Kiyosuke walked through Konoha's main gates one morning, yawning as he went.
Behind him trailed his three exhausted subordinates. They had just returned from a mission, having set out early, and were now back to file their entry records with Konoha's gate guards, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu.
As Kiyosuke turned around, he spotted two Anbu escorting a woman with long, dark green hair into the village.
She looked to be around twenty years old, with a tear-shaped mole under her eye. Her features were striking, and she wore a performer's long dress that accentuated her curves—a beautiful woman by any measure.
The fact that she was in Anbu custody meant only one thing—she was a spy from another village, being taken in for interrogation.
Still… she looked oddly familiar.
Scratching his head, he couldn't place her.
"What is it, sensei?" Kiba asked once he noticed Kiyosuke's distracted look.
"She just… seems familiar somehow. But I can't quite remember. Forget it. You guys go get some rest—I'll go report the mission."
Yawning again, he dismissed his squad and headed for the Hokage's office to deliver his report to Tsunade.
Once the mission was handed in, Kiyosuke's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten enough that morning. He grabbed a quick meal to fill the gap, then headed home for some well-earned rest.
...
The next morning, Kiyosuke rolled out of bed, washed up, and prepared to take a leisurely stroll.
"Kiyosuke-sama."
A masked Anbu appeared at his side.
"The Hokage-sama requests your presence."
"Me?"
Kiyosuke thought for a moment. Something must have come up.
"All right, I got it. I'll head over now."
He made a stop at Ichiraku Ramen to fill his belly first, then wandered lazily toward the Hokage's office. Upon arrival, he found Kakashi and Yamanaka Inoichi—the head of the Yamanaka clan and Ino's father—already there.
"Yo, Kakashi. Inoichi-san."
He greeted them casually before turning to Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, what did you need me for?"
"This morning, the Anbu captured a spy," Tsunade began. "After interrogation, we learned she's from Lock Village in the Land of Keys. Other than that, we got nothing—except that in her memories, we found a scene from her childhood involving you and Kakashi."
Lock Village was tiny, but they excelled at espionage. They made their living gathering intel on shinobi villages through spies and then selling it to other clients for profit.
"Me and Kakashi?"
Kiyosuke frowned and glanced at Kakashi, who looked equally puzzled.
"To be precise," Inoichi clarified, "you only appeared briefly. Most of the time, Kakashi was the one with her."
While using the Yamanaka clan's secret jutsu to search her mind, he hadn't found useful intel—but he had stumbled across that fragment of memory.
"Why?" Kiyosuke asked.
"It seemed you had to leave for another mission," Inoichi explained. "Kakashi was the one who escorted her back to her family."
At that, both Kiyosuke and Kakashi suddenly remembered.
"Oh, right," Kiyosuke said. "That was ages ago. Kakashi came across a lost girl during a mission. I had another task to handle, so I left early. If I recall, that girl seemed quite fond of Kakashi."
"Hey, don't start with that," Kakashi said helplessly. "I was just taking her home."
"The fact she still remembers says otherwise," Kiyosuke said with a knowing smirk. "Even someone as handsome as me barely left an impression—so clearly you're unforgettable to her."
He chuckled and suggested, "Hokage-sama, why not let Kakashi make contact with her? Might turn up something useful."
Tsunade thought it over, then nodded.
"Fine. Kakashi, I'll leave it to you. Her name is Hanare."
"Got it. I'll head there now."
Kakashi left reluctantly, making his way to the Anbu interrogation unit.
Noticing the mischievous grin on Kiyosuke's face, Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"So… why did you call me here?" Kiyosuke asked, puzzled.
Tsunade cleared her throat.
"You can go. I thought you might be a good choice as well, but… looks like Kakashi will do just fine."
"Understood. I'll be off then."
Kiyosuke left the Hokage's office, wandered through the village's food street for a hearty lunch, then strolled aimlessly.
As he passed an alleyway, he spotted Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura crouched behind a wall, doing who-knows-what.
"Hey. What are you three up to?"
The sudden voice made all three of them jump.
They turned to see Kiyosuke, and Naruto complained, "Don't sneak up on us like that, Kiyosuke-san! You scared me!"
"Did I? My bad. So, what's going on?"
Sakura clutched a small bouquet of flowers, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"We spotted Kakashi-sensei on a date with a really beautiful woman! I saw her earlier—she's a spy!"
A date…?
So they'd misunderstood.
Still, this could be entertaining.
Watching the pair's retreating backs, Kiyosuke grinned.
"Let's follow them."
The four exchanged glances, then crept after Kakashi like a pack of sneaky cats.
A nearby Konoha Police patrolman watched them go and thought,
"…Forget it. I didn't see anything."
After all, one was the clan head's second son, another was the Fourth Hokage's kid, and the last was Konoha's strongest shinobi. Definitely not people you wanted to mess with.
Looking at Hanare trailing behind Kakashi, Kiyosuke murmured with a smirk,
"If she weren't a spy, she'd actually suit Kakashi."
"I just wish I could see what Kakashi-sensei's face looks like under that mask," Sakura sighed. "All we ever see is his left eye."
"Kakashi's good looks are on par with mine," Kiyosuke said confidently.
"Really?" Sakura's eyes lit up.
Kiyosuke was famous for his looks, adored by countless Konoha fangirls, and currently single—a dream catch for many. If Kakashi was equally handsome, he'd definitely match that mysterious woman…
Her thoughts drifted straight into romance territory.
"Kakashi's headed for Konoha Plaza. Let's take a shortcut."
"Right!"
The four of them dashed ahead, circling around to reach the plaza first, then climbed a tree to eavesdrop.
Soon after, Kakashi arrived with Hanare—now dressed in women's casual wear instead of her performer's gown.
Looking over his shoulder at her, Kakashi said helplessly,
"All right, come on. I'm not here to get intel from you. I got dragged into this. I'll keep you company for a day—after that, it's out of my hands."
"What'll happen to me?" Hanare asked quietly.
"No idea."
Kakashi tilted his head back, gazing at the spotless white clouds drifting across the blue sky.
"Your fate isn't something I can decide. That one looks like Naruto… and the one next to it looks like Sasuke."
Up in the tree, the two named culprits broke into a cold sweat.
Had they been caught already?
...
And so the strange "date" and tailing continued for a week.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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