Chapter Text
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
They returned from lunch and settled at the same table as before. Kakashi unrolled and unsealed the scroll with their supplies.
"Baby got stacks!" he said as he set them out, and heard only minor grumbling. His bribery was clearly going to work.
"I still can't believe we basically stole books," Sakura said, shaking her head.
"Maa, not stole, borrowed."
"We're supposed to borrow via a library card," she corrected Kakashi.
"That's a novel idea," he said, and received an eye roll.
"I'm going to get more books," Sasuke said, "if only to have to hear less crappy puns."
"Ah, you wound me!" Kakashi said. "Book it to the new books!"
"Done," Sasuke said, as he left. "I'm so done with this."
Kakashi stepped away for a moment, summoning a clone.
"Yo."
"Go see our favorite chuunin," Kakashi told his clone, who nodded and sauntered off. Real-Kakashi returned to his team's table to oversee their work.
Sasuke nodded to his sensei as they passed each other a few moments later, Sasuke carrying several books back to the table. His eyes narrowed when he saw his sensei at the table before he had arrived back.
"Weren't you..." he began, then shook his head as he sat down. "Not even worth it."
"Hmm?" Kakashi said, looking up from a scroll he was studying, figuring he should set a good example for the rest of the day and not read Icha Icha. "Talk wordy to me, what's on your mind?"
"I hate you so much right now," Sasuke said, scowling.
__________
Clone-Kakashi wandered the library.
"Rival!" Gai boomed, resulting in many hushes. He lowered his voice. "We are still deep into our challenge, I see! This is a worthy one for sure! A true test of our discipline!"
"Yeah, Gai, sure," clone-Kakashi said. "I guess we'll end up tying today."
"Not so fast!" Gai said, striking a pose. "There are still several hours until the library closes. I have time yet to win!" And with that, he strode off.
Clone-Kakashi stared after him for a moment, before shrugging and continuing on.
"Afternoon, sensei," he greeted Iruka, who was working at a desk, a few moments later.
Iruka shot him a side glare. "Kakashi-sensei."
"So, dinner tonight."
Iruka huffed. "I don't think so."
"Why? It would be a crime and punishment if I didn't get to take you out," clone-Kakashi said, winking.
Iruka snorted. "Yeah, sure. I have plans."
"What plans? Buying Naruto a paycheck's worth of ramen?"
Iruka shrugged as he worked. "Most of a paycheck. He's already asked, so I should keep the night open for him."
Kakashi leaned over the desk. "That's not exactly a no, again." He leaned closer. "Dewey belong together or what?"
"You're terrible," Iruka said. Clone-Kakashi noted he didn't blush that time, and pouted. "Shouldn't you be with your team?"
"I am?"
Iruka shot him a look as he worked. "You are." Kakashi nodded. "And you're here also." Another nod. Iruka smiled. "I have to hand it to you, Naruto hasn't even figured out that he'd get through the library faster if he used clones. Of all the times, too!"
Clone-Kakashi laughed. "Agreed. Say, we could swap Naruto stories over dinner..."
His eye widened as Iruka stopped working and looked up at him.
"We could..." Iruka said. "Or..."
Clone-Kakashi's eye widened more, only for him to disperse.
Back at the table, Kakashi's years of being a top shinobi helped him maintain his self-control and not flinch as the clone's memories came back to him.
"He threw a book at me!" he muttered, and his team just shook their heads.
___________
Later, Kakashi straightened up from the sealing scroll he was reading and reviewed his team's work.
"Good job. I think we just need one more book and another hour or so and we'll be done, in addition to the report," Kakashi said.
Naruto jumped up. "I'll get it!"
"If it's okay with your team," Kakashi said, looking at Sakura and Sasuke, who shrugged. "May the source be with you!"
His team huffed.
"Just don't take forever, Naruto," Sakura said. "Don't make us be here late because you messed around."
"Agreed," Sasuke said.
"Fine, fine, I'll be back soon. If I see Iruka-sensei I'll invite him to dinner!" And with a flash of orange, he left.
"I'm going to get a new scroll to look at, and a blank report," Kakashi said, standing.
He did wander and get a new sealing scroll, but decided to take a detour to the desk that had blank mission reports.
"We're almost done!" he heard Naruto say.
"Good," he could hear Iruka say, and so Kakashi stayed out of sight and minimized his chakra.
"And then it's dinnertime!"
Iruka laughed. "I suppose so, after your team is done turning in your report. Ichiraku's?"
"Actually," Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei is taking us out for dinner!"
"Oh?" Iruka sounded surprised. "That's....nice of him."
Kakashi allowed himself to think that he detected a note of disappointment in the younger man's voice, but wasn't sure if it would be due to Kakashi having plans, or Naruto having plans. He hoped it was the former...
"He invited you too!" Naruto said.
"What?"
"Yeah, after he said he'd take the team out, I told him I'd already started to make plans with you, and he said he didn't want me to have to choose between you or my team. So he invited you out and even said he'd pay!"
Iruka snorted. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, believe it! He's getting us barbeque!"
Kakashi stepped towards them. "Only if you guys finish on time, which means you'd best head back with our last book," he said to Naruto.
To everyone's surprise, the blond didn't argue for once.
"Right! I gotta go, but see you tonight, Iruka-sensei!" he said, running off.
Iruka smiled fondly as he picked up some books off the table he was at. "That kid."
"So, dinner?" Kakashi said. "After all, you look booked."
"Not this story again," Iruka said, smirking. Kakashi was stunned.
"Finally! Someone gets me!" he said.
"Are you here to just get after Naruto and annoy me again?" Iruka asked, heading back to the large main library desk.
"Maa, is that a hardcover or are you just happy to see me?"
"Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka hissed. "So help me, I will throw you out of this library right now!"
Kakashi pursed his lips, recognizing that would mean Gai would win their challenge. "Fine, sorry. Actually, I need a blank mission report so we can fill it out and turn it in after we finish up here."
Iruka brightened. "Well, good, that's good."
Kakashi followed Iruka, staying on the public side of the desk while Iruka went behind it, set his books down, and pulled out a scroll from a drawer, passing it to Kakashi.
"Thanks. Should we pick you up on our way out? Hit the missions room together, then dinner?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka frowned. "Iruka-sensei, you wouldn't want to disappoint Naruto, now would you? You'd have to file him under S for sad."
Iruka rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. Say, shouldn't you be getting back to your team?"
Kakashi shrugged. "All in due time, they have to finish up before we can fill this out," he said, shaking the blank scroll.
"Ah, well, tell the real Kakashi-sensei that we'll see about dinner," Iruka said.
"What makes you so sure I'm a clone?"
Iruka snorted. "I wouldn't put it past him to pull that trick three times."
"Do you want to go to the restricted section and see for yourself?" Kakashi asked.
Iruka scowled. "I think you've been in the fantasy section for too long."
"Ah, see? You get me?" Kakashi said. "I should go, I'll see you tonight!"
When Kakashi got back to their table, his team was just about wrapped up.
"Kunai see your work?"
"Ugh, seriously?" Sakura said, shaking her head.
"I'm running out of library and book puns," Kakashi admitted. "Jutsu wait, I'll come up with more."
Sasuke grabbed the scroll out of his hands. "Give me that, the sooner we wrap this up the sooner I can try to forget this day ever happened."
"And the sooner we eat!" Naruto added.
They moved to leave the library a short while later, passing Gai and Lee on their way out.
"Rival! Have you been dismissed from these sacred walls?" Gai exclaimed.
"Not at all, Gai, my team finished their work so we're heading back to the missions office." Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "I guess that definitely makes this a draw?"
"NOOOOO!" Gai yelled. "I see what you are trying to do! Keeping such a calm, hip attitude about this, lulling me into a false sense of security! I WILL NOT TAKE THE BAIT!"
A librarian came up. "What is this fuss about!" she shrieked, and everyone looked at Gai. "You, sir, are to leave right now! No checking out, nothing. Out! Now!"
Gai bowed and allowed himself to be ushered out by the smaller, older woman. As he was leaving, he turned back to Kakashi. "You won this time, but next time you will not be so lucky!"
Kakashi and his team stood there, along with Lee, all semi-shocked.
"Uh..." Lee said. "I should go after him, and review a new strategy for not falling for traps!" And he ran out.
"Huh," Kakashi said, thoughtfully. "Guess I won after all. Good thing Gai's not a doctor, he has no patients."
"Sensei!" his team shouted, and he ushered them out before they were kicked out themselves.
"I didn't see Iruka-sensei," Naruto commented on their way out.
"He headed back to the Hokage tower a little bit ago," another librarian at the desk offered. "He deserves it, doing so much today! Such a big help!"
"Would you say he checked himself out?" Kakashi mused, and casually dodged a shuriken thrown at him. "Now, now, Sasuke-kun, don't overdue it!"
And his team chased him all the way to the missions office.
___________
As they neared the front of their line, Naruto spied Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei!" he shouted, waving, and Iruka waved back.
They turned in their report to another desk-worker, and as it was being reviewed, Naruto talked to Iruka.
"So you're joining us, right? For dinner?"
"I don't want to impose," Iruka said.
"You're not! Kakashi-sensei invited you!" Naruto said loudly, making the room turn towards them. Iruka's eyes widened, Kakashi kept a bored look on what was visible of his face, and his hands in his pockets, as he stood with his team.
"I mean..." Iruka said.
"When is your shift over?" Kakashi asked, as their report was accepted and stamped.
"Um, in about thirty minutes."
"Great. Why don't you three go home and shower off the library dust you've been complaining about all day, and Iruka-sensei and I will meet you for dinner in forty-five minutes?"
His team cheered and left in the blink of an eye.
"You'd have never guessed they had all that energy today," Kakashi commented, and Iruka laughed.
"That's true, just like when they were in my class." Iruka turned to Kakashi. "I suppose I'll meet you for dinner, then?"
"Maa, I'll just wait here until you're done."
"Oh, no, I couldn't ask that of you, I still have some time left," Iruka protested.
"Ru," Kotetsu said, from his desk, "just go. We've got this covered, and it's not that busy. Thirty extra minutes of a life won't kill you."
Iruka blushed but thanked him, and turned to Kakashi. "I guess we can go? But they're not meeting us for a while..."
Kakashi put his arm around Iruka's shoulders as they left the room and walked down the stairs.
"That's true, but it gives us plenty of time to find something I lost."
"What did you lose?"
"My heart, you've stolen it!" Kakashi cackled, and Iruka blushed and rolled his eyes.
"You know what the fastest way to my heart is?" Iruka asked him, and Kakashi looked at him with visible interest.
"Chidori," Iruka smirked, and ducked out from under his arm, running.
Kakashi smiled under his mask as he gave chase. This would be a good night, he thought, a very good night!