Chapter 10: Cheers to Peace
Sakumo was kidnapped, Kaka-Nii was on a mission, and Naruto was left with his remaining brooding teammate in Konoha. Naruto was not a happy camper.
"Can we go find the old lady and Sakumo now?" Naruto asked before the door to the office could even close.
"No," Jiraiya said.
"Can we get a mission then?"
"I can give you a D-Rank."
"Oh come on!" Naruto complained, shooting a glance at Sasuke who was silently brooding with him. "Can we at least join Kakashi-Sensei?"
Jiraiya sighed, finally looking up from the scrolls on his desk. "Sorry Naruto but right now it isn't a good idea to leave the village."
"But-"
"Look, I got information from one of my contacts that there's an organization that's after you," Jiraiya interrupted. Naruto barely caught the contemplating look the older man shot at Sasuke before he continued. "They're after other people like you," he pointed toward Naruto's stomach before flicking his finger toward the Uchiha. "Sasuke is also stuck in the village because it looks like my old teammate is after him."
"But that's not fair!"
"Hn."
"It's for your own safety.
xxx
Tsunade was on her fifth bottle, when something niggled at the back of her mind. On either side of her was Shizune, who was trying to lower her alcohol consumption, and Haruno who was taking small sips Sake with a disgusted look on his face. Tsunade grinned, she'd get the boy addicted eventually. She took another swig of her Sake when that feeling persisted and she finally slammed down her bottle.
Turning in her seat at the Suna bar, Tsunade looked outside at the sandy village. It was dark out, but it was during this time when the sand village was most active. The air was cool at nights, unlike the blazing heat that came during the day.
Tsunade scanned the streets again as that feeling persisted. Her Shinobi senses told her that no one was keeping an eye on her, but she still felt tense.
"…Hokage would be more than happy to."
Tsunade snapped to attention at the word 'Hokage,' her eyes easily finding the source. She froze.
Walking down the street with a blonde haired Suna brat, was Kakashi. It was no wonder she had that strange feeling in the back of her mind. Tsunade always had been extra sensitive to the white Hatake Chakra after Kakashi was born.
She quickly turned away from the sight, briefly wondering when Kakashi had taken to wearing a mask, and how old was he anyway? Tsunade shook those thoughts from her mind. She had no right to worry about him now, when she never had been part of his life.
"Wha- 're you looking a'?" Haruno drunkenly slurred.
"Nothing brat," Tsunade snapped as she snatched up her bottle and took another large gulp.
What was Kakashi doing here anyway?
Tsunade shook her head. "Time to make some bets! Who wants to play a card game!" Tsunade shouted to the patrons in the bar as she fished a deck of cards from the folds of her shirt.
xxx
Kakashi had been so sure that there was an odd pair of eyes looking at him, but he dismissed the thought. He was in a foreign village, it was only to be expected.
Kakashi turned back to Temari, she was his guide for the duration of his stay. "Where were we again?" he flashed her a smile. "Ah, right. Well, the White Fang has been dead for over twenty years now. I'm not him, though I do have his blade."
"Is it with you now?" Temari asked as she led him down another path.
"No, it was only luck that I had it with me during the Sound Invasion. I'm not a fan of Tanto's," Kakashi explained calmly.
The White Fang, or Kakashi's father, was a war criminal in Suna. So to keep up good relations, Kakashi had to talk about him, if only to reassure Suna of the White Fang's death. It wouldn't do to start a fight just because of a dead man.
"I see," Temari said. "I'm sorry for you loss but with this news, there isn't anything holding Suna back from making this peace treaty permanent. The new Kazekage, Gaara will be pleased that he doesn't have to deal with the elders." She shot Kakashi a wry look, no doubt remembering when Kakashi had spat some harsh words at the Konoha elders for pushing him to become Hokage.
Kakashi chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his head. "I know his relief."
Temari stepped into the open sand tower and proceeded down the halls. She had grown quiet and Kakashi could tell that the Anbu watchers had left, so he took that as a cue to stop talking. Stopping at a door, Temari knocked on it.
"Gaara, the representative from Konoha is here." And with that, she opened the door and motioned Kakashi in. "I'll be out here when you're done to take you to your room reserved for dignitaries." She bowed to him, and Kakashi was left to talk with the youngest Kage ever.
His mind blanked at the sight of the boy. What was he supposed to say to his once-enemy? Could he skip the small talk and get straight down to business, or would that be rude?
This was why, Kakashi hated social interactions. The proper conduct always confused him.
"Have a seat," Gaara said with a soft smile on his face. It seemed forced, but Kakashi was taken aback by how nice it looked. Kakashi thought that the kid would still be somewhat insane and bloodthirsty. "I hope your travels went well?"
"Yes, it was relaxing getting to see the views in the Wind Country," Kakashi responded, inwardly sighing in relief as he allowed Gaara to take control of the conversation.
Gaara nodded then fidgeted causing Kakashi to raise a questioning brow. "If you don't mind. I've never been good at small talk." He spread out a scroll that was an exact copy as the one Kakashi had.
Kakashi grinned, he liked this kid and could get used to his straight forwardness.
"Our Hokage decided to sign off on the peace treaty," Kakashi said, also unrolling his copy of the scroll. "Coming to each other's aid in a time of need is a give, but Konoha would also like to recommend your village to some of our clients and set up trade routes to be guarded by both of our Shinobi."
Eventually they set the limits on the treaty and Kakashi promised to get it signed by Jiraiya and send Gaara copy before he was excused.
"Thank you for your hospitality Kazekage-Sama," Kakashi bowed slightly as he edged toward the door.
"No, thank you for your forgiveness. And please, just Gaara is fine."
"Then call me Kakashi."
The silver haired man bowed once again and had just reached the door when Gaara called to his retreating back. "Oh and I received news that Senju Tsunade is in my village. I'm aware that Jiraiya-Sama was searching for her a while back."
Kakashi blinked, slightly off guard. "Ah, thank you." And with that, Kakashi slipped out of the office and smiled at Temari when he saw her.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"Better than I thought it would," Kakashi responded. "Do you happen to know where Tsunade-Sama is? Your brother said she was in the village." And she has my student, went unsaid.
"She's at a bar," Temari said and led the way. Kakashi was more than content to follow her in silence. He'd nearly used up his word quota for the day. "Here we are," Temari said as they stopped outside a bar. "I have something that needs to get done and we trust you enough not to pull anything so here's a key to your room. It's in the sand dome next to the Kage tower."
"Thanks."
"Don't sweat it, Copy-Nin. Laters."
Heh, it was Copy-Nin now, was it. Well, Kakashi definitely preferred it over White Fang.
xxx
Sakumo had been drunk, but thanks to modern healing Jutsu, he was fine and didn't even suffer a hang over. Unfortunately, they were still in a bar and Tsunade was still taking outrageous bets, several tables over.
Sakumo shared a look with Shizune. Since traveling with the two women, he'd admit to looking up at her like an older sister. She was nice, and her teaching abilities were superb. Already, Sakumo could heal bruises and stitch up skin… though he couldn't prove that fact to Tsunade. Apparently the Senju was scared of blood.
"Aw, Sakumoo, what are you doing here?" Tsunade slurred from middle of the bar.
Sakumo looked up at the sound of his name, ready to tell Tsunade that she had dragged him here, when he spotted Kakashi who had a baffled look in his eye as he gently pried Tsunade's fingers from his sleeve.
"I think you're drunk," Kakashi said softly, but Sakumo could still hear it from his position.
"Don't be like that, Sakumo-kun," Tsunade giggled. "I just got here. Of course I'm not drunk."
Kakashi visibly sighed, and Sakumo could see him scanning the bar before his lone eye rested on him and Shizune. With a goal in sight, Kakashi seemed to drag Tsunade away from the other patrons and toward them, all the while whispering, "do I look like I have pink hair to you?"
"Sensei," Sakumo nodded to the man once he dumped Tsunade in an empty seat.
Sakumo couldn't help but try to compare Tsunade to Kakashi, but with that mask, he couldn't find any similarities. But of course the similarities to Fang were so obvious, that Sakumo mentally slapped his head. He knew the two silver haired men looked alike, but he never drew the connection! It was so obvious too.
"Sa-ku-mo."
The glare in Kakashi's eye was palpable. Worst of all, it was all directed at Sakumo himself. If Sakumo had felt relieved at seeing his Sensei, he now felt chills running down his spine.
"Yes Tsunade?" Sakumo asked.
"Hmm?" Tsunade swung her head toward him. "You're not Sakumo."
"Um…" Sakumo glanced from Tsunade to Kakashi and back again. He was happy when Kakashi's glare was on Tsunade instead, but felt slightly worried for the mother.
It didn't look like Kakashi particularly liked her. Not that Sakumo cared about the mother-son relationship - he had been kidnapped by the woman - but he could feel the slight worry wafting off of Fang.
"Do you three have a place to stay?" Kakashi asked, interrupting Sakumo's thoughts.
"No," Shizune admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "Tsuande-Sama used most of our traveling expenses on bets."
"I have a room we can share. It might be cramped, but it'll work," Kakashi said, blatantly ignoring Tsunade's coos and clinging hands. "Do you think you can purge the alcohol from her system?"
Shizune and Sakumo shared a wince. Tsunade was like a clingy kitten right now, but if Shizune killed her all time high, the Senju would claw their eyes out. And with Tsunade, she was never trulls drunk unless she wanted to be.
Catching onto their reluctance, Kakashi sighed but didn't push the issue as he guided Tsunade out of the bar. With little choice, Sakumo and Shizune followed.
I wonder if Tsunade still visits him twice a year.
'What do you mean?'
Well, she always traveled after he was born, and then I died when Kakashi was five. The time between my death and when you were born is blank.
'She probably did then. What kind of person would remember what someone looked like if the last time they saw that person was when they were five?'
Kakashi always had a good memory.
Sakumo hummed, allowing Fang to have his thoughts while he wondered about things himself. Most of them having to do with if Fang would take his side over Kakashi's and if Fang would be willing to give Sakumo blackmail material over his Sensei.
He didn't know what type of situation would pit him against Kakashi, or what he would even use blackmail for, but it would be nice to have.
"Cramped, huh?" Shizune's voice was tinged with amusement when they finally arrived at Kakashi's 'room.'
A house, or sand dome would have been the more appropriate term to use. It had pocket holes littering the roof and strategic angles to allow for the air to circulate and it was neatly furnished.
"The Kazekage is allowing me to stay here for the day," Kakashi said as he dumped Tsunade on the couch. "This is the first time I've been here. I thought it was just a room."
"It's nice," Sakumo said. "Did you come here to find me?"
"A tadpole hopped out of a river so I tried chasing it to put it back and ended up here. The fact that you were here was just a bonus. It does save time though. We can head back to Konoha together." Kakashi said it like Sakumo was just a side note. It kind of hurt. "Why did Tsunade take you anyway?" he glanced at Tsunade who giggled, 'Sakumo,' and promptly winced.
Did his name bother Kakashi that much? It was his father's name, so it shouldn't… right? And yet the discomfort was easy to read in Kakashi's lone eye whenever Tsunade slurred the name.
"I made a bet with her," and she lost, "and she got mad."
"Mah, that sounds right," Kakashi nodded. "She makes bets and drinks like the first Hokage."
xxx
Tsunade came to slowly. Her sluggish mind pounding with her hangover and she slowly forced her Chakra to clear it.
Blinking open her eyes, Tsunade came to face to face with Shizune who was sleeping peacefully besides her. It wasn't uncommon to wake up to her apprentice like that. But it was uncommon to wake up in an unknown bed when she didn't remember booking an inn.
It felt safe though, so Tsunade didn't panic and continued to do a sweep of the room. It was a large room, something that Tsunade was sure they couldn't afford. They were still in Suna as the ground was sandy and the walls had several holes in them. There was kitchen on one side of the dome and Tsunade was sure that one of the doors on the other side led to the bathroom. The lone couch had been claimed by the Haruno brat and sitting on the floor with his back to a wall and one leg propped up was Kakashi.
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat, and whatever sleepiness she felt was rushed out of her mind.
She couldn't have been looking at Kakashi for more than one second, but he had felt the gaze on him and had looked toward her with a stifled yawn as he inclined his head.
It was so unfair. Here she was, freaking out at seeing him and he took it all in stride like she didn't matter, like she was just an acquaintance.
Tsunade didn't know why, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to look away as Kakashi stretched and retied his headband to cover his Sharingan. He dusted his hair of sand and moved to the kitchen. His footsteps were silent, just like his father's and he was taller too, but with a lither frame.
"Here." A glass cup was held in front of her face. When did he get there? "You slept the entire day. It's nearly sunset now," he informed her, taking the cup when she finished drinking. "If you don't need Haruno anymore, I'll be taking him back with me to Konoha."
What? No questions about why she took the brat?
Oh no. Don't tell her the kid told Kakashi about their relationship. That would be bad. But Kakashi wasn't acting weird. He was showing no outward appearance for having possibly learned about their relationship. Either that, or he was just that good at hiding his emotions. He was a Shinobi, it wouldn't be too hard for him.
"Do you want another glass?" Kakashi asked quietly.
"No thank you."
Kakashi nodded, though there was an odd calculating look in his eye as he considered her before heading back to the kitchen and washing the cup. When he was done, he gently shook Haruno awake. "It's time to go. It's nearly sunset."
"We'll travel with you." Tsunade didn't know what made her say it. In fact she didn't know a lot of things laterly. It could have been the calculated look Kakashi casted her or the risk of Haruno telling her son, her secret, but whatever it was, she was already regretting it.
That smile on Kakashi's face was so fake.