English is not my mother tongue so this may be plenty of errors. Sorry! Feel free to correct my grammar, please!
Disclaimer: these characters and universe aren't mine, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto
"Senpai?"
"Yes?" Kakashi answered without looking away from the small bonfire that was saving them from that cold night. He had a stick in his hand and he was spending the night tapping the logs that burned before him. There wasn't much to do in long nights like that one. His subordinates were sleeping.
For some reason, Tenzou hadn't gone to sleep, even if he didn't have to keep watch at that time. It was something he used to do; instead of going to sleep like his colleges, he decided to stay awake and talk with his captain. He was a peculiar person, or at least that was what Kakashi though. It was a strange behaviour, and very impractical. It didn't event crossed his mind that someone liked spending time with him voluntarily. Not now, when he was known because of his cold blood and his habit of killing teammates. His subordinates respected him. But nobody approached him more than necessary.
But Tenzou wasn't like that. He mover nervously and looked at Kakashi like if he was going to ask something he had been thinking for a long time. "Hmmm… Why 'Tenzou'?"
Kakashi was expecting anything but that question. He chosed that name, given that Tenzou, who had been Kinoe, was a ninja with no name and he depended on nicknames which changed all the time. Kakashi, as the captain of his team, had had to choose his name. Instead of inventing one, he decided to use a name that already sounded familiar to his subordinate. "Wel…" Kakashi answered, with his eyes still fixed on the fire "It's how that girl called you". That wasn't the reason, but it wasn't a lie either. If I hadn't been for that girl, Kakashi would have never heard of the name 'Tenzou'.
"Yeah, but…" Tenzou didn't seem convinced by that argument "I feel like if I was stealing someone else's name. You don't really think I was the boy Yukimi was looking for, do you?"
"I don't know and we'll never know, because you don't remember anything about it" Kakashi looked towards Tenzou for the first time in that conversation. In fact, he didn't need to look at him to know how was he reacting to everything he said. He had already analysed his gestures long ago, without being able to avoid it. Now he could predict him and see him in his mind. He knew that he had long and brown hair and that someday he'll cut it, because he kept putting it away from his face. He also knew that at first sight you'll never know if he was a man or a woman. That he was kind, that he got nervous when he talked to him because he respected him too much. That sometimes he hesitated and other times he talked with a great determination. That he read books about architecture and art when he thought that no one was looking. That he was forming his ideals as a ninja after going through a terrible time. Tenzou was much more than a grey uniform with a mask and no one seemed to care. Tenzou was a mystery for him. A unique ninja.
"So…?" Tenzou answered eagerly. Kakashi was avoiding his question and he was learning to identify when that happened, because it was something his captain did a lot. He started to resign to not knowing the answer. It wouldn't be the first time.
"No, I didn't choose that name because of Yukimi. I chose it because… it reflects how unique you are"
Tenzou looked away, embarrassed by Kakashi's response. Kakashi didn't usually praise people. He knew what his name meant*, and that was the reason why he was asking. Because codenames used to be something more empty and plain. Like 'Kinoe'. And he wanted to know if his name was a random choice or if there was a special reason why Kakashi had chosen it. It seemed that the answer was yes.
Deep inside, he couldn't resist hearing positive remarks from Kakashi, that ninja who seemed to step away from anyone who tried to develop a relationship with him. That ninja he almost killed a year ago and who had saved him from Danzou and his harmful training. Deep inside, he wanted to hear him saying that. He felt vain, but Tenzou knew that he needed someone who valued him. And Kakashi was the closest thing to a friend for him. Even if he didn't deserve him.
Kakashi drop the little stick he was holding. He felt relieved when he noticed that Tenzou wasn't going to answer, because the conversation was crossing the line of what he liked to confess to others. His demons weren't something the liked to express.
For him, Tenzou was a miracle. The only ninja who had survived to Orochimaru's experiments. The only living ninja who could use the Mokuton. And when Tenzou used his techniques, he created life. He created trees, flowers, water. He built bridges to cross frontiers and houses to shelter.
Tenzou's power was creating, not destroying. Protecting instead of killing.
Kakashi's power, on the other hand, was lethal. His most used technique was a mass of rays that turned his right hand into one of the deadliest weapons the enemy had ever seen. He had created that technique in a difficult time of his life and he had used it to kill loads of ninjas. And some comrades. While he could create storms and break trees in two, Tenzou could create a forest. While Kakashi hit a ninja in his chest with his lightning, Tenzou trapped the enemy with a harmless wood prison. When he fought, Tenzou seemed like a god instead of an assassin. And Kakashi couldn't help marvelling before him, because he had turned into an assassin long ago.
Both ninjas remained silent. Kakashi fled form his thoughts and decided to break the silence, getting up and collecting his stuff. "It's less dark now. We should get going". Tenzou smiled in the absence of a response from his captain. Deep down, he didn't need it. He got up too and went to awake his teammates.
Both shinobi continued walking with the burden of those words that weren't pronounced and that showed how much they admired each other without knowing it. But, even if they weren't very good at talking, they were both elite ninjas, and one thing was clear. Two kinds of people are needed in a team: one who grabs the enemy and other that gives the final blow.
*"Tenzou" means "heavenly creation", in other words, that which is created by nature and not by humans.