Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (sadly). If I did the series would be named Kakashi.
Chapter 7-Dogs and Foxes and a Wolf
Part 2
(A/N: Ok…on with the boring transition part…oh yea…Gai appears here again…Originally, according to my timeline, Uchiha Ryuuga was supposed to appear in this part…but Gai sort of wormed his way in…oops. Oh well, on with the fic.)
Night had fallen rapidly, and the sky was already darkened as the odd pair walked down the street. Naruto was ambling slightly behind Kakashi, soaking in the sights he had missed seeing for a month.
Kakashi wondered where he should bring the kid. He finally decided on going to get some okonomiyaki and sushi at a nearby café. It was a tiny thing tucked away in a corner of a section of Konoha that was less-frequented by shinobi. Most of the patrons were civilians, but he knew the owner well enough for it not to matter. He walked toward a fork in the road before he realized that he couldn't hear Naruto's soft shuffle anymore. He whirled around and caught sight of Naruto standing stock still in an elderly woman's grip.
"What were you thinking about? Staring at my house like that! We don't want the likes of you here, yah hear me? Get away monster. It's bad enough that they let you live here", she hollered.
"Ano sa…gomen. I was just-"she never gave him a chance to finish. The old woman pushed him to the ground and raised her cane to thwack him on the head. Naruto cringed back in expectation of a blow that never came. Kakashi was standing in front of Naruto, his arms crossed, slouching lazily.
The old woman though was quaking in her shoes at the menacing aura that radiated off him. "Is there a problem here?"
"Iie, shinobi-san. I was just telling this trash to clear off", she said, bowing to him respectfully. Kakashi could feel bile rising in his throat at her deference to him. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his famed control. When Kakashi got mad, it was usually a cold icy rage. This time though, he could feel blood pounding in his ears, and the sudden fierce urge to just reach out and shake the woman grabbed him. He would have done it if that would make her see reason. Unfortunately, he knew her ilk, and appealing to logic was impossible when faced with them. So he took another breath.
"This child", Kakashi bit out each word, "Is under my protection. Hit him, and you give me reason to hurt you".
"H-Hai", the woman stuttered before fleeing back to the safety of her house.
'Run…run. But you cannot hide…'
He suppressed the psychopathic desire to go after her. Of course, the voice was telling the truth. If he really wanted to, it would be ridiculously easy for him to kill her.
'Just one swift slash across her throat. Lovely warm blood splattering out'.
He watched the woman walk away with disgust. Was this what his sensei, Rin and Obito had given their lives for? Was this what he had lost countless of comrades and his entire family for? He protected the village. And in doing so, he risked his life for people like that old woman, and like those who had beaten an innocent child up. It made him question himself and his entire life. He looked down at the quivering, blank-eyed kid behind him. He knew the boy was reliving the horrifying incident that had occurred a month ago.
He sighed softly. Today had been going so well too. He picked up the boy and put him on his shoulders, before leaping off toward the apartment. His own crisis of faith could be dealt with later.
Once there, he summoned Pakkun. "Stay with him", he said. Pakkun was already licking the boy comfortingly. He yipped at Naruto's limp hand, trying to get him to stroke them. Kakashi flashed back to earlier that day when Naruto had been rolling around with the puppies. The difference between now and then was heartbreaking.
He had been doing so well…and that old hag had destroyed everything with just a few careless words. He rubbed his forehead wearily. Food…they needed food. He stepped out into the chilly night and decided to pick up some meat for Kirane and her pups. Then he stood there for a while, bag of meat in hand, unsure of what to do now. He looked up at the night sky. The moon was full; much like it had been when his sensei had died.
Fire. Fire burn so bright. The terrifying demonic aura of the snarling demon threatened to overwhelm him. How could any creature be so evil? It shook him to the core, that any creature could be so malicious, so whimsical as to want to destroy an entire village for the fun of it.
But in Yondaime, the Kitsune had met its match. And the young wolf took comfort in the thought. He began forming seals again, flying to the aid of his fellow ANBU who were standing there, stunned into despair. They had to distract the fox while Yondaime readied the jutsu.
The creature roared and knocked a few ANBU away like a tiger swiping at tiny mice. "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu", he yelled. He was taking a gamble here. Water, against fire, it was worth a chance. The column of liquid hurtled toward the Kyuubi, only to hit it with a loud hiss. The Kyuubi was a firefox. Water, was an annoyance more than anything else.
It roared again, louder this time. Shit…shit. Ok, think. Water doesn't work against fire. What about grass? No…burn too easily. Air? No, it wouldn't work. Stone. He would use stone. He knew many Stone Village Kinjutsus. Stone was impenetrable. Fire burned everything to crisp. But he had seen many a Stone Nin defend against fire jutsus before. He risked a look back at the others. There were only 2 left out of the 3 squads that had protecting the Hokage.
He had to try. He formed the seals quickly and quietly as the monster advanced. Huge stone balls bounded toward the Kyuubi. It screamed in rage and smashed them with its fiery tails. Suddenly its gruesome face loomed near. The heat was terrifying and his heart flailed. He caught sight of the ANBU making special signs. He had had little time to study them before; it was his first day on the job. But he knew this one. Retreat. He shook his head and pointed at his sensei.
The owl looked back and spotted the child. The wolfi signed furiously in standard sign language. "Jutsu. We have to stall. Hokage's orders". The owl eyed him before it nodded. They had a job to do.
It signed back in normal sign language. "Coordinate jutsus. Stone and water. You do stone. The rest of us will focus on water. Alternate them". Kakashi nodded his assent.
The Kyuubi screamed again and moved forward. The young ANBU took a deep breath. No time like the present to start.
He started another jutsu. Huge stone golems appeared and advanced toward the Kyuubi. It lashed out with a tail and knocked one of them over. The others took this opportunity to bombard it with water jutsus of every type. But there was only so much they could do without a lake in sight.
The Kyuubi leapt forward, disregarding puny humans. It brought out its claws and lashed outward again. The wolf watched hopelessly as it swept all the other ANBU into the air. The owl though was still on the ground. Kakashi's eyes darted furiously as his genius mind worked. He had to do something. He'd promised Obito, and Rin.
He impulsively leapt forward, creating a large ball of white chakra in his hand. The unfamiliar chakra distracted the Kyuubi's attention and it veered, changing direction with a rapidity that caught the wolf off guard. He froze for an instant at the menacing sight before his training kicked in and he threw himself out of the way. It screamed again as a clawed hand reached out to swipe at him.
The wolf jumped again, barely avoiding the blow. The monster charged again, stretching its horrible visage in a gruesome imitation of a grin, and the wolf shuddered as he realized that the Kyuubi was toying with him. He could feel weariness catching up with him as he performed another jutsu. He barely had any chakra left.
Suddenly, the Kyuubi disappeared from view. The only warning he had was a whisper of air above him. He vaulted out of the way of what resembled a meteor shower. His foot caught on a tree root and he flew to the ground at an amazing rate as flaming rocks descended and pinned him to the ground as they seared his pale flesh.
"Little human. So tiny. So young. So pesky. Wonder how you taste…" the demon chuckled. One of its tails sped through the air with inhuman speed. Kakashi closed his eyes and waited. The end was here. So be it. It wasn't that he wanted to die. He just didn't want to live either. Still, he couldn't feel as though he had failed Obito.
The strike never came. A large toad, Gamabunta jumped out, spraying a stream of fiery oil into the air. The Kyuubi shrieked and wheeled away. Gamabunta followed, its strong legs easily pacing the bigger creature.
As the toad boss disappeared from view, Kakashi caught sight of a tall, yellow-haired figure clad in a white coat with flames adorning the bottom atop it. Sensei. He thrashed under the weight of the rocks, desperate to get up, knowing fully well that Kazuma Arashi would need a distraction while he sealed the creature.
His efforts were futile-the rocks were too heavy and he had little chakra left. Still, he had to get out. He heaved his arm out off a jagged rock, wincing as it tore a long deep line across his arm. He concentrated on building his chakra. Chidori. The jutsu demolished the rocks in instants. He struggled to his feet and regretted it an instant later as his back met with the hard, scorched floor. He gazed up at the sky. It was a full moon. Full moons were said to drive people mad. Perhaps that was why the Kyuubi had attacked? The moon had caused an imbalance in its brain?
The young wolf laughed hysterically. The ground beneath him had once been smooth and green. He used to train here with his brother when he was younger. Now all he could see was brown and red stained it. Everywhere around him lay the broken bodies of leaf shinobi. All dead, for what? The senseless actions of a beast? Were the lives of shinobi truly so meaningless that they lived and died at the whims of another?
He clambered to his feet again, swaying desperately. Chakra overuse. He absentmindedly diagnosed himself out of habit. He followed the trail. It was easy really. The fox had left destruction in its wake. Broken trees and huge furrows peppered the landscape. His heart wrenched at the sight of the once lively forest.
He stumbled on slowly. The path ended here. He looked around, but there was no sign of the Kyuubi anywhere. He stretched out his chakra sense. No sign of his sensei. A sudden flare of chakra startled him. He turned around swiftly to see Enma, Sandaime's summon holding a bundle in his arms.
"He's done it then?" He asked Sandaime, knowing the old man was standing behind him.
"Aah…how he had the courage to leave the boy, I'll never know", Sarutobi sighed. The wolf glanced at him sharply. Sandaime sounded tired, like an old man who had seen too much and lived too much. But he could not afford to give in to it now. With Yondaime gone, the village was leaderless. Their people were still healing from the recently concluded war. This would be the opportune time for some enemy to strike. Konoha needed Sandaime's leadership now.
Sandaime glanced over to Kakashi as though sensing the boy's unease. He smiled softly and sadly. "We will go on without him".
Unspoken was the understanding that they would have to go on. There was no alternative. Kakashi's legs chose that moment to buckle under him. His last thought as he was plunged into darkness was that he had lost his last precious person.
Raindrops pelted him and drew him back to the present. What to buy?
Ramen.
He grinned at that. If there was one thing Naruto had definitely inherited from his father, it was his unnatural fondness for the salty noodles. He found his feet taking him to a well-lit ramen stand. It was Ichiraku's, and the owner was closing for the day. He stopped when he saw Kakashi and smiled.
"Late night, Hatake-san?"
"Aah. Two bowls of miso ramen to go please".
It had been so long time since he had frequented the stand. In the past, sensei would often drag him and the other to the stand in the name of team-bonding. He looked at the empty seats in the corner. He could almost see them now…Obito and Yondaime slurping up their ramen as fast as they could. Rin would be cheering Obito on…urging him to eat faster than sensei. And he…he would besitting a little away from them, his own ramen already finished, observing the trio furtively from the outside.
"Hatake-san, here's your ramen".
"Ah, arigato".
"It's no problem. Haven't seen you here in a while. Not since…" the older man trailed off.
"Gomen. I've been busy. I forgot how much I liked the ramen here".
"So, you have company tonight?"
"Huh? Oh yes. How did you know?" The chef smiled knowingly. "Two bowls. You ordered two bowls. I've never seen you eat more than 1 at a time. You've always only eaten one". Kakashi was surprised at how well the stand owner knew him.
"You would have made a good shinobi. Your observation skills are good".
"Iya. It's just that you've been coming here for so long. And Ayane used to-" he stopped, fearing he'd said too much.
Kakashi blushed under the mask, outwardly keeping his face impassive. Ayane was the shop owner's very pretty daughter. She was older than him by a year, and she used to have a bad crush on him. "She's not here today?"
"Yes. She's tending to her aunt. Tomoyo's pregnant with a fourth and she has two younglings". Kakashi nodded to the other man.
"Well, I'll be seeing you around then. Ja ne".
Kakashi spent the journey home pondering on his sudden sociable behavior. He usually never said more than a few words, even when on mission. But Naruto chattered constantly, talking about everything and anything. His chattiness was usually a good indicator of his mood and Kakashi had realized that a silent Naruto was a troubled one.
So he had taken to engaging the boy, encouraging his questioning mind, and somehow the habit had carried over to other parts of his life. It was disturbing.
He reached the apartment, nodded absentmindedly to the baa-san at the ground level and got up the stairs, only to be waylaid by Gai. "My eternal rival! It has been too long! Were you injured? NO! This is too much! I wanted to be the first one to defeat you!" Kakashi blinked. He refrained from pointing out the fact that Tsunade-sama had once flicked him on the head and sent him halfway across Konoha for being an "impudent brat!" and he was by no means invincible.
"Gai, excuse me, I have something to get to". Gai spotted the ichiraku bag in Kakashi's hands. "Ramen for dinner! We have similar tastes, my rival". Kakashi groaned and fidgeted. He wanted to check on Naruto.
"Let us have dinner together! I bought ramen as well", Gai held up his own bag, beaming at his friend. Kakashi considered the possibility and discarded it immediately. "No, this is not a good time", he said dismissively, ignoring his guilty conscience.
He had shared meals with the other in the past. Sadly, he also owed a great many favors, and not to mention his life, to Gai. The green spandex-clad jounin had helped him many times in the past when he had staggered home wounded and emotionally drained from an ANBU mission. The very presence of another human had been what had stopped him from sitting on his bed, bleeding to death, or even drowning himself in the bathtub.
Gai's face fell, before breaking out into a scarily toothsome grin. "You finally have a girlfriend!"
Kakashi somehow prevented his eyes from bugging out as he replied. "No".
Gai smiled again. "Then what is the problem?"
"I…" Kakashi hesitated. True, Naruto was fragile right now. But the whole purpose of buying ramen for dinner was to cheer him up by distracting him with food. And Gai was a very good distraction. He turned to the other jounin. "Gai, I need a favor", he said seriously.
The other man's eyes widened before he nodded. Kakashi rarely asked for favors, and while Gai went around proclaiming that Kakashi was his eternal rival, the truth was far from that. One might called them friends, if men like Kakashi and Gai had friends that is. "What is it?" he replied seriously.
Kakashi was always surprised at the other man's transformation from wacky idiot to village jounin. He knew the other man was a good shinobi and the best taijutsu exponent in Konoha, which was saying a lot considering that Leaf hosted the Hyuuga clan and their infamous Jyuuken style. Bust most times, Gai acted the fool. Most thought that that was Gai's true persona. Kakashi knew better. It was a mask. A front put up against the world. After all, anyone who knew shinobi could tell you that all jounin were crazy eccentric bastards. Gai was just more…unique than most.
So you had people like Kakashi, his chronic lateness and physical mask, Gai and his odd proclamations and spandex, Genma and Asuma and their respective oral fixations, Jiraiya-sama and his perverted nature, and of course Yondaime and his abnormal cheerfulness and ramen addiction. The rank of jounin, it was said, was cursed. Or maybe it was the torturous jounin exam that drove that all over the brink of insanity…
"There's a kid staying with me. Hokage-sama assigned me to him for protection". Gai understood everything in those two sentences. "Something happened on our way to dinner…he's not well".
"What's his name?" Kakashi hesitated again. While he knew the man had a good heart, he had seen many turn into unrecognizable monsters at the mention of the Kyuubi Gaki. He need not have worried though-Gai tolerated, and even respected, silver wolves, why not fire foxes?
"Uzumaki Naruto". Gai's eyes narrowed, before they softened. Most of Konoha knew by now about what had happened to the Kyuubi container. Kakashi let loose a breath he had not been aware of holding and turned to the door of his apartment.
"Let me go first. I don't want to startle him". He entered the hall to find Naruto playing fetch with Pakkun. He stifled a laugh at the sight of the bossy, dignified dog playing a child's game. Naruto, it seemed, did not affect just him.
"I'm home!" those words warmed his heart. Kakashi hadn't had anyone to say them to for a long time. He didn't know why he'd said it either, but it had just seemed right.
"I bought food for you, from Ichiraku's. It's a nice restaurant, my own sensei used to drag me there all the time. I'll bring you there another day, ok?" Kakashi babbled, trying to elicit a response from Naruto. He sighed, when in doubt, go with the obvious. "It's miso ramen". The boy's eyed lit up at that.
"Ramen!" he yelled. Kakashi and Pakkun rolled their eyes at that. The kid was so predictable at times. "I brought a friend for dinner", he said lightly.
"A friend?" Naruto stooped his celebration as Gai walked into the room. The boy surveyed the stranger, a somber look on his face. "He looks even weirder than you!" the boy proclaimed.
"Naruto…" Kakashi said warningly. "How rude of you! Never mind, it is foreseeable that one who burns so brightly with the flame of youth should make some mistakes!"
Naruto looked stunned by the weird statements. Then he spotted the Ichiraku Ramen bag in Gai's arms. "Ramen!" he continued his previous merrimentand made a beeline for the bag. It was Gai's turn to stare in astonishment, speechless for once.
Kakashi yanked the back of his shirt with slightly more force than he intended and brought Naruto tumbling to the floor ungracefully. The boy scowled at him. Kakashi ignored him. "Your ramen is here", he said curtly, temper fraying thin at both of their theatrics. The boy looked up at him and grinned wildly.
"Arigato, Kakashi-nii!" he chirped. Gai looked at Kakashi slightly. He looked away. Naruto had taken to calling him Onii-san sometimes, and frankly, Kakashi didn't know what to make of it. Part of him was astonished by the kid's easy acceptance, another part was warmed by the knowledge that Naruto had respect him and think of him as family in such a short time, yet another part was alienated. Kakashi was confused at the moment and scared really at the implication of the word. Family was something he had lost before he was Naruto's age.
His mother had died when he was three. He knew little of her, except that she had been very pretty, cooked eggplant soup, and had been a hunter-nin. His father had never been home until he lost his honor and with it his mind; he had died when Kakashi was 7.
Takashi, his aniki, had really been the only family he had known. He had been a jounin and had died when Kakashi was 6, a month before his otouto had made Genin. Kakashi remembered spending his graduation day in mourning, and alone. The White Fang had been out on mission. He recalled how excitedly he had rushed home, hoping to the news he had made Genin would pull Sakumo out of his depression, only to find a terse note on the kitchen door. Kakashi had often wondered how different his life would be if Takashi were alive. But regrets were not for this day-he had ramen to serve.
He poured the ramen into three bowls and walked over, somehow managing to transport everything over without spilling a single drop. Naruto, as usual, scarfed down the entire bowl in record time. This time though, Kakashi finished before him. Naruto's eyes bugged out.
"H…How did you do that?" he demanded, pointing his finger at Kakashi in shock.
"I had a good teacher", Kakashi replied. The blonde kid sat down with a huff.
"Kakashi! You have not introduced me!" Gai demanded.
"Ah, yes. Uzumaki Naruto, meet Maito Gai".
"Such a simple introduction is unworthy of me! I am Konoha's foremost taijutsu expert, Maito Gai, the Beautiful Green Beast!" Kakashi grinned. He had great fun watching others eyes boggle when Gai did that. Naruto though, was not most people.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I will be the future Hokage one day!" he hollered. Gai stood up and towered over the kid before enlightening him about the greatness of Konoha's Green Beast. Naruto responded with an equally egoistic remark. Kakashi smirked broadly. It was amusing to watch Gai being bested in loudness and boasting by a six-year old. On second thought, it was terrifying.
Pakkun ambled over to watch the show and plopped himself in Kakashi's lap. "And I thought you were crazy", the nin-dog remarked to its master.
"So the kid has some talent at getting nin-dogs to obey, eh? A potential successor, perhaps?" Kakashi was disconcerted by the question so he avoided it by relying on a tactic he had used since he was a child. When confused, say nothing. "Ah", he replied.
Pakkun glared at him, miffed at the reticent reply. "Why do I even bother?" the dog muttered angrily. Kakashi eye-smiled at it and Pakkun grumbled before settling down. He knew Kakashi was unhinged. It was just that ever since he quit the ANBU and taken in that blonde kid, he had grown even weirder. Kirane had commented that their master smiled more. Pakkun agreed. In fact, what he found most unsettling were the jounin's odd smiles. They were odd on the kid's face. The Kakashi he was used to never smiled. He could be kind sometimes, yes. Like when he rubbed them all down after tiring missions, or when he let the pups tear his house to shreds whenever they needed the exercise. He was good-hearted and loyal to the fault, sharing much of his summons characteristics. It was why they had stuck with him through all the rough patches. But he was never pleasant, not until now.
The kid then, was the reason for the change. Actually, Pakkun could understand why. The brat was just so loud and bright, it took a lot to stay gloomy and morose around him. When the kid was sad though, it was unnatural and it made you want to cheer him up. Naruto, the nin-dog thought sagely, really was a piece of work. He was displaced when Kakashi stood to make tea and break out the shougi board.
Kakashi invited Gai to a game of taijutsu and Gai accepted with a nervous grin. The taijutsu expert was passable at the game, just barely. Naruto watched them both intently and Kakashi was surprised that the young boy could sit still for so long. Déjà vu crept over him as he sipped hot tea while explaining a move to Naruto. He could almost hear Yondaime teasing him.
'Kakashi-kun, you should know better than to move that there. I'll just take it. Tsk. Tsk. I thought you were a genius?'
He pushed all memories away, and smiled when Naruto laughed at a comment from Gai. It was nice, he decided, to smile.
Eventually, Naruto yawned, fatigue creeping up on him. The emotional rollercoaster he had gone through, from being happy, to disappointed, then happy again, and then depressed, before finally being restored to his normal hyper mood, had taken a heavy toll on both his body and mind. Kakashi's eyes noticed the sleepy boy and he decided to end the game in a single move.
"No! My rival has defeated me, yet again. The count is 23 to 28 now!" Gai yelled with tears streaming down his eyes.
"Naruto-kun, it's time to go to bed for you".
"But Kakashi nii-san…" the boy whined.
"Naruto. Bed. Now", Kakashi said, fervently hoping the boy would not have nightmares again. The frequency of his dreams had decreased in the past weeks and had finally stopped this week. He prayed that today's incident would not trigger off another round of nightmares. Especially not when the boy had school the next day.
"Do I really have to? I was having fun!" Naruto pouted.
"You have school tomorrow", he sternly reminded the boy.
Naruto sighed and started off toward the bathroom. He hated going to sleep. It was in his nature, as a 6-year old boy, to want to stay awake forever. If only Kakashi would let him…he sighed moodily and stomped off in a childish tantrum. It was so unfair…
Kakashi watched the boy go bemusedly. "Maybe you should have let him stay awake a while more", Gai suggested worriedly. Kakashi looked over at him., smiling as he realized that Gai was as clueless as he had been at first.
"Iya, he needs his sleep. Don't worry, he changes moods faster than Anko", he said. They both snickered at the thought of the mercurial ANBU member. Anko, as a child, had been a rude, cold, snobbish genius. Anko as a teenager was a loud, boisterous sadist. She had changed a lot. Kakashi sobered at that. She had changed after Orochimaru had left, and no one knew when he was coming back.
He let Naruto say goodbye to Pakkun and Gai before walking the latter out. "So, dinner was nice, eh? We should do this again", Gai said as he opened the door.
"Yes. We should", Kakashi said truthfully this time. Gai turned to leave.
"Ah, Gai", the jounin paused. "Arigato", Kakashi said quietly, the unfamiliar word rolling off his tongue awkwardly. Hatake Kakashi rarely had occasion to thank anyone. He lived isolated of the world, independent of all of them. But no man was an island, as he was slowly learning. And this was a start.
Gai turned around again, a small smile playing at his lips, his eyes serious. "Take care of him, he's special". Kakashi smiled back for once. "I don't let my precious ones die, Gai", he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he processed them. Gai nodded and returned to his own apartment, two doors down from Kakashi's.
Kakashi returned to the apartment and found Naruto already asleep. He washed the ramen bowls and sat on his couch for some time as the implication of his words sunk in. Somehow, deep down inside, he had known. Naruto was a precious person, and he would do everything to protect him. All the more reason for him to find out who had attacked the boy.
The full moon winked down at them that night. Naruto slept soundlessly. He had another long day tomorrow.
(A/N: That's all folks! Hee...Naruto goes to school next chapter...but you might have to wait long for another update because school's starting again...and i, as always, have a load of tests...sigh...anyway remember to read and review! And thank you to all the wonderful peeps who have done so so far...)