A/N: This is Kakashi's first run in with team Gai, when they were genins, before the invasion, and obviously, before they got their act together.

…..

Hatake Kakashi could tell time: which was quite ironic since he was always late. It was not, however, a conventional means to tell time, as it was measured by how much was read in one of his novels that he was notoriously carrying at all times. But it was damn accurate, even if he was the only one who knew it. He knew the exact time it took for him to read each page, but more importantly, he didn't want anyone to know that was how he could track time. Thus the reason for the less than punctual arrival times: he didn't want anyone to catch on.

So when Tenten had arrived back at the time she did, sporting many a fillet fish, kabobbed and ready to be thrown on the fire, he quickly double checked just how long it had taken her.

Neji and Lee, he noted (as he thumbed threw the pages) were not making a big deal of this. They sat patiently on a fallen stump by the fire, after rearranging the fish to cook evenly around the open flame. The boys looked at her, almost expectantly, and Kakashi had to stop checking the time frame in his book so he would not miss the interplay.

"Took you long enough," Neji complained stiffening his shoulders to show his contempt.

"Neji is right, Tenten, you took longer than you normally do, perhaps your ankle is not as youthful as you had anticipated!" Lee referenced her tapped ankle as Tenten took a seat beside Kakashi, now tugging her pant leg over the dressings with a frown. She had asked to not be on this mission because of it. He doubted the boys knew that.

Kakashi tried not to gape openly at the two boys. He felt a sympathetic pain for the konoichi beside him; her teammates weren't remotely nice even though she was wounded. They had openly insisted that she get the fish from the stream, which he thought wasn't right as well, but the boys had been quite animatedly firm on the matter. Tenten had agreed that it was no big deal and was gone before he could say otherwise.

Now it was a five minute run to the stream one way. Kakashi could easily count on his boys taking no more than thirty minutes to run down, make a pole, catch the fish and fillet and kabob them and clean up and come back to camp.

"I know," Tenten deliberately put on a fake smile, "Sakura would have been back in ten minutes." She said this as if she had heard it often, like she was constantly being compared to the pink haired konoichi. Ten minutes was enough to run to the stream look at it and run back; impossible on any ones account.

Kakashi noted that Neji blushed just a bit and turned away, while Lee enthusiastically agreed (and he was not going to mention it but since she had brought it up) that Sakura would have gotten him his favorite berry while out in the brush as well.

Kakashi reeled. Like hell Sakura would. Sakura would have taken at least 50 minutes if she hurried, and would not have bothered to think much beyond complaining to do such a task enough to gather berries for one of her teammates, even if Sasuke himself had specifically asked for them.

Kakashi would have taken twenty minutes to do the same job, also if he hurried.

"Be nice or Santa won't deliver your presents." Tenten raised an eyebrow and threatened the two boys, who noticeably perked up at her statement. Well, Lee did. Neji just looked like he managed to get the stick wedged just a bit further up his ass.

She threw them each a small brown leather sack, and the boys opened them greedily.

"You did get me my favorite berries!" Lee beamed with delight as he opened his bag. Neji remained stoic, opening his pouch and munching on the wild nuts that she had gathered for him, all without one word of thanks.

Curse Gai for making him fill-in during his absence. He didn't even like his own genin half the time.

Kakashi was deciding that her teammates were friggin' jerks when she tossed a similar brown parcel to him. "Please don't ride my ass for stopping to soak my ankle while I was gone," she pleaded exasperatingly and turned the fish kabobs on the fire to let the other sides cook.

"I knew it!" Neji took one of his nuts and threw it at the konoichi who deftly ducked the attack, only to have the ammunition land in Kakashi's lap. Kakashi eyed the small nut between his fingers. These were not hard nuts to gather, but it would have taken a while to spot a tree, climb it and collect them in that quantity. He was impressed. He was more impressed when he opened his pouch.

Wild mushrooms-his favorite. So how did she know that?

"Tenten, a word." Kakashi stood up and the pink clad konoichi hung her head and followed as if she was marching off to her own execution.

He led her well out of earshot of the boys and Tenten slumped against a tree, and taking her weight off of her hurt ankle and didn't bother to meet his eyes.

"Does your ankle hurt?" Kakashi asked moving towards her with the intent of inspecting it. She shied away.

"I can do my job; I assure you it will not hinder my performance again." She moved away from him with a hint of defiance in her voice, as if daring him to compare her to his female student.

Right, hinder his left foot.

"I am not here to lecture you." Kakashi eased his way towards her again, "how did you know that I liked mushrooms?"

"Gai." Tenten spoke as if that was the end all answer to his question.

"What do you mean, 'Gai'?" Kakashi was hoping that this wasn't going where he thought it was.

"Your favorite color is blue, your favorite band is Flow, you hate cake, but love ice cream, you have a pair of scissors in every drawer of your apartment because you hate not being able to find a pair when you need to cut something, you wear boxer briefs, but sleep naked…"

"I see. Gai talks about me." Was he blushing? She looked bored and ready for him to yell at her any moment.

"Can you tell her to pick one?" Tenten broke the awkwardness that only he was feeling at the moment.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi questioned her train of thought. She motioned with a thumb back to the campsite.

"Either one, I don't care; if she dates one then maybe I won't have to hear about her so much." Tenten closed her eyes as if she were praying for such things to come to fruition. Maybe she was praying for patience, or just wanting some relief from the pain in her ankle. "I know she is hung up on that Uchiha kid," to which she promptly rolled her eyes, "but maybe her sensei might be able to persuade her?"

"Aaah." Kakashi knew the constant comparing was grating on her, and it was disheartening to see the obviously talented konoichi being forced to put up with two teammates who seriously need a good bash to the head in order to appreciate her more. After all, she had come back start to finish to go get fish in just under twenty two minutes. Not to mention she had collected berries, mushrooms and nuts in that time, and managed to soak her foot. Did he also need to remind himself that she had caught a feast of fish for them to eat as well? Even Kakashi wasn't that fast.

"I'll see what I can do." And by that, he meant he might take out all the assholes on team Gai.