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They looked new. Kakashi glared at the offending fabric. That wouldn’t do. He put the mittens between his gloves and rubbed really fast. Did that make things better? They at least seemed a bit worn… Maybe if he dropped them in the snow and stepped on them? No, then they’d just be wet and muddy.

Kakashi watched the battle below from a safe distance – nearly half a mile back and up in a tree. This was a rather stupid idea, but Anko had been quite insistent this morning when she’d shown up on his doorstep to not-so-subtly hint that Iruka had gone outside to train with the children and forgotten his mittens. Admittedly he did owe Anko, and Asuma, for not mentioning their conversations to Iruka, though Anko had been far too pleased with herself. Too bad for her that Kakashi wouldn’t be seducing Iruka in three days.

This was, by far, the most care he’d taken with any relationship. Anko was actually being a bit liberal with her bet of three days, probably figuring the teacher’s innate prudishness would hold Kakashi off for at least a day.

It was worth the wait, especially if it kept Iruka from trying to kill him.

Down below, the teacher was correcting his students as they threw snowballs at each other with deadly accuracy. Obviously it was a kind of battle training. Kakashi couldn’t remember doing any such thing for the brief time he’d been at the Academy, but then Iruka was a rather unique teacher from what he’d heard. His students, even those who’d graduated years ago, adored their former teacher and there hadn’t been a single parental complaint about Iruka.

It was amazing how much you could learn by reading someone’s personal file. He wondered what the records said about him. He’d have to take a look sometime.

Right now, however, he had other matters to deal with.

“Stop stalling,” Kakashi muttered to himself as he stood up on the branch.

Kakashi breathed deeply and glanced down at the frolicking children. The mittens weren’t going to deliver themselves. Time to go impress the chuunin.

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