
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/515872.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Naruto
  Relationship:
      Kakashi/Iruka
  Character:
      Umino_Iruka, Hatake_Kakashi
  Additional Tags:
      Mission_Fic, First_Time, Virginity, Frottage
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-09-18 Words: 7742
****** Shinobi no Mono ******
by Caeseria
Summary
     Kirigakure is a dangerous place at the best of times. During the
     Chuunin Exams, Iruka must fight not only to prove he's worthy to
     become a chuunin, but that he can survive his first experience with
     the Land of Water.
Notes
     Written for the
     [http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif?v=96.4]
kakairu_fest Summer round. Thank you to everyone who commented on the original
entry!
Chill water, almost freezing to the touch, drifted past Iruka's fingers as he
held them in the fast-moving stream. His jaw tightened as the cold grew
painful, steeling himself as he ducked his head, scooped the water into the
palms of his hands, and splashed it onto his face. The effect was immediate:
Iruka's senses awakened in a sudden, shocking rush which burnt away the last of
his lethargy.
The Land of Mist did that to you – the pervading chill of nighttime, coupled
with the damp, rising fog sapped the energy from your body incredibly quickly.
Add to that the extreme, constant adrenaline of being hunted like prey by
shinobi that knew the land far better than you did and you had a lethal
combination that would tax even the most experienced ninja.
Unfortunately, Iruka wasn't experienced; he was a genin. Sure, he had completed
more D-rank missions than he could count, and a number of C-ranks, but that was
about it. At the age of sixteen, this was Iruka's first experience with the
chuunin exam.
He'd spent last night in a tree, back pressed firmly to the rough bark, trying
to ignore the dull throbbing of the wound in his arm – a souvenir from an
unsuccessful encounter with two Lightning ninja. They'd attacked him, thinking
him easy prey since he was alone. The thought hadn't crossed Iruka's mind that
he could team up with another shinobi; during this second stage of the exam
they were supposed to survive five days in the forest alone and arrive at the
tower with a scroll. It was a tall order: there were, by his count,
approximately one hundred genin, fighting to obtain one of sixteen precious
scrolls.
The thought of those scrolls mocked Iruka through the long hours of the night
as he fought off both the cold and damp and the gnawing hunger of his empty
belly. To take his mind off his body's plight, he'd figured out the odds of
getting a scroll (1 in approximately 6), the target range of a thrown kunai
uphill in thirty kilometer-an-hour winds, (dependent on skill of said thrower,
and possible use of a jutsu versus none), and whether or not it was possible to
form an origami shuriken from eight pieces of paper (yes; provided you folded
the ends over just-so so it didn't fall apart). Despite all that, it had still
been one of the longest nights of his life. Sometime before dawn, just when his
nerves were stretched to breaking point, Iruka noticed Hound.
Or rather, Hound allowed Iruka to observe him.
At first, Iruka wasn't sure if he was seeing things; the shadows in the tree
across from Iruka seemed to lengthen and stretch, before pulling away from the
tree and forming into the shape of a man – a man with the face of a grinning
demon. Iruka's breath had caught in his throat, threatening to suffocate him.
His grip on his kunai had tightened and his palms had become sweaty. He'd
thought about breaking cover and running. Something had stopped him; maybe it
was a deep-set belief that running would prove he wasn’t worthy of one of those
scrolls, or perhaps he didn't want to be a genin for the rest of his life.
Still, he'd held his ground and waited for the demon to show itself properly.
Iruka's hesitation paid off; the mist slipped away as the sun broke between two
distant mountain-ranges, revealing the demon wore the face of a dog. Konoha
ANBU, he realized with a sigh of relief when he recognized the uniform. The
ANBU stayed still for mere moments before fading back into the background and
disappearing from view, leaving Iruka alone once more.
Iruka blinked a couple of times, wondering if he had just imagined the whole
thing. Konoha ANBU here, in Mist? The more he had thought about it, the more it
made sense. This was the first time Mist had participated in the chuunin exams
since that incident ten years ago; the one involving Momochi Zabuza and his
graduating class. In a show of good faith, the other shinobi nations had agreed
to let Mist host the exams. The presence of ANBU suggested that perhaps Konoha
wasn't the only Country to distrust Mist enough to want to send added
protection for their examinees.
Iruka had wondered who or what else was hiding in the forests and hills
surrounding Kirigakure, watching silently.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Kakashi hadn't intended to show himself to the genin sitting in the tree. His
directive from the Hokage, along with his cell, was to observe from a distance
and make sure that there was no outside interference from any of the other
nations. Mist was a wild card. Intelligence had failed to dig up any pre-
mediated plots that hinted they were intending to use the chuunin exams as a
stepping off point for war, but the Sandaime wasn't convinced by Mist's show of
collaboration and had (unofficially) sent an ANBU cell along to keep watch over
Konoha's participants.
Kakashi had watched this genin for a couple of hours, and he looked exhausted.
The kid was obviously unused to extended periods outdoors in inclement weather.
Even Kakashi had to admit the damp mist was a bitch, but some things had to be
endured just the same. It was part and parcel of any mission, along with
hunger, injury and sleep deprivation. If this genin couldn't hack the exam
conditions, then he had no right to lead a cell of men in the future.
Despite this, Kakashi was intrigued. The genin (Umino Iruka if his memory
served him correctly from his mission briefing) was smart. He'd littered the
ground around his tree with caltrops, and Kakashi could see at least three
carefully placed exploding tags from where he sat. Judging by the layout of the
tags, Umino had probably set up a time lag jutsu, designed to pull an
unsuspecting shinobi into the area before the tags went off. That was a high-
level jutsu, and many chuunin couldn't pull it off. Impressive,he admitted with
grudging respect. Perhaps the kid wasn't as green as he'd thought.
Maybe he'd keep watch over him a little longer and see exactly what Umino Iruka
could accomplish.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Iruka finished washing his face and took a moment to re-tie his hair. He stood
up, stretching muscles trembling from fatigue. I need to find a scroll, and
soon, he thought. If I don't, I won't pass this second exam and make it to the
finals.Perhaps, like the genin he'd fought yesterday, he should attempt to team
up with other Konoha ninja. Survival was the most important thing, or so his
jounin-sensei had said. Survive, and then obtain your mission objective.
A rustling sound off to Iruka's right snapped him out of his thoughts. He
dropped into a defensive position and pulled out a kunai, waiting for the
attack to materialize.
It never came. Instead, a boy emerged from the cover of the tree line. He was
tall, with ridiculous colored lavender hair, almond-shaped eyes and a pointed
chin.
Mitarashi Kuri.
"What do you want?" Iruka let his gaze sweep over the boy in front of him. The
boy grinned and held up his palms, showing they were empty of weapons. Iruka
snorted. That meant nothing to a shinobi – it was easy to hide any number of
weapons within easy reach.
Kuri stepped forward, hands still held upward. "Umino? You look like shit." The
boy paused for a second, as if weighing up his options, or perhaps his words.
"You got a scroll?"
"Maybe," Iruka hedged.
Kuri laughed. "Me neither. Fancy a time-out? I caught a rabbit yesterday. I
could share it with you."
Iruka's stomach growled loudly, earning an amused look from Kuri. Kuri always
looked amused, Iruka reflected bitterly. It seemed to be the boy's default
expression.
"I'll take that as a yes." Kuri dropped his arms and sat down against a nearby
tree, beckoning Iruka to join him. After a few moments, the thought of fresh
food began to outweigh the negatives and Iruka joined him. He sat opposite
Kuri, leaving his kunai in plain sight next to him.
Kuri began to unwrap a small leaf-wrapped package, which he had pulled from his
pocket. It contained what was left of a cooked rabbit and Iruka's mouth began
to water with anticipation. Kuri held out a leg of rabbit to Iruka, who took it
gingerly. It occurred to him that it might be poisoned or laced with a sleeping
drug and that perhaps he should forage for his own food, but Iruka craved both
the company and the nourishment and decided to take the risk. If you couldn't
trust a comrade from your own village, who could you trust?
"So," Kuri began, tilting his head to one side as he watched Iruka bite into
the cold meat, "obviously you haven't had any luck either. I ran into a Rock
nin yesterday. Rather not do that again."
Iruka swallowed and wiped his hand across his mouth. The rabbit tasted like
ambrosia sent straight from the gods. "I came across two Lightning shinobi –
working together. They left me alone once they realized I didn't have a
scroll."
Kuri's eyes became round. "Wow. Lucky for you you didn't have a scroll. Who
knew that would be a positive?"
"A positive for me, maybe," Iruka muttered.
"My older sister says you shouldn't give up. Ever."
"Your sister?" Iruka felt he should know the answer to this one, but right now
his mind was fogged. He took another bite of the rabbit, feeling it start to
settle in his stomach. He'd have to be careful not to eat too much, or risk his
body rejecting the food.
"Anko. You know; purple hair, loud and obnoxious? Addicted to dango."
"Oh, her. She was a couple of years above me in the Academy." Iruka wiped his
hands on his pants. White was such a stupid color to wear, he reflected. When
he was a chuunin he'd change his outfit to something more… mission appropriate.
"Isn't she a tokubetsu now?"
"Yeah, made jounin last year. Now she's insufferable." Kuri laughed. "So what
about you? This can't be your first exam, you look too old for it."
Iruka took the leaf-wrapping from Kuri, bound the bones of the rabbit in it,
and began to dig a hole with his hands. It wouldn't do to leave any trace of
their presence for other shinobi to find. "It's my first exam. My jounin-sensei
held me back, said I wasn't ready."
Iruka's will of fire ran deep, down to his bones, but he didn't know if
ultimately he had the skills to succeed as a chuunin. At sixteen, he was still
a genin. Kuri was what – thirteen, fourteen at most? What made him good enough
to take the exams at his age? Where have I failed? Iruka thought bitterly.
Iruka refused to look up at Kuri. He took Kuri's silence for one of surprise,
and probably derision. "I had to watch from the sidelines as my teammates
passed. Maybe I'm not cut out for this." There, it's out in the open. I've said
it.
"That's bullshit."
Shocked, Iruka looked up at Kuri. "Huh?"
"It's bull. Your team had Hayate and Jun in it, right? I heard your Jounin-
sensei was a real stickler for talent. Wouldn't take on any team that he
thought might fail. At least that's what Anko said once. She said she wished
she'd had your sensei for a teacher."
"Really?"
Kuri snorted. "No, I'm lying. What do you think, Umino, I got anything better
to do with my time than sit here and make you feel better?"
Iruka laughed. He was starting to feel a lot more alert and stronger now he had
some solid food in his stomach. It was a powerful lesson in survival, he
realized. Hadn't his sensei always drilled the importance of a proper meal into
his students? The gruff old bastard had never explained why, but perhaps Iruka
was supposed to figure that out for himself. He felt like an idiot.
Hadn't his sensei always said; even a sheet of paper has two sides. Perhaps he
needed to revisit some of the things his sensei had drilled into his head and
search for the hidden meanings. Perhaps, like Kuri thought, there was a reason
his jounin-sensei had held him back? He'd drilled Iruka mercilessly over the
last couple of years, kata after kata, until Iruka could complete them by rote
with no conscious thought required. His instincts became sharp, honed like a
sword. He'd had lessons in stealth, in intelligence gathering and infiltration.
Medical lessons; how to hurt and kill, how to heal, how to combat specific
poisons. Iruka had become a walking handbook for the shinobi way of life
without even realizing it until now. It was like a small epiphany.
Perhaps he could do this after all.
"Well, well, isn't this cute? Two Konoha ladies sharing lunch and a bit of a
gossip."
Iruka turned his head at the same time Kuri did. He heard Kuri curse under his
breath and scramble to his feet. Iruka did the same, sweeping up the kunai he'd
kept at his side.
Three Mist shinobi stood by the stream, watching them. All three radiated
supreme confidence and looked fighting fit, which was more than Iruka could say
for himself. The one that had spoken wore a feral grin on his face.
"We don't have a scroll," Iruka heard himself say. Kuri shot him a surprised
look but kept silent.
"And?" The shortest of the three Mist shinobi shrugged. "We don't care. We just
want to thin out the competition a little, and you ladies look like a sure bet
for a good beating."
Iruka bristled with barely concealed rage. How dare they? What did they know of
Konoha shinobi?
"Well, I suppose you've got nothing better to do, right, since you can't kill
your comrades anymore."
Iruka gaped at Kuri. What the hell was he thinking? False bravado was going to
get them killed, really fast.
"Those are fighting words, kid. Are you ready to back that up with your fists?"
Kuri began forming a series of hand seals, and Iruka recognized the sign for
Tora – tiger – common to most fire release techniques. Iruka palmed a couple of
exploding tags and began to run straight toward the Mist nin.
Iruka, you are ready to take the exams. I've taught you all I can; you must now
stand on your own and prove your worth. Show the elders that you carry the will
of fire with you. I'm proud of you.
Iruka's jounin-sensei's words echoed in his head as he ran. He'd ignored those
words before, preferring to cling to his old patterns of thought. The old
patterns that told him he was a failure, that he was worthless. He'd prove
himself wrong, and in the process, prove his sensei right.
The world exploded in a ball of fire, and Iruka was still smiling.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
The ball of fire drew Kakashi's attention and he changed direction, heading
toward the source. Whatever had caused that particular explosion was probably
worthy of further exploration, and possibly as an addition to his growing
collection of copied jutsu.
Kakashi wasn't surprised to find that Umino Iruka was involved. Umino seemed
like a natural magnet for trouble. Kakashi settled into a nearby tree, out of
the line of fire, and observed. It was not his job to intervene, unless foul
play beyond the scope of the exam guidelines was involved.
For a sixteen year old, it seemed Iruka was pretty well versed when it came to
text-book application of the shinobi arts. Kakashi had rarely seen anyone use
the basics so efficiently, and coupled with some imaginative moves that turned
those basics into a deadly art. His three opponents were larger and stronger,
however. It was easy to see that despite Iruka's attempts to keep them at bay,
the fight wasn't going to last long.
Iruka had somehow collected a teammate since Kakashi had last seen him.
Mitarashi. Kakashi snorted. He didn't need sight to tell him that Iruka was
fighting alongside Anko's younger brother. The imaginative cursing seemed to be
a family trait, along with the Dragon Fire Technique. No need to copy that
jutsu; he'd already borrowed it from Anko during training.
Iruka was keeping clear of the stream, and now Kakashi could see why. One of
the Mist shinobi appeared to be trying to summon some kind of creeping mist,
but Mitarashi was hounding him and he couldn't keep his concentration up. Iruka
let fly with a couple of exploding tags, and Kakashi's mind, already a number
of steps ahead, could see what had created that impressive fire ball from
earlier – a lethal combination of both the fire technique and the tags.
One of the Mist nin was already down, his clothing half burnt away, along with
his left arm. Iruka looked like he'd been caught at the edge of the earlier
explosion as well; his clothing was ragged and burnt and his ponytail seemed to
be shorter than before. Kakashi found he couldn't look away from Iruka; he was
fascinating to watch. Every move he made used a minimum of energy, each strike
found a home where Iruka intended it to. His body moved with grace and power.
Iruka's jounin-sensei had been right to hold him back. He had obviously worked
tirelessly to train Iruka's mind and body, to hone him into a deadly weapon. If
Iruka made it to the finals by some strange turn of fate, the elders from the
five countries would be impressed, of that Kakashi had no doubt.
Mitarashi Kuri fell to the ground; catching a kunai in the shoulder, followed
by a number of shuriken. Kakashi knew what that felt like – they may be small
weapons, but the result was always the same. Your body went into shock in an
effort to protect itself, and only supreme willpower and training could keep an
experienced shinobi moving after an attack like that. Kuri was not experienced
enough to force his body to keep upright. He dropped to his knees beside the
stream, panting with the effort to remain conscious through the pain, before
falling to the side.
Iruka seemed to pause in shock and then he resumed his attacks with added
ferocity against the two remaining Mist shinobi. The taller of the two had
misjudged Iruka completely it seemed; viewing his text book presentation of the
shinobi arts as a weakness. Kakashi was only nineteen, but he had enough
experience to know that those arts were what kept you alive. There comes a
point in any fight where a person must rely on the basics, to fall back on
early, learned experience to get through. Complicated jutsu eventually becomes
a hindrance when your strength is failing. And not everyone had the ability to
create multiple clones to test an opponent's skills before entering a fight.
Iruka was clearly herding the Mist shinobi backward, toward a specific area.
Kakashi scanned the area with his sharingan. He smiled: Iruka was living up to
expectations. The Mist shinobi discovered the hard way that the ground was
riddled with caltrops. Iruka hadn't removed them from the base of the tree he'd
slept in last night. A matter of seconds later and there was an explosion.
Apparently he hadn't cancelled out the time-release jutsu on the exploding
tags, either.
The explosion and removal of his teammate from the fight seemed to spur the
remaining Mist ninja into a rage. He harried Iruka backward with a barrage of
shuriken and senbon, clearly attempting to hit one of Iruka's vital spots and
take him down. Iruka seemed determined to fight on, despite his wounds.
Eventually, even Iruka couldn't remain standing, and he dropped to the ground,
rolling onto his back as the Mist ninja came toward him, kunai in hand.
It took a second for Kakashi to realize he had tensed up, caught up in the
battle below. His body was on full alert and he forced himself to calm down, to
dampen the killing intent that had risen. It wouldn't do for an enemy shinobi
to notice him, or the Land of Water might call a foul. When did I become so
wrapped up in Umino's fate? he asked himself. Why does this matter so much to
me? Kakashi shoved the thought away, reluctant to examine his motives for the
time being. Instead, he focused on the end game which was apparently very
close.
The Mist shinobi leaned over Iruka's body, kunai in his hand. It was clear to
Kakashi the man was going in for the kill, simply by the way he was holding his
weapon.
Iruka surprised both Kakashi and the Mist shinobi. Crouched next to Iruka, the
man clearly hadn't considered Iruka might be faking it. He gripped Iruka's hair
and pulled his head forward, intending to cut Iruka's throat. Iruka used the
momentum of the man pulling his head forward to disguise his body's movements,
surging upward with kunai in hand, driving it into the man's shoulder with all
his remaining strength. The shinobi's arm went limp and the kunai fell from his
fingers. Iruka pushed the man to the side, rolling over until he was straddling
him. His fingers scrabbled on the dirt beside them, until Iruka located a rock.
Without hesitation he brought it down on the man's temple. The shinobi was
unconscious in moments, and would no doubt have one hell of a headache when he
woke up, Kakashi surmised from personal experience.
Kakashi watched Iruka as he backed off from the Mist ninja and fell to his
bottom on the ground. Kakashi could hear Iruka's panting gasps for breath,
could see the dawning realization that he'd actually won.
And then Iruka looked straight at him. Iruka was dirty, his hair was a tangled
mess just brushing against his shoulders, and he was clearly exhausted. A
thrill of desire shot through Kakashi, blindsiding him with the realization.
For the first time Kakashi could remember, he was dumbfounded by his body's own
reaction.
Kakashi managed to pull off some kind of vague hand wave that he hoped look
cool (screw you, Gai), and vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving Iruka to his
victory on the field of battle.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
As soon as Hound had vanished (Iruka wanted to know how Hound did that, he made
it look cool), he stood up and pulled out the few remaining shuriken from his
legs and torso. His whole body was trembling with both fatigue and adrenaline.
The first order of business was to check on Kuri, and then get the hell out of
the area before any of the Mist bastards came around, although Iruka didn't
hold out much hope for the one caught in the initial explosion.
As he walked toward the stream, a detached part of Iruka's mind wondered about
his lack of empathy for the Mist shinobi. Of course, when someone has done
their very best to kill you, it was hard to feel anything for that person,
other than relief that they were incapacitated. Nothing had really prepared
Iruka for this scenario, and now he could see why his jounin-sensei had trained
him so hard, pushed him so far before deeming him ready for the exams. The
chuunin exams changed you; it opened your eyes to the reality of being a
shinobi. No number of D-ranked missions could prepare you for that, he
understood now. His sensei might very well have saved Iruka's life by refusing
to put him forward before now.
Iruka knelt beside Kuri and rolled him over onto his back. Kuri groaned and
cracked open an eye. "Is it over yet?"
"Can you walk?" Iruka asked. "I can heal that for you." He pointed to the wound
in Kuri's shoulder.
"That would be… appreciated, thanks." Kuri sat up with a wince, gingerly
placing his hand over his shoulder.
"Wow, when did you learn manners?" Iruka said with a tired laugh.
"I only get polite when I'm injured. It won't last long. Hey, are you sure
you've got the energy to heal me? You look pretty beat up yourself."
Iruka nodded. He rested his hands on his thighs and fought for the energy to
speak. He felt like his words were starting to slur with the exhaustion. "Give
me a second."
He gathered his strength – what was left, anyway – and put his training to good
use. His hands glowed with healing blue chakra that began to sputter and fade
after mere moments. "I'm sorry," Iruka explained, "That's about all I've got
left."
Kuri nodded. "There's an old tree not far from here. I spent last night hiding
in the hollow under its roots. We could barricade ourselves in and get some
rest."
"Good idea." Iruka stumbled to his feet and stared at the carnage surrounding
them. He couldn't believe he'd been a part of the fight, and had contributed to
some of the damage.
"We should see if any of these bastards have a scroll first." Kuri began to
search the body of the shinobi nearest to him. He held his injured shoulder
stiffly, but that didn't stop him searching through the shinobi's clothing.
With a nod, Iruka set out to do the same.
They found two scrolls on the Mist shinobi. Iruka silently thought they were
idiots. Who would purposely pick a fight when your goal had been achieved?
Still, that meant that there would be fewer finalists in the last match for
Iruka to face off against – providing both he and Kuri made it to the tower in
the foothills without losing their newly acquired scrolls.
Iruka ducked under Kuri's non-injured arm and wrapped an arm around his waist
for support. "Let's find that tree, shall we?"
Sleep had never seemed so enticing before.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
In retrospect, Iruka was glad that they'd gone to ground in Kuri's tree hollow.
If they'd pushed on, as Iruka had first intended, neither one of them would
have been able to defend themselves against other shinobi searching for
scrolls. He felt so much better now; most of the small wounds from the shuriken
and senbon had closed over, although the dried blood tore at his clothing and
skin in an uncomfortable fashion. He'd had enough energy to heal Kuri's
shoulder a little better and in return, Kuri had shared the last of his cold
rabbit which had miraculously survived the fight. He'd even managed to wash up,
surprised when Kuri pointed out the small stream that flowed close by.
Unfortunately, Iruka's hair hadn't survived the whole experience unscathed. It
was about four inches shorter, and no amount of coaxing could make it fit back
into a ponytail – there simply wasn't enough left at the back. Still, that was
the least of his worries.
The rush to reach the tower before engaging in another fight was a blur. They'd
employed every trick in the book to remain undetected, going so far as to
backtrack to cover their path. Stealth was more important than speed at this
point; there was still over twenty-fours left on the clock according to Iruka's
calculations, so rushing wasn't necessary – yet. Their teamwork became tighter
as the hours passed and the tower became visible on the horizon.
The tower was a welcoming sight; tall and beautifully designed. It nestled in
the foothills of two mountains, made of undressed stone. They paused on the
steps before two large doors, carved with the shinobi symbol.
"This is it, I guess?" Kuri turned to face Iruka. "Which way will you go?"
Iruka paused. "Left I think. You?"
"I'll take the right door. See you in the finals, Umino. Don't get yourself
killed."
Iruka snorted. "Don’t get into trouble, Kuri. Keep your mouth shut in front of
those bigger ninja."
"Will do." Kuri flashed a wide grin and pushed open the door, disappearing
inside.
Iruka stared at the door in front of him, pausing for a moment. He wondered
what had happened to Hound, and if he would see him again. Iruka was surprised
to find he was hopeful that that was the case, despite only having seen the man
twice. Something about Hound fascinated Iruka, drew him in. Every time he
thought of Hound, warmth spread throughout his body, his breath came fast with
excitement and his heart beat quickened.
Shaking off his thoughts, Iruka squared his shoulders and pushed the door open,
wondering what he would find inside.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
He hadn't expected to find an empty room. Iruka took a moment to pause and
waited. He began to look around the room as his eyes adjusted to the dim
interior. I'm half expecting an ambush, he admitted to himself. Adrenaline
surged through his body, putting his senses on full alert.
On the far wall, there was a large plaque, covered with writing. Iruka stepped
carefully toward it, waiting for the trap to spring. When nothing happened, he
took a moment to read the words:
 
           I am invisible within the mist; my body flows like water,
              I move amongst the clouds; I strike like lightning,
             My feet are firm on the earth; my will is like rock,
             My mind shifts like the sand; I am swift as the wind,
           I twist like a leaf; every strike I make is akin to fire,
                    Shinobi no mono; I am one who endures.
                                  I am ninja.
 
"Shinobi no mono," Iruka breathed the words. He understood those words; had he
not endured? Iruka felt a deep sense of peace wash through him. He was part of
a brotherhood now and the words sang in his mind, immediately committed to
memory.
"Stand down, shinobi."
"Huh?" Iruka whirled around, kunai in hand.
"I could feel your killing intent from the next level, shinobi. Let it go. You
are safe here." The man standing before Iruka was one of the exam proctors;
Iruka remembered him from the first exam.
Slowly Iruka relaxed, letting out a deep, calming breath. The man had referred
to him as shinobi. It was the first time someone had gifted Iruka with the
title, and for some reason that made Iruka's heart sing.
"You have your scroll?"
Iruka nodded and rummaged around, pulling out the scroll. He gave it to the
proctor, who checked it over and then handed it back. "Congratulations, you've
passed the second stage of the exam. Proceed to one of the waiting rooms on the
forth level to receive your next instructions."
"Thank you." Iruka bowed deeply. He felt all the myriad wounds he'd received
pull and tug against his skin. It was a sobering reminder of how close he'd
come to dying.
When Iruka looked up, the proctor was gone. Probably used the same jutsu as
Hound, he thought enviously. He climbed the stairs slowly, the muscles in his
legs complaining the whole way. He didn't care; he had passed the exam, and a
few minor wounds and aches weren't going to stop him from following his orders.
At the top of the stairs he was confronted with a single door, which he pushed
open. The room was bathed in the weak sunlight of late evening, making the
place glow with golden light. The room was empty, except for a single desk and
chair pushed neatly under it.
And Hound.
Iruka froze.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Kakashi watched Iruka's reactions. Clearly he hadn't been expecting Kakashi's
ANBU persona to greet him. He observed as Iruka's face registered myriad
expressions as he tried to work through his surprise. It was fascinating and
Kakashi felt his interest pique even further.
It was a few seconds before Iruka remembered to breathe, much to Kakashi's
amusement.
"ANBU-san," Iruka said, sketching a quick bow.
When Kakashi didn't respond, Iruka looked up. Iruka was flushed with
embarrassment and… something else. Iruka's sidelong glance held the promise of
desire within it before he dropped his eyes back to the ground.
Kakashi's plans changed in an instant. He had wanted to greet Iruka merely
because he interested him, but that one look had fanned something in Kakashi,
something he'd felt earlier when he'd watched Iruka after the fight. Lust.
Desire; whatever you wanted to label it. The whole room seemed suddenly charged
with it.
Iruka rose from his obeisance and closed the door. He flashed a quick, unsure
glance over his shoulder at Kakashi. Kakashi knew then that Iruka felt the
tension in the room, but was choosing to either ignore it, or put himself into
Kakashi's hands. Either very brave or very stupid. Kakashi thought probably the
former rather than the latter.
He watched as Iruka crossed the room, only a small amount of hesitance in his
step. Most people wouldn't have noticed it, but Kakashi wasn't most people.
He'd been observing people for years – it was a necessity in his line of work.
Iruka paused a couple of steps away and waited.
"What – "
"Congratulations," Kakashi said. He grinned under the mask.
"Thank you." Iruka looked at Kakashi's mask and then away again. "ANBU-san, I
was told to wait here for instructions."
Kakashi uncrossed his arms and stood to his full height. Iruka's gaze followed
his movements. I want you on your hands and knees, on the floor, was what
Kakashi wanted to give in the form of 'instruction'. Instead, he said, "You
have your scroll?"
Iruka nodded and presented his scroll. A quick check to make sure it was
legitimate and Kakashi handed it back. "Good. You are to present yourself in
one month to the main arena for the final exam, where you will fight in a
tournament to determine the ultimate winner. You may train with your jounin-
sensei in the meantime, to hone your shinobi skills. Any questions?"
Iruka shook his head then paused again. He seemed a lot less decisive outside
of battle situations, Kakashi noted.
"Just one question, ANBU-san."
Kakashi nodded. He fought the urge to cross over to Iruka and touch him. Iruka
had a smooth, seductive voice that was surprising for his age. Kakashi wondered
if Iruka realized that and if Iruka would ever learn to use it to his
advantage.
"Why are you here? I would have thought that ANBU were supposed to stay out of
sight."
Clever genin, Kakashi thought. "I was curious," he replied.
"Curious, ANBU-san?" Iruka reached up and scratched his scar. It appeared to be
a familiar gesture, perhaps one that Iruka made when nervous. He was blushing
again.
"I watched you fight, it was impressive. I wanted to meet you."
"Meet me? Why?"
Kakashi didn't resist his body's movements this time. He stepped close to
Iruka, raised his hand to Iruka's cheek and lightly caressed his skin. Iruka,
for his part, didn't step back but rather leaned into the touch in an
unconscious gesture. Kakashi's heart beat faster, knowing he had Iruka. Iruka
was engaged whether he realized it or not. Kakashi would just have to make him
understand that.
"Your hair is shorter," Kakashi said. Even through the gloves, he could feel
the shorter strands of Iruka's hair at the nape of his neck.
"I set it on fire by mistake," Iruka said with a breathless laugh.
That laugh was what finally undid Kakashi. A quick glance around the room told
Kakashi the sun had set during their conversation, throwing the room into
shadow. Kakashi broke his first rule by taking off his mask, and his second by
leaning in and kissing Iruka.
Iruka's breath caught with surprise but Kakashi pressed forward, committed now.
He bussed his lips against Iruka's gently, placing careful kisses against his
lower lip, until Iruka responded hesitantly. Virgin, his mind helpfully
supplied, and that made Kakashi groan roughly. When Iruka parted his lips,
Kakashi deepened the kiss, leading by example. Iruka's hands rested on
Kakashi's biceps, his nails catching against the fabric of Kakashi's gloves.
Iruka was a quick study, following Kakashi's lead. Kakashi closed the last
couple of inches distance between their bodies, winding one arm around Iruka's
waist and the other around the nape of Iruka's neck, his thumb caressing
Iruka's skin just below his ear.
Iruka let out a soft gasp as their bodies connected, and Kakashi could feel
Iruka's erection pressing against his hip. He shifted slightly, bringing their
bodies into alignment; cock to cock. Iruka's hips rocked forward and he exhaled
shakily at the sensation, his fingers digging into Kakashi's biceps.
Kakashi wanted nothing better than to bend Iruka's pliant, muscled body over
the desk and fuck him until they were both screaming. That, however, was
clearly a bad idea since it appeared Iruka had zero experience to fall back on.
Instead, Kakashi began to turn them around, never breaking the kiss. Carefully,
he steered Iruka toward the desk, until Iruka was backed against it. His hands
had gravitated to Kakashi's ass by now, pulling and kneading at the fabric in
an unconscious, but curiously sweet, way. Kakashi's dick throbbed with the need
to get off, to rut against this pliant, young body.
Kakashi made himself break off the kiss. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.
Things were starting to move faster than Kakashi would have liked, but then
again, Kakashi was always adaptable to change.
"Yes, it's what I want." Iruka's voice was husky, lower than usual. Kakashi
reckoned he could come alone just by listening to the tone of Iruka's voice.
"ANBU-san, please."
Fuck. Kakashi's was well and truly screwed now. Iruka's hands fumbled at the
opening of his pants, even as he stood there trying to get himself under
control. And then it hit him; Iruka was nervous.
"Stop, Iruka." Kakashi took hold of Iruka's hands, cradling them with more care
than anything he'd touched in recent years. "Slow down, it's okay."
He watched Iruka take a deep, shuddering breath and then nod. "I'm fine,
really."
Kakashi let out a breathy laugh. "Okay, take it slow. Treat it like a mission.
Your opponent has no idea how skilled you are. Bullshit your way through it."
"I think you have some idea," Iruka replied with a suspicious look that turned
into a smile.
"Doesn't mean I’m going to hold it against you; I want this as much as you." He
stepped between Iruka's thighs and leaned in again, starting off with a slow
kiss, seeing if Iruka was going to back out; giving him the option. Instead,
Iruka wound his arms around Kakashi's waist and put his newly acquired skills
to good use.
Kakashi set a slow rhythm, his hips rocking in time with Iruka's while he let
Iruka explore. Iruka was a thorough learner, preferring to explore every new
sensation, returning to what he liked to experience it again. His investigation
became bolder, sliding his hands under the waistband of Kakashi's pants, moving
down over Kakashi's ass. Kakashi held Iruka close and let him do whatever he
wanted; only breaking off to press open-mouthed kisses along the line of
Iruka's neck. He pushed up Iruka's ragged shirt and caressed his skin, down
across the line of his ribs to those sharp hipbones. Iruka was ticklish, and he
squirmed delightfully in Kakashi's arms, letting out a breathless giggle at the
repeated stimulation. When Kakashi moved his hands to the opening of Iruka's
pants, Iruka tilted his head back and moaned.
"Please, ANBU-san."
Those words nearly destroyed Kakashi's control. He wanted to give Iruka his
real name, hear Iruka moan the words, but he couldn't break his cover while in
uniform. Instead, Kakashi undid the fastenings of Iruka's pants and slipped his
hand inside, wrapping his fingers around Iruka's leaking cock. Iruka's hips
bucked violently at the new sensations.
"Fuck."
It was the first time Kakashi had heard Iruka swear. In response, he gave
Iruka's cock a sharp stroke and swirled his thumb around the head, listening to
Iruka mutter further profanity, even as his hips moved in an instinctive
rhythm, thrusting into Kakashi's fist. Iruka initiated the next kiss, his
tongue pushing into Kakashi's mouth, taking control. His fingers found the
buttons on Kakashi's uniform pants and Iruka began to copy his movements,
stroking his cock. There was a lot less finesse involved, but damn, it felt
good.
Kakashi pulled Iruka closer and pushed Iruka's pants further down on his hips.
"You'll like this," he said. He took both their cocks and pressed them
together, wrapping Iruka's fist around them. He placed his hand over Iruka's
and rocked forward into their combined grip. Iruka hissed at the sensation, and
his body shook with fine tremors. "Slowly," Kakashi warned. "It feels better
this way."
Kakashi thrust slowly, feeling his erection slide against Iruka's, sending a
whole new set of sensations down his cock, contrary to the feeling of the tight
grip around him. Iruka did the same, a split-second behind Kakashi. Heat
trickled down Kakashi's spine and he could feel his balls start to tighten, the
incredible feeling of pleasure building until it was almost painful. He panted
into Iruka's mouth, barely kissing now, just exchanging breaths.
Iruka was the first to come; inexperience winning out over pleasure. The feel
of Iruka's come over Kakashi's fingers was too much, and he squeezed his eyes
closed as he came, feeling Iruka's body shaking even as his was. Kakashi
gentled his grip, managed to keep it together long enough to stroke them
through orgasm, wanting to finish Iruka off properly.
Still gasping for breath, Iruka slumped against Kakashi, utterly spent.
"Are you awake?" Kakashi asked after a moment.
There was a grumble from the vicinity of Kakashi's flak jacket, something that
was barely translatable as "Mostly."
Kakashi pushed Iruka upright and buttoned up their pants. Unfortunately, there
was nothing to wipe them down with, so Kakashi said to hell with it and just
tucked Iruka back in. It didn't look like he cared much, anyway; obviously the
last few days had finally caught up with Iruka. "Want me to get you to the
genin quarters?"
Iruka shook his head and blinked owlishly. "No, I should probably walk. It
might do me good."
Kakashi nodded. He gave Iruka a final, long, searching kiss and then stepped
away, donning his mask. "Perhaps I'll see you around? Good luck with the
finals, Iruka-san."
Iruka nodded again and stood up. "Thank you. For everything, ANBU-san."
Kakashi wanted to stay. He wanted to walk with Iruka, talk to him. He was
getting too close, he realized. Iruka did that to a person. With that in mind,
Kakashi performed his jutsu and vanished from sight.
 
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Six weeks later, Iruka was finally back in Konoha and back to his regular
routine, but with one exception. He was now a chuunin.
He'd been home about two hours, and had yet to take off his chuunin vest. The
truth was, he was proud of what he'd done. Proud enough to not want to remove
the new badge of his success, not quite yet. So he'd puttered about his
apartment, still in the vest, putting things away. Making sure he had a bag
packed, in case he was called out suddenly on a mission. Putting his other
things away, back in their rightful place where they belonged.
Still, one thing was out of place. Hound. That experience in the tower… Iruka
still couldn't quite believe it had happened. He knew it had; he'd sported a
rather violent looking mark on his neck for four days after that encounter. It
had been tender for a long time afterward, but Iruka refused to heal it,
preferring to keep it as a reminder, another experience amongst all the others
from his time in Mist.
He hadn't seen Hound since that night. Perhaps the man was ashamed of his
actions, or perhaps simply not interested. Shinobi were busy people, and ANBU
were supposed to remain invisible. Still, it stung just a little bit.
Iruka reached the bottom of his pack and pulled out the scroll from the second
exam. Hound had not reclaimed it, so Iruka had kept it as a souvenir – both of
the exam, and if he was admitting truths to himself, of their encounter. He'd
not actually looked at the scroll at all during the last six weeks, and now he
unrolled it, wondering if it contained anything of interest.
Iruka let out a bark of laughter. There was a short note inside and it read,
'Drinks sometime?' with a small picture of a dog in the corner. Perhaps Hound
wasn't as disinterested as Iruka had thought, and the idea of Hound sneaking
into his room during the exams in order to pen him an invitation was amusing.
Curious, Iruka unrolled the scroll further, and discovered a series of spidery
lines of handwriting which formed a circle. Within the circle was the kanji for
'human'. Iruka furrowed his brow in confusion. He wracked his brain; just what
the hell did that mean? A distant lesson in jutsu suddenly formed in his head…
this was a summoning jutsu. Maybe…?No, Hound wasn't that obvious – was he?
Iruka placed the scroll on the bed, bit his thumb, formed the seals, and
slammed his hand down on the symbol. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
There was a large puff of white smoke. Choking on the smoke, Iruka waved his
hands around, trying to dispel it. After a moment, Iruka was able to make out a
shape on the bed.
"Took you long enough to figure that out," drawled a sexy, deep voice, laced
with amusement. "I was starting to despair of your level of intelligence,
Iruka-kun."
"Hound?"
Hound lay on his bed, clad in a pair of black sleep pants and not much else.
His legs were crossed at the ankle, and he had a rather lurid-looking book held
to his face. All Iruka could see was a great deal of muscled, pale skin and a
pair of mismatched eyes above the book.
"Kakashi, actually."
"Sorry?"
"Kakashi." He rolled his eyes. "It's my name."
"You don't say." Iruka grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"I see you passed the finals, chuunin-san." Kakashi nodded at Iruka's new flak
jacket. "Haven't taken it off yet?"
Iruka looked down and then back at Kakashi, trying to focus on his face and not
his body, or his growing erection. "Er, no, actually."
"Want some help removing that?" Kakashi threw his book to one side and lunged
for Iruka.
 
Fin ;)
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