Now

"Sakura, we're focusing on the mission from now on," Kakashi said to the young kunoichi walking by his side. "No jealousy scenes and you'll see that Kimiko will get bored quickly."

She just rolled her eyes.

"If only she puts her hands on you, I'll make a scene," she retorted, and her companion dropped his arms helplessly.

"Save this energy for later," he said mysteriously, shoving his hands into his pockets, walking unhurriedly towards the two shinobi already waiting for them at the agreed place.

Sakura understood his allusion perfectly, so a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

"I hope you're not so old not to have strength after the mission on some pleasurable things," she said maliciously.

Kakashi gave her a sceptical look but didn't comment as their friend and the new member of Team Seven were nearby. Anyway, he didn't need words to tell Sakura that she was overdoing it with her jokes, and she perfectly understood the meaning of the look that Hatake was sending her.

"Oi, Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto was already waving a hello to them, even though they had only seen each other an hour ago.

The Sixth Hokage thought it best to take a short break before the mission. First, because he needed to clean up after a quickie with his woman in his office. And secondly, because everyone should have had a meal before the task ahead of them, and should have prepared for a few hours' trek with a supply of weapons and food. So they arranged to meet an hour later at training ground three.

Kimiko and Naruto were standing near the stakes where Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had been training just five years ago. The temporary member of Team Seven leaned against one of the wooden poles, hip thrusting defiantly. Sakura had already clenched her hands into fists, until the material of her gloves creaked.

Kakashi sighed resignedly, then looked at her figure with a lascivious smile on his lips.

"I love it when you get angry," he said with audible innuendo in his voice. "But keep that anger until the mission is over, so that you can take it out on me tonight."

Sakura felt a burning blush on her cheeks, but she couldn't repay those bold words in any way, as she realized that they were already so close to the two shinobi at the training stakes that if Kakashi hadn't said it quietly enough, only she would have noticed it; the other two might overhear this and that. However, the pink-haired kunoichi probably wouldn't mind if the mean harpy heard what Kakashi said. Then the poor, unaware Kimiko would realize, what advantage Sakura had over her.

So she merely rolled her eyes at his comment, so as not to let him know that his words had had the intended effect, and now she eagerly awaited her return home. After all, she had nothing to be afraid of, as Kakashi had been in love with her for years, and not with the first random woman he encountered. Although his old lifestyle sometimes flashed somewhere in the recesses of her mind, especially when she recalled that evening in the bar, when together with Naruto, Sasuke and Sai, they discovered Kakashi going out in the company of a cute blonde from the men's restroom, and only her she was privy to what they were doing there. The situation was also not improved by the fact that for the next few weeks the boys kept talking about it, and even asked her about the mission alone with Kakashi, which she never gave them any account of, because then her relationship with Kakashi blossomed fully and she had no intention of sharing it with anyone, much less telling what was under the mask.

In the official version that Tsunade presented, Kakashi and Sakura had a successful mission, not to mention the night in the cave, not to mention the fact that they didn't capture the enemy scroll right away, or that Sakura barely escaped against the unpredictable actions of the rebels. Their dynamic as partners was appreciated, and the Fifth even pushed Kakashi's candidacy for the Sixth off for several weeks, assigning him and Sakura to more tasks. And although their cooperation during the mission was as great as their relationship, the young kunoichi still tormented herself with thoughts of other women from his past, because Hatake never mentioned any, and when she asked if any were as important to him what she denied, but it was impossible for a guy to date women for so many years only for casual sex, without offering a permanent relationship in return... there must have been some woman or girl who had turned his head before her... And maybe it wasn't as fiery as theirs, but it must have meant a lot to him since Kakashi visited her grave every morning. And although for the last two years of their relationship he made her feel how important she was to him and that only she mattered and no one else, after all, jealousy always smouldered in her heart when some strange woman stared at her man for too long.

"Why it took you so long?" Kimiko snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Haruno clutched her sides, throwing her defiant pose a contemptuous look.

"Well, Kakashi had to eat something, and in the meantime they filled him with a pile of documents to sign, so it was me who had to organize the food for him, because none of you thought about it," Sakura explained.

"I didn't think you'd already been promoted to advocate and assistant to our dear Rokudaime," Kimiko said scathingly.

Kakashi put his hand on the shoulder of the pink-haired young woman, who was already bursting with rage from the inside.

"Sakura was kind enough to think of me and my needs," Hatake admitted, then looked from one kunoichi to another, confronting the green of her fiery gaze.

Kimiko rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," she snorted softly under her breath, so that no one would hear her, although Uzumaki was looking at her searchingly.

"Arigatō, Sakura," Kakashi said, his eyes still glued to the face of the woman by his side.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, what is our task, dattebayo?" interrupted excited Naruto, most likely impatient with the lack of action for a long time.

The mentioned one only sighed before proceeding to discuss the plan.

"The two roads around the hill are the last of the paths leading to Konoha. We need to check them for any signs of someone trying to get into our Village to threaten the new recruits. Here Kakashi crouched and the rest of the team with him, then drew a kunai from one of his pouches and as he continued to explain the plan of action, he drew it on the ground. "We'll split into two teams and check the fork. We are primarily looking for footprints on paths, broken branches, remnants of strange chakra and other unusual signs.

Haruno considered his words, still staring at the plan drawn on the ground.

"Like a puddle in the middle of a dry road?" she asked, referring to their first real mission, as there had been no rain in Konoha for the past few weeks, so the ground was completely dry.

Kakashi pointed his finger at her, smiling politely.

"Smart thinking," he said, and the pleasantly flattered kunoichi bared her teeth at him in a wide smile. "Naruto and Kimiko will search one road, and me and Sakura will take the other."

"Hai," replied Naruto and Sakura chorally, while the new member of their composition didn't look satisfied.

"Why do I have to go with this fool?" she snorted, pointing her thumb at the blonde.

Naruto looked at Kimiko in consternation.

"But we always shared that way in the old days," he said, as if it were obvious. "You're replacing Sai at the moment, who in turn was replacing Sasuke. Also, since their successful mission together, Kakashi and Sakura are a duo that's usually not separated."

Kunoichi didn't look happy, but she shrugged and Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief that there were no major arguments.

"Remember to mark all suspicious leads," he added, then pointed to the pink-haired companion. "Sakura will explain to you how to do it."

The mentioned woman pulled out four vials of a transparent liquid from her pouch. She handed each of them one, then uncapped hers.

"Any one of us who actually finds a trace will be able to mark it with this fluid." She poured some of the contents of the vial onto her index finger, showing everyone that it had left no mark on her glove. "It's invisible now, but when..."

Sakura pulled out special goggles from another pouch and gave them to Naruto, who immediately put them on, then exclaimed happily when he discovered a phosphorescent mark on his friend's finger.

"Amazing, dattebayo!"

Haruno also handed the goggles to Kakashi and Kimiko, who accepted them with a not very happy face.

"Why do I have to wear something like this?" she snorted, stuffing them into her pocket.

"You don't have to, as long as you don't miss a trace or double-mark one," Haruno replied coldly.

Kakashi nodded.

"This will help us quickly locate a possible route our enemy may have taken," Hatake admitted.

Sakura looked at him and nodded her head.

"Our enemies are unlikely to have a Sharingan, since it's from our Village that its last owner is from." Here she looked sympathetically at the man by her side, who until recently wielded this dangerous weapon himself, but didn't show whether it hurt him in any way remembering that Sasuke was the last one who wielded this very strong dōjutsu, then looked at the rest of their squad. "Byakugan users are unlikely to come into open conflict with our Village. And only the Uchiha and Hyūga clans would be able to track down this odourless, invisible serum with their dōjutsu. That's why it's the safest way to secure any leads."

"Exactly, but not all marks can be an enemy. This trail is still our country's territory, so someone can always hang around there, that's why..." Here Kakashi shifted his gaze to Uzumaki. "Naruto, don't attack immediately the first person you meet on your way, because it may turn out to be our compatriot."

The mentioned one nodded his head vigorously, narrowing his eyes in his radiant smile.

"Hai, dattebayo!"

However, Kakashi was sure that his former student didn't quite understand him and just nodded, because he was too excited for another joint mission, which they hadn't had for years. Although his former students had them much more often than he himself recently. The position of the Hokage, however, was binding.

"Everyone knows what to do?" Hatake wanted to make sure before they split into two smaller squads and split up, Kimiko, for example, didn't look too focused on the task, and only measured Sakura with a not very favourable look.

Naruto and Sakura nodded, accustomed to his style from working with him over the years as commander, and grateful that he had pushed Yamato away from them for this particular mission. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai continued to ask what his initial reason for leaving the team was, but Kakashi always got away with it somehow, and besides, he had Sakura on his side, who was no longer mad at him for leaving the team since she knew his real reason. Then, when he was appointed the Sixth Hokage, the three boys from Team Seven answered that question for themselves, telling themselves that he left sooner to accustom them to his new position, because as Hokage he could no longer lead his team if he had to stop participating in missions. And so ended the search for the real reason for his departure from the team. And Hatake or Haruno weren't going to correct them.

And although his two former students were already ready to go on a mission, Kakashi shifted his gaze to the new member of the team.

"Kimiko?" he asked, seeing no reaction to his question. "You know what to do?"

When asked, the kunoichi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Everything has already been explained, so what's the point of asking?" she snorted, crossing her arms again over her chest.

Hatake hung his arms helplessly.

"Yoshi. Ikuzo!" he ordered before running down the path and the rest of the team followed him.

They separated at a fork in the road, and each pair sped off along their designated route.

~*~

Kakashi watched with what attention Sakura looked around for any signs that an enemy might leave behind. A smile somehow crept onto his lips and he couldn't stop it in any way, because the concentration that was painted on her face made her look as wonderful as in the moments when she smiled radiantly at him. He loved all the expressions she showed, but perhaps the most in his heart was the grimace of rage. Even if she was angry with him. Sometimes he loved to infuriate her, just to see the anger on her face.

He looked back down his path to crouch down, daub his thumb and mark a broken twig that had most likely been damaged by an animal, not an enemy.

They sped on through the thicket of trees for several more hours, until they landed at a crossroads that led far beyond the limits of their Village. There they stopped and decided to rest. Hatake temporarily returned the goggles to Sakura, which he won't need at least until he returns, when they will study individual traces in terms of threatening the safety of the Village. And for now, they fell on the grass, Sakura leaned her back against a tree trunk, while Kakashi folded his hands under his head, lying on the grass carpet.

"Naruto and Kimiko should be finishing their infirmary by now, and considering Naruto's enthusiasm, they will probably join us soon," Kakashi announced, thus breaking the silence.

Sakura was still silent, staring at the space in front of her. She was still breathing heavily from the frantic run and tried to calm down and calm her body. Along the way, she managed to mark a few clues that might not seem suspicious at first glance, but she saw how Kakashi marked equally unimportant traces, and she wasn't shy about doing it. There weren't many of them, but there was always something, so they could take a closer look at them on the way back and examine everything more thoroughly. Although on their part of the road, there was hardly any indication of a serious attack from the enemy.

Haruno shifted her gaze to Kakashi, examining his calm face, freely closed eyelids and a smile lurking under the mask. Her hand involuntarily went to his face, but before she could even touch him, his fingers intertwined with hers to bring a tiny hand to his masked mouth and kiss the top of it gently.

Sakura blushed under the influence of this tender gesture, because still, after two years, he could surprise her with his unpredictability and, above all, tenderness. Her lips automatically stretched into a radiant smile that she couldn't hold back at the mere sight of him, but it was moments like these that made her heart pound mercilessly loud in her chest.

"So the respite is about to end?" she assured herself, examining his face as he slid the mask off it to bring her knuckles closer to his exposed mouth.

An innocent smile danced on his lips before Sakura made a sudden move, landing on top of him. Their faces were mere millimetres apart as they lay staring at each other.

The man's hands immediately wrapped around her waist, and a few seconds later, Sakura leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Excitement boiled in her veins at the mere touch of his lips, so without much ado, she straddled him, moving her hips in just the right place to spur him into action, then leaned in, pressing passionately into his parted lips in anticipation.

The smile didn't leave his face, seeing how easily his beloved one got carried away by emotions, and maybe it was also influenced by his earlier words about the intoxicating evening, or a quickie in his office. He preferred not to go into it, what mattered to him was here and now. And at that very moment, Sakura was doing a great job to excite him. And it had to be admitted that she was second to none in this respect. Not that Kakashi ever compared her to anyone, because his woman was one of a kind and since she had taken over his heart, he couldn't look at any other woman as an object of sighs, even if she deliberately flexed in front of him, exposing her breasts or sticking her ass out. Kakashi could unceremoniously stare into her eyes despite his strenuous attempts to draw attention to their feminine assets. It was Sakura who was his queen and he couldn't take his eyes off her wherever she appeared.

Hatake sighed blissfully through the kiss, at the same time slapping the woman riding him hard on the buttock. His companion squealed a little louder, surprised by his bold move, but after a while she regained her composure, sliding her kisses a little lower.

When it came to Sakura, one thing was certain — she was always insatiable, but that also applied to him. They had had each other exclusively for two years, but even such a long-term relationship couldn't put out the flame that ignited between them during their first joint mission. No wonder, since this girl at the age of fourteen could surprise him at the least opportune moment with her actions or ideas.

Their relationship was really blossoming, and Kakashi slowly wondered if they hadn't been stuck in this limbo for far too long. At first, Sakura insisted on secrecy, and even he himself didn't really want to share their common history with the world, but now the stairs began to appear. After all, they had been together for two years, they knew each other inside out, which sometimes surfaced with the least appropriate people, like Sasuke, who could always read between the lines, or Sai, but Naruto still lived in complete ignorance as to their intimacy. They were both so easy in each other's company that they just forgot each other sometimes, but that only happened when they met in Ichiraku with their friends. They spent most of their time at his or her apartment, living together in secret. Her apartment was a safer place, but he was the one who attracted the most attention wherever he went, and some women could be so pushy as to knock on his door in the middle of the night. That's why they usually met at Sakura's, which meant that Kakashi always had to create two clones for the trick in order to calmly get to her place, not arousing the interest of outsiders, and quietly slip through, as befits a real ninja.

Suddenly, Sakura hit a sensitive spot, sucking his skin in the hollow of his neck, which made Hatake's throat grow low. He allowed her this caress, knowing exactly that no one would notice this small mark on his neck, because the only person who regularly saw him without a mask was the author of this hickey. Kakashi relaxed a bit, though he was still awake, listening to his surroundings and sniffing for foreign sources of chakra. While his companion lost herself in giving him pleasure.

Just as she started to unbutton his vest, Hatake sensed a strange change in the air, while the pink-haired kunoichi instantly froze, sensing the unfamiliar chakra. The pair of shinobi looked at each other knowingly and in just a fraction of a second they were back on their feet, and Kakashi had his mask on his face again and was buttoning his vest when a familiar figure loomed in their field of vision.

"What happened?!" Sakura shouted, taking a step forward, seeing a strange mixture of desperation and fear on Kimiko's face.

The second kunoichi was rushing towards them with wild speed, stopping at the right distance to be able to lean over, greedily gasping for air so as not to vomit from the fast pace. She glanced tearfully at Kakashi and then at her pink-haired teammate.

"It's... Na... Naruto!" she finally gasped, but before she could say anything else, Sakura ran up to her, tugging at her shoulders.

"You left your comrade behind?" she accused her companion.

Fury showed on her beautiful face and it seemed like nothing could stop her from punching Kimiko right in the nose. At least until she felt the familiar warmth of a strong male hand on her shoulder. Kakashi was right behind her, calmly flooding the blood boiling with rage in her veins.

The pink-haired kunoichi breathed a sigh of relief, releasing her friend from the firm embrace.

"What about Naruto?" Hatake asked calmly.

"Oh, that was terrible!" she moaned, shifting her big eyes to the Hokage. "Kakashi-sama, we were attacked... there were seven of them, we weren't prepared for that. Naruto was the first to be attacked... and passed out, and I... I... panicked... and ran for help."

Kakashi and Sakura exchanged glances.

"I'll go first, because Naruto needs a medical ninja," Sakura announced, while Hatake, as the commander, had to agree to it, so having no other choice, he nodded. "Go ahead, but be careful, Sakura." The tone of his voice was not only a warning, and his companion knew exactly what he meant before she nodded, turned around and rushed ahead to the place indicated by Kimiko.

Kakashi stared at the small, female figure disappearing in the thicket of trees and felt his heart pounding painfully in his chest, ready to break out right behind her. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the kunoichi standing in front of him.

"Can you run?" he asked, examining her form for any wounds.

She didn't answer for a moment, staring into his dark eyes, but then she nodded vigorously. So, they both ran, Kimiko leading the way back, but since Kakashi was in charge, he had to take the lead to run at the head of their group. But then he heard a scream of pain. The man suddenly stopped dead and turned to his companion to check how she was doing.

Kimiko was crouching on the ground, holding her ankle. She looked up at him and Kakashi just drooped his arms helplessly.

"I think I sprained my ankle," she said.

Hatake sighed resignedly. It was quite logical, the frightened girl ran through the forest, feeling no pain, still fuelled by adrenaline. Only now did it dawn on her that she was injured.

"Then jump on my back," Kakashi declared, though he didn't like the idea too much considering what would happen if Sakura saw them in that position.

Kimiko flinched for a moment, averting her gaze from him, then with his help she slowly got up from the ground, but instead of climbing onto his back, she staggered forward in such a way that she rested her entire body weight on the man's chest, while her forehead rested against his shoulder.

"I feel like they gave me something," she moaned, looking up at Six's masked face. "I got hit in the side with a kunai, they must have soaked it in something, Kakashi-sama... I don't feel well... I can't hold it on your back..."

Hatake pressed his lips into a thin line and raised his eyes to the sky, feeling that perverse fate had powerfully mocked him.

"Okay, then..." He couldn't finish his thought as her hand shot up to his face.

~*~

Sakura ran as fast as she could, adding a little more chakra every now and then to arrive at the place even faster. She was worried about her friend, not only because they had cared for each other for years, but also because Naruto had someone to come back to the Village for, and besides, her friend wasn't just any shinobi, but the only jinchūriki that didn't give up so easily.

So why was he so easily knocked out?

Naruto had his downsides, like sensing the enemy. Kakashi could sense foreign chakra much faster than she or anyone else in Team Seven, but not Naruto, which was his only Achilles heel. He was great in hand-to-hand combat, an outstanding shinobi who controlled the beast in his body, which is why he was able to decimate his enemies, and here suddenly he was surprised in the most primitive way, and Kimiko just ran away, leaving him at the mercy of the enemy. It was unthinkable for Sakura. Naruto was easy to approach, but above all, he wouldn't give up so easily without a fight, something must have happened to him that he was completely unable to fight.

She ran faster and faster, fuelled by her own adrenaline, completely ignoring the pain in her legs. Her body was healing automatically anyway, and besides, she had to save chakra for Naruto, because she didn't know what condition she would find him in.

A flash of orange caught her eye and the kunoichi turned sharply, rushing in a completely different direction. She made her way through the thicket of trees and bushes, not caring at all about minor wounds received as a result of various scratches through the twigs. At that moment, nothing mattered more to her than her friend's health.

When she saw his silhouette between the bushes, a sob escaped her throat and she almost screamed his name. She rushed over to him and knelt beside him. Her hands automatically began examining his internal organs for damage, but finding no damage, she withdrew her chakra and tried another way.

"Maybe it's genjutsu?" she whispered to herself, then tied the seal, then whispered, "Kai."

However, that didn't help either, so the kunoichi frowned as she looked at her friend's silhouette.

"Weird," she admitted, before reaching up to explore his head, where she felt a massive bump in the back.

She instantly healed him, and when Naruto started snoring, she punched him on the arm, but lightly enough not to hurt him more.

"Eh?" he wondered, opening his eyes. "Sakura-chan?" he asked, rubbing his fists against his eyelids.

Haruno nodded.

"What happened, where are the enemies?" she asked, suddenly realizing that she couldn't sense any foreign chakra anywhere nearby, and if so, they had to be chasing Kimiko, which meant that she and Kakashi were in danger... although it's strange that Sakura didn't stumble upon them, when she came back the same route as that one. Maybe they crossed over the hill to the other side?

"What enemies, dattebayo?" asked surprised Uzumaki, scratching his head, and when Sakura plunged into thoughts, he had already sat down.

"Kimiko said you were attacked and injured," she corrected.

"Nani?!" exclaimed the boy. "She was the one who hit me in the head!"

Sakura frowned, looking at Naruto completely surprised.

"How's that?"

"And where is she anyway?" Naruto asked.

"With Kakashi," she replied, and suddenly everything made sense.

~*~

Before she could even touch his cheek with her fingertip, Kakashi blocked any movement of her hand, looking warningly at the girl's eyes.

"Kimiko, what are you doing?"

When asked, she shook her head.

"I have no idea, dear Rokudaime."

After these words, she tried to get even closer to him, but Hatake took a step back, and the kunoichi lost her balance and flew forward. Kakashi politely stepped out of her way, causing her to land on the ground.

"Hokage-sama, I just wanted to spend some time alone with you because you're usually unreachable," she said as she got to her knees.

Not only did her stupor seem to have disappeared, but her injured ankle had magically healed.

"You're not the only one trying to get a hold of me, but I'll admit you're the only one who's thought of such a plan," he said thoughtfully. "I don't know what's worse... shining a big cleavage in front of my eyes, or your version of..."

Hatake clasped his hands.

"But... why are you so stubborn?!" she hissed, annoyed by the indifference in his voice.

"Kimiko, I'm not interested in any woman," he replied simply.

The dark-haired woman gave him a sharp look, furrowing her brows menacingly. Her hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

"But you were even very interested in fucking Sakura in the office," she said scathingly.

Kakashi was speechless. She surprised him. He had no idea how she knew about it, because from what he remembered, both he and Sakura silenced their chakras. And they tried to do it as quietly as possible. Maybe she saw through the window? Too thin door and yet she heard everything?

"Hmm?" Kakashi mimicked misheard masterfully.

"I saw you through the keyhole," she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Really?" Kakashi's eyebrows went up, because yes, it was possible with the help of the Sharingan, but with ordinary sight?

Kimiko rolled her eyes.

"What's so special about Sakura that I don't have?"

"Hm..." Kakashi really thought about her words, because although he knew the reason perfectly well — she wasn't her —it was something that first and foremost attracted him to Sakura.

It must have been the sincerity in her feelings. He had never seen such sincerity in anyone. Her devotion to Sasuke for so many years... yes, that had to be it. And besides, it was the warmth that surrounded him. A rage she no longer had to hide from anyone. And also, equality. They were both equal. When she angrily tried to punch him in the shoulder, he always caught her in time, despite her monstrous strength. And he had never been afraid of her.

"Looks like being just your former student is enough to keep you interested, huh?" she snorted before closing the seal, causing an exact copy of his woman to be standing in front of him in the next second.

Kakashi shook his head.

"It's not about looks, Kimiko," he replied, barely remembering that he wasn't looking at his sweetheart, but the new member of Team Seven. "You can make yourself look like her, but you'll never be her, and that's why I won't be interested in you, because I don't care about poor copies. I prefer the original."

"You'll change your mind once you let me get close to you," she stated, but Kakashi shook his head.

"I don't let other women get close to me," he said, throwing up his hands in surrender.

Kimiko could almost feel her time running out and her control of the situation spiralling out of control.

"Maybe not but is she equally faithful to you?" she said casually. "I saw her yesterday with someone at a bar." Her tone was full of innuendo.

From what he remembered, she was supposed to be going to a bar with the boys, so nothing dangerous was likely to happen. Of that Kakashi was sure. After all, Sai, Naruto and Sasuke gave up on flirting with Sakura a long time ago, and Kimiko probably tried to throw him off balance, but he was far too experienced to fall for such a trap.

It was then that Kakashi realized at the last moment that Kimiko was standing right in front of him, deceptively similar to Sakura. Hatake took a step back and met resistance in the form of a tree trunk. He then placed a hand on Kimiko's shoulder to keep her at a safe distance when suddenly her unblocked hand shot towards his crotch. The shinobi sighed resignedly, quickly taking his hands to form the seal when suddenly Kimiko disappeared.

"Shannaro! Get your hands off my man!" the real Sakura thundered.

A smile appeared on Kakashi's face as he realized that it was this wild fury that attracted him to her so much.

Both girls landed on the ground in front of him. Kimiko blindly tried to pummel Sakura with her fists, but one punch was enough to knock the other one to the ground. And although both looked exactly the same, Kakashi had no problem telling who was who.

"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto, who just landed at the side of the man. "What's going on here, dattebayo?"

When asked, he scratched his cheek thoughtfully.

"Did Kimiko make it all up?" the man asked, examining the unharmed body of his former student.

Naruto nodded.

"In that case, let's let Sakura go crazy and let's not interfere," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Wait a minute... but which one is Sakura?"

"Only one of them can get really mad," Kakashi said with a faint smile on his lips.

The girls rolled on the ground, kicking and punching. Sakura didn't use her chakra for this, not wanting to damage her rival too severely, but only to make her aware of the mistake she had made. However, from moment to moment, when Kimiko began to lose her advantage, she reached for a larger assortment. First, she kicked Sakura off herself to rise from the ground, both already covered in dust and grass stains, and then tied a seal to form a small ball of the ground and throw it straight at her opponent.

Haruno, as befits her, smashed the earthy ball with her fist, then lifted her leg and stamped her rival on her back.

"Stay away from Kakashi!" Sakura growled, before she jumped up to hit with two fists in the place where Kimiko was lying a moment ago with a familiar exclamation on her lips, "Shannaro!"

Kimiko formed another seal, this time sending a whole wall of earth towards Sakura, which Haruno broke again with her bare fist. And then the rage boiled inside her, so the pink-haired kunoichi also formed a seal, creating a giant eel from the water, which she sent straight at her opponent.

Kakashi felt quite a twinge of pride that he was the one who had taught her this technique.

Instantly, the ground made of dry, hard earth turned into mud, sticking to the boots of both kunoichi, and Kimiko, who was knocked to the ground, was covered in a sticky mixture. However, she still didn't take off her jutsu, so she still looked like Sakura's doppelgänger.

The original Haruno gave up her techniques again to switch to hand-to-hand combat and charged at her rival with all her might. However, she didn't manage to get to her because she used the body swap technique, which is why the pink-haired kunoichi stopped dead, looking around for her opponent, but she didn't appear for a really long time and when Sakura was about to stop the fight and return to Naruto and Kakashi, suddenly Kimiko appeared from the ground behind her. She threw herself at Sakura and they both rolled on the ground, wallowing in the mud. They had them in their hair, on their faces, blouses and light-coloured skirts. They pounded each other with their fists, but the settlement of the dispute seemed easy to Kakashi, because the real Sakura gained the upper hand again, and Kimiko, driven to the extreme with the help of another technique, disappeared underground.

The remaining kunoichi knelt and brushed the excess mud and hair from her face, looked around, knowing that Kimiko was still underground. So she got up, dusted off her clothes, and once again smashed the ground with her fist. The fissure flew up to the line of trees growing on the hill, while the trace of Kimiko was lost.

Kakashi finally thought it was time to end this argument.

"Sakura!" he shouted, walking slowly, unhurriedly towards her. "That's enough!"

His beloved one turned to face him and nodded. Hatake was getting closer to her when suddenly Kimiko sprang up from the ground, this time in her own form and shot earth whips straight at Sakura. The scream died in Kakashi's throat before he rushed to save his woman.

"You think only you can have him? Everyone can have Hokage for themselves!" Kimiko threw these words in a shaky voice and once again lashed Sakura, but this time accurately.

As a result of the impact, her top ripped open and the bandage she had wrapped around her breasts slowly began to unravel. Seeing this Kakashi rushed towards the pink-haired kunoichi, only to witness her Byakugō seal activate. Black squiggles began to cover her body, and Hatake had to fight back the sigh that escaped his lips at the glorious sight. Sakura's body began to regenerate on its own after Kimiko's successful attack, but by the time the last strip of bandage exposed Haruno's naked breasts, Hatake was already in front of her to press her petit silhouette against his tough chest and point his index finger at Kimiko.

"Enough!" With these words he ended the duel, and when the disobedient kunoichi tried to renew the attack, Kakashi drew a line from his pouch, which he tied after a while to the unruly member of the seventh team. "That's enough."

Hatake was annoyed, especially that Kimiko was going to fight dirty. He didn't like it because it was a blow below the belt. Well, in this particular case, rather above the waist, but everyone got the message.

Kakashi pulled the line and Kimiko landed on the ground. He then took off his vest, only to get into his sweatshirt and hand it to Sakura, who immediately threw it on herself. Later, Hatake bent down to retrieve his possessions, and as he straightened up, he glanced at the figure of the kunoichi in front of him.

"Déjà vu," he said with a faint smile on his lips, which earned himself a glare from Sakura.

Then they both approached Naruto, and Kakashi not very gently seated Kimiko on the other side of the fire prepared by Sakura. Hatake sat down beside her, all the time closely watched by the former student.

"I guess that's the end of mysteries," he said, looking at Sakura, who nodded her head in agreement. "We owe you an explanation, Naruto."

Sakura lowered her head, playing with the sleeves of her man's sweatshirt.

"We've been a couple for two years, me and Kakashi," the pink-haired kunoichi blurted out, earning herself a nudge in the side from the Hokage sitting next to her.

"Ah, Sakura... I wanted to start somehow more delicately," he muttered dissatisfied, but when he followed his beloved's gaze, he noticed the surprise that was painted on Kimiko's face, which is why understanding spilled inside him.

First of all, Sakura wanted to prove something to Kimiko, so that their ridiculous rivalry would finally come to an end.

"Nani?! But... how is it, dattebayo?" Uzumaki was surprised, looking at the two friends, as if he saw them for the first time in his life.

Kakashi smiled as he flashed back to one evening at the bar, glanced at Sakura, who gestured that she was leaving the matter in his hands. Hatake nodded and she snuggled into him as he began his story, "It all started at one night in the bar..."

~*~

Two weeks later

Kakashi still couldn't believe it. Yes, he understood Sakura's point of view, and he also didn't like the idea of hiding their relationship any longer, especially after they confessed to Naruto the whole truth. Well, except for a few juicy details. Kimiko listened as carefully as he did, and finally apologized to Sakura for her behaviour, informing that she had no idea that there was more than casual sex between them. Naruto probably didn't like what he heard, because right after that he covered his ears, screaming that he couldn't hear anything. Sakura accepted the other kunoichi's apology, who in turn also apologized to him for her pushy behaviour and everything would have ended well if they decided to tell only the rest of their friends about their relationship. Of course, both Kimiko and Naruto had told a few people, but still, most of them didn't believe it. And that's why they were here now, he and Sakura by his side, standing above the crowd of Konoha citizens gathered to hear his message, which he had been practically forced to do by a certain overly jealous pink-haired person.

Well, after young girls and women on the agenda still didn't give up trying to pick up the Hokage, Sakura forced him to make a statement that first of all informs everyone that their esteemed Rokudaime isn't free and forbids picking him up. Sakura knew perfectly well that Kakashi hated such public declarations and he himself was terribly stressed, but lately everything has intensified. As he sat quietly at the bar, sipping sake with Genma and the rest of his friends, various women sat at their table, too boldly showing interest in him. It didn't even help that Genma was openly flirting with them. In the end, Kakashi had to flee, and while eating ramen at Ichiraku with Sakura and Naruto and the rest of their Team Seven squad, Kakashi continued to be attacked. Fortunately, Ayame was kind enough to throw the annoying women out of the premises. It was the moment that shed the scales of bitterness and that very evening Sakura forced him to reveal their relationship in front of the entire Village. Poor Kakashi spent half the night writing the announcement, which he ended up throwing away anyway.

The murmur of conversations coming from downstairs and the squeals of some women at the sight of him made it much harder to make a speech. That's why after making sure that this determination still hadn't disappeared from his companion's eyes, Kakashi threw off his hat and Hokage cloak and finally raised his hand, thus silencing all the villagers.

Somewhere down there stood their friends, smiling knowingly at the sight of the couple above.

"I'm sure it will be about not touching the Hokage," Ino whispered to Shikamaru, who only shrugged in response to her provocation.

Several women, however, were interested in the blonde's words and turned to her full of unspoken questions.

"What is it about?"

Ino, as befits a true gossip girl, bared her teeth in a wide smile.

"Well, what's it about!" she laughed. "That our dear Rokudaime isn't a bachelor anymore!"

The groan of disappointment that came out of the women's mouth was pure satisfaction to Ino's ears.

And back to our pair above. Kakashi had already lowered his hand as all murmurs and screams had died down. He wondered where to start, but he wasn't really a skilled speaker, so he decided to get straight to the point.

"I have gathered you here to announce to all and sundry something very important." He shifted his gaze to Sakura. "As of today, you're hereby requested to stop all attempts to seduce the Hokage." A loud moan of discontent rolled through the crowd, and Kakashi raised his hand again to silence everyone. "I know, I understand that many women may have liked my face, but... only one was able to love me before it was discovered."

Kakashi turned to Sakura, a smile on his lips as he realized she was staring at him expectantly. He took a step back, ready to kneel in front of her, when suddenly pain shot through his back, he moaned silently, looking at his companion.

"Forgive me, something bad happened with my back," he said, then added lightly, "Age is heavy burden."

Sakura looked at him sceptically.

"Kakashi, you're not even thirty yet," she snorted.

Hatake grinned at her in a goofy grin before removing his mask from his face to place a gentle kiss on her lips in front of all the gathered townspeople, and when he pulled away, he held out his hand with a small box resting on it.

Sakura at first looked suspiciously at the small box, and then her face brightened with understanding. Then she covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a happy squeal.

Kakashi opened the lid, and his companion with an expression of disappointment, looked inside in search of a diamond ring. She really thought that Kakashi was proposing to her, and he was holding a box in front of him, in which a red ribbon was stuck.

"Sakura," he turned to her in his low tone, so that only she could hear him; and the mentioned one turned her gaze to him, trying to hide the disappointment etched on her face. "Think of this ribbon as of a red strand."

Understanding suddenly flooded over her, and she was speechless as she tried to utter his name. It hadn't gone well, but she had a man by her side who always knew what to do and was one of the best strategists in the Leaf Village. Maybe he wasn't all a lovey-dovey type, but he truly cared for her. And the red strand of their destiny was the best sign of it all. It all was his way of a proposal.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Kakashi said, taking a ribbon from the box to tie around her wrist, and when he was done, he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "So, what do you say?"

Before Sakura said anything, she threw herself on his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, Kakashi," she whispered into his ear, smacking them gently as the man wrapped his arms around her figure, holding her tight to his body.

With Sakura so nestled in himself, the man turned towards the gathered residents, raising his hand to silence the murmur of conversations again and gave them all a thumbs up.

"She said 'yes'," he informed the crowd, and below them their friends shouted their congratulations. "So, as of today, there's a ban on picking up my fiancée." Here Kakashi looked at Sasuke, whom he gave a reproachful look. "Yes, Sasuke, I'm talking to you. I heard about that night at the bar two weeks ago." Then he pointed his thumb at himself. "And a complete ban on hitting on the Hokage because he's taken by the one and only..."

Sakura covered his mouth and turned his head towards the statue. Hatake studied the faces carved in the rock, though at first glance everything seemed normal. Until his gaze wandered to his copy, where on the forehead protector was written in black goo, "The property of Haruno Sakura," and further on both masked cheeks, "Better not touch!".

Kakashi looked back at the owner of the inscription and smiled.

"Well, that sort of settles it," he said, eliciting a giggle from the kunoichi's throat still in his arms. "I bought a ring too, it's waiting for you in the bedroom."

Sakura squealed with joy and started kicking her legs.

"Have I told you that I love you, Kakashi?"

"Many times."

"So, I don't have to repeat myself?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'd love to hear it again."

"Me too."

Kakashi put her on the ground so that they could look into each other's eyes again and this time, they both whispered these beautiful words, "I love you."

And then their lips connected in a passionate kiss, after which they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

And they lived happily ever after.

~ end ~