"He's late again," Sakura sighed, slumping onto the stairs they were occupying.

Naruto reclined back with his hands behind his head, "Sakura-chan, if he doesn't show do you wanna-"

"What a lazy, good-for-nothing teacher! Iruka-sensei would never leave his students to just sit here like this!"

Naruto laughed, "Do you remember how he went off on Kiba for being late once. No way!"

"Iruka-sensei was the best teacher ever," Sakura said confidently as if talking to her current one and trying to insult him. "Don't you think so, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn," the brooding teen grunted as if he hadn't been listening and didn't care to.

"Hey, Naruto, is Iruka-sensei seeing anyone?"

Naruto blinked, "why are you asking that, Sakura-chan?"

"We should set him up with someone. He's a real great guy, everyone deserves to be happy."

"Does that mean we'll be doing some romantic stuff, Sakura-chan?" the blond was grinning.

"Not with you, Naruto!" the kunoichi punched the face getting too close to hers.

"Hn," Sasuke said into his laced fingers.

"First: recon!" Sakura declared as they left the training grounds. Their sensei had put them through some rigorous exercises. They were chakra depleted, exhausted, and maybe sore in some places but their mission wasn't forgotten.

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"

"Idiot, the vital part of any ninja mission is information. The more we have the more likely we are to succeed."

"Oh, I knew that. I meant how are we getting information on Iruka-sensei?"

"We'll follow him," she said simply.

Iruka, as it turned out was a pretty boring person. He left his apartment at seven in the morning to walk to the academy, stopping to talk to some people if they wanted. Noon he took lunch at his desk, eating alone while his students were in the school yard. At the end of the school day he waited until the last pre-genin was gone before walking to the Hokage tower for his mission's room shift. Finally he returned home at eight at night, after locking up and securing mission reports.

This was his daily routine.

Sakura kicked a rock down the alley. "Man, there doesn't even seem to be a girl he spends time with! This might be harder than we thought!"

"What is?"

The three froze, knowing without looking that their jonin instructor was behind them.

Sakura laughed tensely. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Sakura, I like to wander down the path of life and today I followed it here."

"Yeah right, pervert, you just had your nose in that book and weren't paying attention to where you were going." Sakura thought.

"Huh," Kakashi looked up at the building the teens had been watching. "Doesn't Iruka-sensei live around here?"

"How would you know that?" Naruto asked. He had been proud of himself for covertly finding where his former teacher lived.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. His visible eye closed and head tilted. "We're kind of friends because of you Naruto."

"Me?"

"He asks about you all the time. How's Naruto's training? Is he still annoying his teammates? Is he still terrible with target practice?"

"Iruka-sensei wouldn't talk like that!" Naruto argued.

Kakashi laughed at his own joke.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura started sheepishly, "who do you think we should set Iruka-sensei up with?"

"Oh, is that what you're doing?" He stood back and touched his masked chin as if thinking. He snapped his fingers. "They should definitely be a shinobi."

Sakura was amazed their sensei was going to help them.

"Iruka will want to talk about his classes and students, they should know what he's talking about," Kakashi went on. They nodded in agreeance. "So they should be a skilled shinobi with a wide range of combat skills. And smart, he is a teacher after all. Someone who likes to read, so he won't feel guilty about spending so much time grading students' work. Oh, and most importantly someone with a sense of humor that can make him smile."

"Wow, thanks so much, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi just smiled back. "Best of luck!" He started walking with an orange book out in front of him.

"A skilled shinobi that's smart, likes to read, and makes Iruka-sensei smile. Ugh, this is impossible," Sakura slumped over in defeat.

"Yeah, I don't know anyone like that," Naruto agreed. "Except Kurenai-sensei."

Sakura gasped, "that's it, Naruto!" she grabbed her teammates hands and started walking. Naruto was elated, Sasuke annoyed.

"So what do you think, Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura did all the talking. She explained to her fellow kunoichi that they were looking for a partner for their former teacher.

Kurenai blinked at the genin in front of her, thinking of how to respond. "I'm very flattered," she said with a smile, "but I don't think it would work out."

"What? Why not?" Naruto whined. "I know he's really lame and boring and stuff, and maybe not that good-looking and he-"

Sakura yanked his jacket, pulling him away from the jonin. "We want her to like Iruka-sensei."

She smiled kindly, "I'm just not his type."

Before they could argue with all the points Kakashi had made she started to walk away.

"Who else is there?" Naruto muttered.

"The new Hokage's advisor!" Sakura said happily. "She's got to be smart, and skilled to advise the Hokage."

"Yeah, she's tough too," Naruto added recalling the fight with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"Advising the Hokage would mean lots of paperwork to read," Sasuke said boredly.

"She's perfect! Let's go!"

Shizune wouldn't stop laughing. Apparently the notion was too funny to breathe. Finally, she waved her hand to say no, still chuckling as she walked away.

"Geeze why does no one like Iruka-sensei?" Naruto mumbled.

"Arigatou!" The three turned hearing the familiar voice in a shop behind them.

They quickly ducked behind a building corner to watch Iruka leave the vendor carrying a small bouquet of yellow flowers.

Sakura's wide eyes shinned. "He does have a girlfriend. How romantic!"

They followed him, sneaking around buildings and behind fences until they wound up behind a bush on the training grounds.

"Maybe it's a picnic for two! Oh how sweet! Are you paying attention, Sasuke?"

Iruka stopped in front of the memorial stone. He knelt down, placing the flowers.

"Oh," Sakura said quietly. "Damnit get a life already!"

"Thought I'd find you here," Kakashi said, making Iruka turn.

The three watched from the bushes.

"Oh, I didn't know you were looking for me," Iruka said back.

"I feel like you're avoiding me, sensei."

Iruka let out a breath sort of like a laugh and smiled back at the jonin. "Apparently I'm not very good at it."

Sakura's eyes went wide.

No one could question Kakashi's intelligence, he was a skilled shinobi in hand-to-hand and medium range combat, and he was constantly seen with a book in his hand.

"I'm just not his type."

The way Shizune laughed.

"You could try harder," Kakashi told the academy instructor.

Iruka laughed. It was genuine and soft. "You'd like that too much."

Sakura fell back, turning putting her red face in her hands.

"Hn," Sasuke agreed.

"What?" Naruto asked, oblivious as always.

"You idiot, look," she stopped herself from shouting.

"Ma... what, it's just Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei talking. He said they were friends."

Sakura grabbed his arm pulling him back down. If they were caught now they'd be dead for sure.

"He said they're kind of friends. Kind of friends, Naruto. Get it?"

Naruto nodded as if he understood but he clearly didn't.

"They're dating, you moron."

"Huh, who?"

"Hello, you three."

They froze, entire bodies going rigid. Ever so slowly their heads turned to see their sensei waving with a smile, leaning over their hiding place.

"K-kashi-sensei we- we were-" Sakura stammered.

"Spying on me and Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi finished.

"W-well, we didn't mean-" she started to defend them.

"Are you dating Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked accusingly springing to his feet.

Sakura put her face in her hand. "Way to be discreet, Naruto."

"Huh? Nartuto, Sakura, Sasuke? What are you thee doing here?" Iruka asked as he walked towards the commotion.

"Are you dating Kakashi-sensei?"

Almost instantly Iruka's face turned red. "What? Why would you even-" He looked over at Kakashi with narrowed eyes.

The jonin laughed. "This practical joke's gone a little too far I guess."

Sakura sighed as the academy instructor started yelling and Kakashi tried to laugh it off.

She got up and started walking. This was a waste.

"Sakura-chan, wait for me!" Naruto hurried after her. Sasuke walked with his hands in his pockets.

"You can't be so irresponsible! What were you- mpff" gloved hands grabbed his vest, a masked mouth covered his.

Kakashi moved back. "You're cute when you're angry, Ruka-kun."

Iruka sighed and started walking. "We're getting take out, I have assignments to grade."

"Fine, fine," Kakashi agreed.