Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Three Days with Sensei
Day One
"I hope you haven't been wasting away here."
"No. Not when I've got stupid Kakashi-sensei breathing down my back!"
He couldn't say for sure what had woken him up early from his slumber. Naruto was one of the soundest sleepers in Konoha, and normally nothing could easily wake him. Yet, that night, as the moon shined with the stars in the night sky, his blue eyes suddenly fluttered open, silence greeting him from his dreams.
He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, smacking his lips in order to rid himself of the dryness that had settled in his mouth while he had slept. He blinked several times in order to clear the haziness of his vision before he sighed, looking around quietly. His blue eyes fell upon the cat sleeping at the end of his bed, a small smile stretching across his sleepy lips before he carefully peeled himself from his sheets and stood to his feet. A shiver racked through him as the bare soles of his feet planted securely to the wood floor of his bedroom.
"Man, I'm tired." With a loud yawn, the blond headed out of his room, flicking the light on and glancing around the empty living room. He sighed, trudging towards the kitchen in order to pour himself some milk and heat it up; it was something Karibi usually did, but seeing as she was still away on her mission, he had no choice but to do it himself.
After sticking his mug of milk into the microwave, Naruto sat at the kitchen table, propping his head up with his hand and shutting his eyes. His lips parted as his breathing began to steady, and for a moment, he had almost been lost in sleep until his head slipped and he jerked awake. Taking a moment to settle from the unexpected motion of his head, the genin leaned back in his seat and watched as the seconds ticked by on the timer of the microwave.
Hopping to his feet, Naruto smiled happily as the microwave beeped, signaling the end of the time. Carefully, he grabbed the mug by the handle before he sipped on the milk and let out a satisfied breath; warm milk was truly the best.
Without hesitation, the blond made his way towards the couch, leaving the kitchen light on. He plopped down on the cushion and leaned back, taking one more gulp before he looked around his quiet apartment.
It was always emptier without Karibi there. The emptiness had been something Naruto had grown accustomed to as a child, but when he began living with Karibi, he had suddenly forgotten what it was like to sit alone in the corner—he had forgotten the feeling of isolation and sorrow every time he walked through the door, only to be greeted by utter silence. Now, he had Karibi—and when Karibi was gone, he had Kushito waiting ever so patiently for his arrival. Now, the feeling of loneliness was a bit more foreign to the jinchuriki.
Now, he understood what it was like to have someone to call family.
Finishing his milk, the 12-year-old set the mug on the tea table, forgetting about it instantly as he rose to his feet. He began to make his way back to his room, feeling a bit drowsier and light-headed, but he paused as his eyes caught sight of Karibi's open room door. With a solemn expression, the young boy quietly padded his way to her room, creaking the door open and poking his head inside. The light of the moon and stars lit the room through the darkness, his gaze lingering on the dream-catcher that hung by the window; it's shadow cascaded down to the floor and stretched out through the room. With a bit more assertiveness that he normally had, Naruto ventured into his guardian's room and smiled, the familiar scent of her shampoo filling his nose. Without a second thought, he jumped into her made bed and flopped on to the mattress, rolling around her comforter and sheet before he burrowed himself underneath it all and let out a content sigh.
And there, he slept until morning came.
§
"Just make sure to keep an eye on him," was what Karibi had asked of Kakashi with a wave and a wink. And although she hadn't given him time to respond to her request, they had both known what his response was going to be; he rarely ever said no to her.
Sitting patiently on the rooftop of the apartment complex across the street, the jonin read through his book, sensing Naruto's chakra stirring as he began to awaken from his slumber. His one eye remained glued to his page as he read the paragraph he had left off on the night before. And as he nearly reached the climax of the story, he glanced across the way and watched as Naruto appeared from inside of his home, dressed and ready for the morning. With the same grin he always wore, the genin leaped off from the level of his apartment and landed on the ground safely before he headed down the road towards the usual spot he and the rest of Team Seven met at.
And once he disappeared around the corner, Kakashi stood to his feet and headed to the KIA stone.
These days, Kakashi was much better. To tell the truth, he hadn't had many nightmares since he had begun training and going on missions with the genin; just as the Hokage had thought, they were good for him. Even still, the man made sure to stop by the stone every morning in order to pay his respects to all of his lost loved ones—the people he vowed he would never forget. And although he always managed to lose track of time, and it caused him to arrive late to see his team, he didn't mind so much.
"...You'd be proud of him, Minato-sensei," Kakashi quietly muttered as he smiled softly from under his mask. "He's already grown so much since then. Karibi, as well."
I need you to do this job and do it well.
It had all been thanks to his former sensei—him meeting Karibi. Had he not been given that mission, he wasn't sure where he would be now—where Karibi would be now. And although it had been hard and rocky and nearly impossible, they had overcome it all together; the saying, "everything happens for a reason" never seemed more true than in that moment.
"...I'll make sure nothing happens to them, sensei." Hand closing into a tight fist, Kakashi stared intently down at the man's name that was carved on to the black monument. "No matter what."
§
He had been in the middle of a mission with the genin when the Hokage's hawk had been soaring in circles above his head. At first, he hadn't been sure why his fearless leader had been calling for him, but as he thought more and more about it, an unsettling gurgle and bubble began to stir inside of the the jonin's gut. He tried to push aside his growing anxiety, but upon arriving to Sandaime's office, his suspicions had been proven right.
"I'm afraid Karibi has suffered severely from her last mission." Kakashi's one eye widened as the Hokage sat in his seat with the utmost composure, though the concern gleamed in his weary eyes. "It seems she was heavily poisoned."
"Where is she?" Kakashi didn't hesitate; he was going to get her.
Holding his hand up, the Third shook his head. "There's no need. Someone has already volunteered to retrieve her and bring her to the hospital. She should be arriving within the next thirty minutes." Kakashi tried not to seem as disturbed as he felt. "However, I have called you here for a different reason."
"Sandaime-sama?"
"I'm sure there's no need for me to ask this of you, but in Karibi's absence I would like you to keep a close eye on Naruto." Kakashi relaxed, nodding his head.
"Yes, sir."
"Although her condition is critical, I have no doubt in my mind she will overcome this. Karibi has been one of the strongest kunoichi of the village." Not only that, but she was quite stubborn when she wanted to be. "And I would hate for her to awaken to bad news about Naruto." He was sure if something happened to the blond boy, no one in the village would rest until Karibi settled it in her own way.
"Has anyone told Naruto about this?" Kakashi inquired hesitantly while the Hokage briefly grimaced.
"Not yet. News like this must be given to him properly." Naruto was rather fragile when it came to bad news about Karibi.
"...I'll do it." Hiruzen blinked, caught off guard by Kakashi's offer, and judging by the calmness in his eyes and the way his shoulders seemed relaxed, he truly had no issues conveying the news to Naruto.
"Are you sure?"
"I have no problem, sir," Kakashi assured before the Third nodded.
"Thank you. You are dismissed, for now."
§
"Naruto." Looking up from digging the large weed from the garden, said genin raised a brow while his sensei approached him with his hands in his pockets.
"Kakashi-sensei, where did you go?" Sakura asked curiously as she tucked some hair behind her ears and out of her face while Sasuke glanced up, though he continued working diligently. The jonin merely smiled at her before he turned to the blond.
"I have a job for you, Naruto." That made the blond's eyes sparkle.
"What, what, what?!" he asked hurriedly as he stumbled to his feet and began to trail after his teacher.
"Follow me. Sakura, Sasuke, keeping digging those weeds for Kurosaki-san."
"Hai!" Sakura quickly got back to work, though her sea-green eyes trailed after her teammate and sensei.
"...Sasuke-kun, what do you think they're doing?" Said genin looked up from his root, watching Naruto and Kakashi before he shrugged and looked back down to his work.
"Who knows. This just means less work for us," Sasuke simply stated as he tugged the weed out from the dry dirt, specks sputtering into the air. "He was making a bigger mess, anyways."
§
Trailing after the jonin, Naruto eyed the man suspiciously, Kakashi merely walking ahead until he was stopped in front of a red barn. "Go ahead," the 26-year-old said calmly, causing a shiver to run up Naruto's back; something was definitely off.
Hesitantly, the genin stepped through the threshold of the barn, glancing around at the stalls; each stall had a horse standing inside. "What're we doing, sensei?" Naruto asked innocently while Kakashi stepped up beside him, his feet picking up dust with each step he took.
"See that last stall to the left?" the silver-haired ninja asked while his student slowly nodded. "Go." Narrowing his eyes at the man, Naruto did as told, though he made sure to be cautious with his steps. Finally, as he stepped up to the stall, he blinked, finding a mare laying on a patch of hay while its foal stood beside her. He blinked, looking back at his sense—who was now standing right beside him.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I want you to look after this horse's foal for a bit. Looks like she's unwell and Kurosaki-san is going to have a vet come look at her." Naruto frowned, looking at his sensei with a puzzled stare.
"How the heck am I supposed to take care of that thing?" Kakashi shrugged before he began to walk away.
"I'm sure you can figure it out. After all, if you want to become Hokage, you must learn how to cope with those who are going through traumatic and stressful events in their lives." Naruto scoffed, crossing his arms and watching as his teacher disappeared into the distance, leaving him with the baby horse. He stared at the animal, letting out a defeated sigh before he opened the stall door. It creaked loudly in the silence, causing the blond to cringe before he relaxed, catching the foal's attention.
"Uh...Hey...You...You wanna go outside for a little or some...thing?" Naruto waited, expecting the worst; kicking, charging, crying and whining even.
None of that came.
Instead, the brown baby horse slowly trotted out of the stall, waiting patiently for Naruto to guide him towards the fenced pen. The genin hesitantly took the lead, walking half a step in front of the animal while it followed after him. Once completely outside, the young boy and the young horse stood in the calmness of the moment, the foal lingering around Naruto.
"...What the hell am I supposed to do now?" the blond muttered with a pout as he watched the baby horse lean its head down and take a mouthful of hay. His gaze softened as the colt ate quietly, it's gaze seemingly stuck in the direction of its mother.
"You worried about your mom?" Naruto suddenly asked, as if he had forgotten that he was speaking to an animal. "...Kurosaki-san is bringing someone to look at her, so don't worry!" Although it was merely a horse, the air around the creature was heavy with despair and hopelessness; it was something that Naruto knew well.
With a huff, the foal continued to eat, stopping before it met Naruto's wide-eyed stare. They gazed at each other silently for a few moments before the genin grinned reassuringly. "Don't give up so easy, buddy! I'd be sad if Ribi-chan got sick too, but when you care about someone, you don't give up on them." That was what he had learned from his guardian.
Watching from a distance, Kakashi leaned back against the fence and let out a sigh. He smiled softly at the way Naruto continued to chatter at the foal before he ran circles around it in order to engage it, somehow. A light chuckle fell from his lips when the baby horse began to trot after Naruto, his head whipping back as it neighed excitedly. And as the playing continued, the jonin's expression dropped.
Karibi would be fine. She was stronger than poison. But the Hokage had said she had been heavily poisoned. That, and she was not immortal. Any shinobi could die at any moment on a mission. The thought, alone, scared Kakashi to his core. Who he had become was greatly because of Karibi, and he dared not think about who he would become if she left him; the idea was not appealing, whatsoever.
And then there was Naruto.
It was easy to see just how much the boy cared about his guardian. After living with her and overcoming the obstacles in their path, they had grown close—they were still growing closer. She was the only consistent figure in his life that kept him steady and that kept him from steering in the wrong path, and if something happened to her, there was no doubt that things would get dark and dangerous for Naruto. He was the kind of boy who felt so dearly and felt so wholly—he'd suffer greatly from losing someone like Karibi.
But Kakashi wasn't going to let that happen. No. At heart, Naruto was a good boy, and seeing a pure soul like his twist and bristle away would be tragic. He would make sure to carry on Minato and Kushina's name through Naruto and help keep him on the path he deserved. He would protect Karibi's heart by protecting Naruto; he wasn't going to lose anyone.
"Naruto." Looking up from the foal he was now petting, the blond smiled widely as Kakashi approached him, leisurely.
"Look, sensei! I did it! I haven't had any problems all day with this guy!" The wide grin made the 26-year-old want to forget about saying anything, but he knew it was time; Karibi had just arrived at the hospital.
"Job well done. Kurosaki-san said the vet is all finished. Looks like its mother is going to be just fine." A relieved breath blew from the boy's lips.
"That's good."
"...I've sent Sakura and Sasuke home already. There's something I'd like to tell you." Naruto blinked, confused by his sensei's strange behavior.
"Wh—What is it?"
"...It's about Karibi."
§
"Ribi-chan!" He had run all the way to the hospital. He hadn't stopped to look around or to take a breather. He merely continued sprinting, ignoring the burn in his calves and the ache of his lungs. Time seemed to feel disoriented for the boy as he made his way to the hospital. Although he was running as swiftly as his feet could carry him, he still felt as if he wasn't running fast enough. It was as if there was a hand holding the back of his orange jacket and keeping him from moving forward any faster. Yet everyone else seemed to be strolling slowly around him. Even as he entered the hospital in a fray, the nurses and doctors seemed to move at a much slower rate than him—at least, that was what it felt like. He could see lips moving as nurses directed him towards his guardian's room, but everything was slurred and morphed.
The only thing keeping him grounded was Kakashi.
The man followed after him as he ran into the hospital room, his blue eyes gleaming with fear, defeat and apprehension. He couldn't stop himself from staring as his caretaker laid on the hospital bed, an oxygen mask covering her mouth and an IV poked into her hand. His feet remained planted by the entrance, his mind and body frozen in time, itself. He couldn't seem to make out say anything, too many emotions consuming him in that very moment.
"R—Ribi-chan?" Kakashi said nothing, his gaze soft and sympathetic as he gazed down at the 12-year-old. His voice was weak and meager—unlike anything the jonin had ever heard from the boy before.
"...Breathe, Naruto." Said boy gasped, having not noticed the fact he was holding his breath to begin with. Kakashi frowned but said nothing else, giving the fragile blond a moment to digest everything that was happening.
Slowly, he began to take weak steps towards the bed, his eyes glued to Karibi. The woman was unconscious, her body limp and motionless and her skin as pale as snow; she was usually bursting with color and energy. The heart monitor beeped at a steady rate, though it didn't seem to calm the genin down. It was merely a reminder that she was stuck in the hospital, and that scared him even more.
"Sit." Kakashi pulled a chair over to the bedside, Naruto barely acknowledging his voice and doing as he was told. The jonin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching closely as Naruto stared at Karibi's still face.
"...Ribi-chan?" he called out tenderly, hoping he would get some sort of reaction out of her; nothing happened.
"...Is she...Is she..." Naruto wasn't sure what to ask or what to say. He couldn't straighten his thoughts out long enough to create coherent sentences. The only thing he could do was stare at the woman as she continued to try and recover from whatever happened to her.
Never had she been this hurt before. Mission after mission, she returned unscathed, and in the beginning, Naruto was sure she was invincible. In his eyes, he saw Karibi almost as a shinobi idol. She was strong, smart, extremely skilled as a ninja—he was sure that there was nothing that could take her down. But seeing her lying helplessly in the hospital bed—it was disturbing. The whole scene didn't seem to fit the woman, and it made Naruto want to cringe. Because nothing was supposed to be able to take her down. She was supposed to be invincible. But, in reality, she wasn't. And it was more terrifying to Naruto; if someone like her could be defeated, then what did that mean for him?
"When you care about someone, you don't give up on them. Have I got that right?" Naruto's eyes widened as he slowly looked back, Kakashi now standing just a step behind his chair. The boy stared as his sensei shut his eye, letting his expression match his smile. "It's frustrating to sit and watch while someone suffers, but what Karibi needs from you is to be patient and to support her. Can you do that, Naruto?" Said blond suddenly felt his eyes burn. His vision slowly began to blur before he realized that he was tearing up. Holding tightly to his pride, the genin quickly looked away from his sensei and nodded, wiping away the threatening tears with the sleeve of his jacket.
"Ye—Yeah! Believe it! Who said I was gonna give up, anyways?" Kakashi relaxed, relieved that the boy was now at least able to speak without stuttering. His gaze slowly landed on his friend, his expression falling momentarily before he pulled up another chair and sat beside Naruto.
There, the two quietly sat and waited.
Hi there! For those of you who are reading this and have not read Of All the Diamonds in the Rough, you may not quite understand what is going on! My apologies for that! This is a companion story to that, so if you're interested, then please feel free to go ahead and read that! If not, then I'm terribly sorry for wasting your time!
I thought of this randomly, just thinking what it would've been like for Naruto while he was waiting for Karibi to wake up, and then the idea of having more Kakashi and Naruto moments suddenly sounded appealing to me. So, my friend encouraged me to get the idea typed up, and, well, here we are! If there's anything that I can fix, please feel free to let me know! There are, in total, three chapters to this story, so it'll be short and to the point! If you have the time or feel like it, let me know your thoughts on this! Thank you for those of you who read this! I appreciate you doing so and I appreciate the support! Thank you :)