"Eiko, watch your footing. I could hear you a mile away." Iruka turned on the snow soundlessly. "Tsuji! If you can't throw with mittens on, take them off. The enemy won't care if your hands are cold."
Iruka rubbed his own hands together briskly for warmth. Like a fool, he'd forgotten his own mittens in his haste to leave this morning.
"Don't stop moving." Iruka directed his students. "Movement keeps your blood flowing, which will warm you up."
He didn't have to tell his students twice. The few that had been sluggish picked up the pace, joining the rest of the class in moving around the yard. He'd split the students up into two teams, half wore red bandanas, the other half blue. A fierce battle raged in the yard in front of him, the 'mortally wounded' lining the edge of the field to the right. Snowballs flew with the kind of deadly accuracy Iruka could only dream of during kunai practice.
Iruka stepped sideways as snowball whizzed through the air where he had previously stood, followed by a quickly shouted "sorry, sensei."
"I'm beginning to think it was a bad idea to come out here."
"Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka turned quickly, a grin instantly spreading across his face. "Come to watch the battle?"
"Something like that." There was that strange smile again.
As one, Kakashi and Iruka stepped left to avoid another snowball.
"Pay attention to your target," Iruka shouted towards the fray. "Remember to lead. Anticipate where you're target's going to be. For those evading, feint, trick, do anything to throw your opponent off guard and make them guess wrong."
"With that bark, you'd make a hell of a general."
Iruka smiled faintly, his stomach churning a little at the thought. In the back of his head rang echoes of the Kyuubi's howl. "While I have the greatest of respect for yourself and the chuunin and genin who serve Konoha, I like to think my few talents are best used teaching young shinobi how to stay alive."
Kakashi shifted slightly closer. "I think you sell yourself far too short, sensei." Like a switch, Kakashi's expression lightened back into a smile. "Here. You forgot these."
Slightly confused, Iruka took the fabric Kakashi held out to him, turning it over in his hands. Mittens. "These aren't mine."
Kakashi just smiled. "But you could use them, right?"
Iruka wondered exactly whose gloves Kakashi had found. "Where did you get these?"
"Don't worry about it. Put them on."
Frowning slightly, Iruka tugged the mittens on. The fabric was soft, and still warm - most likely from being in Kakashi's pocket. "Any idea who I should return these to?"
"Me."
Iruka froze, and blinked. He could hear another snowball flying towards them out of bounds. The snow impacted against Kakashi's hand, icy flakes lightly dusted the side of Iruka's face.
"These are yours?"
Kakashi shrugged as if it were nothing and brushed his hand off on his pants. "I've got more." Gloved fingers wiggled in front of Iruka's face. The material looked tough, thin but probably lined with something that kept the cold out better than the loosely knit wool covering Iruka's hands.
The wind chose that moment to pick up, filling the air with snow. Iruka could barely see the ground in front of him, let alone his students.
"Return them when you have the time," Kakashi spoke from just behind Iruka's right shoulder. Iruka turned, hoping to protest - he really didn't think it was appropriate to be accepting a pseudo-gift from the jounin - but there was only circling snow.
"Kakashi?"
There was no response.
The wind died as suddenly as it had started. His students were starting to wander over, their battle forgotten. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.
Iruka plastered his biggest smile on his face and turned to face his students. "I think it's time to head back inside. Perhaps I can convince the lunch lady to make us all some hot chocolate?"
An enthusiastic round of cheers answered him. Iruka trailed his students inside, counting heads and taking attendance in his head as they raced in front of him. He rubbed his thumb over the palm of his now-warm hand and smiled at the play of knit wool over his skin.
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