Civilian Pianist

by Writer-and-Artist27

[SI-OC] I had hoped I wouldn't die so early in life. And honestly, I wasn't good ninja material. The most I knew was how to twirl a stick and ram a backpack filled with school supplies on someone's head — and yet some entity decided to plop me down into a world where you're either a ninja or a civilian — and the mortality rate wasn't good either way. My choice was kinda obvious.

48. Chapter 42: Paving the Way

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!

The theme for this chapter is TedescoCreations' cover of Gentle Hands from the third OST of Naruto Shippuden. Since this is a pivotal chapter and all.

On the other hand, for the specific fight in this chapter, please listen to the theme titled Sad Duel from the original Japanese Soundtrack of Yu-Gi-Oh GX! Since it's Judai who is at the forefront and all.

As a last music note (no pun intended), for the last, heartwarming parts of the chapter, I would like to refer you to Rafik el Jar's Synthesia cover of There is a Reason by Konomi Suzuki. It's a short song, but it's still important since it's the theme song for the new No Game No Life: Zero movie coming out this month, and shows a lot of the ending emotion for this part. You can still listen to the original song if you want — it's out on YouTube to listen to. :)

Please enjoy!

---

Chapter 42: Paving the Way

Two years can fly really quickly.

And…well, you know me. I prefer to take things slow.

Even if my friends seemed to be sent out on more and more missions by the day.

I know we're at war and all, but really?

I could've sworn Kakashi was looking more and more miffed with each day.

Then again, the fact that his previous grey jersey and brown waist cape were nearly torn to shreds after a specific week-long trek out near the borders when we had just turned 12 said a lot already.

Mama nearly blew a gasket when she saw him. "Kakashi! How," with each word, she threw her hands in the air, "did. That. Happen?"

I kinda didn't blame her considering how he had walked out of the house a week ago originally unscathed. And since Mama was the fashion designer for the family and the cafe, this was coming sooner or later.

I was honestly surprised that Kakashi was still being as cool as a cucumber. In the face of an angry Mama to boot.

"Mission skirmish," he stated flatly, tugging at his collar while blinking. "It could've been worse."

"Worse? Worse?" Mama put her hands on her hips while looking down at him, and for once, Kakashi seemed a bit freaked. "Kakashi, I won't be able to fix that! There's too much damage!" And did her voice…go up an octave?

Oh, he's tempting fate now. Hisako said in glee.

"…Hikari, it's just clothes…" Uncle Sakumo added quietly.

Oh dear. Despite her wording, Hisako hummed cheerily.

Oh great. My Nobody was looking forward to this.

Mama turned on Uncle Sakumo faster than I could meep. "Just. Clothes?" she said slowly.

The former White Fang immediately raised his hands in the air in a form of surrender as sweat rolled down his face.

Pass the popcorn, Tomoko-chan.

HISAKO!

Hehehe.

"Clothes. Are. IMPORTANT." Mama growled, accentuating each word with a stomp of her sandal. Her side ponytail seemed to sweep her face in such a way that added to the freakiness of the situation. "And Kakashi-kun will not go out on another mission like that!" Her right hand swept behind her to point at the ninja in question, a very good impression of Mia Fey, by the way, and I didn't miss how he jumped.

Oh, me? I was tempted to…well, run back inside. But that didn't seem to be an option.

Mama only huffed while lowering her hand. "There's only one thing to do."

"…And that would be?" Uncle Sakumo said shakily.

Mama grabbed his hand before turning to me with resolute sapphire eyes. "Tomoko-chan."

Aaaaah. I gulped. "Y-Yes, Mama?"

"Let your Papa know we're heading out. We're going shopping," she ground out.

…I was not expecting that. But that was awesome! Hisako proceeded to gush.

Uhhhh.

"And don't think about running, Kakashi-kun." I didn't miss how Kakashi flinched in the middle of trying to sneak out the door at her words, slowly turning back to her to meet her stare with a face like a criminal who was caught red-handed. "This is for you, so you're coming!"

Kakashi then turned to me with an expression that easily said, "Holy shit," without verbally expressing it. And, well? I didn't blame him one bit. When Mama got fashion-invested, there…really wasn't much stopping her.

"…And why are you holding onto me, Hikari?" Uncle Sakumo interrupted tentatively, attempting to tug his hand out of Mama's in the process.

"You, Sakumo, know Kakashi's clothing sizes." Mama quipped, checking for her wallet back into her pants pocket while frowning. "So you are my second opinion!"

Then Uncle Sakumo had the audacity to glance at me with the same expression as his son.

Tomoko-chan, please help me. His silver eyes seemed to say.

I forced myself to look away while holding down the strange urge to giggle.

I'm sorry, Uncle Sakumo. You inspired Mama.

So deal with it! Hisako yelled.

Here we go.

---

Kakashi didn't know whether to grimace or smile. The ever-growing pile of clothes in his arms was not helping his mood one bit.

And why. Why was Aunt Hikari adding more to it?!

"…Mama, I don't think Kakashi needs all that…" Tomoko started meekly. Relief flooded him at the words as he attempted to move his arms to glance at the girl.

The joy of having someone who understood…!

…If not for Aunt Hikari interrupting by throwing another jersey onto the pile in his arms. "Tomoko-chan, Kakashi needs to try all that. We won't be buying all of it, no! Your Papa and I may have money, but we're not millionaires! What matters is that Kakashi needs some new clothes, and we won't know if they work unless he tries them!"

"So…" Kakashi attempted to mince his words so that they didn't come out like insults. "Why am I carrying all of them?"

Aunt Hikari poked her head out of another set of clothes hangers. "Because you're wearing all of those?"

He held back a sigh.

"…Do you need help, Kakashi?" Tomoko added slowly.

"No, I'm fine," he said, adjusting the load so that his arms weren't aching while also allowing himself a simple, "Ugh."

Sakumo let out a minute sigh before lightly taking half the pile off of Kakashi's hands, patting his son's head. "Just go with it, Kakashi. Just go with it."

Tomoko lurked around the former White Fang, pressing her hands together and bowing her head towards him. "I'm sorry," she mouthed.

Kakashi sighed before shifting his arms again.

Aunt Hikari tossed yet another jersey onto the smaller pile while still digging through the same hangers. "Almost done…"

She said that half an hour ago. A small part of him quipped.

Kakashi squashed the idea faster than a soaring shuriken. The bright side to this whole thing was that the older Hoshino did know his clothing preferences. All of the garments sitting on him and Sakumo were of dark blues, camouflage, or even browns for the sake of mission stuff.

"Judai usually liked these…" Hikari muttered one last time before standing straight up, dusting herself off while holding some…brown straps?

Huh? What would those be for?

"…Well, that settles it!" Aunt Hikari started to beam in his direction, and despite the bright smile, Kakashi felt a chill go down his spine. "Kakashi, the changing room is right over there!" He didn't miss how she pointed towards a cubicle that seemed a bit too small for his liking with her hand. Goddammit. "So, go ahead! Change!"

Oh great.

Hikari then had the audacity to point at the former White Fang behind him. "Sakumo, you help him out!"

"M-Me?"

Oh great.

---

I wasn't really sure what to expect when waiting on my best friend and the former White Fang when it came to clothes shopping. Sure, I took Team Minato out window shopping before, but my past enthusiasm seemed to pale in comparison to Mama's, emphasized by the loud tapping of her foot.

"Are you two ready yet?" she called out rather impatiently. I didn't miss the few dirty looks some of the other customers were shooting at her, and I tried not to shiver. Go Mama.

…This must be the twelfth outfit already.

"Not yet!" Uncle Sakumo called back, voice wobbling at the last syllable. Then I heard something like, "C'mon, Kakashi," before the curtain was pulled back.

My best friend seemed to be caught between pouting and frowning, crossing his arms while allowing the new outfit (aptly titled Number 12 by Hisako) to show its full glory. If not for Uncle Sakumo pushing him forward, it looked like Kakashi didn't even want to be there, therefore creating the worst fashion model image in existence.

And his new outfit?

It…didn't seem like much.

Being just a tank top and casual shinobi pants with the standard kunai and shuriken pouches on his legs?

…Yeah, that's not exactly practical. Hisako said duly. Too much skin is exposed there.

I was just worried he would get sunburns along with other wounds I didn't want to think about.

The bright orange arm warmers didn't help at all. If we were trying to bring along a Guy image for my best friend, this wasn't working.

To put it simply? The outfit screamed, Ack.

Mama seemed to agree with the general consensus after giving him a glance-over. "…Okay, no. That doesn't work. And your face says everything, dear."

"…Good for you to notice, Aunt Hikari," Kakashi ground out from between his teeth.

Mama took on a softer smile while inclining her head. "I know, I know. Kakashi, this is probably really troublesome. But you do need clothes, okay? Especially with more missions. So just go with it."

He sighed while bringing back the curtain.

"Try on the black t-shirt with the white stripes then, dear!" she called after him. "Sakumo, help him out with it!"

"…Got it," the White Fang said dryly.

I blinked. Black and white striped-shirt?

Why did it sound so familiar?

This should be ever-so-lucky Number 13…

The sounds of shuffling again. This time, Mama and I had to wait only a few minutes before the curtain was swept away.

And my heart froze in my chest.

Kakashi was missing the brown straps and the tanto sword holster, but…

He definitely looks like that young Jounin who took on hell, alright. Hisako whistled appreciatively. Now that is badass.

Black t-shirt with white stripes running down the short sleeves. A pale beige belt, holding his kunai pouch onto his pants. Along with the additional metal arm-guards covering the fronts of his forearms on the arm-warmers/longer-sleeves, the standard black shinobi pants and gear just added to the look. The bandages covered what was visible of his lower calves, and even with the standard blue forehead protector and sandals, they all finished the new outfit off in a way that made me think of a professional assassin, albeit tiny considering our age of 12. And for once, Kakashi wasn't grimacing. He was actually glancing at himself, looking over the new outfit combination with awe and interest.

Before I could stop myself, the words were already leaving my lips. "Ohmigod, Kakashi, you look so handsome."

A long pause followed. Heck, I swore I could hear the sounds of crickets.

Mama and Uncle Sakumo both glanced at me. "Tomoko-chan?"

Kakashi, meanwhile, turned red. He glanced between me and Uncle Sakumo, his previously roaming arms now almost thrown in the air at my comment. Even with his mask on, the shock was pretty easy to notice. "T-T-Tomoko?!"

Oh my. Hisako was grinning.

Oh shit.

My heart was beating hard as I found myself flailing, heat flooding my face. "I-I didn't mean anything offensive by that, or s-s-something! I-I swear!" My voice was getting high-pitched again. Oh dear. "It's just, Kakashi looked really cool, and I couldn't think of anything else to say, andhereallylookscool, whatelsecanIdo, Imean-"

Oh my… Tomoko-chan…

Was Hisako cooing?!

Oh, screw it. I just decided to jump Kakashi in a hug.

"W-wait, Tomoko — ARGH!" he aptly screamed before falling back into the large pile of clothes left in the changing room with me on top of him, random garments flying in the air with the collision. Kakashi winced while wrapping his arms around my waist. Me? I found myself hiding my burning red face in his shoulder while wrapping my own arms around his neck. We probably were making a scene at this point.

Tomoko-chan… Hisako sounded so proud, for some reason. And…wait. Was she taking out tissues?! You're growing up! I'm so proud of you, dear! Now where's the camera…? She then had the audacity to sniffle.

I just focused on trying to hide myself.

"…Tomoko?" Kakashi started softly.

I whimpered, feeling my ears start to burn too. "…You just look really awesome, Kakashi, and I…I-I kinda don't wanna let you go right now."

"…Huh," he said quietly. When I was expecting a dry retort, instead, I got a warm breath tickling the side of my hair while a hand landed on the back of my head, pulling me closer. "Do you want to stay like this?"

I gulped the lump down in my throat, hoping he couldn't hear my heartbeat. "For a little bit, please?"

What is going on with me?

A small chuckle sounded before the same arm around my waist squeezed me softly. "Okay, but just for a little bit."

I snuggled him as a response.

"…Tomoko-chan, we're still in the store," Mama started from behind us, clearly holding back a laugh. "And we need to pay…"

"Mamaaaaa," I whimpered loudly. If anything, it sounded like a whine with how my voice cracked. "Just let me have this, please?"

Kakashi and Uncle Sakumo both chuckled, almost in unison. The White Fang then took a step around us to join Mama in the back, his eyes no longer on us. I couldn't rule out the possibility that they were whispering something to each other, though.

Silence reigned again. I breathed in Kakashi's pine scent in an attempt to calm down. Instead, all the action did was make my heart beat harder.

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

Oh gosh, what's going on with me…?! What's going on with me?! Maybe it's just Kannabi coming up, or just seeing Kakashi like this, or —

It hit me.

Kannabi. It would be happening in less a year at this rate.

Oh dear. Hisako said, a bit more mournful this time. I didn't miss how she pushed away some of the negative thoughts accumulating in my head with a shovel while glancing at me.

I hugged Kakashi a bit tighter.

He blinked, shifting a little so that he was sitting up straight while still hugging me back. "…Tomoko?"

"Kakashi, I love you, okay?" I said immediately, still hiding my face in his shoulder.

"Please. Please don't die on me when that day comes," was left unsaid.

"…What's with you all of a sudden?" he said, squeezing my waist softly in the process. "Is something wrong, Tomoko?"

I shook my head, squeezing him in return. "N-No…no… I just…I just wanted to say it, okay?"

"Hmmmm." Kakashi hummed, his voice clearly showing his disbelief. Thankfully, he didn't touch on it, instead resting his cheek against my hair. "Okay. I love you too."

My heart beat harder.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. It said.

"…Um, excuse me?" A clerk interrupted quietly. "Public displays of affection are not really allowed in the store. If you two could do that outside, it would be much appreciated."

Darn it. Hisako summed up vengefully. Silly cockblocker.

We ended up buying only Kakashi's iconic outfit and the brown straps Mama was holding before running out of there.

I couldn't meet Kakashi's eyes for the rest of that day.

Hisako's commentary was still echoing in my head.

---

Hoshino Judai didn't know whether to sulk or to punch something.

If anything, he was tempted to do a combination of both.

In the meantime, Hatake Sakumo winced, jumping back a few steps while swinging his White Chakra Blade for a second. "Judai? You okay?"

"Peachy," he responded dryly.

The former White Fang rolled his shoulder while wincing again. "…Doesn't seem like it, since you hit harder than usual, and that's saying something."

Judai blinked in disbelief. "Don't tell me I accidentally bruised you."

"…You did, and pretty hard too." Sakumo deadpanned. Then he rolled his other shoulder. "Ack. Well, nothing a good rest can't fix. Still…" He glanced at the retired ninja. "Something's on your mind again, huh?"

Judai dispelled his chakra katana with a sigh before sheathing his tanto. No use hiding it. "That obvious, huh?"

"When you hit that hard? Then yes." Sakumo sheathed his own tanto before sitting down on the grass. "So what is it?"

"What do you think it is?" Judai sniped instead.

Sakumo blinked before putting a hand on his chin. "Hm…Tomoko-chan?"

Bingo. "Tomoko-chan," Judai sighed. "It always seems to be Tomoko-chan."

"Well," Sakumo started, raising his other hand in the air with a grim smile. "At least you know how I feel with Kakashi, Judai."

"And that's one thing," Judai sighed again, plopping himself down on the grass across the ninja. "Tomoko-chan seems to…well, be more jittery around your son lately."

The White Fang blinked before blanching. He didn't see it until now? "…You don't mean…"

"A crush." Judai ground out the word before facepalming. "Tomoko-chan seems to have a goddamn crush on Kakashi now!"

The former White Fang then started looking like white paint with how much his face paled in the duration of a few seconds. "…Oh. Oh. Oh god." Sakumo said quickly, his voice rising an octave with each syllable. "Uhhhh…"

"Why is my little girl growing up already?!" Judai was shaking his head while still facepalming. "And why did she have to belong to a boy already?! I-I should've spoiled her more, maybe even—" The retired nin used his other hand to tear out some grass from the ground in his frustration. "I-I should've…" A whimper left him.

Sakumo reached over to lightly pat his friend's knee while trying not to grimace himself. "There there, Judai… There there. At least you didn't eat a dictionary like Misawa did..."

"…That's not helping, Sakumo. And Misawa just is like that, eating dictionaries aside." Judai said dryly from his hand. "At this rate, we'll be seeing the two married."

"…A little early for that, don't you think?" The White Fang said with the same dry tone.

"You should hear some of the things the hired help talk about…" Judai groaned, now clearly sulking in the grass. Then the retired shinobi started to speak in a high-pitched voice, mimicking…somebody. The attempts sounded anything but human, though. "'Ohmigosh, I'll bet 100 ryo on them getting together tomorrow,' or 'Why are they taking so long,' or… argggh." The ninja went on to smack his head into the ground.

For all of the years Hatake Sakumo have lived, he had no words to say. Instead, what left him was a simple, "Uhhhh…will you be okay?"

"…Eventually," Judai pointed out dryly while still face-planting in the grass. And getting a mouthful of dirt. "I just really hate the idea that your son will eventually be taking my little girl away…"

"I don't know about that…" Sakumo said quickly, looking up only to make eye-contact with familiar sapphire. "I mean, Judai—!"

"Whaaaat?" the retired ninja bemoaned.

The White Fang sighed, settling for a quiet and simple, "Behind you."

"What do you mean—"

"Papa?" A new hesitant yet very familiar high-pitched voice interrupted. Sakumo then watched with interest as Judai turned to stone, frozen as the newcomer took a step forward.

"Hello, Tomoko-chan," Sakumo started gently, waving a hand.

"Hello, Uncle Sakumo," the pianist greeted back, blinking while still glancing at her frozen father with confusion. "…Did I interrupt something?"

"Nwothwing mwuch, dwear," Judai mumbled in the grass, still refusing to move.

"Uhhh," Tomoko started before glancing towards Sakumo. "What did I miss, and why is Papa groveling?"

Sakumo held back a chuckle. "Just give your Papa a hug, dear. I think he needs it."

Judai started regaining some color while Tomoko took another step forward, now standing in the grass. "Normal hug or tackle hug?" she said with the same oblivious tone.

Sakumo found himself grinning now. "Tackle hug."

"Tackle hug," Tomoko echoed before nodding to herself in agreement with an equally wide grin. "Thank you, Uncle Sakumo!"

And then she bent her knees.

Judai finally moved his head away from the grass to blink. "Wait, Tomoko-chan, wha-"

"BANZAI!" The 12-year old screamed before jumping.

Sakumo only got a glimpse of Judai's panicked expression before the collision happened. He held back a loud laugh.

"AHHH!" Judai screamed.

Once the dust settled, Sakumo found himself bursting a gut.

Whether it was from Tomoko's previous position or Judai's previous faceplant, the scene in front of him was anything BUT the results of the pianist's signature tackles. The retired ninja had apparently sunk his entire face in the ground now as Tomoko-chan was blinking in confusion from his back, her arms wrapped around Judai's neck. Adding in the clear tangling of their legs in the grass, Judai looked like a spider having just been caught by a fly-swatter, or something.

At least it was a loving fly-swatter.

"Papa?" the civilian said, continuing to blink owlishly while still hanging off Judai's back.

"…Twomwoko-cwhan." Judai started, still face-planted in the dirt. "I lwowe ywou, bwut plwease gwet off mwe?"

Tomoko blinked before flushing red. "I-I'm sorry, Papa!" was the reply before she jumped off, folding her hands.

Sakumo was already starting to cry from the hilarity.

Judai sat up, spitting out some dirt before glancing in the girl's direction. Apparently the flecks of grass sticking to his face wasn't an issue. "So what brought that on, Tomoko-chan? Is there something you need?"

The civilian turned redder. "Um…yeah…though, Uncle Sakumo could help too…" she fidgeted.

"…Huh?" The White Fang said mid-laugh. Tomoko fidgeted again.

Judai scoffed and opened his arms. "Give me a proper hug before you say anything?"

Tomoko blinked, nodded, and then jumped. Judai properly caught her this time, squeezing her sides happily while finally addressing the dirt on his face, wiping it with his sleeve. "So what is it this time, Tomoko-chan? And what can Sakumo help with?"

"…Ugu," was the whimper in his shoulder. Judai squeezed Tomoko again, waiting patiently.

"Sweetie?" he prompted.

Tomoko leaned back before rummaging in her pockets. The last thing Sakumo expected was for the girl to pull out a bunch of multi-colored stars.

"…Lucky charms?" Sakumo said slowly. The straps seemed to be telling enough.

"Papa, do you and Uncle Sakumo know how to make seals?" Tomoko said.

---

Two weeks earlier…

Jim Crocodile Cook always knew that Hoshino Tomoko would one day come to him with a request to make something. She did say that she would come eventually.

And her original estimate was right.

Three years after her initial prompting, Jim found himself blinking from behind the cash register one afternoon when Tomoko walked through his front doors. She was wearing a simple white summer dress, but she stood out nonetheless, fidgeting while hiding something behind her back.

"Hello again, ojou-chan," he started softly, smiling. "What can I do for you?"

Tomoko blinked before looking up at him with hesitant blue eyes. "Jim-san, you are free to do custom requests, right?"

"Yes…but what do you have in mind, ojou-chan?" he said, walking around the counter to kneel to her height.

The girl gulped, took in a breath, and then brought her hands forward. Despite the many graphite marks and paper cuts on her fingers, he could clearly make out a shaky drawing of a star with the Konoha symbol in the center.

Jim made sure to take the drawing gingerly (for the sake of not irritating the injuries) to look it over. "What's this, Tomoko-chan?"

"A lucky charm. A W-Wayfinder is what I like to call them," Tomoko stammered, pink coloring her cheeks. "I-I was just wondering if you could make nine of these, durable enough to handle lots of fights…and in different colors?"

The blacksmith found himself grinning. The needed metal was all in the back, and he did want to experiment with a new color palette… Why not? "Of course I can, ojou-chan."

It was time to work on a new project.

---

A few months later, Judai found himself frowning again, glancing down at his reflection in a wet plate.

Hikari blinked beside him, inclining her head. "Judai? Everything okay?"

The retired nin sighed. "I wish."

Hikari blinked again before smiling sheepishly. "What is it this time, dear? You have your worried face on."

"…I have a worried face?" Judai replied incredulously, passing the wet dish towards her.

Hikari grinned a bit brighter while taking the dish, wiping it down with a towel. "You do, dear. When it gets bad enough, your eyes change color again." Once she was done with the dish in her hand, she raised it up to Judai's eye-level, allowing the former nin to see his reflection. "See? Your eyes are glowing."

Huh. So they were. Red-orange and green.

"So," Hikari put the dish down on the drying rack before wiping her hands on the same towel. "What is it, Judai?"

Judai sighed before wiping his hands too. There wasn't hiding anything from her now, was there? "What do you think, Hikari?"

"Well," Hikari started, putting a hand on his arm. "I'm guessing it involves the kids?"

"Who are about to become teenagers soon," he bemoaned, tempted to smack his head on a plate. But that wasn't wise, so he ended up glancing at his wife with a frown. "And from what I'm hearing, Kakashi seems to be up for a promotion any moment now!"

"…Wait, promotion?" Hikari said, blinking owlishly while letting her hand trail down to his. "You mean to…" her eyes widened. "Oh dear. Jounin? Really?" Her disbelief was palpable enough as is, judging by her voice. Judai didn't blame her one bit for it. "Isn't it too early? I mean, Judai, you became a Jounin when—"

"When I was at least 17, yeah." He mumbled, squeezing her hand in return. "But the war seems to be getting worse. At this rate, I probably shouldn't be surprised when the kids have to head out on their own now, Hikari. Sakumo has already gotten a call from the Hokage about returning to the line of duty, and he's in a funk of his own…"

"Judai…" Hikari squeezed his hand softly. "You're worried about Tomoko-chan too, aren't you?"

Judai smiled grimly at her, turning around to fully face her. "…Yeah, I am. A while back, she asked me to make some seals for some lucky charms of hers, but after that, she seems to have withdrawn on her own. I think she's getting worried too. Obito, Rin, and Kakashi are all heading out more and more, and I can't help but think something's going to happen. Something big."

"Oh, Judai…" Hikari pulled him into a hug, and he tried not to freeze. "I know you're worried, but the kids will have to face the world at one point. We just have to be there for them when it happens."

The doubt still gnawed at his composure. "But what if—"

And then Hikari kissed him. Judai found himself frozen, only able to faintly register the soft feeling of her lips against his for a few seconds. And then she pulled away with a soft smile. Damn it. "No 'buts,' dear," Hikari started, still leaning in close to him while placing a finger against his mouth. "If it worries you that much, test them."

"... Huh?" Judai deadpanned, still feeling somewhat tense.

"Did one kiss make your brain fly away, Judai?" Hikari teased, poking his cheek. "Because I do plan on giving more later…"

…Okay, ignoring that beating organ in my chest…

"What do you mean by testing them, Hikari?" he continued, ignoring her poking in the process.

The violinist then turned solemn, her finger then reaching up to…poke his forehead? Why that? "I know you might not like the idea, Judai, but take up the headband again. One last time."

Judai found himself frozen. "…Wait, what? What?"

"…Well, that was a better reaction than what I was expecting." Hikari deadpanned.

And then Judai properly freaked. "What do you mean 'take up the headband?!'" If not for the civilian holding onto him, Hikari had a strange feeling Judai would've done a quick Body Flicker to wherever he could go for the sake of…well, freaking out, for lack of better words. "Hikari, you don't mean—"

"Yes, Judai," she interrupted, feeling a bit irritated. This was not how this pep talk was supposed to go. "I mean taking up the flak jacket and forehead protector again. Fight them. The kids."

"HUH?!" Judai properly yelled, the noise loud enough to make Hikari wince from the volume. "Er, sorry," he amended quickly, grabbing her hands again in his to squeeze. "But Hikari, me? Fight the kids? I-I don't think I can do it after everything—"

"You can do it, Judai," Hikari smiled her biggest smile at him. "If you're so worried about them, test them. Put them to their limits in one last fight. Be the Unscathed Hero again, and show them how things should be done. You want them to come back, right? And you want Tomoko-chan to be happy with them, don't you?"

"Of…Of course I do," Judai said, deflating. "More than anything. But…but Hikari, what if—"

The civilian sighed before pulling him down for another peck on the lips. "If you say anymore buts, I'll make sure to give you something to be butthurt about."

Judai immediately shut up.

"Just try it, dear, okay?" Hikari smiled again, letting him back up. "That way, they'll head out being a bit more careful. That's all we can do, alright?"

The ninja blinked at the woman before sighing again, running a hand through his hair. "Sheesh, whatever I say, you just know how to shut me down, don't you?"

"Would you like me to try other ways to shut you up?" Hikari teased.

"…In the bedroom, dear." Judai said slowly, looking away while putting a hand over his mouth. His face was a matching red. "In the bedroom. Not in the kitchen."

Hikari just laughed.

---

The last thing Kakashi expected one morning was for Uncle Judai to be nowhere near the table despite the obvious, mouthwatering scent of fried shrimp wafting from the kitchen.

"…Dad?" he started.

Hatake Sakumo looked up from his newspaper, eye bags a bit more apparent than usual. Ack. Not good. Hokage-sama really needed to learn when to not butt into things. "Yes, Kakashi?" the White Fang mumbled.

"Where's Uncle Judai? And…" Kakashi glanced around only to blink. "Why is Tomoko not here either?"

Hikari took the moment to place a steaming cup of tea in front of the ninja, and Sakumo gave her an acknowledging nod before picking it up for a sip. "They're both at the training fields, Kakashi. Judai wanted me to tell you to bring your team to meet up with him there."

"…Training fields?" Kakashi echoed, disbelief seeping into his voice. Tomoko normally wouldn't go there. "Why would—"

Hikari interrupted again by placing a bowl of rice into his hands. "Eat first, dear," she said softly. "Then go. He'll explain when you get there."

And judging by the cold, resolute sapphire looking at him, Kakashi knew he wouldn't get an answer. Instead, he sat down across the former White Fang, pulled down his mask, and started chewing.

No use questioning her now.

---

Once he was suited up and standing around Training Ground Seven, it didn't take long for Obito and Rin to show up.

"Hey, Kakashi!" the Uchiha shouted, waving a hand in the air. Even in the bright sun, he still looked chipper as always, orange goggles shining in the glare of the sunlight. One would think that the dark blue uniform and jacket with orange trimmings would be too hot to wear, yet Obito seemed to pull it off really well. The orange in particular matched his goggles that currently covered his hitai-ite, which did wonders for stealth.

…Even though Kakashi would never tell him. The Uchiha was good enough at sneaking around already, thanks to learning about traps from Sakumo in the Academy. More praise might add to a bit of cockiness that the team wouldn't need when heading out, though. And he was being completely honest about this.

"Have you been waiting long?" Rin added, waving a hand of her own in his direction. Since dropping her shuriken-patterned outfit, the medic had certainly gone the simple route for clothes. With her black top, shorts, and light pink apron skirt, it certainly did a lot for concealing in the shadows. The only thing that really shined on her person was her forehead protector and the very obvious senbon belts around her left leg and right arm. Thankfully, the red stockings helped mitigate the glint of silver.

"Not really, no," Kakashi answered the medic first, nodding his head towards the Uchiha while doing so. "Do you guys know what we'll be doing?"

"No, I thought you would know, Kakashi," Obito started, blinking in confusion. "Minato-sensei came around to tell us that we would be meeting up here. Aside from that, he didn't say much else…" he trailed off, glancing around. "Strange how he's not here yet either…"

Kakashi turned towards Rin. "Was it the same for you?"

"Yeah…which is weird considering how Minato-sensei is so punctual," Rin mused, lightly fingering the hem of her skirt. "Did he say anything to you, Kakashi?"

"Actually, Dad and Aunt Hikari were the ones who told me to come here," said Kakashi, confusion rolling through him. "They said that Uncle Judai and Tomoko would be here, but I don't—"

He didn't end up finishing that sentence because of a specific scent hitting his nose.

…Rosemary and lotus flowers?

"Kakashi?" Rin started quietly.

He turned around, and sure enough, Hoshino Tomoko was blinking owlishly at him, waving a hesitant hand from the shade of a nearby tree. "Uh, hi?" she said meekly.

"Tomoko-chan?" Obito rounded on her first, running over while inclining his head. "What are you doing here? And," the Uchiha then noticed the timer sitting in the girl's left hand, pointing at it excitedly, "What's that for?"

"Ummm…" the civilian said.

Kakashi took a step forward to push Obito's hand to side, ignoring his beating heart while doing so. "Tomoko, where's Uncle Judai? Wasn't he supposed to be here with you?"

Even with his usual friendly tone of voice, Tomoko seemed to become more flustered, turning a light pink while glancing away, fumbling with the timer in her hands. Cute…wait, wha— he covered it with an outward cough as Tomoko fidgeted. "He's…um…"

"—I'm right here." And then the entirety of Team Minato found themselves jumping at the new voice, turning around only to gape.

"…Judai-san?" Rin summed up succinctly.

"Hello, Rin-chan," the named man responded cheerily.

If not for the same two-toned brown mop of hair and cheery voice, Kakashi would've sworn the man standing in front of them was a different person. With the worn navy blue forehead protector, clearly brandishing many scratches in the metal around the Konoha symbol but never once cutting through said symbol; the older version of the Konoha green flak jacket that Kakashi knew Sakumo wore at one point in his lifetime; and the somewhat-torn Jounin blues, this was serious.

Was this the ninja Judai that Kakashi only heard about?

The Unscathed Hero?

"…Tomoko-chan, you don't have to gape over there. Come here," Judai said softly.

Kakashi then could only watch as the civilian blinked, clearly surprised at the address.

"Are you sure, Papa?" Tomoko replied in an equally quiet tone.

The suited man simply opened his arms in a clear offering of a hug, grinning. "Get over here."

And then Tomoko gulped before running over to Judai for the hug. The older man caught her like it was any other day, swinging her around for a mere second before setting her back on her feet with a smile. "There you go, hime."

"…Love you, Papa," the girl mumbled before stepping backwards.

"Love you too, Tomoko-chan," Judai smiled again before turning serious, glancing around. "Now where is he—"

A yellow flash quickly followed Judai's musing.

Team Minato didn't jump this time as their squad leader finally showed up, scratching the back of his head while grinning sheepishly. And was that…a lipstick mark on his head? Kakashi decided not to question it further. "Hello, team. Hello, Judai."

"…Nice of you to finally join us, Minato," Judai said dryly. Apparently, the retired ninja wasn't giving the mark on the Jounin's head that much attention either. Yay. "Putting what you were doing to the side, do you want me to explain or you?"

"By all means, Judai," Minato turned serious himself, frowning. "Go ahead. This was your idea."

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin all glanced at each other.

…Huh?

"…You are such an ass," Judai cursed, before coughing into his fist. "Ahem. Anyways." Team Minato found themselves standing straighter when the man turned towards them. "I think your sensei mentioned this beforehand, but you all are going to be heading out on tougher missions soon. In fact, Minato mentioned Kakashi will be up for a Jounin promotion soon, and Tomoko-chan, don't freak," thankfully catching the civilian before she started turning white, "so I talked it out with Minato to give you guys a test of my own."

"…Test?" Obito deadpanned, blanching. "Not a written paper test, right?"

Judai blinked before laughing for a second. "Nonono, NO! I hated paperwork back when I was still in service, so no. Instead…" he trailed off, reaching behind his head and pulling out a — a tanto? Kakashi felt a shiver go down his spine. It was almost like Dad's tanto. "I got permission from your sensei to fight you all. For real."

And then Judai's eyes flashed that heterochromatic red-orange and green.

Obito properly gulped while Rin let out a small squeak. Kakashi found himself frozen.

Minato broke in with a sigh. "Judai, work on the killing intent. Please."

Tomoko then squeaked in fear, almost in extra emphasis.

The colors faded back to the familiar brown, and Kakashi felt himself taking in a breath. "…Oops." Judai said quietly. "Um. Anyways," he cleared his throat. "Tomoko-chan's here to time us as well as keep me grounded." With that said, the civilian perked up from her place under the shade again, smiling and waving a shaky hand at the group with the timer in clear view. Kakashi found himself smiling back at her, at least a little before turning back to Judai. "You three basically have one task."

"…And that is?" Rin prompted quietly, hand instinctively reaching towards the senbon belt on her arm.

Judai grinned, a hint of something else in the smile for once. "You have an hour to lay a single hit on me. If you're able to tear my clothes or draw first blood, you pass. If not, well…" the ninja's eyes glowed the same heterochromatic colors again while brandishing his sword. "You'll have to find out now, don't you?"

A collective shiver passed through the team at those words.

Minato exhaled quietly, crossing his arms. "I'll be sure to referee in case anything bad happens, but this is a simulation of an actual battle. Judai won't be holding back."

"I'll try to hold back when it's needed, but war is war," the retired nin added, lowering his sword while still keeping up the serious face. "You kids need to be ready for anything."

"…Um, Papa?" At the new voice interrupting the flow of things, everyone turned to see Tomoko raise her hand in the air, gulping. "You…um, you won't actively try to kill them, right? Just…bruise or something?"

A pause followed.

Then, Judai sighed, walking over to the girl before kneeling somewhat to look at her at eye-level. "I can't guarantee that, Tomoko-chan. It's war. They have to be ready, even if it means I have to go all-out." He then rested a hand on the top of her hair. "You understand that, don't you?"

Tomoko blinked before lowering her head. "Mm," was her quiet mumble of agreement. She didn't look happy.

The ninja sighed, ruffling the girl's hair. "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to, dear. Your friends will get hurt, and I can't guarantee that it won't be ugly."

Kakashi didn't know how he felt about that last part. Instead, he stayed silent.

Tomoko frowned, shaking her head and looking up at him with what looked like determined eyes. "I-I wanted to come, Papa! It's you and Team Minato, so I wanted to support you guys! That's why I'm watching!"

Judai blinked before chuckling dryly, shaking his head. "You stubborn piece of work," was the quiet mutter. Then, he smiled softly, leaning in to kiss Tomoko's forehead. "But that's my girl. Wait here and start the timer at Minato's signal. Close your eyes when it gets tough, and when it gets all quiet, stop the clock."

Tomoko flushed a light pink, clearly not expecting the gesture before nodding. "Okay, Papa."

Judai then turned to Minato with a frown. "You better make sure my daughter doesn't get in the crossfire, alright?"

Minato just smiled grimly in return. "That's what the referee does, right?"

"Ass." But Judai still smiled one last time before standing straight up and facing the trio. "Get ready then, Team Minato. Go all out. Minato will do the countdown."

"Alright then, team." Minato raised a hand in the air. "On three. Three."

Obito took a taijutsu stance.

"Two."

Rin grabbed and twirled a senbon.

"One."

Kakashi armed himself with a kunai.

Minato threw his hand down before leaping to the side. "Begin!"

Tomoko immediately pressed the START button on the timer as soon as Judai leapt forward.

---

Rin didn't even have enough time to react before Kakashi was sent flying. Heck, the only signal that Judai even moved was the wind running through her hair before her reflexes forced her to move.

"Wah!" Obito squeaked, turning around only to gape. Rin tried not to gasp when doing the same.

Only a few meters away from them, Kakashi was clearly struggling despite using two kunai at once, and it was quickly understandable as to why.

Judai-san's tanto had turned into a full-length, chakra katana-blade that was digging into Kakashi's defenses without a sweat. From a closer look, the blade seemed to be…burning through the kunai?! What?

The killing intent flooding the area didn't help either.

"…Meep," was the small cry from the trees behind them. Judging by the noise, Rin knew it was Tomoko-chan. Was she as surprised as they were?

Rin shook her head vigorously. It wasn't the time to focus on Tomoko-chan. Right now, their opponent was—

"C'mon, Kakashi," Judai said quietly. "I know you're better than this. Fight back already."

And then he cleanly cut through the Chunin's two kunai before delivering a sucker-punch to Kakashi's gut. Rin's heart fell into her stomach at the sight of her teammate coughing, the air clearly knocked out of him. Kakashi then jumped back, clearly shocked at the blow but still composing himself, bringing up another kunai.

"We have to support him, Rin!" Obito stage-whispered at her. "We can't just stand around here!"

The medic took in a breath. "O-Okay, but what can we—"

The last thing she was expecting was for Obito to be sent flying next. "ARGH!" was the resulting yell before a loud CRASH followed behind her, and Rin found herself freezing at the sight of red-orange and green glaring down at her.

"Don't stand around thinking the enemy will be focusing on one person," Judai growled, and it took all of Rin's strength just to backflip out of the way of the incoming sword slash, and her heart nearly stood still at the sight of the long blade just barely touching her nose, instead cutting a bit of her hair. "Stay focused!"

And then Judai jumped forward as soon as Rin found a standing position, blade flickering with visible red flames.

Holy crap—

Rin brought up a senbon only to watch it be cut clean in half in front of her eyes by the blade.

No way—!

And then a familiar navy blue shirt showed up, and Rin found herself staring at the back of a Chunin that she was sure was at the other side of the clearing—

"Rin, get out of the way!" Kakashi yelled, using a kick of his own to propel Judai backwards. Even with the amount of force put into the maneuver, the man didn't even flinch, merely leaping back a meter to jump forward again. This time, her teammate seemed to be prepared, weaving hand-signs and throwing a hand down.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

The looming structure came up in mere moments, colliding with Judai's blade with an audible BWOOM (probably due to fire and earth not being the best mix of the bunch), and Rin found herself breathing a sigh of relief.

If only.

Then, the same serious voice sounded above them.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Rin looked up only to see the largest fireball coming at them.

Kakashi cursed loudly. "Goddamnit—"

Then, another cry sounded out in the distance. Teenage, but familiar.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Another fireball, not as large, came careening into view, colliding with the fireball aimed at them and creating billows of fire sparks and smoke. Rin tried not to yelp and instead grabbed Kakashi by the arm to careen out of the way. Soon enough, Obito showed up, clearly out of breath, but still looking proud of himself judging by how he was holding up his goggles to the sunlight.

"…A little late there, Obito," Kakashi mumbled, wincing. Rin glanced at him before wincing herself. Even with no visible tears in his clothes, the deep foot-shaped indent around the torso area wasn't hard to miss. Not to mention the way Kakashi cradled his stomach with a hand.

"Hey, at least I'm here now!" Obito retorted indignantly, ducking behind the Earth Wall to join them. "But we need to do something, since I'm not sure that was enough to keep Judai-san back!" Yep. He was panicking. Oh, Obito.

"Kakashi, you've lived with Judai-san for the past few years, right?" Rin tried not to sound panicky herself while posing the question. "So you should know some of his fighting style, right?"

"Not enough apparently," the Chunin responded dryly, looking around while frowning. So the apparent silence was spooking him too. "I was only able to see glimpses of his style when he fought Dad, and those fights were always to standstills. Dad could only force the fights to draws."

Obito was paling now, his goggles drooping from his forehead. "Draws? The White Fang? So… your Dad never won once?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"…Oh no." Rin summed up quietly. "But we have to do something!"

"Easier said than done," Kakashi cursed under his breath, wincing from his torso again. "And knowing Uncle Judai, we won't have enough time to recover or regroup long enough for figuring out tactics—"

"Exactly, which is why sitting around isn't the best idea when an enemy is hunting you, kids."

Team Minato found themselves freezing.

"Oh shit—" was all Rin heard from her Uchiha teammate before Judai brought his leg forward. With a simple roundhouse kick, Obito was sent flying, not even having enough time to scream before he landed in the original clearing, slumping in a tired heap.

Welp, he was out of the picture. Even from many meters away, Rin could tell that Obito had some nasty bruises and a sprained wrist at most. She couldn't even tell if he had a small concussion from the large distance.

Kakashi immediately took a defensive position in front of her with another kunai, but by then, Judai was moving again. His eyes were glowing that same heterochromatic red-orange and green, and Rin shivered.

The chakra-blade's changing shape again—

"Hissatsu: Rapid Storm!"

And then a wave of wind and water was sent right in their direction. Rin forced her feet to move despite the fear running through her, leaping into the air, and could only watch as the wave collided with the trees, creating a gigantic plume of smoke that nearly made her choke from the intensity of the attack alone. Even if it missed, she could feel the amount of chakra embedded in the attack alone, and her heart beat hard.

Where's Kakashi—

"Don't sit around waiting for something to happen."

Rin didn't even have the time to turn around before she could only see those same glowing eyes, a hard force coming into contact with her neck. Pain spread through the area to the rest of her body, and the medic could no longer keep her eyes open.

The last thing Rin saw before falling to the ground was Kakashi, weaving hand signs to generate the loudest lightning to ever grace her ears before jumping forward in her direction.

We… Team Minato has…

---

Silence.

Pure silence.

I wasn't really sure what to think when my ears couldn't pick up anything. What had happened? Why was it so quiet?

The fact that Minato-san had made it his duty to cover my eyes didn't help anything.

What the fuck is going on out there? Hisako snapped.

The timer rolled almost ominously. I didn't even need to see it to know that it was running properly.

Then, Papa's voice. It was the quietest I had ever heard it, but it was still Papa. "Tomoko-chan, stop the timer. The test is over."

Without thinking, I pressed the STOP button with as much force as I could muster. The timer let out an accompanying DING, and then the same silence returned.

That seems to be too quick. What happened?

Judging by the hands still covering my eyes, Minato-san wasn't fully convinced yet either.

"…Minato, let my daughter go already. We're done."

All that I could think about was, What happened to Team Minato? Why is Papa so quiet?

"Are you sure?" Minato-san said shortly above my head. "I can see my students, but are you sure about letting Tomoko-chan do the same?"

"She knew what she was getting into, so it's fine," Papa replied with the same short tone, an accompanying CLANK following his words. "She was going to see this sooner or later. We can't shelter her forever, even if I want to."

I found myself shivering.

…Tomoko-chan, don't be scared. Just go with it. I'm with you too.

Then Minato-san took away his hands, blinding me with the incoming sunlight, so I had to blink. It took a few moments for the light to clear, and I forced myself to breathe deeply.

Once I could see everything, I tried not to gasp.

Team Minato was officially down for the count, and Papa was standing tall as if nothing had even happened. Obito was knocked out, slumped on the grass like a car had run him over, and I swore I could see birds flying around his head. Rin had the least amount of injuries out of the three, but still lying in a heap of her own, unconscious from what I could see. And the way her head was turned didn't give me the best of feelings.

And Kakashi.

He's the determinator, alright. Hisako said.

He was the only one of the trio still standing, but his right hand looked almost burnt from how half of the longer sleeve was torn. Along with his left arm cradling his stomach and the shakiness of his feet, I didn't trust him on being able to stay upright for much longer.

To help my heart, I looked down at the timer in my hand.

Oh shit.

10 minutes, 0 seconds stared back at me almost mockingly with the electronic black letters in the LED screen.

All that in TEN MINUTES?! Hisako screamed.

My stomach churned when I looked up, my mind finally connecting with my vision to show that Papa was still brandishing his chakra sword in Kakashi's direction.

I held back every urge to run over, because Kakashi still tried to stand tall. "N-Not yet…Uncle Judai… We can…we can…" And then he started to fall.

Kakashi!

I took a hasty step forward, only to blink.

Minato-san had apparently done the same before glancing at me and the spectacle. "Er…"

Did your dad just—

Yeah. Papa had just dispelled his chakra blade in a mere second to catch my best friend in his arms, and judging by his brown, normal eyes, the tension was gone. The fact that he was smiling solidified the warmer atmosphere. "Kakashi, it's fine. You did your best, collaborating with your team to the near end, and that's what's important."

"But Uncle Judai…!" Kakashi squirmed, despite his shaking calves saying otherwise. "We didn't pass…!"

Obito and Rin started to stir too, groaning.

"Ugh, what hit my head and threw up on me?" Obito mumbled, shaking his head. "It feels like I took a bad bomb to my stomach…"

"I-I just remember seeing Judai-san's eyes before something hit me…" Rin added tiredly.

"…Well," Papa started somewhat cheerily, hefting Kakashi somewhat so that he was standing straight up while glancing at everybody. "Let's get your wounds treated first, and then talk." The last thing I was expecting was for Papa to look at me with warm eyes. "Tomoko-chan~?"

"U-Um, yes Papa?" I squeaked out. Why was he humming?

He grinned at me, winking. "Mind getting out those bandages I told you to bring? We'll need them now."

Huh. Hisako was smiling too. Your Papa is back, dear.

The breath I didn't realize I was holding left my lips, and I found myself smiling as well. "O-Okay, Papa! Just a minute!" Then it was just searching my pockets for the roll of bandage before running over to help.

The fight was at least over.

---

Uchiha Obito was pissed off with himself. Even if it had been a short fight, that didn't make it any less humiliating.

Being a Chunin meant being a squad leader, right? Fighting off enemies without too much trouble?

So then why did Judai-san's beating of them hurt so much?

Not that his bruises had much to say about it.

"Ack," he found himself saying, holding back a wince as Rin went over said bruises with shaky chakra-covered hands.

"Hold still, Obito, please," the medic insisted, making the green glow a bit stronger.

Seeing his crush care like this was nice, but…

"…It still bothers me," he found himself saying out loud again.

Rin blinked, clearly not expecting him to speak before looking up. Understanding bloomed in her brown eyes when making eye-contact with him. "About how quickly we were all taken out?" she finished.

"Not just that," Obito hastily looked away and towards the side, trying not to pout. He looked almost defiant. "How we didn't even have the chance to attack. Like…like we weren't even a threat, Rin. Just…Just…" he clenched his fist. "What was all that training for? Is that what an enemy would be like?"

Rin's eyes softened when looking at him before looking back at her medical work, letting her chakra fade. "Possibly. But—"

"But it's better that you all learned that here instead of out in the field," a voice interrupted.

Obito found himself jumping, and looked up only to see the same two-toned brown mop of hair.

"Judai-san!" Rin said loudly, accidentally tying a bandage a bit too tight.

"Ack!" Obito winced, holding onto Rin's hand without realizing it. "Rin! Too tight!"

The medic looked up at him, flushed a light pink, and then pulled her hand away. "I-I'm sorry, Obito! Just a minute!" Rin then went about fixing it with the same pink face.

Judai snickered.

Minato-sensei just coughed behind him. "Oi, Judai, get to the subject."

The older man scowled. "You're still an ass sometimes, Minato, just letting you know now."

"Lovely to know," Minato responded. "Just start already."

"…You're horrible," Judai retorted, before clearing this throat. "Ahem. Anyways, there's something I want you two to come see."

…Huh? Obito and Rin glanced at each other. "Us?" The Uchiha asked.

"Who else would I be talking to?" Judai replied dryly before turning his head. "Tomoko-chan! Kakashi! You're coming too!"

The civilian perked up from her kneeling position of wrapping bandages around Kakashi's right arm. "Me too?" she said slowly.

Judai smiled. "Yes, you too, dear. C'mon. We can finish those wrappings when we get back to the cafe."

Tomoko glanced at him for a moment before turning to Kakashi. Team Minato's soon-to-be-Jounin nodded his head, shrugging. "I can stand and walk, Tomoko. Don't worry about it."

The civilian still didn't look convinced, actually glancing in Obito and Rin's directions now. "But…"

"But we'll be fine, Tomoko," Kakashi interrupted, placing his uninjured hand on her forearm. "Let's just go."

Tomoko sighed.

Obito just blinked while slowly getting up from his self-made rock "seat."

What were they supposed to be seeing?

---

The walk over to Training Ground Three felt tense. Even if I was trailing behind Papa, wondering why he was leading us here. His somewhat stiff figure when walking said a lot too.

Even with my friends limping too. So I was caught glancing between Papa and Team Minato, tempted to say something only for the atmosphere to stop me.

Tomoko-chan, just walk. Talk later.

But, Hisako…

Quit worrying. She motioned with her head. We're here.

I didn't even see that Papa had stopped until I bumped my head into the back of his flak jacket. "Ah!"

"Oh, sorry, Tomoko-chan," Papa said, turning his head to glance at me with a sheepish smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine," I replied, trying to not focus on my head throbbing.

A soft exhale sounded above me, and then Papa turned. "Tomoko-chan, come over here. Stand next to me."

"Eh?" Without thinking, I walked around him to blink. "Why, Papa—"

And then I noticed the blue kunai-shaped stone.

Oh. Hisako said.

Oh dear.

Papa had just led us to the Memorial Stone. But why…?

"The Memorial Stone?" Rin-chan spoke up quietly from behind my shoulder, taking a step forward. "Judai-san, is this…?"

Papa simply sighed, reaching out towards the stone with his right hand to rub the surface. Taking off any dust with his fingers, a sad aura seemed to engulf him. "This…this is the place where my best friend's memory is engraved."

Oh no.

I reached over to hold Papa's left hand with both of mine. Without even saying anything, he turned to me with warm eyes before glancing back at the stone. "Johan Anderson. The greatest shinobi I ever knew and the only man I think I ever loved."

I glanced at the stone only to see the name shine almost mournfully underneath Papa's thumb.

Johan…Anderson.

Oh no. Hisako repeated.

Without even looking, I knew that Obito and Kakashi were glancing at each other. Minato-san was silent.

"We weren't even on the same team, but I found myself loving him anyways." Papa chuckled, and I could tell it wasn't reaching his own ears from how dry it was. "And he would always go about the same things you three would say sometimes in the cafe, like how he were going to change things and make the world better. And I believed him, you know? He had the power, the charisma, and just the presence to do that. Heck," Papa laughed again. "He was the one that taught me how to make my sword… He was the Hero…"

"Uncle Judai…" Kakashi started.

"Weird, isn't it?" Papa looked up at the sky with that same, strange smile. "The Bingo Books back in those days started calling me the 'Unscatched Hero,' all because I was able to avoid attacks from all angles and save lives while battling for my own life one day. And yet I couldn't even save one friend. I couldn't save my best friend because the fame was getting to me and he sacrificed himself to save me. A weak man like me…"

Now I see where you get a lot of your issues from…

Hisako.

She went silent.

I squeezed Papa's hand again. "But Papa, you're not weak. You were able to protect me, Mama, and everybody before. And I'm sure—"

A finger landed against my mouth, and I blinked only to see him give me a soft smile.

"I'm happy to hear that, Tomoko-chan, but let me finish," he said quietly. "I didn't come here just to reminisce in bad memories."

Huh? Hisako and I both thought in unison. Outwardly, I nodded, and he smiled again before squeezing my hands in return.

Then, Papa turned around, taking me with him, to face the other ninja. I didn't miss how Kakashi, Obito, and Rin in particular stood straight up. "The reason I brought you all here is so that you can learn to not repeat my mistakes," Papa frowned, raising an eyebrow at the three of them. "War is tough, and that's just an understatement. When I lost Johan, I was careless enough to think I could handle it on my own. But that's a complete joke. Going on your own is hard when in war. With blood spilling at every corner and enemies that might even be stronger than me lurking around," Kakashi seemed to shiver at that remark, "you need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Sure, you'll still be in three-man cells, but you might not be with your friends right now when in battle. Heck, the enemy could separate you like I did earlier, and catch you off guard when you're attempting to plan."

Obito and Rin both winced this time.

"The last thing that you want is for someone to catch you off guard, especially when trying a new tactic." I didn't miss how Papa leveled a calm stare in my best friend's direction, and how Kakashi flinched. "So, collaboration and planning is key. You will have a leader sometimes, but other times, you will have to make decisions in the snap of the moment. My original test was created so that you wouldn't be able to pass, so that you could see what an overpowered enemy is like."

"…Oh man," Obito said, horror dawning on his face.

"…It was that kind of enemy that killed Johan in the first place." Papa continued, squeezing my hand again. "I wanted to test a technique, only to get too caught up in it to notice them coming. You all need the reflexes and awareness to handle that kind of enemy if you even think of wanting to come home safely." He glanced back at the Memorial Stone, only to sigh. "The names of Chunin and Jounin aren't just titles for show, you know."

"He's right," Minato-san added, hanging his head towards the side. "Even…Even my old team…" he trailed off.

There was probably a reason as to why Minato never talked about his old Genin Team in canon.

Papa straightened himself with a poker face. "That's why, up until Kakashi gets his Jounin promotion and when you all are sent out again, we'll be training you. Hard. That way, you'll at least be prepared when something happens."

Hopefully, it prevents Kannabi.

I wanted to believe that. I still tried to focus on the conversation and not think about the stars being worked on in Jim-san's workshop.

Minato-san seemed to finally smile, looking up at Papa with warm blue orbs. "I talked it over with Hokage-sama, and Sakumo-san seemed to be okay with it too. The only question that remains is if you three are okay with it." Minato-san then glanced over the trio, and I didn't miss the sideways glance at me. "Are you ready for that?"

To my surprise, Rin shot up first. "Yes! We are!" She clenched a fist. "After all that, we can't just sit around! The war won't end by itself!"

Obito grinned next, fist pumping. "Of course we're taking it, sensei! There's no way we're backing down."

Then, Papa turned towards the last of the trio. "Kakashi?"

I blinked at him. My best friend blinked back before sighing. "Not much else we can do. And I want to improve."

Relief filled me almost immediately as Papa's grip on my hand loosened. "Heh," he chuckled, a true one this time, before grinning. "Alright then. Hope you three are ready."

"Yes, sir!" They all saluted.

I could've cried from the relief alone.

---

Hoshino Judai now felt the extreme urge to head home and thank his wife profusely.

It was hard, attacking the kids that he got to know as surrogate children. More so when knowing his own daughter was in the vicinity.

Thankfully, the ass Minato for once was doing something right, covering Tomoko's eyes before she could see anymore. And the kids themselves seemed to have gotten the message.

Now, it was just heading back. Recovering for a day, and then starting Team Minato on some new training.

Those old days of blood and rage couldn't be repeated with the new generation. He wouldn't allow it.

Especially when his little girl would be watching over said generation.

Speaking of that girl…

"Tomoko-chan?" he called out, already standing on the pavement. Strangely, the teenager had yet to move from her spot near the Memorial Stone, despite Team Minato and Minato himself already having a head start back to the cafe. "Tomoko-chan, we're leaving!"

"I know, Papa!" she called back, smiling. "But I need to do something!"

Huh?

He blinked, then walked back over, grass squelching under his sandals. "What do you need to do, Tomoko-chan?"

The last thing he was expecting was for Tomoko to sit on her knees and look up at him, putting a finger to her lips. Judai took that as his signal to stay silent, looking back at the Stone while keeping an eye on the girl.

It had been more than 13 years since he stood at this spot, alone originally.

Tomoko put her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed.

Judai hung his head.

Then…

"Hello, Uncle Johan." Tomoko said softly.

That was another thing he wasn't expecting. Judai tried not to jump as Tomoko continued to speak in that same soft tone, smiling while looking at the Stone. "I'm sorry we haven't met before, but I'm Hoshino Tomoko, um, daughter to Yuki Judai. Papa told me that you were his best friend and the only man he ever loved so…um." She gulped. "I just wanted to talk to you like this just to say 'Thank you.'"

Judai's heart froze in his chest.

"I know that your death must've caused a lot of pain, Uncle Johan. And Papa never talked about you up until now, so it must have been hard on you too. But…but it's because of you that I have my Papa with me." Tomoko smiled a bit brighter. "So, thank you for being such a positive influence on him. For being an influence on my friends. For helping Papa become my Papa, Uncle Johan. I really wish that I could've met you, but…reality isn't that nice." Tomoko then sighed, then blinked wide blue eyes. "O-Oh, I never did ask if I could call you Uncle Johan, huh? I-I'm sorry," the girl giggled sheepishly while raising a hand towards the engraved name, rubbing some dust off the carving. "But you did help the family a lot, Uncle Johan. So thank you. I love you. I hope you're still with us, watching somewhere."

Tomoko then bowed her head, tilted her re-clasped hands towards the Stone's direction, and muttered something under her breath before getting up.

"Um, Papa? I'm done. We can go home now."

Judai just found himself bringing the girl into a tight hug.

"W-Wah! Papa?!"

It was moments like these that made it easy to remember why he kept living.

---

Hatake Sakumo was getting tired.

The Hokage had once again asked for his assistance on the front lines, but the stares around the village were hard to push away.

Even with five years passing, people still remembered the White Fang for his failure.

So how could he return?

It was only when he walked into a training session between Kakashi and Judai that it hit him.

Kakashi's form may have been a bit on the rough edges, but it was very close to succeeding in the same techniques that he couldn't do all those years ago.

Sakumo found himself smiling, much to the confusion of his son who noticed him.

"Dad?" Kakashi lowered his kunai, trying not to huff while facing him. "What is it?"

His tanto could finally be passed on.

"Hey, Kakashi, I was just thinking…"

Sakumo didn't miss Judai's proud smile in his direction.

It was time to let someone else take the helm now.

---

The fated day came far too quickly for my liking. Even if we were all 13 now.

Before I even knew it, Hisako was mentally shaking me.

Tomoko-chan, get up! Kakashi and the others are leaving now!

What. The. HECK?!

Leading me to brush my teeth, get dressed into a white blouse and purple skirt, grab my bag of gifts, and run out of the house faster than anyone could call me out on it.

I wasn't even sure if Papa and Mama were awake when I ran out. All that mattered was that I had gifts to deliver.

And what was the point in giving them if the receiver wasn't there to receive them?!

Once the village gates started coming into view, I ran faster, waving a hand in the air.

"KAKASHI! OBITO! RIN!"

The named ninja, as well as Minato-san and Kushina-nee, all turned to blink.

"Tomoko-chan? What are you doing here?" Minato-san started, clearly surprised at my appearance. I just focused on trying to get some feeling in my legs while trying to not sound like I came out of the hospital. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"H-How could I… haa… " I puffed, holding up a pointer finger. "How could I sleep knowing that my friends are going out on a mission of their lives? I couldn't miss this!"

Kushina-nee seemed to be caught between staring and snuggling me. She opted for the first option, thankfully.

"…We were hoping that you would so that you wouldn't worry... " Kakashi mumbled offhandedly.

Hahahaha — yeah, NO.

"No way, Kakashi!" I stood up tall, putting my hands on my hips. "Even if you're a Jounin now, I'll always worry about you! You should know this by now!"

He just facepalmed with a sigh.

Obito and Rin then glanced at each other before looking at me. "So…" Rin hefted her pack so that the straps were a bit higher on her shoulders. "What did you come here for, Tomoko-chan?"

Oh. Oops.

I held up the bag in my hands, reached into it, and pulled out their stars.

Yellow for Minato-san, red for Kushina-nee, navy blue with orange trimmings for Obito, light pink with lilac trimmings for Rin, and silver with black trimmings for Kakashi.

Even when flying in the air, the Konoha symbols embedded in the center of each star were hard to miss.

Each person caught their stars somewhat differently, standouts being Obito nearly dropping his and Rin juggling hers, but they all were able to get their gifts.

Kakashi was the only one glancing between me and the star in his hand. "What is this, Tomoko?"

I grinned, putting up a peace sign. "Wayfinders!"

Everyone stared at me.

Clarify, Tomoko-chan. They don't know the reference.

Oh. Oops.

Heat flooded my face. "U-Um, well, they're more like good luck charms. I-I just call them that as a nickname. Um." I gulped while pulling out my own Wayfinder from under my blouse as a reference. It was a sky blue color a la Aqua's original designs from Birth By Sleep, but with a light green as the outline. I was still happy Mama was able to make it into a necklace for me. "The leather straps at the top of each one is made in a way so you can wear them or store them in whatever way you want."

Obito was looking his over in interest before fiddling with it. Soon enough, he was able to clumsily fasten it to the front of his jacket, displaying it like a badge of honor.

Rin looked at her teammate before fumbling with hers, tying it in a way so that it made a makeshift bracelet on her left hand. "Thank you, Tomoko-chan," she said softly, smiling. "They're really pretty."

Kushina-nee was actually turning hers over to stare at with awe before looking at me with sparkly eyes. "But that's not all that's there to these 'Wayfinders,' right Tomoko-chan?"

I giggled. "Yeah, that's not all. Check the backs of your charms."

Kakashi immediately turned his over at the same time as Minato-san. And judging by the bright grin on the Yellow Flash's face, he was impressed. "Is this a custom seal?"

"It looks like we all have them, sensei," Kakashi added, poking the seal with his finger. "I'm guessing Uncle Judai did these?"

"I think Uncle Sakumo helped too, but yeah!" I found myself grinning a bit brighter. "Try putting a bit of chakra into it."

WHOOSH.

Kakashi jumped as soon as a 5-6 inch chakra blade extended itself from the star's bottom half. I couldn't help but feel really grateful for both Papa and Jim-san at the moment, since their work looked and felt gorgeous. The chakra made the blade fizzle and crackle from the energy, but it was certainly formidable. Sure, it wasn't to the degree of Papa's long katana blades, but this could give his tanto a run for its money. Judging by my friend's masked visage, even he was impressed. "You gave us chakra blades?"

"Yeah! Since this is your first mission leading as a Jounin, Kakashi, and with Papa's training in mind, I wanted my present to you and everyone else to be something practical~" Even with the red still flooding my face, I still felt proud enough to brandish another peace sign. "That seal can't be altered from the original metal-work unless you wanted to carve something else into it, so you'll always be able to use it as a secret weapon, especially against obstacles like rocks or something!"

Kakashi gave the blade a soft test swing, and the chakra hummed like a very quiet lightsaber. Even with his mask on, I could see his grin. He then flicked the blade to turn the chakra off, tying the star around his right hand as a gauntlet of sorts.

"Awesome!" Obito cheered, looking even brighter than before when looking at his new 'badge'. "Thanks, Tomoko-chan!"

Kushina-nee was a light pink, but nonetheless smiling. "You didn't have to give one to me and Minato though, Tomoko-chan," she said quietly.

"But I wanted to," I finished, the smile still on my face. "Kakashi, of course, has his as a Jounin gift, but you all are part of my unofficial family now. The stars serve as our connection. And you deserve something, Kushina-nee."

The Uzumaki turned redder before running over to snuggle me softly, Wayfinder still in her hand. "Thank you, Tomoko-chan," she mused quietly into my hair. "You're such a good girl, you know that?"

Hehe. Hisako said.

I just blushed and tried not to fidget.

Minato-san was the only one who had yet to move or comment much, blinking before inclining his head at me. Then he opened his mouth. "I'm guessing that's not the only reason you gave us all these, right Tomoko-chan?"

…Well, he's not wrong about that. Considering how he was involved in your vow of silence and all.

My heart beat a bit harder as Obito, Rin, and Kakashi all turned to stare at me.

Kushina-nee let me go as soon as I started speaking.

"Well, um, yeah. That's not the only reason." I bit my lip, hoping my face wasn't too red. "T-Thing is, they're called Wayfinders because of the star shape. A-And stars were what sailors used to use when coming back home from sea, right? So…" I gulped down the lump in my throat as I hung my head, hoping my short hair could hide some of the heat in my cheeks. "I thought…I thought that they might be good in bringing you all back home. Having your own stars to bring you back to Nagareboshi Cafe, to Konoha, safe and sound."

"Back to me," was left unsaid.

I wasn't even sure if I could say it because of how hard my heart was pounding.

Lubdub, lubdub, lubdub.

Not like how Kannabi ended up in canon. Hisako finished solemnly. Hopefully, these stars can bring a happy ending. Sora got his with Kairi at the end of II after all.

I was hoping so too.

This would be the last time I would see Team Minato altogether if canon decided to go its full way. And would it? Or would I have enough influence through these charms to keep Obito and the team out of Madara's reach?

Did I even do enough, giving only good luck charms to my friends who could all die for all that canon cared for?

I bit my lip.

Then, a hand landed on top of my head. I found myself looking up, and Kakashi was staring at me with warm silver eyes, leaning in so that our foreheads would touch. Well, my forehead and his headband at least, but the gesture was still there. "…Thank you, Tomoko," he said, never breaking eye contact. "We'll do our best to all come home. That's another promise."

Tears were starting to bud my eyes again as I nodded. "Yeah…yeah…" Without even thinking, I took a step forward to hug him tightly. Kakashi didn't even flinch, instead wrapping his arms around my waist in return as I squeezed his torso.

"Come home soon," I found myself whispering.

He nodded, a breath lightly touching my hair. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

He let go and nodded once more in my direction before adjusting his backpack.

"Alright team," Minato-san put on a more professional smile once he stashed his Wayfinder into his back pocket. That is, before he nodded softly in my direction. Thank you, his blue eyes seemed to say. "Let's head out. Ready?"

"Ready!" Obito, Rin, and Kakashi all chorused.

I took a step back to stand close to Kushina-nee. "Alright then, be careful. And do your best, guys!" she added.

Rin nodded eagerly as Kakashi shrugged. The message was already sent. Then Kushina-nee turned to Obito, who was still focused on his Wayfinder. "And Obito?"

"Huh?" the Uchiha said, clearly not expecting her to speak up.

To my surprise, Kushina-nee kneeled to his height while pointing a finger in the Uchiha's face. "You're clumsy, and you're hasty. And you're a blundering fool, too. And add knucklehead to the list! And be doubly careful out there!" I didn't miss how Obito started to scowl a little bit. But the Uzumaki wasn't done yet. "Because if you come back injured, you'll get more than my fist! Got that?!"

Simple, but it works.

"…You won't get my fist, but no music for a week." I added quietly from the side.

Obito glanced at me and Kushina-nee before looking down with a smirk. "Who do you think I am?! I'm Uchiha Obito, the future Hokage! There's no way I'm going to die or anything! I'm going to make this mission a success with Kakashi and Rin," my heart fluttered at the sight of said teammates glancing at each other with warm smiles, "and come back with everyone alive! That's a promise to both of you!" Obito finished it with a warm grin and a fist pump, and the tears were really getting hard to hold back now.

Kushina-nee just put a hand on my shoulder before nodding. "You better keep that promise!" she said for the both of us with a loud fist pump of her own.

Then, the Uzumaki and Uchiha shared warm laughter.

I just found myself smiling. "…Um, guys?"

"What is it, Tomoko-chan?" Rin said softly, smiling back at me while everyone else turned in my direction.

"Before you go…" I scratched my cheek. "Could we get one group hug? Please?"

Minato-san and Kushina-nee looked at each other before glancing at the trio. Team Minato shared looks before nodding, and then Kakashi looped an arm around my shoulders. A shaky giggle left me as Obito and Rin soon linked arms, bringing themselves into the hug too, and with Minato-san and Kushina-nee bringing us all together, we made one very messy group of people. It was a hug, but a big hug nonetheless. I was just trying to hug everyone while holding back tears.

I just wish this moment could last forever and you didn't have to go.

But they had to. The sun was rising soon, which meant that they had to start moving now. Once the hug was broken, Team Minato was already starting to walk onto the road leading out to the border, and I found myself blinking.

It feels like I'm missing something… Wait…

Run, Tomoko-chan. Hisako was grinning too. You can still make it.

I still had one thing to do. I couldn't let them go until I did it.

Before the team could fade into the distance, I found myself running forward, waving a hand. "Kakashi! Wait a minute!"

My best friend turned, the slightest bit of irritation on his face. Even in the slowly rising sun, I could make out the exasperation in his silver eyes. "What is it now—"

I didn't even think. I just ran up to my best friend, grabbed his hand to pull him in close, and stood on my tiptoes.

Chu.

A kiss on the cheek was always said to be a marking for good luck.

At least, that's how the old fairy tales put it.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity, standing there and holding onto him.

I pulled away, taking a breath while hanging my head. I couldn't bear to look up at him because of the heat flooding my face, but my hand just couldn't let his go.

"T-Tomoko?" Kakashi said slowly.

I couldn't even hear Obito and Rin's surprised shouts/gasps because all that my ears could pick up was the beating of my heart.

LUBDUB, LUBDUB, LUBDUB.

"J-Just come back, Kakashi. You, Obito, Rin, Minato-san, everybody. Just…" I gulped. "Just come back safe and sound. And then…" I forced myself to look up, only noticing just then how Kakashi's face was just as red as mine was. "Th-Think when you come back, we can talk? I-I think…"

Go on, Tomoko-chan.

I inhaled shakily, trying not to focus on the heat in my face or the beating of my heart. "I think what I'm feeling right now might be…might be more than what I've been saying up until now."

A soft wind passed between us.

Then, Kakashi squeezed my hand back. "…Yeah. Of course we can talk when I get back. Because I think it's…I think it's the same for me."

I looked up into those silver eyes one more time before inhaling.

"I love you, Kakashi," I said honestly, for once letting my heart dictate things.

Lub-dub. It agreed happily.

Kakashi blinked those same, warm silver eyes before nodding. "I love you too, Tomoko."

And then I let go.

He nodded at me, one last time, before turning around, waving a hand in my direction.

I was left watching his back before it disappeared with the rest of Team Minato in the distance.

Then, a hand landed on my shoulder. "C'mon, Tomoko-chan," Kushina-nee said quietly, for once not in a teasing voice. "Let's get you home."

The tears were already trailing down my cheeks when I looked up at her and nodded.

All I could do now was pray that everything up until now was worth it.

That my efforts were enough to defy canon.

---

Author's Notes: …Yeah, not much else to say since this chapter took a long time to write. There's a lot to fit in here, but nonetheless, I have to say thank you to everyone who's stuck with me up until now.

Chapter 43 starts Kannabi for real, and then things are going to start.

Thank you all for the support, because as of July 7th, 2017, Civilian Pianist now has 783 reviews, 1,081 favorites, and 1,312 followers! It's because of you guys that I keep going on, with special mention going to lunamoon531 for reviewing almost every single chapter up until this one, so kudos! You helped with the writer's block so much.

Also, a warm shout-out to Lang Noi, since she sat with me when I raged over my writing for a bit while also supporting my new advents on Tumblr. Yep. I have a tumblr page under this same username. Check it out!

This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out now to brainstorm Chapter 43 of CP, Chapter 9 of The Sea and Stars, AND finish writing another Interlude!