You are not a tool, you are you

*8 years ago*

"The streets of Konoha were empty on that winter night. The civilians were in their homes and the ninjas were in their houses, resting from their aching bones.

However, in the Hokage Tower the activity didn't stop. There was an aura of nervousness, fear, disbelief and pain, as 3 people important to the town had disappeared but no one had noticed it before.

The Hokage, who was seated, looked at the ANBU in front of him, ANBU who had the hound mask. The look was full of resignation and pain. Hiruzen was doing what he knew best and failed. He failed those three people who had defected that neither he nor anyone else had noticed. This was one more failure on his already long list.

"Hound." he said sighing. "Tonight, about 20 minutes ago, we realized the disappearance of a chunin along with two of his students."

"It is imperative that you track them down to bring them back."

"The adult is a chunin belonging to ANBU who was recently reassigned as a chunin instructor at the academy for the class where most of the clan theirs are."

"His registration number is 011850 and he has the rabbit mask. He disappeared with two of the most important children in the village. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

Hound, or Kakashi, despite showing no sign of any kind, was deeply concerned. He had never worked with Rabbit before, but he knew that he was an excellent spy and an expert in concealment.

Furthermore, he was worried about his sensei's son and the Uchiha boy. He didn't know that he would make a rabbit out of both of them and he was afraid that his mind was finally broken. Kakashi was going to get those children back, there was no doubt in his mind.

"Hound, as you know, Uzumaki is the Jinchūiki of the village and Sasuke is the last blood member of the Uchiha clan. We don't know why Umino Iruka defected with these children, but we need them back. I trust you Hound."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will do my best to bring the traitor and the pregenin he kidnapped."

And without another word, the ANBU disappeared from the office leaving only a few sheets behind and a repentant Hokage.""

*Today*

Kakashi had finished a mission surprisingly quickly and had a few days off so he decided to go to that coffee shop that the locals had recommended to him.

He was in a civil village where commerce and tourism was the main economic activity of the place. He had beauty in his eccentricity and a certain calm that Konoha didn't have, so he was definitely going to enjoy his limited time in the city.

But all the peace he felt faded when he saw two teenagers, almost the same age, enter the premises and go to a door that said "staff only" at the back of the cafeteria.

He had searched for years for this Iruka and the children he had kidnapped from Konoha, had seen and memorized their traits, and was 100% certain that these pair were the lost pregenin.

Alarmed, he decided to search with his eyes and, even more surprised, saw the same face that had haunted him for years. There was Umino! And he was a fucking barista in a coffee shop!

Excited but knowing that the place was full of civilians, he decided to calmly go to the missing-nin and try to find as much information as possible.

"Hello. I'm just passing through and I don't know this place much. Any recommendations?"

"Hi! Welcome to my cafeteria."

He was a handsome man. He had his hair tied in a high ponytail and a large scar crossed his face. And, curiously, he looked happy. He had wrinkles that indicated smiles and laughter and a look without the recurring demons of the shinobi.

"Our flagship product is coffee with hints hazelnut and the pistachio cake."

Iruka, despite his smile, was looking suspiciously at this man. He was a ninja, without a doubt and from his accent, the dark haired one was sure it was from Konoha. He got nervous. He couldn't believe they had already found him after so many years.

"Iruka-nii!"

The blond boy, who was the one who had spoken (Naruto. Minato-sensei's son, his brain said) and the other one with black hair was each wearing an apron. Kakashi could observe them closely and could see a certain innocence in his eyes, in both. There was a certain happiness there that in the photographs of when they were children, there was not. What a great dichotomy.

And Iruka, just smiling at his two sons and knowing that this shinobi already knew who they were, he could only hug them.

"Ow, Iruka-nii. What's wrong with you?"

Sasuke looked strangely, who he considered his brother, but nevertheless received the hug with gratitude. And Naruto, without thinking too much, hugged his precious people tightly to then serve the customers.

Kakashi looked at the scene in front of him and didn't know what to think. Sure, Umino had deserted, betrayed his town, his people, but looking at these teenagers, he saw that he had enjoyed life. They didn't have the ghosts that follow each shinobi and they looked at peace.

And the man with the silver hair waited, waited hours until finally the place had closed and there was no civilian in his way. Seeing everything, Kakashi decided to follow the trio.

"Kids." Iruka said suddenly. "Why don't you go home? There is a matter I must see."

The teenagers looked at their brother about everything, except blood with suspicion but without major problems, they decided to listen to him.

"Take care Iruka-nii."

Nodding and smiling, the boys continued on their way home. And being alone the two, at night and with the wind whistling around him, Kakashi decided to come out of hiding from him.

"Umino-san."

"Shinobi-san."

Looking at each other's expressionless faces and trying to read each other, the atmosphere grew more and more tense. And it was Iruka who decided to break the tension.

"Shinobi-san. You should know that I don't regret anything."

"Umimo-san. You kidnapped two of the most important children in the village. You put them in danger."

"Danger? Shinobi-san. Don't make me laugh. Naruto and Sasuke were in more danger inside the village than outside. Nobody loved Naruto, they despised him. He was only a monster in the eyes of the village. Sasuke was left alone when what he least needed was the solitude of an empty home. Neither of them had anyone but both were tools to Konoha. They weren't children, they were objects."

Agitated and noticeably furious, Iruka stayed where he was on the dirt road.

And Kakashi, surprised by words that he had never dared to think, stayed there. Helpless.

"Shinobi-san. If I have to fight with you, I will, I will fight for them and for my home."

"You're right. I find you right, damn it!"

"Konoha raised me to be a perfect tool. I became an ANBU and was only seen as a perfect ninja. I never had the guts to get out of everything and be happy. To be myself."

"Shinobi-san. I don't know who you are, but I see pain and loneliness. I didn't want that for children! That's why I became a missing-nin. I gave up my ANBU uniform and my mission because I didn't want these children to be treated like an object, when no one is."

"That's why I offer you this, shinobi-san. Come, stay with us and give you the peace and happiness that you deserve so much. Don't return to that place that is only raising tools and stay with us, so that you stop being shinobi-san and start being yourself."

And Kakashi knew he would never get the same chance again. Konoha was his home, or the only place he knew as his home, and honestly, he was already tired. Exhausted.

Taking the hand that was in his direction, the ninja, Konoha's infamous ANBU, Hound, died on a cold autumn night to become Kakashi. The man happily in love with Umino Iruka and living to old age.

End.