The next day I was walking down the streets alone, thinking that maybe I should go and visit Ino, after all, we were good friends and I kinda liked her personality. There was no Sasuke in the picture, so Ino was really friendly and a fun girl to be around. But as I was walking I heard shouting and I went to see what was going on. When I turned a corner I saw a little boy with blonde hair and whiskers on his cheeks, being lifted up by a man by the collar. The man was shouting at the boy and the boy was trembling, I felt bad, I didn't know what to do. Something told me to look up and when I did I saw Kakashi standing on a rooftop, watching the scene unfold under his gaze. I signaled to him and he observed me, I pointed at Naruto and to him, making signs to get him to help the boy, but Kakahi didn't move. He simply shook his head.

I didn't get it. I knew that Kakashi knew who Naruto was, his late sensei's son, but then why didn't he help the boy? Or maybe it was because Naruto brought up painful memories? Either way, my perfect image of Kakashi began collapsing and at that moment I saw him as a coward.

My favorite character, one that I admired, was a coward.

But wasn't I a coward in my other life? I saw others get in trouble and I didn't intervene, for fearing that I might be shouted at. But I was a different person, I was Shikanai, five-year-old Nara. I braced myself and I formed the hand seal for the Kage Mane no Jutsu.

The man held Naruto up by his shirt, his other hand was directed at the boy to deliver a punch, but he stopped. Looking stunned when he realized he couldn't move and then he released the boy. My jutsu worked.

Naruto looked lost for a moment, then he saw the shadow and he saw me. He looked at me and ran to me, when he came closer I dropped the jutsu and we both began running at full speed. The man was shouting after us, but he didn't follow, so after a couple of turns we stopped close to where the training grounds were situated, close to the trees and where not many passed by.

"Thank you." Naruto said and smiled at me, I was holding my side, panting after the run, but I straightened and smiled back.

"My name's Nara Shikanai." I extended my right hand and he looked at me incredulously, like he had never experienced an introduction. It clicked that Naruto at the time was lonely, living on his own, people were abusing him, and he hid every little scar he had behind smiles. I felt sorry for the brat.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto!" he said loudly and we shook hands.

"Hey, Naruto, why was that man picking on you?" I asked.

"He thought I stole an apple from him, which I didn't do." he pouted and I had to admit, the boy was cute.

"Let me guess, he didn't believe you." he nodded. "Well, anyway, I should be going, gotta be at somebody today, do you want to meet up tomorrow?" I asked him and he watched me with his huge blue eyes, blue eyes met blue eyes and he nodded vehemently. "I heard about this place… Ichiraku's? Wanna try it out?" I asked and he almost cried of joy.

"You kidding! That place's the best, dattebayo!" he exclaimed and I chuckled.

"Then I can't wait to try it out." I smiled. "Tomorrow at let's say… 12?" he nodded and then we parted. I began walking alone, knowing that Ino would shout my head off, about the fact that I would be late… 'Lazy Nara', huh. But then a figure appeared in front of me and I jumped back instantaneously.

"Yo!" there stood Kakashi in his jonin attire and I almost gulped audibly.

"Geez! You almost gave me a heart attack!" I shouted at him, my heart pounding rapidly.

"Is that even possible at your age?" he asked without really caring.

"I don't want to find out." I muttered. "So, what do you want Hatake-san?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why did you help him?" that got me off guard.

"He needed help." I said without really thinking much. "Plus, nobody wanted to help him." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Really, why didn't you help him? Shouldn't you, shinobi, help people in need?" he looked at me with a strange glint in his eyes, there was something, but then I saw sadness and pain.

"Everyone hates him, and yet you helped." he said not even bothering to answer my questions.

"Yeah, I said he needed help." I rolled my eyes. "Don't dodge my questions." I ordered sternly.

"You sound like your father." he chuckled. "Good work." he added solemnly. "Yesterday, how did you figure out I was under the mask?" he asked with a hint of challenge in his only visible eye. He would not answer my questions, would he?

"The silver hair is a giveaway." I shrugged.

"Others have silver hair as well." he commented.

"Father has all those bingo books at home, I read them all, I have a good visual memory, I remember almost every single small detail, I know how you wear your hair, I know that a mask covers most of your face and I know that you have an eye covered in most photos. Given the fact that you are known as Sharingan no Kakashi I deduced your covered eye has the Sharingan, so, when you stood yesterday in front of me and I moved I could see a hint of red in your eye that normally would be covered, it was easy to know that you were under the mask." I explained and I could see a faint smile under his mask. Maybe he was impressed by me, or maybe not, nobody could actually know for sure with that man. "So, are you trying to be a dog?" I asked.

"Maybe." he answered with a smile I could not see since I was looking in his eye, but I heard the smile in his voice.

"Dogs are loyal if you show them trust." I said and his eyebrow rose.

"They are." he confirmed.

"Can you help him next time?" I almost pleaded him with my tone.

"Why are you asking me?"

"I showed you a little bit of trust and I'm not in a fighting position, I answered your questions and did not press you with my unanswered ones. Will you trade your loyalty from me to Naruto?" I watched him shift under my gaze, his face's expression unreadable.

"I'm not a dog." he said lightly.

"Yet you play a dog's role." I added and he chuckled.

"Why do you care about him?" he asked me solemnly.

"Shinobi should help those in need." I answered honestly.

"And yet you're not a shinobi."

"But I will be one day." I shrugged. "Can you look out for him until I become a shinobi?" he eye smiled.

"Maybe." that was meant to unnerve me, but I wasn't, I had a good people tolerance, that was what got me through life in my past life.

"That's a good enough of an answer for me." I added and he nodded. "Now, if you excuse me, I should be going, I'm really late and Ino's gotta chop my head off for being this late." I began walking and he chuckled. "See ya, later, Hatake-san." I waved and he mock-saluted me, then he poofed away.

Heck.

Did I really speak to Kakashi? And he answered me? Holy salami!

But shouldn't he have been more reserved? After all… He should be in a deep depression, not letting anyone get close to him and he shouldn't speak to me like that… But heck… I expected him to act colder.

Maybe I remembered him wrong. In the anime he didn't let people get close to him, the ones that knew him died, then Gai tried with all of his youthful energy to get to Kakashi. Gai should be the only one able to talk to Kakashi in the current timeline, right? Then why did he let me play him into a role, he obviously didn't want to play. Strange.

I shook my head and knocked, Ino opened the door and I greeted her, but she didn't pay attention to my greeting, she simply took me by my hand and dragged me inside.

"Where were you?" she asked slightly annoyed.

"Well… I got distracted on the way here." I shrugged and took off my sandals, after that we went deeper in the house, I saw Ino's father, Inoichi in the living room and greeted him, the man smiled at me and nodded.

"Ino, I have to go." he began. "I'll be back by the night." she came to us and planted a kiss on Ino's head. "You two be good." he smiled at us and headed to get his sandals.

"Where are you going, uncle?" I asked planting as much curiosity as I could in my question.

"I have work to do, Shikanai." he told me and I nodded, he thought I would let him go, but boy, he was wrong.

"You mess with people's heads, right?" I asked him, still playing my curious child act.

"Well, more like I look into their mind." he corrected me and I made an 'oh' sound, that must have looked really adorable on my tiny face.

"That sounds interesting." I told him and he stopped, freezing on the spot, then turned to me, waiting for a continuation. "I mean I'd like to look into others head, see how things work, how I could use that against them, I mean if you play a bad memory again and again in their head they would get…" what, genius? Trauma? PTSD? Emotionally stunted? A five-year-old shouldn't know about those! Such a stupid move! "…nightmares, right?" I blurted out, under his gaze, heck, I felt like he could see right through me. The silence stretched between all of us and I began feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Heck, what should I do? What should I do? Come on, brain of mine! Please work for once!

"That's right, in a way." huh? I looked at the man, who looked seriously at me. "Do you want to manipulate them, Shikanai?" he asked me solemnly. Manipulate them? Heck… He thought I was psychopathic, didn't he!

"No, not really." I answered honestly.

"Even though they could hurt your friends or village?" he pressed and I gulped. Heck Inoichi! I wasn't prepared for that!

"I-I don't really know…" I admitted, feeling ashamed.

"And what if they'd have precious information and the only way to get it out of them would be by torture? Mental or physical. Your village would need that information. What would you do?" Inoichi! Gaaaaah! Okay, calm down. Be logical.

"Assuming that I'd be a shinobi, I'd do as how I was ordered to do. If a superior would tell me to get the information I would do it." please leave me alone big blonde weird-eyed man! Inoichi nodded.

"Well, maybe I should talk your father into letting you give the Torture and Interrogation Force a visit." he chuckled and I managed to have a strained smile.

He left.

I sighed inwardly, heck, I should be more careful around that guy. He scared the shit out of me.

"I didn't know you were interested in dad's work." Ino said casually. Oh right, she saw all that happened.

"Did I look scared?" I asked her sheepishly and she shook her head.

"Why would you?" I shrugged and she shrugged. "Now, come! We will play with my dolls!" oh right… I was a child…

Aaaand, enter Naruto. Do you see what I'm doing here? Slowly piecing things together like a puzzle. Anyway, why didn't Kakashi intervene? Well, he didn't really do that in the anime, so I figured he wouldn't do it here either. I think it's because the memories Naruto brings up for the man.

I don't own Naruto.

Apparently, I begin to have a new habit… Merging two chapters in one. Yup, here you actually have two chapters, but given the fact that I made you wait for so long, I decided to post two in one. I really liked writing Inoichi, I just hope I got his character right, when I watched the anime I didn't really pay much attention to him. I liked his character, but I never really paid that much attention to his personality or speaking pattern.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!