privately, Sakura thought that Fury and Kakashi made a great pair. However, she didn't think he would make a great father to any kid.

'Hey, Sakura, you coming?' Sasuke's voice shook her out of her thoughts. She smiled sweetly at him and followed her team on a different path from the forty-four teenagers.

Back at the Power House, Rush confronted Fury in a dark corner of the house. She had a slightly dazed look after Kakashi had kissed her on the cheek and Rush wasn't going to let it go on. 'Fury, do you really like him?' he asked timidly.


	3. Kakashi's Triumph and Dilemma

The dazed look was replaced by annoyance. 'Yes. Yes, I think I do. I told you, I'm over you. Kakashi's the real life for me now,' she snapped.

Rush looked pained. 'You do realize that hurts a lot, right?' he winced. Fury's face flushed with realization and she scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

'I'm sorry. But Kakashi's really important to me right now.' She said heavily.

'Am I interrupting something?' Rush froze when he heard that familiar irritating voice. Fury looked more awkward than ever and something like delight spread across her pretty face. Quickly, he faced Kakashi who was hiding in the shadows in a corner not far from them.

'When did you get here?' he demanded.

'Rush…'

'Just now.'

'Rush!' Red-faced, he ignored Fury promptly and walked away leaving a hurt and bewildered Fury with a confused Kakashi. She sighed and looked up with a twinge of gratefulness as Kakashi put a hand around her shoulders while reading his book by moonlight.

She stretched a little and kissed him. In response, his hand crept deftly from her shoulders to the inside of her slip-on dress. His moving fingers tickled her thighs from outside her black tights and she bit her lip, trying to gulp down a gasp. Then suddenly, he stopped and placed his hand on her waist.

'Let's go somewhere more private.' He whispered then the both of them disappeared in a poof of smoke.

They reappeared deep in the middle of the forest. Fury couldn't see the house anywhere but she could tell they were still in the area. Kakashi had her pinned on a tall tree and there was only a broad branch supporting them. His mask was off and the moonlight shone down on his hair, making silvery lights bouncing on tree barks. The bottom half of his face was shadowed but she could see the outlines of his lips and they were making way to hers.

His lips quivered as they kissed. He was feeling strangely peaceful after breathing in her mint sharp scent and chewing her lips. He cupped his hands on her face and pressed harder, a crazy feeling crossing his heart.

Finally, after a long time of kissing passionately, he released his lips away reluctantly, bumping her cheek with his nose. Sakura and Naruto's indignant faces suddenly flashed in front of him and he hesitated, wondering whether he should say it or not.

He clutched her upper arms and looked at her strangely coloured eyes. 'Fury, I-I–' He caught himself. Fury eyed him curiously and he tore his eyes from her hastily. 'Never mind.' He resumed kissing her again, trailing down her neck and cupping a gloved hand on a breast greedily.

She wound her arms around his neck and let his gravity undefying hair waved its aroma into her nostrils. She wondered what kind of shampoo he used. Suddenly, she let out a small shriek as both his hands dug into her dress. Even though she was wearing another long-sleeved shirt inside and her black tights, she felt stripped.

Kakashi had gone a bit too far. She pushed his hands away then without thinking slapped him.

'Sorry!' she gasped quickly and backed away, nearly slipping on the branch.

Kakashi rubbed the left side of his face which was stinging and took her hand. That hurt but it's all my fault. I got carried away, it's just that under this moonlight and you were glowing and everything…' he faltered and squeezed her gloved hand gently. Thankfully, she stepped closer and brushed his hand clutching his face away.

Then she touched his red skin and concentrated. Kakashi felt the sting rapidly fading and Fury's body crumpling a little. 'What are you doing?' he said scandalized. She kissed the healed skin affectionately.

'I'm no good at fixing wounds but I can cure wounds made by me easily. It takes some of my strength away but it's worth it.' She said. Kakashi, touched, slipped his arms around her and accidentally on purpose passed them over her butt. She didn't flinched but moved closer until her chest crashed onto his shinobi vest. He lost himself again and clamped his hands over her shaped butt.

'You'll make an excellent sex girl, Fury,' he murmured enjoying her soft and fleshy backside. She made an ominous noise but smiled. Did he mean he wanted to do actual SEX with her? Kakashi let her go and mashed his lips back again on her juicy ones.

Fury wanted this night to last forever until his firm voice crashed against her heart. 'Fury, I'll take you back. You need rest after your lack of sleep yesterday.' Without waiting for protests, he pushed the mask back then lifted her in his strong arms and jumped branch after branch until they reached the house.

Silently and swiftly, he stole to her window and undid the latch deftly. He slipped the both of them inside and laid Fury on her bed. She was already asleep. Kakashi smiled lovingly at her peaceful face and gave her one last long kiss on the lips. He swept a finger over her jaw line and very reluctantly, left her asleep in her room.

Naruto and Sakura are going to kill him after they heard about this. Kakashi decided to skip tomorrow's training then hesitated, missing training would mean not seeing Fury with her friends at the training field. He sighed and reached for his _Make-Out Paradise _book. He was in a real dilemma.


	4. The Mission Starts

_**Part 8**_

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke waited impatiently for their tardy sensei at the training field. The forty-four others had arrived in time. Finally, the bobbing silver hair with its masked face hidden behind the orange _Make-Out Tactics _book appeared from the trees.

'C'mon, Kakashi sensei, get a move on,' Naruto shouted at him. 'It's time for our mission.' Kakashi nodded at him and stored his book away half-reluctantly.

They set out from the Leaf Village, with the two Chunin gate-guards biding and wishing them good luck. Once out of sight of the village, the group started to tense up a bit as they were constantly on guard for any suspicious activities going around the forests surrounding them. Kakashi was leading so he didn't have any chance of slipping to Fury though he was sure she was just right behind him.

After a few good days of walking and no action at all, they were getting slightly agitated when they passed through a deep forest. Kakashi looked at his tired team and searched around for a place to rest. Finally, he spotted a wide enough space with good lighting in the middle of the forest. He beckoned at the worn-out team and they struggled with their last strength to the chosen spot.

'This has got to be the worst S-ranked mission ever.' Naruto whined as they threw down their backpacks and started to eat the snacks they brought along. Even Kakashi, who had completed at least 42 S-ranked missions, had to agree.

The new Akatsuki member was a good ninja if he hadn't leave a single clue to hunt him down. Most of the time, they would have got a criminal pinned down in one day. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a bit glad about this, it meant more time for him and Fury to get along.

Accepting the packet of snacks from Naruto without expression, he went to eat it in peace under a shady. He stiffened and put his hand to his back where he kept his ninja weapons when he heard a soft sound.

Suddenly, he spotted a reddish-bronze ponytail whip out of sight from behind the tree he was leaning on. He sighed in relief and walked around the tree to see Fury eating some sort of mint grass from a scrap of paper. She was sitting casually on a low broad branch with her back to the others and her feet dangling an inch away from the ground.

Kakashi moved closer to her and brushed the shoulder-length fringe that was covering her eyes. She started and looked up in alarm, only to see a smiling Kakashi looking down at her. She relaxed and felt a tingle when he sat down beside her.

'What are you eating?' he asked quietly. She put down the half-eaten mint leaf and turned her head to look at him. But she hadn't realized that his face was very close to her head so her nose bumped into his.

'Whatever it is, it makes your mouth taste really good.' He continued softly, his hand curling over her shoulders. His finger traced along her flawless and pretty face to her jaw. He didn't care for the fact that his students and the forty-three teens were looking and gaping at them. 'Get ready.' He said focusing on her lips.

He could hear Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke's intake of breath as he reached for his mask. Grinning, he closed his left hand over the edge of the mask and pulled. Then, at the last moment, he pushed Fury with his right hand to the dark shadow of the deep forest and kissed her passionately.

His grin widened when she smiled and wrapped her hands automatically around his neck. He hugged her tightly and deepened the kiss. The both of them could hear the others gasping and whispering excitedly. Rush was fuming but he couldn't help smirking at Fury.

Suddenly, Fury got a shock when Kakashi's mouth opened and his tongue curled into her mouth, touching the roof of her mouth and the back of her teeth. She let out a frightened noise and pulled away but Kakashi had got an iron grip on her. He was chuckling a little at her frightened state.

'Hey, don't worry,' he murmured through the kiss. His tongue lolled out with Fury's saliva dripping from her teeth. She hit him playfully and kissed him happily, keeping her mouth sealed firmly. Kakashi's hands slipped from her back to her waist then Rush decided to cut in.

'Okay, enough,' he said through gritted teeth. 'That was a nice love scene but it won't help us find the Akatsuki.' Fury and Kakashi parted reluctantly and stared at each other lovingly. After a few minutes of staring, they picked themselves off the ground with Kakashi helping a flustered Fury up.

Whirl tugged Fury away from Kakashi who watched them ruefully.

'That was radical!' Whirl burst out excitedly, grabbing her friend's shoulders. She looked at a dreamy Kakashi wishfully. 'I really wish Genma was here. We would have kissed like the both of you. Though, I don't think he likes passionate actions in front of public.' Fury grinned at her ecstatic friend.

'Kakashi's nice and caring, but he's quite a perv. This isn't the first time he caught me in his love trance.' She said, blushing at her blankness. Whirl wasn't listening to her, she was playing the kissing scene back and forth in her head.

'That was some hug he gave you.' Whirl said, sighing, ignoring Fury's deep crimson blush. 'It was like he really cared for you and didn't want to let you go, like forever. And when he touched your waist, I really thought he was going to strip you–'

'Okay, cupid, enough with the love explanations.' Rush snarled at her. She glared irritably at him and walked away to Dense, who was holding her snack. Rush sighed and Fury started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He clutched her hand despairingly.

'You enjoyed it, right?' he asked sadly, Fury nodded awkwardly and he sighed again. 'Well, that's all I wanted, to have you happy every moment.' His voice cracked a little. Fury's blush turned to a beetroot red flush at her friend's concern. Kakashi was leaning against the tree again and he was watching the couple suspiciously, especially Rush.

'Feeling the jealousy yet, sensei?' Naruto's mocking voice said from beside him. Kakashi frowned at him and growled softly. Sakura punched him on the arm and shook her head at him when he looked down at her, annoyed.

'Rush can't get Fury, trust me,' she said to her lovesick sensei. Then her smug tones turned to warm honey flattering tones. 'By that way, that was some kiss you gave her. If only someone would give me one exactly like that.' She shot a hopeful glance at Sasuke but he ignored her expression.

Naruto, on the other hand, grinned widely at his pink-haired friend. 'Hey, Sakura, I hope you don't mind if I give you one right now!' he puckered his lips and headed to Sakura's face. She shrieked and her fist went flying and coming in contact with Naruto's jaw. Sasuke and Kakashi watched Sakura beating Naruto without much hesitation. Sasuke had no interest in the subject love but he seemed amused by his teacher and Fury of Fire.

'Ca we get moving?' Center said in a bored voice after they had finished eating and light sleeping for a short hour. Kakashi grunted and the others stretched before picking up their heavy backpacks.

Now that their relationship wasn't such a secret anymore, Kakashi had summoned up the courage to pull Fury to the front with him and slipped an arm over her waist. Her face went red all over and she fidgeted constantly with her backpack strap. Every few hours or so, he would lean close to her face until his masked nose touched her cheek then talk softly to her.

It would have been a casual romantic walk if it weren't for the mission. Whirl had a bad feeling about the number of their squad. It was official to have only a four-person squad on missions.

'The Akatsuki is this great number of big-time criminals. Each of them has a special talent, wouldn't it seemed really stupid if,' she gulped. 'If they wouldn't know if a huge number of people are tracking them.'

Kakashi hesitated but regained his confidence. 'It's possible but with the number of people we have, they would not escape quick enough to avoid each of us. If we separated into a three-person squad and hid in several possible locations, they would be caught in no time.' He said, moving his hand over Fury's back in an assuring way when a worried look crossed her face. Her long ponytail swung down and curled over his arm gently. Kakashi scowled a bit, looking down at this weird situation, her hair never touched him before. It was unusual…

Suddenly he stopped dead, so did Sasuke. Kakashi removed his arm from Fury who was frozen. The others looked confused but they had a chill down their spine which wasn't nice at all. Rush's eyebrows drew down and he reached behind him for his shurikens and kunai. He had a feeling that there was something bad in front of them of the forest. Naruto, with his nine-tailed fox instincts, sensed a surge of evil in the air and released a sharp intake of breath.

Without warning, dozens of shurikens flew from the thick clump of trees. The forty-four teens with Team Kakashi dodged out of the way, diving behind bushes and tree trunks. Out of the corner of his activated Sharingan eye, Sasuke could see a few dark shadows moving and he saw what was coming immediately. That particular hand sign.

'RUN!' he shouted as the enemy performed the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu and the shurikens stuck in the tree trunks suddenly sprang out and multiplied quickly.

Out of nowhere, Rush half-clenched his fists and a huge surges of air started to whip around and wrap themselves to form a swirling air vortex. The flying shurikens were sucked and fastened in the cushion of air. Rush fully clenched his fists and the menacing shurikens went flying back to the caster of the jutsu.

Kakashi's frown deepened as he saw the dark shadow of their ambusher dodging the shurikens easily. This would have gone out of hand already if it wasn't for the forty-four's natural elemental powers. But, overall, their enemy was a strong one.


	5. Trouble Ahead!

_**Part 9**_

Shuriken after shuriken and kunai after kunai zipped through the air, meeting and dropping to the floor. Fireballs, water blasts, slicing air, flying rocks and other confusing attacks flew around the dark forest. But, none of them seemed to meet their target.

After a few hours, they weren't in the forest anymore. Instead, they were in some wasteland and for the first time, they saw the full body of their enemy.

Dressed in an Akatsuki cloak and face drawn over with a wide hat, their unknown and dangerous target was right in front of them. He lifted his head and reached up to take off the hat.

The girls in the squad even Fury gasped and widened their eyes when they saw his face. Fury had to admit, he looked better than Kakashi. He had yellow-blonde hair swept up in a high ponytail with two rough fringes hanging over his perfectly-shaped face. His eyes were a clear blue and there was a cold and fatal look in them. Below his sharp and pointed nose was a small and smooth-lipped mouth that looked really delicious. It was hard to realize that a handsome ninja like him would become a criminal.

'Whoa!' Whirl breathed out from behind Fury. Rush frowned and nudged her to snap her back to earth.

'Kakashi Hatake.' The S-ranked criminal said coldly, his voice smooth and deep. 'The Copy Ninja. And Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed, how convenient.' Kakashi and Naruto tightened their hands on their kunai. 'Seems like you've got a huge crowd tagging along with you. I've never seen the element-shooting ones before.'

'You really shouldn't talk so much, since you're about to be beaten up by us.' Sasuke shot back calmly. The criminal turned his eyes to him and grinned evilly.

'My, my, you look awfully like Itachi and you've got Sharingan. Tell me, are you related to him?' he addressed Sasuke. The power-hungry ninja frowned deeply and growled; hearing his brother's name made him furious.

'So, you're that high-leveled ninja from Kirigakure, aren't you?' Fury said icily, lifting her fire-wrapped hands in a deadly manner. The fire burst up and the flames swirled more quickly than before.

'Well, you're a feisty one.' The delicious blonde mocked, an amused smile crossing his face. 'And the name's Iyarashi Umazura, what might yours be, pretty?'

Kakashi let out a low growl and Iyarashi raised his eyebrows at him. 'What? She's your girlfriend?' he raised his hands and performed some quick hand signs, shards of solid ice shot up from behind him. 'Dear me, the famous Kakashi actually going out with a element-powered girl, how touching.'

His blue eyes flashed. 'But, that won't help you!' The shards of ice suddenly grew longer and each of them bent and dived to the ground like rubber. When the ice hit the ground, the mass of wasteland turned into a sheet of clear ice. The entire squad's feet were stuck in the solid ice and Iyarashi smirked.

Fury clenched her fists and the fire wrapped all around her. The sheet of ice she was standing on melted. Iyarashi didn't move but his eyes narrowed. More ice curled themselves around Fury but her fire melted them instantly.

'Save your strength!' she shouted and the fire spread to melt the ice around her friends' feet.

Kakashi fired a kunai at Iyarashi and he moved to dodge it, just as Fury charged at him with a fiery fireball in her hand. The blonde's blue eyes widened and he jumped. Fury's fireball caught him in the arm and tore away at a bit of the cloak but he was unharmed.

'Try this one for a change!' Whirl yelled then waved a hand with sufficient control. A huge wave of water came up from nowhere and headed straight to Iyarashi. He jumped again and landed on the water neatly.

'This is all you got?' he pushed them. Naruto suddenly performed his Shadow Clone Jutsu and his clone appeared to mold a Rasengan in his left hand. 'Not enough, kid!' Iyarashi moved his hand to his chest where Naruto was aiming. His palm fizzed with blue chakra and he deflected the Rasengan but he flinched a little since the Rasengan was no ordinary attack.

The others gasped and stunned looks crossed their faces in shock at the deflection. It was quite impossible, the number of times Naruto had succeeded in knocking down his opponents with the attack and Iyarashi had prevented it by just concentrating chakra on his palm.

As for Naruto, he couldn't believe his eyes. This guy was no ordinary ninja, he was beyond powerful and clever. He was a complete genius and accomplished ninja, no wonder the Kirigakure people decided to kick him out after they realized his true face. He was too dangerous to be close to.

'You guys are a waste of time,' a smooth voice said from the shadows. Everyone turned to the speaker. 'Why are we even here fighting you when we have a good chance of attacking Konoha right now!'

Deidara, accompanied with Tobi, stepped out from the shadows and glared at the group. Iyarashi looked a bit irritated at the interruption, but he could sense logic in the short speech.

'Ooh, yes, Senpai, that's very good!' Tobi said excitedly and giggled a little.

'Shut up!' Deidara snapped at his childish companion and he subsided. Spread of Green, one of Fury's favourite friends, felt a warm but chilly feeling down her spine as she studied Deidara's young features.

'How old is he?' she asked randomly to Fury who was watching Iyarashi like a hawk. Fury didn't detach her eyes from the criminal but she could sense something slurred and lovesick in Spread's tone.

'19.' The hot-head replied, smiling a little.

'I'm a year younger, huh? Not bad, but he's a criminal…' Spread muttered to herself. She sighed regretfully then stiffened when Deidara glanced at her. A sneaky smile crossed his face but he wiped it away quickly when Tobi suddenly squealed in delight.

'Senpai, what's so funny? Tobi wants to know too!'

'Shut up!' Deidara yelled through gritted teeth.

'Enough! The both of you!' Iyarashi yelled back, losing his temper. 'C'mon, time we ransack the village.'

'No, you don't!' Kakashi cut in, his hands performing hand signs. 'Water style, water dragon!'

The mass of water Whirl had created swirled together and a water dragon formed. It dived and attacked Iyarashi, Deidara and Tobi. Iyarashi yelled out then the water covered them.

'Too easy.' Sasuke said out loud. Kakashi grunted and clenched his fists as the water settled down and the three Akatsuki members were nowhere to be seen.

'We need to get back to the village, and fast.' Rush said angrily, furious that their whole squad was deflected so easily by Iyarashi.

Keeping their weapons poised, they jumped on some trees and leaped quickly through forests to Konoha. The villagers' lives were at stake, and they didn't even have the criminals pinned down before the attack. It was a complete loss of travel and tracking.

Suddenly, Fury shot a huge fireball to Rush's left. Everyone turned to see what had caused the attack. Three infuriated shouts told the squad that their targets hadn't gotten far. The ball of fire had caught on a clump of trees and a cloud of smoke covered their vision of the Akatsuki members.

'Incoming!' Whirl suddenly screamed. A spinning swarm of shurikens sparkling with electricity curved in the air and aimed for them. The one blazing the brightest headed to the place where Fury's neck had been a few seconds ago. She swayed on an elm tree and managed to knock down the shuriken with her fire.

'Now they've done it.' Kakashi hissed in his head, shooting dark looks through the clearing smoke with his blazing eyes. Three dark figures in cloaks drifted out and leaped straight at them, their hands making hand signs smoothly and swiftly.

'No!' Forty-eight voices cried out in horror. The triple attack was too much for them to handle, unless…

The forty-four teenagers jumped in front of their comrades. 'Element Shield!' Each teenager slammed their palms together and balls of elements, each unique to its personality, built up in their hands. They let go and the balls expanded to cover all of them. Iyarashi's Lightning Strike and Deidara's clay bombs hit the element walls and evaporated as the combined powers hit them.

Sasuke nodded at Naruto who crouched down and cupped both hands together. Sasuke stepped on and jumped into the air, his hands moving to a tiger seal. 'Fire style, Fireball Jutsu!' he brought a hand up to his mouth and scorching flames enveloped the three criminals.

'Water style, Water Wall!' Iyarashi said just as quickly as the fire hit them. Fortunately for him but unluckily for the squad, there was a river nearby and the water rushed forward to build up a sturdy Water Wall, protecting them from the flames.

Sasuke landed beside Naruto and snarled in frustration. Nothing they do could get past Iyarashi. Suddenly, he felt something unpleasant crawling up his sleeve and he looked down in realization. One of Deidara's infuriating clay bombs clung to his shirt and it was scrambling closer to his face…

'Don't move!' Naruto shouted from beside him, Sasuke looked up in time to see his friend pummeling a Rasengan at his sleeve. The force of the attack ripped his sleeve but he was unharmed. The crumbling bomb dropped to the ground. Sakura shuddered then ducked just in time as a kunai zoomed at her.

'Sorry!' Rush cried out to her, his hand reaching back for another kunai. The pressure of his summoned air had taken over him and whipped the first kunai out of his shaking hand.

He pointed the kunai at Pool who wrapped his fingers around the blade and covered it in slimy mud. 'Are you sure this is enough?' he asked anxiously at the mud creator.

'Enough to wrap them up, if that's what you mean,' Pool said, his feet sliding on a tree trunk when Iyarashi's Water Wall splashed down and the jet of water hit the element wall.

'Right.' he muttered through gritted teeth. A bit reluctantly, he plunged his hand along with the kunai through the wall of air and sent the weapon flying with a flick of his air-powered palm.

Tobi caught sight of the kunai and tugged at Deidara's sleeve. 'Senpai, there's a kunai heading for us.' Deidara was half-listening because of the clay project in his hands so he yanked his arm away from his partner's tug.

'Deidara!' Iyarashi said in a warning tone, not taking his eyes off the squad. The blond sighed and snapped his head to Tobi. 'What is it this time, another butterfly?' he snapped.

Tobi, stung by his senpai's words, pointed vaguely at the flying kunai. 'That kunai over there.' he said meekly. Deidara's eye widened and he spun around just in time to see the mud around the kunai slowly expanding.

'Iyarashi!' he shouted. The yellow-haired criminal made an exasperated noise then moved back closer to Deidara and Tobi. He leaned back and muttered something to the both of them.

'You can't escape from this one!' Pool yelled at them. 'My Mud Wrapper is fatal, to most people.' He added in a small voice.

The Element Shield faded as the mud cocooned itself around the three Akatsuki members. 'Got them!' Rush cried. They jumped on the trees to the mud cocoon. Could they really have caught the three Akatsuki members?

Pool reached out to touch the cocoon…


End file.

Naruto, Drama, Romance