Hello all, long time no post! My health's not been the greatest, hence why I've been posting next to no fic, but I'd been working on this one-shot for a while, with yesterday being Kakashi's birthday, I was spurred on to finish it!
This is a little post-war fic which focuses on Naruto and Kakashi because there were some developments between those two characters that went pretty much unaddressed in the manga, and I wanted to explore them further!
I'm still pretty new to writing these characters, so I hope i do them justice!
Unmasked
Light glared brightly into the small hospital room. A rain storm had just abated and the fresh post-storm sunshine was so white it obscured most of the detail of the room, save for the forlorn figure in the bed closest to the window who'd been silhouetted by the light.
Naruto risked a glance over at the other man. He was sitting forward, away from the pillows, but hunched in a way that Naruto knew would have Sakura or one of the nurses yelling at their patient. After all, he'd had a myriad of injuries to his upper body – sitting up and hunched forward wouldn't help his injuries in the slightest.
Naruto remained reclined in his own bed, propped up by numerous pillows and watched the other man through a single open eye.
The fellow occupant of the room was concerning him.
It was a week after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Following a brief, muted celebration among the survivors on the battlefield, the Konoha Shinobi had trudged home with their wounds both physical and mental. Many Shinobi who had only minor injuries or exhaustion had been stood down for barely a day before being sent back to the battlefield alongside all those who'd guarded Konoha during the conflict – their purpose being to bring Konoha's fallen shinobi home. Those who had been seriously injured had been ordered to stay in Konoha to recover. Naruto especially had been warned to stay put – the Gokage didn't trust Sasuke yet, and had acknowledged that only Naruto had a hope in hell of stopping Sasuke if he decided to try anything.
But given the turbulent history between the two young men, Naruto and Sasuke were not allowed to share a room. Instead Sasuke was a couple of rooms away, being constantly watched over by a number of Shinobi including Sakura when she wasn't treating people. Tsunade had been mostly busy with Gai whose injuries were easily the most severe of any survivor.
With the able-bodied Shinobi out to bring back the bodies of the dead the hospital had grown eerily quiet. Visits from Konohamaru, Iruka and others ceased as they'd been sent north.
It had left Naruto alone with his thoughts.
He thought of his father and his mother. He thought of Neji, and Jiraiya, Shikaku, Inoichi, Asuma and everyone he'd known who'd died because of the war and the events preceding it. He thought of Rikudō Sennin, of Asura and Indra and their reincarnations. He thought of Kaguya and pondered just where she'd come from. He thought of the Tailed Beasts, particularly Kurama whom he had finally achieved a true symbiosis with. He thought of Hashirama and Madara and the final conclusion of their lifelong battle. He thought of Obito – the man who'd murdered his mother and had forced his father to sacrifice his life. Obito had caused the circumstances which had led to Naruto becoming a Jinchūriki in the first place. Despite everything there was still a part of Naruto that wanted to hate Obito, but he couldn't bring himself to. Obito had been corrupted and broken. A victim of Madara's conditioning, along with the cruel realities of Shinobi life. Instead Naruto felt a strange mix of pity, respect, and regret when he thought of Obito.
As well as thinking about all of that, Naruto's thoughts returned again and again to Sasuke. They'd not spoken all that much since they'd ended the Infinite Tsukuyomi but there wasn't really all that much to say. Sasuke wasn't a man of many words, and Naruto wasn't a man of articulate words. He and Sasuke had an understanding that neither could really convey verbally. But Naruto now trusted Sasuke completely to stay on the path he'd chosen following their fight – he just hoped his friend's crimes wouldn't weigh Sasuke down to the point he couldn't breathe. Naruto wanted to help Sasuke find a way to atone, but he feared the Uchiha would instead be crippled by grief and depression.
While Naruto's thoughts had in all honesty been dominated by Sasuke, the man with whom he shared this hospital room had begun to weigh more and more heavily on Naruto's mind, and with the man's countenance, Naruto realised it might instead be Kakashi who would succumb to his own grief and depression.
Kakashi had been sat stock still for hours now, his eyes seemingly transfixed on the skirting board of the hospital room.
He just sat there. Silent and staring. Only moving with necessity to go to the bathroom, or to say "no thank you," to a cup of tea when the hospital staff would check in on them. When a Medical-nin would stop by to check Kakashi's various wounds he'd smile and say he was fine. And then he'd engage in small talk with Naruto for a short while before getting lost inside his own mind again.
"Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."
Kakashi had said that to Team 7 a number of years ago – one of many lame excuses for his tardiness.
Back then Kakashi had been nothing other than the cool but lazy Jōnin assigned to them. Kakashi seemed unflappable, completely in control, extremely powerful, and cool as a cucumber. And if Naruto was honest, that façade had remained in place throughout the countless hardships they'd faced. Kakashi had always accepted him for who he was, never treating him like a pest or a monster like most of the village did. When Akatsuki started hunting him, Naruto could talk to him about it, and when the rest of his yearmates discovered his secret, again Kakashi was one of the people he turned to. Kakashi had always been there for him, calm, confident and reassuring, but able to bring him back down to earth whenever Naruto had needed it. Even after Pain's assault on Konoha, even after dying Kakashi remained exactly as he always had, and had begun to share little bits and pieces about Minato, now that Naruto's parentage had been revealed to him. With the revelation about Minato, Kakashi had also become a conduit to Naruto's family, especially with Jiraiya's death being so fresh in Naruto's mind.
Kakashi's consistently cool, calm and commanding presence in his life had remained constant. Until the moment came where he'd just fallen apart in front of Naruto's eyes. With Obito unmasked, Kakashi had suddenly frozen like a frightened, horrified child with an equally horrified Gai staying protectively close to him. Naruto had listened to their conversation as much he'd been able to.
"You let Rin die," was a statement that stuck out a lot. Who was Rin? Why did Kakashi let her die? Wasn't "I'll never let my comrades die," an integral part of Kakashi's nindō?
In front of Obito the Kakashi that Naruto had always taken for granted had evaporated, replaced by a despondent man who'd had the fight sucked out of him. It was only with encouragement from both himself and Gai that Kakashi had been able to collect himself and begin to fight again.
As the battle continued, past the point of the Jūbi's revival, past his father's return through Edo Tensei, the story of Kakashi and Obito continued to unfold, until the climax of Naruto's fight with the Uchiha.
While using Obito's new status as a Jinchūriki to his advantage to look inside the Uchiha's mind for anything – anything – that would help Naruto get his point across, Naruto inadvertently ended up gaining access to the sum of Obito's memories.
He saw snippets of Obito's life and used Obito's old self, and his link to this girl, Rin, to prove to him that his current path was wrong. In the end it served as a distraction, and it seemed that whatever Kakashi had said to Obito after the fight had been what finally got through to the Uchiha.
After Madara had become Jinchūriki to the Jūbi, Obito had switched sides, fighting to stop his former master, but to no avail. Madara had first forced Gai to use all Eight Gates, then he'd stolen Kakashi's Sharingan and immediately swapped it for Obito's Rinnegan, before awakening his Rinne Sharingan and casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Obito had eventually become the vessel for Black Zetsu to force Madara's metamorphosis into Kaguya and in the ensuing battle, Obito gave his life to protect both Naruto and Kakashi.
On the way back to Konoha after his final battle with Sasuke, Kakashi had at first seemed to be returning to his usual self, despite the loss of his Sharingan. Tsunade had dropped a few not too subtle hints that she'd be retiring and that while she had no doubt Naruto would make a fine Hokage "someday", she was looking for someone with a bit more experience and a bad taste in literature to take over from her. Kakashi had at first chuckled and hinted he would only take the position of Hokage if forced to. As they'd walked on Kakashi had made sure to check on Lee and Tenten who were carrying Gai back to Konoha, giving them words of encouragement with regards to their sensei's prognosis. Eventually though, Kakashi had grown utterly quiet, silence surrounding him like a blanket. His one break from his reverie had been to quietly tell Naruto that Madara had killed Rin to corrupt Obito.
That was it. One standalone comment.
Now a week later in the hospital, Naruto recognised why Kakashi had just blurted out that one fact. It was as if he finally had proof that he hadn't killed Rin. Not really.
Following Naruto's linking with Obito, Rin's violent death was now vividly etched into Naruto's own mindscape. Naruto could barely imagine the pain Kakashi had gone through after she chose to die by his hand.
"I was the one who once told you 'I will never let my comrades die'. Those words are also an admonition aimed at myself."
Those words from Kakashi after Neji's death had also stuck in his mind. Kakashi had spent his life dwelling on Rin's death and Obito's 'death'. All those hours staring at the memorial stone and tending to one grave in the cemetery suddenly made a lot more sense. Kakashi hadn't just been grieving comrades – he'd spent the best part of two decades spending hours every day blaming himself, all the while maintaining this aloof, bored façade.
It was a wonder Kakashi hadn't driven himself nuts over the years, Naruto pondered. And the man kept to himself. Naruto could run around town and, before Asuma's death, he regularly saw the Jōnin out with Kurenai. Gai had many friends in Konoha and although Kakashi was his closest friend, it wasn't unusual to see Gai out at night a little worse for wear with Aoba, Raido, Genma, Izumo, Kotetsu or many others. Even Anko, whom Naruto supposed must have deep traumas of her own having been Orochimaru's student in her youth, was almost always out and about being the life and soul of the party. When Naruto and his friends had the rare opportunity to meet up en masse and go out in Konoha at night all of their senseis and senpais could be seen out enjoying themselves and in the last year or so a number of them had begun putting down roots. Mirai wasn't the only baby to be born in Konoha recently after all.
Until now, Naruto had never really noticed that a sole face was always missing from the big crowds in Konoha – Kakashi, who could only be found when he didn't mind being found.
Was it some sort of punishment? Did he try and keep away from his yearmates and comrades out of misplaced feelings of guilt? Naruto didn't just have memories of Rin's death. He had memories of Obito's 'death' as well. Rin's death had been orchestrated, and once she'd had Isobu sealed within her, her death was inevitable. With Obito's loss, it had been a series of awful occurrences and a direct consequence of three young shinobi being given too much responsibility – and in a war zone of all places. Naruto didn't know If he blamed his father for it exactly, he only had Obito's memories to go on after all. But it had seemed like Minato had been forced to make increasingly difficult decisions in an increasingly volatile conflict. Kannabi Bridge's destruction was a vital mission that ultimately truncated the war and saved many lives as a result. Minato would have known this and probably, reluctantly, decided that any Konoha-nin involved in the operation were acceptable losses.
In Konoha's eyes Obito had become a tragic but acceptable loss. In Kakashi's eyes he'd become a symbol of Kakashi's failure as a Shinobi, a teammate and a friend.
Rerunning the events of Kannabi Bridge through Obito's eyes had also led Naruto to another horrible discovery. In his mind's eye he was where Obito had been the night before the mission - sat atop a rock, in a really bad mood with Kakashi for his attitude when Minato had come up to speak to him.
The conversation made Naruto's stomach lurch. Kakashi's father had really done that? And left Kakashi all alone? From Naruto's perspective it was truly horrifying. Sure Minato had also chosen to die, but with good reason. Obito and Naruto didn't know the full story of Konoha's White Fang, but he could never imagine a mission going so badly nowadays that a Shinobi would feel obligated to commit Seppuku. Kakashi really had grown up in a different era.
Naruto risked another glance at his sensei, who was still unmoved.
"The pain of being alone is completely out of this world, isn't it?"
This time Naruto heard his own words being echoed back at him, a reminder of a fight that changed both his and Gaara's lives. Naruto had long understood the darkness of loneliness, that loneliness could claw at you and devour you like a monster that was worse than any Bijuu. Loneliness could change people, and rarely for the better. It had helped turn Gaara into a sadistic killer, and Naruto himself had just been at the start of his own dark path when Iruka's hand of friendship made him reassess his life. Loneliness had contributed to Sasuke's own dark journey – the loss of his entire family had given him too much time to sit and think and ultimately become obsessed with revenge. But all this time perhaps Kakashi had been just as lonely, only unlike most others he hadn't self-destructed – he'd remained an exceptionally talented and dedicated shinobi who carried his work out diligently and expediently, never looking for praise or reward. And Kakashi had experienced the pain of loneliness not once but twice – he'd lost his parents and pushed away his friends in his grief. And then he'd gained a new family in his team who he then lost one after another leaving him alone once more. And stuck in the Anbu, Naruto guessed he wouldn't have had time to see Gai and his friends, if he was even receptive to their friendship back then.
Somehow Kakashi had got through it all, and had become the sensei of Team 7, then the leader of Team Kakashi as well as becoming almost universally regarded as Konoha's finest Jonin.
But had the Kakashi that Naruto had gotten to know been some sort of façade? Had Kakashi built up an outer image in order to get through all the shit that life had thrown his way? And if so, had the war deconstructed that façade to the point where Kakashi would now self-destruct?
Being as familiar as he now was with Obito he recognised things he hadn't before. The lateness – was Kakashi emulating Obito? Breaking the rules as necessary to save your comrades – Kakashi had definitely gotten that from Obito. And where others had often got exasperated at young Naruto's antics, Kakashi usually smiled or chuckled. Was it because he reminded him of Obito? Most likely.
So as well as lugging around the loneliness and guilt, Kakashi had gone about his life as an adult in a way that would honour the Obito he had known.
And in the midst of a bloody war – that same mischievous and honourable boy Kakashi had loved to pieces – had been revealed to have become a mass murderer and the architect of the war.
It was no wonder Kakashi could barely process it. Obito had become Kakashi's own hero, and that same Obito had stood in front of them with cold, dead eyes, intent on killing anyone who tried to stop him.
And despite Obito's change of allegiance and attempt at atonement many hours later, it wouldn't bring back the tens of thousands killed in the war, or the hundreds killed during Akatsuki's rampages in the years before the war. Obito had never left Kakashi's thoughts for even a day, but that same Obito would surely go down in history as one of the most evil of all Shinobi.
And Naruto just knew Kakashi would be blaming himself for it all.
Kakashi, slumped forward and silent in his hospital bed was the same Kakashi he'd witnessed time and time again at the memorial stone. A man blind to his own achievements but painfully aware of his every mistake and shortcoming.
But Naruto knew Kakashi wasn't responsible for Obito or Rin's fates. Through Obito's memories he knew that better than anyone. So Naruto would make sure he'd get that drummed into the Jōnin – no – Hokage-elect's head. He hoped Kakashi's support network would help him out there.
Except Kakashi didn't really have a support network anymore.
This was Kakashi after all. The cool, collected genius. Effortlessly talented and calm under pressure. He was everyone else's support, but no-one ever seemed to realise that maybe Kakashi needed help too.
No. Again, that wasn't right. Kakashi did have precious people.
Naruto remembered a conversation he'd had with Jiraiya when they'd been travelling. He'd regularly picked his Master's mind for gossip or insight into Konoha's people. One conversation had turned to Kakashi and his time in the Anbu, and Naruto had asked why Kakashi wasn't in the Anbu anymore.
Jiraiya had grown still and a little more serious at that question.
"Hmm…Well…I wasn't in Konoha at the time, but let's just say your sensei has some very fine comrades and very good friends. As far as I know Gai, Asuma and Kurenai asked Sarutobi-sensei to let Kakashi become a regular Jōnin, and Sandaime agreed,"
Naruto's brow had furrowed, "But that would be like a demotion, why would they do that to him?"
Jiraiya chuckled a little, "Why indeed…Let's just say that while Kakashi was an excellent fit for the job, the job was not such an excellent fit for Kakashi."
Back then then Naruto hadn't understood Jiraiya's words, but now he got it. He was very fond of both Yamato and Sai, but Kakashi was so different to both of them. Kakashi genuinely cared – he took his work home at the end of the day. He had few possessions but his most prized were his pictures of Team Minato and Team 7 and that scraggly pot plant Naruto had given him not long after their bell test (that plant was indestructible –it had even made it through Pain's attack). Other shinobi's prized possessions were weapons or trophies of war, but Kakashi's precious things were mementos of those he considered precious to him.
Naruto understood the Anbu now all too well. The cold callous violence their job called for. They were automatons and killing machines who killed their sense of self in order to do what they thought was best for Konoha. Root Anbu were the worst for that mindset, but regular Anbu weren't much better. And Naruto could only guess that being an Anbu would likely have made Kakashi even more depressed and withdrawn.
So at least Kakashi had good friends to see him through. But again, perhaps not now exactly. Jiraiya was dead. Asuma was dead. Kurenai was now a widow with a newborn baby to raise in post-war Konoha. Yamato would be busy for months with Konoha's rebuild and he was out collecting the fallen right now. And Gai? Well Tsunade reckoned it would be weeks before he'd even properly wake up. Tsunade herself was run off her feet tending to patients while also handling the post-war negotiations almost single-handedly following Shikaku's death. Sakura was just as busy handling her own hospital workload while also tending to Sasuke.
So that left Naruto. And Naruto would have to help Kakashi single-handedly (literally single-handedly) for a few weeks at least.
Another glance at the Hokage-elect indicated he still hadn't moved, but with the bright glare of the sun fading a little as more rain moved in, Naruto noticed a new detail.
The absence of The Mask.
This was worse than Naruto thought.
From what Naruto could see, Kakashi's face looked pretty normal, save for his scar and what looked like a tiny mole under the left corner of his mouth.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto tested the atmosphere of the room.
No response.
Sighing, Naruto gently got to his feet, ignoring his own aches and pains and walked over to Kakashi's bed.
Still nothing.
Naruto sighed loudly before taking action, climbing onto Kakashi's bed and sitting cross-legged in front of the man, blocking his view of the wall he'd been fixed on.
Kakashi's only response was to shift his gaze downward, but Naruto was still unsure if Kakashi had actually registered what Naruto was doing.
Feeling like he was taking his life in his hands, Naruto reached forward and put the side of his index finger under Kakashi's chin and gently forced the Jonin to look up and meet his gaze.
As Naruto finally saw the whole of Kakashi's face for the first time, he mused that Sakura would likely develop one heck of a nosebleed if she ever saw Kakashi maskless because even Naruto could acknowledge that Kakashi was a very attractive man. Naruto also mused that if he'd been able to incorporate Kakashi into his Reverse Harem Jutsu, they might have defeated Kaguya that little bit sooner.
But Naruto's musings quickly died when he saw the amount of pain and unshed tears that had accumulated in the man's eyes.
"Sorry," the Jōnin whispered.
"What for?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"I…for…it…I don't know. Everything I guess."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I don't get it."
"It's all my fault. This. Everything. I…If I'd made different choices…"
So he was blaming himself for everything.
Naruto sighed and reached clumsily with his only hand for Kakashi's mask that was bunched around the man's neck. Kakashi's suddenly went wide, realising he was maskless before he relaxed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Guess you've seen me now."
Naruto chuckled, "Yup. Hope you've not been hiding your face because of that little mole."
"Hardly," Kakashi snorted.
"But it's just as well Sakura-chan isn't here. It'd be a pity for her to survive the war only to come in here and die of a nosebleed if she saw you!"
As intended, Naruto's comments made Kakashi blush, and Naruto grinned at the Jōnin's reaction.
Kakashi fumbled with the mask for a second before stopping and letting the material hang around his neck, "This one time, screw it. I can't be bothered with it."
Naruto smiled for a second longer before turning his mind back to Kakashi's misplaced guilt.
"I've been sitting thinking about this war, and I had a feeling you'd blame yourself. But…I don't know if you know this, but Jinchūriki's share a certain level of…telepathy? Is that the right word? Through the Bijuu. When you were in the Kamui Dimension and we fought the Jūbi…I ended up inside Obito's mind.
"I saw his entire life. His adventures on Team Minato. The tough missions of the war. His love for Rin. The ups and downs of his friendship with you. His 'death', Rin's death…and everything that happened until we defeated him."
"You saw all that?" A stunned Kakashi responded quietly.
Naruto nodded, "Obito never once blamed you for what happened when you all thought he died. It was bad luck pure and simple. A chain of events that no-one could have predicted. He realised if it hadn't been him then it would have been you or Rin who would have been crushed and that neither you nor Rin would have been of interest to Madara. But he did blame my dad. Obito trusted your abilities but felt it was too important a mission for your first command. He felt my dad made the wrong call for the Kannabi Bridge mission.
"With Rin…Obito blamed you for a long long time, but over the years he discovered the full reality of what happened and he truly believed that you were blameless and that you yourself were a victim of Iwa's plan. But he still blamed my father. That's one of the reasons he chose to attack Konoha the way he did.
"He also kept tabs on you and Gai and few others in Konoha. He saw you as a dutiful shinobi but could never understand your complete devotion to a village that had taken so much from you. One of the reasons that he kept his identity a secret was because he knew how much it would shock you if you found out the truth. Even during the war, he was convinced that once he explained his plan that many shinobi would choose to join him. He thought you might be one of them.
"He also tried so hard to get rid of himself – hiding his face, disowning his name, disguising his voice – because he knew deep down that he was on the wrong path. A path he knew Obito couldn't walk but one that Madara could. But he couldn't just get rid of himself. He couldn't get rid of the Obito that was my dad's student and your friend. And he could never let go of Rin. He was following Madara's plan for what he thought were all the right reasons, but also because he believed it would bring Rin back. I was able to make him see that Rin would only ever watch over Obito, not the Masked Man who'd followed Madara. And I think it was then that he couldn't ignore his doubts any longer, and that's what made him pause for long enough for us to unseal the Bijuu from within him. After that he stopped fighting…but it was you who really got through to him I guess, after Sasuke and I ran off to fight Madara.
"If you hadn't spoken to him…he might have just laid down and died. Instead he fought with us and we wouldn't have won without him...And Rikudō Sennin said it himself - we definitely wouldn't have won without you."
Kakashi looked to the ground again at that comment, "But I… I never followed him right away, when Rin got captured. If I had, then maybe-"
"-Then maybe Obito would still have 'died', or Rin would have died, or you'd have died, or you'd have all died. And how the hell could you have known that Madara was alive and keeping tabs on him?"
Kakashi was silent for a moment before quietly conceding, "I guess."
Naruto nodded in agreement.
"With Rin…I…I blamed myself for her death too, but while we were in Kaguya's Dimensions, Obito told me that it was Madara who arranged Rin's death in order to break his will. He'd planned to make Rin an unstable Jinchūriki, which would kill her and leave the Sanbi to destroy Konoha. But Rin seemed aware of the plan…and…"
"I saw how she died Kakashi. She did that to protect Konoha."
Kakashi nodded, "I spoke to Kushina-san after that. I hadn't even known Kushina-san was a Jinchūriki until then. She made me see that once Rin had been made a Jinchūriki in that manner, that her life was forfeit, and that the way she died – by my hand, even though it was against my will – was infinitely better than what would have happened otherwise. It was a hero's death.
"But that doesn't change the fact that I killed her."
"You didn't kill her. Madara killed her when he made her a Jinchūriki! And Rin used you to kill herself because she knew your Chidori would be the quickest way to do that!"
Kakashi sighed at this and Naruto knew this was a conversation that would just go in circles. Kakashi couldn't let go of that guilt yet.
"None of this is your fault," Naruto reiterated, "Even if what happened to Obito and Rin was your fault – and it wasn't – you didn't make Obito follow Madara's plan, or make him manipulate Nagato, or decide to attack Konoha or take over Akatsuki or any of that – It was Obito's own choice to make.
"Look at me – I was made a Jinchūriki. I was shunned, hated, bullied for something out of my control. I could have decided to take revenge against Konoha. I could have been like Gaara was, or worse, but I chose to try and prove myself to those that doubted and hated me. That was my choice. I turned out okay and it wasn't my dad's doing. And it wouldn't have been my dad's fault if I'd turned out bad either. It's my life and my choice. It was Obito's life and his choice. He chose to follow Madara. Sasuke chose to not follow Itachi and it all…It all…just kind of…links together and..."
Naruto started to stumble over his words. There was so much he wanted to convey, but he couldn't articulate his thoughts.
"I'm no good at this Kakashi sensei, but do you understand? I'm saying this wasn't your fault. Obito made his own decisions. You didn't make them for him."
For the first time he saw the hint of a smile on Kakashi's face, "You're better at this than you think Naruto."
"I just…From seeing Obito's life, and thinking about you and the things you do…I don't want you to beat yourself up and get sick because of this cos…I think you've done a lot of that over the years, haven't you?"
Kakashi conceded and nodded in wordless agreement before shifting the conversation.
"I don't know why you're so keen to help me Naruto. It was Obito's actions that left you orphaned and made into a Jinchūriki, and I'm sitting here grieving for him…And I knew all about your parents and I never told you…And all those years you were on your own…You were my sensei's boy and-"
"-And you were a kid yourself when I was born and I know that Hokage jiichan forbid anyone from telling me about my parents."
"I swear I didn't realise how badly you'd been treated when you were younger. I thought Sarutobi-sama had made better provisions for you."
Naruto shrugged, "It made me stronger, and I appreciate my important people all the more because of it."
Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little, "You really can find the positives in anything can't you."
"Yup!"
Naruto looked at his sensei again, "You really shouldn't keep your face covered. You'd probably find a wife within a week…Don't roll your eyes at me!"
Kakashi started to chuckle as Naruto got irritated at Kakashi's reaction to the suggestion, "I'm probably going to be the Hokage soon. I've got bigger fish to fry than finding romance."
"Heh well I'm hoping to be married with kids and all that before I take your job off you."
Naruto tried to ignore the look of horror on Kakashi's face at that comment.
"No need to look so alarmed sensei."
"You with kids? Come on that's scary. Not to mention it would make me feel like a fossil. And can you at least wait until I get to wear the hat at least once before you appoint yourself my successor?"
Naruto chuckled and nodded vigorously at that, "I can do that I guess!"
Kakashi smiled at his student again before growing serious again, "You have no idea how much it means to me, to know that you don't hate me or blame me for this. Because I wouldn't blame you if you did."
"Even if it were your fault – and it isn't – you've been so good to me over the years. You made me grow up a lot when I was a rookie. You taught me things I needed to know. Just simple things like tree climbing and things like that to start with, but also more important things, like protecting my friends and what it really meant to be a ninja. And you always treated me like any other genin. You could have made it difficult for me with me being a Jinchūriki, or you could have played favourites since you were taught by my dad. Instead you treated me as Sasuke and Sakura's equal, and that's all I wanted really. To be treated normally. And then later it was you who told me I could surpass my dad and because of you I completed Rasengan. And you trusted me enough go with me to meet the Raikage. You and Iruka were the first people who weren't only nice to me but also acknowledged me and valued me for who I am. I don't think you know what that means to me."
On impulse Naruto leaned forward to hug Kakashi as much as he could with his remaining arm. He'd hugged the man a few times before but it had always been awkward, with Kakashi either telling Naruto to let go of him, or just awkwardly patting him on the back until it was over. That time however Kakashi returned the hug and for a while the two men just sat embracing each other, before eventually sitting back to look at each other once again.
"You know to me you're more than just my sensei, right?"
"Well I'd hope by now that we're friends as well," Kakashi smiled.
"More than that…I think if I'd ever had a big brother, I'd have wanted him to be like you."
Kakashi's grey eyes widened at the statement and then he grinned just a little, "It's funny you should say that, but when your mother was pregnant with you, she said it was a shame that I was an only child and that it was a shame you would probably be an only child too. She told me it would be nice if we came think of each other as brothers of sorts…When I was ordered out of your life after your parents died, I thought I'd never get that chance, but maybe now I can."
"I think I'd like that…Nii-san."
Kakashi smiled again, "Okay, Otouto."
Naruto giggled a little at that before growing a little more serious, "I'm really glad I decided to talk to you...I've been worrying about you since the war ended, and I know you're still hurting – we all are I guess – but you're not alone now and neither am I. So can we make a deal to help each other through the next little while? Cos getting over this war is going to take you some time…Plus I'm going to need to learn to eat ramen with one hand and other stuff as well I'm sure so I could use some help too, only when you're not busy with Hokage stuff obviously."
"Of course-"
There was a sharp knock at the door which then slid open to reveal Tsunade.
"My my Kakashi…It's been too long since I last saw that handsome face of yours."
Kakashi once again went beetroot red at the compliment, "I uh well…Uh I just felt like taking the mask off today."
Tsunade walked over to his bedside cabinet and wordlessly put down a small parcel wrapped in brown paper before looking up at the two shinobi.
"So Naruto didn't pull it down off your face while you're healing? I'm impressed! Anyway Naruto, I'm here to take you to your first session with the occupational therapist. I'm going to sit in with you if that's okay, just to see what they say. After that I've got a hot date with a bottle of sake and then my first decent sleep in what feels like months."
"Sounds like a plan Tsunade," Kakashi quipped.
Naruto nodded and bounced up from Kakashi's bed, "Will they teach me to eat Ramen with just my left hand?!"
"Yes Naruto I'm sure they'll help you with that," Tsunade chuckled, "now come on."
"Alright!"
Naruto quickly put on his slippers and turned to leave the room.
"I'll be back before you know it Kakashi sensei, remember everything we've talked about, okay?" he said brightly.
"I'll try," Kakashi smiled.
"Good, see you soon!"
Kakashi pulled his mask back up and gave Naruto and Tsunade his signature eye smile and watched them leave. With the room now to himself he had a moment to think over his conversation with Naruto.
So Naruto now possessed Obito's memories. He knew all about Rin and Obito, and knew what an obnoxious brat Kakashi had been as a child. And despite having all that knowledge, Naruto didn't blame him.
Naruto didn't blame him for Obito's 'death', Rin's death, or Obito's decision to follow Madara, or Minato's death, or Kushina's death, or him becoming a Jinchūriki, or Akatsuki, the war – None of it.
It was like a weight had suddenly lifted from him. His guilt hadn't completely gone and it never would, but now it no longer felt like it was breaking his back. The one person in the world who knew almost as much about his wrongs as he did himself, didn't blame him. After so many years berating himself Kakashi began to think that maybe, just maybe, he could finally truly absolve himself of the blame and move on with his life.
Kakashi looked out of the window and took in the view of the treetops and of the beautiful blue sky dotted with mottled clouds that promised fresh showers. With his own two eyes he could finally just enjoy seeing again. No headaches from the Sharingan, no red tint through exposing his left eye. Just the joy of normal vision. Normal vision that could be put to better use than examining one wall of a hospital room.
Which reminded him – what had Tsunade left for him?
Kakashi reached over and carefully pulled at the brown paper to reveal what he'd suspected – it was a book, with a note attached.
"Dear Kakashi,
Since you'll be in hospital for a while, I thought you might enjoy some new reading material, so here's a book written by Jiraiya than I'm fairly sure you won't have read. Either way you're sure to enjoy it. Read it now because once I retire you won't have enough hours left in the day for any hobbies.
Best wishes,
Tsunade"
"I've never heard of this one. Written by Jiraiya? Should be interesting," Kakashi mused as he settled down to read The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.