Let Old Dogs Lie
Author: remthedogsitter
Summary: (3rd Part Dogs Series) Being back in Konoha wasn't the quite retirement they were hoping for. The secret of the dogs and Kakashi's rise to power makes for a bloody mess of political intentions and intervillage stability. But with Aya being pregnant in the chaos will Kakashi's new family live to see the raise the next generation?
A/N: Here's a third installment to the series, not as light hearted as ODM and not as weird/mindfuck as SD. I want to develop more characters and relationships with this piece, there'll be more of Naruto, Sasuke, the dogs and maybe some other minor pairings I've been getting into. In any case, feel free to read and review and follow the other story Dog Gone Days, a bunch of drabbles and ficlets set in the Dogs universe and it'll be helpful to fill some potholes for this fiction/series as well. Cheers! –REM
A Prelude: After Happily Ever After
Iruka went through his daily training routine with ease, Tsunade had suggested it once they settled back into the village. For almost six years he had been absent and time certainly took a toll on the whole village, especially with the Copy nin being absent for two of those years. Even though he spent three years in Mirai's illusionary world, he felt thankful—the memories of being a blind man still so vividly remembered sharpened his already superb ability at controlling chakra, not to mention his now widened reserves thanks to constantly pumping out chakra for the past few years. Tsunade made sure his new skills were put to good use, at least in the village for training and he vowed (or renewed an old vow) to accept any mission she sees fit and as a last option. He was well worn by the harsh climate and using his chakra as a sort of sonar constantly improved his attention greatly, he was made even stronger over the years. It was not a fact he wanted publicly known right now, the balance in power was already delicate enough as is.
Iruka breathed deeply, closing his eyes. He was balanced on a wooden staff perched on the ground, his feet perfectly balanced on the curled end of the wood. He did a flip in the air and landed on one of the modified balance training posts: wooden poles of different lengths, all shaking when stepped on, demanding a mastery over one's center. The whole point of the exercise was to use as little chakra as possible and currently Iruka was using next to none. He threw a kunai to cut the thin wire that held a small network of projectiles and targets and almost immediately the tan man was dodging and launching his own counter attack all while jumping from one pole to the next. Most morning routines ended like this.
His first day back at the academy felt like his first years of teaching all over again. Those that substituted him at best were those like the elders of the village, set out to make the students machines and he missed a good half a decade of children (all genin and higher now maybe). Better late than never a few months in and he's already making a good impression with the parents, some who remember him and some were even his students once upon a time and the rest were slowly converting. The thing that surprised him the most however were the refugee children that he taught the year he found the pups, not so small children now but making their own names for themselves in the world of ninja (but that was another story).
Satisfaction wasn't the same however, to his very being he loved to teach children but something else, a large part the shepherd/protector that had been his persona of the past few years yearned for the solitary life of the mountain. There was something tiring about this life as a ninja, the agitation of Kakashi risking his life (the risk higher still with every day that passes and age gained) and at the times the way they were manipulated by the elders… was spiritually tiring.
The Beginning
To come home after six years, he paused at the gate and breathed deep. To be back in Fire Country, the smell of smoke and leaves called to something so deep and instinctual inside him that in a single moment he recalled everything to the smallest pebble in this place. Winter was over, the air was cool and the flora and fauna thrived quite vividly, the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves loomed before them.
"Welcome home Iruka." Kakashi whispered to him softly, the pale hand curled tighter around his own, hardly letting go since they began the journey back. It was a prize hard fought and earned.
If it wasn't Kotetsu and Izumo at the gate, no one else would have believed two shinobi known to be dead had returned home.
Tsunade hit them halfway across the village of course, her anger booming but cooled just as quickly, hugging them both tightly. "Welcome home, the both of you." Naruto ran in a few moments after, screaming unintelligible aside from what was the names of both his senseis.
But their return was months ago, and now their Hokage that welcomed them back into village was being welcomed into their home. An air of seriousness hung heavily when she entered the Hatake compound. The dogs sensed her arrival and instead of running up to greet her, bowed their heads slightly, respect given to someone of very high rank.
"You'll take after me Kakashi, in a year's time. You'll be the next Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
But for the Copy Nin to be absent from the village for three years and the Village's greatest teacher (so they discovered that much later) gone for six—a lifetime of change had already occurred. All was not well in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.