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Sneaking Around Konoha	By : enchanted_nightingale Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Slash - Male/Male Views: 9779 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto, nor the characters from them. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Title: Sneaking Around Konoha

Author: enchanted nightingale

Beta: pussycatadamah

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. I only use them in my plot for fun.

Summary: Loneliness was not for him, Harry knew that. Then he met Kakashi and he found a solution to his problem.

Pair: Harry Potter/ Kakashi Hatake

Chapter 25 – Chunin

The stands were filled with people. Harry had been allowed to sit with the J�nin instructors of the teams currently trying to pass the third part of the Chunin exams. The green eyed wizard had been dreading this moment since the time Teddy joined the Shinobi Academy. The boy was now thirteen, and Harry found himself wondering how fast time flew by. Teddy was not as tall as him and more muscled than Harry. The Metamorphmagus had been trained by Kakashi all these years and the results were showing in the way he moved, his stealth, his skills. Harry had had to relent on one matter, the one that he had not wanted Teddy getting Chunin rank before fifteen. Teddy had come to his godfather one afternoon, carrying with him the confidence of his battle skills and the guilt that while he stayed behind, his team-mates were also forced to do so. Kenji and Akihiko were both fifteen and it was high time they sat for the Chunin exams. Teddy had argued with Harry all the reasons the young wizard wanted to join the exams that would take place in Suna that time and why Harry should be more confident about Teddy since he had also taught Remus' son.

"I think I'm ready," Teddy had stressed. "Sasuke and Kakashi also think this but they'll never tell you because of the stipulation you made when you took me to the Academy."

"I don't want you to grow up too fast," Harry had told the amber eyed genin. He did not want Teddy tackling more danger; the higher the shinobi rank, the greater the scrutiny and the more the danger they encountered. But the green eyed wizard also understood that Teddy really wanted this and he would be disappointed to stay behind. And he would, Harry did not doubt that. He would pout and brace it but he would try to be brave for Harry. It was the maturity Teddy showed that finally made the green eyed herbalist to go to Kakashi himself and inform the man that he would not be objecting should Teddy be entered into the exams.

"About time you came around," the silver haired J�nin had told his lover. "I was this close to coming to talk to you myself. You're not doing him any favours sheltering him, especially with the life he leads. Sooner or later he would need to fight, rise in the ranks, kill more people… He knows you care Harry and that is more important than you think so."

It was then that Harry had asked if he could go to Suna, accompany Team 5 there. The silver haired J�nin had been rather thrilled and had agreed fast.

Cheering brought the green eyed wizard out of his thoughts about what led him to come to Suna. Kakashi shifted next to him.

"This is it," Kakashi told his lover.

Harry nodded.

"Kick ass Teddy!" Kenji yelled at his team mate. For once Akihiko too was quite vocal, the two older members of Team 5 encouraging their youngest comrade.

Down in the arena the fight commenced and Harry leaned forward to see better.

"What village is the other boy from?" the green eyed wizard asked his lover.

Kakashi eyed the genin Teddy was up against. "Suna actually," he answered Harry's question. "I bet that's one of Temari's brats. Yup, see the twin metal fans? She used to have bigger ones but this genin must have some tricks up his sleeve. And he's a weapon user. I wonder whether Teddy will use his sword."

Harry gave an absent nod and continued to observe the fight his godson was taking part in. Just like Kakashi had predicted, the two genin had decided to use weapons. Teddy's sword was fast and swifter than the fans of his opponent. The Suna affiliated genin was able to manipulate the Wind element to a small degree, but Teddy was faster and stronger and while he did not use ninja techniques his sword skills were more than enough to aid him in the fight. Harry held his breath while the two blades met with a loud clang again and Teddy used momentum and strength to push the Suna Nin back.

"Good footwork," Kakashi was muttering under his breath. "Oh, that must have hurt," he added when the Konoha genin pulled a nice move, managing to impale his sword into his opponent's shoulder.

"Hope that guy gives up," Harry said.

"That would be good sense, but as I've learned while teaching, they don't always have that."

"I don't think more experienced shinobi get common sense either," the green eyed man retorted.

His lover just made an odd sound. Underneath them, the match continued. Teddy had the upper hand while his opponent was no longer able to use a fan and had to settle with a kunai and Jutsu. Teddy used speed and stamina to overpower his opponent and finally, after seven more minutes in the arena, he had his blade pressed against the Suna Nin's throat. His voice was clear when he half asked half demanded from his opponent to yield.

"The match goes to Lupin Teddy!" the proctor announced and the Konoha shinobi cheered for their genin.

Up in the stands, Harry breathed easier.

"One more match to go," Kakashi commented. "He actually made it to the final two. Gaara will give both of them two days to recover before the finale."

"His opponent will be another genin from Suna, right?" Harry asked.

"Better that the one from Kumo," the silver haired J�nin commented. "Come on, let's join the brats for a while; see if they need anything."

"Why do you insist calling them brats?"

"Because they keep interrupting my time with you," Kakashi replied. "We have not had a moment's peace since … I lost count how long."

Harry sighed. "You are impossible." His face though held a fond expression. He too had missed being alone with his lover lately as Team 5 had been preparing for the Chunin Exams.

"So, date tonight?" Kakashi suggested.

"Sure," the wizard agreed.

Gaara leaned forward in his seat, up in the private box reserved for dignitaries, not yet leaving his spot even though the arena was clearing up.

"Naruto?"

His blond lover paused at his side. He was representing Konoha in Tsunade's stead and he could not be happier for this. He was currently itching to leave the public setting for a more private one where he and Gaara could actually spend some time away from prying eyes.

"Hm?"

"Was that him?"

The blue eyed shinobi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I heard from Temari that you had an ally during the siege," Gaara commented. "Was he the one next to Hatake?"

Naruto nodded. "Potter Harry. That Lupin kid was his."

The Kazekage nodded. "And is he Jade?"

Naruto froze. "Um… What gave you that idea?"

Gaara allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "We really need to work on your facial expressions," he told his lover and future Hokage of Konoha. "Because you really need to work on your poker face. You still can't lie, Naruto."

The blond demon vessel sighed. "Can you just forget it?"

"That man saved my allies," Gaara commented.

"He's also rather shy about it," Naruto informed the Kazekage. "He really does not like attracting attention. Anyway, he has a big enough target on his back because he's dating Kakashi…"

"Those rumours are also true?" Gaara asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You really don't listen to gossip, do you?"

The red head shrugged. "I usually tune Temari and Kankuro out when they want to gossip; grates on my nerves."

Naruto smiled. "It doesn't matter. Forget about them and focus on me, okay? Now, you promised me something nice if I did not make ruckus while we watched the matches…" A foxy grin appeared on his face and the Kazekage stood, pulling the blond shinobi to his feet as well. Naruto's grin got wider; the red head knew him so well.

Harry liked Suna and he told that to Kakashi. The green eyed man had chosen linen clothes in white to wear in the village surrounded by the desert. He realized as they travelled to the Village Hidden in the Sand that he had missed travelling. His stay in Konoha had been the longest time he stayed in one place only, yet while he missed going where the wind took him, Harry was happy to continue staying in Konoha. That place was home now. The green eyed wizard's enthusiasm was palpable and Kakashi trailed after him with a smile hidden behind his face mask. His usual orange book was nowhere to be seen as the silver haired J�nin was too busy admiring Harry and his expressions.

"And this one is amazing," the wizard stopped at yet another stall with cooking utilities.

"Harry…" Kakashi finally sighed. "You already bought a whole storage scroll of pots and pans and…" he trailed off at the sweet look Harry sent him.

"Too much?" he asked.

"Why don't you buy something for yourself and not the store or the house for once," Kakashi hurriedly added and the green eyed man blinked.

"Oh! Good idea," he agreed and soon the J�nin found himself being dragged after his civilian partner while Harry bought a new wardrobe for the both of them and quite a few clothes for Teddy as well. It was in one of the clothing shops that Temari and Shikamaru found them in. the duo had been out, Temari doing what Harry had done and forcing the usually bored Nara after her. The both of them stilled when they noticed Kakashi walking out of one of the dressing rooms. He still wore his face mask and forehead protector tilted to hide the eye gifted to him by Obito, but those were also the only two things that remained of his usual attire. The Sharingan wielding J�nin came to a stop when he saw the Nara shinobi and the Kazekage's sister

"Wow," were the first words that came out of Temari's mouth when she finished ogling the older shinobi dressed in entirely too tight dark leather pants and a tight shirt that left no one doubt just how muscled the J�nin was.

Temari stared until the Nara heir cleaned his throat and she looked away from Kakashi with a blush.

"Stared enough?" Shikamaru sullenly asked her.

"Sorry but…" the kunoichi blinked when a second dressing room opened and a dark haired man with the greenest eyes, even greener than her brother's, stepped out and whistled lowly at the J�nin. She half thought to intervene as the man was clearly a civilian. Her jaw dropped for the second time in minutes when the green eyed man walked up to Hatake and pulled him into a rather passionate kiss that only had Shikamaru sighing.

"Get a room you two," the Nara called out. "The Godaime has explicitly told you to keep the public shows to a minimum."

The kissing pair parted.

"Spoilsport," Kakashi told him. "We're leaving anyway."

"But first," Harry told his lover with a smile on his face, "We're buying the clothes."

"Where have you been?"

Team 5 had decided to eat out. Only Teddy was on the final match but neither Akihiko nor Kenji were bothered by this. They were mostly the trackers of their team with Teddy the only one who could back his tracking abilities with strength. The tightly knit unit was laughing at something Kenji had said when Aburame finally noticed their J�nin instructor arriving, decked in his usual uniform, with Teddy's godfather following. It had taken a while but they all got used to the fact that Harry and Kakashi were an item. At some point all three boys had seen the pair out on a date in one of Konoha's many restaurants or food booths and they all had a pretty good idea by now that couples did a lot more than just hand holding. It was Kenji who usually flushed when he saw the pair sit closer than what was proper in public, the Yamanaka and Teddy taking chances to tease the bug Nn for it, all in good faith of course. It was Kenji that called them out as they were supposed to have arrived fifteen minutes ago.

"Let me guess," Akihiko said with a knowing smirk. "You were tangled up in something?"

"Pretty good guess," Kakashi nodded.

"You were doing perverted things," Kenji accused the older shinobi. "While we were going hungry."

"Why are you complaining?" Teddy asked his oldest friend in Konoha. "We've ordered already Harry, Kakashi."

The two older men nodded.

"I saw Naruto, he was with the Kazekage," Kenji said after a beat, intent on changing the subject.

"They were doing perverted stuff too?" Kakashi suggestively asked, making Kenji splutter and the boy's team-mates to start chuckling.

Harry shook his head at their antics but he too, relaxed. It felt good to unwind. He had been very worried during the exams. Suna had used practical tests for all three parts of the exam. The first task they had set the genin was to survive ten days in the desert while collecting at the same time pieces of maps from certain locations or by stealing them from other teams. Those were the hardest days in his life as he had been worried. Harry knew that everything was allowed in Chunin exams, even killing the opponents. Kakashi had had a hard time trying to calm the green eyed wizard down some, and Harry had only felt at ease when Teddy's team arrive and all three of them were relatively unscathed. The second part of the exams had been a bit harder than that as the actual task was to trap all teams under a genjutsu and see how good they were at dispelling them while trying to not betray their teams. That had really cleared the numbers of the genin taking the test as many had been unable to realize they were under an illusion. That had been rough on Teddy as the illusion played on his fear of being forced to go back to Britain for years and when he returned to Konoha he was thought a traitor. Thankfully, a Yamanaka was on Team 5 and Akihiko helped all of his team-mates get through it after he broke off the illusion.

"One battle left," Harry muttered to himself.

The others stared at him.

"Still worrying over me Harry?" Teddy teased his godfather. "I'm all grown up now!"

"You are," the green eyed wizard acknowledged. "I'm just being silly," he said and stole an egg roll from Teddy. The teen tried to get it back and the mood was cheerful and loud again, Harry's fears forgotten temporarily.

The last match was apparently a big affair and Teddy could not help but feel apprehensive. He knew the exact spot on the stands where Harry and Kakashi were seated. He knew that all of his family, and that included his team-mates, and all his friends, including the blond demon vessel in this category, were rooting for him. Teddy was anxious about it. He had studied his opponent, Kimiko, no last name, was a very skilled shinobi, definitely worth the chunin title. Teddy knew he was good, all the training from Kakashi and Sasuke and Harry had really boosted his skills and confidence. He tuned out the sounds of the stadium all around him and focused on the Nin up ahead. Kimiko was a Suna shinobi and his clothes were perfect for the deserts. He had dull brown eyes but his hair was a dark chocolate brown with a few red streaks here and there. He was also a very good sport.

"Good luck, Lupin," he told the young wizard.

Teddy smiled. "You too," he told the older teen, who inclined his head.

They both looked to the proctor of the exams then.

"Begin!" the man said and the two genin jumped away from one another for a few paces.

Calculating looks were exchanged before Teddy made the first move, throwing a kunai at his opponent. He did not want to charge head on, he wanted to study the other genin, see up close his strength and speed. Kimiko seemed to have the same idea because the match started slow and then it built up. Punches and kicks were exchanged and soon Kimiko realized that he had better keep his distance from Teddy, because the younger genin was definitely stronger physically. Teddy did not take his sword out, not yet at least, but he had realized that his opponent did not like the physical confrontations and he used his speed to catch up with the other shinobi, not letting him have room to retreat as he used his main advantage, his strength. Taijutsu dominated the fight until Kimiko had had enough.

Teddy barely dodged an Earth Jutsu that had him nearly lose his footing. He recovered quite fast and adjusted the distance between him and Kimiko. The smirk on the older genins face was telling and the young wizard braced himself. When the ground of the arena split up. He dodged the pieces of earth that could injure him and tried to make himself less of a target. He jumped and dodged and twisted his body as he avoided all the attacks his opponent made on him. Kimiko had managed to do what he wanted, keep him at a distance, while using his Jutsu to take him down, but Teddy was not giving up. He took out two of the daggers he had around his waist and pushed chakra into them.

Then he leapt over the destroyed terrain and attacked Kimiko, who fended him off with a kunai of his own. The fight was on again, with Teddy on the offensive as blades and Jutsu were exchanged, aiming to do as much damage as possible. It was hard and Teddy could feel the strain soon enough as he used more and more the advanced Jutsu in his arsenal. He favoured water out of the elements first and to a lesser degree lightning, but only with his chakra system. His magic was earth and fire. That meant that he had four categories to choose from and he did, interchanging them so that he took Kimiko by surprise and no small amount of spectators.

The Suna ninja was not going to give up easily though. Sneakiness and underhanded techniques were prized among shinobi and Kimiko showed that he had that skill down. A twist of his arm, a flash of a senbon needle and Teddy winced, trying to ignore the pain of a pierced thigh. The injury slowed him down some. He did not know enough to remove it so he did not touch it at all, but he did stop and try to think up another way to take his opponent down. They were both tired, panting for breath. Teddy calculated just how much more they could keep fighting and he knew it would not be long now.

"Want to end it now?" he asked Kimiko who paused and smirked.

"Bring it on," the Suna genin told him.

Teddy nodded and his hands and fingers moved, forming hand seals. Kimiko did the same. Then they charged at each other, chakra flaring dangerously as they did their last showdown.

The people up in the stands held their breaths as Teddy's lightning technique clashed with Kimiko's earth technique. The young Metamorphmagus did not even consider using magic, not with thousands of eyes locked on him; he needed something up his sleeve.

The young Konoha genin knew he had been hit by the Jutsu head on when he felt his ears ring. The pain did not come immediately, first there was the shock. He was thrown back by the explosion that occurred and he somehow managed to break his fall, land on his feet even though his knees buckled. He spread his senses, trying to figure out despite the pain whether or not Kimiko was standing and able to do any damage. As the smoke cleared he saw the proctor and then noticed a prone form lying on the ground.

"Winner, Lupin Teddy from Konoha!"

Teddy's knees did give way then and the young shinobi collapsed as well, his injuries and his chakra depletion showing just how much he had strained himself. He did not manage to hit the ground as his team instructor was instantly at his side. The last thing Teddy recalled before he completely lost his senses was Kakashi's face and the words the J�nin told him.

"I'm proud of you," Kakashi told his lover's godson.

Meanwhile, up in the stands Harry looked with undisguised worry down at the arena. He had not even seen Kakashi move, but he was grateful to him. Kenji and Akihiko also joined Kakashi's side just as the medics poured in, ready to offer their assistance to the two injured genin. Naruto arrived then at Harry's side and he had to shake the green eyed man a bit until the wizard looked away from the bloodied form of his godson.

"He's going to be fine," the blond shinobi told the wizard. "Come on now, I'll lead you to the infirmary."

Harry followed without a word.

A few hours later found Harry keeping a vigil in the infirmary. The room was quiet, the medic Nins had just left and Harry was seated next to his godson's bed, holding the boy's hand as Teddy was sleeping off his injuries and exhaustion. It had been a close call for a while. He had nearly depleted his chakra reserves while trying to give a reason to Naruto, who was writing the reports in the Hokage's place as her representative, to promote him. Tsunade had admitted to Kakashi at some point during the past year that she had already been thinking about it as the members of Team 5 could be promoted by field experience alone, but Teddy's young age was one of the reasons she was hesitant. Chunin meant that you could be recruited by ANBU and even Tsunade did not want a shinobi so young to be a killer. She knew what wounds that could cause to the young kid's soul and she did not want to exploit her shinobi like her predecessors had done. Kakashi had relayed this to Harry to help him relax some. The wizard knew that if he kept worrying so much he would be rivalling Kakashi's grey hair soon.

"Harry?"

The wizard started when Akihiko stepped up.

"Go and rest some, Teddy won't like it if you get sick because of him."

Harry stared at the blond shinobi. Akihiko had grown well; he was not as uptight as he had been. But he had grown stubborn.

"You can return in a few hours," Kakashi added as he too stepped in the room and made his way to Harry's side. "Come on."

Harry followed the silver haired J�nin reluctantly.

"We're not going back to the hotel," Kakashi told his lover.

"We're not?" Harry blinked.

"No, you needn't be cooped up again. We'll walk a bit, get you something to eat, then we can go back for you to sleep."

The green eyed man gave a nod. Suna after dark was nothing like Konoha during those hours. Kakashi knew where he was going when he led them both towards a street just a block away from the red light district.

"Unlike Konoha, Suna does not have an active nightlife," the J�nin told his lover. "Something to do with impromptu sandstorms and the low temperatures during the night. But the shops that do stay until late…" He grinned. "Come on."

"I'm not really hungry."

"I know, but perhaps you'll change your mind once you smell the food," Kakashi urged him. Inwardly he worried about Teddy's godfather. Then a thought came to him. What would happen if something happened to him during a mission? If he got gravely hurt? He shuddered, hating to think how devastated Harry would be then. No, that was a dangerous area for his mind to wander too, especially now. These thoughts could wait until Teddy was back on his feet and Harry was feeling better.

Finally Kakashi reached the restaurant he had been seeking and led Harry inside.

"This place makes amazing eggplant soup," the silver haired Jonin informed his lover. "Great soups in general but eggplant is simply amazing."

Harry smiled a bit, "You really like your eggplants, don't you?" He shook his head knowing that this was one obsession of Kakashi's he would never kick. Nowadays the J�nin hardly read the Icha Icha book series Jiraiya wrote but give the man eggplants and you had him. "I know I shouldn't be so shocked," Harry continued.

"Well, I like eggplant and you need some comfort and a nice warm soup will help," Kakashi shrugged.

"You're right," Harry agreed. "About everything really, I bet Teddy will be angry with me for acting so…"

"Like the parent you are?" the J�nin cut in. "Heaven knows I held myself back from smacking that guy's instructor when he had the gall to taunt Teddy while he was down. As it stands, Naruto will be pranking the guy, with Gaara's blessings."

Harry blinked and stared at the man. Then he smiled and kissed Kakashi's masked cheek. "Thank you," he told the J�nin.

Kakashi sighed and kissed Harry's lips with his mask as a barrier. He pulled back regretfully as the waiter came and Harry just scooted closer so they could be touching without being too obvious about it.

Teddy regained consciousness two days later and the first thing he got to see was Kenji drawing faces on his foot. Akihiko was holding the markers for the Aburame and he was the first one to notice the young man waking. His cry of happiness brought Kakashi and Harry back into the room running. Teddy would later tease them that their reactions had been quite comical, but at the moment the young wizard felt guilty that he had apparently worried them so much. His godfather in particular looked tired and Kakashi was hovering near Harry worriedly. That told the young Metamorphmagus all he needed to know about how little the green eyed wizard had rested while he was unconscious. He would yell at Harry later, Teddy vowed to himself.

"Teddy?" Harry asked.

The boy just gave a short wave, wincing when his muscles protested.

"Mm, sorry I worried you?" he asked, looking sheepish.

Harry smiled. "I know," he said.

Kenji and Akihiko shifted.

"We'll go eat something and come back later," Akihiko told Teddy.

"Without the markers this time?" the youngest member of Team 5 arched an eyebrow.

Kenji laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Mmm. Bye!"

The blond Yamanaka followed behind the Aburame who hastily left the room, leaving the family alone for a while. Harry approached the bed, looking uncertain.

"Where's my hug, Harry?" Teddy asked.

This was all the prompting Harry needed before he wrapped his arms around Teddy.

"I'm okay," the godson said.

"I know, just… let me do this a while longer?" the dark haired wizard muttered. "And next time, I'm not going to watch any exams you take place in, not worth the heart attack."

Teddy met Kakashi's eyes over Harry's back.

"You've been missed," the J�nin told his student.

Teddy just hugged Harry tighter.

A while later, and after Harry was once again composed and the medic Nins were called in to check on Teddy's vitals and left again, the room was quiet. Teddy had nearly been cleared as there was nothing much left to do for him. Chakra exhaustion needed bed rest and lots of food and of course no use of chakra at all. Kakashi had promised to help the young genin with this as he admitted to the two wizards that there had been many times when he suffered from this.

"Shinobi usually end in the hospital for idiotic things, like overtraining themselves or overusing chakra," Kakashi assured Harry.

"I knew I was low on chakra but I would not dare use… you know what," Teddy admitted to the two adults. "And I had to finish it, put on a good show."

"That is the primary reason these exams are held," the silver haired J�nin agreed.

Harry sighed. "Does that mean that now he's a chunin?"

"As soon as we return to Konoha I bet Tsunade will promote all three of the brats," Kakashi mused.

"Finally I'll be able to take better missions," Teddy crowed with delight. At the look on his godfather's face he deflated a bit. "Um, you're still fine with all this right?"

"Kind of late to back down now," Harry said and shook his head. "Just… whatever you do, do it well, okay?"

Teddy nodded and smiled.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Kakashi asked

The Metamorphmagus sighed and his head dropped. "More training?"

Kakashi's smile, despite the mask, was palpable and it made Teddy groan.

"Are you three done yet?" Kenji asked that moment, poking his head in the room.

Teddy motioned his team-mates inside and turned to Harry and Kakashi. "Are you staying?"

"I think not," his godfather replied. "Your friends can keep you company, I'm sure you'll have many things to say. Kakashi and I are going out to eat; we'll come back a bit later."

"Bring me back something sweet?" Teddy made puppy eyes at the green eyed wizard.

"Of course," Harry agreed. He kissed his godson's temple and alongside Kakashi left the room.

Their stay in Suna dragged on for one more week, during which Harry did his part as a tourist in the town and he made many purchases. He also met with local herbalists, who upon learning he had his own greenhouses immediately struck up deals with him. The deserts of Suna with the heat and the cold were not helping the plant life, even inside greenhouses. The trip to Suna turned out full of opportunities for Harry's career. While touring the city, Harry actually met the one person he did not want to meet in a one on one meeting. It was during the one time he was alone in the market place that the red head Kazekage approached Harry. The surrounding people, civilians of Suna mostly, regarded the man with a mix of dread and awe. Gaara did not seem to pay them any mind though, his pale green eyes focused on the green eyed wizard who had just purchased spices from a stall.

"Lord Kazekage," Harry greeted the man who was dating Naruto.

"Potter, or should I use your other name?"

Harry sighed. "This is not the place to talk about that."

"The Kazekage building is not far from here," Gaara commented.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, I'm just curious about you," the red head admitted.

The wizard sighed again. "Just show me the way. Also, I have to be back in my hotel room by noon."

"You will be," Gaara assured him.

Harry had no choice but to follow the leader of the hidden village he was currently in. While he walked alongside the red head (Gaara had not wanted him to walk behind him and Harry thought that was prudent of him) no one walked up to them to bother them but there was quite a number of children that waved at their Kazekage. Harry, having been in the Hokage Tower in Konoha found it a bit worrying that he was getting to know the inside of Suna's Kage headquarters. Still, he reasoned better the tower than a visit to the interrogation units or the cells. And Gaara even offered tea once they were inside his office.

"No thank you," the green eyed wizard told the shinobi. "You had questions I believe."

Gaara inclined his head. "About your help in Ishigakure, or should I say Jade's help in that siege? Don't bother denying this. Naruto's not that good a liar, at least not when he has to lie to me."

Harry blinked. "Naruto? Told you?"

"Hinted," the Kazekage replied. "In his own special way."

"I see. What do you want to do now?"

"Thank you," the red head replied.

"What? But that's hardly needed."

"Do you know how many petitions I've gotten from the people there? My forces could not get there fast enough. The deaths would have been many had you not been there. And I would have never found out but when Naruto talked about you commanding snakes and helping the Konoha shinobi… I doubt the Godaime has done anything to acknowledge your efforts."

"Because I want to live in peace," the wizard replied. "That is why I turned all offers to join Konoha's shinobi corps down, why I don't want recognition for everything I've done. I'm not exactly proud that I had to kill people. I was not raised shinobi."

"Yet you chose that life for your son," Gaara pointed out.

"Teddy's not me. He would have been unhappy staying in Konoha, managing a store." He did not mention all the reasons he had enrolled Teddy in the Academy in the first place.

"Hm," Gaara studied Harry. "You are not what I expected, not at all."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not really. The only truly selfless person I've ever met is Naruto."

Harry smiled. "I'm not really selfless, Lord Kazekage. In fact I'm actually rather selfish, that's why I want to be left alone."

"Yet when the situation calls for it you can get your hands dirty," Gaara noted.

"I try, Konoha is my home."

"That probably means you do not plan to start roaming again."

Harry shook his head.

"Konoha's lucky to have you," Gaara commented.

"Thank you."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow when he saw his green eyed lover entering the room, looking exhausted. He was lounging on the bed, wearing just a robe, his mask forgotten in the privacy of the room. He was relaxed as he had just gotten back from the hot spring.

"Well, if you were going to look so worn after a walk I would have insisted you joined me," he told Harry.

The wizard paused. "Talking to the Kazekage was a bit nerve wracking. And you know Kakashi, us naked in a public place…" he grinned. "Not a good idea."

Kakashi grinned. Then he backtracked to Harry's mention of the Kazekage. "What did Gaara want with you?" he asked his lover.

Harry sighed. "The usual deal. Save one hidden village and everyone wants to meet you."

"Come here," the silver haired J�nin said after he stopped chuckling. His eyes took in just how Harry's body seemed to shiver at the invitation. When Harry joined him on the mattress, still fully dressed, Kakashi kissed his lover's temple. "You went to buy spices again," he said after he took in the smells that lingered in the green eyed man.

"Yes," Harry replied.

Kakashi moved his lips from Harry's temple to his cheek, then his chin, then he finally joined their mouths together in a kiss. Harry moved closer, grabbing Kakashi by the back of his head and deepening their kiss. The J�nin groaned as the kiss turned more heated.

"Too long," Harry muttered against his lips once they pulled back a bit.

"Too much excitement, not enough time," Kakashi agreed.

Harry grinned and tugged at the hem of his lover's robe. "Do you think we have time now?"

Kakashi grinned. "Plenty," he stated and started kissing the green eyed wizard.

End of chapter.
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Sneaking Around Konoha