Well I missed Iruka's birthday completely, which is a shame, but couldn't be helped - as an apology, here's a happy chapter! (For the most part, if you read it with a squint!)

Also, I don't speak Japanese, but you know how in some places you just can't use an English equivalent because it just makes NO sense? Hantakaze, roughly translates to hunter wind. Please forgive me if the word structuring/actual wording is incorrect.

Timeline jumps again. Chapter 09 covered Tuesday 21st - Wednesday 22nd May.

This chapter covers Friday 24th - Sunday 26th (Iruka's birthday). Briefly sees the Monday 27th.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading/reviewing!

Jiraiya had pulled at his own heart, insulting long dead friends and students and allies; insulting living ones. The way he used Sakumo - his once partner in crime - to test the White Fang's son had almost given him pause. But it was a shinobi's duty to do what was best for his village - and so he worked Kakashi down.

Kakashi had been wilder, in these last few days. An encouraging freedom had infused their sparring as Kakashi began to analyse Jiraiya's movements, his habits, and drop his initially stiff, careful strategies. There was no real improvement, though, and that worried Jiraiya. There was more to the Hatake brat - there had to be - but it just wasn't showing itself. And Jiraiya only had one idea left.

The Toad Hermit grunted stroppily; crossing his legs as Shizune bowed politely in greeting.

"What do you want?" he asked petulantly, his scowl reminding the Godaime's apprentice of nothing so much as Uzumaki Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama might take a while - there was an ambush last night and three shinobi were badly injured." Jiraiya watched that sickening look of admiration cross the girl's features. You'd never see a student of his so blind to his flaws. "She used a lot of chakra healing the men, and is still sleeping it off."

"...Are you trying to tell me..." The Sannin said the words slowly, carefully, the exasperated glare never leaving his expressive face. "...that she won't see me because she's lacking the chakra to uphold her vanity?"

"Pretty much, Jiraiya-sama." Shizune smiled sweetly. And Tsunade had said it would be difficult to hold back the white haired old pervert!

"Right. If she won't drag her wrinkly arse out here, I'm taking mine in there!" Jiraiya marched his way from the Hokage's office to her personal chambers, ignoring Shizune's panicked pleading as he stormed into the room - locking and sealing it from the inside - preventing Shizune's loyal access.

"Tsunade, you old peacock!" Jiraiya couldn't quite manage a grin, even as he heard her dismayed squawk. "Let me see the damage!"

He walked further into the room, and upon seeing the lump beneath the covers of her bed, leapt up to sit at the end. Waiting for her to move.

"You agreed to meet me, old girl." The old pervert's voice was soft as he teased the covers from her form, simply raising an eyebrow when he saw her true face, bare of jutsu or glamour. "I wasn't lying when I said it was important."

She narrowed her eyes at him, tightening the robe around her well proportioned form. "You act like I need babying!"

"You act like a baby!" he countered sharply, quickly losing patience with her vanity - when there was so much more to panic about.

"How'd it go with Hatake?" Tsunade's voice calmed immediately. It was odd, Jiraiya thought, how she could see through his anxiety so very easily. She continued sternly; "You better not have broken him!"

"I can't break him. He's too fucked up to notice." The admittance was stark and tired. Age and wisdom duly gained - and all come back to slap you in the face. Tsunade could see the fatigue in her comrade's face, and could sympathise.

"He's learning quickly at least," The old shinobi continued, "what to dodge, what to look for."

"Can you get him ready in time?" Tsunade kept her voice stern, ignoring the softer part of her she had thought long dead. Ignoring the twinge in her gut at Jiraiya's put-upon sigh.

"I'll have to, won't I?" Jiraiya's brow creased in childish anger at their actions, what they were forced to do at some petty warlord's hands. "Is there really no-one else?"

"Like who? Uchiha Sasuke? Hyuuga Neji? Naruto? Asuma? Ebisu?" She reeled the names off, watching Jiraiya's angry creases deepen, "Do you think any one of those ninja would be capable? Would understand why?"

"I'll get him ready. He'll hate me, but he'll be ready." Jiraiya's voice was steel. She remembered the first time he'd used that voice on her - Tsunade had been so shocked she'd done exactly as he'd asked. It was the same now, except now she pretended the orders were her own.

They lapsed into a heavy silence, Tsunade sipping delicately at a cup of warm tea, looking for all the world like a normal woman. Jiraiya ran his hand across her cheek, wanting to feel the looseness of the skin, the dignified wrinkles that showed her strength. Deep frown lines emphasised her serious features, but she looked young for her age, even like this.

"Why do you hide like this?" Jiraiya's old face was gentle; he smiled at her startled eyes.

"It's the way of the ninja, Jiji." She grinned at his own slow smirk. "Even you should know that!"

Almost immediately, Iruka found himself pressed against the wall of some deserted corridor a floor above the mission room, Kakashi's body pressing insistently into his own, mask already down as hot kisses trailed across his neck.

"What?" torn between astonished humiliation and the incredible heat of the situation, Iruka fought for rationality. "Kakashi - no, get off - what are you doing?"

Kakashi looked up, his puzzled expression melting Iruka further. "Birthday kisses?"

Iruka tried valiantly to resist Kakashi's child-like suggestion and the accompanying nip to his lower lip, but couldn't quite stop the breathless groan at the Jounin's actions.

"Kakashi, I'm meant to be working! If my superiors find out I'm copping off in a public corridor -" Iruka winced at his lover's telling smirk. He continued in an angry hiss. "- why would you go to all the trouble to keep this quiet if you're just going to drag me off in public - in front of at least ten Jounin - it's only ten minutes since the start of my shift!"

"Who works on a Sunday? And who said I'm keeping us quiet?" muttered the Jounin into Iruka's abdomen, delighting in the way the muscles there twitched angrily as he spoke. He took the moment of shocked silence to crawl back up Iruka's form, to drag their lips together, making the kiss as deep as he could while maintaining the precarious balance of his chakra - half focused on the room beneath them.

Iruka reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, breathlessly, leaning his head against the Copy Nin's while he tried to keep his hungry fingers still. "What -" The sound was weak, so Iruka coughed once and tried again. "What do you mean?"

"You think no-one noticed us at Shourei's dinner?" Kakashi's voice was soft against his cheek, "I'm not going to proclaim my business to the world, or change my life-view, or bring you hand-picked flowers at lunch time like some useless schoolboy," Kakashi made a face, and Iruka wondered about the story there, "but that doesn't mean I'll go to lengths to hide this." Another short kiss. "Unless you ask."

Iruka was speechless, delirious; his hands roaming as he gave up his internal battle for control - moving across the planes of Kakashi's back, his arms, his arse - finally digging up into Kakashi's hair as they leaned in for yet another kiss.

"Besides," whispered the Copy Nin, an incorrigible jester's grin marring those pretty features. "Nobody knows we've left."

Iruka yanked Kakashi's head back fiercely, tugging that silvery mop in warning before their lips could meet. "Explain." Iruka watched the way Kakashi folded at the demanding tone, loved the amount of control he already had over the other man.

How had he not noticed?

"Genjutsu to hide the transportation jutsu that I pulled when I grabbed you. Two clones down there are chatting away quite happily - as far as anyone else in the world is concerned we're bickering about Naruto." Kakashi grinned again. "Jiraiya-sama did want me to work on stamina and maintenance. Can I wish you a happy birthday now?"

Iruka snorted, bemused as convincing lips littered kisses across his face. "Points for credibility, I suppose," he muttered before giving in, meeting Kakashi's wanton kiss, relishing the feel of the other man's hands and weight and moans and scent.

Like so many of their kisses, it was needy; almost sloppy. Lust and temporary insanity melting any romance or softness; Iruka felt dehydrated, over-heated.

Like so many of their kisses, Iruka found himself lost in the sensory overload - forgetting the feel of lips working against lips even as it was happening - thinking only of the strong hands at his hips and back and arse; the occasional bump of their noses; the even rarer gnashing of teeth as Iruka's hands fisted into Kakashi's flak jacket in an attempt to weld their bodies together; he was distantly surprised to hear his own desperate mewls as Kakashi did something with his tongue that made his heart stop.

Later, when Kakashi - late for whatever it was he needed to be doing - finally handed Iruka control of his own clone before leaving, the chuunin sat in the corridor, trying in vain to suppress the satisfied blush staining his cheeks.

As far as birthdays go, thought Iruka, as he mustered the courage to move, this isn't shaping up to be a bad one.

"Yo, Chouza!" Nara Shikaku called from his boneless sprawl on a low branch of the tree. "You see that cloud up there?"

"The big one?" Chouza sang as he munched happily on a bag of crisps.

"Don't you think it resembles Inochi?" Chouza laughed as he heard his blonde comrade's offended screech from a much higher branch.

"You mean his head?" Chouza grinned as he imagined the scandalised look on Inochi's face - the look of childish rage that his daughter had inherited so well.

"More like his ego!" Shikaku leapt to the ground as he was pelted with stones and twigs - Inochi joined his laughing comrades; red-faced in apparent anger, although Chouza could see his lips twitching at the comfortable predictability of the exchange.

"Shaa... nice as it's been I should really get back..." Shikaku looked worried as he scratched his head. "You know what she's like."

Inochi shook his head in dismay as Shikaku walked away, waving to them as he left. "He is so whipped!"

Chouza shot his friend an incredulous glance - knowing full well that Inochi was just as bad when it came to his wife. Inochi, unbelievably, continued. "I mean, the shit she puts Shikaku through..." A rakish grin, "The sex must be incredible, you know?"

Chouza guffawed loudly, amazed at the simplicity of his friend's mind. There was no romance there, no gentility. Just vanity and pride. Their kids were the same, a perfect echo of the Ino-Shika-Cho patriarchs. They understood each other better though, Shikamaru had inherited his mother's stubborn leadership, whether he realised it or not, and could balance his team-mates out in a way Shikaku never had.

Chouza and his team gelled, yes, but that had been born of too many long battles in a war torn world - of seeing enough people die in front of you to know to cherish your comrades while you still could. His son's team worked almost effortlessly, each weakness becoming another child's strength.

When Sandaime had first suggested the Elite Jounin as senseis for his son's problematic graduate year, Chouza had been apprehensive. The brilliance of the Sandaime's point team - Saratobi Asuma, Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai and Maito Gai -was undeniable. Was legendary. But their strange emphasis on teamwork contrasted sharply to the obsession Kakashi and Asuma shared with the importance of The Mission, and Chouza had worried that the uneven split would warp his boy; confuse him as to what it was, to be a ninja.

Now though, The Akimichi patriarch would not hear a word said against the elite team. Chouza had seen the strength of their children, had watched them together and apart. If he had ever seen such potential he could not remember it. Asuma had his absolute loyalty, should he ask for it. Yes, Sandaime and Iruka-sensei had made the perfect choice for his child. The confidence the teacher had brought out in his Chouji was everything to the boy's father - and Chouza knew his team-mates felt the same.

Family was the most important thing in this world, after all.

"That is disgusting!" the pink-haired kunoichi finally squealed, preparing to hit the boy over the head. She was shocked when a steely grip caught her arm.

"No, don't." Sasuke's eyes were piercing, unreadable, though his mouth frowned thoughtfully. "It's fascinating."

Naruto let out an annoyed breath, scraping his kunai on a trouser leg before looking up at his appalled team-mates. "Don't look at me like that, alright? It's good for your feet!"

He was met with two very blank stares.

"What idiot told you that, you freak?" Sakura prepared to launch herself at Naruto - drill the point home - but was stopped by Sasuke's casual side-step between his team-mates.

"Jiraiya-sensei said so!" Naruto childishly stuck his tongue out at the growling kunoichi as Sasuke sighed heavily, hiding his amusement. "He said that if you don't remove all of the dead cells and dirt from your feet - if you don't take care of your feet - then you'll lose speed and agility, from being bogged down, and then I'll never make Hokage!"

To the inside observer, the way in which the angry lines of the Uchiha's face smoothened in slack surprise was telling of Team 7's new strength and spirit. To the outside observer it might merely have seemed a reflection of the torturously early hour of the morning. To anyone who knew the team, it would seem a testament to the new level of stupidity Naruto had managed to reach.

"Did you ever once think," Drawled the raven haired boy, "that Jiraiya-sama was fucking with you?" The blonde boy's wide eyed astonishment gave Sasuke his answer. "Or that washing them might be just as effective?"

A thoughtful look crossed Naruto's face, as Sakura - biting her lip to keep herself from shouting or laughing (she wasn't sure which) - went back to tiredly watching the river. Sasuke nodded, apparently satisfied, and returned to slouching disinterestedly as Naruto put the kunai away.

"I can't believe he's making us train on a Sunday." Naruto finally grumbled.

The three shinobi lounged around for a while in comfortable silence, the warm air humid and refreshing compared to the stifling heat wave a few weeks ago. They contemplated the absence of their teacher - it had been over a week since they'd recieved any actual training, but Kakashi's appearence at Sakura's ruled out the possibility of his being on a mission.

Eventually, Naruto began talking about Iruka-sensei's birthday, and the party his colleagues had arranged for him that night.

"It's gonna be great!" the blonde enthused, "Just you wait, there's even gonna be ramen - the old man at Ichiraku said he'd cook something special for Iruka-sensei!"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you about the letters!" Sakura shot round to face the boys, a strange, self-depreciative look on her face as she realised that she'd helped Kakashi-sensei rope in practically the entire village, and managed to forget the only two idiots she saw every single day!

"Kakashi told us both," Sasuke allowed himself a slight wondering smirk at his teacher's plotting - how he'd managed to keep the younger kids quiet the Uchiha was sure he'd never know. "It's covered."

Sakura grinned in relief and turned back to sleepily watch the fish below them.

"I can't wait, I'm so excited!" Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's exuberance, "I wonder if we'll manage to sneak some drink?"

"Idiot." Yawned Sakura. "We're underage. You think Iruka-sensei would let kids have alcohol?"

"If Tsunade-baachan can feed Heavy Eyebrows -"

"His name is Lee, Naruto!" Sakura yelled defensively. Naruto didn't even flinch at the wild tone - another development in his friends' relationship that Sasuke had missed.

"-sake, then we can sneak drink from under Iruka-sensei's nose!"

"Hn." Sasuke tried to suppress his grin. "Betcha you can't."

"Argh" Sakura let her head drop down onto the wooden railing on the bridge as Naruto leapt up to loudly disagree - seeing clearly the loosing battle that was her team.

x

Two hours late, their sensei finally appeared.

x

"Yo!" Kakashi waved cheerfully from his crouch upon the bridge railing - a gloved palm gently pushing Sakura's reddened forehead back to an upright position from where it had been thumping rhythmically into the wood.

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura chorused, half-heartedly.

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi's eye formed a cheerful crescent. "I was having a stimulating conversation about sea urchins."

"LIAR!" Naruto's habitual scream, trailed off into a yawn. The Jounin was earlier than usual, at least.

"We weren't expecting you to turn up so soon, Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke had that respectful tone again, a voice always accompanied by a concerned glower from the deep blue eyes of his team-mate. The worried glares of his students never failed to make Kakashi nervous.

"Hmm." The bored drone was the only answer the trio received before Kakashi wandered off towards the training grounds. Sharing a bemused glance with his team-mates, Naruto shrugged before stumbling sleepily after his teacher.

When they reached a deserted field near the edge of Konoha's boundaries, Kakashi turned to his three. "Today we're going to play a game." Kakashi's smile faded as Naruto's eyes narrowed at some point past his shoulder.

"ERO-SENNIIINN!" roared the blonde boy, pointing a finger towards a sudden suspicious blankness in Kakashi's perceptive field. "What are you doing perving on our training?"

"I didn't notice you there, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi's voice was frigidly polite as he effortlessly cut off Naruto's rant. Sasuke recognised the tone as one of distant disapproval; he had been subject to it many times after his return to Konoha. At first, Sasuke had been rebellious, uncaring, so lost in his own destruction that the cold disappointment had not even registered. Now, that icy tone caused him to shiver, knowing how close he'd come to losing the tiny speck of respect that Kakashi had still held for him.

"You should be more attentive, Copy Ninja." The Toad Hermit sounded cruelly amused.

"Huh?" Naruto looked confusedly between his two instructors. He saw Sakura's eyes widen as Sasuke's narrowed - both of them noticing the agitated flex of Kakashi's fingers, the vicious smirk on Jiraiya's face.

"Is there something we can help you with, Jiraiya?" Kakashi's voice was perfectly respectful, though he still hadn't turned to look at the Sannin - and even Sakura could identify the dark expression in her teacher's single exposed eye.

"There is, actually." Jiraiya pulled something from his pocket, reflecting the sun's rays so brightly the three young shinobi had trouble making the small object out. "Today, Kakashi, we're going to play a game."

The Copy Nin turned his head, eye narrowing when he realised what the old man had in mind. He turned fully and squared up, expectant of Jiraiya's next words. The Sannin simply jingled the bell next to his ear, letting the sound of it ring out across the field. Kakashi's senses zoned in on it automatically as Jiraiya tied it to his belt.

"If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never get this bell."

Konoha's strengths, in their broadest terms, were reconnaissance and assassination. Tracking clans such as the Hatake and the Inuzuka - combined with the unique blood limits Konoha laid claim to, such as the technique copying Sharingan - made Konoha's ability to find and fetch as near to perfect as their reputation could account for. Similarly, the Hidden Mist was generally thought to be the superior ninja when it came to concealing and defending - the Seven Swords had been the centrefold, yes, but they weren't the only models in the magazine.

These innate abilities often helped to fester discord among the countries, or add to the foundations of an alliance, according to how a shinobi made use of a mission request. For instance - a Daimyo Lord from Wind country might come to Konoha, for help tracking down a stray criminal. If the Hokage was wise, a missive would be sent to the Kazekage, ensuring that the Sand nin were comfortable with the trespass into their home turf. It was a personal offence for a low rank mission to be carried out without at least informing the village whose country you were passing through, and these small insults had pretty much been the cause of the Second Secret War, more than thirty years ago.

These innate abilities were often the basis of a shinobi's skills. The first ninjutsu a Konoha shinobi was expected to master was the henge skill - the key to gathering information through infiltration. The shinobi of the Mist would learn far more quickly than a Konoha nin the importance of masking chakra, and escape techniques, such as Genjutsu and other illusionary skills.

So, considering that almost every shinobi in the Hidden Leaf - due to their training - had the natural reaction to gossip as much as breathe, it came as no great shock that Umino Iruka's surprise party wasn't really that much of a surprise.

After all, even if you had somehow, miraculously managed to avoid Konoha's rumour mill (not that Iruka had), there were other ways for a pre-gennin teacher to gain information about the intricate goings on in the lives of the parents in Konoha. An unfortunate side effect of the loose tongues of small children, however, were the tears that quickly followed.

So it was that, the Friday before his twenty fourth birthday, Iruka spent a long ten minutes after class trying to convince a sobbing Nayami-chan that she hadn't ruined his birthday, and he'd known about it all anyway, and that it would remain their little secret that he knew.

"It's fate, Nayami." Hyuuga Hanabi's wispy voice called from the doorway, "No use fighting it, you would have ruined Iruka-sensei's life somehow."

As Nayami - usually a vibrant little prankster - sobbed loudly into Iruka's sleeve, he gave a silent groan of defeat. Oh, not another Neji, - he thought to himself as he patted absently at the wailing girl's mousey brown braids, making soothing sounds over the top of her loud bawling - I can't take another Neji.

As Hanabi left the doorway, ever-so-mournful eyes drawn away by some freak accident or another, Iruka wondered exactly how he always managed to get the emotionally deficient ones. His sleeve was very wet. Maybe I could convince Hanabi to fight with Naruto? It worked so well for Neji! I could give him ramen to kick the little star-gazer's arse...

Iruka sighed as Nayami gave another loud wail, climbing up into Iruka's arms when he began to pat her back.

I can't set graduated shinobi on my students, it's unprofessional - Iruka mentally scolded himself before an idea began to form. But nowhere does the rule-book say I can't set them on each other...

After all, thought Iruka, desperate for the coming weekend, just because a village had a particular skill, didn't mean it should ignore all the other equally important skills. Like... hand to hand combat, for instance...

The older Naruto got, the closer he got to besting his sensei - he knew that now they'd been trained by the Sannin, Kakashi would not forever be capable of teaching them. There'd be a point, Naruto figured, where the three of them would just... leave Kakashi behind. But then, Kakashi was a mystery to them, even after so many years under his tutelage. He had never hidden his flaws from them, and yet had always managed to come out on top. So, with Kakashi, there was always a chance for him to make it through.

"Look up." Sasuke whispered, and Naruto glimpsed the ANBU operatives in the trees - who, noticing the preparing stances of his teachers, had paused to watch!

Jiraiya's attention was focused on the Copy Nin - Naruto recognised that look, one he rarely received form the Sannin, a look of anticipation, a guarded, expectant look. That hot jealousy returned. These were Naruto's teachers. Surely they should be focused on training him, rather than each other! But then, Naruto could recall the petulant look on his team-mate's face after their stalking practise, when Sasuke had informed his comrades about Jiraiya's admission. He had helped Kakashi convince the Hokage - but if the Copy Nin was so respected (indulged?) by the Sannin - why was he being trained?

Naruto bit down on his tongue before he yelled the obnoxious words waiting for his senseis. I'm not twelve anymore, thought the blonde shinobi, A Hokage can't be selfish.

"Watch carefully." Kakashi ordered, quietly. "But stay out of this."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly at the commanding tone; he saw Sasuke's feet slide automatically into a more aggressive stance even as Sakura immediately obeyed, dropping the kunai she had fished out in response to Jiraiya's attention.

All three gaped openly, however, when Kakashi disappeared from sight.

They heard a slight buzzing crescendo; a kind of hum, spiralling amongst the undergrowth, but the noise was too fast, too consistent to actually focus on. They looked on as Jiraiya crouched; bell tied now to his belt, one hand guarding it carefully as his eyes darted to and fro through the monotonous wall of sound Kakashi had created. Ninjutsu to mask his location? Must be.

Shuriken suddenly flew towards Jiraiya on all sides: he deflected them easily, creating a strange sort of barrier around his body as he launched towards one side of the field - placing himself off centre from the other shinobi's attack. Two - no, Naruto corrected himself - Three Kakashi's attacked Jiraiya simultaneously, their quick, fluid movements difficult to follow - he could see Sasuke's mouth part in concentration as red eyes struggled to dissect the movements of the intense combat.

Jiraiya made some quick gesture, flinging all three bodies - like rag-dolls - limply across the field. Each one evaporated on impact with the ground. Clones? Naruto grinned triumphantly. He'll never beat Jiraiya with my technique!

Suddenly, the ground came apart beneath Jiraiya's feet, folding in on itself violently, but a quick substitution jutsu had Jiraiya posing arrogantly behind Kakashi's students, one arm extended across his body, palm facing forwards.

After a long, tense still - silence but for the consistent drone of Kakashi's strange jutsu - the ground caved in again, faster and wider this time - and Naruto tore his eyes from the scene as the three young shinobi scrambled to get out of the destructive path of the Copy Nin's Escape by Earth technique.

All eyes - including those of the astounded ANBU lining the battle ground - scoured the trees enclosing the training field for some glimpse of the Copy Nin.

"Escape by Air!" Jiraiya, having transported himself to safety again, sped through a series of hand seals as the wind picked up around his form. "Hantakaze no Jutsu!"

Naruto watched as visible, spear-like bursts of chakra powered wind flew from Jiraiya's body, circling it. They launched away from him, weaving a trail of devastation through the trees - presumably looking for Kakashi. The gusts joined together, the savage spinning growing with the force of what, in essence, was a side-on tornado. ANBU operatives actually leapt from their hiding spots to crouch behind Team 7 at the force of Jiraiya's jutsu, and Naruto couldn't help but grin at Sakura's panicked squeal.

The Sannin's technique crashed to a stop, and the field was silent. Kakashi's cloaking hum had ceased altogether, and Naruto was confused to see Jiraiya's brow pinch together concernedly. Sasuke grunted beside him - a pleased expression that translated to something like it's over. Sakura, noticing Sasuke's crimson focus and confident snort, stared intently at the scene before them - noticed what he had seen - and gasped.

It took a little longer for Naruto to understand their reactions - when he looked to see Jiraiya, standing in the centre of the training field; all he saw was Jiraiya, standing in the centre of the training field. Until the Sannin shuffled back a few steps, let his guard down a little, turned his head to one side. Naruto finally saw it.

Jiraiya was standing in the centre of the training field.

Without warning, a fair dozen of Kakashi's replicas burst out at Jiraiya, each of them attacking a different part of the Sannin's body, trying for contact everywhere but the man's belt. Snarling clones clawed inexpertly at Jiraiya's back and face, reminding Naruto of nothing so much as Kiba and Akamaru's combination henge. Other clones fought gracefully, strictly, moving through dance-like steps to wear the Sannin down. Others just fought - seemingly wanting solely to make some form of contact.

Jiraiya effortlessly defeated everything Kakashi threw at him - clones making clones before they bamphed into nothingness to keep the Copy Nin's tiny army fighting - but there was some realisation, some simple fearlessness in each Kakashi's eyes that made Naruto wonder if the Sannin really was winning after all.

His question was answered as a more solid seeming Kakashi appeared in one corner of the training field - holding up a small bell, the Sharingan eye clear and exposed. The high pitched jingle rang through the field, and Jiraiya's eyes widened as the many clones backed away slightly, crouching - still circling the man who had unexpectedly begun to resemble prey. He turned to face the Kakashi-with-the-bell, and the many identical figures circling Jiraiya disappeared with a small pop.

"Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi spoke slowly, ringing the bell again, grinning at the way Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in startled anger. "I win!"

Jiraiya started towards the Copy Nin - the bell on his belt jingling loudly with his movement as - no, wait.

Naruto backtracked quickly; the ANBU's amazed chuckling confirming his observation. The bell was still attached to Jiraiya's belt!

"There's a lot of Genjutsu." Sasuke muttered to his team-mates, Sharingan swirling. "But I can't see where it's coming from."

"We didn't sense it go up - neither did Jiraiya." Sakura whispered back. "That buzzing..."

"It scattered our ability to locate Kakashi-sensei." The Uchiha smirked, "It's probably still going - he's probably using genjutsu to cover it, as well as to create the bell and hide the real one from Jiraiya's ears!"

"And it's easier to cloak an area with lots of illusions, than it is to focus one strong illusion on one person, so we must have gotten caught in it too!" Naruto grinned again, thoroughly impressed. "Dirty, cheating, bastard-sensei!"

"Isn't it great?" giggled one of the Anbu behind them. "But that level of Genjutsu, he has to be using the Sharingan."

Jiraiya launched himself at Kakashi - who didn't move except to narrow his exposed eyes.

Jiraiya was less than a foot away from his target when a dark shape flew from the trees behind the Copy Nin - streaking past the Sannin's form - pitching towards the small crowd of onlookers. Another Kakashi rolled to a crouched stop before his students, bell in hand. He was panting slightly, breath coming in short gasps as sweat beaded on his forehead - presumably from the sheer exertion of fighting while holding up so many carefully crafted illusions.

"Kai!" Kakashi's command dispelled the final clone - the figure in the far side of the pitch, still clasping the illusionary bell - and the buzzing sound returned for a quick second before that too was dispelled.

Jiraiya appeared before the crowd, grinning widely as Kakashi slowly got to his feet, re-covering the Sharingan.

The strategy seemed obvious, now, even to Naruto. The most startling truth being that Kakashi must have stayed in the same position throughout the exercise - using the sound barrier to hide himself, and to hide the techniques he had been using. The clones had been to trick Jiraiya into expecting a physical attack, and the escape by earth techniques were to position the Sannin and help hide the first of the genjutsu. The circle of clones had avoided Jiraiya's belt, distracting the Toad Hermit from the bell so that the final clone - with the illusionary bell - had seemed plausible. Kakashi had even used the Sharingan of the clone to focus the real Sharingan, like a periscope - so the high level illusion could shield Jiraiya's ears from his own bell without Kakashi's true form having to face the Sannin.

It was an adaption of a very simple strategy that Kakashi had taught them weeks before.

"Well?" Jiraiya's voice was still firm, mocking, but his eyes were fond. The last of Naruto's jealousy evaporated as the small crowd of ANBU behind him gushed in their appreciation of his teachers. It was pretty awesome, how Kakashi had tricked Jiraiya - but then, if Naruto had learned anything from the Copy Nin, it was that a powerful shinobi on the defence had to be tricked if there was any chance to come out alive!

"You could've just said, Old Man." Kakashi's eye formed a happy little curve at his cryptic reply, and a stern glance from the old man in question sent the ANBU transporting themselves off to wherever they should have been.

"Are you going to apologise for trying to hit me in the face?" Jiraiya's cheeky grin was met with a cold glare.

"You provoked me." Kakashi's tone was remarkably childish, and his shocked students could do nothing but try to piece the strange conversation together. "You totally deserved it."

"Hmm. Your actual training begins tomorrow." Jiraiya ruffled Kakashi's hair - followed by Naruto's and Sasuke's when they dared to smirk at their teacher's mortified expression - before disappearing with a dramatic finger waggle, muttering something about withdrawal and bathhouses.

Sakura didn't miss the masterful way in which Kakashi avoided the inevitable, uncomfortable questions - immediately comparing Sasuke and Naruto's skills to a series of small animals - successfully starting a small argument between the two boys.

A small argument that lasted all afternoon; while Kakashi lounged resting in the sun, reading his smutty books.

"I don't know, but you even think of putting their shit into the Gossip Vine I will make you hurt, alright?" Asuma, apparently, was very protective of his friends. Raidou tried to look up menacingly at the other man. Stupid physical elites and their stupid height and body mass.

"But if they're..." Raidou fiddled with a wad of paper napkins - he'd been placing them (messily) when the two nin had been ejected from the hall - as he struggled for the words. "...you know!"

"No." Asuma growled, lighting a cigarette. "I don't know."

"He should be here!" Raidou hissed. "He went to Shourei's and how close is he to her?"

"Look." Asuma turned fully to look at Raidou, allowing a lungful of smoke to billow in the older Jounin's scarred face. "Firstly; Kakashi only went to Shourei's because Kurenai all but guaranteed disembowelment if he didn't go. Secondly; we know nothing about what he and Iruka have going, if anything at all." Here Asuma gave Raidou a significant look. "Finally; don't fuck with my people, Raidou-san, or I will fuck up yours. Don't get me wrong, man; you're a great friend - but you don't need me."

Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette, grinning at the stunned Jounin as he slouched comfortably in the empty corridors. Of course, as timing would have it, Genma chose that moment to come strolling round the corner, glaring at Asuma as he casually greeted his lover.

"How was the mission?" The senbon bobbed about more than usual as he spoke, a sure sign that he was agitated, and Raidou couldn't fully suppress a grin at Genma's concern. "Didn't think you'd come straight here."

"It's all fine -" Raidou began. Genma seemed to pick up on the other man's hidden message. 'My fault, leave it!' and Raidou carried on."- Suzume-sensei was with us, so she kind of dragged us all here straight away. Scary woman when she's got a purpose."

Almost apologetically, Genma finally greeted Asuma, the tense atmosphere breaking as the three elite shinobi - bored and chastised by frightening kunoichi - decided to play ninja. The guard duty began to better resemble an elaborate reconnaissance mission as the three crouched around the hallway, flicking small needles and bits of paper at each other as the game became more and more ridiculous.

Eventually, Iruka came around the corner, tone flat and ironic as he called out to the dark corridor; "Suzume-sensei? I'm here at the Assembly Hall on my birthday, to see you about some hastily assembled excuse to do with paperwork not even noticing the idiots climbing on the walls!" Iruka bemusedly dodged a chewed up wad of paper. "Suzume-sensei?"

The three 'guards' stole back into the hall, signalling for quiet as Iruka made his way through the door. It was surprising, many of the villagers thought, the length of time it took for a shinobi village to hush and stop the convulsive giggling that ran through the room.

"SURPRIIISSSEEE!" Despite his forewarning, and the general obviousness of the whole poorly executed situation; the immense volume of the cheer still managed to startle Iruka. His grin set the upper ranks back off into helpless giggles - Iruka assumed that many of them had been celebrating his birthday for a while without him! Intent on catching up with his piss-head comrades, Iruka began to fight his way through the jungle of tiny arms and legs clinging to his knees. The tiny children and his existing students scurried about him, vying for his attention as they wished their sensei a happy birthday.

It took all of an hour for the birthday boy to finally pry himself away from the young crowd and their well-wishing parents - the polite conversation came very close to driving him mad. Presents were handed over - mostly consisting of books and stationary, which Iruka was predictably grateful for - and the teeming mass of tiny bodies all but dragged the poor teacher in a jumping, bobbing circle that his students called a dance.

The next hurdle in Iruka's quest to celebrate was ramen. Or, more specifically, Naruto.

"IRUKA-SENSEEIII!" Naruto's bear-hug was welcome and expected - Iruka looked past the spiky blonde head to see the lines of his ex-students - his Rookie Nine and the previous year's graduates. He smiled warmly, loving the chatter of the - now grown - shinobi. And it had been more than gratifying to see, as Naruto's affectionate weight made him stumble back a few steps, the defensive glares shot by so many of the boy's team-mates at the still prejudiced parents. None glared quite so fiercely as Sasuke, having his own hatred to now add to his hidden protectiveness.

Kakashi turned up at some point, late, as usual - not that Iruka had been scanning the crowds for anything resembling a small white hedge (although, after he'd gotten over the disappointment of it not being Kakashi, Iruka had been surprised and a little flattered to notice Jiraiya's white mop, standing with the Godaime Hokage herself!).

"Damn, and I was so hoping to miss all the little brats!" Kakashi whispered hotly into Iruka's ear as he waved cheerfully to his glaring students. Iruka fought the blush, this morning's birthday greeting still warm and curling in his stomach. The Copy Nin raised his voice slightly, scratching awkwardly at his head.

"Hehe... Sorry I'm late, Iruka-sensei!" Iruka coolly raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you've got some excuse lined up for me, Kakashi-san." Naruto laughed at Iruka's teasing.

"I'm afraid I couldn't bring your present along with me, Iruka-sensei." His voice dropped again, far out of the sonic range of his nosy students. "It's far too indecent."

Kakashi made some excuse to leave and sauntered off to the Jounins' commandeered little corner near the bar, seemingly intent on teasing Gai for a few hours.

Kakashi came late and left early, Iruka noted. The fact said a lot about just how badly he wanted to avoid the crowd. But he had shown up. The thought alone kept Iruka grinning for quite a while, nodding absently as Naruto raved about something or other - probably Sasuke, and what his raven-haired rival had done to piss him off now.

Iruka was pleasantly surprised that Kakashi had shown - the Jounin was never fully comfortable in closed in halls or crowded rooms. He wasn't so much claustrophobic as people-phobic, and Iruka had noticed that with his closer comrades and friends, Kakashi always made a point of wishing them a happy birthday in the day - before skipping out of whatever celebration they would hold. It was just another mechanism, with Kakashi, and it usually took one of Kurenai's mood swings or a group threat to get Kakashi to go along anywhere that forced him to interact with people outside of his usual little clique.

After the cake, and the ramen, and the loud songs that made Iruka wince; the kids were sent home to bed - most of the more respectable villagers went with them.

Then the bar came out.

He vaguely recalled vomiting outside of the restaurant - Followed by a blank spot that in Iruka's memory appeared as a long pause, a steady buzzing noise surrounded in a black haze - Then he was stumbling through his front door, laughing breathlessly at some noise he'd made while moving through -

There was quick shot of Jiraiya slapping Tsunade on the backside, and getting a blush and giggle for his troubles (that one shocked the whole room); but that was either a product of Iruka's diseased imagination, or his times were mixed up - Another blank spot in which he vaguely recalled having tears in his eyes - And then there was a brilliantly clear recollection of him greedily kissing someone, unsteady hands propelling his captive backwards as he all but crawled inside the other person's skin. -

When he awoke groggily on Monday morning - Kakashi's cold nose unconsciously nudging at the skin just beneath his shoulder blade - Iruka was blissfully grateful he wasn't expected into the academy that day. In the short, welcome moment between his brain waking up and his stomach waking up, he thought it must've been a pretty good birthday.

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