Sakura Sensei

A Sakura Kakashi ageswap where Sakura is the sensei and Kakashi is the student.

"I can't take it any more, you have to do something."

Sakura looked up form her papers, pushing back a stray bang that had fallen into her line of vision. Sasuke stood in front of her desk with a deeper than usual scowl set into his features.

Sakura was used to seeing her teammate in less than spirited moods, but most of the time it was for stupid reasons like, 'the sky is too blue today,' or 'theres's tray grass in my way,' or 'people in my clan don't respect me because my younger brother is going to be the next hokage and I'm only an super S class ANBU who has killed more people than exist in the village.' Sakura had grown to learn the many degrees of Sasuke's mood, and could tell when something was genuinely bothering him instead of just lightly annoying him.

Today was one of those days.

"Do you want to take a seat?"

"I want to take a solo mission far away from here."

Sakura smiled to herself. "Why, some girl giving you trouble again?"

Sasuke almost smiled, and by almost smiled, that meant his frown became less severe. "Hn, if only it were that simple. Most don't bother me anymore considering the standard I've set for myself."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That kind of hubris will come back to bite you in the ass one day. It's not like we were ever dating."

"No, but to say you were teammates with the fifth Hokage back in her genin days works wonders on turning down lesser kunochi."

Sakura fingered the edge of her robes, wondering if she could get away from them for a while. She was due for a break, and with Itachi helping out as her apprentice to the Hokage position, there was less and less work for her to be busy with.

Itachi was too efficient for his own good. It didn't hurt that he was overly eager to please and show off to the rest of his clan. Most days Sakura would come in to the office to find it neater than when she left it with Itachi wide awake in front of her documents, having already sorted through two thirds of them for easier access. Like clockwork he would look up, grin and greet her, asking if she had a restful night before departing to see to the civilian complaints in person. (Some days he would even intercept her on her way out with a pre prepared lunch fancier than anything she could make herself with fresh cut flowers and a cloth napkin.)

His behavior wasn't normal. Most were not so familiar around her and treated her with a distance that could be considered borderline reverence. She thought to the shop keepers that wouldn't look her in the eye and kept their faces downcast while she passed by on the street. It had been a while since she visited any shops off the street, though.

It was almost lonely. She didn't like the title and the restrictions it came with, but she understood that such a role would have been too much for either of her wander lust filled teammates. Neither liked staying in one place for too long, Naruto especially. While he loved his village, there were a lot of bittersweet memories he wasn't comfortable with after loosing his dad. Since the war he had become a wanderer.

Forgetting herself for a moment, she looked back to Sasuke, remembering what he was doing in her office. "If it's not a girl then what are you doing here, Sasuke?"

"It's my genin team."

Sakura blinked. "You just got them, what's wrong?"

"They're driving me insane. I hate children, take them back."

Sakura should have seen this coming. Sasuke was not teacher material but they were short on teachers who were qualified to teach Uchiha clan members and he was more than qualified. Sasuke was one of the few sensei the Uchiha clan would accept as suitable for instructing the boy Obito. The Uchiha were picky like that, and only the Uchiha. They Hyuga weren't asses about insisting their kids be taught by other Hyuga, or the Nara's being taught by other Nara, just the Uchiha.

"They're not children, they're academy graduates who are now members of my village. They are ninja, same as you and me, they're just at a different level and need more guidance. That's why they have you. There are few alive who can boast of being able to go toe to toe with Sasuke Uchiha. You're the natural choice, especially for Obito. It's your clan, remember?"

Sasuke didn't say anything for a while, but his scowl did lessen. "I'm not saying I want to quit, but I need a break. Please can you find a mission for me to take for two weeks? I just need to…recharge. I'm not used to having students."

"What am I supposed to do with your students then? They need a teacher."

Sasuke shifted the weight of his body from one foot to the other. "The girl…Rin, she wants to be a medic. I think she would do well to have some exposure, and you've helped out other teams in the past."

Sakura squinted, looking closer at the Uchiha in front of her. She could have sworn he just asked her to cover his duties for two weeks because he had issues watching children, but that couldn't be true. Not even Sasuke was that much of an idiot. Naruto, maybe, but never Sasuke.

"Sasuke."

"Hn?"

"Do you know what my role is here in the village?"

"Don't be smart with me. It's not an unreasonable request. Itachi does most of your work for you anyway."

"Because I'm needed at the hospital! I'm busy and I have duties that prevent me from taking on responsibilities I know I can't handle. I can't just take two days off for myself to watch your kids while you play hero in an exotic land where-"

"I'll bring you back that tea you really like. The kind that goes well with Omi's dango."

Sakura couldn't remember what she had been about to say, but it didn't seem important anymore. "…Tea with the dango?"

"I could bring home dango too."

Sakura coughed into her hand, looking away. "Well, I think there is something I could find for you to keep busy with. Gaara kun said Suna had a problem with a missing nin this past month and he's been spotted hanging around the land of tea so…could you be ready to leave tomorrow?"

She felt a light breeze on her cheek and knew it was Sasuke thanking her before disappearing like a stray breeze, as if he had never been there to begin with.

Two weeks with the Uchiha prick's kids…huh, how hard could that be?

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Kakashi was not a surly child; he was a blunt and pessimistic boy by nature, and people tended to get that confused with surly. It didn't help that he had low opinions of most people to begin with, and his instructor was no exception.

The great Sasuek Uchiha had been called away on an urgent mission that only he could take and had dumped the three of them on another unlucky instructor that was going to be wholly incompetent. And it was so annoying how Rin and Obito were okay with that!

"I hope Sasuke sensei is going to be alright. It sounded like a dangerous mission," Rin cooed, holding her cheeks as they turned a darker shade.

That always happened when she thought of their teacher. The same thing happened when Obito talked to Rin, although the young Uchiha boy had gotten better about not turning into a tomato on a daily basis anymore. The pair of them were obnoxious, according to Kakashi. No one would ever catch him going off like that.

"Do you know who the replacement is?" Obito asked, bumping Kakashi's shoulder.

"Why would I know that?" Kakashi replied in a bored tone, looking off towards the sky.

"I heard it was someone who knew medical jutsu, so maybe it's a nurse!" Rin sounded so excited Obito couldn't help but smile at her. Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Great. A nurse if fine for you, but what will Obito and I be doing?" Kakashi asked.

"Medical jutsu is important for everyone to know a little about."

"It's a waste of time."

Rin looked upset and Obito gasped, turning around to glare at Kakashi. "Oi, don't be so harsh. You don't know anything more than we do, you said so yourself. It could be another legendary ninja like Naruto sama, he was teammates with Sasuke sensei after all."

It was no small secret that Obito idolized the blond teammate of their current hokage, even though he wasn't an Uchiha. Naruto Uzumaki was a legend in his own right, having bested legendary enemies back in his ANBU days before he took up freelancing. The Nine tailed fox retainer had a story like reputation as a wandering hero that fascinated 99% of the academy students. Obito was no such exception.

Kakashi was.

"Your precious Naruto sama is away on missions again. He hasn't been back in the village for longer than two weeks in over a year. I wouldn't count on it."

Ignoring Obito's crest fallen expression, Rin's eyes began to sparkle with a far off daze . "Or maybe it's Sakura sama."

Something in Kajashi's chest dropped and he felt his ears begin to grow warm. Quickly to hide it, he turned away from his teammates and coughed into his hand before bring up his mask over the bottom half of his face. "As if. That's even more unlikely."

Obito laughed in response to Kakashi's jab. "Yeah, but you got to admit, that would be super cool. Having the Hokage train you for two weeks? That would be the best!"

Kakashi wasn't about to agree with his teammate, even though that was the thought going through his head. Having his idol talk to him and teach him for two weeks would be a dream come true. But there was no way that Sakura sama would ever be able to-

"Yo," the cheerful pink haired medic greeted. She was all smiles as she appeared in a poof of white smoke that dissipated quickly. "Sorry to startle any of you, but Sasuke kun asked me to cover for him while he was away, so I'm gonna be your substitute for two weeks. Shall we begin with some stretches and move towards some assessment sparring?"

Rin had stars in her eyes and was close to hyperventilating. Obito was equal parts ecstatic and concerned with the well being of his favorite girl. That was a good thing, because it kept the young Uchiha from turning around to see the stunned expression of his only male teammate.

Poor Kakashi was frozen stiff with a nasty case of blush covering the whole front of his face from his neck to the tips of his ears.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming,I need to wake up, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, shit, shit, shit, OMG It's Sakura sama, I'm going to die, or maybe I am dead and this is heave or I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, oh shit, she's looking at me, I gotta be cool!'

Rin was the first to move, latching onto Sakura and gushing forth a torrent of praises and admonitions to the older female. "When I grow up I want to be a splendid female healer like Sakura sama and maybe even be Hokage one day!"

Sakura smiled kindly, taking the young girl's hand in her own and shaking it politely. "You must be Rin, Sasuke told me about you. Being a healer is a nobel calling, but it is by no means an easy profession. Medics must be well rounded in medical expertise as well as the traditional ninja arts. After our spar I would like to talk with you more about this, but I fear I may be neglecting the boys."

"No-no, Sakura sama!" Obito chirped, more pleased by how happy Rin was than anything else. "Medicine is something all ninja should have a basic understanding of, right Kakashi?"

Kakashi couldn't even move, but lucky for him, Obito wasn't paying attention.

"I want to do what Rin's doing too, even though I don't plan on being a medic. I want to lead the Uchiha clan some day in the future and be as splendid a ninja as Sasuke sensei and Itachi san."

Sakura smiled down at the cheerful young Uchiha. "Ah, Sasuke told me about you too. I can pick out Rin easy enough, but you must be Obito Uchiha. That means the last person here is…"

Her eyes fixed on him and he was instantly reminded of mint green sea glass that had been turned over and over by the waves over decades only to wash up along the shores of Wave where his father often took him between missions. She had eyes like sea glass, bright, beautiful, and polished to perfection through perseverance. No wonder this woman was Hokage. Her smile stretched farther and he caught himself staring at those full rose colored lips.

"Kakashi Hatake, I knew your father before he retired. He was fun to have on missions. I hope to get to know you better in these next couple of weeks."

She then turned her attention back to the group as a whole, and when she did the crystal earrings that matched the jewel centered on her forehead winked in the sunlight. He remembered his father telling me about how their Hokage was so talented she had developed a process for crystalizing chakra that could be crushed and consumed for emergency purposes. It was a difficult process that required perfect chakra control, and up until then had been thought impossible. When she caught him staring, she winked, and her earrings caught the sunlight just right once mask started to grow hot over his face.

She was so cool.

Sakura clapped her hands and instructed them to move out around the field and stretch before starting. To test them she pulled out a pair of silver bells, each one tied to a red string she held between her fingers.

"Here is your challenge." She waved the bells so that they made noise. "If you can grab one of these off me I'll buy you lunch. I won't run away, so if you want, come at me. You have until noon to try and get one of these from me. When she caught Kakashi looking again she winked once more before whistling loud. "Begin."

The three of them scattered into the underbrush and cloaked themselves as best as they could. Kakashi went low, Obito stayed level, and Rin took the high ground. Obito was the one to move first, but he was cocky and star struck, so his attack was equal parts pitiful and painful to watch. Rin cried out and Sakura leapt into action. The two engaged in mid air before Sakura flicked the younger girl away with two fingers. It wasn't deadly, but it was enough to send the girl off balance. Kakashi caught Sakura look to Obito as Rin began to fall. Her lips curved into a secret smile when she saw him run after her and catch her before the ground could break her back.

"One, two, hmm, I thought there were three of you." Sakura stood confidently in the center of a clearing and Kakashi stiffened, a bit intimidated by her proximity to his hiding position. Could she hear his heart beating so loud?

Her eyes flickered from one direction to the next, scanning area after area. With a sigh she rolled her shoulders back and then brought them forward to tug on her gloves. "I don't see him, so that must mean there's only one place left for him to be."

Kakashi's heart dropped in his chest.

"Shannaro!"

The earth opened up around him with an angry groan, bending to the will of one mighty fist. There was nothing solid for him to hold onto as she came after him. Debris and dirt rose up in mammoth fractures on either side of him, exposing him for both his teammates and his substitute sensie to see.

She zeroed in on him and made her way over with carefully placed steps among the rubble. She seemed so delicate in her posture, so angelic in her carriage. When she stood over him though, she was a queen on the ruins of her enemies. It was no wonder this person was their hokage. Who could stand against her might?

A stray breeze blew her bangs off to the side and the bulk of her hair followed, dancing around her face. Kakashi saw the corners of her lips twitch upwards even more as her eyes dazzled with mischief. Chuckling low in the back of her throat she bent at the waist and flicked his forehead protector with two fingers. "Found you," she sang with a voice full of mirth.

Kakashi's face was so red it was a wonder he didn't pass out.

Suddenly there was smoke and Obito was behind Kakashi, pulling him away. Rin zipped in front of their line of vision, running a line of explosive tags through the rubble. Still dazed, his body remembered the motions even when his mind wouldn't. Kakashi twisted and turned towards his teammate and ran with Obito to take cover.

A stray kuni came for them and Kakashi moved to deflect it before it could hit Obito. Growling, he dragged the Uchiha behind a tree while Rin cried out, setting the tags all off in a blaze of combustion and fire. When the dust and smoke cleared There was a large slab of earth where Sakura had once stood. The grass had been burnt away and its stone surface was sufficiently charred. It tilted to the side and then crashed noisily down, revealing an unharmed Sakura with her arms cross over her chest. Her serious expression broke a second later, and sweet laughter filled the air, unsettling the three genin.

Sakura stifled her laughs and clapped her hands. "Well done, that's what I wanted to see." Checking the sun to see the time, she unhooked the bells from her belt and tossed them up into the air. Rin was quick to catch them and hold them close to her chest. She smiled up at Sakura in delight and the older woman smiled back. "I'm impressed with the level of team work you've built up so far in spite of Sasuke's tutelage. You three work well together, or you at least have the capabilities to. I think that deserves some lunch."

Obito's cheeks were a bit flushed as he stepped forward. "Bu-but we didn't beat you."

Sakura reached out and ruffled the kid's hair. "No offense, but it's a bit early for that dream. You earned your bells by showing off your teamwork. A ninja that abandons his friends is worse than trash. I want my village filled with fine ninja who will protect and treasure one another." She set her gaze on Kakashi and he could see the corners of her eyes crease in a subtle smile that didn't move her mouth. He liked to believe it was a smile meant only and all for him. "It would be an honor to have lunch with you."

His chest felt light.

"Ah, but we didn't bring lunch," Rin mused.

Sakura waved a hand in a dismissive motion. "Being Hokage should come with a few perks." She flashed a small mirror towards the sky and seconds later a dark brown messenger hawk landed. Kakashi and Obito recognized it right away as one that belonged to the Uchiha clan. Sakura wrote something on a scroll and attached it to his leg, sending it off. Once the hawk was out of sight she moved back to where they had first met and pulled out a bag filled with waters. She tossed one to each and then plopped down under the shade of a nearby tree.

"Of this has been fun. I can't remember the last time I was out and enjoying myself." She fanned herself absently. "It's enjoyable, don't you think?"

Rin was close to sit down next to the older woman. No one could miss the stars in her eyes. "Tell me about being Hokage and chief medic and the strongest woman alive as well as one of the legendary second generation Sanin. Do you have many admirers? Where do you buy your groceries? Are you friends with the Kazekage from Suna? What shampoo and conditioner do you use?"

Kakashi inched closer, interested in hearing the answer to any of the above mentioned questions. It was at times like these he thanked his father for his excellent memory-otherwise he would have to look like an idiot as he took down notes. It was really important to know these sort of things.

Sakura raised a single brow. "It's a lot more bothersome and boring than you think. Our lovely village has been free of war for so long, I'm practically a figurehead. I do more paperwork than anything."

This time it was Obito who spoke up. "Eh, but you're so powerful. Being Hokage has to be more than just paperwork."

"The Hokage needs to be powerful because she represents the village as a whole, and acts as a deterrent towards those who would consider bringing ill to my village. The Hokage must be powerful for this reason primarily. The council of elders keeps this in mind when selecting an heir. That's why, even if all I ever do is paperwork, I still need to always be the best I can be in order to protect and scare off enemies."

"Do you miss it?"

Sakura turned to look over at Kakashi with a curious expression. Kakashi blushed, having had no intention of speaking up in the first place. Rin and Obito knew it was a rare thing for him to voice his thoughts and opinions. He should have kept his mouth shut but he was just too curious.

"Miss what, Kakashi?"

The way she said his name made his knees weak. Good thing he was sitting down. "Not being Hokage. Do you miss being ANBU or just a regular nin?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead she nodded slowly and let her eyes roam her surroundings, detached and unseeing while her mind worked. Throwing her hands behind her head and crossing her legs at the ankles she settled into a more comfortable position before answering.

"I don't know. Sometimes, maybe, but not really. I want to be useful to this place, and if it that means being a paper pusher that sends her friends out to battle while she reclines into satin cushions…" A dark look crossed her eyes, but was gone before Kakashi could properly observe it. "Ah, if that's how it is, then so be it. I can sacrifice my pride if that's what they need of me. I appreciate this sort of break, though. I'm thankful for this peace."

Peace meant something more to her, since their village had been a war during her childhood. She grew up in war and was shaped by it. By the time Kakashi was born the war was in the last stages, and by the time he was a child it was nearly through. If he stopped to think about it, the age gap wasn't that extreme as he first thought. She just seemed older on account of her responsibilities. His eyes were fixed to her like metal to magnet as her smile widened at something in front of her.

"Ah, didn't I say there were perks?" she laughed, leaning forward. A moment later a black clad nin dropped down in front of her with a stack of lunch-boxes. Rin and Obito both gasped at the sight of him while Kakashi only raised a single brow. He hadn't been that stealthy if Sakura detected him, so it was nothing to get excited about.

Sakura looked surprised to see who it was.

"Eh, Itachi, what are you doing here?"

The Uchiha prodigy smiled pleasantly. "I'm here to deliver you your lunch, Sakura sama. Don't I always?"

Sakura eyed the younger male wearily. "I thought you would be busy with the extra duties. You didn't have to personally see to something like this. You can send someone else and save yourself the trouble."

Still smiling, Itachi began to unclip the lunch boxes so that they separated evenly. "Really, it's no trouble at all," he said while handing Rin and Obito a lunchbox. Not once did his eyes leave Sakura's face.

Something inside Kakashi felt unsettled. When Itachi Uchiha turned to hand Kakashi his lunchbox, it became obvious to the younger why he disliked the new arrival so easily. Kakashi reached for his lunchbox but didn't take it, causing Itachi to break his gaze from the Hokage to see what the matter was. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha, making sure his dislike was made evident. Itachi slowly reflected the gesture with his own cold obsidian orbs, but never dropped his smile.

A silent message was communicated there and then.

They were the same. They both wanted something near unattainable, and neither was willing to share.

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Kakashi and Itachi always did seem like likely rivals, but I like them better this way.

I really wanted to be able to update BT this week but finals are still kicking my atoms out of wack and the writing isn't done. I'm done with two classes and have three to go, so soon I'll be free. A week from now I hope to have updates.

In the meantime, I decided to present you with something I worked on a while back. I didn't know if I would publish it or leave it in my word doc file, but this much is fine to publish. I had this whole backstory as to how Sakura became Hokage and why she is stepping down at so young an age, but I don't know if that is something people would want to read. If it is, let me know!

Possible additions to the series include Kazekage Gaara kun, and a pair of reanimated Hokages plus Madara Uchiha-who was the second Hokage in my version and not an ass. But I like young Kakashi and even young Itachi. We shall see if this goes anywhere.

Vesper Chan