Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and J K Rowling respectively.

I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.

Thank you to all those who reviewed, favourited and followed this story.

I made it before the end of April! The one chapter a month schedule still works!

So I enjoyed this chapter and some of you who have reviewed might find things that you wanted to see. I read every single review and when there are good ideas or things that people want to see more, I want to try to incorporate them.

So enjoy!

Chapter 27: Pack

Rinri sank further into her cloak, arms folded as she leaned against the wall behind her. It had been a busy couple of months since Umbridge had taken power at the school and Rinri had managed to gather an overwhelming amount of evidence. The vile woman was no longer trying to be discrete in her punishments and discrimination and with only a month left of the school year, Rinri was confident she'd complete this mission within the time constraints.

Only a month and she'd be home in Iwa. She was so ready to leave this place; there was nothing for her here. The 'friends' she'd made here would be long forgotten and the intelligence she would bring back on the wizards' politics and military would help her reach jounin.

She wondered how her family was doing. Her little sister would have taken her genin exam back in January; Rinri had every confidence that she had passed. Their father, while retired from a war injury, would have made sure she knew what she was doing. It was kind of strange though, to miss such a big milestone. How much had she missed while she was away?

"Your situational awareness is shit."

Rinri's heart leapt out of her chest and she flung a kunai at the voice, automatically falling into a battle stance. Hatake stood in front of her, mask firmly in place with his school uniform, her kunai caught delicately between two fingers.

She hadn't heard him; she hadn't even sensed him. He could have killed her and she would have never known. She wouldn't have had time to put up any sort of defence. He did that on purpose; it was considered rude in the Elemental Nations for shinobi to sneak up on allies. This was a Konoha nin though so she shouldn't have expected any better.

The reminder of the difference in their abilities was something she could have lived without.

"You're late," she snarled, trying to save face.

Kakashi stashed her kunai and she glared. Shoving his hands in pockets, he stared back at her, impassive.

"A black cat crossed my path so I had to go the long way around."

Rinri blinked.

"What?"

"Stonewall-san will be waiting," he continued, moving past her to the door of the shop.

Rinri stood in place for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Since she had told those Gryffindor kids the truth about Hatake, she'd been waiting for the retaliation. She'd seen how they avoided him and how the information had driven a wedge between them. She had watched it unfold for weeks from her spot at the Slytherin table; she thinks it was one of her proudest moments on this mission.

She hadn't even gone against her orders not to attack or sabotage him; talking to the trio about Hatake's history couldn't be counted as messing with the mission. Rinri had just known that if Hatake wanted it kept quiet, then it would make him miserable to have it out. The Gryffindors had been so desperate to know that they had taken her at her word. A few choice truths and it all came tumbling down around the copy-nin all on its own.

Still, she would have expected there to be some reaction. It had been months; what was he waiting for?

She followed him through the entranceway of Dervish and Banges, a music shop in Hogsmeade. All lines of contact with her employer had been compromised at Hogwarts so they had been forced out to the village in order to find a fireplace free of Ministry surveillance. Fortunately, the owner of the music shop had a turbulent past so he had been easy to blackmail into allowing them access; Stonewall had ensured that the man would keep his mouth shut.

The man behind the counter eyed them warily before pointing to the balcony above.

"The fireplace is up there," he said, resigned. "Through the door to the left of the display case."

Rinri thanked him as Hatake went on ahead. The shopkeeper called out to them just as she reached the stairs.

"I held up my end. You'll hold up yours?"

Rinri smirked back at him.

"Consider those pictures burned, Saul-san."

She made her way through the empty shop, finally joining Hatake in the back room. It was pretty sparse, with a rickety table and chair shoved into the corner and unopened boxes lining the bare walls. The fireplace itself was the main feature; dirty grey stone engraved with some sort of carvings with a large overhanging mantle. Rinri moved to stand next to Hatake, pointedly ignoring the shinobi next to her.

The fire was already blazing and Rinri watched the flames turn green.

"Ishida, Hatake, thank you for coming. I know things have been difficult at the school since Umbridge took over as Headmistress."

Stonewall's face had emerged from the flames, his stern features set into a frown.

"Ishida, report."

Rinri stood at attention.

"Umbridge no longer attempts to disguise her punishments from the other staff. She believes herself to be the one true authority within Hogwarts and that there will be no consequences for the manner in which she is treating the students. As far as I have perceived, this has held true as she has been given complete authority by the Minister to do as she wishes."

She continued.

"This has resulted in careless actions which have led me to collect an abundance of evidence against her. Child endangerment bordering on abuse, discrimination, abuse of authority and slander can now all be proven with the laws of this country."

Stonewall was quiet for a moment.

"What about illegal spell usage?" He inquired, still unreadable. "We know she used the Unforgivables while stationed in the States. If we got her wand after she cast one of those, there would be no coming back. We could even use it to ensure the Ministry also charges her for the crimes committed on American soil."

"She uses the quills in her punishments, not her wand," Rinri scowled. "I haven't observed her using spells to inflict harm."

"She will and you need to take her wand and inform me when she does so we can make the arrest," Stonewall ordered. "I am not leaving it to the Ministry to ensure she is dealt with correctly."

Rinri nodded sharply as his gaze turned to Hatake.

"I know Dumbledore has been evicted from his position but I am given to understand that your mission still stands?"

"It does."

"Well, thank you for coming, Hatake. I appreciate that you must be busy but you have information that we need."

Rinri scowled. Why was he being nice to Hatake? It's not as if Hatake was actually useful for their mission.

"Of course, Stonewall-san," the scum replied promptly. "Dumbledore-sama instructed I aid you in your investigation, so I am here to fulfil that obligation."

She may hate his guts but even she had to admire that response; she was pretty sure she had never heard such a diplomatic answer. Hatake didn't want to be here as much as she didn't want him here.

"Tell me what you have seen."

"Umbridge does not use her wand to inflict punishments; she prefers to use subordinates to carry out her orders. The caretaker and the Slytherin students are the best examples of this."

"Ishida, the Slytherins?" Stonewall's gaze snapped to her.

"It's mainly the fifth years, led by Draco Malfoy," she expanded. "They operate under the name of the 'Inquisitorial Squad' and are made up of those who openly support the decrees of the Ministry."

"Malfoy." His brows furrowed in thought. "I've heard that name affiliated with Voldemort's cohort."

"From what I have gathered in the common room, his father is a high-ranking official within the Ministry," supplied Rinri. "I have also heard whispers that he served under Voldemort during the last war and that the family is still inclined towards that end."

"Keep an eye on this Squad," her employer ordered firmly. "If you catch them performing illegal spells, get evidence that it was Umbridge behind it. I doubt a group of fifteen year olds have the capacity to operate on their own ability; they must be following her orders."

"Yes, sir."

"Hatake, have you seen anything else?"

The copy-nin nodded.

"I have been in her office and while there, observed documents which detail various torture techniques. The caretaker fetched some of these documents with intent to use them on students. She has also tried to spike students' drinks in order to extract information."

"She really is getting bolder," Stonewall mused. "Ishida, your main priority is to catch her in the act of illegal spell usage and confiscate her wand so it may be used as evidence. Keep an eye on the Squad and continue to look for any opportunities to gather evidence against her."

His face turned to the copy-nin.

"If you see anything else, pass it on to Ishida and she will report back to me. Your help is appreciated, Hatake. She's going to go away for a long time with the information you both have gathered."

Stonewall nodded to them before his face faded from the flames. The fire faded from green back into a flickering orange and Rinri quickly snuffed it out. Hatake turned to leave and Rinri couldn't help calling out to him.

"Hey, Copy-nin, why are you doing this? We both know you don't want to help with my mission and your employer is gone; he won't know if you don't complete this objective. It's not as if he can punish you for it since it's not written in your contract either."

Hatake stopped, before he glanced back.

"There is nothing I would rather do than eliminate you and forget this whole mess ever occurred, but I cannot. I am here to be used by Dumbledore-sama and while it is not in my contract, I will be compensated for my time. Your mission aligns with mine as Potter will be that much safer with Umbridge out of the way. That is all."

Rinri absorbed his answer, frowning as the guy had a point. There was overlap between their objectives and they were in a very similar position. Neither of them could afford to say no to a bonus, even if they had to tolerate each other to get it.

"Once we are back in the Elemental Nations, however, it will be quite a different story."

She looked up at him, confused.

"You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since this mission began," Hatake eye-smiled at her. "If I ever see you again when we go back home, I will be the last thing you ever see."

Rinri took an involuntary step back, a lump rising in her throat. She remained frozen as Hatake left.

Oh shit. She really had pissed him off. She hadn't thought about what would happen after this mission was over; she just knew no matter what she did to him here he couldn't touch her. She had messed with him confident in the knowledge that he couldn't kill or maim her for it. Once this mission was over though, all bets were off. He could come for her any time and she wasn't as sure as before that she could stop him.

That's why he hadn't retaliated for her last stunt. He was waiting until the mission was over, when there would be no consequences. She swallowed; maybe she shouldn't have messed with him so much.

Harry tried to hold in a groan as he queued outside the Herbology greenhouse, Ernie Macmillan edging closer with each word out of his mouth.

"So how many hours do you think you've studied? A rough number; how many do you do a day?"

"I dunno, a few?" said Ron hesitantly.

Ernie's feverish gaze switched over to the redhead.

"More or less than eight?"

Ron's eyes widened in alarm and he side-eyed Harry desperately. Harry shrugged, just happy that Ernie had moved off of him.

"Less?"

Harry couldn't tell if that was the right answer as Ernie stepped back.

"I'm doing eight," he puffed out his chest. "Even nine hours some days. I get in an hour before breakfast and I can get ten on the weekends. Tuesday isn't so great...only seven hours and a quarter."

So less than eight wasn't the right answer then.

"What about you, Kakashi?" Ernie looked behind them to the quiet figure leaning against the wall.

The shinobi looked impassively back at the Hufflepuff.

"I do not count."

"What?" Ernie looked horrified. "What do you mean you don't count?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"I do not see the need. I look over the material until I have memorised it and I move on. Measuring the time spent studying will not help you pass exams. You will either know the material or you will not."

Harry joined the other two boys in staring. That was...a ridiculous way to approach things. He just memorised it, like it was that easy? Harry broke his stare to see Ernie in the middle of some sort of crisis.

"I think you broke him," he said to Kakashi.

"I am only stating the obvious," the shinobi replied, unbothered by the effect his words had on the Hufflepuff.

Harry rolled his eyes as Professor Sprout finally started to usher them into greenhouse three. Kakashi had been a strangely calming presence in the midst of all the exam panic. Hermione was spending a lot of time muttering and wandering about with her nose in a textbook; more than she usually did during the school year. At least one student ended up crying every day for the past month from the stress.

The shinobi on the other hand hadn't altered his behaviour one bit; he didn't even increase his studying time like the rest of them. Harry still often spotted him reading books that had nothing to do with their classes and it was stressing him out by proxy. He could barely stay on top of their workload, never mind doing extra study.

The only thing that had changed about the guy in the past couple of weeks was he was stricter with Harry's comings and goings. The incident with Grawp had apparently had an impact and Harry couldn't even leave the castle most days without Kakashi getting on his case. He didn't particularly want to go see the giant again; he would have been more than happy to avoid the Forest on his own.

Kakashi, however, was taking it a step further. Harry hadn't been able to talk to Hagrid since that day; Kakashi stepped in every time the groundskeeper got close. He got that what Hagrid did wasn't good; what the man had asked of them was a bit too much, even for Harry. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad when he saw the man's face crumple when Kakashi ushered him in the opposite direction.

Harry couldn't land on a final decision on how he felt about Kakashi. There had been so many moments where Kakashi was about as expressive as a castle wall and others where the shinobi appeared to open up to him. He was hiding so much about himself but he had never outright lied to Harry, unlike a lot of others in his life. He took his mission so seriously; even if Harry didn't like it. He had even seen the guy hanging around Neville and the other Gryffindor boys, like they were friends.

He realised that he had genuinely hurt the shinobi by listening to that Slytherin girl; there was just so much they didn't know. It hadn't even occurred to him that Kakashi had feelings that could be hurt. He now knew that there was no way that Kakashi was associated with Voldemort but it was hard to trust someone who hid so much. He wasn't exactly friendly either. He was so cagey sometimes about the simplest things.

Now it was June and the shinobi was only going to be here for a few more weeks. While Harry's opinion of him had changed drastically since they had first met in Grimmauld Place all those months ago, he wouldn't say he had formed a positive one yet. He was still slightly horrified at the whole killing people thing but he could now see that wasn't the whole story. There were things about Kakashi's past and culture that didn't translate to wizards; Harry didn't even know if he would understand even if he had the full story.

He groaned aloud, dropping his head into his hands and grabbing his hair in frustration. Every time he tried to fit the pieces together, they just ended up in a jumble. Why did Kakashi have to be so confusing? At least with the likes of Malfoy, he knew where they stood.

He wasn't an enemy, but he wasn't a friend. He was on their side but didn't care about the fight itself. He didn't appear to care about Harry but would throw himself to the likes of Umbridge to protect him. He only cared about fulfilling his mission but helping Neville wasn't even remotely a part of that.

He just had to make it to the end of the year and he wouldn't have to think about it anymore; Kakashi would go back home and Harry could focus on the war without someone hovering over his shoulder. He would be free to fight without someone wrapping him in bubble wrap every time things got a bit out of hand. As Professor Sprout began the lecture, Harry tried to squash the thought that getting rid of Kakashi wouldn't be as satisfying as he once thought.

Kakashi's amused smirk was hidden by his mask as he read the letter in his hands.

Kakashi,

Cheers for your help this year. You're not as much of a stick in the mud as you'd like everyone to think. Come see us at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes before you pop off home; we'll give you some stuff on the house.

You could use a bit more fun in your life.

Fred and George

He refolded the letter. The twins had been expelled after the stunt they pulled to lure Umbridge away from her office. Neither twin seemed particularly upset with this development, apparently having organised some sort of plan to fall back on. He wished them the best of luck in their endeavours; they had been extremely useful and their pranking tendencies had reminded Kakashi of happier times.

His smile softened as he recalled the numerous pranks Kushina-nee had pulled on Minato-sensei. Much like the twins had, Kushina-nee had managed to rope Kakashi and his team into some of them and the results had always been spectacular. He did not ever think he would forget the day his sensei had been forced into a meeting with the Clan Heads with purple, glittery hair.

Those memories did not hurt as much as they used to. He did not think he was ready to talk about them and his team with anyone yet, but he could at least reminisce over the happier times without feeling like someone stole the breath from his lungs. The ache left from their absence remained, but it was getting easier to ignore the negative thoughts creeping in. While they would not be able to create new memories, he was glad for the ones he did have.

He placed the twins' letter down and picked up the other.

MY ETERNAL RIVAL!

EVEN WITH THE MEDIUM OF THE WRITTEN WORD YOU ARE SO HIP, KAKASHI! YOU ARE TRULY EMBRACING THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUR YOUTH!

IN PREPARATION FOR YOUR RETURN, I HAVE CHALLENGED MYSELF TO CLIMB THE HOKAGE MOUNTAIN WITHOUT MY HANDS. THE SUBLIME GREEN BEAST OF PREY SHALL PREVAIL IN OUR NEXT CHALLENGE SO PREPARE YOURSELF, KAKASHI!

MAY THE POWER OF YOUTH AID YOU IN YOUR TIME AWAY SO YOU MAY RETURN AS YOUTHFUL AND HIP AS EVER!

YOUR ETERNAL RIVAL,

MAITO GAI

Kakashi sweat-dropped.

While technically absent of any hints as to Kakashi's true purpose at Hogwarts, it must have certainly confused whoever's checking the mail before it's handed to the students. If Kakashi had not learned to speak 'Gai', he would have had no idea how to interpret this nonsense either. Still, while strange, it was deemed safe to send as an exchange student would be expected to receive letters from home. Gai had become his point of contact from back home rather than the Hokage to keep the line secure.

He would make his full report to the Hokage once he returned to Konoha. He sighed internally at the forthcoming shit show that was awaiting him. He had gone above and beyond in this mission, and certain liberties were granted for extended, undercover missions, but Kakashi knew this mission pushed those boundaries to their limits. He had done the best he could with what he had; Dumbledore was a terrible employer. The sheer number of hoops he had had to jump through to follow Dumbledore's orders exceeded any mission Kakashi had ever had before.

He almost could not wait for his return to ANBU. ANBU missions were simple and direct, with clear objectives and no limit on how they were achieved. There was a certain level of freedom afforded in the Elemental Nations that Kakashi had taken for granted until now.

It was a sign that he had been away for too long that he was even looking forward to one of Gai's challenges. He thought he would never see the day.

"Good news?"

Thomas slipped into the seat next him, dumping his charms textbooks on the table. Finnegan quickly followed and as his books slid to the floor, he stared at them for a moment before deciding to leave them where they were.

"A friend," Kakashi shrugged, folding the letter and stuffing into his pocket with the twins' letter.

"How do you even make the time for letters?" Finnegan demanded indignantly. "If I look at something that isn't a textbook or notes for too long, the anxiety gets overwhelming."

"Every time I stop studying to eat and sleep I feel guilty for not studying," Thomas added.

Kakashi raised a brow as he folded his hands over the meagre notes he had in front of him. He was feeling pretty good about the exams; he knew what he needed to know so it was just a matter of perfecting his genjutsu for the practical portions of the exams.

"Where is your sense of panic?" Thomas continued. "Every time I see you you're reading something that hasn't been covered in class. What do you know that we don't?"

Finnegan perked up.

"Do you know what's going to be on the tests? C'mon, help a guy out."

"I do not," Kakashi answered, amused. "I am merely taking advantage of the library while I am still here. I have already studied the content covered in classes."

"That is not helpful in the slightest."

"I think I hate you a little," Thomas added.

Before Kakashi could answer Neville fell into the final seat, barely managing to avoid tripping on Finnegan's abandoned pile of books.

"I'm going to fail Charms at this rate!"

Thomas held up his hands.

"Don't look at me! The only spell I have down from Charms is Aguamenti; the rest are barely passable."

"Why Aguamenti?" Kakashi piped up as he leaned back in his chair, arms folded. "That is not an easy spell compared to others we have studied this year."

"Because of me," Finnegan sighed. "With my incredible ability to set everything I touch on fire, Dean's the one who puts them out. I only wonder what I'll set fire to in the exams."

Kakashi eyed the pair knowingly. It was true that whenever Finnegan had a mishap, fire was always involved. Thomas had mastered the perfect spell to complement Finnegan's chaos; that took a lot of care and thought. He dismissed any further consideration on the matter. It was none of his business.

"Kakashi, you're super smart," Neville gazed pitifully in his direction. "Please, you have to know something; I just need an A, maybe an E if miracles are a thing."

"Neville, you will do far better than you think you will," Kakashi replied fondly. "You know more than you think you do; once you actually sit down with the questions, the answers will come to you."

"That's easy for you to say," Neville whined as he dropped his head onto the table with a thud. "You've had high scores all year; I couldn't learn the common room password until my fifth year."

Kakashi gazed at his friend for a long moment before he released an audible sigh.

"Fine, I can help you go over some of the main points," he finally relented. "There are parts of the material that are sure to come up in the exams; I can show you how to identify them."

"Wait, there are?" Finnegan leaned over to scoop up a book, leaving the others on the floor. "How do you know?"

"You just pick out the essential information from the bulk of text."

The three Gryffindor boys stared at him, unimpressed. Kakashi frowned in response; what part did they not get? He had explained it clearly.

"Never mind, we don't have time to unpack Kakashi's thought process," Thomas waved a hand dismissively, opening his textbook with the other. "Teach us, great one."

Kakashi unfolded his arms, leaning forward. He could afford to help them out; Potter and the others were stuck in their own pile of notes in the far corner. They would not be going anywhere.

Potter and Weasley had finally received the message that Kakashi would not allow them to take any brain-enhancing potions; they had been outraged but he was not about to let his charge ingest any magical substances handled by other students. After Granger had pointed out that one such powder for sale was actually the droppings of a creature, he was confident the boys would steer clear of them in the future.

He had time to focus on helping his friends.

Neville glared at the flickering mantle in front of him.

The first exams of the year were tomorrow and he did not feel ready. Kakashi had been kind enough to spend his own study time helping them, but he felt like none of it had sunk in. He couldn't remember anything and the arrival of the examiners at dinner had only served to fuel his spiral.

The common room was empty as most of the fifth years had gone to bed early, making an attempt to sleep before the first exam tomorrow. Neville had considered this, having gotten nowhere in his last-minute cramming, but quickly dismissed it. He could either not sleep in his bed or not sleep in front of the fireplace.

"You have been staring at the flames for an hour. Has it offended you?"

Neville jumped, his heart leaping into his throat and his adrenaline spiking.

"Kakashi! You can't sneak up on me like that!"

Kakashi walked silently around the couch, slipping casually into the seat next to him.

"I ensured I was in your line of sight on my approach," he pointed out, but Neville got the feeling he was making fun of him.

"You still need a bell or something," Neville huffed, his heart rate starting to calm down.

A brief silence fell over them before Neville spoke up again.

"I can't sleep. The OWLs start tomorrow and I'm not ready. These exams will decide our entire future and I don't think I can handle it. My Gran wants me to 'bring honour to the Longbottom name' but I can't live up to that. I'm going to disappoint her like I always do." He sighed heavily. "It just feels like there's a weight hanging over me that's ready to fall and crush me at any moment."

He hadn't actually said any of this out loud before now. It had just been swirling around his thoughts since their exam timetables had been handed to them. It wasn't as if he could talk about it with the others; they had enough to think about with their own exams. Kakashi was just so calm and cool about it all. It made him easy to talk to; Neville needed some calm in his life.

"Your grandmother's definition of honour is not something anyone can aspire to," Kakashi finally spoke up. "You can only do the best you can and that is enough. Whatever your results, it will be enough."

Neville wiped away a stray tear.

"I wish everyone thought like that."

"Everyone else is wrong."

Neville let out a wet chuckle and looked over to his friend. Kakashi never seemed to doubt himself; everything he said was spoken with confidence and intent. He didn't waste words. It was comforting to have such a steady presence right now.

"How do you stay so calm? What's your secret?" He joked weakly.

He didn't expect Kakashi to hesitate and turn away from him.

"Hey, you know I was joking right?" said Neville, confused. "You don't have to actually tell me anything, even if you were hiding something."

"What if I were hiding something significant? Something that would change your opinion of me?"

Neville stared at him.

"Kakashi, there is literally nothing you could say that would make me stop wanting to be your friend," He said slowly, like it should have been obvious. "Whatever secret you could have doesn't change your actions or how you've treated me. You are the first person who has never thought less of me for just being myself and that means way more than some dumb secret."

He quickly looked around, making sure the common room was still empty. His voice had risen towards the end but he needed to make Kakashi understand.

This school year had been the best so far and Neville attributed most of it to Kakashi. The DA had helped with his spellwork but he was actually feeling confident for the first time in his life. He would have never started running if it weren't for him and nobody had ever voluntarily sought out his company over the likes of Harry or Dean. Ginny had asked him to the Yule Ball as friends but she had barely spoken to him this year, busy with other things.

"You coming to Hogwarts this year was the best thing that could have ever happened. I don't care about the why."

Kakashi turned back to him and Neville was surprised to see visible shock on what was visible of his face. He must have really startled him if he was revealing how he felt. Usually Kakashi is so stoic; most of the time Neville had to make his best guess at what he was really thinking.

"Thank you, Neville." His sole grey was warm. "You have also made this experience far more bearable than it would have been otherwise."

From anyone else, Neville would have thought that they did not appreciate him as much as he did them; that he thought they were better friends than they actually were. From Kakashi though, he knew better.

Neville was the only one referred to by his first name and he doubted anyone else had been allowed to see him actually expressing what he felt. He was a private person and Neville could respect that; which made it all the more special that Kakashi trusted him to open up.

"Thanks, Kakashi," Neville grinned.

"You will be one of the very few things I will miss once I return home."

It felt like a punch to the gut.

Kakashi was leaving; he was an exchange student, of course he would have to go back eventually. It was just too soon; Neville could barely imagine his sixth year without the other boy, despite enduring the first four years without him. He would be leaving after these exams were over. Neville had been so busy worrying about his OWLs that he'd completely forgotten about what came after.

"You're leaving," he said quietly, a stark contrast to his good mood only moments earlier.

Kakashi didn't move but the warmth left his gaze.

"Yes."

"I forgot about that."

"I may have underestimated what I would be leaving behind."

Neville threw him a look but Kakashi didn't respond.

"You have to write though," he insisted. "Just because you're going back to Japan doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. We'll just have to make do with the owl post until then. They have owls in Japan, right?"

Instead of agreeing with him, Kakashi just remained silent. Neville's heart rate started to pick up. This couldn't be the end; he knew Kakashi cared about him. There was no way he'd just leave and cut all ties. They were friends.

"Kakashi?"

The other boy finally moved, slumping his shoulders and clasping his hands together in front of him. He stared down at them, refusing to look back at Neville.

"I do not know if I can do that, Neville."

"What do you mean you can't?" Neville demanded, blinking back tears. "You can write a letter."

"It is not that simple," Kakashi finally looked up.

Neville was about to reply when Kakashi continued.

"Neville, I promise to tell you the truth before I leave," Kakashi sighed. "I cannot tell you before that for reasons that will become clear. Just know that I would not cut ties with you voluntarily; it will just be difficult for owls to transverse between our residences."

Neville's mouth snapped shut. He turned Kakashi's words over in his head before he came to a decision.

"Okay."

Kakashi's eye snapped towards him.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, you'll tell me when you're ready," Neville nodded. "I trust you."

"But you know I am keeping back potentially vital information about myself from you."

"But you have to be doing it for a good reason, right?" Neville pointed out.

Kakashi sat still for a long moment before slumping back.

"Thank you, Neville."

He just smiled.

"Anytime."

Kakashi threw the last sausage to Bull, the giant bulldog snatching it out of the air. Bull swallowed it down and proceeded to slump over Kakashi's legs. His other ninken were scrawled on various parts of him and Bull; he had barely managed to free up his upper body. He placed a hand in Shino's thick fur, leaning back into the wall behind him.

Neville had gone to bed a couple of hours ago and Kakashi had decided to fill the time before they all woke up for breakfast fulfilling his promise to his ninken. He would not be able to see them with all the exams starting today; they would be back in Konoha when he next summoned them.

He had a clone lying in bed in the dorm, monitoring Potter, which gave him time to go to the kitchen. Tickling a painting of a pear was one of the strangest security measures he had observed in Hogwarts during his time here, but he had to admit that it worked. If one did not already know about it, it would be difficult to guess.

He moved his hand off Shino's head to run a hand over his uniform. Perhaps it was time for a change; his dogs could always wear hitai-ate. He could change the symbol on their uniforms from the Konoha sign to something more personal to him. Something that was unique, so people thought 'Kakashi' instead of 'Konoha' when they saw his dogs. He would always belong to Konoha but since the death of Minato-sensei, he had been swallowed completely by the village. There was very little he did purely for himself.

He was not going to leave ANBU nor stop taking the high risk missions. He needed the distraction; he was not ready to give up the one thing that had kept him sane in the wake of the Kyūbi attack. He was not there yet.

"A treat for your thoughts?"

He looked up from Shino's back to Pakkun, who was resting on Bull's head.

"I was thinking about changing the pack's symbol."

Pakkun picked up his head from his paws.

"To what?"

"I do not know," he admitted. "Something representative of me, rather than the village."

Pakkun appeared to be turning over the idea.

"What about the henohenomoheji?" The pug offered.

"The kids' design for scarecrows?" Kakashi asked dubiously. "Is that not a bit childish for a summons' uniform?"

"It suits you," Pakkun insisted. "Your name means 'scarecrow'."

"Is it not a bit literal?"

"You wanted something that said 'Kakashi' when others saw it," Pakkun huffed. "You may think it is 'childish' but you need some source of happiness in your life."

Pakkun's words reminded Kakashi of the twins' letter.

You could use a bit more fun in your life.

Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee would have loved the idea.

"Okay, the henohenomoheji it is," he said firmly. "I will get the uniforms altered when we get back home."

Pakkun placed his head back down onto his paws.

"This place has changed you, Kakashi. The weight of grief no longer crushes you, even if it still weighs you down."

"I am never going to be able to forget them, Pakkun," Kakashi dropped his head back onto the wall behind him. "If I had just made the right decisions, they would still be here with us. Moving forward without them feels like I am betraying their memory."

"You don't need to forget them. Just stop punishing yourself; find a different way to honour them."

Kakashi was not sure he could ever stop; he deserved it. He reached up to run Rin's scarf through his fingers. Although it was happening less frequently, he still had episodes where he could feel her blood on his hands: the feeling of his hand in her chest, the warmth of her chest cavity, the muscles parting in the wake of his jutsu.

"Kakashi."

He looked back up at Pakkun.

"What do you plan to do when we return to the village?"

Kakashi latched onto the distraction from his spiralling thoughts.

"Train," he sighed. "I need to get back into shape. There have been very little opportunities during this mission to train properly. I am sure my taijutsu has suffered during this period of inactivity. I need to get my skills back to ANBU level."

"I'm sure they haven't suffered that much."

"They have suffered enough," Kakashi mused. "The only one that has not is my genjutsu; imitating their jutsu has improved it significantly. It has been a good challenge."

He could admit that this mission had not been all bad; even if there had been many times he had wished to be anywhere else. He did not want to say any longer than was required for the mission but as he thought of Neville, perhaps leaving was not going to be as easy as he had always thought.

Pakkun jumped down from Bull's head, settling himself onto Kakashi's chest.

"Do you want to feel my paws?"

Kakashi smiled softly.

"Okay."

He reached out, focusing on the soft pads beneath his fingers. He allowed himself to empty his head of his concerns, focusing on the warm bundles of fur anchoring him. There would be time for all that later. He just wanted to bask in the presence of his ninken right now. For as long as he could until he was dropped back into reality.

This concludes the twenty-seventh chapter.

Please could you review about what you like and what I can improve upon? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated and I will always strive to improve your reading experience in any way I can.

Arigatou gozaimasu