#Even if it is because Kakashi asked Yamato to check in on Gai

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Check-In

Gai's Birthday Bingo 2023

Prompt: Mask

Words: 3,760

Character: Maito Gai, Yamato, Hatake Kakashi

Notes: Post- Chunin Exams

“A month?” Tenzo just about choked on his tea when he heard the timeline his Senpai had given him for Sasuke’s training. He’d known that Kakashi had plans to focus on his student’s training in preparation for his next chunin exam fight, but to be told that he’d be out of contact for a month seemed a little extreme. In all of the years they’d known each other he’d never known Kakashi to take even a day away from training, but now here he was telling him that he’d be taking an entire month. “What if there’s a mission? Or an attack?”

“I’ll be just outside the village,” Kakashi dismissed his questions with swift answers while stirring the minuscule remains of his tea. “If anyone needs to contact me they’ll be able to. Whether I answer or not will be determined by how important I think the issue is.”

“But-”

“There are no buts,” his Senpai continued over him. “Sasuke’s being pitted against that Gaara kid from Suna. Not only did that kid break Itachi’s record for finishing the forest of death, but he just about killed Lee in their battle. If Gai hadn’t stepped in…” his words drifted off, but the weight of what he refused to say still lingered over them.

If Gai hadn’t stepped in, Lee would have died.

Tenzo hadn’t been there to see the fights himself, but he’d heard all about them from Asuma when they met up for drinks shortly after. Every detail had been spilled over Sake, from Asuma’s disappointment over Choji and Ino’s loss’ to his surprise at Naruto’s win.

The fight that he’d talked about, though, was Rock Lee’s. Not a single detail had been spared and by the end of the night, Tenzo could feel the concern that radiated off of Asuma. He’d even expressed some fear about Shikamaru’s upcoming fight against the Suna girl, Temari, but it was nothing compared to his concern about his student facing off against Gaara.

That was the fear of a sensei who didn’t have his student going up against Gaara, though. For his Senpai, the reality was very different. Not only was Sasuke set up to face Gaara in his next match, but according to Kakashi, he was woefully unprepared.

“I have to make sure he does alright,” Kakashi whispered, his eyes focused on the swirling tea in his cup. “I put them into this exam. I need to help them survive, no matter what. Even if it means I ignore missions for a little while.”

Tenzo understood his Senpai’s concerns. Every shinobi in Konoha faced the chunin exams, but it seemed that the risks in these exams were far more than when Kakashi had anticipated. Not only was there the threat that the Gaara kid posed but there was also Orochimaru. 

A sannin seeking to steal Sasuke, one of Kakashi’s precious students, and use for their own gain.

The world was stacking the odds against Kakashi and all he could do was try his best to protect his students. 

“What about the others?” Tenzo asked, his mind wandering to the other two students Kakashi had taken on. Whenever he spoke of them Kakashi seemed to have nothing but praise. Although he’d been forced into the job, it seemed to Tenzo that he’d taken to it quite well. 

His students were his pride and joy and he made sure to remind Tenzo of that fact every time they saw each other.

“Naruto needs to work on his chakra control,” Kakashi answered with ease. “I’ve spoken to Ebisu about training him while I’m helping Sasuke. If he can improve in that area I’m sure he’ll do well in his next match. He is Konoha’s number one unpredictable ninja, after all. No one expected him to make it this far, but here he is.”

Tenzo couldn’t help but laugh at the terrible nickname his Senpai had given Naruto. “Isn’t he going against one of Gai-san’s students? Hyuga Neji, correct?” Kakashi nodded. “I’ve heard a bit about him. Seems like he could pose a bit of a problem to Naruto.”

“He can,” Kakashi confirmed. “But there’s not much I can do for Naruto until he improves his chakra control, and Ebisu’s a better teacher in that regard than I am. Besides, as dangerous as Neji is he’s not going to kill Naruto.”

“Are you sure about that?” Another story he’d heard from Asuma was about Neji’s fight against Hyuga Hinata, and that was a story that said the exact opposite of what his Senpai was telling him. 

“Neji is hard, but not that bad,” Kakashi confirmed. “He’s also Gai’s student. I trust that if things get out of hand, Gai will step in if I’m not there too.”

“True,” There was no one who knew Kakashi’s struggles better than Gai. Even Tenzo didn’t know the true extent of what his Senpai had suffered in his life, but he had learned enough over the years to know that he’d do everything in his power to protect Kakashi from more pain. There was no doubt in his mind that Gai felt the same way. “So Naruto will be trained by Ebisu and Sakura?”

“A month without training won’t kill her,” Kakashi sighed. “She’ll have to take care of her training for the time, but I’ll make it up to them all when the exams are done and everything has settled. Once I can breathe then I’ll kick into gear.”

Tenzo cringed at the saying. During his time in team Ro with Kakashi he’d come to understand that ‘Kick into gear’ really meant ‘drive them into the ground until they can’t move, and then do it again’.

Sakura was going to need the month-long break to prepare for what was coming her way.

“So a month,” he sighed, circling back to the beginning of the conversation. “That’s going to be a pretty boring month for me. Though, I guess I can focus a bit more on missions while you’re occupied.”

“Actually,” straightening up, Kakashi locked eyes with Tenzo. “I have a request.”

Gai’s apartment was easy to locate. Not only did Tenzo have the apartment number that his Senpai had written down on a small piece of paper for him, three-zero-five written in giant blocky letters so that he wouldn’t misread any of the numbers, but there was also a sign hanging on the front of the door that announced who was living there with pride.

A simple wooden sign that Tenzo recalled making himself just a few years ago for Gai’s birthday. He hadn’t known what to get for the overly energetic Jonin until his Senpai had shown him a picture of his tortoise summon that he’d snuck during one of his outings as ‘Sukea’. Now here it was, staring back at Tenzo after a year. Telling him exactly what he needed to know.

He was in the right place.

Now all he had to do was knock.

“Come on,” he lifted his right hand and took a deep breath, but nothing happened. His hand refused to move. “You can do it, Tenzo. It’s just a quick check-up. Poke your head in, make sure he’s alive and functioning, and go. That’s all. It’s easy.”

He took another deep, slow breath, but still nothing happened.

His hand just hovered there in front of the door, neither lowering nor reaching out to knock. Stuck in a limbo of inactivity that Tenzo couldn’t seem to force it out of. 

“Just one knock,” he whispered, cringing when his hand refused to move. “Come on. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Gai was a good man. Stranger and perhaps a little too much for Tenzo to handle most days, but a good man. Short of harming Kakashi, which he would never think of doing, or one of his students, there was nothing Tenzo could think of that he could do to upset Gai.

Even if there was, Checking up on him certainly wasn’t on the list. 

“Just go,” he insisted. “One knock and-”

Before he could finish that train of thought the door swung open and he found himself face to face with Maito Gai.

Smiley, energetic, always pleasant Maito Gai.

Except, none of those descriptors seemed to fit the man that he was staring at today. Not because Gai wasn’t trying to portray himself as the exact same person he always with, with a smile that spread across his entire face, but because that smile didn’t match at all with the tired, defeated look in his eyes. 

“You look…”

“Great?” Gai cheered, though his voice sounded a little flatter than usual. “Wonderful? Ready to jump out and greet the day with the full power of my youth?”

Tenzo shook his head. “Awful.”

As soon as the word left his mouth the smile dropped off of Gai’s face and his shoulders slumped. “You’re learning from Kakashi, aren’t you?” he sighed, all of his usual energy missing from his voice. “

“I am a trained Anbu operative,” Tenzo argued, just a little insulted by the implication that he would need his Senpai to tell him what to look out for when he approached Gai. His Senpai had, of course, given him a few hints of what to keep an eye out for, but that didn’t matter. He was trained to read people’s emotions and body language. To look deeper and see all of the subtle signals that they were trying to hide from him. 

“Ah,” waving off his protests, Gai leaned forward and peered down the hallway. “He’s not with you, is he?”

Tenzo could only sigh. “He’s out training Sasuke for his next match,” he assured the green-clad dork that his Senpai called ‘rival’. “That’s why I’m here.”

“To check up on me?” jutting his bottom lip out, Gai huffed. “I’m fine. I don’t need someone to pop in and make sure everything is alright. I’m not-”

He stopped himself, but Tenzo knew exactly what he wanted to say. 

I’m not Kakashi.

A low blow, but a rather deserved one. In the twenty years that he’d known his Senpai one undeniable fact that Tenzo had learned was that his Senpai didn’t handle loss or disaster well. He would always put on a front, masking his emotions behind an aloof attitude, but deep down he was spiraling.

Tenzo didn’t think Gai would have the same reaction. His experiences with pain, as far as Tenzo knew, were different than Kakashi’s and his personality was almost the complete opposite.

That didn’t stop him from worrying, though. Everyone had a breaking point and although he hadn’t met any of Gai’s students, he’d heard enough about them to know just how much Gai cared about Lee.

If there was someone out there in the world whose death would cause Gai to crumble, it was either Kakashi or Lee. Kakashi because of their long-standing friendship and rivalry, and Lee because of how much Gai had come to care about him in such a short amount of time.

Tenzo wasn’t keen to find out which one it was anytime soon. The energy that Gai brought to the village was strange but comforting. The world needed more of the bright, youthful energy and less destroyed, irreparable spirits. 

“I see,” shoving those thoughts to the side for the moment, he leaned to the right just enough to get a view into the room behind Gai. The layout was the same as every other Jonin apartment in the building but with a few weights laying out on the floor and a workout mat half haphazardly thrown into the corner beside Gai’s desk. On the desk, there was a bit more of a mess, with dishes piling up on the back near the wall and three books of various sizes spread open along the desk. “And what is it you’re reading about?”

“Uh, well,” glancing back over his shoulder, Gai cringed. “I was just looking up some information. It’s important to keep up to date with our knowledge.”

There it was again. That wide, toothy grin that Gai always wore on his face.

A grin that Tenzo had once viewed with caution, but which he’d come to enjoy over the years.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Gai blinked, the smile dropping away for just a split second, only to return as soon as Gai realized it was gone. “Stop reading?”

“Smiling.” Tenzo huffed, hating the words that were coming out of his mouth. As much as he liked to complain about Gai’s seemingly endless amounts of energy, he had genuinely come to love his smile. 

It was one of the brightest, most genuine smiles he had ever seen in his life, and whenever Gai turned it toward him he felt a strange warmth spreading in his chest. Kakashi had laughed at him the first time he talked about it and told him that everyone felt that way about Gai’s smile, but he hadn’t believed him.

Now, though, that warmth was missing. He couldn’t look at Gai’s smile and feel happy to see it because deep down he knew it was a lie. A mask that Gai was using to hide away the pain he was experiencing. 

“I don’t-”

Deciding to make a daring move, Tenzo pushed past Gai into his apartment and headed straight for the desk. His goal was the pile of dishes that sat at the back of the desk, but as he reached out for them he couldn’t help but gaze down at the books.

Medical books, all turned to pages with detailed pictures of leg muscles or leg bones. 

Kakashi had been right to ask him to check in on Gai. 

“You’re worried,” he noted, focusing his attention back on the dishes and slowly starting to move them from the desk into a small space between his left arm and chest.. “You’re overthinking Lee’s condition and trying to make up for your lack of knowledge on the subject by studying as much as you can.”

“What are you, an interrogator?” Gai huffed.

“No,’ That line of work had been a part of Tenzo’s job once, a long time ago, but it was rare for him to take on that role in Anbu. “I’m a friend,” placing the last dish on the pile that now teetered in his arm, he maneuvered his right arm around it for a bit more support and turned toward the kitchen. “A friend who has specifically been sent by another friend to check in on you.”

“Always straight to the point,” Gai sighed as he followed Tenzo toward the kitchen, dragging his feet along the floor. “And what are you doing with my dishes?”

“Cleaning them, obviously,” coming to a stop in front of the sink, he leaned down and carefully placed the dishes down so they didn’t topple over. The last thing he wanted to do today was go shopping for a new set of dishes after destroying all of the ones Gai had. “Since you’re too focused on improving your knowledge pool someone has to make sure you’re going to be eating off of clean plates.”

“I can-” turning his head, he glared straight at Gai. “N-never mind.”

“That’s what I thought,” with that argument sufficiently killed he focused back on the daunting task he’d taken on. “Well, I’m doing the dishes maybe you can make some tea?”

“Tea?”

“Yes,” Tezno confirmed. “You do still remember what tea is, right?”

Gai sputtered, tripping over his words a few times before finally taking a deep breath. “Green tea?” His voice came out strained, but the question was quickly followed by the sound of feet shuffling and cupboards being pulled open.

“Green tea is fine,” Tenzo confirmed. Turning on the tap he watched as water flowed into the sink. The pile he’d collected was taller than anything he’d ever tackled before, but he was certain that it was a task he could finish in under ten minutes. Just enough time for Gai to make them some tea. Once the dishes were clean and the two of them were seated with their drink, then he would start asking the questions that were already swirling around in his mind. 

How long has it been since you went outside?

When was the last time you got yourself some dango?

How is he doing?

Those were questions that would have to wait till later, though. Things he would ask when the two of them were sitting face to face with their hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea. 

Until then, they would continue swirling around in his mind demanding an answer to the nagging concerns that came with each one of them. 

“You don’t have to worry, you know,” Gai spoke as he stepped up to Tenzo’s side and held out his kettle to him. Taking the kettle, Tenzo popped it open and placed it under the tap. Once it was about halfway full he pulled it back and returned it to Gai. “I’m fine.”

“Fine,” he couldn’t help but laugh. Every moment he’d heard Kakashi say that exact line to him came rushing back to him. Bombarding him with memories of exhausted, haunted eyes staring through him as if he wasn’t even there. “Your student is in the hospital.”

“I know that.” Snatching the kettle back, Gai turned away with a huff. Instead of making his way toward the stove, though, he just stood there. His back facing Tenzo and his kettle clutched in his hand. “I know that…”

At that moment, Tenzo regretted agreeing to his Senpai’s request.

If he’d been smart he would have insisted Kakashi come instead. He would have pressured his Senpai to put off Sasuke’s training for just a few hours to check in on his friend. It was Kakashi, not Tenzo, who knew how best to support Gai.

He hadn’t, though.

Instead, he’d promised to take care of it. Assured his Senpai that he would make sure Gai was taken care of when he couldn’t be there for him. Now he was stuck with a pile of dishes higher than he’d ever seen, with no idea what to say next.

Well, there was one thing he could say. Something that he was certain he would never dare to utter in front of anyone else, even under threat of torture, but which seemed fitting in this moment.

“If it was Kakashi-Senpai, I’d be a mess.”

Gai spun round, an expression of utter horror on his face as he stared at Tenzo. “What?”

Grabbing the first dish from the pile he took a deep breath and started cleaning. “If it was Kakashi-Senpai in the hospital,” he continued. “I would be a mess. Or even Yugao, or you.”

It was difficult for him to admit, but all of his years of being trained to cut himself off from others and deny himself any emotional bonds had failed. Part of it was because of his Senpai’s insistence on friendship, which had rubbed off on him over the years, but there was also a piece of him that knew he never would have been able to succeed.

His friends were important to him. No matter how much he wanted to cut himself off from them, he couldn’t. It’s exactly the weakness that Kakashi had exploited when he found out about Tenzo’s mission to kill him, and what had led to him going against Danzo’s orders for the first time in his life. 

If any of his friends were stuck in the hospital with an injury that might never be healed, he would throw himself into his work much like Kakashi always did. There wouldn’t be a pile of dishes growing on his desk or open medical textbooks, but his mental health would take a turn for the worst.

And if or when that happened, he knew two things for certain.

Kakashi would show up at his door dragging him outside for some fresh air insisting that he can’t give up, and Gai would be right behind him with that brilliant smile and promises of dango and spars to cheer him up. 

“All I’m saying is…” finishing with the first bowl he placed it under the tap to wash away the leftover soap and placed it into the small drying rack beside the sink. “I get it. You don’t have to pretend to be alright for me, Gai.”

For a second the two of them just stood there. Gai holding onto his kettle full of water, and Tenzo washing dishes. The only sound that echoed in the small apartment was running water and the light clink of dishes as Tenzo added them to the drying rack.

Then, without any warning, Gai set the kettle down on the counter, threw his arms around Tenzo’s shoulders, and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Gai-” Tenzo croaked out as his bones cried out in pain. Immediately the Jonin loosened his hold, though he still kept Tenzo pinned against his body as he buried his face into his right shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into Tenzo’s shirt. “No apologies,” placing his hand on Gai’s arm, he ignored the water dripping from his fingers. There wasn’t much for him to say at the moment. Comforting other people wasn’t something he was good at, and he wasn’t about to pretend to be.

Comfort wasn’t what Gai needed, though. Kind words wouldn’t wash away the reality of the situation his student was in. They wouldn’t rid him of the memories of Lee’s battle, or the sight of his student laying in a hospital bed lucky that he had survived but with little hope for a continued life as a shinobi. 

Kind words would do nothing for Gai during this time, so Tenzo didn’t bother to try and come up with any. Instead, he simply stood there and let Gai hide his face in his shoulder while he hugged him. 

‘Just be there for him,’ Kakashi had told him when he’d asked why he wanted him to go check in on his best friend. ‘He needs someone right now. Usually, I would go, but I only have a month to prepare Sasuke for this next fight. So go in my place, please.’

So, that’s what Tenzo resolved to do.

Be there for Gai. 

Ask him questions, check in on his well-being, and just listen.

There was nothing he could say to make the situation better, but if Kakashi was right he wouldn’t need to. All Gai needed was company, and that was something Tenzo could provide in spades.

[kankuroplease]

I know we talk alot about the Founder au with Aori but what about with Yamato? Do you have some thoughts about how they get together?

Yams? Aori’s absolute type 😃

I figure with them, they’d meet because of Naruto. Aori still checks in on Naruto from time to time and she’s determined to befriend Kakashi even if she thinks he’s intimidating because Gai is fond of him, so she bound to meet Yamato eventually.

First impressions of each other? She’s a dangerously optimistic person and He’s a unique individual (in a good way).

Yamato’s opinion of Aori changes with time as he gets to know her better and sees just how dedicated of a sensei she actually is to her students and while she may seem fearless, she’s not. She just chooses to not let the gravity of any situation get the best of her again. Eventually her warmth would get to him in a slow burn kind of way as they build their friendship and mutual trust~

Aori, of course, would be the first one to develop feelings because she’s attracted to people who are dedicated to their work and she sees/appreciates the soft spot he’s clearly grown with team 7. Aori would keep those comments/feelings to herself the best she could because her main priority is her job not counting of some alcohol induced Ted talks to Kakashi or Yamato himself. She would, however, go out of her way to try and get to know him better; What he likes, why the flashlight thing, what’s on his mind, making him a tree stump pillow, etc.. BUT it wouldn’t be until after the war that she feels like there’s no reason to hold herself back from at least asking him out on her first date date (as seen above) 🖤

[lossie92]

Kakashi Hatake for the character ask

Hi Anon, thank you for sending this! Hope you like it 😄

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favorite thing about them

Hmm I think I like how Kakashi doesn't lord his intelligence and abilities over other people. We all know that he's a very smart guy, a genius really, and that he's very strong, but he doesn't really make a big deal out of it. Someone would say that it's because he's humble, but I think he's very smart about curating his image. He didn't want to be treated like this ninja celebrity so he acts in a way that makes everyone underestimate him. He uses that to his advantage right, left, and centre too. Really cool imo.

He also learns from his mistakes, which is always awesome to see.

least favorite thing about them

I think his hubris when he was a child/teenager. What I spoke about above is basically him learning that being a genius or a skilled shinobi doesn't make him special or better than other people. He hadn't yet learnt that lesson back when he was a teen and boy, was he a mouthy piece of shit.

favorite line

Two quotes, actually: - "Walking down a path without knowing where you really want to go… Having a grace period like that isn't so bad." - "Even if you do succeed in getting revenge, the only thing that remains is emptiness."

brOTP

Kakashi and Gai. Kakashi and the entire Team 7. Kakashi and Yamato. Kakashi and Obito for sure.

I think I just like him having friends lol

OTP

KakaSaku, I think. I kind of like KakaIru as a ship too.

nOTP

Hmm I don't think I have one. Or at least I can't think of anything right now.

random headcanon

I think Kakashi is on the ace spectrum, probably demisexual. At the same time, I also believe he might have had a few no strings attached sex-only relationships in his life sometime in his late teens to get the edge off after missions or to just experiment. It just fits with his character for me.

unpopular opinion

I don't think Kakashi is a pervert or actually that interested in porn or sex. The fact he reads smutty romance novels can just mean he likes the books he reads to have a simple plotline and include a lot of cheesy romcom elements as well as some spice. It doesn't have to be anything else.

song i associate with them

"Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine. There's a really nice AMV with Kakashi and Obito to this song (not shippy). You should check it out.

favorite picture of them

Hands down this one. The entire fight with Hidan and Kakuzu was brilliant, and I still rewatch it sometimes. Lowkey one of the best arcs as well.

But yeah. This pic.

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Send me a character

[panharmonium]

Merlin and Naruto

I did Merlin here, so here’s Naruto! :D

[disclaimer for everyone: I have only watched up through Season 10 of Shippuden (the arc with the Five Kage Summit), and I am trying to avoid spoilers for everything after that point, so please don’t interact with this (including tags, because tumblr shows them to me automatically) unless you are avoiding ALL spoilers.  For me, this includes discussion about whether you like/dislike future seasons, comparisons of various seasons in terms of quality, etc.  Thanks, everyone! <3]

My favorite parent-child relationship: I know they’re not blood-related, but Iruka and Naruto have me crying every time I see them together.  Naruto straight-up says that when he’s with Iruka he feels like he knows what it’s like to have a father, and honestly, Iruka loves Naruto so much at this point that he would insta-adopt him if Naruto asked.  I love how Naruto always cites Iruka as the first person who cared for him even later in the show when Iruka hasn’t had as much screentime, and when I saw Iruka cry because he’s so proud of Naruto at the end of the Pain arc, it was just...too much for my little heart to handle.

My favorite sibling relationship: You know, thinking about it, almost all of the people in Naruto are only children, as far as we know!  But in terms of just that sibling vibe - Sakura and Naruto definitely give me that feel.  I know he has a crush on her, but their relationship has always felt more sibling-like to me, and I especially love how deep their bond has become by the time we get to Shippuden.  They are just so comfortable with each other now - the depth of the love and friendship they feel for each other is palpable.  

My favorite family relationship (other): I adore Naruto’s relationship with Jiraiya.  That scene where Naruto falls asleep against his back almost killed me, and Jiraiya’s later line, “Your smile is my salvation” - that was too much.  It absolutely destroyed me.  The way Jiraiya kind of gave up on everything after his old life went to hell - neverending wars, Orochimaru gone, his original students dead, his student’s students dead, Minato dead - he just ran away after that, and it was meeting Naruto that kind of rekindled that spark of hope in him and helped him reconnect with his community and rediscover a sense of purpose in his life.  Naruto enabled him to finally come home, and I think that’s beautiful.

My favorite friendship between two people: There are so many friendships in Naruto that I love (one of the greatest things about this show for me has been how little focus is given to romantic relationships, at least so far; it’s very much a friendship-oriented show), but right now I’m in a bit of a Kakashi-Yamato hole.  I was super primed to not like Yamato when he first showed up, because him being there meant that my favorite character WASN’T there, and also he ended up replacing Kakashi on the one mission where the team finally found Sasuke, but the guy won me over in the end.  He is one of my favorite characters now - my heart just swells every time I see him - and I think his relationship with Kakashi is super interesting.  I’ve written before about how Kakashi’s only truly intimate friendships are with people who are dead, and I do think that applies when it comes to Yamato, too, even though the two of them are obviously very companionable and close.  There is still a level to that relationship where Kakashi is a bit of a mentor figure, the “superior officer,” which results in a degree of (still friendly and affectionate) distance.  And as with all of his other relationships, Kakashi doesn’t really confide in Yamato about his life or open up to him in the same way that he does when he talks to his dead friends - but at the same time, there is an element to their relationship that doesn’t exist in Kakashi’s other friendships, and it’s the fact that Kakashi trusts Yamato with his kids, implicitly and without reservation.  Kakashi’s entire life right now is very much enmeshed in what happens to his students, and even if he doesn’t necessarily talk about that with Yamato, Yamato is still deeply involved in that work.  Yamato VOLUNTEERED for that work.  And he continues to dedicate himself to it even when his first mission as Kakashi’s stand-in ends up going completely off the rails and turning into WAY more than he signed up for.  He keeps doing his utmost for Kakashi’s kids without it even being his original responsibility, and that is such an unusual thing, for Kakashi, who in every other circumstance is always the one stepping in to help other people, the one who always shoulders his burdens alone.  Nobody ever asks Kakashi if he needs help with these incredibly high-needs children, and neither does Yamato - but the difference is that Yamato jumps in to help regardless, and he stays no matter how complicated things get.  That’s huge, and it’s only going to become more important.  It’s just - it is difficult for Kakashi to have intimate friendships with people who don’t share his history, and this rules out almost everybody else in the world, because all the people who truly share his own history are dead.  But the degree to which Yamato has altruistically and irreversibly entwined himself into the most important parts of Kakashi’s new history - the chapters being written right now, the ones that are going to define the rest of Kakashi’s life - means that Yamato is well on his way to breaking through that wall and becoming the first exception to a universal rule. [There is a lot to be said on Kakashi’s side of this, too, like - every time Kakashi refuses to call Yamato by his code name I lose my mind just a little bit, and I have MANY thoughts about Kakashi basically dragging folks who’ve been victimized or exploited or experimented on out of ANBU and then absorbing them into his own team, where they become a part of a family-type unit that respects them and cares about them and treats them like human beings.  I mean, there’s a huge difference between the Yamato we meet in S2 vs. the Yamato we know in S10 (and the same thing goes for Sai!) - and that’s something I think about a lot.]

My favorite friendship between a group:  I love all of the team dynamics, but Team Gai is a fave XD  The absurd contrast between oh-so-serious Neji vs. Gai/Lee’s incredible goofiness (with Tenten’s exasperation in between) is comedy gold.  I screamed with laughter in S1 when Gai was trying to get Neji to put his hand in the circle and do their “shout a slogan like a sports team” thing - I’ve never seen anything funnier on this show than jonin!Neji trying to put up with Gai’s antics.  

My favorite mentorship: My favorite mentorship is always Kakashi and whichever kid happens be onscreen with him at that moment, but I’ll be honest and say that Kakashi+Sasuke was the first dynamic that got me actually invested in this show (as opposed to me just watching it because it was on and not really caring what happened to any of the characters).  They are still the mentorship dynamic about which I have the most complex feelings, and that is especially true after the last season we watched.  I will probably end up making a separate post about this, because I still have not written down all of my thoughts about the end of Season 10 and I am still trapped in my feelings about this very lost child and the only adult who ever tried to help him the way he deserved to be helped, and I know I have way more to say about them than I can reasonably fit in this bullet point.  But - the short version is that I am super compelled by the way that every tragedy that’s befallen Kakashi is precisely what shapes him into the only adult who can help this particular kid, the way seemingly senseless events ended up putting Kakashi in a position where he’s the only adult who can intervene on this kid’s behalf many, many years later.  The way Sasuke’s plight (and the potential that Kakashi has to help him) suddenly grants meaning to the worst parts of Kakashi’s life - that knocks me on my butt.  

My favorite rivalry: So I probably would not have said this until the episode where Kakashi comes three seconds away from being made Hokage, but I’m gonna say Gai & Kakashi, solely to express my love and appreciation for Gai in that episode.  This is the ep where Gai challenges Kakashi to a race through the entire village (as a sort of “last hurrah before we can’t do this kind of silly shit anymore” thing) and Kakashi is initially kind of reluctant to do it, because he’s stressed out about a lot of things, but he does end up agreeing to it, and then he has SO much fun, and I LOVED this so much; I can’t even tell you.  This moment takes place immediately after Kakashi returns from that horrible, awful confrontation with Sasuke, and everything preceding this scene was very hard for me to see, because everybody is just asking Kakashi to do more and more and more for them without giving him even a hot minute to be like “i almost just killed my own kid.  i almost just had to kill my own kid, who was trying to kill my other kid, who was trying to kill kid #1 first, so i wouldn’t have assume the burden of killing him myself.”  Nobody checks on him, nobody asks, and Kakashi has to just hold onto that horror and also fret over the uncertain yet chilling secrets that Madara Uchiha disclosed and also prepare to shoulder the crushing weight of an office he never asked for - AND THEN.  GAI SHOWS UP.  And even though Gai doesn’t really know what happened, he still checks Kakashi over from top to bottom to make sure he’s in one piece, and then he drags him into this stupid competition, and it makes Kakashi LAUGH.  They go running all out across the craterized scene of devastation that used to be their home, and they have FUN doing it, and Kakashi straight-up tells Gai, “This was just what I needed,” which - god.  It would be great if Kakashi had somebody he could actually talk to, sure, but there’s also a space in our lives for people who just cheer us up, no questions asked.  It’s like when you tell someone you have a problem and they ask, “Do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted?”  Sometimes you don’t need to talk about it.  Sometimes you just need people who will take you for a goofy footrace and make you feel like you’re running too fast for any of your troubles to ever touch you again, for a few minutes. 

My favorite hatred/antipathy: The answer to this question used to be Kakashi and Itachi, and while I’m even MORE fascinated by their dynamic now than ever, it’s taken on a whole new dimension, given that I think Itachi is (secretly) thrilled to see someone like Kakashi so committed to taking him down and keeping Sasuke safe.  So, in place of that, I’ll just say that I love how much all of the Akatsuki cannot stand each other XD  Almost none of them get along, and it makes me laugh every time - I can’t believe they ever get anything done, though I guess that’s to be expected when you get that many super-criminals together in a room.  I especially love how they all think Orochimaru is so stupid...cannot get over them laughing at him and his body-snatching immortality schemes.

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon: Okay, these are both silly answers, but - I would have KILLED to see Jiraiya interacting with Minato’s team.  Like, I’m certain they spent time together, but honestly, what I wouldn’t give to have witnessed some of it.  All I could think about during that mini-arc where Jiraiya teaches Naruto how to sync up with Gamariki was how little!Kakashi would have taken one look at the dancing frogs and decided he would be using dog!summons for the rest of his life; meanwhile Obito would have already been in the frog’s mouth begging to be launched into the air like a cannonball.  Also - my sister said the other night how it is a CRIME that we never got to see Sasuke forced to interact with Jiraiya and honestly, that is too true.

[honeypirate]

#7 - war

#6 - # 8

Masterlist

Yamato x fem reader

When Kakashi called Gai back for the war he sent for you too and you were grateful to him. You found it harder to lie to Naruto about Yamato and Kakashi knew, because of his loss, you weren’t the one to keep around Naruto anymore.

You were on Kakashi’s team, fighting beside them valiantly, working your hardest but still barely skimming by. By the end of the day, when Kabuto took back his pawns, you were surprised you were even still alive as you fell to your knees beside Kakashi.

“Are you okay?” Kakashi asks and places his hand on your shoulder as you breathe heavily.

You look up at him, keeping your left eye closed because of blood from a cut to your eye brow, and chuckle breathlessly because of how obviously not okay you are.

“I’ll be fine” you say with a nod “just need a minute”

When you get a moment to to rest and get checked out you have several broken ribs and sprains and your eyebrow wasn’t that deep of a cut. You felt so much better once you got some food in you, but it didn’t get rid of the immeasurable guilt in your heart for Yamato you started to spiral, wondering about if he was hungry or even still alive, when you caught sight of Gai, you sighed with relief.

You go and sit beside Gai against the same tree he was resting again and put your head on his shoulder, taking the moment to reset your mind with someone you trust. He hums softly and puts his cheek on the top of your head. It felt like what a brother would do to their younger sister and you were grateful to have him.

In the morning, when they attacked, when you watched your comrades die beside you for the second day in a row, his brotherly affection is what gave you the strength to keep fighting, to stay focused on winning instead of what you already lost.

Yamato’s link was waning, It was weaker than yesterday but he could still see you. He monitored you during the war, kept tabs on you so he knew you were still alive. He hopes you’ll stay safe and stay strong. He hopes that they don’t get to you, don’t use his feelings for you against you, but when he sees your chakra spike, he has a bad feeling in his gut.

In the midst and chaos of fighting, when you turned to block the enemy coming from behind you, your kunai clanging when it hit against his that was aimed for your back, your stomach got caught in your throat at the sight.

“Y..Yamato?” You croaked out and he just grinned. An unnerving and unsettling grin that made Yamato not look like himself anymore, that made your skin crawl and your stomach fill with bile, then he attacked you again.

[depressedkakashihatake-fics]

Don’t Lie

Hatake Kakashi/Tenzo Yamato/Maito Gai

931 Words

There’s footsteps just outside his door followed by hushed voices. He can’t hear what’s being said, but that’s ok. He doesn’t need to hear them to know who’s outside.

They don’t bother to knock. It’s a pointless formality that has long been forgotten between the three of them. They’re always welcome in his apartment and they know that, even on days like today.

When the world is crumbling around him and he wants nothing more than to just crawl under his blankets and fall asleep. Never to wake up again.

What’s the point if existing when all that’s waiting for him when he opens his eyes is more pain. Always pain. Never ending, soul crushing pain.

“Kakashi?” Gai’s voice is soft, his words dripping with worry. 

Kakashi doesn’t answer. He just curls up into himself more and buries his face into his knees.

He doesn’t want to be seen. He doesn’t want to exist.

What right does he even have to exist when he can’t do the simplest of things right?

“Tsunade-sama informed us that Naruto has chosen to train under Jiraiya-sama,” Straight to the point. That’s what he loved about Tenzo, he never beat around the bush. Although, today might be one of those times where he appreciated a bit more care in the words his boyfriend chose. “We came to check up on you.”

“You shouldn’t have,” he doesn’t move at all from his spot, even as the footsteps get closer and the bed dips to his right. “I don’t deserve company.”

Silence envelops the room. He can almost imagine the way the two of them must be looking at each other, trying to decide what to do next without actually saying anything out loud for him to shoot down.

For once, he’s the one to break the silence.

“You two should go do something better,” he whispered against his knee. “I’m fine, I just-”

A hand came down on his shoulder.

“Don’t lie to us, Kakashi,” Gai’s voice is soft. “You’re allowed to be upset. In fact, I would be worried if you weren’t.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t Konoha’s worst Sensei.

“We should go out,” Tenzo offers, smiling when Kakashi lifts his head just enough to glare at him. “Come on. A quick shower and you’ll be good to go, Senpai.”

“I don’t want to go out,” He insisted, fingers twisting into the fabric of his uniform pants. “I don’t want to be seen by people. By now everyone in the village knows every single one of my students has gone off and found themselves better Sensei’s. They’re going to see me and…”

There’s a momentary flashback to when he was young. The way the villagers had whispered amongst each other whenever they saw him passing by. Telling each other stories of his mistakes.

Coming up with nicknames that stuck with him for years, like ‘cold blooded Kakashi’ or ‘friend-killer Kakashi’. What would they come up with this time? What name would be whispered amongst each other whenever they saw Kakashi passing by?

“Stop it,” A soft warning from Gai, followed by a finger poking him in the nose pulled him out of his thoughts. “We’re not thinking bad things. Tenzo and I came here to cheer you up.”

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi turned his head to face Gai. “Why do you need to cheer me up?” He asked. “Can’t you tell i’m doing just great. Everything is perfect and wonderful and…”

“There you go again, Senpai,” Tenzo crossed his arms over his chest and frowned .”Lying to us. Why do you always think you have to act like the big tough man?”

“A good Shinobi doesn’t cry,” He whispered, diverting his eyes away from both men. “A good Shinobi is strong, controlled and calculated. They don’t let their emotions get to them.”

Part way through his last sentence he can feel the tears starting to run down his face. The emotions were finally becoming too much for him to handle and he hated it.

Hated showing his weakness.

Hated these moments where he wasn’t perfectly in control of himself. The control he had worked so hard to achieve, and always fell back on even when things reached their worst for him. 

“Come here,” Gai’s arm came down around his shoulder and pulled him into a tight hug while Tenzo knelt down in front of him. “It’s ok to be upset.”

“One time,” Bringing a hand up to his face, he tried desperately to wipe away the tears only to have Tenzo grab hold of his hand and pull it back. “One time I actually think things are going to go right. That even i can’t possibly fuck this up…”

There’s bitterness in his words, and they’re directed at himself.

It was his job to help Sasuke. To keep him from going down a darker path, and he had failed him.

It was his job to train Naruto and Sakura and help them become successful, powerful shinobi, and he had failed.

“I’m a shit sensei,” he whispered under his breath. “Why did anyone think i’d be any good at this stupid job?”

Neither of them give him an answer. Either because they don’t have one, or because they’re not sure what to say that will actually help calm him down.

It doesn’t matter either way.

Nothing he could say would bring Sasuke back to the village, or convince Naruto and Sakura that he can actually train them in a way they deserve to be trained.

Lord Third really had fucked up making him a Sensei.

[depressedkakashihatake]

//An AU where Kakashi and Tenzō are in a relationship in Anbu, but their depression gets so bad that they close off from eachother. Then when Kakashi leaves Anbu to become a Sensei he gets with Gai, and Tenzō gets with Iruka. However, they still feel a sense of emptiness and longing for eachother; spying on one another in their down time to check up and make sure the other is doing okay. However, the last time Kakashi saw Tenzō-- More to the idea but it won't fit in less than 500 characters.

//Continuation-- The last time Kakashi saw Tenzō he was still prestransitioned, so after he went through top surgery and hormones, Kakashi couldn't find Tenz to check up on him. Which caused Kakashi to think something had happened to him, he tried to look into his file, but couldn't find anything because Tenzō now goes by Yamato. Tossing out some cannon parts of course. Eventually, when Tenzō takes over Team Seven until Kakashi is healed and they begin to train Naruto, he realizes it is Tenz.

Kakashi spying on Tenzo out on cute dates with Iruka wondering if he even misses him at all.

Tenzo spying on Kakashi doing challenges with Gai or just being really cuddly with Gai and thinking about how Kakashi never smiled like that when they were together (cuz Kakashi’s depression was worse back then and now he’s starting to heal a little)

Kakashi feeling nothing but lose when Tenzo seem’s to just disappear without a trace. Wanting to ask, but being afraid of the answer because he expects it to be ‘he died on a mission’ and his brain won’t let him thing of any other scenario.

Hating himself for not being there for Tenzo to protect him. Keep him safe and alive.

And then suddenly seeing Tenzo again, but now he’s ‘Yamato’ and he’s as beautiful as ever and alive and wholey shit is the sense of relief strong because he thought he was never going to see his precious kitty again and that hurt a lot.

Gai and Iruka seeing the way Kakashi and Yamato instantly get lose to each other again. How protective they are of each other. How much they care for the other man. Neither of them having a problem sharing because they know the shot Yamato and Kakashi have been through and they deserve happiness, but both of them are afraid of trying anything outside what they already have because it took them so long to get comfertable with Gai and Iruka and they’re not sure they can make it with as well with each other.

[a-ard]

Thoughts on Iruka discourse yesterday lets go

First of all dont take this seriously because this a shitty website, not college. Second of all forgive my Indonesian ass if i made stupid grammar mistakes and only mutuals can correct me. Third of all i dont generalize everyone but if you’re offended-- maybe you have to check yourself

Okay so, everyone is surprised (myself included) why shitheads suddenly hate Iruka. I’m trying to answer myself from observations and its quite simple really

Either from 1) jealousy, or 2) Racism

Eveeeery post about how trash Iruka is came from jealousy. He’s a great dude, and yes. A side character. And yes people love him and he’s popular and people make content for him and ship him. And its fucking okay? Like if you really read or watch canon Naruto and not fillers, you know he’s the least problematic character out there since chapter one

The comments about Iruka that i read here on tumblr or twitter is about how Iruka is... Overrated? Which is... doesnt make sense because he has never been popular on tumblr or twitter since idk 2018? 2016? Maybe? But real fans know he always won most 10 popular characters in Japan and loved by everyone and it has never been a problem,,, 'till now i guess

I’m not talking about kakagaiyamaobi rn because they hate his very existence without reading or watching Naruto at all. I’m talking the kind of jealousy dudebros have toward Iruka since Jiraiya or Kakashi didnt get Naruto’s father title.

Like, people get confused with parental and mentor figure when their thought process revolve around who can beat who,,, and Hinata’s vs Sakura’s boobs. Thats all what they’re talking about really. You can find them mostly on twitter or instagram

And yesterday i found out (this is new, even from me) here on tunglr dot com that people hate Iruka because he’s popular than Chouji! Really!! This is mind blowing because there’s like... no correlation between them.. at all... They’re both nice characters but they rarely interact? People really out there comparing Iruka... and Chouji. Amazing

I dont want to say who’s better than who in this case.. So some Chouji stans hate Iruka because (in their logic) he’s a side character who gets popular than Chouji (who is a main character), because Chouji is a fat character and people are way more inclined to stan skinnier character (in this case, Iruka) when both of them care deeply for Naruto

That’s why you will always see these comments about Shikamaru & Chouji vs Iruka like,,, its stupid and petty but there it is. And I just knew about this yesterday.

(If any Chouji fans reading this, know that we dont hate Chouji at all.. People, especially POC, adore Iruka because we hardly have any representation.. Especially dark skinned Asian)

Alright now we’re talking about the kakagaiyamaobi or whoever the fuck. It’s pure jealousy at this point. Like they’ll take whatever Iruka hate post out there out of it context and make it all about their dear, depressed, Kakashi.

EVEN if the hate post about Iruka doesnt talk about his relationship with Kakashi, they’ll find a WAY. CHECK TAGS these people are crazy lmao. You’ll see...

These shitheads will always find a way of comparing or relating Iruka with Kakashi, Yamato, Gai, or even Obito. Not in a "oh Iruka skills are blablabla so he can beat A, B, or C" in a dudebros way. Its always about how Iruka isn't good enough for Kakashi? Like seriously. I've seen kakagai called him a trash character for being not good enough for Kakashi or because kakairu is popular? Thats jealousy babe!

They said Gai would help Kakashi took care of Naruto. Or when someone suddenly said that Iruka doesnt understand Kakashi's depression and obsession with his dead teammates. Or how Yamato did better of taking care of Naruto than Iruka. In the end it always revolves around Iruka’s relationship with Kakashi and i want to rip my hair off because GOD its so childish you’re 23!!! Mind your own bussiness god

It sucks because i'm cool with Yamato, Gai, or Obito but shitheads always talk about them when it comes to who cares/fucks Kakashi here on tumblr and hardly about their potential or jutsus... And suddenly Iruka is a bad character because "hey! People love him and start shipping him with Kakashi when these three are here!!"

"You know what would make people stop shipping him with Kakashi? Reminding people that he’s a side character and making Iruka as an abusive asshole who doesnt care about Naruto!"

And the last one, racism.

"He's a dark skinned East Asian man who are very caring and kind and loves kid. We hate that about him. Anyone in this shounen manga can punch kids but when it comes to Iruka scolding Naruto its not fucking allowed." 

“He’s your dark skinned character and we can’t make him big and loud? Trash. He’s kind and caring and quiet and he’s not white? He’s not pale at all? Garbage.” 

“We can’t racebending him the way we did Gai because he’s already brown and its not woke enough?! We can’t get brownie points out of him”

“Everything about him is abusive.” 

Some weirdo here on tumblr sent Afronaruto an ask that if she doesn’t ship kakagai she hates brown people?!!!! LMAO 

Can y’all like,, stop being a weirdo? Who’s fault is it that Iruka has more content and love when all you do is copying each other bitching post? I feel sorry for you

[kakasaku-shipper]

Natural Progression (Chapter 7)

Chapter 7

Sakura ran through the rooftops. It felt good to be able to soar high in the sky. It made it seem like she could fly, could do anything even. As she looked around, she noted that Konoha's rebuilding seemed to be progressing very well, with most of the skeletons of structures destroyed from Pein's attack re-erected. Only some finishing touches were needed, and Konoha would look as if it had never been attacked.

"Yamato-taicho!" Sakura greeted the man sitting on the rooftop.

"Ah, Sakura-chan," Tenzo turned around to wave at her. Sakura's smile dropped immediately as her heart leapt to get throat.

"Taicho! You shouldn't work yourself to death like this. It was bad enough that Kakashi-sensei scares me half to death on a regular basis, I don't need you to do the same," she admonished as she immediately went to replenish his chakra supply. 

"Well, it's an honour to be compared to senpai.." Tenzo began, but quickly shut his mouth at the deathly glare Sakura was giving. Tenzo was a smart man. So he knew that keeping quiet and nodding appropriately was the best option he had.

"Well, you're all done now, Taicho. Please refrain from overusing your chakra in the future. I know Naruto's running around, please just grab him and get him to transfer you some chakra."

"Noted, thank you, Sakura-chan," Tenzo said with a smile. "Are you going to a party? That's a lot of ice cream and goodies right there."

"Ah.. I'm just going to Ino's to keep her company. Her father's death still affected her really badly."

"Please send my condolences for her too. Inoichi-san was a great man."

"I will," Sakura replied. "By the way, I'm planning to have a gathering soon with team 7 members. You have to come along."

"But I'm not a part of team 7."

"You are. You and Sai both are," Sakura said firmly. "I haven't managed to track down Sai since I'm still busy at the hospital. But if you see him, would you please let him know too, Taicho?"

"Will do, Sakura-chan." 

Sakura gave Tenzo one last smile as she leapt through another building. Ino first, and then she'll worry about dragging her teammates to sit down together through a meal.

...

"Ah, Sakura-chan," Ino's mother greeted as Sakura landed in front of Ino's house.

"Oba-san," Sakura replied as she gave the older woman a hug. "How's Ino?"

"She hasn't came out of her room. And she barely eats," Ino's mother said as she shook her head sadly. 

"I'll do my best to drag her out of bed," Sakura joked weakly. "How are you holding up?"

"It's hard, but I'm a kunoichi of Konohagakure. I have been prepared for this to happen the day I married Inoichi. I understood my duty to my family and the village."

"Yes, of course," Sakura replied. Although Ino's mom spoke with such poise, Sakura could see the sorrow in her eyes. She just lost her husband after all. "Well, my mom is in town for a while. I think she would be happy to have company over tea."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Ino's mother replied kindly as she drew Sakura into another hug. "I'll be on my way to the flower shop first. It's going to be a busy day as we are having the funeral procession tomorrow."

"I'll do my best to drag Ino to help you," Sakura promised. "But if she's still not up to it, I'll come along to help. I'll bring some friends over too."

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Sakura-chan," Ino's mother said as she released Sakura from the hug. 

Sakura watched as Ino's mother disappeared from her line of sight as she quietly made her way into Ino's house. She set down grocery bag she brought on the coffee table before making her way up to Ino's room.

"Ino," Sakura called out softly as she stood in front of her door. There was no answer, but Sakura could hear the rustling of sheets. "I'm coming in, Ino," she tried once more. When there wasn't any answer, Sakura gently opened the door.

Ino was lying in bed, cocooned inside her blanket. Sakura made her way towards Ino's bed and sat on its edge as she gently ran her hand through her hair. 

"It still hurts, Sakura," Ino rasped as tear began to trickle out of the corner of her eyes. Sakura's heart broke for her best friend. Sure, she did not know how it felt losing a parent, but when Sasuke left it had hurt her and left her numb for weeks. And at the time, she knew that he was still alive and that there was hope of him coming back. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Ino was feeling.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I really am, and I don't know what to say or do to make it better," Sakura admitted quietly as she knelt down beside Ino's bed to be at eye level with her.

"At least you're not telling me that it will get better with time," Ino said bitterly as she sat up. "I know it's true, Kami, I hope it's true. But it still hurt so fucking bad right now. I don't need to hear it!" 

Sakura nodded her head, just listening to what the blonde had to say. Ino then drew her beloved bunny stuffed toy and hugged it close. It was the first stuffed toy Inoichi had gotten her, and Ino said that she had the bunny since before she could remember anything.  As the silence stretched, Ino huffed and patted the space beside her. Sakura complied and sat beside her best friend as Ino laid her head on Sakura's shoulder. 

"Can you believe that the elders came right after I got home, before I could cry in my mom's arms and demanded that I started the training to take over as the clan's head?" Ino said seethingly as she chewed on the ear of her bunny.

"Hmm. You can always give me their names and I'll work something out with Naruto, Sasuke and Sai," Sakura replied as she gently removed the poor bunny from the abuse of Ino's teeth.

"I'll give you the list. And I want to watch their faces when they suffer."

"That settled it then," Sakura said. "Your kaa-san is really worried about you, and I've brought lots of ice cream, chocolates and cookies. All your favorites. Could you try to eat something for us?" Sakura added quietly.

"Yeah. I'll eat. I haven't had anything for a while so all those calories shouldn't ruin my figure," Ino joked weakly.  

"Good. Because we're stuffing ourselves with all of it and we're going to help your mom run the store," Sakura said as she got up from the bed. "I'll grab the food and you'll choose the movie?"

"Hmm." Ino nodded as she slowly crawled out of her cocoon. Before Sakura could exit the room, Ino called out to her. "Thank you, Sakura."

"This is what friends are for, pig."

"Forehead," Ino retorted back fondly.

...

5 pints of ice cream, 2 boxes of cookies and nth pieces of chocolates later, both Sakura and Ino were in sugar induced commas. With the latter swimming in so much more endorphins than she had been for the past week. 

"This is a bad idea," Ino moaned as she stuffed yet another cookie into her mouth.

"I feel like I've gained 10kg," Sakura groaned as she lied down flat on the bed. 

"Uh, I feel like I should join Team Gai's training session for a whole month just to lose everything I've gained today."

"Ah, you probably haven't heard, but Gai-sensei may never walk again," Sakura said soberly, as she sat back up in the bed. 

"What, no way! What happened?" Ino asked, flabbergasted. Gai-sensei was one of the strongest jonin in the village. And he was posted in Kakashi-sensei's batallion. And if Gai-sensei was strong, Kakashi-sensei was straight up a monster. He was able to fight against two Akatsuki members, one an undead zombie and another, a creepy ragdoll who can split himself into what, 4 or 5 pieces of himself? While protecting both her and Chouji. And although Ino was not on Kakashi's battalion during the war, she was linked to another Yamanaka who was the sensor in his battalion. Her cousin had told her that he was glad that Kakashi was on their team because a rampaging copy-ninja carrying a massive cleaver was the most terrifying thing he had seen since the Yondaime Hokage's rampage on Kumo during the third war. So how could he let his best friend got hurt to that extent?  

"Gai-sensei fought Madara and activated his eight's gate. He broke his leg kicking Madara."

"Now, that's a cool story on how you broke your leg."

"I know right?" Sakura laughed. "But I really wish that there is something we can do, to at last allow him to walk again."

"Me too. How's the team though?"

"Neji woke up for five minutes yesterday before going back to sleep. But otherwise he seemed fine. Tenten had been busy being the convoy guard for our rebuilding materials and I think Kakashi-sensei had been training with Lee."

"Hmm.. Chouji and Shika had been dropping by every day to check on me and shooing the elders." Ino mused. She would treat them to BBQ after the funeral, but she's only paying for 5 servings for Chouji. "How's your team? Any luck with Sa-su-ke-kun?" Ino asked as she wagged her eyebrow suggestively.

"I just saw Yamato-taicho this morning, and he asked me to pass you his condolences," Sakura said. "Taicho said that your dad was a good man."

"He was," Ino said as she took a deep breath. "I'll thank him tomorrow in the funeral procession if I see him." Ino said. "Well, enough of that. I want some tea on how your team is doing, especially with you and Sasuke-kun."

"Well, Taicho looked exhausted when I saw him. I think they worked him to the bone for the rebuilding effort."

"Hmm. I bet Naruto's roped in too?"

"Yep. He's surprisingly been more help than hindrance so far," Sakura commented fondly. "Oh, and before you asked about Sai," Sakura added conspiratorially.  "I haven't seen a head nor tail about him. But I'll probably try to find him after the funeral. You're very welcomed to come along," Sakura said as it was her turn wagging her eyebrow at Ino.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer," Ino said with a giggle. "But how about Sasuke-kun?"

"I think Kakashi-sensei's roping him into something," Sakura said with a shudder, remembering the sadistic smile on Kakashi's face.

"It can't be that bad."

"Oh but Sensei caught him sneaking out of the compound."

"Do you think he'll be at the funeral tomorrow, as the fallen?"

"From the look on Kakashi-sensei's face I say that it's a pretty high probability," Sakura said with a cringe.

"You should help him then."

"Nah, whatever Sensei is doing to him, I figured it will not even be sufficient punishment for him leaving us years ago."

"Forehead?" Ino called with a surprising quietness in her voice. At Sakura's head tilt, Ino drew a deep breath. "You don't sound so.. enamoured with him any more."

Sakura sighed as she sagged back into Ino's bed. "I've started having this confusion about my feelings for him since the war ended."

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't there to listen to your love adventures," Ino commented idly, her exact words prompted Sakura to turn her head and groan into Ino's pillow. 

"You know who I talked to about this instead?"

"Tsunade-sama? Shizune-san? Your mom? Tenten? Hinata?" Ino grew more and more puzzled as Sakura shook her head to every names Ino suggested. "Naruto?" Ino asked incredulously. While Naruto was a great friend, he was just too dense. 

"It's worse than Naruto."

At Sakura's words, Ino's eyebrow furrowed. "You talked to Gai-sensei?"

"I think it's even worse than Gai-sensei," Sakura said grimly.

"Well, I'm running out of options here. I would start throwing in Ibiki-san and Anko-san just for the sake of it."

"Well, it's not that bad. It's not that he's a bad person to talk to, but it just felt so mortifying."

"Were you drunk?"

"I was completely sober," Sakura said dryly. At Ino's eyebrow cock, Sakura caved. "I somehow talked to Kakashi-sensei about my feelings for Sasuke."

Sakura shot Ino a scowl as the blonde howled in laughter. "You asked Konoha's number one most aloof bachelor for love advice?"

"We talked, and it just came up."

"So what did he say?"

"I have time to figure all this out, since Sasuke-kun's not going anywhere for a while."

"That is a surprisingly good answer."

"He's aloof and reclusive. He's not socially inept, Ino. Thats's Sai."

"I suppose he always have a knack to assure everyone that things are going to be okay," Ino replied nonchalantly to not bite into Sakura's bait. 

"He does. And it's reassuring because we know that he will try his hardest to keep his promises."

"How is he though? I heard he lost his sharingan?"

"He managed to make me feel like a genin again from a taijutsu spar," Sakura replied with a pout. 

"Well, it's Kakashi-sensei. The fact that he even spars with you means that he recognises your skills."

"I supposed so," Sakura said as a smile tugged on the corner of her lips. She may not be good enough now, but she could always train harder. After all, the thing she did best was playing catch-up, right? "By the way, I told your kaa-san that I would help her drag you out of bed to help in the shop. But if you're not feeling up to it, I'll grab Naruto in your stead to help?"

"I'll come. I know she's been suffering too," Ino said with a sad smile. "Besides, can't have my family business be ruined now, can we?"

At that, Sakura laughed as she exited Ino's room to give her some privacy to get ready.  

...

A/N 

1. Ino's mom's name has never been revealed, and I don't think she would come up again in my fic, so I don't think I need to create a name for her

2. She might sound a little cold from her interaction with Sakura, but I imagined Ino's mom as a sort of noble lady. The Yamanaka clan, although not as prominent as even the Akimichi (because there are 4 noble clans in Konoha: Uchiha, Hyuuga, Aburame and Akimichi) would still be an old clan along with Nara clan. So I expect the patriarch and matriarch to have a sort of noble air around them. Sooo for Ino's mom, since the Yamanaka are also florist, I imagine her to be someone gentle, but with a lot of inner strength. So she would not usually sound cold and detached, but in this circumstance, since her husband had just died and her daughter is still in a state of emotional turmoil, she have to be the strong one (cos that's also what moms do). So the 'detachment' is probably her way of coping.

3. Endorphin is a 'happy' hormone (basically an endogenous opioid/ opioid produced naturally by the body). There's some research that suggests that eating chocolates causes endorphin release because of the chemical compound found in chocolates. So, eat chocolates and stay happy! :) 

4. In a lot of fics, Kakashi is often depicted as someone who's not very good with social interaction. But I think Kakashi, being a ninja, would know how to act and what to say, since acting the right way and saying the right stuff goes a long way in the shinobi world, especially when it helps you to not get killed in the job. I think he would no doubt be awkward in a setting where he is in a big crowd and is the centre of attention of said crowd. But if it's a smaller group of people, I think he would know how to position himself (especially literally positioning himself in a way where extricating himself from said situation would be easiest).

[depressedhatakekakashi]

All of your parent headcanons are so cute, I'm loving this ♥️ have you done one for the first day of school? I think that would be cute

Thank you! I don’t know why i got into this today but i’m loving it :) i do have a few more on the way but first of all

Naruto Characters as Parents- First Day of School

Hatake Kakashi

The most calm about it.

Knows what to get and gets it all last minute.

His kid has the bag with Pakkun stuff all over it because that’s what they wanted and if Kakashi had to sew it himself he did.

Drops his kid off at school and disappears before they even reach the door.

That’s ok though because throughout the day he’s sitting in a tree outside their class watching over them while reading his favorite book.

Might tease Yamato throughout the day, because he can.

Picks them up at the end of the day and takes them home where he makes dinner and smiles to himself as they gush about their day to him.

May or may not have already snuck in a few cute hound stickers and patches for clothes or backpacks because he saw other kids gushing over his bag.

Maito Gai

Buzzing with excitement.

Convinced his kid is going to make all of the friends and be the coolest kid in class.

Has made a competition out of this with Kakashi and is determined to win, much to his kids embarassment.

Drops them off outside and calls out ‘i love you! Have a good day?’ As they walk into the school.

#1 embarrassing dad but his kid adores him anyways.

Goes home and makes a whole bunch of food for dinner, including his kids favorite foods.

Picks up his kid and goes for a run around the village while they tell him about their day and go back home for dinner after.

Yamato

The least prepared.

Dude never went to the acadamy himself, he has no idea what is supposed to happen. What’s expected of his kid? He needs ANSWERS.

Tagged along with Iruka whenever he went to get school supplies so he could see just what he needed and get it at the same time.

Drops his kid off at the front of the school and stands their watching them until they disappear past the front doors.

Immidiatly goes home and paces the floor wondering how his kids day is going. Worrying that they might need him and he’s not there.

Ends up finding a nice tree outside their class to hide in and watch, and is pleasantly surprised when he see’s them making friends. Definitely does not cry thinking about how lonely he was growing up and how much better of a life he’s able to provide for his child.

Picks them up after school and takes them out for sushi where they talk all about that first day of school.

His kid definitely asks if he missed them and Yamato smiles and says ‘of course i did’

Umino Iruka

The most organized. This is partially because he is a teacher and knows exactly what they need in order to be ready, but also he starts getting everything ready five months before anyone else.

Walks them to their classroom and chats with the teacher.

Is right there so is able to check up on them throughout the day, but makes sure not to call out to them because he wants them to have a good day and make friends without their dad hovering over them.

Definitly picks them up from their class room at the end of the day. Does he have work to do? Yes, but his kid is more important.

Spends hours listening to them gush about their first day and tell him all about their new friends while the two of them enjoy a rare treat of Ichiataku Ramen.

[mokutonprince]

Cursed (part 1)

The moon settled high in the night sky, the few lights that illuminated the village doing nothing to diminish the beauty of the glistening stars that littered the black sky. 

It was calm, a distant owl hooting in the surrounding forest with muffled laughter in the red light district as groups of friends relaxing in the few bars and open late restaurants.

It was a perfect night for drinking apparently, a tight group of jounin ninja cramped into one of the corner booths with bottles of beer and small cups of sake between them.

“Aw cmon, Hatake~” Anko cooed, pleasantly drunk already as she leaned across the table in an attempt to get closer to the masked shinobi.

“There’s gotta be someone!”

Kakashi just sighed, leaning back in the cushion of the booth, “I can’t be telling my secrets, you know.” he shot back as relaxed as ever, the alcohol buzzing in his veins the only thing allowing this conversation to even take place.

Anko offered a dramatic pout, plopping back into her seat with a huff. Asuma chuckled at her reaction, giving a pat on the back when she scowled at him.

“He’s never going to tell us if you keep pushing about it. You know how he is.”

“I can hear you, ya know.” 

To which Asuma only gave him a smile.

“Well, with how often you read your books, I wouldn’t want to share my secrets either.” Asuma snickered, winking when the white-haired male huffed, not offering any response.

He was right, he didn’t want to tell his secrets...pretty much because he was not in a relationship and the person he actually had his one eye on was too far from his reach. But he wouldn’t hear the end of it if that got out. Kami forbid...

Genma finally took his time to return, Gai in tow each with a tray of another round of beer and a few fresh bottles of warm sake.

“Woohoo!” Anko cheered, immediately forgetting about her interrogation in favor of the alcohol as they were set on the table.

“So what did we miss?” Genma voiced, needle shifting in his mouth before he took a shot of whatever he had gotten from the bar. Something strong from what Kakashi could smell.

Anko visibly brightened at that question, a shit-eating grin stretching on her face as she remembers Kakashi’s little secret. She opens her mouth to continue her interrogation when the energy of the village suddenly tenses before being followed by an ear-rending boom that seemed to shake the entire country. For a split second, Kakashi thought that perhaps it had woken the dead before he was up and out of the bar in a blur.

“What the hell was that!?” 

Anko shouted over the sudden screams. Their peaceful night out, having turned into chaos only a second later.

Civilians were running out of their homes in fright, the new sound of some snarling and growling thing making them run faster with their children in their arms.

“What the..?”

Chakra flaring, each of them tried to get a sense of just what was happening. There was a feeling of Deja Vu, but looking around, there was no towering red fox ready to destroy the village. Instead, there was a growing pillar of smoke coming from a what looked like, a single building from further down the street, too close to the Hokage’s office for anyone’s comfort. 

“Go check with the Hokage!” Kakashi shouted to the others, who gave no word of disagreement before they vanished from sight, beside’s Gai who decided to stay at his Rival’s side.

Kakashi barely gave a glance before he started running towards the loud sounds, the odd growling and people screaming almost making him tense because this sounds too familiar.

As they got closer to what seemed to be this furry dark brown beast, Kakashi noticed plenty of Anbu and Jounin nearby and Kakashi frowned behind his mask when he noticed that his favorite Kohai was not among them. Lady Tsunade herself even decided to join the impromptu party even from the side. They seemed to all be watching this creature, keeping themselves a safe distance on top of the surrounding rooftops as the beast seemed to slow down its rampage with heavy breaths.

“Is that a bear?” Someone asked.

“What?”

“Is it a summon?”

As a group began to talk amongst themselves, the bear; who was much too large to be a normal bear, had collapsed. It’s heavy body dropping to the ground with a heavy thump. 

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much, Naruto captured everyone’s attention as he drops down to the barren street only a few yards away from where the bear had fallen and made everyone around tense.

“What the hell happened!? I fall asleep for ten minutes and something blows up!”

“Get away from that thing, Naruto!” Tsunade shouted back, ignoring the brat’s comment.

“Huh?”

Turning around, blue eyes widened as he finally faced the overly-large bear. He jumped back with a shout when it moved, a low grumble startling both him and the others, especially when it moved its head around to face the young man. Kakashi held back a gasp when he saw the amount of blood that coated and dripped from the beast's mouth. Naruto has no reservations.

“AH! What the hell did it eat!?” he jumped back as far as he could go, the wall of a nearby building stopping his retreat even though he could just jump up onto the roof but of course, he didn’t realize that and wanted to make things much more difficult. 

“Just. Don’t move anymore.” Tsunade ordered, holding out her hand to stop the others from jumping down just yet.

“But it’s gonna eat me!” 

Movement and a growl made everyone grow silent, all eyes going back to the bear as it tried to stand back up, even though its legs were visibly shaking with exertion. In a fit of irritation, it shook its head like it was shaking off water much like a canine would.

It huffed once more when something shiny clanged to the ground and slid a bit away from the force. Naruto was the first to notice it, while the others waved it off as some sort of debris.

But when Naruto gasped and his chakra gave a dangerous spike, Tsunade tensed ready for some kind of fight because her idiot brat somehow got hurt and she doesn’t who to blame just yet.

“Captain Yamato...?” he whispered, shock and blooming pain in his voice as he stared at the bit of metal in his hands.

That caught Kakashi’s immediate attention, eyes narrowing on his student with concern, then to Lady Tsunade when she and Shizune gasped, hands over their mouths. Whipping his head back to Naruto, he was met with wide blue eyes staring right back at him as he held out-

“No.” 

Naruto was shaking now, but then again, so was Kakashi; both eyes wide even though the Sharingan was hidden away. Looking closer, the Happuri was littered in blood, his blood.

“NARUTO MOVE!”

“Wha-”

Without his noticing, the bear had managed to stand up and move closer towards the young Uzumaki, despite its heavy limping.

Its head drooped and bobbed in a way that spoke of exhaustion, heavy body dragging itself closer as though it was the only thing it could do. Everyone was frozen, unsure as to how they should continue without causing injury.

Naruto watched in obvious fear, eyes wide as he clutched his Captains head-plate to his chest. As the bear got closer, its head dropped lower until it could press his shout to Naruto’s stomach, ignoring how blood continued to drool from its loose lips and the obvious pain it was in. 

Against the judgment literally being yelled at him, Naruto placed one shaking hand to the bears head in a weak pat. He felt the beast grumble in its throat before it dropped once more, falling to the dirt road with a heavy thump as it finally gave in to its exhaustion.

Kurama was rumbling deep in his mind, making Naruto frown because it felt as if he was responding.

It took barely three seconds before Tsunade and the rest of her army jumped down to join him in a burst of fury.

“You can’t just touch a random beast, Naruto!”

Wait, when did Sakura get here?

“It’s dangerous!”

“No, he’s not!” Naruto shouted back, suddenly angry at her for saying such a thing and gaining a few raised eyebrows.

“He?” Tsunade asked, curious.

Naruto nodded, kneeling down to gaze at the sleeping bear at his face, grimacing at the amount of blood that was still dripping from his mouth.

“He’s hurt..” He mumbles instead, refusing to answer as to how exactly he knows. 

“What do you mean, he’s hurt?” She asked again, much more firmly this time.

He stayed silent for a while before replying, looking directly at the bear when he did, “The fox told me. There’s something wrong with him and he needs help. He has chakra but...” Naruto pauses, nose scrunching up as he tries to find the right way to explain what he felt.

“But?” 

“..It’s messed up. Like it’s fighting something inside his body. He’s in so much pain. The fox said that the blood was his own and that he didn’t...eat anyone.” Naruto explained, his attention now shifting to the faceplate he cradled in his hands.

“But why is this here? Captain Yamato never takes this thing off!” 

“He’s not here,” Kakashi spoke up, catching the gathered groups attention. Tsunade looked at him with worry, lips pressed in a thin line. When he caught her gaze, she slowly shook her head that only confirmed his fears.

“I- we have to find him.” Kakashi grit, fingers twitching at his sides in an effort to not react.

Lady Tsunade didn’t need to be told twice-or even once because she already knew that.

“Inuzuka!” She barked, 

“Hai!” Kiba jumped, Akamaru trotting them both closer to the Hokage so she could give them her orders. But as they got closer, Akamaru paused only a few steps away to growl at the fallen beast, catching everyone's attention but Naruto only stepped in between them with a glare.

“Don’t attack him!”

“I’m not!” Kiba snapped back, “But he smells weird- guh, it’s all that blood, he’ll bleed out if you don’t stop it.”

“Where’s your sister-”

“Here!” came a new voice, trotting up beside her younger brother with her three ninkin right on her heels, “I needed to gather some scrolls. I have enough knowledge of wild creatures to try and see what is wrong with him.”

Tsunade nodded, looking back to her solemn looking assistant, “Shizune will help you. Relocate him where you wish. In the meantime. Team eight! I need you to go on a search party for one of our own, effective immediately.”

“Wha-! Baa-Chan! I’m going to! He’s my Captain, and I have his faceplate. Plus my clones, I would be more than helpful!”

Like she didn’t know that was going to happen.

“Team seven, join team eight. I am not taking this lightly, there will be back up at the ready. Go along the borders of the village and further out is necessary. Now go!”

There was a combined shout of agreement and a couple grumbles as six members disappeared from sight.

“Hatake.” Tsunade spoke up, eyeing the Copy-Cat ninja as he stared down the bear, body tense as he watched Shizune and Hana along with a few assistants ready to relocate the beast probably to the clinic on the other side of the village. When he didn’t reply, she sighed.

“I need you to stay here. While the kids look outside the gates, I need you to search inside the village. You know him better than anyone.”

Kakashi tried not to scoff at that, remaining still even though he wanted to refuse because he knew that wasn’t true...not with his he had been trying to keep himself distant from his Kohai as much as possible. He didn’t really know him at all..Anbu was a different time. He doesn’t know his Tenzou anymore, not like he used to.

“I’ll do my best.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he popped away in a burst of smoke.

“Oh, Tenzou...” Kakashi whispered, his feet carrying him just somewhere so he could think.

“What have you gotten yourself into..?”

[purple-possibilities]

24 for Kakashi and Iruka (and yourself, if you happen to want to share :3)

Send me a number and a character or ship and I’ll try to answer it as them. Or ask about me if you really want to know lol!

24) Favorite part of your daily routine?

(Under the cut because it’s super long)

Kakashi

The easy answer is to say anytime Kakashi can sneak away to read Icha Icha. And while I’m sure he enjoys that, and I’m sure that’s the answer he’d give when asked, I think it’s not true. While Kakashi’s favourite part of his routine has changed as the years have passed and his routine has changed, I think—after his senseidom and into his Hokagedom—his favourite part of his routine is just trolling everyone lol.

Gai probably aims to see Kakashi once a day (if not for a Rival Challenge™️, then at least for the actual challenge that finding Kakashi when he does not want to be found poses lol. That’s a training exercise in and of itself. I wouldn’t put it past Gai to have made Neji, Lee, and Tenten train by tracking Kakashi down haha).

Part of Tenzou’s ANBU training after leaving the dark side most definitely involved tracking Kakashi down, a skill I’m sure he has had to, and will continue to have to use the rest of his life. Alas, poor Yamrick…💁‍♀️💀

I think part of why Kakashi was late all the time with Team 7 (aside from the Obito explanation) might have been because he was waiting for them to come look for him. Most people in Kakashi’s life spend an inordinate amount of time actually physically trying to track him down (mostly Gai and Tenzou/Yamato, tho Itachi probably did too during his ANBU days, because it’s Itachi and there’s no stopping that kid. There’s probably ANBU reserved to hunt Kakashi down when he’s late for important things haha. I bet someone even put out a mission once. That would have been a lot of fun for our boy. I’m tempted to write a fic about that…).

Anyways, back to my point. Because Kakashi is so used to being chased after, it must have bothered Kakashi (at first) when he was spying on his charges at Training Ground Three and all they did was sit around and not even train (this is beef for another post tho lol). Like, he probably thought they were absolutely useless. But eventually I think he learned to find pleasure in watching them complain while he was hiding soooo super close by, like, how-have-you-not-noticed-me-yet-I’m-practically-sitting-on-you levels of close by, reading Icha Icha and just silently laughing at his loser students haha. And then, of course, taking soooo much pleasure in watching them complain to him when he finally does show up. What a loser. Sounds like a fun time tho….

So yeah. Kakashi has learned to enjoy the joys of evading people and like, watching them get increasingly frustrated haha.

Asshole 😝😘

As for Kakashi’s fav part of his routine in other parts of his life (because of course I’m going there when do I not go over the top?):

When he was younger and Sakumo was still alive, Kakachibi probably waited by the door for his dad to come home (much like a puppy lol) before pretending like he was, like, practicing his stealth in the hall or something lol.

After Sakumo’s death, and before his ANBU days, Kidkashi probably hated being at home alone, so his fav part would be training with his ninken (or if that wasn’t daily, his solo training). Maaaybe dinner with Minato and Kushina if Obito and Rin weren’t there, and it was a daily thing.

During his ANBU days, Kakashi didn’t have a favourite, just a “least hated” lol. It was probably also training.

Iruka

Hmm, at first I wanted to say that Iruka’s favourite part of his daily routine would be dismissing his students from class at the end of the day lol. But while I do think he enjoys that (if only for the return of sanity to his life lol), I think he’d go with something more… umm… something that adds to his day not something that takes away, if that makes sense.

(I mean, he’s a teacher and loves being a teacher, so while the relief from the end of a hard day of work is nice, he’s not one of those people who only works to live while hating his life. So it might be a relief, as all of us feel after doing something hard, but not enough to be his favourite part of his routine.)

Actually, Iruka’s favourite part of his routine might just be getting to sit down for a bowl of ramen lol. Maybe it’s savouring a sleepy bowl of instant ramen in the morning before he has to head in to the academy, or it could be dinner at Ichiraku’s (esp if Naruto is there to share one with).

I think he also might enjoy the quiet of his classroom in the early morning before all the kids come in for class. Just sitting at his desk with some tea and going over his lesson plan.

If getting ramen with Naruto was a daily thing then that def would win tho, hands down (even if it’s Iruka’s wallet’s least favourite part of the routine haha).

Me!

This is harder to answer for myself then it is for other people haha. It’s kind of hard to think of oneself objectively. But I think for me it would be the soft moments after waking up, when my dream from the night before is on the edge of my consciousness, my bed is softer than a cloud, and everything feels perfect. I usually wake up about 15 min before my alarm just naturally, so I get to lounge in bed while I slowly wake up. Even if I have a nightmare or a weird dream, just getting to lie in bed and roll over my thoughts, or if I’m just figuring out what I have to do for the day, or checking my email/tumblr/texts, it’s just a nice, peaceful moment that feels like it lasts forever and yet is gone in an instant.

(Much more peaceful than going to sleep, where I am an insomniac sometimes by choice *cough*ao3*cough*tumblr*cough*ffn*cough* and sometimes because my body hates me and never wants to go to sleep).

Thank you for the ask!

Already done:

Question 6 with KakaHida and myself

[hedgehoggery]

An Unexpected Reunion Pt. 3

As promised, chapter three of An Unexpected Reunion (Chapter 1 here, Chapter 2 here), my kakayama NYC-AU turned basketball-AU. Perspective shifts twice instead of just once but hopefully that’s not too confusing. I hope this one leaves everyone in a better mood than chapter 2 did! ;P 

Word Count: 2914

Chapter 3

“Mr. Kakashi, you listen when I’m talking to you!” Kakashi’s eyes focused back in on the teen sitting across from him, speaking in a mocking tone that was likely a failed impression of Kakashi’s own voice. Naruto burst out laughing at the confusion on Kakashi’s face. “You always say that to me, so how does it feel!”

“It really wasn’t that funny, Naruto,” Sasuke said quietly, shaking his head.

“What were you saying, Naruto,” Kakashi said, masking his slight embarrassment at having zoned out with his usual sigh. He had been unable to focus much on tutoring today after the way dinner had ended last night. He had spent the whole day wrangling with himself about whether to go back to the tree shop tonight and try apologizing again, or if that would only upset Tenzo even more.

“I was asking about basketball! Sakura’s parents gave her permission to join the league, so we’re all in!” Sasuke whipped his head around.

“I never agreed to that!” he snapped. Naruto’s face fell as he looked over at Sasuke with an almost infantile pouty face. Sasuke sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” Kakashi laughed to himself as Naruto started cheering at his small victory. Naruto was usually an absolute buffoon when it came to social interactions, and Kakashi hadn’t yet been able to figure out if he knew the effect he had on Sasuke and was using it against him, or if it was purely by chance.

“Excellent, so you’ll all be ready for practice right after we’re done here?” The teens nodded, Sakura and Sasuke much less enthusiastically than Naruto. Kakashi checked his watch. “Well, we’ve still got about ten minutes.” He sighed, anxious to get away from the confines of the school and figure out what to do about Tenzo.

“Everything okay, Mr. Kakashi?” Sakura’s voice made no effort to hide her concern. While Kakashi put on a front about hating kids, he couldn’t deny that he felt a strange sense of ownership over these three. Especially Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke both had sad life stories and were orphans, just like Kakashi. But Sakura was genuinely kind hearted and had her own share of struggles, though admittedly different from those that Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto had to bear.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” he said, waving his hand lazily in front of his face as if to swat away the notion that something was wrong.

“You seem distracted,” Sakura continued.

“I know what it is,” Naruto said, in a tone that could only mean he had no clue what it was. “Mr. Kakashi is having girl problems.” Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasuke chuckled softly. Kakashi raised one eyebrow.

“Why would you think that?” he said, remaining intentionally vague.

“Because you’re acting all weird like adults do when they’re having stupid problems with their wives and stuff. Girl problems,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest with a decisive nod.

“Oh, is that so,” Kakashi continued, trying to run down the clock on this conversation so he could ship the kids off to basketball and head on to more important things.

“Sasuke, I’m right, dontcha think?” Naruto said. Sasuke chuckled.

“No, I don’t think Kakashi is having girl problems,” he said, emphatic enough that Kakashi actually raised his eyebrows in surprise. Naruto sighed dramatically.

“Ehhh, ‘woman’ problems, whatever,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers as he talked.

“Not quite what I meant,” Sasuke muttered, barely audible. Kakashi shot him a warning glance before checking his watch again.

“Well, it’s close enough to time,” he said, standing up to put an end to the uncomfortable conversation. “I’ll come with you to introduce you to the coach before I leave.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets before heading out the door, hearing the three teens follow closely behind him.

They walked down the hall towards the gymnasium, the hollow sound of bouncing balls and the squeaking of shoes growing louder with each step. A familiar booming voice somehow drowned out all of the other sounds as soon as Kakashi opened the door.

“Oh, ho! Kakashi! Come to accept a challenge, have you?” Kakashi sighed.

“No, Gai, I’m here to drop off my kids for basketball,” he said, gesturing behind him at the three. They were staring at Kakashi’s friend with expressions of mixed horror and admiration, and Kakashi could hardly blame them. Gai was wearing a green tank top and impossibly tiny green shorts, both of which displayed his impressive build. While not actually taller than Kakashi, his confident presence made him appear to tower over everyone. He flashed a ridiculously wide grin and a thumbs up at Kakashi’s students.

“Excellent! You can call me Coach Gai. Lee!” Kakashi felt the three kids behind him jump at the sudden increase in the already deafening volume. A teenaged boy dressed in frighteningly identical clothes to Gai ran up behind him.

“Yes Coach Gai?”

“Take these three new recruits over to get a uniform!” Lee ran over to the trio and led them towards the locker room.

“Kakashi, what have you gotten us into!” Sasuke hissed as Lee physically pushed him away. Naruto had already run off, and Sakura was following him with more hesitation.

“Kakashi, you’re not going to stay?” Gai asked once the kids were out of earshot.

“No, I have things to take care of tonight,” he said, an image of Tenzo flashing across his thoughts.

“Hmm, well at least tell me your kids’ names,” Gai said.

“Naruto is the loud one. Sakura is the girl. Sasuke is the dark one,” he said, pointing vaguely at each kid fighting with blue pennies as he described them. Gai grunted.

“Sasuke… isn’t he the one…?”

“Yep,” Kakashi interrupted. “But don’t bring it up.” Gai nodded and shot Kakashi a thumbs up.

“Hopefully next time you’ll be able to stay! We’re playing three on three and each group needs their own coach. You’re lucky there was a substitute coach assigned or else your kids would be benched!” Kakashi hadn’t realized he was supposed to coach his students and felt a slight pang of guilt at leaving them with a mystery substitute. But the guilt associated with Tenzo was much more pressing, and he decided it required attention first.

“Well, sorry Gai, but I’m busy. Maybe next time,” he said, waving. He turned to leave just as the gymnasium door swung open.

“Ah, there he is now, the substitute coach who will lead your kids to victory!”

Kakashi stared in horror at the man who had come through the door and who was now staring back at him with mirrored expression.

“Tenzo! You’re the substitute coach?!”

___

For the second time in two days, Yamato found his mouth and brain completely dry. Words danced on the tip of his tongue, but none of them seemed to make any sense.

“I thought you closed at seven!” Kakashi continued, clearly not experiencing the same vocabulary shortage as Yamato. 

“That’s only on Wednesdays!” he said finally, unsure why he was yelling. “What are you doing here?!” Kakashi scoffed, a ridiculous noise coming from the usually reserved and contained man. Yamato noticed with some level of smug satisfaction that his out-of-character behavior had been noticed by Gai and a few of the kids behind him, all of whom were now staring at the sputtering silver-haired man.

“What am I doing here?! I work here!” Kakashi yelled, oblivious to the gaping stares of his friends behind him. Yamato let out a strangled laugh.

“They let you work with kids?!?!”

“Kakashi, do you know this man?” Gai boomed. Yamato could see the exact moment that Kakashi remembered he was in a public forum - he sighed deeply, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and leaned back into his usual relaxed stance.

“Yep,” he said, several decibels lower than he had previously been shouting. “He’s an old friend.” Yamato couldn’t help rolling his eyes at that description - for multiple reasons. Gai either didn’t notice or chose to ignore Yamato’s reaction, and let out a eardrum-stinging laugh.

“Hah! Perfect! Then you should be even more motivated to lead your kids to success, Coach Yamato!”

“Yamato?” Kakashi asked, thick with confusion, but Yamato cut him off before he could reveal too much. He regained his composure and stepped around Kakashi to talk to the head coach directly.

“There’s a team in need of a substitute, Coach Gai?” he asked. Kakashi turned to stand next to Yamato, side-eyeing him suspiciously.

“Kakashi’s team!” He waved Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura over, despite the fact that they were only a few steps away to listen in on the conversation. “Let me introduce you to Coach Yamato, he’ll be your coach since Kakashi is busy tonight!”

“He looks young enough to be in the program himself!” Naruto objected. Yamato could sense Kakashi’s smirk, even though it was hidden by his ever-present giant scarf.

“I’m 19! Besides, wouldn’t you rather have me as your coach than old man Kakashi?” Yamato was satisfied to see Kakashi whip his head around to glare at him as Naruto burst out laughing.

“Have you ever even played basketball, Ten… er, Yamato?” Kakashi said. Yamato chuckled and glanced over at Kakashi.

“Maybe I spent the entire last four years playing,” he replied. “Anyway, don’t you have somewhere to be?” Yamato revelled in making Kakashi sputter a second time.

“I… got my days mixed up,” he said. “I’m free tonight.” Yamato put his hands on his hips and raised one eyebrow in Kakashi’s direction.

“You don’t want me to coach your kids that badly?” he said.

“Wow, Naruto, you were right,” Sasuke said. “He is having ‘girl’ problems.” Yamato looked over at Kakashi in time to see him shoot Sasuke a threatening glance.

“Actually, I’ll just observe,” Kakashi said. “Yamato probably is a better coach than me.”

“Excellent!” Gai yelled. “You can be a cheerleader, Kakashi!” Yamato couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Kakashi wearing a tiny cheerleader outfit. “Coach Yamato, go get ready and we’ll get started!”

__

Kakashi took his seat in the bleachers behind Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura as Tenzo went into the locker room with his duffel bag.

“How do you know that man, Mr. Kakashi?” Sakura asked. Kakashi sighed as he thought back on how complicated it would be to answer that.

“Oh, just from the neighborhood. We were both in the GATE program ourselves,” he said. It wasn’t a lie, but it didn’t really begin to explore the depth and breadth of how Kakashi and Tenzo knew each other. Of their complicated childhood experiences. Of Kakashi risking everything in his life to save Tenzo from Father Danzo. Of Tenzo unknowingly saving Kakashi from himself.

“So like me and Sasuke!” Naruto said, jabbing Sasuke in the side with his elbow. Kakashi raised his eyebrows and looked at Sasuke.

“Almost exactly like that,” he said, mockingly. He was surprised to see Sasuke’s cheeks flush a little - the kid usually showed no reaction to anything. Kakashi looked around the gymnasium. There were four teams including his own, and Kakashi recognized the other coaches as his fellow tutors and childhood friends Asuma and Kurenai. Gai was already on the court with his team, enthusiastically stretching.

The door to the locker room opened and Kakashi couldn’t contain a soft gasp as Tenzo emerged. He was wearing a tight black tank top that Kakashi couldn’t help but notice displayed his delectable shoulders, and black shorts that, while not as tiny as Gai’s, still showed off a fair amount of thigh. Tenzo glanced away from Kakashi with a flush in his cheeks when he noticed him staring.

“You were in GATE together, huh?” Sasuke said, mirroring Kakashi’s earlier mocking tone.

“Alright, everyone’s ready!” Gai boomed from the court, and Kakashi mentally thanked him for distracting Sasuke for the moment. “Everyone on the court! We’re going to play three on three, half court!”

Tenzo enthusiastically motioned for Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke to take the court before grabbing a basketball from a large bin and dribbling it around the court. He deftly jumped into the air and shot it directly into the basket. Kakashi raised his eyebrows. Maybe he wasn’t joking about playing for the last four years.

“Alright, Coach Yamato!” Naruto yelled. “You’re way better than Mr. Kakashi!” Kakashi shook his head in mock insult, but didn’t disagree with Naruto. Tenzo chuckled and glanced over at Kakashi, turning slightly pink again when he saw that he had been watching. Kakashi had half a mind to think Tenzo was only showing off for him to begin with, but he shook the notion away.

Gai loudly assigned the first teams - Asuma’s team would play Kurenai’s on half the court, and Gai’s would play Kakashi’s on the other half. Tenzo sat down on the first row of bleachers as Gai’s team walked over to begin the match. Kakashi scooted down to sit next to him.

“You’re not bad,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking straight ahead. He saw Tenzo glance at him from the corner of his eye.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Hey, no fair, they’re older than us!” Naruto shouted. Gai’s team was indeed older than Kakashi’s but only by a year. Kakashi wasn’t surprised to find that the boy dressed identical to Gai was on the team, as well as a cute brunette girl with dimples and a tall, broad shouldered boy with beautiful long hair that he was currently tying into a messy bun.

“Makes me wish you never cut your hair,” Kakashi said softly. Tenzo whipped his head around in surprise to look at Kakashi before chuckling and looking back at the court.

“I guess you did play with it all the time,” he said fondly. Kakashi chuckled as he remembered countless times he had practiced braiding Tenzo’s hair or tying it in pigtails or just running his fingers through it. “But I had to grow up sometime. Plus, it made everyone think I was a girl at first.” Kakashi couldn’t resist turning to look at Tenzo’s now-short hair and impressive muscles.

“They certainly wouldn’t now,” he said, immediately embarrassed by his own forwardness. He saw Tenzo’s face get impossibly red.

“Coach Yamato, come on!” Sakura yelled from the court. Tenzo slapped his hands on his thighs and stood up.

“Well, here we go,” he said, jogging over to the sideline. Kakashi watched as Tenzo gave brief instructions to the team on where to stand and what to do before Gai blew a whistle - much too loudly - and the game began.

Kakashi chuckled as he watched Tenzo run up and down the sidelines, getting way to invested in the game. Naruto shot the ball wildly, missing the basket by a long shot, and Tenzo pulled at his own hair in frustration.

Tenzo had always been tightly wound, a trait that Kakashi loved to poke and prod at for fun. He knew exactly what to say to set Tenzo off and he knew exactly when saying nothing at all would set him off. He had always stressed about everything much more than Kakashi did. Kakashi preferred to just go with the flow - he had spent part of his youth being a tightly wound ball of stress and found that it had only created more problems for him. But he was happy to see that Tenzo was still as anxious as he remembered.

Gai’s team turned out to be quite proficient at basketball - which came as no surprise to Kakashi, he was absolutely certain Gai had forced them to practice daily before the league started - and they were obliterating Kakashi’s team. Naruto was overly competitive but wasn’t very good, and it was Sasuke who was carrying the team on his back.

“Naruto, just pass me the ball!” he yelled, just as Naruto threw another wild shot that came nowhere close to the basket. Sasuke groaned and looked skyward, as if asking the heavens to grant him patience. The long-haired boy on the other team caught the wild shot and returned it, adding two points to their already astronomical score.

“Way to go, Neji!” Gai and Lee boomed in unison.

“Naruto, it’s a team sport!” Kakashi heard Tenzo yell from the sideline. “Throw the ball to Sasuke when you get it!”

The game continued in this manner until finally Gai blew the whistle again, putting Kakashi’s team out of their misery.

“And the winners are… Team Gai and Team Asuma!” he yelled. Six of the kids on the court cheered, while the other six moped over to the bleachers.

“We’ll do better next time!” Tenzo said cheerfully once they were all sitting next to Kakashi. The three kids groaned in response. “Come on, I’ll buy you three dinner for your hard work.” At that suggestion, the trio cheered up significantly.

“Alright, Coach Yamato!” Naruto yelled, jumping up. “You coming too, Mr. Kakashi?” Kakashi glanced at Tenzo, his eyes full of question.

“Sure he is,” Tenzo said, maintaining eye contact with Kakashi. “But I’m not paying for him.” Kakashi chuckled and stood up.

“Ah, we’ll see about that.”

[sufferthesea]

Hi again can you make a part 2 to the dance one with Genma? Maybe them asking Tsunade, getting ready for the dance and the actual dance.

@litkatkim I hope this is okay! I know it took me a while, and I didn’t get to include everything I wanted to but I didn’t want to make it too long! This is my last request in my inbox and now I can focus totally on my other fics without feeling guilty, woohoo! Thanks for being such a sweetie and waiting so patiently for this! 

Words: 3.022Rating: GeneralPairing: Genma x Female Reader [Sequel to this post] Read on AO3

You stood beforeTsunade, hands wringing with nerves as Genma spoke with herseriously. He stood a few steps ahead of you, as if to protect youfrom the older woman’s deadpan stare. You knew this was a bad idea.

“Youwant to what?” sheasked, folding her hands together and lowering her head to stare atyou while Genma spoke.

“I asked her ifshe would go to the dance with me, and she said yes. But we wanted toget your permission first,” Genma said quickly, his senbontwitching nervously in his mouth with every word. “Or, rather,second I guess, since I already asked …”

“Youdo realize this dance was for the shinobi only?”Tsunade asked, one eyebrow raising seemingly in harsh judgment.

“Yes,” Genmasaid, shuffling slightly to his left to block you from view of theHokage. “And she was worried about that! She didn’t want to gowith me unless it was okay with you, Hokage-sama. So we came here toask you for your permission.”

Tsunade sighedheavily and sat up, folding her arms across her chest and lookingfrom Genma to you, unimpressed. “You sound like a teenager askingto take my kid out to the movies or something. You’re not sixteen,Genma. And she’s not my kid. I hired her as a dance instructor, andI think it’s fine if she wants to go to the dance with you - eventhough she’s not a shinobi. Besides,” Tsunade gave a knowingsmile to you, “I’m sure that it’d be good having her there. Shecan correct any missteps - and I’m sure there’ll be plenty.”

You bowed deeply,feeling your face flush hot. “Thank you, Hokage-sama! I appreciateit a lot!”

Genma bowed as well.“Thank you,” he said.

“Just don’t messaround,” Tsunade called as Genma ushered you towards the door. “Iwant you two to be at the dance! If I don’t see you, I’ll sendANBU after you to track you down. Got it?”

Fearstruck you at the word ANBU.You weren’t entirely sure what it meant, but it didn’t sound good- especially if they were supposed to track you down.

“Yes,Hokage-sama,” Genma called out before shoving you through the opendoor and down the hall. “C’mon, let’s hurry up.”

“Where are wegoing?”

“We’re got toget you something to wear.” He tugged at your sleeve and you pulledaway in embarrassment. “I mean, not that this isn’t cute but …you’ve got to dress up. It’s a dance.”

“I know it’s adance,” you said a bit defensively, hugging yourself and leaningaway from Genma. “But I … I’m not sure how much I like the ideaof going shopping … with you.”

“Well that’smean.”

You shook your head,turning to face him once you left the stairs and your feet met the hard-packed earth. “Ijust … You don’t want to go shopping with me!”

“I don’t want togo, or you don’t want me to go?”

You turned away andshrugged. “B-Both?”

Genma rolled hissenbon over his tongue and shrugged. “Alright. I respect that. ButI’m gonna ignore it.”

“Huh?” youasked, turning to look at him.

He grabbed yourwrist and pulled you towards the shops. “We’ve only got a fewhours to go shopping. It took you so long to get the nerve up to askTsunade about even going, that we wasted a lot of valuable time.”

“Sorry …”

“Don’t worryabout it. If I were you, I’d be intimidated if I was asked out by aguy as handsome as myself, too.” He grinned wide, wiggling hiseyebrows. You blushed and socked him in the arm.

“Knock it o-off!You’re not as f-funny as you think.”

“Really? That’skind of a shame, because I think I’m hilarious.” His smile toldyou he was teasing and you rolled your eyes, still trying to processthe fact that a guy like him wanted anything to do with you. Itseemed so strange that he’d even want to talk to you, and yet herehe was - escorting you to a shop so you could pick out a dress forthe Shinobi Ball, something you never imagined you’d ever attend.Genma let go of your wrist and strolled alongside you comfortably,turning his head up to look at the afternoon sky. You took a momentto admire him, smiling softly as he chewed on the senbon then pursedhis lips together and let out a whistle. Whatever Genma saw in you,you were glad he did see it because this was a moment you never would have wanted to miss.

“I’m not sure I… You can’t!” you protested, clutching at the silky folds ofthe dress you wore. “You can’t buy this for me!”

“Why not? Youcan’t afford it.”

“H-Hey …”

“That’snot what I meant! I mean, you’re a dance instructorin a shinobi village. A village that’s still recovering from a war.And I know for a fact that business for you hasn’t been all thatfrequent since the war started.I just want to do something nice for you, since I’m the one whoasked you to go with me …” He reached out and looked at the pricetag. Disguising his surprise with a couch, he dropped the tag andshrugged. “It’s not too expensive! It’s fine. But you gottamake sure - is this one you want?”

“Genma -”

“Is this the oneyou want?”

You turned to lookat yourself in the full-body mirror, examining the soft fabricflowing around you. It complimented your skin tone nicely and youreyes seemed to shine in the lights framing the mirror, though youwere partially convinced it was from how happy you were. You wereabsolutely glowing and a happy smile spread across your face as youcaught sight of Genma standing behind you in the mirror, looking atyou with admiration. Blushing warmly, you rubbed your arms and turnedaround.

“Yes,” youmurmured, “this is the one I want.”

“Good,” Genmasaid, grinning. “I hoped so. Alright, go get changed and we’llcheck out, huh?”

“Okay,” you saidbefore heading back into the stall to change back into your clothes.

“Andyou’re absolutely sure?”Genma asked through the door.

“Are you trying tomake me doubt myself? Because it’s working.”

“No - not that!But this shop has a No Returns policy, so …”

“Y-Yes, then! I’msure! Absolutely!”

“Okay … good.Uhm … I’ll go wait up front for you.”

Yousighed, looking at yourself in the mirrors lining the walls of thechanging room. You turned around, inspecting yourself from everyangle. Was this thedress you wanted? Pushing out all the negative thoughts and guiltthat clouded your mind, you stared at yourself from every angle inthe small room and nodded firmly. Yes. This was the dress. This wasyour dress.

Not wanting to keepGenma waiting any longer, you quickly changed clothes and joined himup front, the dress draped delicately over your arm.

The dance was beingheld at one of the buildings reconstructed by Yamato. It had beendecorated with paper lanterns, stone statues of lucky animals, andone corner held a small altar with burning incense so each guestcould pay respects for every life lost in the war. The buildingsmelled like jasmine and vanilla, but it wasn’t overpowering.Dozens of shinobi had already arrived and were dressed inuncomfortably formal attire. No one looked pleased and they were allstanding off to the side, muttering under their breaths about“wasting time” and how it was “silly” this had beenmandatory. Gai was there, looking surprisingly dapper in a tuxedowith a pressed white shirt and a flashy green tie. He smiled brightlyas you arrived, looking skittish and embarrassed to be surrounded bysuch powerful ninja.

“Hello!” Gaicalled, waving you over to the dessert table he was sitting beside inhis wheelchair. Kakashi was lounging there too, nose pressed into thepages of his book. He too was dressed in a suit, but had a smoothblack mask to match. You and Genma quickly walked over to the pairand you bowed in greeting; Genma merely gave a nod and Kakashi wavedback curtly.

“You lookradiant,” Gai said, beaming. “We had no idea you would be here!But it’s a pleasant surprise! Are you here to upstage us all? Youknow, I’ve still been practicing. This little injury can’t keepme down,” he said as he tapped on his wrapped leg. “Right,Kakashi?”

The silver-hairedjonin sighed “He’s been insisting we all practice together.”

“Oh good,” yousaid, lighting up. “So all my hard work hasn’t gone to waste!Thank you, Gai. I appreciate it.”

Kakashiblushed in embarrassment and looked away. “I - I didn’t say itwas a waste topractice …”

“Of course!” Gaishouted, giving you a thumbs up. “And I see - are you twotogether?”

You blushed hard butGenma stepped closer to throw an arm around your shoulder. “I askedher to the dance and she said yes,” he replied.

“Good for you!”Gai smiled. “I think you’re just about the only ones to get adate.” He looked around the room at the other shinobi and shook hishead. “It’s a bit pathetic isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t saythat,” you began, following his gaze. Your face fell when you sawthat everyone was standing around on the outskirts of the dancefloor, looking miserable and awkward. You saw Iruka was trying tohide from a hoard of some of the older retired kunoichi who had settheir sights on him. Yamato was standing by himself, looking the mostuncomfortable in a suit, talking to somebody about how he’d made thebuilding they were in - and the table they were using - and thechairs they were sitting in …

“Well?” Genmaasked, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?” you said,turning to look at him.

“Whatdo you say? No one else is going to start dancing without someincentive. You’rethe dance instructor. Why don’t you show them what all thoselessons were for?” He held out his hand and you tentatively tookit, squeezing his fingers in yours.

“Alright … uhm,who’s leading this time?”

Genma smirked andquirked one eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

Rolling your eyes,you turned to face him and placed your hand on his shoulder, his handfinding a place on your waist. “Fine, then. I guess we’ll startand see where it goes …”

“Sounds good tome.”

“We’ll do thefirst dance we learned … is that okay?”

“You’re theinstructor.”

“Yeah, but you’remy date.”

“Fair enough. It’sfine with me. That’s a dance we all attended classes for. Maybe wecan encourage them to join.”

Youlaughed softly and nodded. “Sure. We’ll go with that.” Slowlyyou took the lead, guiding Genma out towards the dance floor insmall, graceful steps. He followed suit, relinquishing leadership toyou as he’d done before. The music playing softly overhead didn’tmatch your pace nor your dance, and you tried to tune it out to countthe steps as you moved around the polished floor. As you spun around,you caught sight of the rest of the shinobi staring at you and youtripped over Genma’s feet and stopped, looking down in horror. Yourface burned hot at the realization that every single personin the room was watching you.

“Is somethingwrong?” Genma asked, trying to see your face.

You shook your headquickly, standing up and brushing your hair back. “I-It’s fine! Ijust got, uhm … c-caught up in … I was just di-distracted, wasall …”

“Right. That’sokay. Do you want to pick up where we left off?”

“Su-Sure.” Yourhands shook as you took your place flush against him again, nowcompletely aware of everyone staring at you. But unlike your dancelessons from before, these ninja wouldn’t just up and leave thebuilding. Tsunade was somewhere among the crowd watching, waiting,with hawk eyes to catch anyone trying to escape early.

Hesitantly, you bothbegan your dance around the room, less graceful this time around nowthat you were aware you were being watched. Your body tensed everytime your eyes shifted from Genma’s chest to over his shoulder. Gaiwas giving you the biggest grin you’d ever seen and two thumbs up,but everyone else seemed bored. At least they weren’t making fun ofyou … You tripped again, your mind caught up in the idea of all theshinobi laughing at you and you buried your face in your hands.

“Hey, it’salright,” Genma said, rolling the senbon around in his mouth.“You’re just nervous is all. I think everyone is. Why don’t weget a few more people out here and we can -?”

“No,” you saidsuddenly. “No, I - I’m … I’m done … for now.”

“But I -”

You shook your head,gathering up your skirt and hurrying off of the dance floor and intothe dimly lit edges of the room. Genma sighed heavily and followedafter you.

“Lovers’quarrel,” you heard someone mutter under their breath when youpassed by. Though their tone was joking you couldn’t help but feeleven more embarrassed. Not only had they seen you dancing andtripping, but they’d seen you run off without your date too. Thiswas getting worse and worse by the second.

“That was anabsolutely lovely dance,” Gai said when you brushed past him to getto the dessert table. “Your moves were so elegant and flawless!”

“Hm,” Kakashiadded, turning back to his book.

“Th-Thanks,” youmuttered, unable to look at either of them.

“Just promise meone thing,” Gai said, reaching out to touch your arm. You turned tolook at him, confused. He grinned and his eyes closed tight, “Promiseme you’ll save the last dance for me!”

Givinga forced giggle, you nodded. “Sure. I’ll do that …”Unfortunately Gai didn’t know that that probably wasyour last dance for the evening. You couldn’t imagine going backout there to make a fool of yourself again. Instead, you’d drownyour sorrows in chocolate and sweet red bean cakes. You fiddled witha tray of sweets while the rest of the shinobi continued to millabout uncomfortably. Genma appeared before you on the other side ofthe table and cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?Why don’t you want to dance? Is it me? I know I didn’t get in asmuch practice as I should’ve but, heh, I thought our privatelessons were pretty useful …” He grinned teasingly, but youweren’t amused.

Turning away, youfolded your arms across your chest. “D-Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Say stuff likethat! I-In front of people … You’re … you’re trying toembarrass me.”

Genma’s expressionshifted from entertainment to surprise. “No - No I’m not! I justdon’t know why you’re so embarrassed. I thought we were having agood time. I mean, you may have tripped up a few times but it wasgoing pretty well. What changed?”

You motioned towardsthe crowd of shinobi and backed up against the wall. “They’re allwatching me.”

“And?”

“And?And they’re - they’re watching me!I don’t want to dance in front of so many people … I’ve alreadymessed up twice.”

“Trust me, any oneof these guys would - and probably will - mess up way more thantwice. Besides, I think they were all staring at you because of howbeautiful you look and how well you dance.”

You flattened yourhands against your thighs, feeling the silk of your dress, and shookyour head. “You’re just saying that.”

“I am saying it.Because it’s true. Look at you! I bet everyone’s jealous I got togo with you.”

Blushing, you chewedon your bottom lip and looked up at him cautiously. “I don’tthink that’s true … but, I … uhm, thank you.”

Genma raised aneyebrow. “Whatever. You just don’t see yourself from myperspective. I’d be jealous if someone else went with you.” Hemade his way around the dessert table and reached down to take one ofyour hands in his. “You’ve spent a week giving us all lessons forthis very moment. Now you get to be here. Who cares if no one elsedances? Who cares if they all watch? I just wanna dance with youtonight.” He looked into your eyes, his mouth curving into a soft,genuine smile. “Will you dance with me tonight?”

A happy laughescaped your lips as you grabbed his other hand and pulled himcloser, resting your head against his chest. “Yes,” you said. “Iwill.”

“Good!” Genmagently led you towards the dance floor. “Let’s show these loserswhat real dancing is, huh?” He placed a hand on your waist andpulled you closer. “Just keep your eyes on me and don’t mindanyone else. Okay?”

“Okay …”

Swiftly, he took thelead and guided you around the room. Your eyes locked onto his, warmand comforting and reassuring. Your hand gripped his, he pulled youeven closer, and rest of the room melted away. It didn’t matter ifeveryone in the entire village was watching you. All that matteredwas you and Genma.

You threw one glanceover his shoulder and laughed at the expression on Gai’s face -some mix of excitement for getting to see you dance again andjealousy for not being able to participate. Genma followed your gazeand gave a quick nod to the wheelchair-bound shinobi.

“Don’t worry,”he said, “I’ll make sure you get the last dance with her.”Turning back to you, he leaned down and softly whispered, “But allthe other dances are mine.”

Your eyes flutteredclosed and you leaned your head against his shoulder. “Genma?”

“Yeah?”

“Justshut up and dance.”

[strangeinternetwasteland]

Kakashifest Rokudaime

Okay I want to apologize in the lateness of this, it took me sometime to write. I did have a bit of writers block with the ending. The hardest part was the editing. Also the first part is full of spelling errors and such but its suppose to be.

Kakashi Hatake: Best or Worste Hokage?

With The News of our 6th Hokage stepping down, we here at Konoha Daily have been following the story from the beginning. We have hard wrtten a lots of articles about the Rokudaime, and weather you agree with what we've written or not isn't the question. The question On our minds (as well as yours were sure) is, Is Kakashi Hatake the best or worst (joke-age) our wonderful, sweet village Konoha has ever had? So we set up a twitter pole and ask you to comment your opionoion!

At 8:00 am there was nothing written, but he knew at any moment that hell would break loose. The only thing worse that the poor grammar and lack of editing from Konoha Daily was the way it made money dragging his name in the dirt. He couldn't wait to see what other people had to say. He wasn't Hokage anymore so he needn't be so prudent about what he wrote on social media anymore.

He went about his usual business of reading from his favorite book, and drinking coffee until about 10 am. After checking his email and finding he had nothing but junk mail and spam, he decided to long onto twitter to check up on everyone's thoughts.

Konoha Daily @KonohaDaily

 Thank you to everyone! We value your opinion on the 6th hokage!

Sai @That_Guy_Sai

@KonohaDaily I feel as if the Hokage wasn't good because he lost his sharingan.

Yamato @Treeboy_Yamato

@KonohaDaily I think Senpai was okay but lazy

Shikamaru @Shika_ the_Genius

Replying to @Treeboy_Yamato Whats wrong with being lazy?

Gai @GreenBeastGai

@KonohaDaily He was great! He served in the springtime of his youth!

He wanted to respond but didn't want to be as petty as some of them were being currently. The only thing Konoha Daily wanted to do was get a reaction out of him. Deciding to let it go for now, and perhaps check back on it later to see how bad the damage would be, he decided to get his daily work out in. While trying to work out, he couldn't help but hear the murmurs and whispers of those who didn't approve of him. He knew those who did approve of him would smile and greet him warmly. How could one terrible publication take such a toll on his popularity or sway so many others opinions about him. After ending his work out early, due to all the gossip he heard about himself, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He logged once again into Twitter to see the damage that had been done to his reputation.

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake just now

I'd like to say @KonohaDaily do you ever edit the trash you post?

Lady Tsunade@ Itsme_LadyTsunade 2 hours ago

Kakashi was okay but he was always late @KonohaDaily

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

Replying to @Itsme_ LadyTsunade ALWAYS LATE! Even for training...Missions too!

Sakura Uchiha @Uchiha_Sakura

Replying to @ Itsme_LadyTsunade and @Nardsthe7th Always late and had bogus excuses...Getting lost on the path of life, WTF?

Sasuke Uchiha @ShadowKage

@NardsThe7th @Itsme_LadyTsunade @Uchiha_Sakura He was as useless as Sakura during the fight against Madara

Sure, Kakashi was a bit of a grump, but who wouldn't be after serving Konoha after all those years? Even his own students were against him. What about all those good things he did for the village? Where was all the support for him. He didn't like that people couldn't tell him how they actually felt to his face. If they really thought all of this the whole time, why would the village even put  him in as Hokage?  He decided that sometimes people have an easier time writing what they feel rather than in person. Kakashi decided  to respond, what else could he do to clear his good name?

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

I guess I can appreciate the honestly given to me. Thanks for putting up with me for as long as

you did.

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

@That_Guy_Sai I may have lost my Sharingan but I did create a new jutsu

@Treeboy_Yamato I'm lazy? Not really, apathetic, and nonchalant maybe. Please tell me

how I'm lazy.

@GreenBeastGai I suppose my eternal rival is on my side

@Itsme_LadyTsunade at least I don't have a gambling or drinking problem

@Nardsthe7th Maybe I was always slate because I was tired of your whiny ass crying

over Sasuke

@Uchiha_Sakura You were always useless and you're excuses for Sasuke were bogus

@ShadowKage You're a little dick, get over your problems and come actually be a father.

Kakashi knew what he wrote wasn't nice, but even he could give what they were dishing to him. He never meant to get on that level of petty, but what choice did he really have?  He wasn't Hokage anymore. Perhaps, they could just chalk all this grumpiness to wanting to be retired and working hard for the village? Kakashi resolved on ignoring what Twitter war he'd begun,  and began to settle in to take a nap. He was finally in a comfortable position, when he heard the little pings of notifications echoing throughout his apartment from his laptop and his cell phone.

Konoha Daily @KonohaDaily

@KakashiHatake Oh Welcome! Thank you for joining our little dedication to you! Would you like to do some work and help us or just be the lazy Hokage?

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @KonohaDaily while Hokage there was no war, and because of that I ushered in change, which included technology and infrastructure. I defined a new, better era for our Village. Plus, I did command all forces during the Great Fourth Shinobi War. Tell me what else I did wrong, Please.

Sai @That_Guy_Sai

@KakashiHatake You know I really don't care ;)

Yamato @Treeboy_Yamato

Replying to @KakashiHatake Senpai that time while training Naruto you read the whole time

Lady Tsunade @Itsme_LadyTsunade

Replying to @KakashiHatake Low Blow Hatake! Really Low Blow... Besides, what are you hiding underneath that mask? I bet you're not really all that underneath it.

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

Replying to @KakashiHatake Well he is my best friend and leave him alone he's helping out the village in his own way

Sakura Uchiha @Uchiha_Sakura

Replying to @KakashiHatake Come say that to my face I'll beat your ass. All the times I   healed you...

Sasuke Uchiha @ShadowKage

Replying @KakashiHatake Maybe you should focus on your own pathetic life...Not married   and no kids. You killed your friends, and you're just a lonely grumpy old man.

Konoha Daily @KonohaDaily

Replying to @KakashiHatake Maybe you should have focused on education instead of

working on infrastructure and electronics, if you think we are so bad at our job.

Debating on whether or not to actually let this fight continue, Kakashi sighed. He realized it was getting bad. 'Maybe I should just say sorry and end it all' he thought. Even though he was being sarcastic, he didn't realize how misconstrued his comments could have been, and how mean they actually were. Everyone that knew him, had to know he was being sarcastic. He wouldn't really intentionally hurt their feelings like that.  After a few beats, he sighed again, putting his fingers back to the keyboard to apologize, when he heard the multiple pings again.

Yamato @Treeboy_Yamato

Replying to @KakashiHatake I mean, I even made a bench for you so you could read that   damn Icha Icha book, you pervert.

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @NardsThe7th Just remember who actually let him leave the village the first time. I fought hard for him to be able to do it too. I know he was on a journey of repentance, then, and now he's on a journey of another sort.

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @Uchiha_Sakura I'm not scared of you Sakura. I never really was, should I be

shaking in my sandals?

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @Shadowkage Why would I get married? I am afraid that if I did have a kid it would end up like you.

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @KonohaDaily It's called spell check, use it sometime. I can't help idiots, just ask

@NardsThe7th

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @Treeboy_Yamato That was one damn time! If it was such a big deal, you shouldn't have offered

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

Replying to @Itsme_LadyTsunade Come and find out what I am hiding behind this mask. I mean my team tried so hard for so long and look at where that got them.

Immediately he regretted what about he had written to Sasuke. He really didn't like the feeling of everyone ganging up on him and attacking him.  The responses were immediate.

Konoha Daily @KonohaDaily

Replying to @KakashiHatake Maybe if you did your job the first time... Also our Hokage isn't an idiot. He is a hero.

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

Replying to @KakashiHatake You're right. Thank you for letting my best friend free to do what he needed to do. It really helped him out in life. He may not be in his daughter's life, but he is helping me out/

Sakura Uchiha @Sakura_Uchiha

Replying to @KakashiHatake I think you need a physical reminder of whose pupil I really am...

>:(

Sasuke Uchiha @ShadowKage

Replying to @KakashiHatake You're just forever alone old man. Don't be jealous.

Yamato @Treeboy_Yamato

Replying to @KakashiHatake Senpai, I am still mad.

Lady Tsunade @Itsme_LadyTsunade

Replying to @KakashiHatake I've seen it, and I am not that impressed

Kakashi was ready to give up all of this just say he was sorry and that it was all a bad joke. That his bad mood was attributed to the fact that he didn't feel as if he did the best he could as Hokage when.... PING!...PING!...PING! 'Now what else do they have to say?' he thought bitterly.

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

@KonohaDaily@Treeboy_Yamato @Uchiha_Sakura that_Guy_Sai @Itsme_LadyTsunade

@KakashiHatake @ShadowKage Come on Guys! I know that Kakashi-sensei has his quirks but he was good to us. He taught us how to work together as a team even if we didn't always   want to. He taught us that we should never give up on our dreams.

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

@KonohaDaily@Treeboy_Yamato @Uchiha_Sakura @That_Guy_Sai @Itsme_LadyTsunade

@KakashiHatake @ShadowKage Even if your past is full of regrets, learning from our mistakes helps us be good shinobi. He was a great strategist, and he was the one picked to lead us all in the Great Fourth War. Also, in the time of peace he did bring about good change into t he village.

Naruto Uzamaki @NardsThe7th

@KonohaDaily@Treeboy_Yamato @Uchiha_Sakura @That_Guy_Sai @Itsme_LadyTsunade

@KakashiHatake @ShadowKage Most of all, even if he's a little grumpy in his retirement, he didn't give up on us, and let us learn in our own way. Kakashi Hatake is a great friend, shinobi and an amazing Hokage! Even if you do call me an idiot.

Kakashi stared hard at the screen. The words that were written were not what he was expecting, His heart felt full. All the time he spent training Naruto he had been impressed many time, and this was no exception. He always knew Naruto wasn't a complete idiot, but that he was always capricious.

Lady Tsunade @Itsme_LadyTsunade

@KakashiHatake If I honestly didn't think you were going to be a good Hokage, I wouldn't have let you do it. So yeah, @NardsThe7th he was a damn good Hokage

Yamato @Treeboy_Yamato

@KakashiHatake I owe you a lot. You were my role model Senpai. Thank you!

Sakura Uchiha @Uchiha_Sakura

@KakashiHatake  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get as strong as Naruto and

Sasuke.

Sasuke Uchiha @ShadowKage

@KakashiHatake Thanks Sensei.

For the first time in a long time, Kakashi wanted to cry. All his life he worked hard and the events in his life had changed him again and again. This, however, had taken a lifetime to happen. He never knew that he could feel so loved, and love others in return. As he was reminiscing, he decided that maybe his life so far was pretty alright. He took to the keyboard one last time

Kakashi Hatake @KakashiHatake

@Treeboy_Yamato @Uchiha_Sakura @That_Guy_Sai @Itsme_LadyTsunade @ShadowKage

I want you all to know that I'm sorry for the awful things I've said on here. It wasn't right. I am having a hard time heading into retirement but I really do love you guys!

Kakashi felt like he did something right in his life after reading all these comments. Maybe he was a bit of a grump, but he really couldn't've been any happier with where his life was in this moment. Maybe retirement wouldn't be so bad.

[kuriquinn]

Once and Future [7/7]

Title: Sowing Season

Disclaimer & Masterpost

AN: Hah! Finally completed my NarutoWeek2017 fic! Drinks all around! (only, you know, not really, because I don’t drink...)

Kakashi stands on the roof of the Hokage Tower, gazing down upon the village that he is now in charge of.

In the distance, construction has started on Hokage Rock, builders and sculptors etching his face on to the mountain. He’s still not quite sure how to feel about the whole thing – he thinks Obito would have a lot to say on the subject if he were here. As it is, he’s had to deal with Naruto petitioning to have the rock-face carved without Kakashi’s mask.

I’ve got to give it to him, he managed to get a decent following on that front, too. Almost enough people to make it happen.

He smirks to himself, wondering idly if the joke he shares with his former students will ever get old – and then sighs again when it remembers that at least two of those former students are far too occupied with other matters these days to care.

Konoha is a village in transition, with the ruins of the old core being lovingly put back together by its inhabitants. A new business quarter is in the building process on the outskirts, and far above Hokage Rock surveying has already started on another section.

Since the end of the war, migrant workers and refugees have been keen on setting up shop here, lured by the promise of work and raising their children in the same village where Naruto Uzumaki was born. Franchisers and moneylenders are keen to capitalise on this, too. Kakashi personally finds it distasteful, but with the economy still in recovery following Pein’s attack and the War, the village can’t afford to be picky.

A problem for another day, he decides, shrugging his shoulders. He is keen to head home.

It’s rare that he ever gets away from work before sunset these days, and he’s looking forward to eating something that’s actually cooked instead of out of a cup. Either he’ll visit Gai, who has taken up fine cuisine as his latest hobby, or see if Manako wants to go out for a meal. She might not be a fan of cooking, herself, but she has a talent for suggesting the perfect take-out for any occasion.

Honestly, he’s not picky as long as he doesn’t have to make anymore decisions today –

“Lord Kakashi! There you are!” Shizune calls.

So close… Kakashi’s shoulders droop, and he mutters, “Knock it off with the ‘lord’ thing…”

“I know you’re about to leave, but there are a few things we still need to go over first,” his assistant says.

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” he asks, trying not to sound like he’s whining. Shizune puts her hands on her hips, and beside her Ton Ton emits an unimpressed oink! and sighs. “Alright, let’s go back downstairs…”

Once he’s firmly trapped – or comfortably seated – behind the desk, Shizune flips open her ever-present notepad and begins to run through the items.

“We’ve just received another two letters from the Raikage demanding information about Sasuke Uchiha,” she tells him.

“Well, that’s slightly below average,” Kakashi remarks mildly. “He must be cooling off.”

“It seems so. Shall we give him the same answer as usual?”

Kakashi nods. “Sasuke Uchiha will face Konoha’s justice, which will take into account all of his actions in the war. As such, there will be no extradition.”

Shizune purses her lips at this. She’s one of the people who considers this a lax handling of the former missing-nin’s case – she took it to heart that he intended to kill her master – but Kakashi knows she’ll eventually get over it.

He’s seen Sasuke go through hell and fall to the worst darkness imaginable before coming back. If Kakashi has to put every part of himself on the line to ensure the kid has a decent shot at a future, he’ll do it. He owes him that much – he owes all of his former genin squad that much.  

“The Mizukage is requesting a private meeting with you,” Shizune goes on eventually, knowing that any commentary on the issue of Sasuke will be ignored. “Something about nectar imports? Which is sort of odd for this time of year…”

“And not really something I handle,” Kakashi says. “That’s more the business sector, isn’t it?”

“I think she’s angling for a date, Lord Sixth.”

Kakashi shudders. “Uh, I’m unavailable. Forever, I think, if I remember how the vows go. Have Shikamaru take that one.”

“He’s not going to be happy about it.”

“Tough.”

Shizune checks something off in the notebook. “Iwa’s responding to the query we sent out a few weeks ago, about the Chūnin Exam. They’re onboard.”

“Which means it’s only Kiri and Kumo that haven’t responded yet. Have Shikamaru bring that up when he meets the Mizukage. And while you’re at it, add a note about it to the reply to the Raikage.”

“Right.” Another check. “The Elders want to discuss rezoning the village.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“And what particularly do they want to discuss?” Kakashi challenges, eyes narrowed.

“Well…”

“It’s the Uchiha compound, isn’t it?”

“To be fair, it’s not so much a compound anymore as a bunch of ruins,” Shizune says nervously, “so I can sort of see their point –”

“We’re not touching it.”

“But Lord Sixth –”

“No one in this village is being rezoned without having a say in the matter, and until the Uchiha clan – such as it is – is able to offer input on the subject, the compound stays.”

“Lord Kakashi, they don’t have to wait on your approval,” Shizune reminds him quietly, “you might as well at least try to salvage part of it while you can.”

“I know they don’t have to wait on my approval. But I also have no intention of supporting a decision that ignores the interests of a member of this village. Sasuke might not care now, but in the future he will. Besides, Naruto will nag me about until he drives me insane,” Kakashi replies. “He’s not about to allow the Uchiha legacy to be erased any further. And knowing him, he’ll end up getting the whole village standing in front of construction crews and protesting in the streets.” He leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest. “I can pick my battles. So can the Elders.”

“They’re not going to be happy about that,” Shizune remarks uncertainty.

“And again, I say – tough.”

If he had his way, he’d have removed Koharu and Homura from their positions as soon as he took office. But as he told Shizune, he knows how to pick his battles. Getting rid of the Elders, or the institution that supports them, is something he isn’t equipped for right now. And his goals extend beyond his own simple distrust of them – he intends the next generation of Konoha’s villagers to be safe and unafraid to use their voices.

Not ruled by the machinations of those in the shadows, he decides. If that’s the only legacy he can pass on to Naruto, it’s one he’s totally committed to.

“Uh…moving on. There’s an artist of some sort from Iwa that wants to meet with you. It has something to do with permission he needs to work on some collectable cards? I’m not really sure I understood the message…”

“That doesn’t sound urgent, let’s deal with it tomorrow. Anything else?”

“Captain Yamato sent a clone to speak to you. Updates about his surveillance mission I imagine.”

Kakashi sighs.

“If it makes you feel any better, it’s the last thing on the list and then you can go home.”

“As long as you don’t find anything else for me to do, right?” Kakashi challenges, and Shizune shifts her weight, a guilty expression on her face. “Fine. Send him in.”

As she disappears, Kakashi rubs the back of his head, trying to figure out where the paperwork ends and where his desk begins. In the one corner that isn’t obscured with memos, the photograph of Team 7 offers him a rare reminder of why he bothers with all of this.

Taking the frame in hand, he stares down at the familiar faces, hit once again with the disbelief that they are all still here and alive. He can see any of them at any point if he so chooses (although Sasuke isn’t big on talking these days, which is understandable) and he no longer has to lie awake at night trying to ensure they all survive to adulthood.

Naruto is his usual self once more, resilient as ever. He might be committed to becoming Hokage and enduring Iruka’s private training sessions, but he’s irrepressible as ever. There’s even been some instances of graffiti in the village the Kakashi feels certain he’s responsible for.

Sasuke might not be talkative, but when he does speak it is with candor and a genuine tone of remorse for his actions. Even Ibiki is impressed by the level of cooperation and has even agreed to testify as to Sasuke’s character when it comes time to present his case. It’s a testimony that will go a long way, considering the head of Torture and Interrogation has absolutely no stake in the remaining Uchiha’s rehabilitation.

Sakura isn’t quite back to normal, but whenever she sees him she has a smile at the ready. There was a rough patch in the first month following the end of the war – and a week in the psyche ward that Tsunade refuses to elaborate on – but her work in the hospital keeps her busy. And she’s visiting Sasuke on a regular basis, which is a relief.

Maybe Kakashi’s an old romantic, but there’s something fundamentally wrong with a world where Sakura might not forgive Sasuke. Or where her feelings for him don’t endure. Even knowing that not every story ends happily, and that there is still the possibility of it going wrong, Kakashi continues to bet on them even after all these years.

Literally.

He has an ongoing wager with Tsunade, who says Sasuke is too damaged for them to ever have a future. The Legendary Sucker is his guarantee that his former students – his friends – will one day be happy.

Now it’s just Naruto who needs to get a clue, he thinks to himself as Tenzou’s clone wanders in.

“Lord Hokage,” he says, bowing.

“Knock it off with the ‘lord’ stuff,” Kakashi grumbles.

“Hey, you wanted to be Hokage –”

“No, I didn’t –”

“ – so now you can be ‘Lord Hokage’ with a vengeance.”

“I should put you on latrine duty…”

“You’ve already got me following around a snake, it wouldn’t be much different.”

“You did volunteer,” Kakashi reminds him.

They smirk at one another, and Kakashi leans backward. “Alright. What’s the news?”

“Orochimaru is back in his hide-out.”

“The one close to Konoha, I gather, considering your presence.”

“Yes. He seems to want to stay close, in spite of his recent trip to Suna.”

“Did you check in with the Kazekage?”

“Yes. Lord Gaara said Orochimaru simply wanted access to some old storage. I managed to get a look at the information he was after first – I think the old bastard wanted me to see it, to be honest – but there was nothing dangerous in it as far as I can tell.”

“Fine. Continue to monitor the situation. I’m surprised Gaara allowed him that much.”

“I think Gaara is giving him a chance,” Tenzō muses, “but then again, Orochimaru is sneaky. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to pull something off under all our noses.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Kakashi says, fishing in his slew of papers for a particular memo. Once he finds it, he passes it to Tenzō. “Look at this.”

His former subordinate frowns at the paper. “What is it?”

“That’s a petition sent out by the new council in Oto. They want official recognition as a legitimate shinobi village.”

Tenzō gapes. “Are you actually considering it?”

“It’s a topic of discussion,” Kakashi confirms, taking back the paper. “There would be conditions, of course. Curbing the violence there is a main one. Another is that Orochimaru will no longer have decision-making powers. The fact that they could even demand that without worrying he’d kill them suggests he might be more interested in other things these days. In any case, it will be a long time before anything officially happens.”

He can see that Tenzō continues to have reservations, but he doesn’t air them.

The two of them converse a little longer, but eventually the clone disappears. Either Tenzō has moved out of range, or he no longer has the energy to maintain the jutsu. In any case, Shizune is nowhere to be found and Kakashi doesn’t want to waste another second at the office.

He practically sprints from the Tower to his apartment, and then half-way there thinks better of it.

People know to look for him there, and he just wants a few hours of peace and quiet.

(It’s an indication of how desperate he is, considering there is nothing quiet or peaceful about Manako.)

The tiny flat above the demolition and supply shop is brightly lit when he gets there, suggesting she is still awake. As usual, he bypasses the front door, choosing instead to climb inside through the window. Upon entering, he inhales the mouth-watering scent of food. It seems he was right – somehow, without him even asking her, she’s already brought take-out from their favourite yōshoku restaurant.

He wanders past the spread on the table and into the living room where his partner is curled up on the couch.

She’s wearing nothing but one of his long shirts, boxers and a pair of thick socks, swinging her feet back and forth while she scribbles something on a pad of paper. Probably calculations for a new explosive device or other.

“I don’t care what they say about you, you are a good woman,” he tells her as he falls heavily onto the empty space beside her. He lets his head fall back on the pillow and considers the merits of sleeping now and eating later.

Hot food or cold food…yet another decision…

 “Don’t spread rumours,” Manako tells him. “I just don’t feel like scrounging for food the rest of the week, so I ordered a lot. For leftovers.”

“Oh. Of course,” he allows. “Let me never again mistake your laziness for forethought.”

“Damn straight.”

She pushes away the page of calculations and sits up, appraising him. “You look like crap.”

“I feel like it.”

“The Icha Icha movie is on in fifteen minutes if you want to watch. Might make you feel better.”

Kakashi grunts in agreement. He likes that idea.

“I don’t care what we do as long as I don’t have to think about it. All day long, people bringing me news, expecting me to make decisions – it’s exhausting.”

Manako is quiet for a long moment at this, and he figures there’s a fifty-fifty chance of her mocking him for whining or showing a rare bit of sympathy and offering him a neck massage. He really hopes it’s the latter.

“I guess now’s probably not the best time to tell you I’m pregnant, then,” she says instead.

Kakashi snorts. Figured it would be closer to the first option.

“Yeah, now would not be a good time…”

“Well, too bad,” she retorts, “because I am.”

Kakashi cracks one eye open and glares at her. “Seriously, that’s not funny. I’ve had a long day.”

“Seriously, I’m not joking,” she snaps. “There are about six pee-sticks in the bathroom that can show you how much I’m not joking.”

Silence fills the apartment, and as every second ticks by, it becomes more and more evident that she’s being completely serious.

“So,” she eventually says, arranging herself on the couch with her ankles and arms both crossed, raising an eyebrow at him in challenge, “let’s discuss.”

終わり

Yes, it’s a little bit of a cliffy/open-ended ending, but I thought that was appropriate given the flow of the entire fic. It is all about laying the groundwork for the future, so I hope I’ve managed that.

Thank you all for reading! Reviews and concrit are much appreciated - and if you’re feeling generous, I also accept tips through ko-fi (just scroll to the top and click the button!)

クリ