The next morning Kakashi woke up before Naruto. He needed little sleep, and the few hours he slept left him feeling restless. He took a quick shower before putting on his clothes. After he had finished his breakfast, a bowl of ramen, he went back to his room. Naruto was still sleeping soundly, occasionally snoring a bit. Kakashi took the time to look at him in his unguarded state, taken aback by the innocence the boy radiated. His parents had died on the day of his birth, he had had no friends growing up and was scorned by the villagers, but he still never gave up on his quest to be acknowledged by everyone. Kakashi softly put his hand on his face, tracing the contours of his whisker-like markings. He was at a loss, having never been in a situation in which he maybe, possibly (surely), wanted to see the person he spent the night with again. His heart was still in turmoil, as there were so many circumstances to be considered. For one, Naruto was fourteen years younger than him and his former student on top of that. He was also in love with Sasuke. He was also his former teacher's son. Kakashi sighed, fate liked to put him into complicated situations. He decided it was best to let Naruto sleep in and let him come to him on his own terms, when he was ready. He left a bowl of ramen on the table in the living room.

There were only a few people in the street, mostly vendors and stall owners who were on their way to prepare their goods for the day. Kakashi walked leisurely, knowing that he had enough time before someone would be sent to his apartment to nag him, and made a detour to the Uchiha compound that Sasuke had returned to after the war. He masked his chakra and leapt on the branch in front of Sasuke's room. Inside, Sasuke was still sleeping, his eyebrows furrowed by a nightmare. Kakashi reached out his hand unconsciously, reminded of his own nightmares, before detracting it after realizing that he couldn't comfort Sasuke. He had his own demons to fight and Kakashi had never been good at words when it came to emotions. Deciding to take a look around the Uchiha compound, he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, taking in the state of the compound. It looked a bit rundown, not having been renovated since the massacre, but there was also an eerie feeling to it. Kakashi had the uncanny notion that he was being watched, if only because he imagined the Uchiha living inside their houses still. When he reached the end of the compound, he noticed that there was another, newly constructed gate leading to a graveyard. There were numerous tombstones, each inscribed with names of a family. In the middle, there was one that was separate from the others. Kakashi went to take a closer look. It was dedicated to Itachi, lined with flowers around it. Kakashi frowned. It seemed like he had to have a conversation with Sasuke.

Before he walked into his office, he sent one of the guards to fetch Sasuke. While he was waiting, he began to inspect the work he had to finish that day. It consisted mostly of a few trade contracts that he would leave to Shikamaru and reports on students of the ninja academy.

"Rokudaime," Sasuke said.

"Send him in."

"You asked for me?" Sasuke looked as emotionless as ever, but there was something weary on his face.

"Sasuke, how have you been?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow slightly. "Fine."

Kakashi walked to the window, putting his hand on the glass, staring at the sky.

"You are living in the Uchiha compound again, am I correct?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied noncommittally. Kakashi turned around again, walking to his desk.

"Maybe you should reconsider it. You are probably aware that the Uchiha compound is on the fringes of Konoha, next to the prison. The Nidaime Hokage was the one who chose that location. You know that there was no love lost between the Uchiha clan and him."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, thinking that Kakashi made him waste his time. Kakashi looked him in the eyes, trying to discern his thoughts.

"I want you to think about getting an apartment elsewhere, so you're not as cut off from the village as you are now. I think a change of scenery would be good for you." Kakashi knew that the village didn't fully accept Sasuke, but grudgingly tolerated his presence due to Kakashi's pardon.

"No," Sasuke said, "Is that all?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He knew that he couldn't let Sasuke cut himself off from the world, if he wanted to avoid future problems. If Sasuke left again, it would break Naruto's heart.

"I will provide you with an apartment free of charge and the promise of rebuilding a new Uchiha compound when you marry and revive your clan. Dismissed."

Sasuke seemed unimpressed by his offer and left.

He knew that he couldn't persuade Sasuke easily and shouldn't force him, but he had planted the seeds of his plan into Sasuke's head. He hoped the boy would come around. Deciding that he had had enough trouble for that day he made one of his guards take the contracts to Shikamaru's office while he leafed through the potential Genin candidate's reports. There were a few promising talents and Kakashi chuckled when he stumbled upon a boy who had the same cold expression as Sasuke, as well as a boy who looked just as defiant as Naruto. He made a mental note to tell the teacher to keep a close eye on those two.

His smile disappeared, when he thought of Naruto. He didn't know how to approach the boy. He had been almost sure that Naruto would have stormed into his office soon after he arrived there and demanded an explanation from him. Melancholically, he thought that Naruto had grown up so much that Kakashi could barely keep up with all the changes in the boy. He was still fiercely determinate and a loudmouth, but he knew when to quit. He had become more serious. Even an optimistic boy like Naruto had been marked by the hard Shinobi world. Kakashi knew that Naruto was still young, but he considered asking him if he wanted to take on a Genin team. It would be good for him to see the innocence of childhood for himself once more. Deciding to postpone his inevitable conversation with Naruto, he immersed himself in the work he had to do, deciding to read more scrolls and records after he was done. Just before he decided to call it a day, Gai appeared in his office.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival! It has been too long since we have had a proper challenge! I hereby challenge you to a dango-eating duel!"

Kakashi grimaced. He had wanted to turn in early, maybe buy some books for advice regarding his situation, and instead he was stuck with Gai for the evening it seemed.

"I'm busy today."

"Nonsense, you are never busy! I've known you since our genin days! I never see you drinking or eating out with friends!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm not, but there's a reason for that."

"I won't accept any excuses. We are still in our springtime of youth!" Gai shouted enthusiastically, dragging Kakashi off to the dango shop. Kakashi silently endured Gai's chattering, hoping to be let off the hook for the rest of the week if he complied to this relatively easy and non-time consuming challenge. The dango shop was filled with chattering people and Kakashi was left to squeeze into the space between two loudly conversing groups while waiting for Gai to make his huge order. While he was watching the passers-by he saw Naruto walk by. He was unusually subdued, looking at the ground while walking with a fast pace. Normally he would be greeting a lot of people, stopping at one shop or another to greet the shop owners. Kakashi followed him with his eyes, until he was out of sight. Just as Naruto disappeared, Gai set two large plates filled with numerous dango sticks onto the table.

"Let the challenge begin," he shouted, earning a few annoyed glares form other customers. When they saw Kakashi, they quickly went back to ignoring them. Gai mustered him, when he had started picking up a stick halfheartedly. "Kakashi, what's wrong? You look troubled."

Kakashi looked up at him, debating whether or not to tell Gai what was troubling him, if vaguely. Then he laughed loudly. Gai wasn't known to give the best advice, even if he had become a friend to Kakashi. "I'm fine, let's start."

Gai looked at him incredulously.

When they were done, Kakashi patted his bursting stomach contendly. "I win."

"It shall be your win today," Gai cried, "but it shall be mine next week."

"We will see," Kakashi said cheerfully. Unexpectedly, the trivial challenge Gai had confronted him with had lifted his spirits. "Ja, I'm going home now."

Before Gai could say another word, Kakashi had disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before he headed home he stopped at the book store, intent on buying a few guidebooks. He knew that their circumstances weren't ideal, but he wanted to know how he should proceed in the situation he found himself in. He had no female friends and all of his other peers were rather… socially awkward. Gai had no idea of how annoying he was to other people and Tenzo hadn't had an exactly normal childhood. That barely left Kakashi with any other options. He was not one to judge though, as he himself was probably the most antisocial of them. He bought "relationship 101" and "dating for dummies". The shopkeeper who had know him for over a decade, looked at him as if he had grown another head, making Kakashi feel slightly uncomfortable. Luckily, he didn't comment on his choice that deviated from his normal genre of choice.

When he arrived home, he decided to start with "relationship 101". He decided that in order to know how to date, he first had to realize what a relationship itself consisted of. After he read the introduction, it was obvious to him that a female with rather limited knowledge of men had written the book. While he skipped over the parts on how to play a game of making yourself scarce in order to look more appealing, he was interested in the part that introduced the first steps of dating. It seemed that after the first date, the man should accompany the woman to her doorstep, waiting for her to kiss him. Kakashi laughed awkwardly. Well, he definitely got that first kiss, without trying. The second step the author described was to go on more dates until you were ready to invite your man in. Kakashi had invited Naruto into his apartment, but because he was nagged until he gave in. Step one and two were already completed, so far so good. Step three the author proposed was to ask your friends whether the man was interested in you. The author had been right up to that point, so her next step couldn't possibly be wrong, right? He decided to ask Sai about his opinion the next day. Step four was to talk about the future of your relationship to determine whether you wanted to pursue it. Kakashi decided to postpone that step…

He skipped over the other steps, starting with the next chapter. It consisted on tips how to satisfy your man. While Kakashi was no woman, Naruto was definitely a man and so the tips should be applicable to their sex life as well. After he nodded at the first few pages, the rest of the chapter made even him, a seasoned fan of erotic novels, blush. Being tied up and teased by a toy wasn't something he had ever imagined… Deciding that he wouldn't need to read the chapters about marriage, bachelor parties and child-rearing, he moved onto the next book. It stressed the importance of gifts such as roses and chocolates. He nibbled on the skin of his thumb, as he thought about his situation. He wasn't sure if it was smart to try to pursue a relationship with Naruto and was plagued by thoughts again. After all, he was a lot older than Naruto. On the other hand, he knew it wasn't impossible to like someone who was a lot older than you. There was also the little fact that Naruto obviously had feelings for Sasuke. Kakashi scoffed at the thought. He couldn't see Sasuke warming up to the idea of any kind of relationship with Naruto anytime soon, so he decided it was only fair that he would pursue Naruto if Sasuke had no interest. If Sasuke would, unexpectedly, show interest in Naruto, he would back down and let Sasuke have him. "Yosh, I can do this!" Satisfied with his new-found determination, he went to bed.

The next day, he woke up feeling bleary after reading and thinking too long the night before. His eyes settled on the portrait of the old team seven, resting on Minato's smiling face. He didn't know what to make of it. Would Minato allow him to be with Naruto? Would he forbid it and call him a pervert? Kakashi's heart sank. Minato's opinion had always been extraordinarily important to him, as the man seemed to be full of wisdom. Even if Minato would have been against it, he decided to do what was right and man up; he would talk to Naruto that day… or the next day. Who knows, maybe Minato wouldn't have been against it at all, smiling at him with that blinding smile of his. Kakashi turned the photo so it would face the window.

"Sai."

"Kakashi-sensei," Sai smiled his fake smile. It still made Kakashi feel uncomfortable at times.

"Sai. How has Naruto been lately?" Kakashi tried to appear uninterested, playing with his pen while letting his eyes rest on a contract in front of him.

"Sensei, why do you ask me and not Naruto?" The smile was still in place.

"I wanted to know your opinion as Naruto's teammate." Sai knew something, he was sure.

"Naruto has been at the bar the last two days, talking about someone who doesn't care about him. Though I am sure that it's not Sasuke this time." It sounded as if he was talking about the weather, like he was merely giving a report instead of basically telling Kakashi that he was responsible for Naruto's state of mind.

"I see, thank you. Dismissed," he waved his hand, having enough of Sai's smile. It grated on his nerves

"As you wish, hokage-sama. May I tell you something though? Lately, I have realized that in order to form a functioning friendship or relationship with another individual, conversation is of vital importance." He smiled sweetly, before leaving Kakashi's office.

"This Sai…"Kakashi muttered, annoyed that he had given up before actually asking about Sai's opinion on Naruto's love life. The boy was too hard for him to handle. He was frustrated. How was he supposed to follow the book's advice if there was no one he could ask?! Kakashi decided to skip that step and continue with the conversation about the future of the relationship. He swallowed in nervousness. The book had said that your partner would be angered at waking up alone after spending the night with you. He wasn't sure whether this rule would apply to Naruto as well, as he never waited until his partners woke up. He decided to call it a day, and went on his quest to find Naruto. Contrary to his assumptions the boy hadn't tried to force him into a conversation.

Finally, he found Naruto practicing his Rasenshuriken on innocent trees. The practice field looked more like a battlefield each second Kakashi let Naruto continue his rampage. He appeared behind Naruto, holding his arm, just before he cut off another tree. Naruto immediately spun around, trying to his attacker. Kakashi, having anticipated his reaction, gripped Naruto's other hand, effectively preventing him from punching him. He noticed that Naruto hadn't held back and he knew immediately that Naruto was in a bad mood considering his murderous looks.

"Can't you see that I was training?" He asked defiantly.

"Well, if your training includes deforesting Konoha, yes." Kakashi stated flatly. Naruto freed his hands, walking a few steps away from Kakashi.

"What do you want?"

"I thought," Kakashi paused, trying to find the right words, "we could talk about what happened…" He tried not to sound too casual, but also not too eager. Naruto turned around, mustering him warily.

"You mean, after you left me?"

Kakashi's heart sank. He hadn't really thought of how Naruto could misinterpret his actions. "Well, you see, I had to head to work and…"

Naruto interrupted him. "Ichiraku wasn't even open yet. You didn't have to go to work. Besides, you could have woken me up. If you feel guilty, that's fine. I accept your apology. It's not your fault, I won't seduce you again." There was a hurtful tone to his voice.

Kakashi decided to be completely honest. He took a step closer to Naruto who in turn backed off, until he was standing with his back to the tree. He looked up at Kakashi who had put an arm above his head.

"I will be honest with you, Naruto." It sure as hell wasn't easy for Kakashi who had never been honest with anyone, before he was stopped by Minato-sensei when he was about to pierce a kunai through Obito's heart. "I do feel guilty," Naruto flinched, "but, I was hoping…"

"You were hoping?"

"I was hoping that we could have something… more." Kakashi finished awkwardly. How was he supposed to name it? He didn't even know what he wanted himself.

Naruto looked at him with uncertainty. Then his eyes hardened. "Something more, huh? Sure thing, Kakashi-sensei. We can meet at the bar tomorrow evening. If that's all, I was about to meet Sakura-chan at the Dango shop." Kakashi was acutely aware of how Naruto avoided eye contact. He wasn't sure if he had said something wrong, but apparently Naruto had consented to a possible date. It would have to be enough, before Kakashi could properly assess the situation in the quietness of his home.

"No… That's all."

Naruto nodded, leaving him to his thoughts. There was a nagging feeling in his heart that he had overlooked an important detail and that Naruto was upset by his words.