"Why don't you listen?" Sasuke says gruffly. "I told you so many times to leave me alone."
"I'm tenacious, that's why," Sakura answers lightly. It sounds a bit like she's joking but she's not. Her heart beats fast because he keeps looking at her, almost as if he cannot help it.
"You will regret it." He doesn't sound like he's joking, more like he's annoyed. He often sounds like this. But she has begun to hear nuances.
"I will never regret it!" She can't even begin to imagine a life without vying for Sasuke's attention.
They sit on a bench near the Academy, their knees are almost touching. It's getting quite dark, and the street lights are not yet on. It was right here she tried to stop him from leaving Konoha in search of power. That time, she failed. All the other times that followed, she failed as well.
He doesn't visit often, but it has become a habit of his to seek her out when he does, turning up on her doorstep in his dark travel cloak with no advance warning. He also leaves with no warning, usually after much too short a time. Sakura knows, Sasuke does not feel comfortable in Konoha - well, what an understatement. He hates it here. She thinks it's because it reminds him so painfully of everything he lost but she can't be sure, it's too sensitive an issue to talk about.
Talking to him is difficult anyway. They often sit in silence, like now. It's gradually become comfortable silences when it used to be agonizing.
"How long are you staying?" she blurts out. She hopes she can organize dinner with Naruto before he has to leave again. Naruto makes Sasuke smile and to see that… it gives her hope.
"A few days," Sasuke says evasively. "I will need to meet Kakashi and then…"
"Kakashi Sensei?" Sakura almost jumps to her feet at the mention of that name, "where is he?! I've been trying to find him for ages, but he's never around!"
"Then he probably doesn't want you to find him," Sasuke says.
Sakura understands then that it has something to do with secret missions and the security of the village. She has chosen to work at the hospital as a regular doctor after the War - has turned her back on that world of shadows shinobis live in, a luxury of peace she is afforded - but whenever Sasuke leaves she regrets that she cannot accompany him and doesn't even know where he's going in the service of Konoha.
He kisses her for the first time, right before the streetlights flare up.
Even though she has been thinking about nothing else since sitting down, she is very surprised about the sudden movement of his head towards hers and almost pulls back by reflex. To prepare optimally for this moment, she has read everything she could about kissing techniques and what intimacies might follow, but now that it happens… it's different from what she expected. She scolds herself for getting carried away by make-out scenes in Icha Icha books and the like when Sasuke's tongue in her mouth feels a little awkward and that's probably the reality of such things… or maybe they just lack practice.
"Do you want to come to my place?" he asks after breaking the kiss. She notices that he sounds a little breathless and that makes her heart race even more.
Sakura suppresses a squeal. So that would happen tonight too! Finally. Finally, finally, finally!
"I'd love to," Sakura responds, managing to make it sound like it's no big deal to her, like she has plenty of experience and it's not what she has thought about day after day after day…
She wants to make him smile. She wants him to come back for good. Doesn't him accepting her signify a step in the right direction? She'd do everything to make him feel at home. She'll turn her body into an anchor. If he wants her and she is here - will he not have to return more often?
Really? Your body? What a fool you are, girl. There are thousands of bodies out there. He can have them all.
Sakura opened her eyes abruptly. The high-pitched voice that had spoken to her had jolted her out of her dream, leaving her with the dull ache of misery and failure in her heart. Dream? It was more like a memory than a dream... Why had it overcome her like this?
Quite unable to shake the emotions she had just felt, she lay on the ground looking up at the gently swaying leaves of the giant tree under which they had pitched camp, trying to reconnect with the person she had been back then. She had been so hopeful. Happy, actually. Happy to be wanted by the object of her admiration. Making excuses for him every single time it hadn't felt… right. Hadn't felt like there was a connection.
Oh Sasuke. When did my hope turn into bitterness? When did those endless years of love for you become nothing but a disappointment?
Sakura's vision became blurry as tears sprang into her eyes. She had known Sasuke for so long but despite all her attempts to get close to him, he had ultimately remained a stranger. He was unable to form attachments. She knew he had tried, she liked to believe for her sake. He had even asked her to marry him - for her sake.
Crying as silently as possible for a while made her feel even more miserable. It was all so heartbreaking… Sasuke was living in a hell of his own making but one he could not get out of. And one she could obviously not get him out of either. Maybe Naruto could. Or…
After swallowing down her tears with some effort, Sakura lifted her head. The faint grayish light told her it was very early morning. Kaeru's brown hair was sticking out of his sleeping bag in the vicinity of Sarada. Kakashi's sleeping bag next to her was empty. Of course. He was keeping watch over them somewhere.
After peeling herself out of her own sleeping bag, putting on a jumper against the unusual cold at this time of the year and combing her hair with her fingers, she went to look for Kakashi. She needed to talk to somebody… and that somebody had to be him because of all people she knew, he had always known how to talk to Sasuke when nobody else had been able to.
She found him in his Sukea disguise not much later, his back against a tree. Sleeping.
Sleeping!? What kind of guard was he? But then she realized why he must be so tired and her ears started burning at the memory of their nightly romp. Still… what a great opportunity to play a prank on her former Sensei!
Edging closer stealthily, she couldn't help but smile… he would be proud of her, she thought, temporarily forgetting why she was looking for him in the first place as she imagined his surprised face with pleasure. But just as she bent down in triumph to tickle him, she felt the sharp, cold tip of a kunai at her jugular. "Are you still falling for my old tricks?" Kakashi asked right at her ear.
She froze. Oh shit.
"A… clone?" Sakura moaned. How could she be this stupid? But sleeping Sukea looked exactly like the one eying her with a smirk as he smoothly slid his kunai into a back pocket like a well-oiled machine. She was so out of practice. Of course she should be able to distinguish clones from real people!
"What were you going to do to him?" Kakashi asked warily.
"Oh, tickle him," she said. "And…" she stepped closer and grabbed his coat. "This."
She went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He didn't respond enthusiastically like she was used to and she pulled away a little bewildered, studying his face for signs of displeasure.
"Is something the matter?"
"I'm on duty," he answered, sounding a tiny little bit flustered. "I can't kiss people while on duty."
Fair enough. Even though she was certain there was nothing dangerous for miles around, only birds that started to sing their jubilant songs to greet the day.
"Come," he said and took her by the hand.
"Where t…"
"Just follow me."
He was dragging her into the forest for a bit, then stopped before a huge tree. "Up there."
"Wh… why?" Sakura asked, finding his behavior a little strange, but he had already pulled her along further, walking up the tree like it was a street.
She could still do this, of course. Chakra control had always been her forte and if she set her mind to believing there was no way she would fall and break all her bones, she might even enjoy this like she used to.
Much further up, where the tree was getting thinner, she became aware of another Sukea-Kakashi watching them approach through the leaves, his hands behind his head, one leg hanging down leisurely.
"Can't believe you kissed one of my clones!" he smirked at her.
Sakura turned to the version of him next to her, her mouth agape. "You…!"
When the clone dared to grin at her naughtily she hit him with so much force, he got blasted into oblivion right away.
"Hey!" the Kakashi above her complained. "It hurts when someone kills your clones."
"That's not true," she said sourly.
"Ha, of course it is," Kakashi said. "You know that all clone experiences are the originator's too. A clone's pleasure is my pleasure. And a clone's pain is my pain!"
"Shouldn't have led me on then," Sakura murmured, climbing up the last few meters to gingerly sit down next to him. Oh dear, it was so high up.
"You're right on time though," Kakashi said, smiling.
"What for?" she frowned.
"To watch the sunrise with me."
He grabbed her arm and pulled her a little closer and right then, a bright light was switched on to the East and Sakura saw how the disc of the sun began to rise up from below the horizon, accompanied by a most astonishing glittering and sparkling.
"Is that the sea I can see?" she breathed. Kakashi had chosen to sit on the tallest tree in this forest and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Vertigo was not an option.
"It is," Kakashi nodded. "The Land of Water."
"We're that close!"
"Still more than two days away," Kakashi shrugged. "Probably longer considering we will have to stop in a town today."
"Because of my hair?" she asked.
"Shoes for Sarada," he answered. "Provisions. Intel. Towns are dangerous places if you're a fugitive, but thanks to you, I'm not. Might as well recharge, get a good meal and a good night's sleep."
She nodded, eyes glued to nature's spectacle enfolding before her. Tears sprang into her eyes again unbidden. This breathtaking beauty, it got her right in the heart. Or maybe it was just a day for being tearful?
"Why the clones?" she asked, trying to keep a steady voice.
Kakashi shrugged. "It's a habit of mine."
"You can tell me if something is the matter," Sakura told him. "I may no longer be a shinobi, but you trained me, you know I can help with defense if needed."
"Nothing is the matter," he said. "It's just a precaution. We cannot allow ourselves to be complacent."
There was a pause during which he studied her face and then lifted his hand to gently brush a thumb across her cheeks underneath the eyes, first left, then right.
"I… I dreamt about Sasuke," she admitted.
"I see," Kakashi said calmly. "Is that why you cried?"
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah, I thought about him too," Kakashi said with a small sigh, his face turning sad.
"What… what did you think about?" Sakura asked timidly.
"Amnesia," Kakashi said slowly. "We both have it. There are no seals in his head, Ibiki and his men checked. And in contrast to me, his is worse, I think he remembers less. I also think it affects his personality."
"What?" Sakura frowned. She hadn't expected this topic. She realized she had secretly hoped Kakashi had come up with a solution to her own problem, that he would tell her how she could disentangle herself from a husband who wasn't what she had hoped and quite clearly would never be. Silly her.
"Then I thought about when it started for him and that it might not have been after the Susanoo attack but before. He was getting much more difficult to talk to every time he got back. It's been a few years, I'd say."
Sakura almost snorted. Yeah, you could say that. Difficult to talk to. To the point where they hadn't talked at all.
"And then I thought about when it might have started for me and…," here, Kakashi made a pause during which he pressed his lips together and furrowed his brows like he was thinking hard about something and then, quite resolutely, he said: "To hell with this. Sakura. I need to tell you something. Maybe I shouldn't, it's not really my secret to tell, but I can't keep quiet about it anymore."
"What is it, Kakashi?" she said, her heart beginning to pick up its pace. What secret? She didn't like the way he sounded.
"Sasuke is sick. At least he thinks he is and… if it's true... You will have to do a thorough check-up as soon as we're back and start looking for a cure. I'm hoping he'll be out of prison then with Naruto's help."
"Sick… what do you mean, sick?"
"I mean…," Kakashi took a deep breath. "Has he ever told you his brother Itachi had a respiratory disease? It weakened him considerably. But it wasn't only that. I don't know how much Sasuke knows about it… I'm not even sure he remembers about himself right now. But I as Itachi's Team Leader in the Anbu got to experience what it did to Itachi."
Sakura did not understand a word Kakashi was telling her. It was like somebody had hit her over the head and now she had trouble hearing properly. Or was it that she did not want to understand? This had to be how her patients felt when she told them they had something life threatening.
"I know this is a bit sudden," Kakashi said, watching her face with sympathy. "But you're a doctor. I think you might be able to tell me whether what I'm saying makes sense or not and you will certainly know what to do."
"You are telling me Sasuke has the same illness his brother had?" Sakura realized she was shouting.
Kakashi pressed his lips together again. If she weren't this worked up, she'd marvel about how many emotions she saw on his face in the morning sun now that he had no mask to hide behind.
"I don't know for sure," Kakashi admitted a bit meekly, "it was Kabuto who told me that Sasuke's illness is the reason I got involved with these experiments to preserve the kekkei genkai - though I do not remember making that decision."
Kakashi's eyes flitted to his tattooed arm that was hidden underneath several layers of clothes and back to her face.
"I don't believe this," Sakura murmured, feeling quite decidedly sick to the stomach. Sasuke was afraid he was going to die too soon to pass on the Uchiha bloodline and had not told her? And Kakashi had agreed to experiments for Sasuke's sake and had not told her either? How was she supposed to understand these men?!
"Don't be angry," Kakashi said, "I am sorry for telling you something this shocking out of the blue. It's just that… tonight I remembered something Itachi once said about his father who apparently had some strange spells of what Itachi called "Uchiha madness". And Sasuke's hatred towards me, his attack… he himself felt that it was unnatural… I think that all three men had that illness, Sakura."
"You mean to say the sickness is hereditary?" Sakura asked. The Uchiha madness. The curse. Was it not a madness but a genetic abnormality?
"Yes," Kakashi nodded, "exactly. And I think… I have reason to believe that Sasuke's sudden amnesia and his change of personality are symptoms of that illness."
Sakura took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. It made a frightening amount of sense. So much, she wondered why she had never thought of this possibility herself. She was a doctor, she was much more ready to believe in genetics than in curses.
"I understand if you want to head back immediately and be with Sas…"
"Yes," Sakura interrupted Kakashi, "we will have to go back to check this theory of yours as soon as we can, but first we must find Karin and take her back with us."
If Kakashi was right, she would need to spend time away. The labs in Konoha were good, but not good enough for this kind of analysis. Besides, doing an analysis was one thing, but finding a cure… it was possible it was going to take months.
"Okay," Kakashi nodded, getting what she was hinting at. "Yes, she has to come back with us to take care of Sarada."
"But your amnesia, how is that...?" she began before it clicked. Not because of something that had happened to him at the hand of an enemy. Not because he was locking away memories to function properly instead of breaking down from repeated trauma. "The blood? You think it's because of the blood!" she whispered, her eyes now flittling to his tattooed arm too. The Uchiha blood in his system?
Kakashi nodded grimly. "It's the conclusion I came to this morning. I cannot be sure when exactly it started, since what I have is a milder form. I have far smaller quantities of that blood in my body."
"Oh no," Sakura said and grabbed his hand, "oh no."
"Well," Kakashi said lightly, "now that we know where it comes from… I'm kind of relieved. I do no longer need to find out why I lost my memory, right? And maybe I don't even need to try and remember."
"Can't you get rid of this thing?" she asked Kakashi, pointing at the place she knew his tattoo to be.
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't think so. At least if Kabuto wasn't lying. Using two Mangekyō Sharingans changes the cell structure of the body, he said, and he said I need this blood seal if I don't want to die."
"Did Sasuke's father have the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Sakura asked.
"Hm, yes," Kakashi replied, sounding a bit strange.
"Could it be getting the Mangekyō Sharingan then that triggers it?" she mused. "I'll have to talk to Kabuto. Do you think he knows more?"
Kakashi sighed. "I don't know. But I do think he's been doing experiments with Uchiha blood for a long time."
"And he worked for Madara," Sakura said grimly. "Who probably had the illness too. At least latent."
"So all of this… it makes sense?" Kakashi asked her and lifted his hand to put a lock of her hair behind her ear.
It did. It almost made too much sense.
"I will find a cure," Sakura promised and lifted her hand to cup his cheek.
"I knew would say that," Kakashi smiled, "and I know you will find one. Imagine! We will finally be rid of that horrible fate the Uchihas are doomed to inherit. Sasuke will no longer be plagued by the darkness. Imagine! You will be able to be so happy."
He hugged her very close from behind and buried his face into her hair.
And you will just move over and let him take back his spot by my side? Sakura thought with a pang of sadness. Kakashi had said it with such honest delight, there didn't seem to be a question for him. Why did that make her sadder than anything else she had heard this day?
###
Going into a foreign town was stressful for a Shinobi whatever mission he was on. The noise, the smells, the crowds, all of these things set his nerves humming and made his head swim. Kakashi hadn't been in such a buzzing place for years, so maybe he just wasn't used to it anymore, but he also couldn't shake the ominous feeling that he had started to have right after Sakura had joined him and Kaeru with Sarada. He had made sure again and again that nobody was following them by dispatching clones to all sides in the forest. He was certain that nobody could have escaped their notice this way. Then why did he still feel like someone was watching them? Perhaps paranoia was another side effect of the Uchiha affliction.
Their little party was walking on the main street, which was so busy Kaeru needed to shield Sarada from passersby' elbows and knapsacks that came precariously close to her face several times. Kakashi had spent half his money on new shoes for her earlier: the child was walking a little gingerly in them, they were heavier than the old ones and she had first to get used to them, but they would make the journey far more enjoyable for her.
Since their conversation this morning, Sakura had been very quiet. It must be hard for her, Kakashi thought as he watched her solemn face from the side, she must be torn between running back straight away and continuing on this sham "mission" for his sake. Frankly, he didn't even know why he was not heading back himself. If he was right, if this affliction of his was related to the Uchiha blood in his system, then he was chasing after shadows that, even if caught, would not help him in the least. For a short time he had fooled himself into believing that there was someone out there interested in him - which was a ridiculous thought. Of course this was about the Uchiha's kekkei genkai. Of course he was paranoid to think that whoever had sent the Susanoos to attack Konoha knew exactly where he was and who he was with.
Earlier, he had overheard Kaeru asking for Sakura's forgiveness. Kakashi had decided it was best not to get involved in this quarrel, not least because Sakura had asked him not to. But Sakura had not even listened to Kearu and had just walked away, leaving the young Anbu visibly miserable. For this, Kakashi felt responsible. It was no surprise to him at all that Kaeru would oppose a dalliance between him and someone who was married. Married to an Uchiha at that. He was thinking he needed to talk to Kaeru about Sakura but hadn't found the right opportunity.
"Sensei," Kaeru suddenly addressed him in a low voice, "should we leave and pitch camp in the forest again? I see you are anxious about this place and so am I."
Kakashi would eagerly have agreed to that if not for Sakura and Sarada. Both of them looked exhausted and even if he could easily live of foodpills and the occasional fish for weeks, he didn't want them to be equally uncomfortable. Thus, against his better judgment, he shook his head.
"Let's look for a hostel," he told Kaeru. "Can't be too expensive, I have relatively little money left."
"I am sorry, Sensei," Kaeru said chagrined.
Kaeru, used to one thing only, which was Anbu missions, had not thought of bringing money on this outing. Sakura had brought some, but Kakashi refused to touch it.
"We will manage," he assured Kearu, "don't worry about it."
After looking for lodgings in the side-streets, they managed to find a small, slightly rundown hostel that had an empty room because of a last-minute cancellation. They were lucky, the innkeeper told them, space was very tight at the moment because of the fair that was going to start tomorrow, a grand event, drawing many people from near and far.
The room was spacious enough for them to sleep in comfortably, with a small window facing the courtyard and a shared toilet and bath space at the end of the corridor. Sarada starting playing in a corner with stones she had collected on the road today and Kakashi watched her as he unpacked his backpack.
"She's doing surprisingly fine," he observed.
Sakura, whom he had addressed, nodded. "Some children are incredibly resilient," she said quietly. "And yet, they are very fragile even then. Have you noticed how much certain topics freak her out?"
Kakashi nodded. Topics and actions. Like the threat of violence.
"I think she will be fine though," Sakura said. "Thanks to you."
"To me?" Kakashi frowned. "I didn't do anything."
"Don't belittle yourself all the time," she said. "She looks up to you the most. She even copies the way you walk, with your hands in your pockets. By being this unrattled, unwavering, strong person, you're making her feel safe and that's exactly what she needs."
Kakashi chose not to answer. Unrattled wasn't an adjective he'd put with his person right now.
"Listen, it is likely I will have to leave Konoha to find a cure to this… to this illness," Sakura said, her voice quivering. "It would ease my heart if you would… stay. And make sure Sarada is okay. I know that Karin trusts you and... likes you and…"
"I will watch out for them," Kakashi said. "Don't worry. For them and Sasuke."
"Thank you," Sakura said and moved a little closer, promptly earning herself a furtive, yet scathing look from Kaeru.
"Listen up," Kakashi said and waved the Anbu closer, foregoing the chance to hold Sakura's hand. "There are two things we need to do before getting a good night's sleep. First, I will find dye for Sakura's hair. It might seem moot at this point but it would still ease my mind if those tell-tale pink looks were temporarily hidden. Second, we need to find a nice restaurant to eat a healthy meal. Can I put you in charge of that, Kaeru? Check the prices please. You know I don't have…"
"You can take mine" - "I will get us some more money", Kearu and Sakura said at the exact same time.
Kakashi shook his head as they exchanged frowns and glances. "No. This is my responsibility and I will take care of it. Let's meet again in front of the town hall in two hours. Sarada," he addressed the girl. "Do you want to come with me and Sakura or do you want to go with Kaeru?"
"Kaeru Onii-chan," Sarada said without even a moment of reflection and scrambled up to sit next to him.
"You chose wisely, Sarada," Kaeru smiled, "I am known to be the best elder brother in the whole Land of Fire! Maybe you can meet my own sister one day? She will be able to corroborate this."
Kakashi didn't think it was necessary to drive it home to Kaeru again how important it was to watch Sarada closely and they soon went their separate ways. Sakura took his hand into hers as they went in search of a hairdresser that wouldn't bust their limited budget and despite the overall tenseness he felt, this made him happy. If only they had more time!
"Look!" Sakura smiled at him and pulled him towards a bookstore that had colorful balloons outside and large signs advertising what they called 'new smashit romance series'.
"Would those interest you?" Sakura asked, leafing through one of the books prominently on display.
"Weeeeell," Kakashi replied, looking over her shoulder. Sadly, he was extremely picky. He had tried so many other books after the Icha-Icha series but none had satisfied him in a similar way. But he missed reading!
"I'll buy you one," Sakura said and before he could politely decline, she had already rushed inside to pay.
"Thank you," he smiled at her after she had pressed the volume into his hand, "you put an old-fashioned guy like me to shame! Shouldn't the man give presents to the woman?"
"Oh, nonsense," Sakura laughed, sounding pleased.
They found a hairdresser but he was way too busy so that Kakashi decided to take the dye and do it himself back at the hotel. They had agreed a darkish brown would do the trick, a color not too far from Sarada's. After applying the paste, Kakashi enjoyed running his hands through Sakura's hair to ensure all the pink was thoroughly covered and he continued doing it for considerably longer than necessary. He wrapped a towel around her head afterwards and pulled her towards his chest, content to just sit and hold her for a while. It was warm and comfortable in this room and if not for that nagging feeling at the edge of his consciousness he would have nodded off for sure.
"Ino is pregnant," Sakura said sleepily.
Huh? Kakashi lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"Sorry," Sakura murmured, "strange change of topic. I was falling asleep and I suddenly remembered I didn't get to tell anyone."
"Sai will be the happiest of men," Kakashi smiled, "congratulations to them."
"She's afraid. A lot," she confided in him. "She's afraid Sai might join the Anbu."
"I won't let him join," Kakashi said, "Yamato and I already agreed on that. He's happy in a relationship. The Anbu will only bring misery, he's disqualified."
"That's… thank you," Sakura said and shifted a little in his arms. "Why are you so much kinder towards others than towards yourself?"
He didn't answer.
"Did you… never want children?" Sakura asked, still sounding very sleepy.
Normally, Kakashi wouldn't even consider answering such a personal question. But today was a little different. He had never felt quite as close and comfortable with anyone before.
"I never thought I'd be in a position to have any," he said truthfully. "I never thought I'd live long enough."
"You'd be the perfect dad," she murmured, making him blush deeply. She seemed to nod off against his chest afterwards, leaving him alone with his forbidden thoughts about baby girls that had pink hair, cried very little and loved their papa very much.
After the necessary time, he shook her awake and Sakura got up to wash out the dye in the bathroom.
She returned a different woman. Thunderstruck he stared at her.
"You don't like it?" she asked when she saw his face, pulling at her damp hair nervously.
"For a moment, you reminded me of someone else," Kakashi said, finding his voice slightly brittle.
Rin.
She had looked so much like Rin for a moment that it had thoroughly spooked him. A strange trick of the eye because now that the light from the window reached her face, Sakura looked nothing like Rin. Of course she didn't.
"Should we go?" she asked him.
Kakashi nodded. As they were putting on their shoes, Sakura suddenly giggled.
"Something the matter?" he asked.
"Yes, it's Kearu," she said, "he's such a strange guy. He took me aside when you went to the toilet before we left and asked to borrow some money from me."
"What?"
"He said he wanted to surprise you. Is he perhaps in love with you? I'm seriously beginning to suspect that."
"Shit," Kakashi groaned, "Sakura, we need to hurry."
"W...why?" she retorted, but he had already taken her hand and was racing down the stairs with her in tow.
"Sir," he addressed the innkeeper at the front desk, "which way would I go if I wanted to do some high-stakes gambling?"
"Oh, it is bad for you!" the innkeeper lamented, "don't do it, young man, don't do it!"
"I know that," Kakashi said with urgency, "but my friend doesn't."
"Are you saying he went gambling with Sarada?" Sakura gasped as they rushed through the still very crowded streets a short while after.
"It's likely," Kakashi nodded, "he used to do it with his little sister. They were quite the expert pair!"
"Sarada will be fine though," Sakura tried to assure him, "we'll just need to explain to her that gambling is bad and…"
"Oh, they will be very fine," Kakashi interrupted her. "He wins big."
"But.."
"Wins big because he expertly cheats using his special abilities," Kakashi added, "which means he tends to draw a lot of attention sooner or later and that is the last thing we should be..."
He halted abruptly.
"Dammit," he cursed.
There was a huge commotion further down the street, drawing more and more people towards it. A fight. And over the noise and the shouting, he could hear the high-pitched, panicked voice of a child.
"Don't fight, don't fight, don't fight!" Sarada screamed.
But when Kakashi wanted to rush forward to defuse the situation, someone stepped into his path resolutely.
"Stop," the woman said with authority.
Kakashi froze on the spot. A stern looking elderly woman in dark clothing and glasses. He had not recognized her once, but that would never happen to him again.
"M… Misses Nohara?" he stammered. "What are you doing here?"
