Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

That sound had been consistently repeated over and over again for the last hour or so, never wavering and never missing its target. The tiny red spot was hit right on the bull's-eye every damn time like clockwork, the kunai whizzing with impressive speed as they made their way forward like perfectly drawn arrows.

What could be said, the Hatakes weren't prodigies for nothing.

Kakashi wiped the minimal sweat off of his brow and stalked towards the posts set about thirty metres or so in front of him, ready to retrieve the imbedded kunai and repeat his ritual once more. It was tiring and his arms were starting to ache but it definitely paid off. It took a lot of hard work to keep up his reputation as the incredible 'Copy-Cat Kakashi' or 'Kakashi of the Sharingan' or whatever incredibly original name someone or other had come up with.

He was just about to start yanking them out of the abused wooden post (unfortunately, having a good throwing arm made it much harder to pull the damn things out later), when he heard a slight giggle off to his left about five or so metres behind his bent back.

He abandoned his endeavor and instead straightened his back, turning around slowly to see what the fuss was about. He couldn't help but soften slightly when he saw Naruto twirling around, by the tail, the fox Tsunade had given him on some unknown whim a few months back (he suspected it was a twisted sense of humour). He, for some reason, seemed to think it was vaguely funny how the little brown creature flopped around like a ragdoll this way and that with every uncoordinated flick of his little wrist, his blue eyes lit up with his mirth as they followed the unusual movements. He was currently lying on his back on a thick blanket out in the backyard where Kakashi was practicing, a common routine for the two by now.

It'd been six months since Kakashi had taken Naruto in and they'd gotten into a routine that both of them seemed to be able to be happy about. Kakashi was doing his best to make sure that Naruto was taken care of correctly and made sure consistently that Naruto was growing up to be a healthy and happy boy. His sensei would've wanted that and therefore it was his duty to provide such comforts for Naruto. Besides, as he had said to myself many times before, he wasn't heartless. The kid really did deserve a good home life. He had even stopped lashing out at the kid every time he did something that stirred unwanted feelings inside of him and had learnt to just grin and bear it, knowing that he had to do what was fair by Naruto first despite his own sentiments.

In fact, Tsunade was so impressed by his progress over the months that she happily exclaimed one day that Kakashi was becoming a real role-model father towards the kid. Kakashi had been utterly dismayed and begged her never to say such things again. It made him feel weird when she said things like that and he wasn't quite sure why. In fact, he probably never even wanted to know.

Kakashi wasn't the only one who had made progress, though. Naruto also had developed more from his previous newborn self. He was about twice his original size now and his soft blond hair had grown out a bit more as well. His limbs definitely had more definition to them and he was gaining some serious pounds, something Kakashi was careful to keep a watchful eye over. Tsunade insisted that gaining so much extra weight was completely normal for babies, but Kakashi refused for 'his heir' to turn out to be an overweight monstrosity. He would never live down the absolute shame.

By now, Naruto could crawl rather well but was never allowed to do so unless Kakashi was there the whole way, watching over his every move like a hawk. Tsunade had laughed at his stubborn behavior but Kakashi was gonna be damned if he let the kid fall over and hit his head or something. He couldn't help but be paranoid when he found out from Asuma that babies had very soft skulls for a long time and that head injuries could turn out being much worse for the little buggars than they first appeared. It was fortunate for Kakashi's sanity that the kid was pretty damn lazy and much preferred either laying around on a blanket or being held in Kakashi's secure arms.

Which brought him onto his next point: Naruto refused to be held by anyone other than Kakashi; it was really that simple. No ands, ifs or buts. If anyone other than Kakashi held the kid, he'd instantly wriggle around or, in some cases, break down into sobs (yes, he still did that way too often. Bloody loud-mouthed winger) until that unfortunate person handed the baby straight back to his guardian. Even Tsunade couldn't hold him anymore and she'd been a huge part of his life since the day he was born. He would immediately calm back down once he was aware that he was being held against Kakashi's warm chest once more. By now, the situation had even escalated to the point where Kakashi had to sleep in the same room as Naruto the whole night or he'd end up yelling out all his damn troubles to the entire village. He was sure by now that his neighbours were about as deaf as he was at this point, if their dirty looks in the morning were anything to go by.

Matters weren't helped much when Kakashi also had to face feeding time on top of that. Naruto had now been given the all clear by Tsunade to be able to start up eating that disgusting baby mush some people actually called food. Kakashi had yet to figure out just how the hell anyone had ever come up with that idea. It looked like a tin of vomit to Kakashi and honestly made him want to puke up his stomach contents in return. He couldn't help but gag slightly when he brought the spoon of vomit up to the kid's mouth and watched him devour it hungrily. The kid actually liked the stuff. It was utterly disturbing to say the least.

Other than those fun experiences, though, everything had gone pretty smoothly. Everyone had bought his and Tsunade's cover story, even the reinstated Third Hokage himself. He had been undeniably shocked by the discovery and had also been reluctant to allow Kakashi full reprieve off of active duty for such a long time when the village had been so heavily damaged and needed his expertise now more than ever, but after an incredibly outraged rant from his former, busty student, they had all managed to come to an agreeable compromise. Kakashi had been reinstated as a special jounin rather than an ANBU officer and had been allowed to remain off of all active duty until Naruto was about one year old. By then, it would be acceptable for Kakashi to start off on short missions and for Naruto to be left in someone else's care while he was gone, probably Tsunade. He found it hard to imagine ever allowing anyone else to be responsible for Naruto in such a way. Not only did he not trust them with his safety, he also didn't trust them not to find out his secret. No incidents had occurred yet, but both Kakashi and Tsunade knew it was only a matter of time before the metaphorical 'other shoe' dropped.

Kakashi was pulled away from the grim turn his thoughts had taken when he heard a thump behind him and a large shout of, "HELLO, MY MOST YOUTHFUL COMPANIONS! HOW ARE YOU BOTH ON THIS FINE AND LIVELY MORNING? THE WARM SUNSHINE IS BRINGING OUT GREAT JOY IN EVERYONE TODAY, DO YOU NOT THINK SO?"

Jesus Christ, sometimes he swore that Gai lived purely for the purpose of pissing him off. He didn't know what he'd done in a past life to deserve to be followed around by the green-clad figure, but it sure as hell must've been pretty damn bad.

"Gai," Kakashi started off with a sigh, "how many times have I told you that I actually have a front door? You can't just keep jumping down into my yard whenever you feel like it. It's plain common courtesy." He finished his scolding with a bored look aimed at Gai, something he'd learned to perfect when he didn't want someone to know what he was thinking or if he just plain wanted them to go away. Every now and then, when he was feeling a little vindictive, he couldn't help but also use it sometimes just to piss people off. Nobody hates it more than when someone acts completely disinterested in them, Kakashi had come to learn. It was a useful little tidbit of information indeed.

"DO NOT WORRY, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! I WOULD NOT HAVE GONE AGAINST A COMRADE'S WISHES UNLESS I HAD A VERY GOOD REASON! THE SCORE OF OUR CONTESTS HAS YET TO BE SETTLED! WE MUST CONTINUE OUR YOUTHFUL ENDEAVOUR AND COMPETE TO DISPLAY OUR GREAT FLAMES OF YOUTH!" He finished his very inspiring speech with a peace sign pumped into the air and a show of his overly whitened teeth. Like, seriously, what the hell did the guy use to actually make them sparkle?

Kakashi restrained himself from smacking his face into his palm and said mildly, "Gai, I have a kid to look after, remember? I can't just run off to compete with you whenever I feel like it anymore." Kakashi didn't remember quite when it was that Naruto had become such a great excuse to use against the green monster but he was gonna milk it for all it was worth. He ignored the fact that it felt a little like he was using Naruto. If you had to face Gai head on, you'd better believe you'd make the exact same decision.

After Kakashi had pointed out the obvious, Gai looked around for a moment until he spotted the boy still in the same position on the grass as before, swinging around the little brown fox by the tail.

Gai stalked forward and bent down slightly and said to the kid in his usual great, booming voice, "HELLO, MY ETERNAL RIVAL'S MOST YOUTHFUL CHILD! HOW ARE YOU ON THIS FINE MORNING?"

Thankfully, Naruto had appeared to have gotten used to Gai's usual loudness and no longer burst into tears in response. This time, he simply turned his eyes away from the fox for a moment, let his bright blue eyes take a quick roam over his face and then simply turned back to what he was doing, apparently disinterested in Gai by all standards.

Kakashi seriously had to restrain himself from not bursting out laughing. In fact, he really couldn't help but let a slight snicker escape. Apparently, the kid had taken up his habit of just ignoring Gai until he hopefully found someone else more youthful to bother. He felt a slight swell in his chest at the thought but it was quickly ignored when he heard yet again another loud burst from Gai's mouth.

"HOW VERY UNYOUTHFUL, TO IGNORE A COMRADE WHEN THEY ARE GREETING YOU! HE HAS BEEN AROUND KAKASHI FOR FAR TO LONG AND HAS PICKED UP FAR TOO MANY OF HIS HIP AND COOL HABITS! WILL THE GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA NEVER TRIUMPH OVER THIS HATAKE GENE?"

The poor guy looked like he was about to start bursting into tears, so Kakashi took a bit of pity on him and distracted him by saying, "If there's nothing else, Gai, I'd really like to get back to my training. I've already missed out on a few minutes as it is."

Gai turned to back to Kakashi and then looked between him and the kunai imbedded in the posts a few times. He gaze kept switching until his eyes actually lit up. No joke, Kakashi could actually see the flames burning in his eyes. He hated to admit that perhaps they were the 'flames of youth' reflected in his gaze.

"DO NOT WORRY, MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" Gai said as he marched on over to the kunai posts and yanked out the dangerous instruments imbedded in them one by one, "I HAVE HAD A MOST WONDERFUL EPIPHANY! IF YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE CHILD HERE ALONE, THEN WE SHALL NOT LEAVE THIS COMPOUND AT ALL! IN FACT, WE SHALL NOT EVEN LEAVE THIS YARD! LET US ENGAGE IN A MOST PASSIONATE COMPETITION OF KUNAI THROWING! WHOEVER MANAGES TO HIT THE POST ON THE BULL'S-EYE THE MOST TIMES IN A MINUTE SHALL WIN THIS ROUND OF OUR ETERNAL CONTEST! LET US BEGIN AT ONCE, IT IS MOST UNYOUTHFUL NOT TO START OUR COMPETITIONS RIGHT AWAY!"

Well, bang goes that idea of Naruto being the perfect, infallible excuse.

Kakashi sighed dramatically and walked forward to accept the kunai handed to him by Gai, his ever-present sparkling smile visible once more. Kakashi knew better than to argue with Gai about these ridiculous contests. He wouldn't stop pestering Kakashi until he gave in so he may as well get it over and done with.

And so the games began. At first, Kakashi had been confident that he would win. After all, Gai was a master in taijutsu and therefore was not as specialized in weapons training as Kakashi was. He lazily threw the kunai one after the other, knowing every time that'd he hit the target without fail and that he really didn't need to rush to earn more points.

It wasn't until Kakashi looked over to see Gai's progress that things really started to heat up between the two. Kakashi had looked over to expect that Gai had perhaps a few less kunai in the posts than he did and then turn back to continue his easy win. Unfortunately for him, however, Gai actually had about ten more in the posts than Kakashi and was still going strong, not missing a single target and his throwing arm moving so fast that Kakashi would need his Sharingan to see it as anything more than a green blur.

It was like a switch went off in Kakashi's mind and he instantly turned back to his post and started throwing kunai just as fast as Gai was. He wasn't about to get outdone but Gai of all people; not in something that he should've been far more specialized in. Kakashi may appear laid-back and disinterested most of the time to others, but he sure as hell still had his pride and it wasn't about to be snatched away by Gai. Like, come on: it's Gai.

They were so caught up in beating each other in the last twenty seconds, Kakashi having quickly caught up and both of them being neck-at-neck, that they didn't realize that the posts were really far more abused than Kakashi had first thought them to be. He normally would've replaced them by now but looking after Naruto was more tiring than he thought it was going to be and he honestly just hadn't gotten around to it.

With one last throw from the both of them when there were only ten seconds left, every single one of the posts broke to pieces, not being able to take the onslaught of kunai anymore.

Instantly, both Gai and Kakashi stopped mid-throw, blinking at each other, then at the destroyed posts, then at each other again. They honestly couldn't believe that they had been competing that bad. Never once had they caused so much damage in their contests and they'd had their fair share of pretty daring competitions in the past.

They were both pulled out of their unexpected shock when they heard an uncontrollable giggle and loud clapping sound from where Naruto was still lying on his blanket. They both quickly and simultaneously turned back to the kid to see him laughing hysterically while uncoordinatedly clapping his little hands madly.

Both of their mouths were dropped open (Kakashi's obviously being covered by his mask) as they stared at the kid that looked like he was so amused he was about to wet his pants. They hadn't had any idea that Naruto had been watching the whole ordeal and they honestly couldn't comprehend why the kid found the destruction of the posts so God damn funny.

Gai was the first to snap out of their shared trance and exclaimed delightedly, "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! HE RECOGNISES GREAT TALENT WHEN HE SEES IT! HE IS A TRUE SHINOBI IN THE MAKING! I AM MOST HONOURED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WITNESSED SUCH DEDICATION TO THE FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

As Gai approached Naruto and continued ranting on about how great a shinobi he was gonna become some day, Kakashi stayed stock still and just stared at Naruto still happily giggling away.

A shinobi. One day, Naruto would be a shinobi.

That thought alone was enough to tighten Kakashi's chest slightly and therefore make his breaths slightly more ragged, and it wasn't just because of the intense workout he had been through only moments before. The idea of Naruto's bright blue eyes becoming clouded by guilt and his smile turned down in an expression of deep grief seemed so unfair to the elder Hatake. It was inevitable that if Naruto became a shinobi, his aura of purity and sheer happiness would be dimmed due to the awful sights he would have to face and the terrible decisions he would be forced to make for the rest of his life.

Kakashi's eyes slowly trailed down to the excited hands grabbing out at nothing in particular, his mind not being able to help but imagine them covered in the dark red blood of enemies. The mere thought of Naruto one day losing his innocence and becoming a cold killing machine like Kakashi himself, with no family or friends left to call his own, brought on a sense of despair that he hadn't allowed himself to feel for a long time. The kid's future had already been decided the day he was born and Kakashi had no idea how this hadn't occurred to him in the six months he had known Naruto: the boy was destined to become a murderer. Because that was what shinobi were in the end. Sure, the good ones did what they did because it was their duty to protect their village at all costs, even at the cost of their souls and their own lives, but it didn't change the fact that they literally and figuratively they had the blood of others on their very own hands. They lived for the sole purpose of destroying others to keep their people safe. It was grim and it sounded unfair when Kakashi knew that sometimes killing others was the only way possible to stop them from hurting the people you care about, but it was nonetheless true.

And Kakashi couldn't help but hate the fact that an infant was going to be forced to become just like the rest of them in the end.

That was it, Kakashi had to get out of there. He couldn't stay there thinking thoughts like that any longer or he really would lose his Goddamn mind…and he was taking Naruto with him. He felt the need to be near the kid for some reason and make sure he was happy right now, as if in an effort to make up for what he would inevitably face in the future. Not only was he to be a shinobi, but he was also the Nine-Tails' jinchuuriki and it was only a matter of time before he knew of that too. Secrets so dangerous as the one Naruto carried inside of him didn't stay hidden forever, as much as Kakashi would like it if they did.

Kakashi snapped out of his depressed daze and strode forward with purpose to Naruto, who was still ignoring Gai as he tried to get him to listen about how great his genes were and that he had nothing to worry about when it came to becoming a shinobi. Kakashi almost cringed when he realized Gai was talking about how likely he was to stay alive as a ninja. If Kakashi had anything to do with it, that kid would live to be old and grey before he kicked the bucket, shinobi or not. Nobody was so much as touching Naruto if he had anything to do about it.

With grim determination, he snatched up a slightly stunned Naruto and jumped gracefully over his fence and onto the street below, leaving behind a much more stunned Gai to try and figure out just where they had gone. Kakashi hoped that Gai actually used his front door this time when he finally gave up and left.

Kakashi trudged slowly down the dusty streets of Konoha, wondering exactly what it was he was going to do now that he and Naruto were out and about getting the fresh air he so desperately felt he needed at that moment. He really needed to clear his head of all those thoughts that disturbed him so much.

He ended up just walking wherever his feet took him in the end, having no idea where to go because he just didn't know exactly what it was he was looking for at the moment. It was hard to think of possible destinations anyhow when all he could think about and see was Naruto. Naruto: smiling at the pigeons below him pecking at crumbs on the street, Naruto: giggling happily at anyone that greeted him, Naruto: looking into Kakashi's eyes and there were just so, so, so blue and he felt like he could get lost in that serene and calming blue for the rest of his life and never really mind-

Until he heard a completely different kind of giggle from across the street outside of the Yamanaka flower shop. Three teenage girls around about his age stood in a huddle whispering to each other as they stared and pointed at Kakashi slowly trudging along the street. Every single one of them blushed fantastically when he spared them a bored glance and he could almost hear their internal groans when he quickly just turned back and kept right on walking. They were all rather pretty in a plain sort of way, sure, but Kakashi wasn't interested in a bunch of giggling fan girls. He had, on many occasions, girls following him around with hearts in their eyes. Maybe it was the mysterious mask he wore, or his aloof attitude, or his reputation. Kakashi didn't know and he sure as hell didn't care. He honestly would rather that they'd just go away.

"U-um excuse me, y-you wouldn't h-h-h-happen to be Kakashi H-Hatake, w-w-would you?" a meek voice asked his back somewhat politely.

He almost just kept on walking, but couldn't help but feel bad for just abandoning her there when he could tell by her mad bout of stuttering that it had taken a lot of courage to approach him.

He internally sighed and pivoted to face her, once again giving her a very bored glance and practically exuding a 'piss off' vibe. Sure, the girl hadn't done all that much wrong but he really wasn't in the mood right now…not that he ever really was 'in the mood'…

"U-um right, of course you are. W-what a stupid question. So, u-um my f-friends and I-" she paused for a moment there and seemed to have an internal debate with herself for a few moments. She looked like she was trying to decide something very important and she was really starting to take a long time after about thirty seconds or so had passed and he was almost about to really do what he wanted to before and just turn around and keep on walking-

When he felt a warm hand on the exposed part of his arm that was still clutching onto Naruto securely. He looked at the appendage in mild shock and then up to the face of the person that the appendage belonged to. He almost stumbled when he saw that the girl who had been so shy and embarrassed only moments before was now actually touching him and fluttering her eyelashes at him as she stared boldly straight into his single gray eye. He didn't think he'd ever had any of the girls that followed him around actually bring up the nerve to touch him before. It was just an unspoken convention for them: you could admire the Kakashi from afar, you could even walk up to and speak to the Kakashi, but you never ever ever touched the Kakashi. Ever.

He was still trying to get over her drastic, schizophrenic behavior, when she said to him in an overly sweet tone, "Sorry about all that nonsense earlier. You're just so mysterious and I didn't know what to do with myself. As I was saying earlier I-"

She stopped what was obviously a practiced routine that her and her little buddies had probably forced her to perform for him (yes, he did know that some girls did that on a regular basis, he wasn't oblivious) when she noticed that Kakashi was no longer listening and instead was staring attentively at the baby in his arms.

Kakashi had stopped listening pretty quickly when he noticed that Naruto had started to wriggle a bit. He often did that with Kakashi on the rare occasion that he decided he wanted to have a good ol' crawl. Just because he preferred to be held didn't mean that sometimes he didn't want to get on the floor and go go go.

Unfortunately for the little buggar, he couldn't really just let him wander around out in the village where anything could happen and Kakashi just might not be there to help him out in time. Heck, he was so small that people would probably just step on him and not even realize he had been in there in the first place.

And so he petted his absently and said some words in a reassuring tone, knowing that even though Naruto couldn't understand the words that he was saying that he at least could take comfort from Kakashi's gentle voice. It was mildly degrading to have to speak in such a way, but if that's what Naruto needed, then it was obvious that that was what Kakashi had to do.

He looked up rather suddenly from his soothing ministrations when he heard an excited squeal. He ended up tracing the sound quickly back to the girl who was still standing before him, her ridiculous persona she had put on for him before wiped away and instead replaced with an excited look as she watched Kakashi perform his task. It was then that it all finally clicked in his mind. This wasn't just the usual 'oh my God Kakashi's so amazing, let's go follow him'. No, this time they appeared to be even more excited and daring than usual because Naruto was with him. Apparently, girls appeared to really like it when guys had babies. Didn't really make much sense to Kakashi, but that just happened to be the way it was, it seemed.

He gave the girl an annoyed look when she let out another apparently uncontrollable squeal and actually started shaking slightly with barely-suppressed glee. It wasn't long before her eyes strayed from Kakashi still petting Naruto's crown of blonde hair and once again looked up into his eye.

She paled slightly and smacked a hand to her mouth once she realized just what she had unconsciously done. Her cheeks then flamed bright red with embarrassment and she returned to her habit of stuttering when she said to him, "I-I didn't mean to do that! I-I-It's just that y-you're so cute together and I just couldn't c-control myself! S-sorry about that!"

Now that his suspicions were confirmed, he bent his head slightly from looking at the deranged girl to instead glare into Naruto's orbs that were watching him in return. Why was it that this baby seemed to cause trouble for him without even trying? It's like this kid was just destined to be an eternal pain in his arse.

The more he stared into those bright blue eyes, though, the more Kakashi's resolve to stay irrationally mad at him faded. In fact, it practically disappeared into thin air as soon as their stares met; a cold, silver steel mixing with a warm, peaceful blue to create an unlikely but seamless match.

Like usual, the spell Naruto's eyes constantly cast on Kakashi was broken all too soon when he noticed that the girl's other friends had built up courage of their own and had come over to join her in cooing over the pair. They took no notice of Kakashi's annoyance practically radiating off of him as they giggled and talked rapidly with each other while throwing in a few pointing fingers at the two every now and then. Honestly, when girls got excited it was like they didn't even speak English.

Having had more than enough…ah…excitement for today, Kakashi used their need to gossip about 'just how adorable they were together' to escape unnoticed onto a near-by rooftop. He hopped from one rooftop (obviously being very careful to keep Naruto in a firm hold) to the other as he made his way back home as quickly as possible, hoping that the fan girls hadn't already noticed he was gone and tried to chase after him. Seriously, they actually did that sometimes. It was just incomprehensible how far some of them would go on many occasions to Kakashi. He didn't think anything in this world was more unpredictable to him than fan girls and, with Kakashi's current occupation, that was actually saying quite a lot.

It wasn't long before he made his way home (thankfully not followed by his previous fan girls) and pulled the door open with one hand, balancing Naruto carefully in the crook of his other arm, and stepped inside slowly. He relished in the fact that he could no longer sense Gai's chakra and would finally get some peace and quiet. Gai and fan girls in one day were just way more than any sane human being could handle.

He was just about to cross on over to his living room and lay down a rather sleepy looking Naruto into his cot (apparently he was just as tired out by all the action as Kakashi himself) and hopefully get in a good rest himself when he was startled slightly by a far to familiar voice saying from the region of his kitchen, "Well well well, look who's finally back."

Kakashi walked the short distance into his kitchen and gave Tsunade a reproachful look when he said in retaliation, "You're one to talk. You said you'd only be gone a couple of days and it's been a week already."

"Touché, kid," Tsunade said with an impressed look in her eyes. She knew Kakashi had it in him to talk back pretty well but he often just didn't care enough to say more than what he felt was strictly necessary. In the last six months she had made it a mission of her's to get the kid to open up more to her, but it was a long and trying road and she'd had very minimal success in such a long time span. In fact, it looked like the only one Kakashi ever really showed any true emotion for was his dead loved ones or Naruto. She felt that him bonding with the boy so closely (despite his many aggressive protests) was very sweet and all, but he really needed to accept a wider range of support than just a six-month old baby. She tried to be around as much as she could but she still had missions to do (just like the one she had been on for the last week) and therefore she was very limited in her options. Still, though, she did her best and Kakashi seemed to appreciate it in his own kind of way. That was enough for her at the moment.

"I didn't mean to take so long," she started up again in the silence that had followed while she had been lost in her thoughts, "I just didn't quite expect all of the trouble that I ran into. Missions are like that sometimes I guess. Anyhow, I just thought I'd drop by to see how you a-"

She interrupted herself when she finally realized that Kakashi seemed to be far more engrossed in his own thoughts as he stared at Naruto very quickly nodding off into the land of sleep. She was pretty sure that he hadn't heard anything past her first sentence to him and shoved down her annoyance at the fact when she realized that he was giving off a much grimmer aura than usual.

"Kakashi," she said more harshly than she had intended, said teenager instantly snapping his head up to look her in the eye and shaking himself slightly from his daze, "what's on your mind? You seem pretty down. Is it about Naruto? Did something happen while I was gone?" Dear God she hoped the Nine-Tails hadn't already decided to make his move or someone hadn't discovered his secret. She remained calm despite her rising internal panic. She just knew it had to have something to do with Naruto because Kakashi only ever got this upset these days if it was over the infant held within his arms.

He nodded slightly and said in a quiet voice as his eyes trailed back to look at the now sleeping boy, "Gai came over earlier today and at one point said that Naruto was going to become a great ninja. It's stupid, I know, that it never really occurred to me but I just…I just don't want him to turn out like…well, you know…like-"

"You," Tsunade interrupted when she realized that the kid was losing the nerve to just blurt out what he really meant, instead resorting to a rather rare hesitance in speech for the boy, "You're terrified that he'll end up just like you and you hate the fact that this has all been predetermined despite the fact that he's still only just a baby."

Kakashi once again snapped his head up to look at her, except this time in undeniable shock. How had she known just exactly how he felt about the whole situation? It was like she was reading his mind as if his thoughts were tattooed across his body for all to see.

"Don't look so shocked, kid," she said with a sad smirk, "I've thought more than once about it myself. Do you want to know what I tell myself to stop from losing my mind over the whole matter?" At Kakashi's hesitant nod and eager look forming in his visible eye, she continued with an unwavering certainty in both her tone and facial expression, "I think about the fact that it was never really our decision in the first place. This kid belongs to Kushina and Minato first and foremost and their wishes for his future should come first. They would've wanted him to be a ninja just like his parents because they would've known that Naruto would turn out to be just as brave and strong as they were and have just as much will to protect this village as they carried within themselves too. This boy carries the Nine-Tails inside of him, the most powerful being on this Earth, and it'd be stupid of us to think we could shelter him from the dangers he will undeniably face. Besides, do you really think that Naruto would grow up to be one to cower away from the slightest bit of danger when it appeared? No, we both know he wouldn't because he has the Will of Fire and the blood of two of the most powerful shinobi this village had ever seen running through his veins. He wasn't just destined to be a ninja, he was born for this. I just know it." She finished that last sentence with a heart-felt whisper and one of her hands rising up to clutch at her clothing just over her heart tightly.

Kakashi was utterly stunned beyond belief for a moment, a series of conflicting emotions battling within his mind all at once. Slowly but surely, though, the truth and deep feeling in Tsunade's words conquered his earlier worries for Naruto's future and he was able to see clearly just what he had to do for Naruto. She was right, the kid was meant to be a ninja. His parents would've wished their legacy to continue with their only son and he just knew that Naruto would be able to pull it off. The kid may only be six months old and he may only be looking after him because it was his duty, but it didn't change the fact that he couldn't help but looks into those heart-felt eyes and see that blinding smile and just believe in him; believe in him in a way he'd never really even been able to believe in himself.

"Kakashi?" Tsunade asked quietly, carefully trying to gauge how well he was dealing with what she had said.

Kakashi steeled himself instantly and stared into Tsunade's eyes determinedly, saying with absolute resolve evident in his voice, "You're right. You're absolutely right. Naruto was meant for this path and he will succeed wherever his road takes him, I know it…but I'll die before I let him do it alone. I promised Minato I'd keep his son safe and I'd rather cut out my own tongue than fail in such a request. I swear that I'll make sure that Naruto turns out to be the ninja his parents would've wanted him to be and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that it doesn't all lead to disaster. That is what it means to really follow one's duty to the best of their ability."

Tsunade gave him an appraising look after he had finished his speech, her shoulders slumping unnoticeably. She had wanted to make him see her point of view and accept that unfortunately it really was the right choice, but she hadn't expected him to want to take on the responsibility of guiding Naruto down this path alone. That burden shouldn't be his alone to carry. She also wasn't particularly pleased that he still referred to his taking care of Naruto as only a duty, but any attempts by her to make him see otherwise had only been met with absolute hostility and she'd just eventually given up, knowing that one way or another Kakashi would be have to face what he felt sooner or later, whether he liked it or not.

She straightened her lax posture before she could get too lost in her musings to herself and said in a commanding voice, "This isn't your burden to carry alone. We'll both protect him as he learns to walk this road; together."

Kakashi felt a warmth spill into his chest at her support and turned his gaze to look down at the peacefully resting Naruto, somehow not being able to meet Tsuande's stare after that succinct speech. He let his eyes trail over Naruto's rather distinguishing looks and once again vowed to himself that he'd keep this kid safe from the repercussions of his secrets he had yet to discover and from the hard life of a ninja.

He didn't known how he'd ever live with himself if he failed in his promise.

A/N: So, I updated 2 chappies in a row! Yay! Be warned that this is probably the only time this will happen. It was just fortunate that ch. 2 wasn't very long and that I had an especially free weekend this time around. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed that little extra kick! :) I don't really have anything to say off the top of my head about the chapters other than I guess now you're seeing that Kakashi's mask is cracking a bit more and despite his resistance more and more of Naruto is seeping through those cracks. In the next chapter you'll see a lot more of that happening and even some action so stay tuned! If there's anything you want to ask me just put it in a review or PM me and I'll get back to you ASAP. Also, as usual, give a review if you can! . The next chapter should be up sometime next weekend or early next week like these ones were. I don't write action that often so it might take a bit of time to get it to a decent standard. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed and that you'll continue to read the story!

Ja ne!

Azzurro