•||Long-lost Friends||•

5

-Y/N's POV-

Another day of waiting for Kakashi's sorry ass. I tapped my foot impatiently as I leaned against a tree trunk. Naruto and Sasuke were bickering as Sakura encouraged her precious Sasuke-kun. Wasn't this dumbass in the ANBU? Surely he knew you had to be on time, right?

This dumbass was later than he usually was. Is he trying to test Lord Third's patience? Or does he enjoy pissing him off and watching him fume?

As I was watching Naruto and Sasuke spar, I sensed a source of chakra creeping up behind me. It was quite soft and gentle. 

"Kakashi?" I cried. I spun around and glimpsed a few strands of silver hair. I grunted and parted the leafy green branches of the shrub. There Kakashi was, chuckling sheepishly. 

"Good morning," he said, climbing out of the bush. "There was an old lady—"

"And you simply had to stop and help her," I deadpanned. "It sounds sweet, but I wonder if it's just an excuse for you being late 24/7."

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "Let's just go to Lord Hokage's office, shall we? We're late enough as it is."

Pretty rich coming from your mouth.

We were now standing in front of Lord Third, nearly three hours late to our scheduled visit. 

"Ah, you're finally here," Lord Third smiled, irritated. I couldn't blame him. "Your mission will be a D-rank—"

"Come on, Old Man Third!" Naruto butted in. "We're not as weak as you think! Let us go on at least a C-rank mission!"

"No, Naruto!" Iruka yelled. "Every ninja starts from the bottom and works his way up! You don't get special treatment just because you think you're better than everyone else!"

"Pulled the words right out of my mouth, Iruka," I chuckled. 

"Hmph!" Naruto grunted, flopping down, sitting cross-legged on the floor, sulking. Lord Third frowned.

"Fine, if you insist, I'll give you a C-rank mission."

"All right!" Naruto cheered, perking up considerably and climbing to his feet.

"Your mission is very simple. You just need to escort a bridge-builder to the Village of the Mist. The bridge-builder will meet you shortly."

As Lord Third explained the details of the mission,  a man walked in through the big double-doors of the office. He was an obese fellow, and was sucking on a bottle of sake like a baby with a bottle. 

"Are you kidding me?!" he slurred. "I'm supposed to trust these little pipsqueaks with my life?!"

"Huh?! We're not short!" Naruto yelled, to which Sakura and Sasuke inched closer to him. Sasuke was tallest, Sakura was just a little bit shorter than him and Naruto was a little shrimp. But a very sweet one. 

Kakashi had to restrain Naruto so he wouldn't try to beat up the bridge-builder.

"Naruto! Be nice!" I scolded him. "He's our client!"

He grumbled under his breath and ceased trying to murder the man. 

"My name is Tazuna," he said, taking a large sip of his bitter sake. "So, are you going to escort me today?"

"Tomorrow," Lord Third corrected him. "They need time to pack."

"Whatever."

-Time skip to tomorrow-

I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Of course, I was too lazy to drag my ass out of bed until at least twenty minutes after I'd woken up. I closed my eyes again, wanting to fall asleep. I'll give them some excuse later.

"Hey... wake up~"

I bolted up and looked around wildly. Where did the voice come from?

"Woah... calm down... it's just me." 

My head twisted itself around to see the smirking silver-haired shinobi. 

"Maa-a, Y/N-chan, get up~ We can't have you being late, can we~?"

"Since when are you concerned about being early?" I grumbled. "Also, can you, like, move away from the windowsill? I look like a mess right now."

"No you don't, you look stunning," Kakashi muttered. He probably thought I couldn't hear him. 

"What was that again?" I asked, feeling myself getting flustered.

"A-Ah, nothing!" he said. We both blushed madly. 

"So... can you leave? I need to get clothes, you know."

"Oh, of course."

Kakashi gave me a little nod and leapt away over the tiled rooftops. I sighed and forced myself out of bed and prepared myself mentally to deal with Sakura's fangirling. 

-Kakashi's POV-

Contrary to my usual practice, I woke up early today. I was excited to show off my masculinity when I escorted Tazuna to the Village of the Mist. 

I got up and prepared myself quickly, packed a few things into a rucksack and hurled myself out of a window. Of course I didn't  use the door. What amateur does that?

I stopped at Y/N's house. Surely I can get away with peeking at her for a little bit? 

I slowed down and peered into her open window. She was awake, but she wasn't moving, for some reason? I decided to see if she was alive or dead. 

"Hey... wake up~" I purred. Y/N shot up and looked about frantically. 

"Woah, calm down... it's just me."

Y/N turned around to see me smirking at her. 

"Maa-a, Y/N-chan, get up~ We can't have you being late, can we~?"

"Since when are you concerned about being early?" she griped. "Also, can you, like, move away from the windowsill? I look like a mess right now."

"No you don't, you look stunning," I murmured. 

"What was that again?" Y/N asked.

"A-Ah, nothing!" I said hurriedly. We both blushed and I cursed to myself. Goddammit! I should've never even tried to peek at her. 

"So... can you leave? I need to get clothes, you know."

"Oh, of course," I said, nodding, disappointed that I couldn't gawk at her beauty for a little longer. 

Shoving away the last impure thought from my mind, I darted away, to Konoha's Front Gates.