Kakashi stood at the entrance of the Hokage office, turning his head to look at his team before speaking.

"Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura head to my place and wait for us. There are still some things to handle here. I'll be back soon." His voice was calm, almost soothing, as always.

The three of them nodded, though Naruto couldn't resist a quick remark. "Hurry up, Kakashi-sensei! We're starving!"

"I'll see what I can do, Naruto." Kakashi smiled, though his eyes remained focused.

"Still the same old Naruto. But he has a point, we should wrap up things here." As the trio of ninjas filed out of the room, Tsunade glanced at him.

"Indeed. Paperwork never ends, does it?"Kakashi nodded, walking toward the desk with Tsunade following him.

They both sat down, each grabbing a stack of papers. Tsunade leaned back in her chair as she began sorting through them, but Kakashi, his gaze now focused on her, spoke again.

"Tsunade… I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's on your mind?" Tsunade lifted an eyebrow, her eyes meeting his.

Kakashi exhaled softly, his tone becoming more serious. "It's about Karin and Sakura."

Tsunade paused for a moment, her hands stilling on the papers. "Karin… the redhead who's been staying with you, right? And Sakura, well, I know her well enough."

Kakashi nodded. "I want to ask if you'd be willing to take them both on as apprentices. Karin has unique bloodline abilities, and Sakura has the potential to be a great medic ninja, better than I've seen in a long time."

Tsunade's gaze softened as she listened to Kakashi's words, her fingers tapping lightly on the desk as she considered his request.

"Sakura, I can understand. She's shown potential in the medical field, and from what you told me her growth has been impressive. But Karin… she's been staying with you for a while now, hasn't she? What's her background?"

Kakashi's face grew a bit more serious as he leaned forward, glancing down at the papers in front of him. "Karin's origins are a bit complicated. She's not connected to Orochimaru if that's what you're worried about. Her clan, the Uzumaki, had a long history with sealing jutsu, though they were scattered after the destruction of their village. She's one of the few survivors."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. The Uzumaki clan, renowned for their talent with chakra and sealing jutsu, was a legacy she was very familiar with. Her grandmother was also a Uzumaki.

"An Uzumaki survivor? Interesting… and you're sure she's not some spy? After everything that's happened…"

Kakashi nodded firmly, his expression serious. "She was a Kusahakure ninja before and was not treated well. Her skills with chakra control are very good, and she's still learning the abilities that her bloodline brings. She's not a danger to Konoha."

Tsunade studied him for a moment, considering his words. She saw how serious he was about this, Kakashi never took things lightly, especially when it came to important matters. "And Sakura?"

Kakashi smiled softly, a look of pride in his eyes. "Sakura's growth has been impressive. She has great chakra control, and she's already taken to some of Kurenai's lessons on genjutsu. But her real potential lies in medical ninjutsu."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I see. Well, if you're asking me to take them on as apprentices, I'd be happy to do so. I've been keeping an eye on Sakura, and I agree that she has great potential. As for Karin… if she's truly not a threat, I'll help her develop her skills. She could be an asset to the village."

"Thank you. I knew I could count on you." Kakashi's smile widened as he reached over, giving Tsunade's hand a gentle squeeze.

The gesture was soft, but Tsunade felt the weight of it and how much it meant to Kakashi that she'd agreed to this.

And how much he trusted her. As she looked at him, she felt something stir within her something both comforting and exciting.

Before she could fully process it, Kakashi leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. The kiss was brief but sweet, and for a moment, everything else faded away.

It wasn't until a soft cough broke the silence that they realized they were no longer alone.

Tsunade pulled back, her face flushed, and her gaze darting over to see Shizune standing in the doorway, her hands full of paperwork.

Shizune's face was red as she quickly averted her eyes, her body stiff. "Ahem. I… I'll just… get back to work," she mumbled, lowering her head, clearly flustered.

"Sorry, Shizune. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Kakashi, ever the composed one, let out a soft laugh.

"It's fine, Shizune, you may see it often in the future." Tsunade, unable to help herself chuckled and said.

Shizune didn't respond, merely nodding stiffly as she hurried to her desk, eager to bury herself in the mountain of paperwork before her.

After a few moments, Tsunade met Kakashi's gaze again, her lips curling into a playful smile. "You know, we really should be more careful."

"I don't know, Tsunade. I think we're perfectly fine." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, his tone light

"Always so confident." Tsunade laughed, shaking her head.

As they continued working through the paperwork, the room seemed to settle into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the rustling of papers and the occasional shuffle of chairs.

By the time the work was done, the sun had long since dipped below the horizon, casting a soft, cool glow over Konoha.