Flame of A Shinobi

(2- new assignment)

I stood in front of the Hokage, fidgeting slightly with every growing second. My last mission had been a success, thanks to a certain someone with silver gravity defying hair and dark, brooding eyes. The Hokage smiled at me, looking a tired as he went back to examining the paperwork for our next mission.  I was being permanently  reassigned to a new team, all comprised of elite ninja. I was only hoping to not be a let down. The Hokage looked back up at me as I gripped my hands nervously. "Relax, Shizuka. I am sure everything will be perfectly fine. You have nothing to worry about. They should be here any minute," he tells me kindly as my nervousness takes over me. Glancing over at Genma standing in the corner, then back at the Hokage I nod. "Okay, sorry. I am fine now, I promise," I tell him quietly as I try to find the confidence in myself that I was lacking moments ago.

The doorknob behind me rattled before the door opened.  In walked the very man that had not left my thoughts since that day, haunting my dreams like a sweet nightmare I never wanted to wake from. His eyes met mine and he stopped abruptly before walking forwards, his team coming in behind him one by one. None were Ninja I recognized. They introduced themselves as Asuma and Kurenai. I nod politely. 'Looks like I won't be the only female on this team after all' I think to myself selfishly. "My name is Shizuka Yuuki, nice to meet you all," I tell them with a smile, extending my hand in a gesture of friendship. Kurenai was the first to shake it, followed by Asuma, a cigarette in his mouth, the corners upturned into a smile. "Nice to meet ya Shizuka. We don't bite so relax," He says nearly reiterating what his father had told me before they even arrived not 10 minutes prior. Kakashi was last, extending his warm hand towards me in a formal greeting, a smile in his eye. "We have already met, but I am Kakashi Hatake. From now on, we will be working together. Glad to be in your acquaintance," he says softly as I take his hand and shake it. We turn back to the Hokage, His elderly face smiling upon us with a gentle watchfulness.

"Now that introductions are over, I have a mission for you. We need your team to do some recon in enemy territory. We have had many reports that they are amassing an army on the border of our territory and are headed this way. I Just want you to gather information on the enemy and send it back to the Leaf village at all costs. Do not engage the enemy unless you are attacked. Any questions?" He asks us as he shows us a map of the area we are to travel to. No further questions were asked so, standing up he turns and looks out the window. "Good, get ready to leave. I want you to all set out the day after tomorrow. Get some rest," He tells us, dismissing us all with the wave of a hand. I exit the door, just in front of Kakashi. As we leave the building I glance at Kakashi and smile slightly. "Would you be willing to join me for lunch? There are a few questions I want to ask you before our mission begins," I ask him quietly, expecting to be immediately shot down. To my surprise, he nods slightly making my ridiculous heart jump around in my chest.

"How about dumplings? I know a good shop in the village that has the best dumplings," He suggests honestly. I nod eagerly at his suggestion. "Dumplings are one of my favorites," I say excitedly, following him to the shop of his choosing. Not long afterwards, we are surrounded by dumplings and dango. "So what was it that you wanted to ask me?" He asks me as he removes his mask to eat. I freeze, my eyes transfixed to his face. A scar travels down his cheek, covered mostly by his Hitai-ate, but I suspect that it goes all the way up. shaking my head to clear my thoughts I smile disarmingly. " Well, first of all, Asuma was part of the Guardian Shinobi 12, right? And it seems everyone else on this team is super elite... Since this team seems so well placed, but I don't know where I fit into the mix. I feel like a carrot thrown into a bag of apples, so to speak," I tell him, lowering my chopsticks. Realization dawns on his face and he gives me a reassuring look. "You feel out of place? Well, in a manner of speaking, I asked for you specifically. I witnessed your skills in battle that day before I stepped in. Even my other team was impressed with your skills. You could have backed down, but you didn't. You persevered to the best of your ability. That is part of what makes a truly great shinobi. As for the others, we could do a practice run before we leave if you are still not confident?" he tells me as I stare intently at his face.

I am taken aback and smile softly. "It was truly dumb luck, Kakashi. I probably should have been killed. I definitely would have been had you not stepped in when you did. But I am not complaining either. I just don't feel like I have enough to offer the team. If we have time for a drill though, I would like one,  just to see which of my skills will be the greatest asset to this team," I tell him softly, my voice full of determination. To that he nods slightly and continues eating, thoughtfully chewing his dumplings before looking back up at me. A blush starts across my face as the shop owner brings us some jasmine tea. I thank him quietly, pouring us both a cup of the steamy, aromatic liquid. My eyes meet his as I look up and I smile softly at him, A deep blush spreading across my cheeks. If he noticed, he is too kind to bring it up, so instead I change the subject. "By the way, I wanted to thank you once again for saving me that day. Bigheaded-ness is a downfall for all shinobi, and mine must have been waterlogged as well to have gone running in there with the limited intel I had. I was lucky I didn't get my entire team killed," I tell him gratefully.

All he does is nod his head at my, eyes never leaving mine. He couldn't be more than a year older than I was and I duck my head in embarrassment. Suddenly he speaks. "You look almost exactly like someone I knew. Its almost eerie." I give him a confused look. "I do? may I ask who?" He shakes his head, letting out a soft sigh. "His name was Nobuo. You both have similar eyes," He says in a slightly sad tone. The name makes me gasp. "You knew my brother?" I ask him in astonishment. He nods just once. "He took the chunin exams at the same time as me. He was a truly admirable, talented shinobi. I had to fight him for the final trial. Given more time, we may have even become good friends," Kakashi says a little sadly. Nobuo was just a year older than me. He died during the final stages of the 3rd great ninja war. They never found his body. My mother  and I had been devastated, having lost both my father and my two brothers to the war. Nobuo and his twin, Sadao. The news drove my mother into a terrible depression, and to this day, she doesn't speak. I was only 13.  Six years later, I aimed to become stronger than all three. I WOULD surpass them all, that was my promise to my father and brothers.

Kakashi gave  me a reassuring look and held up a hand. "I can tell that this is a hard topic, let's talk about something else. You mentioned that you have several useful skills. Any that are better than others?" he asks. I nod, getting off of the sad topic of my family and smile at him. "Several actually. I was born with a rare Kekkei Genkai. It isn't optical, but instead, it is an elemental Kekkei Genkai. I actually almost burned down my home when I first learned I had it. It is a lightning type. I am still developing it, honestly. It only appears in my family once every few generations. Other than being adept at lightning style, I can also use fire and wind chakra natures. Because I went through rough spots, I am also adept with blades of all sorts from Tanto to Katana. It keeps me on my toes and I no longer get bored easily anymore."

Kakashi nods in understanding. "Understanding strengths and weaknesses is a part of being a good shinobi. It allows us to further hone those skills, kind of like sharpening a blade. Let's test them tomorrow. I will let Asuma and Kurenai know about the drill, since you are the only one who hasn't worked together with us before. It should come in handy so assess our skills as well so that we may collaborate."  I nod at him. The shop owner comes by with the check. I grab it and go to pay when Kakashi stops me. "I can't let a woman pay for my lunch... That would be completely tactless of me. Let me get it at least," He tells me, glancing at the check and taking it out of my hand. With him paying at the counter, I eat my last dumpling and finish my tea. 'I wish this were a date,' I think to myself before stamping that thought out of my mind.

Something has to be wrong with me if I was thinking about my teammate that way. Sure he was sexy as sin itself but I would be damned if I acted on it. Bet he barely knew I existed In the first place. If I hadn't asked him to lunch, I am sure he probably would have ignored me. Speak of the devil, as I was processing all this in my mind, Kakashi was back in front of me, his mask already back in place. "All done. Shall we go?" He asks me as I clear out my indecent thoughts. I give him my brightest smile and walk in front of him, out onto the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. "Thank you, Kakashi, I feel much better now," I tell him honestly. He offers to walk me home, But I want to be alone for now, if only to sort my muddled thoughts without the sharp eye prying into them. Little did I know, he would be the one in my thoughts from now on. The day that I was there before I knew it. I hadn't had much sleep, because he was haunting my dreams..... Kakashi of the Sharingan