Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Gentle Lesson: The Restoration of the Hatake ❯ Small Wheels Within ( Chapter 13 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kakashidiot 
Naruto's interviews begin. Asuma and Gai are worried, but Naruto still hopes.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.24.2007 | Updated On: 04.22.2007 | Pages: 12 | Words: 9.1K | Visits: 409 | Status: Completed
Naruto's interviews begin. Asuma and Gai are worried, but Naruto still hopes.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.24.2007 | Updated On: 04.22.2007 | Pages: 12 | Words: 9.1K | Visits: 409 | Status: Completed
Okay people! CHECK THIS OUT! 38 PAGES! 38! Of Gentle Lesson Goodness! Okay… well… I SHOULD be cramming for an exam tomorrow… but… ah well… c’est la vie!
To write this I had to make up an angsty play list. The most important songs I listened to were: Frou Frou “Let Go”; Harry Gregson William “Stone Table”, “Evacuating London”; Enya “Watermark”; Clannad; Batman Begins OST; “Aerith’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VII OST; and Loveless OST, namely “Anxiousness II”; and Moby “Porcelain”.
The lyrics embedded in this chapter are from “BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS” – by Simon and Garfunkel.
I don’t own Naruto – or Kakashi… which breaks my heart… They belong to Masashi Kishimoto!
Underneath the family table, hidden by the kotatsu, Kakashi stifled a giggle while carefully masking his chakra signature like his father had taught him last week. This was a mission – and he was going to pass.
“Oi! Kakashi! Where are you?”
“Hana… what’s that matter?”
“I can’t find Kakashi! He needs to clean his room!”
“Ahahaha!!! Just like a Hatake! Messy as always, right?”
“Hai, hai… but I can’t really bend over that well… I get so tired… You know how much this takes the energy out of me…”
Hanako laughed softly while rubbing her swelled belly, Sakumo wrapped his arms around her.
“Well… let’s eat breakfast together and then I’ll go find him – he’s probably out playing Ninja or something.”
Sakumo helped his wife carry the plates over to the table, sighed with contentment and then knelt, sliding his legs under the table into a boiling hot pail of water. With a loud yell, Sakumo jumped up, flinging the table one way, the food the other, revealing his young son who was curled up in a ball laughing.
Looking around at the mess, Hanako couldn’t help but sigh. Still… the sight of her husband pouting like a hurt child softened her heart.
“I was great, wasn’t I, right, right? Father? Mother? I was stealthier than that weird bushy eyebrow kid, right, right??? I’m a great shinobi, right? Soon I’ll go to the Academy and be better than you, papa!!”
“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!” roared Sakumo in mock anger.
Kakashi stuck out his tongue.
“Saku… let me have a look at them… tch… they’re only wet… and the room’s a mess…”
“I think this is the day for Kashi-kun to learn a new jutsu.”
“Eh???”
“Bunshin no jutsu.”
“Sakumo! You said you would wait!!”
“Well…”
“Please. He’s only three!”
“But he’s able to tote water in a huge pail and put it under our table! He should learn to clean up his messes!”
“I’ll be fine!” Protested Hanako as she tried to pick up the broken pieces of a plate and failed.
Kakashi’s eyes turned from his father’s flushed face to his mother’s tired one.
They’re upset because of me. It’s my fault. It isn’t a funny game anymore.
Tears started to roll down his face.
“I’m sorry, Mama! Papa, I’m very sorry! I won’t do it again!!! I promise!!!”
The two arguing adults turned with surprise to see their young son’s pale face wrung up in tears as his tiny shoulders shook with heavy sobs.
“Kakashi-kun…” His mother said, dropping rather heavily to her knees and pulling her son into a tight embrace. “Mama and Papa aren’t mad at you… it’s an adult thing. Let’s clean this up.”
Sakumo sighed and knelt beside his wife, squeezing his son’s shoulders as the boy drew back.
“It was a good game. Just surprising. And showed that you’re very smart. A genius Hatake…”
“Gen-yus?” echoed Kakashi, turning his wide grey eyes (still shining with tears) up at his father as he nestled on his mother’s small lap.
“Genius. Very smart. But – how DID you do that?”
“I found the pail in Chiro’s house… so I lib- lib – lib-rated it.”
“Kakashi!” wailed his mother. “That’s stealing…”
“No, it isn’t!” the young boy said. “It’s lib-lib-rating! Jiraiya says ninjas do that all the time when they go on missions. Like Papa’s kunai! ‘Sides I’m the hair so I can take what I want…”
“So logical…” whimpered Hanako.
“It’s hopeless…” sighed Sakumo. “Still… you liberated the pail and then what?”
“I used Mama’s tiny pot to carry the water from the sink to the pail.”
“How did you get it so hot? You can’t have put it on the stove…”
“Chakra.”
The two parents blinked.
“Show me, Kakashi,” asked Sakumo quietly.
Kakashi stared at his dad, startled by the sudden seriousness in his voice. He timidly nodded and then, wrapping his tiny arms around the pail dragged it across to his dad. Placing his hands on both sides of the pail, he frowned in concentration, focusing.
Focus. The pail. The water.
He imagined it swirling around. White chakra glowed from his hands and slowly crept around the entire pail until it filled the water and the metal. The water swished gently around in rotation, then slowly, the chakra burned a hot white.
Focus. Focus. This is a test. Focus. Water. Hot water.
Steam began to gently rise from the surface.
“Saku-kun…” breathed Hana.
Her husband cut her off with the peremptory wave of his hand as he watched his son, slowly but surely heat the water up.
Now it was bubbling hot, the metal can was turning a curious shade of red.
Kakashi drew his hands away and smiled at his parents.
“See! Just like Papa does in his room! He puts his chakra on his sword. I thought – I thought maybe I could put it in the pail of water… Is that bad?”
Sakumo grinned.
“No, Kakashi. I’m very proud of you! Now… go upstairs and clean up your mess, while I help Mother down here, okay? Remember to pick up everything!”
“Hai…” mumbled Kakashi.
“If you hurry, then we’ll have a hot breakfast waiting for you.”
“HAI!”
Watching their precocious son run away upstairs, the older Hatake couldn’t help but smile. Sakumo helped his wife get to her feet and started to clean up the mess.
“You’re going to be late! Again! Don’t worry about it!”
“I need to be late. I’ll help.”
“Dear…”
“Just focus on getting me food, woman!” he mock growled.
“It’s your fault it’s on the ceiling!”
“Hmph.”
“Sakumo… What Kakashi did… That’s not even normal for regular Hatake, right?”
“Well… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such good manipulation of chakra. It seems to be natural for him to control it so well. It’s normal for Hatake to have those abilities… we can embed it in objects like a sword or kunai to give them the ability to cut through anything. Hatake have been known to even manipulate bodies that way as well. It’s like Hyuuga – the talent to extend ones chakra beyond the hands and the body. Still… what he did on his own is an exercise I was able to complete only when I was ten years old. And I was an early starter.”
“So when you call him a genius…”
“Yes. We can’t ignore it anymore, Hanako. Kakashi is a gift as much as he is gifted. I don’t want him to feel different…”
“Isn’t that a given? He’ll always be different – the clan needs somebody strong like him to carry this clan forward… And this little one…”
“Hanako, love, Kakashi is a gift… but he wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t… you’re the blessing. You’re my blessing…”
Kakashi had been intending on surprising his father with a kick to the knees (something Genma had been shown him yesterday) – but the sight of his father tenderly cupping Mama’s face – leaning in for a gentle kiss – made him pause.
“I love you, sweet flower Hanako. Especially –“
“Such romantic words, Sakumo,” she giggled. “How about showing your love by picking up the plates?”
“Sure thing, beloved.”
“You guys are – weird.” Kakashi said, wrinkling his nose as he picked at his fish. “Is that how little bro came here?”
“Kakashi-kun. It’s not weird. Believe me… you’ll like it too…”
Kakashi looked disbelievingly at his mother.
“Really?”
“When you’re older,” amended his mother. “Much older.”
“Like Jiraiya-sama?” asked Kakashi, innocently.
Sakumo sprayed his green tea onto his plate and then laughed.
“Well…”
“Absolutely not!” Hanako muttered and set down the teapot rather heavily on the counter.
“Well… I’m off! Be good to your Mama, Kakashi-kun! Make sure she doesn’t run around a lot!!! Your sibling is due any day now!”
“I’m fine. Don’t frighten him!”
“I’m not scared!”
“He needs the fear of Kami put into him, Hana-chan. Or else, he’ll run you to the ground. Take it easy. Call the servant – I don’t want you moving.”
The two stood at the gate and waved goodbye.
He could still remember that day.
His mother’s warm hand covering his, her other hand in the air, waving goodbye to her husband.
Even now, he wondered.
If I hadn’t made her run around so much. If I had picked up my bedroom like Papa told me too. If I hadn’t left to play with Genma without telling her. If I had helped her carry the groceries home.
She wouldn’t have been so tired and exhausted. She wouldn’t have slipped and fell down the stairs. She wouldn’t have bled to death.
Ryo would have lived. Papa would have been okay. He wouldn’t have cried at night. He would have been strong on his missions.
All that. It was my fault.
I don’t deserve…
“Genma.”
“Ibiki-san. Nice to see you around again. I thought you were dead…”
“Same here. But no such luck, right?”
“Heh. Some days it feels like that. How’s the whole Torture thing going?”
“Alright? How’s the whole Mission thing going?”
“Stop making fun of me. It’s hell.”
Out of the habit of secrecy, the two Special Jounins stopped talking as the waitress plunked down their regular drinks and smiled at Genma, who merely quirked a smile in her direction while shifting his senbon lazily from one corner of his wide mouth to the other.
Raido, carefully watching his teammate and live-in companion, from the opposite corner of the favorite Jounin drinking spot, felt a sudden rush of longing. He stifled it. Now was not the time.
But still… He thought. It seems like it was only yesterday when he took me in. Even though he was struggling to live on his own as a teen… I guess it’s hard for people to see, but Gen-kun is really very kind at heart.
The scarred Jounin perked awake at the sound of his own cup of sake hitting the stained brown table in front of him. Smiling at the waitress and making small talk about her youngest kid who was going to try for entrance into the Academy, he tried to look oblivious, as he strained his attention to Genma and Ibiki’s small talk.
“Hum… yeah… And there’s the Chuunin exams coming up to consider…”
“Oh yeah. I guess you’ll be in charge of the third part again?”
“It’s been a while…”
“Hayate was good – but I think you’ve got the hang of it now.” Ibiki was swirling his drink around and sniffing it.
“You’d think I ought to have.”
“Kids are always surprising.”
There was a pause at that thought.
Raido shivered at the memory of that one particularly explosive Chuunin exam – the effects were even still felt today.
The Hokage died, Orochimaru started a war, we lost the last Uchiha, the Sanin ended up training Team Kakashi… Kakashi got his newly styled eye and a beautiful summoning…. And I got wounded rather badly… Gods. That was a close one.
At the thought, Raido hastily downed his drink.
As the warm liquid hit his senses, he cast his mind back to the day when his blurred eyes, attempting to focus in and out on the ceiling had landed on Genma’s frowning face. A frowning face trying to hide a world of worry. Raido’s face warmed at the memory.
He had been so concerned and worried about me.
“Oh, these? It’s summer! Allergy season. I always get puffy eyes.”
Liar.
We couldn’t say much else. This thing between us was like a butterfly – fragile.
I tried to capture the moment anyway. To keep this beautiful thing – to make it stronger – even though I wasn’t sure.
“I don’t deserve –“
“What?” he asked, his senbon sticking out stiffly, his shoulders hunching over.
I tried to reach up for his long sweaty honey-locks.
“Nothing.”
His eyes merely narrowed. He disappeared.
But now… I don’t think he’s so afraid of love. Now… it’s someone else who needs to be saved. I hope Ibiki understands…
“So what really brings you here?”
“So untrusting!”
Ibiki waited, Genma sighed.
“I need a bit of information.”
“Information? What kind? It’s going to cost you.”
The scarred Interrogation and Torture Squad captain leaned back and enjoyed Genma’s obvious discomfort. His eyes slid sideways across the low ceiling, dimly lit room.
And what’s with Raido? Is he in on this too?
Ibiki frowned.
Genma’s more of a live, let live guy… Hn…
Ibiki jerked his head at Genma and shifted his great coat around.
“So? The cost…”
“Well… the best things in life always do. It’s some files I need.”
“A couple of drinks at the bar and I’m good to go…”
Genma leaned back, frowning, his senbon stuck stiffly out.
“Wait until you hear what I have to say.”
“I can guess.”
Genma blinked.
“You can?”
Ibiki jerked his head wordlessly toward the door, dropped some coin carelessly onto the table and disappeared into the sunshine. As Raido watched Ibiki and Genma walk off, he wondered.
Will this really work?
“Fourteen.”
A pause.
“Fifteen.”
“Guys…. Oahhh!!!...”
“Sixteen.”
“STOP IT!”
“Stop what?”
“Stop counting my yawns.”
“But it’s funny.”
“Only you would think it was funny…. (yawn)”
“Seventeen.”
Izumo and Kotetsu swung their chairs around gleefully to stare down their co-worker (and temporary victim), Shizune. The black-haired assistant medic was filing, stamping and grouping important papers, while the two Jounin assistants (and part-time messengers) had been dully filing the massive amount of paperwork which had piled up over the month.
Shinobi hate paperwork. And filing. It was up to the two men to do the dirty work so to speak. Even now, as they sat there, wading through the ‘M’s and the ‘T’s, under the warm sun filtering through the smudged window next to them, they attempted to bring some sort of cheer to their very boring circumstances.
Watching the two men laugh, watching Izumo watch Kotetsu with his heart in his eyes, Shizune couldn’t help but sigh. She was glad for the respite as Kotetsu bragged about his cute fiancée, while Izumo tried to laugh.
They’ve been together for so long. I think it’s what drove them to survive the war. But even now, I see that Kotetsu-kun is…
Izumo changed the subject suddenly.
“What were you doing last night? Research?”
“What’s WRONG with you, Izumo? Have you no imagination? How could those yawns be due to research???” Kotetsu winked and giggled.
“Boys – if you –“
“No,” Kotetsu smirked. “I’m betting this on Iruka.”
“Oh…” Izumo blinked. “I understand.”
“Guys… it’s too early in the morning for me to make sense of anything… so I hope you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying…”
“Saying what, Shizune-san???” asked Izumo slyly. “We’re concerned is all! If Iruka is wearing you down –“
“We can always give him a talk!” Kotetsu interjected with a grin.
Shizune gave them the evil eye.
“For your information, it was research.”
“Riiighhhttt!!!”
“It was!”
“And what kind of research???” snickered Kotetsu.
“Research on… somebody…”
“Yeah… and we KNOW who that somebody is!!!”
Shizune swiveled her chair around and glared at the two men as they sat there, blissfully filing away mission reports, both wearing that – we’re-sweet-cuddly-Jounin-messenger-boys-you-know-you-wanna-hug-us look.
“It wasn’t Iruka,” she said quietly.
The two shinobi paused at her solemn voice.
“Who was it then?” asked Izumo quickly switching gears. His one revealed dark eye gleamed with curiosity – and even now, he was fiddling with the ends of the floppy hair falling over half of his fast.
Yep. He’s interested. Damn him, sighed Shizune.
“I can’t say. It’s sort of classified…”
“Just a hint!”
“What do you mean ‘sort of classified’?” probed Izumo.
“I can’t say.”
“Do we know him?”
“Perhaps…”
“Is he alive?”
“Might as well not be, in my opinion – if he is…”
“So it’s a ‘he’?”
“Can’t say.”
Kotetsu was silent as the gears in his brain began to work in earnest. He sat there, chin propped on clenched fists, and he scratched his nose and shifted his bandage. His eyes widened as a light bulb turned on somewhere.
“So you’re saying, you were researching mission reports last night on a certain individual who may or may not be dead, but might as well be…”
“Hmmmm…. And since Shizune isn’t ANBU – the missions she was researching – the individual are in these cabinets!!!”
They stared at the huge wall of cabinets and then wilted.
“No wonder you’re tired,” Kotetsu sighed.
“Will we hear of it again?” asked Izumo.
“Maybe. I hope so. No news is the worst kind of news to get, right?”
Izumo nodded.
“AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” bellowed Tsunade, as she rushed in, carrying three heavy medical tomes.
“Filing?” asked Kotetsu weakly, waving a sheaf of files.
“Gossiping more like,” mumbled Shizune.
“What?” the blonde-haired busty Kage asked, suddenly switching from a mercurial tempter to curiosity. “Who? What? Where? When? How?”
“Kotetsu. Set the wedding date. It’s to happen two months from now. In the Hagane dojo of course. He’ll be sending out the invites this week…”
Izumo’s laugh was humorless.
“HAGANE!!! Is this true?” Tsunade smiled. “Why haven’t you told us before? What were you thinking?”
“We thought it would be best to –“
“Never you mind,” the Kage dropped into Shizune’s seat heavily and flipped her ponytail back. “Once us women get a hand on it, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
Kotetsu grinned weakly. Izumo smiled wickedly. Shizune was shaking her head in despair.
Am I going to be bullied when – if – Iruka ever proposes???
She sighed at the thought.
“You have something to tell us?” asked Tsunade suddenly switching to her dreamy assistant.
“No. No!” Shizune rushed in hastily.
“Well, then. Congratulations, Hagane. I look forward to the celebration. Many blessings on you and Chiro.”
“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”
Tsunade frowned. “You lost my train of thought…”
There was a moment of silence.
“She’s losing it,” whispered Kotetsu.
Tsunade jumped up and smiled. “Aha! That it! I need Jiraiya. I need Asuma. Get them!”
“Again?” mumbled Kotetsu.
Izumo nudged him as Tsunade’s face went red and her fist clenched.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“Nothing… nothing…” Izumo said hastily, dragging his partner away. “We’re on it!”
They sat there, side by side, watching the incense curl upward in the air. Obscuring the black and white photograph of Hatake Hanako. It had been three years now – and Sakumo never forgot to sit and think at the little shrine he had built in the center of the Large Garden. Beside him, his seven-year-old sat, preternaturally still – as he had been taught – his grey eyes downcast, his face obscured within his collar, head bent in thought.
“I forget her face,” the boy whispered. “It’s blurry. Always.”
“I can’t,” his father said. “But maybe one day, you’ll remember. You’ll remember. One day, you’ll meet the one you love – her eyes will swallow you up. They will be great pools of joy and happiness. You’ll sink beneath the waves – you’ll lose your soul to her.”
Kakashi shivered.
It doesn’t sound so good.
“You see, Kakashi. Your heart is a door. And only one person has that key. And when they die, that door is shut forever. There is no going back. So I remember…”
“Remember what?”
“Remember that day when father said that he found a bride from the next town. I was horrified to have to marry somebody from outside. It was shameful. She was rich. She would bring prosperity to our dying clan. My father was adamant. So I had to go visit her.”
“And…”
“She was in her garden, her hands in the soil as she planted roses. Hana – she – looked up and the sun fell on her face and she smiled this gentle smile and shyly said, ‘Hello’. I didn’t say anything at first. But then we started to talk – without any introductions. That is how we fell in love without even knowing who we were.”
“I hope I find my beloved in a garden.”
“Well… it doesn’t ALWAYS happen that way. But for us, we bonded in love. Not because of her money or my land and my name. She was a blessing, Father was right… but a blessing for my heart. And that is why it hurts so much. When you love – you always risk hurt. It’s a two-edged blade.”
Kakashi nodded.
Two-edged blades are dangerous. Papa says I’ll learn how to use it next year.
“Now… it’s up to you, Kakashi-kun. I can’t provide anymore heirs. There is only you. You are our hope, Kakashi. You’ve learned how to summon already, how to use the blade… jutsus – everything. You’re a Chuunin now, right? A proud shinobi. A proud Hatake. With your power, you will revive this clan… I’m still working on it – but with my research, we’ll be able to tap into the power that was given to us at birth. You’ll see! And then…”
“Yes, Papa.”
“And then, you can make her proud. Be a blessing for her.”
“Hai!”
Sitting there, Kakashi made a promise.
I’ll be the best shinobi ever – for you, Mother.
The sun was setting when Sasuke finally found his way to the downtown of Konoha. Something burned deep in his gut as he walked down the main street. It wasn’t the empty house, the wild gardens or the broken down buildings – it was the shrine in the backyard.
I keep mine up – but Kakashi-sensei hasn’t been there for awhile.
Suddenly he turned off the street and found the shop he needed. It always brought him memories – and as the incense blew toward him in a wave from the dark interior, he sighed.
Sakura rubbed her eyes and cricked her neck back and forth. Looking out her window, she saw that the violet front of night was already beginning to creep up on the town – the sun was beginning to set. Huge and orange it hung in the sky – a giant red eye. Closing the files, she sat there in thought – then, opened up the Hatake Hanako scroll.
Died of hypervolemic shock. Thirty-two years to the day.
To the day.
She stood up, grabbed Kakashi’s medical files and her knapsack and headed out with purpose.
She had things to do.
Kakashi-sensei. I’ll remember for you.
Their sensei was running late. Naruto fumed, Sakura sighed and Sasuke sat there, patiently waiting.
“He’s so late! All the other Jounin-sensei have come and even Iruka-sensei has gone home!!!” whined Naruto, utterly bored in the perfectly bare classroom.
Sakura, at the sound of a table being dragged across the floor, looked up in shock as Naruto wedged an eraser between the door and the frame at the top.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” she yelled.
“It’s the Chalk Eraser Drop!!!” smirked Naruto, shoving the table back in its place.
Sasuke sighed and leaned his head on his folded hands.
Idiots.
“You shouldn’t be doing that,” the pink-haired Genin said.
Her Inner Sakura yelled: This is sooo fun!!!
Then just as suddenly, a hand slid around the door’s frame and pushed it back as a grey mop and a navy blue mask poked in.
BAMPH!
Spraying chalk everywhere, the eraser dropped onto the man’s head and then slid off onto the floor. For a second there was silence. Then Naruto started laughing.
“I GOT YOU!!!”
“Sensei!!” wailed Sakura. “I told him to not do it but he –“
Her Inner Sakura yelled: WAY TO GO, DAMMIT!!!
Sasuke merely sat there, blinking.
This is our Jounin-sensei????
“Hmmm…” Their new teacher sighed, as he picked up the eraser, he paused, hand on his chin. “My first impression of you guys…”
The children stopped.
“I hate you.”
Back then, I thought he was weird, lazy, hentai and cool – but now… I know what I’m missing. Somebody who cared enough about me to teach me useful stuff – who taught me how important it is to eat vegetables… and he believed in me enough to send me through the Chuunin Exams even though nobody else would have thought Team 7 was ready.
Now it’s my turn to believe in him.
With that thought, the tall blonde-haired young shinobi burst into the Mission room with a loud yell.
“TSUNADE-BAACHAN!!!”
He paused – eye’s wide with incredulity at the sight of the Kage who was furiously glaring with sleepy eyes at a random sheet plucked off the table. Across her forehead, ink had smeared and –
Was that drool? Whatever. The old hag HAS to listen to me!
“I’m NOT a granny!” The blonde kage bellowed back. “It’s Kage-sama to YOU!!!”
“Whatever you say, old lady!!! You’re the one who’s falling apart! You’re sleeping on the job! Whenever I do that, I never hear the end of it.”
“That’s because it’s a HABIT for you!”
“And it isn’t for you?”
“I’m NOT ON A LIFE THREATENING MISSION, DOLT!”
“That last mission wasn’t life threatening at all, granny… Geez, the missions you give me, I think Konohamaru could do in diapers…”
“NARUTO!!!! RESPECT!”
“Yeah, yeah!” Naruto rolled his eyes. “I need to have a look at Kakashi-sensei’s mission files.”Tsunade’s eye twitched.
“You need clearance.”
“Got it,” chirped Naruto glibly (with an evil smile) as he waved her white note in front of her face.
“Right, right,” she sighed. “Just pulling your leg… But I got Shizune to take out the more interesting missions that she thought would be useful for your research. SHIZUNE!!!!”
Shizune came in, still yawning.
“Sorry, (yawn), Tsunade-sama. What do you need?”“The mission files.”“Oh! Those are… are… ummm… here!!!”
Shizune whipped out a thick stack and placed them with a heavy thunk in front of Naruto.
“WHAAATTT!!! I have to read ALL of THOSE???”
“Well… I know that reading isn’t your strong suit – so I chose the most important ones.”“You mean there are more?”
“There are around 1300 missions in total that are open to the public. Shizune had to work hard to give you the more interesting ones,” barked Tsunade. “Say thank you!”
“Thanks,” mumbled Naruto, as he gathered the pile into his arms.
“Sure,” Shizune sighed.
Mumbling about bossy women, Naruto wandered out of Tsunade’s office with his new stack of reading material in search of a quiet spot to read the files. Just looking at them made him feel rather queasy, so he decided to interrogate somebody instead. People were always his strong suit, he believed.
And I’m sure I saw Gai-sensei around here somewhere….
It wasn’t hard for Naruto to find Gai – his loud, robust voice rang out over the training ground – accompanied by his close, ex-teammate (and carbon copy) Rock Lee.
“One! Two and Three! Four! Five and Six!”
“Go! Go! Lee! You show them!” shouted Gai, pumping his fist in the air as his old student completed a set of chin ups.
Naruto, bursting in, sighed.
Rock Lee was in the middle of a training session with his brand new Genin team. Gai had joined in for fun. Lee’s students (two boys and a female Hyuuga) looked tortured. The boys in particular looked like they were about to cry – the girl seemed, like Neji, to be merely stoic.
Naruto shivered.
Kakashi-sensei may have been always late and really pervy – but at least he LOOKED cool.
“Naruto!” bellowed Gai.
Naruto cringed, winced and grinned weakly.
“Gai-sensei!”
“How goes the springtime of youth?”
Why does he have to always talk so weird?
“I need to ask you a question, actually…”
“Naruto-kun! I’m overjoyed that you would come to me for guidance! I will gladly lend a hand!”
Naruto sighed again.
“I need some information.”
“Information?”
“Gai-sensei! You’re so wise!” exclaimed Rock Lee, stars in his eyes.
“Lee,” Gai said, suddenly serious. “Naruto seems to be worried. I think he needs a private talk.”
Gai winked and chinged his teeth at the younger Jounin-sensei.
“Yes, Gai-sensei! You’ll show him the way, I am sure!” Lee turned to the three perspiring youths. “Yosh! Let’s do a hundred laps around Konoha!”
“SEENNNNSSSEEEIIII!!!!!” the boys wailed.
“Umm… impossible, idiot…” muttered the girl.
Watching his student and the three grumbling Genins leave, Gai frowned. War had brought pain and loss – the Maito had suffered as much as anyone else.
And the young generation felt it too. Even Lee… and their youthful spirits grew up so fast! Even Naruto-kun. Life now is more strict, I guess…
He glanced to his right – at the silent Naruto. The boy stood there, arms securely wrapped around some mission files; his blue eyes were downcast and serious.
“It’s hard –“ the blond-haired Jounin sighed.
Gai’s eyes narrowed.
“What is?”
“It’s weird to see Lee as a sensei now.”
“He’s grown. You all have. But then, you’re in the spr-“
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But –“
“You needed information?” prompted Gai, deciding to switch the conversation.
Naruto blinked.
“Yes. On Kakashi-sensei.”
Gai tensed.
“Your old sensei…”
“How could I forget him? Did you ever forget?”
“I never forgot my own sensei. I still remember the day he died. I never forgot him – or your old sensei for that matter. After all – Kakashi IS my eternal rival.”
Naruto drew back.
“Then why haven’t –“
“Why haven’t I said something? What can one say? Life is a journey down a road. It is man’s gift to make choices – you cannot change them – it’s only up to you.”
“You know something.”
“I can’t say.”
“But –“
“I’m sorry, Naruto-kun. I need to think on this.”
“Is-is it bad?”
“Well…. If you wish to heal Kakashi’s heart – you’ve got a long hard road ahead. But, hey – I’m sure you’ll do okay – after all, with teamwork and the joy that comes with the springtime of youth, you can find the sunset with your sensei!”
The older Jounin chinged his teeth at Naruto, who rolled his eyes.
There was a silence, until the Number One Noisy Ninja sighed.
“This sucks! How can I find out about Kaka-sensei if no one is going to talk?”
“Eh? Well, you could ask me about the past – just not the present…”
“Really?” grinned Naruto. “Great!”
There was another moment of silence. A bird chirped somewhere.
“So…” prompted Gai. “What did you want to know?”
“Hmmm…” Naruto mused. “What to ask?”
Gai laughed.
“Naruto-kun. In some ways you haven’t changed, have you?”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“Okay… how about this? How did you meet him?” asked Naruto, sitting down, carefully setting aside the files, pulling out a notebook and a pencil.
“Well… we were young when we first met – it was at the market place, if I remember rightly…”
It was the beginning of the New Year, if I remember rightly. I was especially happy because not only was spring coming around soon, but it was also Market Day – and I loved going to the market. The noise, the smells, the bustle and the colors just seemed so exciting compared to my dull garden and shabby compound.
And there was always the promise of seeing my friends. You know – that amazing bond of friendship – it was so exciting! I had just met Genma and Ibiki. And Ebisu was also fond of hanging around there as well… They were fun to play with…
Well… they were so easy to tease! Hahaha!!!
(Naruto: And that’s funny, because…?)
Well… the funniest were Iruka and Asuma.
I wondered if they would be there today – after all, Papa said that they were the best kind of friends to have ‘cause they were in the springtime of youth – they understood the mystery of manly love.
I wasn’t too sure what manly love was but it sounded nice.
(Naruto: Ooookaayyy…sounds gross…)
As soon as the stands came into view, I disappeared in a cloud of smoke. My mother bellowed in vain – I was such an energetic kid –
(Naruto: Stop saying it like it’s cool…)
Anyway, I was running at top speed, and I turned around to stick out my tongue at her – when I rammed full speed into a short boy who was helping this old lady pick out ripe tomatoes.
I found myself looking up a very short leg into the dark grey eyes of a white-haired kid wearing a mask.
A mask. Cool. Weird. And he’s still holding the basket of tomatoes! Perhaps –
My eyes narrowed as I considered him.
A rival!
(Naruto: -sarcastic- That’s a real cool way to meet him…)
But who IS he?
“Kakashi! Get your foot of him!” The old lady scolded at the boy.
“I’m protecting you, Taka-san. Just like a shinobi should!”
“It’s just a little kid like you, Kakashi-sama.”
“He looks sus-sus-supishus to me.”
“Oh?”
“His eyebrows look evil.”
They were talking about me as if I wasn’t even there! Fire burned in my gut.
(Naruto: Aren’t you always on fire?)
“Kakashi!”
“It’s true!”
“Say sorry.”
He apologized to me in a sulk and slowly he removed his blue sandal off my chest. I sprang up.
“No need to apologize!” I yelled. “I’m a big boy! And I’m going to be your eternal rival!”
Marketplace populace: “…………Erm…………….. ”
“What?” asked the masked boy in a tired voice. “That’s silly.”
“It’s not! We’re going to be rivals forever!”
“….Why?…”
“It’s a beautiful friendship of –of –of manly wuv!”
“This is a waste of time.”
The white-haired kid – Kakashi – turned around sharply and sauntered away.
“It’s not! But maybe you’re scared! I’m stronger than you are!”
I hefted a watermelon over my head.
Kakashi failed to look impressed.
“That’s no big deal! Look at what I can do!”
With that, Kakashi raised the housekeeper’s basket over his head.
(Naruto: This was your first duel???)
“’Sides,” Kakashi tilted his head. “I don’t look dumb like you do.”
“Oh yeah! Well, I’m smarter than you! I can count up to fifty!”
Kakashi looked non-plussed for all of five seconds.
“Well… you know what? My dad is stronger than your dad!”
“Who’s your dad?” asked Gai.
Kakashi’s face (as much as the mask allowed) registered shock.
“He’s Hatake Sakumo. White Fang.”
White Fang was his dad? Come to think of it, he kind of looks like him…
I was sort of impressed, you know? After all, this kid was the son of a genius, S-rank, Elite Jounin Ninja. Everybody knew White Fang, back then. But still… I could hear my father’s voice as he talked about the Elite Jounin.
There were many things I couldn’t understand – but I repeated him word for word. Father never made mistakes.
“Well…” I said as snobbily as I could. “My clan’s bigger’n yours. Yours is dying – Father said so!”
I never saw it coming – Kakashi lashed out, hitting me squarely in the jaw and chest. I grabbed his big shock of grey hair and pulled viciously. Right then, I realized what I had got myself into – he had been trained – or something. Before I knew it, the little brat had placed his hands on either side of my waist –
All I felt was fire – fire and burning – and I didn’t understand what was going on. I fell down and started to cry. My mom, some women, a few shop keepers and Taka-san came running.
As if from far away, I could hear Mother asking, “What happened?”
“He-he touched me – and burned me!” I sobbed into her shoulder, all bravado gone.
Kakashi edged away, obviously horrified by what he had done.
“It serves you right!” he yelled – then, hastily, he turned and ran away.
Everybody was whispering about him as they bent over me.
“He’s just let that boy run wild!”
“No mother, poor thing…”
“Let’s get Gai to the hospital… Tsunade-hime’s in, I hear.”
I could hear Taka-san apologizing over and over again.
“I’m so, so sorry – I don’t know what came over him!”
Mother just sighed.
“He’s too young to be so strong.”
“So that’s the last thing you remembered? Before you fell unconscious?” asked Naruto, eyes wide.
“Yes. It turned out – I found out from Tsunade years later – that he had accidentally used an old family technique. We still don’t know what… how it happens… but he had pushed his chakra into my body. We think.”
“You guys still don’t know?”
“Well… ever since that year – Kakashi never showed those kinds of abilities again. Ever. Certainly not on me! He was really maladjusted.”
“And still you became friends?”
“Friends? We were rivals… but never really CLOSE…”
Naruto nodded in agreement.
“He seemed standoffish from the first time I saw him too. And he attacked me – he attacked my butt!”
Gai laughed.
“The Thousand Years of Pain? Ahahahahaha!!! That was his sensei’s training technique!”
“You knew his sensei?”
“Who didn’t? His sensei was Yellow Flash – the Fourth.”
“Really? Really? That’s way cool!”
“Yes. Well. Prodigies for prodigies. But then, few sensei wanted such a young Genin on their team – especially when Kakashi was the heir and the last Hatake to boot. Kakashi for his whole Genin year had no team…”
“That’s kind of… sad…”
“In a way. But after he became a Chuunin, his team increased by two – Obito and Rin.”
“Where are they now?”
“War took them away – same as my team.”
“I see…” murmured Naruto.
Suddenly, there was a light poof and out of smoke emerged Asuma.
“ASUMA-SENSEI!” bellowed Gai, radically switching gears from serious to joyful in 0.003 seconds. “It’s the LOVE CHILD of KONOHA! What brings you here?”
“Love child?” muttered Naruto. “Does he know what it means?”
Asuma sighed.
“Tsunade needs to speak to you.”
“Aha! A mission for the Green Beast of Konoha! Proof of his love for LEAF!”
“What were you two doing?” asked Asuma with curiosity, trying hard not to goggle at the pile of files near Naruto.
“Just guiding Naruto-kun down the right path!” Then, lowering his voice to a dramatic stage whisper, Gai said, “He’s looking for Kakashi-sensei. My eternal rival!”
Asuma blinked, froze and suddenly found a cigarette to light.
“Kakashi?”
“Yes, good friend. Perhaps you could lend a hand, since I’m called away…”
“S-s-sure,” stuttered Asuma in shock.
“Uh… Gai-sensei,” Naruto asked. “Do you mind keeping this a secret?”
“Certainly.” Gai said before jumping away. “We do not wish to scare the distressed quarry before we can heal him with our gentle love!”
“Distressed quarry?”
“Gentle love?”
The two Jounin watched the green jumpsuit disappear in the distance, and then they shrugged.
“Let’s walk,” Naruto suggested, once again hefting the files in his arms.
Asuma followed slowly, deep in thought.
Slowly, the two Jounin – the one in his regular navy uniform and green vest – the other in a muted red and black sans vest – made their way along road leaving the training field behind. Watching the clouds float by slowly in the darkening blue sky, Asumo sighed as he lit a cigarette (#6 for the day) and slowly inhaled the calming scent.
“You’re in shock?”
“I hadn’t thought I could forget.”
“You feel bad?” Naruto shook his head in disgust. “How do you think I feel – since I was his STUDENT?”
There was a thoughtful silence – and they paused to watch the blue water pass under the newly reconstructed red bridge. (It had been blown up by an overzealous group of Chunnin led by Udon.)
To Naruto, it only seemed yesterday that the three of them – Sakura, Sasuke and he – were standing there waiting patiently for a sensei who would finally show up two hours late with a lame excuse like – a black cat crossed my path soo….
Asuma sighed as he stood there on the bridge. It only seemed like yesterday when he and Kurenai had met there – and he had broken the mutual silence between them with three little words.
But those moments could never be relived – there was only one memory that could be replayed. And Naruto, thinking on his sensei, knew that no matter how long they gathered here – his sensei would never return.
“So… what do you need to know?”
Naruto sighed, his shoulder’s sagging.
“Do you remember anything important about Kakashi-sensei – I figure you know a lot since you were his friend…”
Asuma looked at him funny.
“Friend? Well… not really…”
“Ebisu said you were close.”
“Welll…. Close… but not THAT close. He was too friendly to let you get too personal.” He paused. “A great defense mechanism.”
“Was he always like that?”
“As far as I know… but then, he never mixed in with my group when we were young…”
“So when did you meet him?” asked Naruto solemnly, as he (once again) set down the files, pulled out his notebook and pencil and began to scrawl rather badly on a new page.
“Uh….” Asuma glanced at the notebook apprehensively. “I was a more junior Jounin when he left ANBU to become a sensei. You know – that day still stays sharp in my mind….”
I was younger then – and the war hadn’t affected me so much – so everyday seemed like a new adventure. I had joined the Jounin ranks a few months ago – and a meeting had come up for all Jounin and Chuunin. We stood there in the room – the waiting Jounin and Chuunin mixing together for once in a long while. The Hokage was running late – so I sat with this really nice looking Chuunin – Yuuhi Kurenai, I knew her to be. The genjutsu expert.
(Naruto: Pervert.)
Whatever. I lit a cigarette and smiled at her – and before you knew it, we were talking about all sorts of things. You know – having a good time. We ended up talking about genjutsu and I was saying how it was the best offense of all time when a lazy voice interjected:
“Not unless you’re up against Itachi… Are you guys dating? The romance in here is…”
I froze. Kurenai looked up in surprise and smiled gently.
Whipping around, I glared at a silver-haired masked figure and then blinked and glanced sideways at Kurenai.
“Who are you?” I asked brusquely.
“Oh, no one special.”
“My name is Sarutobi Asuma and this is Yuuhi Kurenai. You are embarrassing the lady. So… what’s your name?”
“Oh… Hatake Kakashi.” He mumbled from behind a suspiciously bright colored book.
Orange.
“What the hell – you’re reading Icha Icha here,” I ask, choking on my cigarette. “This isn’t the place for PORN!”
Everybody’s head swiveled towards our direction.
The great shinobi Hatake merely tipped his book forward – so everyone could see. Kurenai merely looked amused.
“Porn?”
“It is not!” squawked the masked nin with evident hilarity. “It’s a classical romance!”
Several people were twitching – especially the prude Ebisu. He seemed to have no problem reaming out the famous ninja.
“Kakashi-sensei! Put that thing away now! Such ungentlemanly behavior in public,” he scolded.
Kakashi’s one visible eye winced at him – quickly, he rose – a graceful, almost animal movement – and prowled out the room, muttering something about needing to find the bathroom.
Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as the tension passed. Kurenai turned to me.
“Who WAS that?”
“You haven’t heard of Hatake Kakashi, the all famous Copy Nin?”
“That’s HIM?”
“Yeah. Apparently.”
“You’ve seen him before?”
“From afar. Believe me. We don’t hang out together.”
“Then why…”“Beats me. He’s WEIRD!”
“And that’s why he had one eye covered. That’s so….”
“Weird?”
“I was going to say, creepy…”
“Yeah…”
“So he was annoying?” asked Naruto.
“Well… I kinda learned to tolerate him over time – we couldn’t help bumping into each other in the mission room… and he was a good drinking buddy – except he never seemed to really drink…”
“I see…”
“Genma was the one who really helped me understand, come to think of it. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been more sympathetic. I found out that that day had been his first time in the mission room in EIGHT years – for EIGHT years he had been in ANBU!”
“That’s bad?”
“That’s long.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Yee-ah…”
“Kakashi-sensei’ ;s been in ANBU since the beginning of the war.”
“Damn.”
“But not as long though…”“Five years.”
“Only five.”
“Five HARD years,” Asuma corrected. “And he wasn’t entirely sane when he went in anyway – he never really recovered from the previous eight years.”
“He understood teamwork and stuff like that! He was a great sensei and an awesome shinobi!” Naruto glared at Asuma – and then deflated.
“Sure. Teamwork and skill is one thing, Naruto.” Asuma flicked his cigarette into the water and watched it drift below his feet and disappear. “But he never had a LIFE. He never had friends – or even a girlfriend. He’s a social cripple. And as a sensei – he seems to have screwed that –“
“No, he hasn’t!”
“Okay… maybe not all the time – but he should’ve been more on the ball with Sasuke’s issues. And Sakura was always being neglected. And he never nipped your issues with Sasuke in the bud. It’s not his fault. I’m not blaming Kakashi – it’s just that he didn’t know how to go about things…”
“That’s not true!” Naruto huffed. “You don’t know what he’s done for us!”
With that, he snatched up his files and ran off down the road, obviously upset.
“Yare, yare, Asuma.” A soft voice sighed and emerging from nowhere, Kurenai appeared. “You didn’t have to be so rough.”
Asuma didn’t move.
“It’s the truth.”
“Tell the truth with love, dear.”
Slim arms wrapped around his waist and she looked up into his brown eyes.
“You’re upset,” she noted. “Why?”
“I’m worried.”
“Naruto can take care of himself.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want Team 7 burning themselves over somebody who’s not worth it!”
“You actually believe that he’s not worth it?”
Asuma sighed.
“No. If I was in Naruto’s position, I would be doing the same thing. I guess, what bothers me is that Kakashi hasn’t shown up anywhere. There’s no plea for help on his part.”
“That’s who you’re worried about. Be honest.”
Asuma nodded, and then, returned the hug.
They stood there, on the bridge and mined the memories, the silences and the sadness. Between them, they wondered and they hoped. And Asuma sighed as he thought about the long road ahead for Team 7.
I guess Gai’s metaphors are truer than he realizes. And here… here, I realize that Kakashi never knew this. Never knew love. Did he ever know what he was missing?
To write this I had to make up an angsty play list. The most important songs I listened to were: Frou Frou “Let Go”; Harry Gregson William “Stone Table”, “Evacuating London”; Enya “Watermark”; Clannad; Batman Begins OST; “Aerith’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VII OST; and Loveless OST, namely “Anxiousness II”; and Moby “Porcelain”.
The lyrics embedded in this chapter are from “BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS” – by Simon and Garfunkel.
I don’t own Naruto – or Kakashi… which breaks my heart… They belong to Masashi Kishimoto!
SMALL WHEELS WITHIN
“Kakashi-kun! Kashi-kun! Where are you?”Underneath the family table, hidden by the kotatsu, Kakashi stifled a giggle while carefully masking his chakra signature like his father had taught him last week. This was a mission – and he was going to pass.
“Oi! Kakashi! Where are you?”
“Hana… what’s that matter?”
“I can’t find Kakashi! He needs to clean his room!”
“Ahahaha!!! Just like a Hatake! Messy as always, right?”
“Hai, hai… but I can’t really bend over that well… I get so tired… You know how much this takes the energy out of me…”
Hanako laughed softly while rubbing her swelled belly, Sakumo wrapped his arms around her.
“Well… let’s eat breakfast together and then I’ll go find him – he’s probably out playing Ninja or something.”
Sakumo helped his wife carry the plates over to the table, sighed with contentment and then knelt, sliding his legs under the table into a boiling hot pail of water. With a loud yell, Sakumo jumped up, flinging the table one way, the food the other, revealing his young son who was curled up in a ball laughing.
Looking around at the mess, Hanako couldn’t help but sigh. Still… the sight of her husband pouting like a hurt child softened her heart.
“I was great, wasn’t I, right, right? Father? Mother? I was stealthier than that weird bushy eyebrow kid, right, right??? I’m a great shinobi, right? Soon I’ll go to the Academy and be better than you, papa!!”
“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!” roared Sakumo in mock anger.
Kakashi stuck out his tongue.
“Saku… let me have a look at them… tch… they’re only wet… and the room’s a mess…”
“I think this is the day for Kashi-kun to learn a new jutsu.”
“Eh???”
“Bunshin no jutsu.”
“Sakumo! You said you would wait!!”
“Well…”
“Please. He’s only three!”
“But he’s able to tote water in a huge pail and put it under our table! He should learn to clean up his messes!”
“I’ll be fine!” Protested Hanako as she tried to pick up the broken pieces of a plate and failed.
Kakashi’s eyes turned from his father’s flushed face to his mother’s tired one.
They’re upset because of me. It’s my fault. It isn’t a funny game anymore.
Tears started to roll down his face.
“I’m sorry, Mama! Papa, I’m very sorry! I won’t do it again!!! I promise!!!”
The two arguing adults turned with surprise to see their young son’s pale face wrung up in tears as his tiny shoulders shook with heavy sobs.
“Kakashi-kun…” His mother said, dropping rather heavily to her knees and pulling her son into a tight embrace. “Mama and Papa aren’t mad at you… it’s an adult thing. Let’s clean this up.”
Sakumo sighed and knelt beside his wife, squeezing his son’s shoulders as the boy drew back.
“It was a good game. Just surprising. And showed that you’re very smart. A genius Hatake…”
“Gen-yus?” echoed Kakashi, turning his wide grey eyes (still shining with tears) up at his father as he nestled on his mother’s small lap.
“Genius. Very smart. But – how DID you do that?”
“I found the pail in Chiro’s house… so I lib- lib – lib-rated it.”
“Kakashi!” wailed his mother. “That’s stealing…”
“No, it isn’t!” the young boy said. “It’s lib-lib-rating! Jiraiya says ninjas do that all the time when they go on missions. Like Papa’s kunai! ‘Sides I’m the hair so I can take what I want…”
“So logical…” whimpered Hanako.
“It’s hopeless…” sighed Sakumo. “Still… you liberated the pail and then what?”
“I used Mama’s tiny pot to carry the water from the sink to the pail.”
“How did you get it so hot? You can’t have put it on the stove…”
“Chakra.”
The two parents blinked.
“Show me, Kakashi,” asked Sakumo quietly.
Kakashi stared at his dad, startled by the sudden seriousness in his voice. He timidly nodded and then, wrapping his tiny arms around the pail dragged it across to his dad. Placing his hands on both sides of the pail, he frowned in concentration, focusing.
Focus. The pail. The water.
He imagined it swirling around. White chakra glowed from his hands and slowly crept around the entire pail until it filled the water and the metal. The water swished gently around in rotation, then slowly, the chakra burned a hot white.
Focus. Focus. This is a test. Focus. Water. Hot water.
Steam began to gently rise from the surface.
“Saku-kun…” breathed Hana.
Her husband cut her off with the peremptory wave of his hand as he watched his son, slowly but surely heat the water up.
Now it was bubbling hot, the metal can was turning a curious shade of red.
Kakashi drew his hands away and smiled at his parents.
“See! Just like Papa does in his room! He puts his chakra on his sword. I thought – I thought maybe I could put it in the pail of water… Is that bad?”
Sakumo grinned.
“No, Kakashi. I’m very proud of you! Now… go upstairs and clean up your mess, while I help Mother down here, okay? Remember to pick up everything!”
“Hai…” mumbled Kakashi.
“If you hurry, then we’ll have a hot breakfast waiting for you.”
“HAI!”
Watching their precocious son run away upstairs, the older Hatake couldn’t help but smile. Sakumo helped his wife get to her feet and started to clean up the mess.
“You’re going to be late! Again! Don’t worry about it!”
“I need to be late. I’ll help.”
“Dear…”
“Just focus on getting me food, woman!” he mock growled.
“It’s your fault it’s on the ceiling!”
“Hmph.”
“Sakumo… What Kakashi did… That’s not even normal for regular Hatake, right?”
“Well… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such good manipulation of chakra. It seems to be natural for him to control it so well. It’s normal for Hatake to have those abilities… we can embed it in objects like a sword or kunai to give them the ability to cut through anything. Hatake have been known to even manipulate bodies that way as well. It’s like Hyuuga – the talent to extend ones chakra beyond the hands and the body. Still… what he did on his own is an exercise I was able to complete only when I was ten years old. And I was an early starter.”
“So when you call him a genius…”
“Yes. We can’t ignore it anymore, Hanako. Kakashi is a gift as much as he is gifted. I don’t want him to feel different…”
“Isn’t that a given? He’ll always be different – the clan needs somebody strong like him to carry this clan forward… And this little one…”
“Hanako, love, Kakashi is a gift… but he wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t… you’re the blessing. You’re my blessing…”
Kakashi had been intending on surprising his father with a kick to the knees (something Genma had been shown him yesterday) – but the sight of his father tenderly cupping Mama’s face – leaning in for a gentle kiss – made him pause.
“I love you, sweet flower Hanako. Especially –“
“Such romantic words, Sakumo,” she giggled. “How about showing your love by picking up the plates?”
“Sure thing, beloved.”
“You guys are – weird.” Kakashi said, wrinkling his nose as he picked at his fish. “Is that how little bro came here?”
“Kakashi-kun. It’s not weird. Believe me… you’ll like it too…”
Kakashi looked disbelievingly at his mother.
“Really?”
“When you’re older,” amended his mother. “Much older.”
“Like Jiraiya-sama?” asked Kakashi, innocently.
Sakumo sprayed his green tea onto his plate and then laughed.
“Well…”
“Absolutely not!” Hanako muttered and set down the teapot rather heavily on the counter.
“Well… I’m off! Be good to your Mama, Kakashi-kun! Make sure she doesn’t run around a lot!!! Your sibling is due any day now!”
“I’m fine. Don’t frighten him!”
“I’m not scared!”
“He needs the fear of Kami put into him, Hana-chan. Or else, he’ll run you to the ground. Take it easy. Call the servant – I don’t want you moving.”
The two stood at the gate and waved goodbye.
He could still remember that day.
His mother’s warm hand covering his, her other hand in the air, waving goodbye to her husband.
Even now, he wondered.
If I hadn’t made her run around so much. If I had picked up my bedroom like Papa told me too. If I hadn’t left to play with Genma without telling her. If I had helped her carry the groceries home.
She wouldn’t have been so tired and exhausted. She wouldn’t have slipped and fell down the stairs. She wouldn’t have bled to death.
Ryo would have lived. Papa would have been okay. He wouldn’t have cried at night. He would have been strong on his missions.
All that. It was my fault.
I don’t deserve…
“Genma.”
“Ibiki-san. Nice to see you around again. I thought you were dead…”
“Same here. But no such luck, right?”
“Heh. Some days it feels like that. How’s the whole Torture thing going?”
“Alright? How’s the whole Mission thing going?”
“Stop making fun of me. It’s hell.”
Out of the habit of secrecy, the two Special Jounins stopped talking as the waitress plunked down their regular drinks and smiled at Genma, who merely quirked a smile in her direction while shifting his senbon lazily from one corner of his wide mouth to the other.
Raido, carefully watching his teammate and live-in companion, from the opposite corner of the favorite Jounin drinking spot, felt a sudden rush of longing. He stifled it. Now was not the time.
But still… He thought. It seems like it was only yesterday when he took me in. Even though he was struggling to live on his own as a teen… I guess it’s hard for people to see, but Gen-kun is really very kind at heart.
The scarred Jounin perked awake at the sound of his own cup of sake hitting the stained brown table in front of him. Smiling at the waitress and making small talk about her youngest kid who was going to try for entrance into the Academy, he tried to look oblivious, as he strained his attention to Genma and Ibiki’s small talk.
“Hum… yeah… And there’s the Chuunin exams coming up to consider…”
“Oh yeah. I guess you’ll be in charge of the third part again?”
“It’s been a while…”
“Hayate was good – but I think you’ve got the hang of it now.” Ibiki was swirling his drink around and sniffing it.
“You’d think I ought to have.”
“Kids are always surprising.”
There was a pause at that thought.
Raido shivered at the memory of that one particularly explosive Chuunin exam – the effects were even still felt today.
The Hokage died, Orochimaru started a war, we lost the last Uchiha, the Sanin ended up training Team Kakashi… Kakashi got his newly styled eye and a beautiful summoning…. And I got wounded rather badly… Gods. That was a close one.
At the thought, Raido hastily downed his drink.
As the warm liquid hit his senses, he cast his mind back to the day when his blurred eyes, attempting to focus in and out on the ceiling had landed on Genma’s frowning face. A frowning face trying to hide a world of worry. Raido’s face warmed at the memory.
He had been so concerned and worried about me.
“Oh, these? It’s summer! Allergy season. I always get puffy eyes.”
Liar.
We couldn’t say much else. This thing between us was like a butterfly – fragile.
I tried to capture the moment anyway. To keep this beautiful thing – to make it stronger – even though I wasn’t sure.
“I don’t deserve –“
“What?” he asked, his senbon sticking out stiffly, his shoulders hunching over.
I tried to reach up for his long sweaty honey-locks.
“Nothing.”
His eyes merely narrowed. He disappeared.
But now… I don’t think he’s so afraid of love. Now… it’s someone else who needs to be saved. I hope Ibiki understands…
“So what really brings you here?”
“So untrusting!”
Ibiki waited, Genma sighed.
“I need a bit of information.”
“Information? What kind? It’s going to cost you.”
The scarred Interrogation and Torture Squad captain leaned back and enjoyed Genma’s obvious discomfort. His eyes slid sideways across the low ceiling, dimly lit room.
And what’s with Raido? Is he in on this too?
Ibiki frowned.
Genma’s more of a live, let live guy… Hn…
Ibiki jerked his head at Genma and shifted his great coat around.
“So? The cost…”
“Well… the best things in life always do. It’s some files I need.”
“A couple of drinks at the bar and I’m good to go…”
Genma leaned back, frowning, his senbon stuck stiffly out.
“Wait until you hear what I have to say.”
“I can guess.”
Genma blinked.
“You can?”
Ibiki jerked his head wordlessly toward the door, dropped some coin carelessly onto the table and disappeared into the sunshine. As Raido watched Ibiki and Genma walk off, he wondered.
Will this really work?
“Fourteen.”
A pause.
“Fifteen.”
“Guys…. Oahhh!!!...”
“Sixteen.”
“STOP IT!”
“Stop what?”
“Stop counting my yawns.”
“But it’s funny.”
“Only you would think it was funny…. (yawn)”
“Seventeen.”
Izumo and Kotetsu swung their chairs around gleefully to stare down their co-worker (and temporary victim), Shizune. The black-haired assistant medic was filing, stamping and grouping important papers, while the two Jounin assistants (and part-time messengers) had been dully filing the massive amount of paperwork which had piled up over the month.
Shinobi hate paperwork. And filing. It was up to the two men to do the dirty work so to speak. Even now, as they sat there, wading through the ‘M’s and the ‘T’s, under the warm sun filtering through the smudged window next to them, they attempted to bring some sort of cheer to their very boring circumstances.
Watching the two men laugh, watching Izumo watch Kotetsu with his heart in his eyes, Shizune couldn’t help but sigh. She was glad for the respite as Kotetsu bragged about his cute fiancée, while Izumo tried to laugh.
They’ve been together for so long. I think it’s what drove them to survive the war. But even now, I see that Kotetsu-kun is…
Izumo changed the subject suddenly.
“What were you doing last night? Research?”
“What’s WRONG with you, Izumo? Have you no imagination? How could those yawns be due to research???” Kotetsu winked and giggled.
“Boys – if you –“
“No,” Kotetsu smirked. “I’m betting this on Iruka.”
“Oh…” Izumo blinked. “I understand.”
“Guys… it’s too early in the morning for me to make sense of anything… so I hope you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying…”
“Saying what, Shizune-san???” asked Izumo slyly. “We’re concerned is all! If Iruka is wearing you down –“
“We can always give him a talk!” Kotetsu interjected with a grin.
Shizune gave them the evil eye.
“For your information, it was research.”
“Riiighhhttt!!!”
“It was!”
“And what kind of research???” snickered Kotetsu.
“Research on… somebody…”
“Yeah… and we KNOW who that somebody is!!!”
Shizune swiveled her chair around and glared at the two men as they sat there, blissfully filing away mission reports, both wearing that – we’re-sweet-cuddly-Jounin-messenger-boys-you-know-you-wanna-hug-us look.
“It wasn’t Iruka,” she said quietly.
The two shinobi paused at her solemn voice.
“Who was it then?” asked Izumo quickly switching gears. His one revealed dark eye gleamed with curiosity – and even now, he was fiddling with the ends of the floppy hair falling over half of his fast.
Yep. He’s interested. Damn him, sighed Shizune.
“I can’t say. It’s sort of classified…”
“Just a hint!”
“What do you mean ‘sort of classified’?” probed Izumo.
“I can’t say.”
“Do we know him?”
“Perhaps…”
“Is he alive?”
“Might as well not be, in my opinion – if he is…”
“So it’s a ‘he’?”
“Can’t say.”
Kotetsu was silent as the gears in his brain began to work in earnest. He sat there, chin propped on clenched fists, and he scratched his nose and shifted his bandage. His eyes widened as a light bulb turned on somewhere.
“So you’re saying, you were researching mission reports last night on a certain individual who may or may not be dead, but might as well be…”
“Hmmmm…. And since Shizune isn’t ANBU – the missions she was researching – the individual are in these cabinets!!!”
They stared at the huge wall of cabinets and then wilted.
“No wonder you’re tired,” Kotetsu sighed.
“Will we hear of it again?” asked Izumo.
“Maybe. I hope so. No news is the worst kind of news to get, right?”
Izumo nodded.
“AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” bellowed Tsunade, as she rushed in, carrying three heavy medical tomes.
“Filing?” asked Kotetsu weakly, waving a sheaf of files.
“Gossiping more like,” mumbled Shizune.
“What?” the blonde-haired busty Kage asked, suddenly switching from a mercurial tempter to curiosity. “Who? What? Where? When? How?”
“Kotetsu. Set the wedding date. It’s to happen two months from now. In the Hagane dojo of course. He’ll be sending out the invites this week…”
Izumo’s laugh was humorless.
“HAGANE!!! Is this true?” Tsunade smiled. “Why haven’t you told us before? What were you thinking?”
“We thought it would be best to –“
“Never you mind,” the Kage dropped into Shizune’s seat heavily and flipped her ponytail back. “Once us women get a hand on it, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
Kotetsu grinned weakly. Izumo smiled wickedly. Shizune was shaking her head in despair.
Am I going to be bullied when – if – Iruka ever proposes???
She sighed at the thought.
“You have something to tell us?” asked Tsunade suddenly switching to her dreamy assistant.
“No. No!” Shizune rushed in hastily.
“Well, then. Congratulations, Hagane. I look forward to the celebration. Many blessings on you and Chiro.”
“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”
Tsunade frowned. “You lost my train of thought…”
There was a moment of silence.
“She’s losing it,” whispered Kotetsu.
Tsunade jumped up and smiled. “Aha! That it! I need Jiraiya. I need Asuma. Get them!”
“Again?” mumbled Kotetsu.
Izumo nudged him as Tsunade’s face went red and her fist clenched.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“Nothing… nothing…” Izumo said hastily, dragging his partner away. “We’re on it!”
They sat there, side by side, watching the incense curl upward in the air. Obscuring the black and white photograph of Hatake Hanako. It had been three years now – and Sakumo never forgot to sit and think at the little shrine he had built in the center of the Large Garden. Beside him, his seven-year-old sat, preternaturally still – as he had been taught – his grey eyes downcast, his face obscured within his collar, head bent in thought.
“I forget her face,” the boy whispered. “It’s blurry. Always.”
“I can’t,” his father said. “But maybe one day, you’ll remember. You’ll remember. One day, you’ll meet the one you love – her eyes will swallow you up. They will be great pools of joy and happiness. You’ll sink beneath the waves – you’ll lose your soul to her.”
Kakashi shivered.
It doesn’t sound so good.
“You see, Kakashi. Your heart is a door. And only one person has that key. And when they die, that door is shut forever. There is no going back. So I remember…”
“Remember what?”
“Remember that day when father said that he found a bride from the next town. I was horrified to have to marry somebody from outside. It was shameful. She was rich. She would bring prosperity to our dying clan. My father was adamant. So I had to go visit her.”
“And…”
“She was in her garden, her hands in the soil as she planted roses. Hana – she – looked up and the sun fell on her face and she smiled this gentle smile and shyly said, ‘Hello’. I didn’t say anything at first. But then we started to talk – without any introductions. That is how we fell in love without even knowing who we were.”
“I hope I find my beloved in a garden.”
“Well… it doesn’t ALWAYS happen that way. But for us, we bonded in love. Not because of her money or my land and my name. She was a blessing, Father was right… but a blessing for my heart. And that is why it hurts so much. When you love – you always risk hurt. It’s a two-edged blade.”
Kakashi nodded.
Two-edged blades are dangerous. Papa says I’ll learn how to use it next year.
“Now… it’s up to you, Kakashi-kun. I can’t provide anymore heirs. There is only you. You are our hope, Kakashi. You’ve learned how to summon already, how to use the blade… jutsus – everything. You’re a Chuunin now, right? A proud shinobi. A proud Hatake. With your power, you will revive this clan… I’m still working on it – but with my research, we’ll be able to tap into the power that was given to us at birth. You’ll see! And then…”
“Yes, Papa.”
“And then, you can make her proud. Be a blessing for her.”
“Hai!”
Sitting there, Kakashi made a promise.
I’ll be the best shinobi ever – for you, Mother.
The sun was setting when Sasuke finally found his way to the downtown of Konoha. Something burned deep in his gut as he walked down the main street. It wasn’t the empty house, the wild gardens or the broken down buildings – it was the shrine in the backyard.
I keep mine up – but Kakashi-sensei hasn’t been there for awhile.
Suddenly he turned off the street and found the shop he needed. It always brought him memories – and as the incense blew toward him in a wave from the dark interior, he sighed.
Sakura rubbed her eyes and cricked her neck back and forth. Looking out her window, she saw that the violet front of night was already beginning to creep up on the town – the sun was beginning to set. Huge and orange it hung in the sky – a giant red eye. Closing the files, she sat there in thought – then, opened up the Hatake Hanako scroll.
Died of hypervolemic shock. Thirty-two years to the day.
To the day.
She stood up, grabbed Kakashi’s medical files and her knapsack and headed out with purpose.
She had things to do.
Kakashi-sensei. I’ll remember for you.
Their sensei was running late. Naruto fumed, Sakura sighed and Sasuke sat there, patiently waiting.
“He’s so late! All the other Jounin-sensei have come and even Iruka-sensei has gone home!!!” whined Naruto, utterly bored in the perfectly bare classroom.
Sakura, at the sound of a table being dragged across the floor, looked up in shock as Naruto wedged an eraser between the door and the frame at the top.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” she yelled.
“It’s the Chalk Eraser Drop!!!” smirked Naruto, shoving the table back in its place.
Sasuke sighed and leaned his head on his folded hands.
Idiots.
“You shouldn’t be doing that,” the pink-haired Genin said.
Her Inner Sakura yelled: This is sooo fun!!!
Then just as suddenly, a hand slid around the door’s frame and pushed it back as a grey mop and a navy blue mask poked in.
BAMPH!
Spraying chalk everywhere, the eraser dropped onto the man’s head and then slid off onto the floor. For a second there was silence. Then Naruto started laughing.
“I GOT YOU!!!”
“Sensei!!” wailed Sakura. “I told him to not do it but he –“
Her Inner Sakura yelled: WAY TO GO, DAMMIT!!!
Sasuke merely sat there, blinking.
This is our Jounin-sensei????
“Hmmm…” Their new teacher sighed, as he picked up the eraser, he paused, hand on his chin. “My first impression of you guys…”
The children stopped.
“I hate you.”
Back then, I thought he was weird, lazy, hentai and cool – but now… I know what I’m missing. Somebody who cared enough about me to teach me useful stuff – who taught me how important it is to eat vegetables… and he believed in me enough to send me through the Chuunin Exams even though nobody else would have thought Team 7 was ready.
Now it’s my turn to believe in him.
With that thought, the tall blonde-haired young shinobi burst into the Mission room with a loud yell.
“TSUNADE-BAACHAN!!!”
He paused – eye’s wide with incredulity at the sight of the Kage who was furiously glaring with sleepy eyes at a random sheet plucked off the table. Across her forehead, ink had smeared and –
Was that drool? Whatever. The old hag HAS to listen to me!
“I’m NOT a granny!” The blonde kage bellowed back. “It’s Kage-sama to YOU!!!”
“Whatever you say, old lady!!! You’re the one who’s falling apart! You’re sleeping on the job! Whenever I do that, I never hear the end of it.”
“That’s because it’s a HABIT for you!”
“And it isn’t for you?”
“I’m NOT ON A LIFE THREATENING MISSION, DOLT!”
“That last mission wasn’t life threatening at all, granny… Geez, the missions you give me, I think Konohamaru could do in diapers…”
“NARUTO!!!! RESPECT!”
“Yeah, yeah!” Naruto rolled his eyes. “I need to have a look at Kakashi-sensei’s mission files.”Tsunade’s eye twitched.
“You need clearance.”
“Got it,” chirped Naruto glibly (with an evil smile) as he waved her white note in front of her face.
“Right, right,” she sighed. “Just pulling your leg… But I got Shizune to take out the more interesting missions that she thought would be useful for your research. SHIZUNE!!!!”
Shizune came in, still yawning.
“Sorry, (yawn), Tsunade-sama. What do you need?”“The mission files.”“Oh! Those are… are… ummm… here!!!”
Shizune whipped out a thick stack and placed them with a heavy thunk in front of Naruto.
“WHAAATTT!!! I have to read ALL of THOSE???”
“Well… I know that reading isn’t your strong suit – so I chose the most important ones.”“You mean there are more?”
“There are around 1300 missions in total that are open to the public. Shizune had to work hard to give you the more interesting ones,” barked Tsunade. “Say thank you!”
“Thanks,” mumbled Naruto, as he gathered the pile into his arms.
“Sure,” Shizune sighed.
Mumbling about bossy women, Naruto wandered out of Tsunade’s office with his new stack of reading material in search of a quiet spot to read the files. Just looking at them made him feel rather queasy, so he decided to interrogate somebody instead. People were always his strong suit, he believed.
And I’m sure I saw Gai-sensei around here somewhere….
It wasn’t hard for Naruto to find Gai – his loud, robust voice rang out over the training ground – accompanied by his close, ex-teammate (and carbon copy) Rock Lee.
“One! Two and Three! Four! Five and Six!”
“Go! Go! Lee! You show them!” shouted Gai, pumping his fist in the air as his old student completed a set of chin ups.
Naruto, bursting in, sighed.
Rock Lee was in the middle of a training session with his brand new Genin team. Gai had joined in for fun. Lee’s students (two boys and a female Hyuuga) looked tortured. The boys in particular looked like they were about to cry – the girl seemed, like Neji, to be merely stoic.
Naruto shivered.
Kakashi-sensei may have been always late and really pervy – but at least he LOOKED cool.
“Naruto!” bellowed Gai.
Naruto cringed, winced and grinned weakly.
“Gai-sensei!”
“How goes the springtime of youth?”
Why does he have to always talk so weird?
“I need to ask you a question, actually…”
“Naruto-kun! I’m overjoyed that you would come to me for guidance! I will gladly lend a hand!”
Naruto sighed again.
“I need some information.”
“Information?”
“Gai-sensei! You’re so wise!” exclaimed Rock Lee, stars in his eyes.
“Lee,” Gai said, suddenly serious. “Naruto seems to be worried. I think he needs a private talk.”
Gai winked and chinged his teeth at the younger Jounin-sensei.
“Yes, Gai-sensei! You’ll show him the way, I am sure!” Lee turned to the three perspiring youths. “Yosh! Let’s do a hundred laps around Konoha!”
“SEENNNNSSSEEEIIII!!!!!” the boys wailed.
“Umm… impossible, idiot…” muttered the girl.
Watching his student and the three grumbling Genins leave, Gai frowned. War had brought pain and loss – the Maito had suffered as much as anyone else.
And the young generation felt it too. Even Lee… and their youthful spirits grew up so fast! Even Naruto-kun. Life now is more strict, I guess…
He glanced to his right – at the silent Naruto. The boy stood there, arms securely wrapped around some mission files; his blue eyes were downcast and serious.
“It’s hard –“ the blond-haired Jounin sighed.
Gai’s eyes narrowed.
“What is?”
“It’s weird to see Lee as a sensei now.”
“He’s grown. You all have. But then, you’re in the spr-“
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But –“
“You needed information?” prompted Gai, deciding to switch the conversation.
Naruto blinked.
“Yes. On Kakashi-sensei.”
Gai tensed.
“Your old sensei…”
“How could I forget him? Did you ever forget?”
“I never forgot my own sensei. I still remember the day he died. I never forgot him – or your old sensei for that matter. After all – Kakashi IS my eternal rival.”
Naruto drew back.
“Then why haven’t –“
“Why haven’t I said something? What can one say? Life is a journey down a road. It is man’s gift to make choices – you cannot change them – it’s only up to you.”
“You know something.”
“I can’t say.”
“But –“
“I’m sorry, Naruto-kun. I need to think on this.”
“Is-is it bad?”
“Well…. If you wish to heal Kakashi’s heart – you’ve got a long hard road ahead. But, hey – I’m sure you’ll do okay – after all, with teamwork and the joy that comes with the springtime of youth, you can find the sunset with your sensei!”
The older Jounin chinged his teeth at Naruto, who rolled his eyes.
There was a silence, until the Number One Noisy Ninja sighed.
“This sucks! How can I find out about Kaka-sensei if no one is going to talk?”
“Eh? Well, you could ask me about the past – just not the present…”
“Really?” grinned Naruto. “Great!”
There was another moment of silence. A bird chirped somewhere.
“So…” prompted Gai. “What did you want to know?”
“Hmmm…” Naruto mused. “What to ask?”
Gai laughed.
“Naruto-kun. In some ways you haven’t changed, have you?”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“Okay… how about this? How did you meet him?” asked Naruto, sitting down, carefully setting aside the files, pulling out a notebook and a pencil.
“Well… we were young when we first met – it was at the market place, if I remember rightly…”
It was the beginning of the New Year, if I remember rightly. I was especially happy because not only was spring coming around soon, but it was also Market Day – and I loved going to the market. The noise, the smells, the bustle and the colors just seemed so exciting compared to my dull garden and shabby compound.
And there was always the promise of seeing my friends. You know – that amazing bond of friendship – it was so exciting! I had just met Genma and Ibiki. And Ebisu was also fond of hanging around there as well… They were fun to play with…
Well… they were so easy to tease! Hahaha!!!
(Naruto: And that’s funny, because…?)
Well… the funniest were Iruka and Asuma.
I wondered if they would be there today – after all, Papa said that they were the best kind of friends to have ‘cause they were in the springtime of youth – they understood the mystery of manly love.
I wasn’t too sure what manly love was but it sounded nice.
(Naruto: Ooookaayyy…sounds gross…)
As soon as the stands came into view, I disappeared in a cloud of smoke. My mother bellowed in vain – I was such an energetic kid –
(Naruto: Stop saying it like it’s cool…)
Anyway, I was running at top speed, and I turned around to stick out my tongue at her – when I rammed full speed into a short boy who was helping this old lady pick out ripe tomatoes.
I found myself looking up a very short leg into the dark grey eyes of a white-haired kid wearing a mask.
A mask. Cool. Weird. And he’s still holding the basket of tomatoes! Perhaps –
My eyes narrowed as I considered him.
A rival!
(Naruto: -sarcastic- That’s a real cool way to meet him…)
But who IS he?
“Kakashi! Get your foot of him!” The old lady scolded at the boy.
“I’m protecting you, Taka-san. Just like a shinobi should!”
“It’s just a little kid like you, Kakashi-sama.”
“He looks sus-sus-supishus to me.”
“Oh?”
“His eyebrows look evil.”
They were talking about me as if I wasn’t even there! Fire burned in my gut.
(Naruto: Aren’t you always on fire?)
“Kakashi!”
“It’s true!”
“Say sorry.”
He apologized to me in a sulk and slowly he removed his blue sandal off my chest. I sprang up.
“No need to apologize!” I yelled. “I’m a big boy! And I’m going to be your eternal rival!”
Marketplace populace: “…………Erm…………….. ”
“What?” asked the masked boy in a tired voice. “That’s silly.”
“It’s not! We’re going to be rivals forever!”
“….Why?…”
“It’s a beautiful friendship of –of –of manly wuv!”
“This is a waste of time.”
The white-haired kid – Kakashi – turned around sharply and sauntered away.
“It’s not! But maybe you’re scared! I’m stronger than you are!”
I hefted a watermelon over my head.
Kakashi failed to look impressed.
“That’s no big deal! Look at what I can do!”
With that, Kakashi raised the housekeeper’s basket over his head.
(Naruto: This was your first duel???)
“’Sides,” Kakashi tilted his head. “I don’t look dumb like you do.”
“Oh yeah! Well, I’m smarter than you! I can count up to fifty!”
Kakashi looked non-plussed for all of five seconds.
“Well… you know what? My dad is stronger than your dad!”
“Who’s your dad?” asked Gai.
Kakashi’s face (as much as the mask allowed) registered shock.
“He’s Hatake Sakumo. White Fang.”
White Fang was his dad? Come to think of it, he kind of looks like him…
I was sort of impressed, you know? After all, this kid was the son of a genius, S-rank, Elite Jounin Ninja. Everybody knew White Fang, back then. But still… I could hear my father’s voice as he talked about the Elite Jounin.
There were many things I couldn’t understand – but I repeated him word for word. Father never made mistakes.
“Well…” I said as snobbily as I could. “My clan’s bigger’n yours. Yours is dying – Father said so!”
I never saw it coming – Kakashi lashed out, hitting me squarely in the jaw and chest. I grabbed his big shock of grey hair and pulled viciously. Right then, I realized what I had got myself into – he had been trained – or something. Before I knew it, the little brat had placed his hands on either side of my waist –
All I felt was fire – fire and burning – and I didn’t understand what was going on. I fell down and started to cry. My mom, some women, a few shop keepers and Taka-san came running.
As if from far away, I could hear Mother asking, “What happened?”
“He-he touched me – and burned me!” I sobbed into her shoulder, all bravado gone.
Kakashi edged away, obviously horrified by what he had done.
“It serves you right!” he yelled – then, hastily, he turned and ran away.
Everybody was whispering about him as they bent over me.
“He’s just let that boy run wild!”
“No mother, poor thing…”
“Let’s get Gai to the hospital… Tsunade-hime’s in, I hear.”
I could hear Taka-san apologizing over and over again.
“I’m so, so sorry – I don’t know what came over him!”
Mother just sighed.
“He’s too young to be so strong.”
“So that’s the last thing you remembered? Before you fell unconscious?” asked Naruto, eyes wide.
“Yes. It turned out – I found out from Tsunade years later – that he had accidentally used an old family technique. We still don’t know what… how it happens… but he had pushed his chakra into my body. We think.”
“You guys still don’t know?”
“Well… ever since that year – Kakashi never showed those kinds of abilities again. Ever. Certainly not on me! He was really maladjusted.”
“And still you became friends?”
“Friends? We were rivals… but never really CLOSE…”
Naruto nodded in agreement.
“He seemed standoffish from the first time I saw him too. And he attacked me – he attacked my butt!”
Gai laughed.
“The Thousand Years of Pain? Ahahahahaha!!! That was his sensei’s training technique!”
“You knew his sensei?”
“Who didn’t? His sensei was Yellow Flash – the Fourth.”
“Really? Really? That’s way cool!”
“Yes. Well. Prodigies for prodigies. But then, few sensei wanted such a young Genin on their team – especially when Kakashi was the heir and the last Hatake to boot. Kakashi for his whole Genin year had no team…”
“That’s kind of… sad…”
“In a way. But after he became a Chuunin, his team increased by two – Obito and Rin.”
“Where are they now?”
“War took them away – same as my team.”
“I see…” murmured Naruto.
Suddenly, there was a light poof and out of smoke emerged Asuma.
“ASUMA-SENSEI!” bellowed Gai, radically switching gears from serious to joyful in 0.003 seconds. “It’s the LOVE CHILD of KONOHA! What brings you here?”
“Love child?” muttered Naruto. “Does he know what it means?”
Asuma sighed.
“Tsunade needs to speak to you.”
“Aha! A mission for the Green Beast of Konoha! Proof of his love for LEAF!”
“What were you two doing?” asked Asuma with curiosity, trying hard not to goggle at the pile of files near Naruto.
“Just guiding Naruto-kun down the right path!” Then, lowering his voice to a dramatic stage whisper, Gai said, “He’s looking for Kakashi-sensei. My eternal rival!”
Asuma blinked, froze and suddenly found a cigarette to light.
“Kakashi?”
“Yes, good friend. Perhaps you could lend a hand, since I’m called away…”
“S-s-sure,” stuttered Asuma in shock.
“Uh… Gai-sensei,” Naruto asked. “Do you mind keeping this a secret?”
“Certainly.” Gai said before jumping away. “We do not wish to scare the distressed quarry before we can heal him with our gentle love!”
“Distressed quarry?”
“Gentle love?”
The two Jounin watched the green jumpsuit disappear in the distance, and then they shrugged.
“Let’s walk,” Naruto suggested, once again hefting the files in his arms.
Asuma followed slowly, deep in thought.
Slowly, the two Jounin – the one in his regular navy uniform and green vest – the other in a muted red and black sans vest – made their way along road leaving the training field behind. Watching the clouds float by slowly in the darkening blue sky, Asumo sighed as he lit a cigarette (#6 for the day) and slowly inhaled the calming scent.
“You’re in shock?”
“I hadn’t thought I could forget.”
“You feel bad?” Naruto shook his head in disgust. “How do you think I feel – since I was his STUDENT?”
There was a thoughtful silence – and they paused to watch the blue water pass under the newly reconstructed red bridge. (It had been blown up by an overzealous group of Chunnin led by Udon.)
To Naruto, it only seemed yesterday that the three of them – Sakura, Sasuke and he – were standing there waiting patiently for a sensei who would finally show up two hours late with a lame excuse like – a black cat crossed my path soo….
Asuma sighed as he stood there on the bridge. It only seemed like yesterday when he and Kurenai had met there – and he had broken the mutual silence between them with three little words.
But those moments could never be relived – there was only one memory that could be replayed. And Naruto, thinking on his sensei, knew that no matter how long they gathered here – his sensei would never return.
“So… what do you need to know?”
Naruto sighed, his shoulder’s sagging.
“Do you remember anything important about Kakashi-sensei – I figure you know a lot since you were his friend…”
Asuma looked at him funny.
“Friend? Well… not really…”
“Ebisu said you were close.”
“Welll…. Close… but not THAT close. He was too friendly to let you get too personal.” He paused. “A great defense mechanism.”
“Was he always like that?”
“As far as I know… but then, he never mixed in with my group when we were young…”
“So when did you meet him?” asked Naruto solemnly, as he (once again) set down the files, pulled out his notebook and pencil and began to scrawl rather badly on a new page.
“Uh….” Asuma glanced at the notebook apprehensively. “I was a more junior Jounin when he left ANBU to become a sensei. You know – that day still stays sharp in my mind….”
I was younger then – and the war hadn’t affected me so much – so everyday seemed like a new adventure. I had joined the Jounin ranks a few months ago – and a meeting had come up for all Jounin and Chuunin. We stood there in the room – the waiting Jounin and Chuunin mixing together for once in a long while. The Hokage was running late – so I sat with this really nice looking Chuunin – Yuuhi Kurenai, I knew her to be. The genjutsu expert.
(Naruto: Pervert.)
Whatever. I lit a cigarette and smiled at her – and before you knew it, we were talking about all sorts of things. You know – having a good time. We ended up talking about genjutsu and I was saying how it was the best offense of all time when a lazy voice interjected:
“Not unless you’re up against Itachi… Are you guys dating? The romance in here is…”
I froze. Kurenai looked up in surprise and smiled gently.
Whipping around, I glared at a silver-haired masked figure and then blinked and glanced sideways at Kurenai.
“Who are you?” I asked brusquely.
“Oh, no one special.”
“My name is Sarutobi Asuma and this is Yuuhi Kurenai. You are embarrassing the lady. So… what’s your name?”
“Oh… Hatake Kakashi.” He mumbled from behind a suspiciously bright colored book.
Orange.
“What the hell – you’re reading Icha Icha here,” I ask, choking on my cigarette. “This isn’t the place for PORN!”
Everybody’s head swiveled towards our direction.
The great shinobi Hatake merely tipped his book forward – so everyone could see. Kurenai merely looked amused.
“Porn?”
“It is not!” squawked the masked nin with evident hilarity. “It’s a classical romance!”
Several people were twitching – especially the prude Ebisu. He seemed to have no problem reaming out the famous ninja.
“Kakashi-sensei! Put that thing away now! Such ungentlemanly behavior in public,” he scolded.
Kakashi’s one visible eye winced at him – quickly, he rose – a graceful, almost animal movement – and prowled out the room, muttering something about needing to find the bathroom.
Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as the tension passed. Kurenai turned to me.
“Who WAS that?”
“You haven’t heard of Hatake Kakashi, the all famous Copy Nin?”
“That’s HIM?”
“Yeah. Apparently.”
“You’ve seen him before?”
“From afar. Believe me. We don’t hang out together.”
“Then why…”“Beats me. He’s WEIRD!”
“And that’s why he had one eye covered. That’s so….”
“Weird?”
“I was going to say, creepy…”
“Yeah…”
“So he was annoying?” asked Naruto.
“Well… I kinda learned to tolerate him over time – we couldn’t help bumping into each other in the mission room… and he was a good drinking buddy – except he never seemed to really drink…”
“I see…”
“Genma was the one who really helped me understand, come to think of it. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been more sympathetic. I found out that that day had been his first time in the mission room in EIGHT years – for EIGHT years he had been in ANBU!”
“That’s bad?”
“That’s long.”
“And that’s bad?”
“Yee-ah…”
“Kakashi-sensei’ ;s been in ANBU since the beginning of the war.”
“Damn.”
“But not as long though…”“Five years.”
“Only five.”
“Five HARD years,” Asuma corrected. “And he wasn’t entirely sane when he went in anyway – he never really recovered from the previous eight years.”
“He understood teamwork and stuff like that! He was a great sensei and an awesome shinobi!” Naruto glared at Asuma – and then deflated.
“Sure. Teamwork and skill is one thing, Naruto.” Asuma flicked his cigarette into the water and watched it drift below his feet and disappear. “But he never had a LIFE. He never had friends – or even a girlfriend. He’s a social cripple. And as a sensei – he seems to have screwed that –“
“No, he hasn’t!”
“Okay… maybe not all the time – but he should’ve been more on the ball with Sasuke’s issues. And Sakura was always being neglected. And he never nipped your issues with Sasuke in the bud. It’s not his fault. I’m not blaming Kakashi – it’s just that he didn’t know how to go about things…”
“That’s not true!” Naruto huffed. “You don’t know what he’s done for us!”
With that, he snatched up his files and ran off down the road, obviously upset.
“Yare, yare, Asuma.” A soft voice sighed and emerging from nowhere, Kurenai appeared. “You didn’t have to be so rough.”
Asuma didn’t move.
“It’s the truth.”
“Tell the truth with love, dear.”
Slim arms wrapped around his waist and she looked up into his brown eyes.
“You’re upset,” she noted. “Why?”
“I’m worried.”
“Naruto can take care of himself.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want Team 7 burning themselves over somebody who’s not worth it!”
“You actually believe that he’s not worth it?”
Asuma sighed.
“No. If I was in Naruto’s position, I would be doing the same thing. I guess, what bothers me is that Kakashi hasn’t shown up anywhere. There’s no plea for help on his part.”
“That’s who you’re worried about. Be honest.”
Asuma nodded, and then, returned the hug.
They stood there, on the bridge and mined the memories, the silences and the sadness. Between them, they wondered and they hoped. And Asuma sighed as he thought about the long road ahead for Team 7.
I guess Gai’s metaphors are truer than he realizes. And here… here, I realize that Kakashi never knew this. Never knew love. Did he ever know what he was missing?