A/N
This is my first story so I welcome all reviews and advice please :)
Chapter 1~
Kakashi Hatake pulled down his mask which he seldom did in public and ordered a drink (another rarity for him). He was sat in some dingy bar in some small town god knows where.
Kakashi was exhausted. He had been searching for a rogue ninja who was a serious threat to the Hidden Leaf. The same rouge ninja who was once the broken little boy that Kakashi had taught all those years ago, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke was intent on destroying the hidden leaf village and had killed hundreds of citizens of Konaha in his last brutal attack.
Kakashis mission was to find him and kill him which he was having a lot of difficulty with. Possibly the reason that Kakashi was having so much trouble finding him despite his excellent tracking skills was because a big part of him didn't want to.
How pathetic. Kakashi thought bitterly to himself downing his drink.
I'm as useless a ninja as I am a sensei..First I fail at keeping the young Uchiha in the village, now Narutos gone too and I'm too caught up in emotions to save my village from the student I raised.
Kakashi had been carrying the burden of his broken team for so long now, It had been 7 years since Sasuke had left the village and 3 since Naruto followed vowing he would never return to the leaf until he brought Sasuke back with him.
Foolish child .. he had so much promise and would probably be in line to be the next Hokage if he hadn't ran off. One like the village has never seen.
The thoughtful ninja stroked his silver stubble and sighed sadly.
He almost fell off the chair in shock and hurried to pull his mask back up when a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Uhh… Sensei?"
He would have recognized that voice anywhere. A bit deeper than the last time he heard it all those years ago and it lacked its usual energy. It sounded tired. Just like Kakashi felt.
His mask back intact he turned around and addressed his former student, his one visible eye widened in shock at the sight before him.
The boy looked tatty at the best of times when Kakashi knew him but this was something different.
His normally bright yellow hair looked dirty and instead of spiking up it was limp and tangled.
His face was unshaven with rough patches of overgrown stubble covering his chin and upper lip unevenly.
The young man was wearing a white t-shirt with stains covering it and mustard coloured shorts.
What shocked Kakashi more than anything else was his eyes. Those big blue eyes never lacked enthusiasm or energy. The bright spark in them was gone and had been replaced by…nothingness.
His blue eyes drooped as he stood before his former sensei hunched and hands buried in mustard pockets.
"Naruto. This certainly is a surprise" The silver haired shinobi finally muttered in response.