This is the first in my new challenge to myself: create a birthday oneshot for all of my favorite Naruto characters. It certainly will be difficult, but since I haven't had many new ideas for stories lately, I wanted to still be able to post something out that wasn't just my current multi-chapter fic, Just Not Enough.

So first up is none other than the youthful sensei: Maito Gai! I've never written a story about Gai, so this was a fun and exciting experience for me XD. And youthful ((laugh)). Actually, it stressed me out a little bit. Trying to make sure that Gai was his over the top self, but did not cross the line from Gai-like to just insane. If this fic is not good then I saw do 100 pushups! And if I cannot complete that task, then I will— :goes on a big long rant about my punishments for not completing tasks:

And this takes place sometime during the very beginning of the series. When everyone is still Gennin. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Even if I did own it… I would not change a SINGLE thing about Gai! Everything about him is just so, what's the word :thinks: YOUTHFUL!! Ha, ha!

Important: Dedicated to the ever youthful, ever beautiful, ever… springtime… MAITO GAI!! Even though he is another year older his springtime of youth is still with him ((I think)). Sorry this is a day late. I'm lazy XP.

"TODAY IS THE DAY I WILL BEAT YOU!!"

It was the first and last thing Hatake Kakashi heard before he instinctually turned his focus away from the Icha Icha Paradise novel, which always seemed to be on his person, so that he could turn around just in time to see a certain green-clad Jounin and his out-stretched foot hurdling toward his head. With one swift movement, Kakashi bent backwards just before the foot collided with his skull and moved out of the way of the not-so-sneaky sneak attack. The lazy ninja quickly stood up and turned to face his attacker, knowing that they would try again to win the upper hand in the battle.

"Excellent move, Kakashi!" Maito Gai shouted as he stood in front of the silver-haired Jounin, his signature smile present on his face. "Just what I would expect from my eternal rival!"

But Kakashi had already lost interest with his so called rival and had redirected his attention back to his novel before Gai had even finished his loud statement. "Hmm?" he mumbled without turning his attention away from his book. "Sorry did you say something?"

Gai growled and clenched his raised fist at the other Jounin. "Superb comeback. Truly, you are a worthy opponent."

Kakashi sighed. This way not exactly what he wanted to encounter this morning. He had other places to be. Well, he had one place to be. And he would rather get there sooner as opposed to later so that maybe he could meet up with his three Gennin. He walked away from Gai, not listening to whatever it was that he was ranting about now and headed toward his destination… To pay his respects as he did every day.

When the lazy ninja did not reply back to his long rant that he had somehow gotten into while his rival was not paying attention to him, Gai huffed but soon realized where his friend and rival was headed. "It's no wonder he didn't want to be bothered." Gai said to himself, ignoring the fact that Kakashi never seemed to have time for the green-clad Jounin's antics anytime he showed up to challenge him. He watched his eternally rival walk away for a moment or two before turning away so that he could meet up with one his own Gennin for the daily ritual of training exercises.

"Gai-sensei!" Rock Lee said cheerfully as soon as the Jounin had turned around, causing the older man to jump slightly since he had not known that his pupil was literally right behind him. Gai mentally cursed Kakashi for distracting him and for numbing his excellent sense to the point where his own student could sneak up on him. "I've taken the liberty of meeting up with you so that we may get started with our training even earlier this morning."

"Good work, Lee." Gai shot the younger boy and thumbs up and a sparkling smile, his rival already forgotten as his focus switched completely to his young protégé. "The earlier we start the more training we can fit in before we meet up with the others."

"Yosh!" Lee shouted, raising his fist into the air triumphantly. The raven haired youth ran ahead of his teacher, eager to get started on their training in hopes that each session would bring him closer to accomplishing his goal of defeating his own rival. It was quite ironic that Gai's student would proclaim a rival without Neji's say in the matter, much like he had done with Kakashi. As he walked with his young student toward the training fields, his memory brought back to the very day he had announced the silver-haired ninja his fated rival. So many years ago.

--

There he was. That boy again.

Gai was sure that he had seen that very same silver-haired boy whom always seemed to have at least half of his face covered, though even more of his face was covered now since this boy had taken to covering his left eye with his hitai-ate now. He could not quite put his finger on when or where he knew the boy from, but his guess was that he had seen him once or twice while they were in the ninja academy or while they were part of the four-man cells.

Whichever it was, Maito Gai was sure of one thing. He knew this kid.

The young ninja slowly approached the other boy, curious as to the boy's identity, and stopped only when he was standing directly in front of the silver-haired ninja, who sat peacefully on a bench with an orange book placed in his grip. Gai looked him over for a second or two as if he was trying to recalled the name that went along with the face, or lack thereof in this particular case.

"What do you want?" The silver-haired boy asked, never taking his attention away from the orange book in his grasp. Gai jumped slightly from the boy's sudden statement. Had it not been for the fact that the other male had said something, Gai would have never known that the person in front of him had even recognized his presence. The young ninja before him, after all, did seem like he was slightly out of it with his sleepy-looking eyes so Gai would not have been surprised if he had not acknowledge his being there.

"Forgive the intrusion, but I feel as if I've seen you before." Gai declared raising his fist slightly.

"So?" The silver-haired boy asked lazily, while he turned a page in his orange book. If Gai did not know any better, he would say that there was a red tint to the masked boy's half covered cheek. He ignored it and continued on with their conversation that felt somewhat one-sided.

"I feel that in one's springtime of youth it is best for one to have many acquaintances and friends. And one can't very well become familiar with someone if they do not even know their name." Gai babbled on, every now and then looking over at the silver-haired teenager; he questioned, by the fact the other boy never took his eyes (well his one eye) away from the orange book in his hand, if this boy he had recognized was even paying attention to him. Well it really did not matter since Gai was not one to care how long it took someone to notice him, as long as they eventually caved in. And everyone eventually caved in to his, as some would call them, crazy antics.

"And you just assume that I want to be acquainted with you."

"Of course!" Gai said with a smile that showed off his sparkling, white teeth.

"You were sadly mistaken." He flipped over another page of his book as his only visible eyes peered up at the raven-haired youth for no longer than a second before returning to orange novel in his hand. "Very mistaken."

"Are you saying that I'm not worth your time?" Gai shouted, bending down somewhat so that he could be at eye-level with the annoyed boy in front of him. The silver-haired shinobi raised the orange book so that he could hopefully ignore Gai if the raven-haired pest was out of his line of sight, but sadly Gai kept shifting his weight around as he tried to catch another glimpse at the annoyed boy.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." As he said this, the orange book was closed with a loud snap and placed on the lazy-looking ninja's lap. His only visible up turned upward as it closed, giving Gai the subtle hint that the other boy was giving him a false smile underneath that mask. That only proved to irk the raven ninja even further with this somewhat familiar boy.

"What acidic wit!" Gai exclaimed loudly, almost as if he was narrating the silver-haired boy's actions for everyone in the entire village instead of just keeping the conversation between the two of them. "With qualities such as that you must certainly be a worthy opponent!"

A sigh escaped passed the covered lips of the silver-haired ninja as Gai posed and ranted about him as an admirable adversary or something along those lines. The masked boy quickly became bored with the raven shinobi's rant/speech and opened his orange book once again, trying to concentrate all of his attention on the book and its plot instead of the ever-present and ever-annoying green-clad boy.

"Icha Icha Paradise." Gai read off the orange cover of the book in the silver-haired boy's grip. The sudden statement pulled the masked ninja from his thoughts and broke his intense concentration on his novel, making him look up at the raven hovering over him and his book. Gai looked as if was trying to catch a glimpse at the print on the page to which the book was currently open, but the boy, whom was still seated upon the bench, pulled the novel away from Gai's view and held it closer to his chest. As Gai made eye contact with the lazy boy a sly smile wormed its way onto the raven's face.

"What?" the silver-haired boy asked defensively.

"Nothing." Gai replied. "It's refreshing to see someone at your age making the most out of their youth and not depriving themselves of their urges and sexual tensions."

"Do you have to say things like that so loudly?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of!" Gai exclaimed, forcing himself back into the silver-haired ninja's personal space, which made the other boy both nervous and angered. "All boys of your age have the same wants and desires, though seldom do they act upon those certain urges. I believe you interest in such topics is quite healthy!"

"Will you just go away?" By this time in Gai's speech, the masked boy look quite flustered and embarrassed, even with most of his face covered. The raven paused and turned toward the silver-haired boy.

"Tell me your name." he stated; his voice more even and calm than any other time the green-clad teenager had spoken during this odd conversation. Another sigh escaped pass hidden lips.

"Hatake Kakashi." was the mumbled reply. Gai recognized the hidden meaning behind the sigh. It was a sigh of defeat. Meaning that he had won this battle. Or at least it was a battle in the raven's mind.

A wide grin found its way onto his features as he continued to look down at the very annoyed looking Kakashi. "That's all I needed." Gai was sure he heard a muffled and questioning response from the silver-haired boy, but he was already too far gone to register anything else that was said to him. "Hatake Kakashi!" he shouted as he pointed his index finger toward the other teenager in front of him. "From this point forward, you are my eternal rival!"

There was a short silence between them. "… Rival?" Kakashi questioned with an expression of pure confusion.

"That is correct! I will dedicate my entire being to the sole purpose of becoming stronger and one day defeating you!"

Kakashi was sure that Gai was still going on about the two of them being rivals (wince he could hear some muffled voice that reminded him of Gai's loud and annoying voice), but he was too wrapped in the concept of Gai's outrageous proposal. Out of the blue this boy had approached him, seemingly on a whim, and then sometime during the course of their conversation decided that he would become his rival. Not only his rival. His fated rival.

For all eternity.

While the raven-haired ninja was still distracted by his own loud rant, Kakashi took this moment to slip past the green-clad teenager and tried to quickly walk away from the other boy without being too obvious that all he wanted to do was run as fast as his legs could carry him.

"W-Wait! Come back here, Kakashi!" Gai shouted when he finally realized that the silver-haired boy had somehow disappeared.

"Shit." Kakashi mumbled before breaking out in a full-fledge run, Gai at his heals.

Okay, this is really short, but I had a really had time coming up with a story for Gai. I'm sorry Gai! You're just so hard to think of not-crack-i-fied plot XD ha.

Even so, I hoped you all enjoy this story. And once again… Happy birthday, Gai!