The Fox, The Cat, The Rabbit, The Wolf and The Exhausted Caregiver

Beneath That Serene Smile

-hides venomous fangs. Kakashi isn't the only favored child of the hokage in this group.

Also, yeay for bamf!Iruka!
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The moment Kakashi stepped into Iruka's apartment, he pulled off his shoes and stomped angrily towards him.

Iruka looked up from the seal he was making and watched with confused and worried eyes as Kakashi settled loudly in his seat in front of him, crossing his arms and huffing every few seconds.

"Do I want to know?"

Kakashi let out another huff before looking straight at Iruka. "What do you have that I don't, Iruka?" he demanded bluntly.

Iruka blinked at the sudden question. "Where is this coming from, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi grumbled under his breath for a bit about someone and Iruka patiently waits. He absentmindedly brushed his fingers along the edge of his Caregiver mask, silently wondering if he should put it on before deciding against it.

"Those gremlins don't appreciate the rare chance I'm giving them," Kakashi finally confessed.

It doesn't take that much effort for Iruka to know whom these gremlins Kakashi is referring to. Coincidentally, said gremlins had also met him a few hours earlier with a haunted look. Sighing heavily, he stood up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen to prepare some tea.

"What did you do?" he asked loudly as he set the kettle on the stove.

Iruka couldn't see him but he can guess that Kakashi is doing an exaggerated response to his accusation. The loud proclamation of him denying of ever committing any form of atrocities was heard and Iruka had to suppress a laugh at that, almost flinging the tea leaves all over the counter. Thankfully, he was able to prepare the tea and place it on the tray without any incident.

Carrying the tray, he set it down on the table and carefully served the jounin the tea along with a slice of cake he bought earlier.

"So what's this I hear about you being with them for all eternity?" he asked before taking a sip of his tea.

Kakashi paused midway to eating the cake and shoots Iruka an accusing look. "They went to you, didn't they?" he asked accusingly.

Iruka just smiled serenely, neither confirming nor denying the statement, something that all Caregivers seem to be able to do since birth.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at that but concede defeat, knowing full well he won't get anything out from him. Taking a large bite of the cake, Kakashi was quite surprised when he didn't taste the expected sweetness.

"I have a feeling you don't like sweets very much, Kakashi-san," Iruka said casually as he took another sip of his tea.

Kakashi isn't sure whether he should feel grateful or wary of Iruka's thoughtfulness. In the end, he chose the middle option and accepted the fact that Caregivers are just weird and continued eating.

"What did those gremlins say to you?" Kakashi asked between mouthfuls.

Iruka gave a scathing look at Kakashi's manners but chose not to comment on it. A wise decision since the jounin is going to just ignore it anyway.

"They didn't say anything for awhile. I had to calm them down enough to make sense what they were trying to say. Even then, the only thing I could make sense of is the fact that they're now stuck with you for forever." Iruka told him.

"Sounds about right," Kakashi nodded. "They passed my special test which means Team 7 is officially ready to go conquer the world." he declared proudly.

"Instead of conquering the world, why don't they start conquering the village first? It's nice to have high ambition but aiming too high can sometimes be your downfall," Iruka advised.

Kakashi looked thoughtful at that. While it does sound nice for his team to be known all over the Elemental nation right off the bat, it's better to start small first and build some reputation in the village before releasing them to the world. Yes, that does sound nice, doesn't it?

"Hmm, I like that idea. You make a very good point, Iruka."

"I'm happy to help," Iruka smiled in return.

"This is great...this is really great... I need to go make some plans or someth-" he froze mid-sentence when a familiar sensation washed over him. Looking up towards Iruka, his instinct immediately warned him of an incoming danger.

With a serene smile that doesn't tell much, the teacher activated the seals he had discreetly placed around Kakashi's spot. A green barrier was formed around the silver-haired jounin, trapping him inside.

With a sigle flick of his hand, Kakashi was able to move again.

"Um, Iruka? What-"

"You are not going to leave that barrier until you're done filling out the forms." Iruka interjected.

"Forms? What for-"

Kakashi was once again interrupted when a small stack of papers poofed in existence in front of him.

"Those are the forms that jounin instructors fill when they approve of the formation of their team. I will not let you leave until you've finished filling it out properly and with eligible handwriting." Iruka explained calmly, as if he hadn't just trapped one of the best (former) Anbu and jounin in a barrier like a mouse in a cheese trap.

"... what if I don't?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Then I'm sure Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would be quite thrilled to hear that they won't be seeing you again."

Kakashi had to admit, he got him there. Now that he's determined to keep the gremlins, he can't easily give them a chance to back out now.

"How the fuck are you still a chuunin?" Kakashi wondered, half-curious and half-incredulous at Iruka's current rank as he took a peek at the forms.

Iruka just smiled serenely again as he took another sip of his tea.