Fainting is quite the perfect option when faced with the Adonis that is Hatake Kakashi, and that is exactly what you want to do. However, as he walks closer to you, you find yourself paralyzed to your spot, unable to take your eyes off of him. Your eyes are drawn to his hair, and you are completely amazed at how the manga and anime have totally captured his unique style.

"Wow, your hair really does defy gravity," you comment before snapping your jaw shut, feeling the heat of a blush rise to your cheeks at your words, and he crinkles his eye at you as he smiles in amusement.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto chimes in, completely unaware with your fascination with his teacher. "She's from the future! She says she knows what's going to happen to us! I'm going to marry Sakura-chan-"

"Er...uhm, I didn't exactly say that!" you mutter, though as Naruto's wide grin falters slightly, you instinctively grab a hold of his hand to reassure him. "What I mean to say is, you do end up happy, that you do." However, Naruto isn't listening to you at all as he looks in bewilderment at your hand clasped on his, almost astonished that a girl is actually holding on to him-

You casually let go of his hand, though your previous action does nothing to cool your flushing cheeks.

'He should be thankful I hadn't glomped him yet!' Inner Self screams enthusiastically, just a tiny drop of drool hanging from the mouth. 'Ooooo, Hinata would be so jealous!'

"If you two are done making bedroom eyes at each other, mind telling me what happened to Sakura, and why in the world is she lying on the floor?" Kakashi interrupts, squatting down to his fallen subordinate, checking her pulse. "She's knocked out cold."

"I didn't mean to fall on her, that I did not!" you explain fervently, and you wonder why in the world you're speaking in such a manner, one that sounds strangely familiar...

"So what's your name?" Kakashi addresses you. "And where did you really come from?"

'He's talking to me!' Inner Self squeals uncontrollably. 'Ah, to hear his sexy voice...I've died! I've truly died and have gone to bishounen heaven-'

"I'm...I'm..." Kakashi gives you an encouraging nod.

'Heaven help me, I'm going to lose it!' Inner Self nearly faints.

"Go on," he prods gently.

"Oh gods, I'm yours!" Unable to control yourself, you glomp Kakashi, nearly knocking him down, but it doesn't matter much, as you press yourself against him, giddiness almost taking control of you when your fingertips graze the firm muscles lining his slender arms.

'Damn these hormones!'

Naruto and Sasuke are watching the two of you with their jaws dropping as Kakashi futilely tries to pry you away from him, but he cannot escape from your iron grip.

"Oi!" Kakashi gasps. "A little help-"

"I'm in heaven!" you squeal.

"Oi, I'm really flattered," Kakashi groans, "but I just might have to kill you-"

"Hey!" you yelp as arms wrap around your waist, and you are yanked from Kakashi, and you struggle to pull free until you realize just whom those arms belong to. Spinning around, you find yourself within inches of Sasuke's pouting lips, and with the scowl on his face, he looks even more irresistible. You contemplate planting a firm kiss on him right then and there before-

"Can you just calm the hell down!" he yells at you, backing away. It's hard for you to imagine how he could sound colder than he already does in the anime, but at that moment, he accomplishes just that. "What the hell is wrong with you? First you attack Sakura and now Kakashi-sensei-"

"I didn't attack him!" you protest quietly. "I just...he's just too huggable, that he is! And what happened with Sakura was an accident! I didn't do it on purpose! It wasn't like I got up this morning and decided, 'Hey, I think I'll drop into my favorite manga and knock Sakura out!' though I can assure you there are tons of people out there who wouldn't mind doing so-"

"Manga?" Naruto questions, looking utterly confused with the entire situation. "What do you mean? I though you said you're from the future-"

"If you really are from the future like you claim," Kakashi began, "then you should know exactly what I just did a few minutes ago in the time that you had fallen in."

"Of course I know. You just got summoned by Hokage-sama, and you just nominated these three for the Chuunin Exam-"

"The Chuunin exam?" Naruto's eyes widen. "That's what the team from the Country of Sand was talking about-"

"-and you got into a mini fight with Iruka-sensei because of your nominations," you finish, as Kakashi measures your words.

"And is my decision a wise one?" You gulp, looking away, not sure of how to answer him.

"This is just the beginning of something far more important." Your thoughts stray to Orochimaru and his group from the Country of Sound, and it is then that you remember that in this particular episode in the anime, Dosu, Zaku and Kin had been hiding in the trees watching Sasuke and Gaara.

"Oh shit!" you exclaim, looking up into the trees surrounding the small street. It wouldn't be difficult for them at all to eavesdrop since their specialty is sound, and fear floods your senses as you spot three shadows hiding, only then disappearing a second later. "They've heard everything I've said," you mutter, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Who?" Kakashi asks urgently, and you shake your head.

"I can't say anymore!" you insist. "Don't you understand, Kakashi-san? This is the beginning of the Chuunin Exam. Teams from other Hidden Villages are staying here until the exam concludes, and if a team from another village hears that I am from the future, I would be target for them, not only to find out the times in which Konoha is at its most vulnerable, but also to shut me up should I know of their plans to take over this village. The three that had been hiding in the trees have heard too much, and their master is someone...dangerous."

"Shit," Sasuke spat. "So you mean to tell us that if we don't protect you until you find your way back home, Konoha will basically fall?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

"So why can't you tell us about their secrets then?" Naruto cut in. "We could find a way to beat them before they beat us-"

"It's not that simple, Naruto-kun," you explain, the gears in your head turning at full speed. "There are some things that need to happen because if they don't," you look at Sasuke, "you three will certainly die during the Exam and Konoha will fall. And the exam has to happen because if it doesn't, Konoha will be attacked anyway. Had I come sooner, then maybe there might have been a chance, but...it's already begun. Spies are everywhere."

There is a pregnant pause.

"You know," Naruto replies, "you're kind creepy."

"I guess I may seem that way, but you would be, too, if you had fallen into a place where you knew of what was going to happen," you retort, and he looks at you blankly, trying to understand the enormity of everything you've said.

"You have to see Hokage-sama right away, then," Kakashi decides, motioning for you to follow as he picks up Sakura. "We'll bring her to the infimary to see if her injuries are anything serious, but I'm pretty sure they're not. Anyway, Naruto, Sasuke, you can go home. Missions are complete for the day."

"Oi, redhead, wait up!" Naruto jogs up to you as you move to follow Kakashi, and you start at the nickname he's given you. "How'd you get that cool looking scar on your left cheek?"

"Redhead? Scar?" Your hand instinctively moves over your face, and you feel an inconsistency in its smoothness. Your fingertips travel slowly down the jagged intersecting lines of cut flesh, and you groan, knowing then who you must look like. "For the love of cheese! Do you have a mirror on you by any chance?" Naruto digs into his pocket and pulls out an empty foundation compact, and you stare at him strangely, wondering why he would have such a girly thing-

"Oh, it's not mine!" he laughs as he points over to Sasuke, who's walking away to head back home. "It's his! He let me borrow it once when I had a splinter stuck somewhere near my backside...hehe, but anyway, I needed it to find out where it was so I could pull it out." You stifle a laugh as you open up the compact and look at your face.

"Holy shinobi, I look like I could be Kenshin's little sister, that I do!" you sputter, running your fingers back down your left cheek. Your brilliant blue eyes stare back at you, and although your hair isn't styled like the former Battousai's, your tresses carry the same firey red color. The only thing you can think of is how horribly you resemble Christmas wrapping paper with your red hair and green bodysuit. The longer you stare at your reflection, the more you notice how much you also look like Sakura in hairstyle and eyeshape, and you wonder how you can exact revenge on the manga deities for screwing up your looks so much. You would rather prefer the hair and face you grew up with, thank-you-very-much.

"So who's this Kenshin guy?" Naruto asks, completely oblivous to your turmoil as you two continue to follow Kakashi down the road. "Your boyfriend or something?"

"Er, no, he's...it's difficult to explain," you say, closing the compact with a sigh before handing it back to him. How can you define who's real and who isn't when you're now walking with someone you only once thought to be just a character in an anime and manga?

"Look, I know you can't say much, but what's your name?" Naruto asks. "I can't exactly keep calling you Redhead, though I could if you didn't mind-" You smile and tell him your name, and he smiles back. "That's real pretty."

"Thanks." You two continue on your way in silence, and you steal glances at Naruto from time to time, wondering how you ever managed to ever overlook him. Then again, you hadn't had the chance to see how gorgeous Naruto really was in person before...

'Hahahaha!' Inner Self giggles. 'Haruno Sakura, watch out! You've got yourself some REAL competition now! And if I look like the Battousai, maybe I can fight like him, too! Hehehe!'

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