Getting Lost on the Roads of Life - a KakaSaku Story [CONCLUDED]

The Six O'Clock Appointment

"Will you STOP THIS ALREADY!"

Surprised to be yelled at by somebody normally so stoic, Kakashi stared at Yamato's deeply red face and heaving chest.

"Sorry," he said and folded his hands.

"Senpai," Yamato sighed, "with all due respect, you are driving me insane."

Huh? All Kakashi had done was throw purple chakra balls at the wall but only so that they did not leave any traces, which Kakashi thought was extra crafty. He had to imagine the wall a few inches thicker than it was and pull back the force right when it hit the imaginary wall and not the real wall. In addition, he had to control the power so that it did not leak any unwanted chakra forward. It was quite hard, but he was improving fast. Sure, there was a sound, very similar to the Chidori sound, but it was rather soft and as Kakashi thought, pleasant. Why was Yamato so touchy today?

Kakashi looked a little closer at his junior behind his desk in the Anbu administrative office. Lots and lots of paperwork even though it was only the beginning of the week. Yamato's hands were trembling ever so faintly. There were dark shadows under his eyes. He probably hadn't slept much.

"Are you overworked again, Tenzō?" Kakashi asked with a frown. "You should learn to say 'no'."

"That is not my name, Senpai, and you know it," Yamato replied sullenly.

"To me, it is," Kakashi said and stretched, trying to release some of the tension in his back. "There is no honor in dying from too much paperwork, you know."

"Ha!" Yamata scoffed, "somebody's got to do it."

He had a point, Kakashi thought. It had always baffled him just how much administrative work the running of a village, its missions, and its personnel required. Well, as long as it wasn't him who had to do it...

"Continue the good work," Kakashi murmured and flopped back into the comfortable chair in front of Yamato's desk. Why not run through some of the most complicated jutsu, trying to further improve his hand sign speed?

"Senpai...", Yamato began patiently.

"Yes, Tenzō?"

"Can you find something else to do, please?"

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows. Was he being kicked out?

"I need to finish writing three lengthy reports until tomorrow," Yamato said patiently. "Since you do not seem inclined to help me, please remove yourself from my office."

My office, was it? Apparently, dear Yamato had taken root in here. Which was a hilarious thought considering Yamato's Wood Release abilities. Should he check for actual roots underneath the desk?

Yamato sighed. "Why are you extra restless today, Senpai? Anything important coming up?"

"Oh, you know..."

"Or are you deliberately getting on my nerves so that I will go beg Tsunade to give you something to do? The strategy isn't bad, but Lady Tsunade is far more intimidating than you, Senpai. You won't be successful in the end. Spare me, please."

Tsunade wasn't only intimidating. She was also ruthless. Of all punishments, being forced to be idle like this was by far the worst for somebody like Kakashi. There was nothing to read in the Anbu HQ apart from literature about tactical, operational and strategic aspects of missions and warfare that he knew by heart, you could only throw shuriken at targets for so many hours per day, push-ups and the likes got very boring quickly, and the younger Anbu members were so timid, they hardly dared talk to him. Kakashi hated to be worshipped, always had. He didn't even want people to pay particular attention to him, that only increased the likelihood of getting unwanted tasks. To make things worse, Anko was working at the academy until very late every day, his ninken refused to be summoned if there was no task, Might Guy was on a hot-spring holiday, and... Kakashi sighed deeply. Everybody was busy except him. And yes... today, it was particularly torturous to sit still.