Chapter 11

Just Another Day

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been called many things in his lifetime; friend, teammate, lover, father, sensei, professor, even Hokage. But there was one thing he had never been called...and that was a fool. So he was at a loss for just why his one-time teammates would think for a moment that he would even start to consider their proposition. Perhaps the rigors of being counselors had finally gotten to the two Elders, and it was time for him to start thinking about replacing them. Or perhaps they simply needed time away from the Village in order to realize that what they were asking him to do was beyond insane.

"Are you listening to us, Hiruzen?"

The stern tone of Koharu Utatane's voice made it clear she felt he was taking too long to respond to their ridiculous demand. Hiruzen crossed his arms as he stared back at the two people in Konoha who he had thought knew him better than his own wife did. But, after this afternoon's meeting with them, he wasn't so sure about that any more. He chose his words carefully before addressing their request.

"Koharu, Homura, I understand your belief that we are in need of more jonin in our ranks, especially with the threat of war coming sooner than we had expected. But I'm afraid I cannot, and will not, condone commissioning a child into the ranks of jonin."

Homura Mitokado stood up from where he was seated and leaned on the edge of Hiruzen's desk. "Kakashi Hatake is no more a child than you are! Did you even bother to read the report from his last mission? Every member of the observation team assigned to watch the boy reported the same thing...Kakashi Hatake displayed jonin-level skills when he dispatched nearly a dozen of the Iwa shinobi single-handed. He has mastered his summoning contract, and those beasts proved quite useful in the mission as well. His skill with jutsu is far beyond that of some of our younger jonin already. There is no sane reason why you shouldn't sign his promotion papers right here and now!"

The man emphasized his words by tapping one thick finger against the papers sitting on the desk. Hiruzen didn't even have a chance to respond before Koharu added her two-cents from where she was leaning back comfortably in her chair with a smug look across her face. "You have said it yourself, Hiruzen, that the boy is a genius prodigy. And Homura and I are finally agreeing with you. I would have thought that you would have met this news with something other than stubborn refusal."

"Enough!" Hiruzen stood from his chair and glared down at the two Elders. "If I thought for a moment that either of you actually meant half of what you just said, I might be persuaded to give your recommendation merit. However, considering just this morning you were arguing for the child to be demoted back to genin for having the audacity to demand an audience with me as a Clan Leader, you'll forgive me if your sudden change of heart doesn't sway my decision."

Homura stumbled back to take his seat once more, unable to form a coherent sentence. Meanwhile, his counterpart had no such problem. "Hiruzen...you need to stop making this personal. That boy is an asset to this village, and as such, he should be used in the capacity that will best serve us in the coming war!"

Hiruzen closed his eyes and shook his head at the woman's logic. "And just how are we best serving Konoha if we push the child into something he is not mentally ready for?"

A sharp laugh from Koharu preceded her next words. "Are you finally admitting that the boy is as unstable as his father was?"

Hiruzen glared hard at the woman. "I am admitting nothing of the sort, Koharu. What I am admitting to is the fact that Kakashi is only eight years old! He still has much mental growing to do before I will find him ready to take on the mantle of jonin. And I will not have you use the excuse of an upcoming war as a reason to potentially cripple that growth!"

Homura seemed to finally find his voice again. "You would sacrifice Konoha's safety for the sake of a single child?"

Hiruzen sighed. "That child, and every child within this village, is Konoha."

The two Elders were silent. Hiruzen took that moment and crossed over to the wall of windows that overlooked the streets of Konoha. He clasped his hands at the small of his back and addressed them without turning away from the window.

"It is only through the careful nurturing of our children that Konoha will ever survive the upcoming war. They are the future. And I will not sacrifice any of them before their time."

He heard the two Elders stand, and he braced himself for yet another argument, but it never came. Instead he heard the sound of his door being opened. He forced himself to stay turned toward the window, even as Koharu's parting words floated across the room.

"We will let this go for now, Hiruzen. But know this...we will continue to watch the boy closely, and when we feel he has grown enough, we will make certain he is promoted...even if we need to go over your head to the Daimyou to make it happen."

Hiruzen gave no reply, and he didn't move from his spot by the window until well after he'd heard the door to his office close once more. When he finally returned to his desk he took the papers the Elders had pushed at him earlier and took great care to mark the document as rejected. After that, he found himself feeling that perhaps it was time to think about who might someday replace him as Hokage. Whoever he chose would need to be able to handle the likes of Homura and Koharu without bowing to their combined will, or Konoha would pay the price. He leaned back in his chair and wondered just who he might groom for just that purpose.

Gai sat back on his heels at the very edge of the First Hokage's stone head and looked down over the village. It seemed strange to see so many people rushing around in the streets when normally, this early in the day, only a few people would be walking around. But, since Kakashi and his team had returned to Konoha, nothing had been normal.

That first day, when Kakashi found him to tell him about the gatherings of shinobi, had marked the last day of leisure for anyone within the village. Gai still wasn't really clear on just what a war was...but his dad said that it was gonna mean a lot of changes for just how things happened from now on. And Gai already saw that by how many more shinobi were posted to guard the entrances to the village. And it seemed like none of them wanted to take the time to chat with him any more. Then there was the fact that the Academy was closed until further notice.

Gai really wished that had happened when he was going there, 'cause he never really had enjoyed most of the classes he'd been forced to take...except taijutsu, of course. Heck, he could spend a whole day doing taijutsu and still want to do more! Of course, because of the closing, even his dad was called back into active service. The first day his dad came down to breakfast wearing a shinobi uniform Gai's eyes nearly jumped right out of his head! Especially once he realized his dad was actually a jonin! No wonder he had yelled at those other jonin the other day...he was one of them!

The other change that sort of made Gai sad was the fact that there weren't anymore C or D ranked missions being handed out to the genin teams. All official missions were being reviewed for reclassification, and only a handful were even being considered – and those were always A ranked or higher. It meant that the genin teams had to spend all their time inside to village now, doing lots and lots of really boring things. Like when his team was assigned to sweeping out the storage facilities hidden inside this very cliff. But at least he didn't have to clean out the bathrooms in there like his friend Asuma Sarutobi's team had to. When they were finished, they all looked, and smelled, like they'd just been dunked in the swamps out at the edge of Konoha. Gai supposed that sometimes it wasn't a good thing being the Hokage's son if it meant you could still get assigned such gross duties!

Gai had hoped that he might see more of Kakashi now that the village was so closed off, but it turned out his Eternal Rival, even though he was only a chunin, was being assigned more and more of those A ranked missions outside the village. It was getting to the point that Gai was thinking his friend had forgotten all about him.

"What are looking at, Gai?"

The unexpected voice beside him startled Gai and he teetered along the stone edge, windmilling his arms in an attempt to keep from tumbling over the side. Just as he thought for sure that he was about to fall to his death, Gai felt a firm hand grip his wrist and pull him back to safety. While Gai tried to calm his heart down, he heard a quiet chuckle from next to him. Gai was all set to yell at the unwanted laughter until he saw that it was coming from Kakashi!

In an instant, Gai had a wide grin across his face and caught the silver-haired boy up in a huge hug. Instead of Kakashi pushing him off and scolding him, like he always did, his Eternal Rival stiffened in his grasp and hissed three words at him.

"Let go, now!"

Something in Kakashi's voice sounded off, and Gai did as his friend ordered as quickly as he could. Once he'd released the silver-haired boy, Gai was able to take a moment to really look at his friend. Kakashi's entire appearance made Gai wonder just what he'd gone through. His hair, although never as neat and tidy as his own glorious haircut, was even more crazy-looking than normal, and his eyes looked dull, even though the sun was shining right on them. Something in how Kakashi was holding himself perfectly tense filled Gai's heart with sadness, but he couldn't quit figure out why.

"S-sorry about that, Kakashi. I just wanted to thank you for saving me from plummeting over the edge and squishing my head on the ground."

It took a moment before Kakashi seemed to realize he'd been spoken to, and Gai stood there scratching his ear, waiting for some kind of response. After Gai had managed to count to four hundred and thirty seven in his head, Kakashi took a deep breath and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

"You shouldn't lean so far over the edge if you aren't willing to suffer the consequences, Gai."

Gai frowned and perched his fists on his hips. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't scared me like that!"

He watched Kakashi roll his eyes. "You're a shinobi. You should have known I was there."

Gai bit at his bottom lip. "How was I supposed to know that, Kakashi? You're even quieter than my dad is!"

Kakashi shrugged. "That's not my problem. But even if you didn't hear my approach, I didn't have my chakra masked at all."

Gai scratched his head. "Your chakra? But chakra doesn't make noise, Kakashi."

"You're kidding, right Gai?"

"I don't remember them ever teaching that at the Academy, Kakashi." Gai chuckled nervously. "Maybe I slept through that class?"

Kakashi frowned at him. "Hasn't your sensei taught you anything?"

Gai's mouth dropped open at what his Rival said. He felt he face heat up in anger. "Take that back! My Sensei is the most amazing jonin out there! He has spent countless hours teaching me things I never dreamed I'd learn! He taught me how to run even faster...and walk on water...and even how to...how to...urp!"

Gai stopped his ranting when he realized that, in the passion of the moment, he had pushed Kakashi up against a tree and he was gripping the chunin's collar tight in his fists. This time, Kakashi didn't need to vocalize the need for Gai to let him go, and as he released his Eternal Rival from his grip he hoped he hadn't overstepped the boundary of their friendship.

"Forgive me, Eternal Rival! I never meant to attack you like that!" Gai felt the tears start to form in his eyes. "I will never forgive myself if I have destroyed the blossom of our growing friendship! I will need to think of something to do to make up for it...but what? I know! I will do a thousand push-ups...with one hand...and then one thousand more with the other hand...to remind me to never use my hands against you again!"

Gai stopped speaking and tried to see if Kakashi was mad at him or not. The chunin simply stood there, staring back at him with those dark eyes, not moving a muscle...and Gai wondered if the boy was okay or not. He was about ask just that when Kakashi blinked once, turned around, and then started walking toward his usual practice field. Gai slumped his shoulders, thinking that perhaps he really had crossed the line this time and lost his best friend.

"You've gotten faster, Gai. Let's spar."

Gai's mouth stretched into a wide grin, and he felt happier than he had in, well...forever! He clapped his hands together and ran up to join his Eternal Rival. He knew better than to say anything that might make Kakashi change his mind, but that didn't keep him from whistling happily all the way to the training field.

Inoichi ran a hand through his hair and pushed it behind his ear. It had been just over a month since they'd returned from the mission, and he had yet to find a way to get close enough to Kakashi to even do a surface scan, let alone the deeper exam he needed to do. And with each day that passed, Kakashi was withering away right before their eyes.

Of course, some of it was likely a side-effect of Kakashi being sent on multiple, back to back, A-ranked solo-missions since they had returned. But Inoichi had this gut feeling that the core of Kakashi's problems lay in whatever it was that'd caused the kid to freeze up back on their own mission. And he owed it to Sakumo-sensei to make it right...if he could. The problem was, his team and Kakashi hadn't crossed paths since they'd all turned in their mission-reports.

A low growl left Inoichi's throat as he took out his frustration on the weeds that had tried to take over his herb garden while he'd been away. The act of pulling the encroaching plants from those which he needed for some of the medicinal salves that Shikaku was working on gave him something to focus on other than his failure to help the boy. He'd been so involved in his task that he likely would have been caught off-guard at Choza's approach if he hadn't caught the telltale aroma of salt and vinegar crisps on the Fall breeze. He cursed himself for his inattention even as he leaned back and wiped the dirt off his hands by running his fingers across the front of his pants.

His friend settled onto the ground beside him and placed a large package wrapped in brown paper between the two of them. Inoichi's eyebrows lifted a fraction of an inch in curiosity over just what the large man was up to this time.

The grin stretched wide across Choza's face made him a bit wary. "You remember what today is, right Ino?"

Inoichi rolled his eyes at the red-haired man. "Aside from being the day I may finally kill you for being so loud, I haven't got the vaguest idea. So why don't you enlighten me?"

Shikaku's deep voice drifted in from the edge of the yard. "I find it troublesome that you aren't away of the significance of this day, Inoichi."

That caused him to frown. It was one thing for Choza to be ambiguous, but for Shikaku Nara to participate as well, it must be something important. Inoichi furrowed his brow as he tried to think of just what he was missing. What could possibly be so special about the fifteenth of September?

And that was when it hit him. It was Kakashi Hatake's birthday! How could he have forgotten that? He supposed that he was so preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to perform a scan on Kakashi that it had simply slipped his mind. But, still, that didn't explain the package sitting on the ground. After all, if there was one constant in Kakashi's life, it was the fact the boy refused to ever accept a single gift on his birthday. He'd even go so far as to walk away the moment a gift was placed in front of him. So, Inoichi and his team had learned other ways to celebrate with the boy that would not result in such a reaction, such as sparring with him and taking him out to eat afterward.

Inoichi turned his gaze toward Choza. "You know Kakashi won't accept a gift."

Shikaku entered the yard completely. "Then it is a good thing that the package is not for him."

Inoichi looked between his two teammates in confusion, but before he could get any idea of just what the hell they were up to, Choza jumped back up to his feet and grabbed the package off the ground. He smiled widely then jumped up to the rooftop.

"Come on, guys! If we expect to catch Kakashi at his favorite training field then we need to go now!"

Shikaku jumped up to join Choza and the two of them headed off across the rooftops toward the Hokage Monument, leaving Inoichi to catch up with them, just like he'd done when they were just genin. Inoichi shook his head at how some things never changed and pushed a bit more chakra into the soles of his feet, hoping he'd understand what they were doing sooner, rather than later.

Kakashi had to admit that Gai was really starting to shape up as a formidable challenge in taijutsu. If their spar had only included that, then there was probably a fifty-fifty chance that the spandex-wearing fool might have won. But, the moment genjutsu or ninjutsu were introduced to the fight, Gai would start second-guessing himself, or attempting something he just didn't have the skill-level for yet. Gai had noticed this as well and had declared, rather loudly, that he wanted to fight again using only taijutsu.

Kakashi had pointed out that all that would do is make him far too reliant on only taijutsu, and that might prove fatal to his teammates or even himself somewhere down the road. Gai, as usual, overreacted, and shed more tears in ten minutes than Kakashi felt he himself had over the last seven years combined. Eventually Gai had settled down, as much as he ever does, and declared he needed to rush home and capture Kakashi's 'words of wisdom' before he forgot them. The crazy kid ran off mumbling about how he had to find a way to carry pads of paper and twenty stones or he'd have to run forty-three laps around Konoha...backwards.

Sometimes Kakashi wondered just why he kept letting Gai anywhere near him. He sighed and moved toward one of the practice yards off to the side of the training ground. There was still enough light left in the day that he should be able to make it all the way through the latest kata that he'd created to increase his stamina and hand-sign speed. He was so engrossed in it that, once he sensed the Trio standing off to the side, he wasn't exactly sure how long they'd been there. Kakashi did not let their presence interrupt his routine, and pushed himself to finish completely before even acknowledging them. And once he did acknowledge them, he wished he'd ignored them after all.

"Happy birthday, Kashi!" Choza's over-the-top proclamation made Kakashi eternally grateful that Gai was not present to overhear him.

Thankfully, Inoichi and Shikaku's good wishes were presented in a much more human tone. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the three and he heaved a tired sigh. "I really don't have time for this."

Inoichi crossed his arms over his chest. "And just what is so urgent that you can't at least have dinner with us, Kakashi?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I have a mission at dawn."

Shikaku stepped forward and stared at him with an intensity that almost made Kakashi flinch...almost. "Didn't you just get back from a mission this afternoon?"

"Yeah. And I was handed another one the moment I turned in my report." He couldn't quite keep the weariness out of his voice.

Choza chuckled, drawing Kakashi's attention to where the big man was settling himself on the ground. "Maybe next time you shouldn't turn your mission report in so quickly."

Kakashi thought about that and realized the man actually had a good point. Even if the Hokage had still wanted him to be assigned the next mission, at least he could have relaxed in a hot shower before having to think about what the next mission would be. But before he could think about the suggestion any father, he noticed the large brown-paper wrapped package in Choza's lap.

"You know I don't accept gifts, Choza."

"Then it's a good thing that this isn't for you!"

Now, as much as it pained him to think it, Kakashi found his curiosity piqued. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly strolled over to where the package sat perched on the man's knees. "So then, who's it for?"

Shikaku settled next to Choza and placed one hand, palm down on the ground. "Come sit with us and we will explain who the gift is for."

Kakashi eyed the dark-haired jonin suspiciously as he moved a bit closer. He noted that Inoichi had sat on the other side of Shikaku, in perfect Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Kakashi stopped directly in front of the three men and frowned.

"I should be training."

This time, it was Inoichi who responded. The look in the man's eyes showed exactly what he felt of Kakashi's comments, even if his words hadn't. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself, Kakashi. When is the last time you've slept through a full night?"

Kakashi scratched at the back of his neck and glared hard at the man. "That's not your concern, Inoichi."

It looked as though the blond jonin was all set to say something else but Choza's words stopped him. "So, are you going to open the package or not?"

Kakashi let loose a frustrated sigh. "I thought you said it wasn't for me?"

Choza's grin looked like it would split the man's face in two. "That's what I said, alright."

"So then why would I need to open it?"

This time Shikaku chimed in. "Because the recipients don't have hands."

The three of them were starting to give him a headache. Kakashi gave up and settled onto the ground in front of them. His butt had barely made contact with the dirt before Choza shoved the package onto his lap. It seemed to be a box that was wrapped entirely in unmarked brown paper, giving away nothing about its contents. The thick twine tied in knots to keep it securely closed tempted him like nothing else had in years. He took one last look at the trio before pulling out a kunai and swiftly slicing the fastenings. All three watched his every move with such intensity that Kakashi was beginning to fear that this might be some type of trap that would be sprung the moment he pulled the wrappings off the package. He stretched his own chakra out to verify these were actually the trio sitting in front of him before he finally worked up the nerve to pull the brown wrapping away from the box.

Kakashi looked at what was uncovered and frowned. The box, much like the wrappings surrounding it, was unmarked. It could have any number of things within it. He had to stop for a moment and force the eagerness he was beginning to experience from manifesting on his face. After all, it wouldn't do if he showed these three that he was enjoying the experience of opening a gift...even if it wasn't for him.

So, with one last breath in and out, Kakashi lifted the cover to the box off and he frowned at what he discovered. Within the box, staring straight up at him, sat a bright and happy Henohenomoheji of a scarecrow set in a field of dark blue. He looked back up to find the trio staring back at him expectantly. He scratched at his ear.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?"

Choza's lips fell into a frown from obvious disappointment. "What's wrong with them, Kakashi? Do you think another color would have worked better?"

Kakashi just stared at the large man in confusion. What the hell was he even talking about? Shikaku's quiet chuckle caught and held Kakashi's attention.

"Why don't you take them all out, Kid. Maybe then it will make more sense to you."

So Kakashi proceeded to pull out, not one, but five similar items. He laid them out in front of him and took a moment to study them. They were all the same basic design. Each appeared to be a vest made in the blue material with the scarecrow blazoned on their back. No two were the same size, ranging from very small to ridiculously large. In addition to the vests were five Konoha headbands, and it was the addition of those to each of the vest that brought a slow smile to Kakashi's face.

Inoichi pulled the empty box away from him and smirked at Kakashi. "Have you figured the puzzle out yet?"

Kakashi responded by biting down hard on his thumb and flawlessly running through the hand-signs needed to summon his nin-hounds to his side. When the smoke cleared, the animals moved toward where the four of them were sitting. Pakkun, as usual, yawned as he moved forward and spoke for the pack.

"What's up, Pup? Another mission so soon?"

Kakashi felt a smile tugging at his lips and found himself glad that his mask hid it from those around him. "Not until tomorrow, Pakkun. Meanwhile, these fools have brought you and the others some gifts."

The rapid thumping of the pug's tail gave away just how excited he was. "Really? This isn't a joke, is it? 'Cause we don't particularly like jokes."

Kakashi feigned indifference and waved toward the outfits lying on the ground. "Look for yourselves."

With that invitation, all five dogs moved to inspect the outfits. Pakkun made quite the show of sniffing the fabric before walking over and plopping himself down in front of Choza. "Why, exactly did you make these for us?"

Choza tried to hide a blush behind his meaty hands. "What makes you think I made them?"

Pakkun let out a sharp snort of laughter. "Because, yours is the only other scent on the material aside from the Pup. And we all agree that there's no way in hell the kid had enough time to do this."

Kakashi crossed his arms and sighed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, mutt."

Pakkun looked back over his shoulder at Kakashi and shrugged. "I call 'em like I smell 'em, Pup."

Kakashi frowned. "Fine. And stop calling me Pup."

"Sure thing, Boss." The pug then returned his attention to Choza. "Well?"

Shikaku saved the big man from having to reply. "The Hokage asked that we supply Kakashi with your headbands to show that your all passed the Elders' test and are now considered full shinobi of Konoha. Choza felt that the vests would be a wonderful way of designating that you belong to Kakashi's pack."

Choza finally lowered his hands from his face and smiled down at the dog. "Every member of my clan wears a symbol to designate that they belong. I felt it was only fitting that Kakashi's pack should have their very own way of showing that bond."

Kakashi's eyes went wide at the amount of thought the Akimichi clan-member put into the gift. He'd never for a moment thought of such a thing, but it did make perfect sense. Each animal seemed equally pleased with the explanation, and soon each one managed to picked up their outfits in their jaws and slowly made their way over to where Kakashi was still sitting in stunned silence. Pakkun moved to the front of the line and dropped his bundle on Kakashi's knees.

"Don't just sit there slack-jawed, Boss. Make us yours already!"

This time, Kakashi didn't bother hiding the smile that crept onto his lips. He slowly and carefully placed each outfit on his hounds and found just the right way for each of them to wear their Konoha headband. Of course, that was far easier for some than others. Bull, in particular, proved to be a challenge until Kakashi realized the best place to fasten the item would be the upper leg, as that would be the least likely to continue to grow as the mastiff aged.

When he was finished with the task, and he ran the pack through more than a few skirmishes that probably looked like they were playing to an outside observer, Kakashi walked back over to where the Trio was still seated on the ground watching him. He shoved his hands deep within his pockets and waited for his pack to settle into line on either side of him. Once they were in place, he removed his hands from those pockets and placed them at his sides before bowing low before the three jonin. From the corner of his eye he could see that each and every hound was doing their own version of a bow with him.

"Thank you for the pack's gifts."

He remained in that position for a moment more before standing tall again and shoving his hands back into his pockets. The Trio sat in stunned silence until Choza's stomach chose that very moment to growl in hunger. Kakashi's mask hid a smirk, and Inoichi used the sound as a means to end the silence.

"I think having dinner with you and your pack would be the perfect way to celebrate their becoming members of Konoha's shinobi, don't you, Kakashi?"

Kakashi spared a look to either side of him to see the expectant faces of his pack. Obviously they all agreed with Inoichi's declaration. And Kakashi already knew that there were restaurants located near the Inuzuka compound that would allow his pack to partake in the same meal that he and the Trio would eat. All in all, Kakashi couldn't think of a single reason why they shouldn't go. Still, he couldn't simply agree with Inoichi...that went against the image he'd worked so hard to gain.

"Mah...I don't know, Inoichi. I still have that mission first thing tomorrow. And I wouldn't want these slobs to get their new outfits filthy. They aren't exactly the neatest eaters."

Before Kakashi knew what was happening, he was pinned to the ground by all five of his nin-hounds. Pakkun sat on Kakashi's chest and leveled one of the fiercest glares he'd ever seen the pug deliver straight at him. When the little dog spoke, the threat of being bitten hung on his every word.

"You better have been joking, Pup."

Kakashi couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. "About the mission? Nope."

A series of playful nips and barks followed as Kakashi and his pack rolled around on the ground in a mock play for power...until Shikaku's voice interrupted them, that is. "Although your bonding is entertaining, Kakashi, Choza needs to be fed. Are you coming?"

The promise of food was all it took to cause the pack to abandon Kakashi and fall into step behind the Trio as they headed for the stairs down to the village. Kakashi pushed himself to his feet and brushed the excess dirt off his clothing.

"Hn...so much for loyalty."

Pakkun turned back to face him. "When given the choice between you and steak, Boss...the steak will win every time."

Kakashi frowned, while the Trio chuckled. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and followed silently behind them. Although he was pouting on the outside, inside he had to admit that this was turning into a pretty good birthday.

Inoichi kept a keen eye on Kakashi throughout their shared meal at the bar-b-que in the Inuzuka District. At first, he hadn't thought that Shikaku's plan would work, but later that night he found out the Nara had actually already convinced Pakkun to help them in their task. So with the evening half over, the pack and his teammates were sated from far too much grilled meat, in his opinion. Now the only thing left was to hope Shikaku had gotten the dosage right in the tea they'd given Kakashi to drink with his meal.

It was the only way any of them could think of that would allow them the chance to let Inoichi get close enough to the paranoid boy to be able to gain access to the level of mindscape he'd need to discover just what Kakashi was hiding. And as Kakashi let loose a large yawn and rubbed absently at his left eye, it was plain the boy would be unconscious soon.

Inoichi motioned to the staff to bring the check, wanting to make sure that they were able to leave the moment Kakashi succumbed to the drugged concoction. Inoichi watched as another yawn escaped Kakashi's mouth and the boy finally leaned his head against his folded arms, flat against the table. Pakkun crossed the table top until he was nearly eye to eye with Inoichi.

"Listen up! I'm only doing this 'cause you said you can help the Pup. He's no good to any of us if he doesn't get over whatever the hell it is that's got him tied up in knots." Pakkun bared his teeth. "But if I find out you hurt the kid at all, know this...we'll hunt you down and make sure you can never sire your own pups. Am I clear?"

Inoichi had to resist the urge to chuckle at the small dog and his serious message. After all, it was quite obvious that the animal's feeling on the matter were shared by every one of the beasts, including Bull, who could very well deliver on the threat with one bite from his massive jaws. "Understood, Pakkun. And thank you again for your help. You kept him sufficiently distracted enough times that we were able to administer the drug undetected."

Pakkun huffed in his face. "Yeah, well, let's keep that part away from the Boss, okay?"

Without waiting for Inoichi's answer, Pakkun walked back over to the rest of the pack, and with a single nod, he and the pack disappeared in a series of puffs of smoke. Inoichi sighed and turned to where Shikaku was already scooping the small boy into his arms. He saw the tender look that crossed his normally indifferent friend's face and smiled to himself. As much as Shikaku Nara moaned about how troublesome raising a family was likely to be, the man seemed to have an innate ability to care for those around him. And when Kakashi shifted within Shikaku's arms and the self-proclaimed bachelor pulled the boy protectively into his chest, Inoichi knew the man would make a wonderful father someday.

Choza finished paying for the meal and waved off the owner's concern for the sleeping boy with the promise that they would make sure he was well cared for tonight. His teammates headed out the door and toward where they knew Kakashi's apartment was, and Inoichi could only hope that the rest of their plan went as smoothly. A sharp rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning across the sky made him flinch slightly, and he pushed the urge to count it as an omen far from his mind before following the others to where he'd be working to discover just what secrets Kakashi's mind held.