One Day at a Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no money from this. Masashi Kishimoto does.

Day Fifty-Eight: Worth the While

When both he and Sakura had been called to the Hokage's office, Kakashi had thought of hanging himself for a second. What could she possibly want? If it was about the mission again, then he wanted to hear none of it. Tsunade had offered him a month of, and he intended to enjoy it fully.


Crutches were punishment enough. Even though they were much more practical when it came to climbing stairs, they were no fun compared to the wheelchair.

Standing in front of the desk besides him, his partner seemed just as confused and frustrated as he did. Their leader, on the side, was grinning from ear to ear, fingers entertwined together and tapping her knuckles rhythmically. The woman had a plan for them, that much was clear. She was even taking her sweet time, torturing them with the wait and silence.

"I have horrible news." The blonde finally announced, pulling her hands apart to slap her palms to her desk.

The duo eyed the woman carefully, steeling themselves for whatever awful words she was about to utter.

"Sakura..." She breathed out grimly, staring down at the unorganized mass of paper that littered her desk. After a deep breath, she clapped her hands together. "You are promoted to jonin rank!"

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat as he processed the information. It had been expected, but hearing it was something else. His ex-student was finally the same rank as him, his equal, as well as their other teammate's. He could only imagine how elated the girl felt at this moment. All her life she struggled with being a step behind the boys, never able to catch up to them.

When he turned to look at her, he couldn't help but smile, a small and discreet smile. If her jaw was dropping any lower, then it would certainly hit the floor. She couldn't even gather her wits to mumble a response. The sight might have earned a laugh from him, had they been alone.

"Congratulions, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice boomed as he burst through the door, always the same energy ball.

Following him closely were their other close friends Sai, Sasuke and Yamato.

"I'm treating you to ramen!" The whiskered man boasted as he trapped her in a hug that squeezed the air out of the girl. "Let's go!"

The other members of their mismatched group passed on their congratulations as Naruto carried his female friend out of the room, ignoring the way she struggled against him.

The meal at Ichiraku's was by no means boring. With the place not even having enough seats for all of them, it hadn't taken long before friendly arguments had broken out and immature insults thrown everyone's way. Sakura had seemingly returned to her old ways, complete with the temper and punching threats, when things got out of hand. As much as Kakashi disliked being surrounded by so many people, this was an evening he wouldn't regret.


Chapter Fifty-Nine: Click Here