Chapter 1

...

Yamanaka Ino

Once upon a time, in the house opposite theirs, there lived a shinobi. The shinobi was an old man, retired and all saggy, so he wasn't really a shinobi, but Ino still says he is anyway – if only to avoid a sulky fit from him.

Well, anyways.

Despite being retired, the old man continued to help his country. He sold books, ranging from children's tales to shinobi's scrolls, and he gave Ino sweets for free. Ino would forever remember him as the grandpa she never had, the one which does not consistently badger on her father and harp like the elder he is. She loved him for it.

One day, the old man died.

With a smile on his lips, the old man passed away peacefully in his sleep.

The shop closed down, never to be opened ever again.

A year later, little Ino found a man standing before the store.

With his back turned to her, the man stood out from all the others with the red wagasha he held. He was clad in a simple yet elegant mocha kimono then, the rare traditional costume catching the eyes of many who passed by. Locks of warm auburn locks peeked out from under the wagasha, a dull colour one would find anywhere in here.

If not for that outfit, he would have blended in anywhere. Still, besides the graceful clothing, there was just something about him which caught her eye somehow.

Watching the sakura petals flutter lightly, Ino wondered what that feeling in her chest was as she called out to him.

"Mister, that shop is permanently closed!" She exclaimed.

The man turned slightly, his eyes still hidden behind wisps of hair. It was just a simple curve of the lips, but the sight of his smile somehow warmed her heart.

"Thank you for telling me, Ojou-chan." The man turned back to give a long glance at the shop. "I was contemplating if I should set up shop here – The shop lacks any presence of life, see?"

"The nice old man who used to live here went on into the next world." Ino gave the house a sad longing look. "If you want to set up shop here, I'm sure he won't mind! But you might want to regi – regi…register! – with the town council before doing so; They're really strict about things like these."

She was just reciting things she remembers her dad saying, but she was wholly proud of her achievement. She puffed out her chest in pride.

The man laughed gently.

"I see. That's a new thing I learnt today. Will you tell me more?"

She beamed.

"Okay-" Her agreement was cut short by her mother's cry, chiding as always.

"Ino, have you already completed your chores?!"

Ino flushed, feathers ruffled at being treated like a child before such a charming man. There was a soft chuckle, but when she turned to look at him, he was gazing thoughtfully at the old man's house again.

"I will do so soon!" She shouted back.

Her mother said something in return, her voice fading out when Ino turned to the kind man.

"Thank you for sharing so much with me. It was an enlightening conversation, however short it may have been." Much to her chagrin, his eyes were still hidden by his wagashi, but the warm smile he gave offered no room for doubt.

"Y-You're welcome." Ino shifted shyly on her toes, playing with the seams of her shirt. "And sorry for leaving you hanging."

"Not at all."

A sudden gust of wind caught them unaware. Ino's eyes rose and followed the wagashi as it was blown out of the mna's grasp, straight into the skies.

"Arara…That was careless of me. I would have to get it replaced." There was a smile nonetheless as the man dropped his hands from his windblown hair, revealing stunning green eyes for the first time.

Ino stared, entranced.

The green reminds her of the green of Shikamaru's house's yard, the flaky green of the shinobi vest, and also some earthy brown mixed in there…The number of things she could think of seems countless. Ino found herself taken in by those green pools. He seemed young and old, wise and mischievous, gentle yet strong, all at the same time.

For now, the man seems oddly contented as his eyes shifted onto her form, a smile more warm, rather than bright, transforming his face.

Ino redirected her gaze to the ground.

A large hand descended upon her head, reminding her of her father's hands, and the man chuckled lightly.

"Well, I have best get going if I want to be the owner of this remarkable store. This is farewell for now, young Ino-chan."

Ino blinked. How did he-?

"How are the sweets, young Ino-chan?" The old man's face crinkled into a smile as he watched her chomp her way through another stick of dango.

"It's dwelisios!" She replied in return, blue eyes begging for more.

"Those eyes won't do you any good now…Mrs Yamanaka will only put me through another lecture if she finds out." He chuckled, patting her head gently.

"Okaaay…" She whimpered.

They sat at the edge of the wooden floor boards, staring out at the beautiful garden he had grown. The sakura trees seem to dance elegantly in a brush of wind, complimenting the greenery which surrounded the entire area. As Ino was licking her plate clean, she listened to him hum an old tune, one which he is always fond of.

With a smile, Ino closed her eyes and hummed alongside him, swaying her body back and forth.

The old man smiled.

When the time came for partings, Ino clung on tightly to the old man's weak limbs, pouting at her sighing father.

"I don't want you! I like Oji-chan more anyways!"

Inoichi only rubbed the back of his head, heaving a deep sigh. He exchanged an exhausted look with the old man, frowning slightly.

"Is it the sweets? How did you win my daughter's heart so easily?" He brushed his hair back with a hopeless smile.

The old man chuckled and only patted Ino's head.

"Young Ino-chan, if you don't leave for home, aren't you afraid of the fox monsters coming to get you? I'm afraid these OLD limbs of mine can no longer fight as well as they do in my youth, so I don't think I can protect you." He chuckled.

"Eh. No…Noooo!" Ino jumped behind her father, quivering in obvious fear while Inoichi only watched in amazement.

"I've said it many times and I'll say it again…You're a miracle worker." Inoichi gazed at him with wide, awed eyes.

The old man only chuckled, peering down at the child.

"You just require a bit of understanding and patience." He said. Patting the blond head for the last time, his wrinkled face rose in a smile. "This is farewell for now, young Ino-chan."

Ino never saw him again.

He turned and weaved his way seamlessly through the crowd, blending with them in the absence of the bright red wagashi that once accompanied him.

There were too many questions, but one thing stood out amongst the others.

"W-What is your name, Mister?!" Ino shouted after him.

He was already quite far off. She wonders if he heard her.

There was no reply other than a finger pointing up. Ino followed it, blinking when she found the wagashi now stuck between two sakura branches.

What is he referring to? She gazed back at the now vanished man and turned back to the tree. That wagashi…something is written on it. With narrowed eyes, Ino tried to make out the kanji written on its handle.

"Ko-u-ta." She read, eyes widening with her smile. "Kouta. Kouta!"

Ino leapt out jovially and ran back into the house, leaving the wagashi still stuck on the tree.

"Mom! Mom! I know who our new neighbour might be! Do you think you can put in a good word for him at the town council meeting?!"

Hatake Kakashi

When Kakashi was much younger, there used to be this store his father frequent.

There was nothing special about the store. It was just another rundown bookshop in the midst of the civilian street, matched with similarly faded red roofs and yellowed walls. The décor was plain though the scent of books was comforting. Nothing seemed particularly outstanding at first glance.

When he was younger, Kakashi would ignore the books and run straight to his father, clamouring for training. Eventually, Sakumo gave up with a sigh and acknowledged that Kakashi may never be a bookworm.

When Sakumo died, no Hatake ever patronized the shop again.

Thoughts of that tiny shop left his mind as Kakashi made it his lifelong mission to avoid going down the same path his father did.

…Until seven years ago.

Fourteen years old Kakashi stared blankly at the store as Minato began his rambling, cheerful words strung into an annoying tune.

"You have been wallowing in despair for far too long, so Kushina and I decided that it's time to introduce you to a hobby." He beamed, ushering the irritated teen into the shop. "Now, explore around and see what you like. I'll be back in an hour or so, ne?"

"Hey- Wai-" Just like the lightning flash he is nicknamed, Minato disappeared in a flash.

His hand still outstretched into midair, Kakashi dropped it with a huff.

Whatever his sensei says, he does not need a hobby. He is okay being the way he is, and being Anbu is technically a hobby in itself, seeing how it makes him forget everything the moment he is behind the mask. Obito and Rin…

His fingers itched to grab hold of the missing mask, to pull it over his face and to just drown in the emotionless killing again.

"I see the young Hatake has finally returned." Kakashi jumped at the cackle right beside him. The old man gave him a closed eyed smile, amused. "No need to be wary. I may be been a shinobi in the past, but I can hardly leave a scratch on you now."

"…Sorry." Kakashi said.

"No need to be." Kakashi watched the man curiously as he circled around him, making a beeline to one of the shelves.

The memories were faded, but Kakashi could still remember this old man. He has always been generous in his way, giving out sweets and head pats like no other. Kakashi recall being so incredibly irked by the childish treatment.

The old man then returned with a book, a smile still plastered over his face.

"…This is?" Kakashi took the book warily.

"A book." No duh. "One which your father ordered shortly after the incident."

Grey eyes widened by a fraction. A flash of Obito's words the day before he died brought pain to his eyes. He closed them to hide the emotion and accepted the book quietly.

"Thank you." He murmured.

The old man nodded.

From that day on, the Hatake were once more devoted patrons of the rundown bookshop.

Until the old man died, that is.

Staring contemplatively at the book before him, Kakashi found himself thinking once more of that old bookstore that was now nonexistent. Before that shop's absence, he never found himself thinking about this before.

Porn or food.

Porn. Or food?

Porn or food?

Porn…

Eventually, the lady got tired of him and kicked him out.

"Don't come back again if you don't plan to buy anything!" She yelled, stomping back to the counter.

Kakashi sighed.

He missed the old man and his sweets.

Food, it is then.

The civilian street was just as crowded as usual when he visited. With countless bodies filling the street uncomfortably, Kakashi decided to take the usual cheat code and went up the roofs.

Hm…Where should he eat today?

Dango? No, there's Anko there.

Ramen? Urgh, Asuma and Kurenai are there flirting again. He would starve before he willingly put himself through another round of that.

Curry? "OH! IF IT ISN'T MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL THERE!"

Kakashi turned and ran.

Suffice to say, there was no need to explain why.

He didn't know where he was going. Before he knew it, Kakashi found himself magically ending up at a familiar shop with familiar colourings.

He blinked, staring in confusion.

…Wasn't the old man dead?

"WHERE ARE YOU, KAKASHI?!"

Kakashi sweatdropped and followed the stream of people into the store, blending in with the dull colourings of civilian clothing. God forbid Gai find him.

The interior of the store was much different than before. With new bookshelves replacing the old wood, there seems to be a different catalogue and of more variety of books. Kakashi approached one, eyes widening slightly when he realized the random book he chose contained a weak jutsu scribbled in it.

"Jii-san…Do you sell any books here containing D-rank or lower ranked jutsus?" Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly.

"Kuku. Is it for one of your charges on guard duty? Unfortunately, I don't have any of those." The old man gave a wrinkly smile. "In my time, shinobi jutsus were forbidden by the Nidaime-sama to be handed out freely to civilians. So I don't have any here."

"Come on." Kakashi groaned. It was childish, but somehow, it was hard not to feel his age when around this ancient old fossil. "That pesky brat's gonna be pestering me forever if you don't help me."

"Deal with it." The retired shinobi retorted dryly. "Although – If you would return in a few more years, perhaps then the books would have changed."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kakashi asked without meaning to.

Like always, the old man only smiled mysteriously.

"You will know when you return."

Kakashi watched wide eyed as a civilian child pulled her mother towards the newly added 'Shinobi' section. On the other side of the room was a greater space than he recalled; a few walls must have been knocked down to make room for that.

On the tatami mat were various themed chairs and tables, some even with privacy dividers set up around them.

"I wish I can eat your sweets here. It's hard to carry my books and food at the same time." The old man's sharp ears caught his offhand comment and slapped him hard on the head.

"Just be grateful that I'm even giving you sweets, you whiny brat!"

Kakashi found a smile spreading across his lips, bitter yet sweet.

Everywhere he looked, he could see the old man there. Was that annoying yet kind little man really gone? The feeling in his chest was an unfamiliar one, but somehow, he understood it.

The old man may have died, but instead of leaving Kakashi to mourn him, all he left was joyous memories which made the shinobi want to celebrate his existence instead.

"I see the Hatake has finally returned." The comment of a soft voice made grey eyes widen.

As he turned, for a moment, Kakashi thought he saw the image of that same old man smiling at him with his usual summery, refreshing curve of his lips. Then, the image promptly faded, leaving behind a young man with that same smile on his lips.

The green-eyed man gazed at him with gentle eyes, a somewhat knowing twinge everpresent in the old geezer's eyes now present in his own.

"What can I do for you today?" He asked softly.

There were a million questions Kakashi wanted to ask. Was he the old man's family? How did he know about him? Why does he look so akin to the old man – in behaviour and mannerisms? But Kakashi pushed the questions down anyway.

There was something about him and the old geezer. Something which just makes him protective and oddly unconcerned for some reason.

Kakashi didn't understand, but under his mask, his lips curved up into a lazy smile anyways.

He approached the counter.

"I would like to read a book. Porn, preferably."

Sarutobi Hiruzen

Three was the total number of times Sarutobi Hiruzen has met him officially.

The first time was at his graduation.

With the many leaves between blown around them, the day the Nidaime Hokage declared the graduation of the first batch of students from the Academy had been a moving day. Flags were flown by various clans, a festival was thrown – much to the annoyance of the village leader – and families held gathering dinners.

It was a pride to be declared a ninja of Konoha.

With a loud barking laugh, Hiruzen had ran down the streets and back several times until he tire. Then, he had plopped himself down at the base of a sakura tree, closing his eyes in a short nap.

"So that's your student, Tobirama?"

"Unfortunately, it seems so."

"Why did you pick him?" A chortle in the voice was broke off by the sound of a punch. "-Urgh. Stop that!"

"Of the many students, he appeared to be the one most supportive of the village's developments thus far." The stern voice paused. "And he mentioned on his resume that he loves Konoha far more than any other."

There was a hitched of breath.

The first voice sounded warm when he spoke.

"That makes you happy, doesn't it, Kouta?"

"…"

Hiruzen twitched, trying to continue to pretend to be sleeping even when a calloused hand touched his head. It patted once, twice, repeating the action for many more times than Hiruzen could count until he snapped.

"Oi! Stop that!" He opened his eyes.

It was beautiful sight.

Even to a bratty child like him at that age, he thought that the man was beautiful. Warm brown locks framing a pale face and eyes of the greenest green there is, the man had the slender frame of a civilian. Hiruzen thought it was probably the sakura behind him that brought out his beauty the most though – and he mistook the beauty for that of the petals then.

"Get away from me!" He shouted.

The man blinked and smiled, brows furrowing lightly in a contradicting expression.

"W-What is it?" Hiruzen hid his face defensively.

The man only stood and walked to the two hokage wordlessly, placing a palm on the Shodai hokage's shoulder.

"HAHAHA! You got rejected, Kouta!" Hashirama laughed rambunctiously.

Tobirama only sighed lightly.

"What do you think about him, Kouta?" He asked.

The man paused. Hiruzen squeaked as he turned to him, examining him with accessing green eyes. Then, a gentle warm smile formed and he gave a secretive nod.

What the hell does that mean?!

"I see." Tobirama smirked. "Thank you. You can go."

It must be shunshin, because the man disappeared with a flutter of leaves.

"Well then," Hashirama grinned widely as he folded his arms and stared down the child. "Now, let us introduce ourselves to our new student, Tobirama!"

"Anija, your fly is unbuttoned."

Hiruzen never saw him in that form again.

The second time was in the midst of the first shinobi war.

With enemies from all sides, Konoha lost its Hokage in a sudden sharp blow in the midst of the war. Hiruzen found himself hailed as the next leader, and all of a sudden, the burden was thrown onto his shoulders. He found himself thrown back and forth as the village, in its state of ruin after the war, pulled at him from all corners. He was ran ragged and was dead on his feet.

It was in that state that the man returned, this time in the form of another.

With raven hair and onyx eyes, Hiruzen found himself staring at the shinobi the daimyo so-called 'bestowed' upon him.

"Excuse me?" He asked again, still stunned.

"I will let you borrow him for a while, if only because Konoha is part of him. Until your village is fixed, he'll help you in everything." The daimyo's wife sniffed, giving the man a concerned glance. "If you need anything, just ask. And make sure you come back as soon as possible, kay?"

The man smiled grimly and nodded.

With his mouth still gaping as the woman walked away, the man turned to Hiruzen and gave a wary smile.

"My name is Arashi. Pleased to meet you."

It took a moment or a dozen until Hiruzen's brain started working again.

"Y-Yeah." He choked out.

He found himself shocked when onyx eyes turned reproaching. A sudden jab to his sides made him catch his breath.

"A good hokage should not stutter, Hiruzen-sama. And make sure to iron your clothes, such messiness is not suited for a village leader." Arashi suddenly started.

Before he knew it, Arashi became something of a teacher for him.

Politics and tact, things which Tobirama never taught him before his death were taught to him by Arashi. He reproached him, prodding him every time he slouched in a manner unbefitting of the Hokage and he examined and explained the intentions of each of Tobirama's unfinished projects to him. Where finances were concerned, Arashi helped and took over some things before teaching him the necessary skills required once Hiruzen was freed from other devotions.

In a short period of two weeks, Hiruzen found himself developing quicker than he has ever done so under Tobirama's tutelage.

"Thank you." He said when the man left.

Arashi only smiled, shaking his head lightly.

"Thank you."

The words surprised him.

"Make sure you be a good Hokage and never let another war happen." He said, and Hiruzen nodded.

It is weird, he thought. For unknown reasons, even though his roommate was leaving, Hiruzen found himself neither sad nor nostalgic. It did not feel like goodbye yet.

He recalled that one conversation they had in the rare break they took from everything.

Under the sakura tree, Hiruzen had mused over everything, staring at Arashi in suspicion then.

"You have all these connections to people from all over the Fire Country – traders, mercenaries, retail stores, informants, even samurai – yet you hold no position in the palace. People who see you also warm up to you at once, and in your presence, there were never any fights over resources. Why?" He questioned.

"Why do you think so?" Arashi only smiled mysteriously.

"I'm still stuck on the theory that you may be a magical fairy sent here by the daimyo's wife's ancestors. Or you just have tremendous amounts of charisma, which is impossible." Hiruzen munched on a dry biscuit.

"All your theories are wrong. I am the anthropomorphic personification of this nation." Arashi chuckled.

"Heheh. That's a good one."

"Isn't it?"

Something about Arashi's tone then never left his mind even though the conversation clearly ended there.

Narrowing his eyes slightly Hiruzen stared at Arashi once more in suspicion.

"So – Are you reeeaaally the anthropomorphic personification of this nation?" He asked curiously.

Arashi blinked, surprised, and laughed.

"Yes."

"Okay."

He never saw Arashi again either.

The third time he saw him had been decades later.

"Anthropomorphic Personification of a Nation, remember?"

The sudden murmur of a passing old man made him stop in his footsteps.

Hiruzen turned to see the old man's fleeing figure and he ran after him.

"Wait!"

It was an odd sight, but one perfectly normal on the weird streets of Konoha, he supposes. Two old man, one civilian, the other ninja, one charging after the other causing a gust of wind which blew ladies' skirts up and dogs to bark at them. It sure brought him back to his youth.

When they finally stopped, Hiruzen found them standing within a shop with a faded, unreadable sign. The door closed behind him, shutting out the outside world. He only needed a glimpse at the books to know.

It was a bookshop.

The old man turned and smiled, warm, gentle, yet just as mysterious as always.

"Who are you?" Hiruzen asked, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia.

"Kouta, Arashi, Konoha, Hi no Kuni – and many more." The old man tossed his head back in a soft laugh and suddenly, there was a puff of smoke, revealing a man with warm brown locks and eyes of the greenest green.

He was smiling that same, never changing smile.

"You're…" Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"It is my greatest pleasure to meet you officially, Sandaime-sama." The man bowed. "I apologize for my lateness in meeting you. My official cover name is Kouta, but otherwise, my real name is Hi no Kuni. It has been a long time." He chuckled lightly.

"B-But…" Hiruzen stuttered.

"Now, stuttering is unbecoming of a hokage," Green eyes turned slightly reproaching, just like the past. Hiruzen quickly rearranged his lips before the young man could jab him in the side, and Kouta laughed once more. "In the past, anyway. The traditions now are different."

"…I have so many things I want answered now." Hiruzen summarized his feelings, glaring at the man.

"There is only one answer, just as there always is." The man pointed at himself with a smile. "Anthropomorphic personification of a nation."

"I-" Hiruzen paused and gave up with a sigh.

It was too early to put his thoughts into words.

Kouta seems to understand as well as he simply smiled.

"You do not need to say a thing, Hiruzen-sama. Just listen for a bit." He smiled. "Our country is in a bit of crisis currently, so I will need your help."

"What crisis?" Hiruzen questioned, alarm.

"It's nothing big, I promise." Kouta chuckled.

"Then…what do you want me to do?" Hiruzen sighed.

"Just declare me dead, and I will start everything afresh." Kouta smiled. "Just like pushing a 'restart' button, I'll start a new identity here and I'll change things from here. The only difference from what I've done all this time is that I'll be a little bit more active than before."

"Wait. How do I know you're not just a stranger pretending to be the people I know?" The thought of doing something potentially harmful spurred his mind to life.

"Just ask Hanako (the new daimyo's wife) and she'll confirm everything."

He took a quick trip down to the capital and back. Hey, he wasn't the professor for nothing. Shunshin was not out of his abilities.

"You're crazy." Hiruzen finalized.

"Only because I've been in contact with shinobi influence for so long." Kouta chuckled. "The source of my craziness is you guys, so you're the ones who are crazy."

Hiruzen sighed.

It feels like arguing with Gai about youth.

His nation is insane.

"I just want you to prevent this store from getting bought after I 'die' till the day I return." Straight to the point but vague, just like any other civilian in the village.

"How will I know when you return?" Hiruzen questioned tiredly.

Hi no Kuni smiled.

" 'Anthropomorphic Personification'." He stated.

Hiruzen felt his head throb at the reply.

"We won't meet again, will we?" Somehow, he felt that the answer was the same as those times long ago. He never did meet Kouta or Arashi again until today.

"We won't." Kouta affirmed.

Even so, it didn't feel a single bit like a goodbye, Hiruzen thought as he left the store. If anything, it felt like the beginning of a story.

Uzumaki Naruto

Once upon a time, there used to be a little grumpy old man in that shop.

He was unlike the others, ignoring Naruto when he enter the shop but never kicking him out, and he would occasionally leave leftover sweets out for the cats to eat. The sweets he made were really good, and Naruto was sad when he died.

"…Aren't you going to kick me out?" Five Years old Naruto asked the old man behind the big desk.

The man only spread opened his newspaper a bit wider, covering his view of Naruto entirely.

"Aaaaah~ I certainly do not see anyone now and I plan to read on the job! If anyone comes in while I am so unfortunately reading the newspaper, then it cannot be helped! It is only the result of my laziness!" The old man said loudly, a large smile appearing on his face as he peered at the newspaper.

Was…he telling Naruto to go in?

Naruto stared up at him with big blue eyes and decided that the lack of animosity was a good sign.

He walked in. One step. Two step. And another.

He took a book, admiring the pictures on it, and learnt to read it using one of the cd devices kept next to it.

The next day, he came. And the next.

Before he knew it, Naruto would return every morning starving for learning, and he would always find a plate of dango left beside the book he was reading.

"The cats did not eat the dango, I see. I may as well leave it out for the flies to eat." The old man said stoically the first day when Naruto neglected to touch the plate out of fear that he would be thrown out of the store.

The next few days, Naruto would always gobble them down hungrily.

As he sat down and ate another day, Naruto found himself peering up at the old man's seemingly large frame on the tall chair and giggled at the blossoming warm feeling in his chest.

Why was it?

He always feels so happy around the old man!

Unbeknownst to him, the man hid a wrinkly gentle smile behind his morning paper. A gust of air ruffled through Naruto in the enclosed area, leaving the blond boy to touch his hair lightly in puzzlement.

What was that?

The old man was nice, and Naruto loved him.

When he died, Naruto became hungry.

But sadness was still more painful than hunger.

At the Teuchi, they said he could always eat, but Naruto knew from their distressed faces that his large appetite would only eat holes into their pockets, so he avoided the store whenever he did not have money.

The only company was the old man, and he died.

Lonely, Naruto attended the old man's funeral and hid behind a tree all the while until everyone left.

Then, he slid out of his hiding position and placed a flower on the weird cold stone.

Naruto clapped his hands like he saw the other people doing and kneeled down as correctly as he possibly could. Then, he said:

"Thank you."

And he left.

One year later, Naruto was once more walking around hungry when he passed by that same store. The insides were now different, and more people were there.

Naruto was wide-eyed as he entered, blinking at the many books that were now added to the previous collection.

"Are you new here?" A man, slightly womanish looking, with warm brown hair and green eyes squatted next to him.

"I…" What should he do? No one ever spoke to him like that before…other than Jiji…and Teuchi…and Iruka, even though his eyes were like all the others…

"This is a rental bookshop. You come here with a bit of money and you borrow whichever book before going to that corner to read." The man explained, giving a gentle warm smile which reminds Naruto of the one the old man had on sometimes. "For children under twelve, it is free. So, would you want one?"

"I…" He was a shinobi! He shouldn't seem weak! Naruto puffed his chest out and nodded boldly, ignoring the looks the other customers were giving. "I want one!"

"For a boy of your age, I'd recommend this." The man plucked a book off one of the shelves and handed it to him with another one of his warm smiles.

Naruto was shocked to see the same book he stopped at the day before the old man died.

"I…" He grabbed the book excitedly, starting to run off when the man grabbed his shoulder lightly.

"Wait."

Fearing that he would be beaten, he dropped the book at once and cradled his head.

Green eyes softened in understanding.

"What should you say before you leave?" The man continued in a slightly gentler tone, though not the least less stern.

"Eh? I-?" Naruto blinked for a minute and pondered before bowing from waist down – like those characters do from the books. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." The man patted his head lightly, the smile from before returning to his face. "But most of the seats are full right now, so…"

He looked up to one of the other patrons – the one with grey hair and eyes and who was now giggling creepily at his book.

"Kakashi-san, will you please assist this boy in teaching him to read?" He smiled.

"E-E-Eh?" The creepy pervert fumbled with his book, turning around with shocked eyes. He pointed to himself, dumbfounded. "Me?"

"Unless there is another Kakashi-san in here, then yes, I am referring to you." The man folded his arms around his chest. "And you better not read that book in the presence of this boy…"

"Uuuugh…I…Okay."

Naruto watched with wide amazed eyes.

It was amazing what a simple smile from the man can convey.

The man patted him on his back lightly.

"Go on."

"O-Okay!" Overfilling with happiness of reading with another person, Naruto ran forward excitedly, almost stumbling over his feet. It reminded him of the old man, although the old man never did this for him.

The grey man was reluctant when Naruto began reading, only pointing to the words he stumble over and reading it once for Naruto to repeat. Then, as the story went on, the grey man found himself reading sentences and soon ended up reading the entire book for him.

Naruto could tell by his eyes that he was fascinated with the story despite himself.

When a plate was sat before them, Naruto's blue eyes went wide.

It was the same dango, just like the usual. The dango he missed so much for an entire year!

One mouth of the savoury goodness and Naruto found himself giggling, almost choking on the sticky dango in his mouth.

"What's wrong?" The man asked lightly.

Naruto only continued to giggle. That warm feeling in his chest is really too much to take!

"Naruto?" The masked not-so-creepy-shinobi followed in concern.

"Heheh…This dango is just like the old man's, that's all!" Laughing to himself as he took another bite and felt the warmth spreading a bit more, Naruto felt tears escaping his eyes at the same time. "It's so delicious!"

A/N: Like it? Hate it? I'm still in a daze after writing this, so I'm not so sure about myself. Please tell me what you think!