If Kakashi had the chance to do over any part of his life, he'd honestly have a hard time choosing just one fucking moment because holy shit had his entire existence turned into a crap fest.

"Ugh," Naruto groaned, dragging his feet. "We've been walking for ages. Where even is this place, Pervy Sage?"

Kakashi sighed. Hours. The kid had been complaining for hours.

He'd personally taken to ignoring Naruto entirely, partially because he himself didn't know where they were going, but mostly because he'd learned over the years that engaging Naruto in these types of discussions was an exercise in futility. Unless the answer was good news! we're here!, nothing would staunch the boy's tirade. So Kakashi, reasonably, decided to save himself the trouble and block his student's voice out completely. But Jiraiya evidently hadn't adopted the same philosophy when it came to his dealings with the blond.

Kakashi watched in mild amusement as the Sannin stopped walking entirely. The man looked over his shoulder at Naruto, his mouth trembling against the strained smile he'd forced onto it.

"We're almost there," he ground out. "Just like I said five minutes ago."

Naruto scrunched his face up, blatantly unconvinced, and slumped forward. "You've been saying that for the past hour," he moaned.

Jiraiya's mouth twitched. "Well, maybe we'd be there by now if someone stopped complaining."

Naruto kicked at a rock as Jiraiya turned and kept walking. "Doubt it," he grumbled. Kakashi, from the corner of his eye, saw the boy turn towards him. "Do you know where this place is, Kakashi Sensei?"

The answer was no, he had absolutely no idea where this place was because he had absolutely no idea where they were going. He was only there because he had to be, the Hokage canceling his mission and ordering him to join Jiraiya and Naruto on their little excursion a few hours before they set out. His only instructions were to keep Naruto safe. It was an odd assignment, one that made little sense to him at the time given that Jiraiya was going to be with the boy. The question had been on the tip of his tongue, inching its way past his teeth, but Danzo wasted no time in dismissing him, telling him that he only had a short amount of time to get his things in order and meet Naruto and Jiraiya at the village gates.

Jiraiya had been livid. He obviously hadn't expected Kakashi to be waiting there for them, and he certainly wasn't thrilled by the prospect of Kakashi joining them at Danzo's behest. Kakashi couldn't particularly blame the man: last minute team additions angered just about every shinobi, something that was likely exacerbated by the fact that Jiraiya was used to traveling alone. But orders were orders, and Kakashi wasn't budging. So Jiraiya sighed and acquiesced, practically stomping out of the village while he mumbled something under his breath about this being fucking weird and him only having to deal with one of them, at least. Kakashi wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he didn't think it boded well for him.

Despite the miles they'd traveled, Jiraiya never particularly warmed up to Kakashi, eyeing the man carefully whenever he thought Kakashi wasn't paying attention. Kakashi wasn't sure what prompted the scrutiny, but he also didn't bother to ask. Jiraiya could be as suspicious as he wanted to be — Kakashi only had to worry about one thing, and that was Naruto's safety. What Jiraiya was doing was none of his business.

Or, at least, he thought it was none of his business until Jiraiya crept up to him in the middle of the night a few days into their travels, flattening a map on the ground.

Kakashi had been confused, to say the least. Jiraiya hadn't spoken to him about his mission, hadn't even hinted at where he was going or what he was trying to accomplish. Naruto didn't even appear to know; the two of them were merely trailing after Jiraiya, following him in whatever direction he'd decided to walk that day. He'd seemed decisive in his movements, decisive enough to make Kakashi think he had a clear purpose. But looking at him now, scrutinizing the map in front of him — Kakashi knew without a doubt that Jiraiya had absolutely no idea where he was going.

Jiraiya looked up at him. "Did Danzo tell you what I'm doing?" he asked. Kakashi raised a brow and shook his head. Jiraiya nodded and turned his attention back to the map, absently brushing some spots of dirt off the corner. "Of course he didn't." The man sighed and leaned back, staring at him, contemplating. "I don't trust you," he stated plainly. "But you're the only person involved in this that I think can actually help me, so I'm going to take a calculated risk." He looked towards Naruto, who was sprawled on his sleeping bag and fast asleep, before bending towards Kakashi. Kakashi returned the favor and leaned in close.

Jiraiya's voice didn't rise above a whisper, but his words made Kakashi's stomach lurch. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha," he explained.

Kakashi blinked. His first question seemed obvious. "Which one?"

The small smile that made its way onto Jiraiya's face caught him off guard, as did his abrupt laugh. He quickly muffled it with his hand. "You know," he informed him matter of factly, trying hard to regain his composure, "Danzo would consider it treason to even ask that."

Kakashi only shrugged, not quite sure what else to do in the face of Jiraiya's odd outburst. "The question still stands."

"The real one," Jiraiya clarified, the mirth still clear in his eyes. "The Sasuke you trained at the outpost."

Kakashi nodded. He almost wished Jiraiya had said he was looking for the other Sasuke. If the other Sasuke is even still alive, he reminded himself, grimacing. "Why are you looking for him?"

"Danzo thinks that he poses a threat to the village, along with his brother," Jiraiya answered. "I'm trying to verify whether that's true. And that means I need to figure out where he is."

Kakashi looked back at the map. "He was with Orochimaru," he tried, ignoring the sudden throb in his chest. Jiraiya only nodded though, the information clearly not new to him.

"He was," he agreed. "But then one day," he made a sharp motion with his hands, seeming to mime an explosion, "the kid just disappeared. Completely. Even Orochimaru doesn't seem to know where he is." Jiraiya placed a hand on his chin, pointing at the map. "One of my sources claim they saw him heading west out of the Sound Village, but no one has been able to corroborate the report and I have no idea why he would be heading in that direction, not when his brother is back east. My sources are sparse out west, but not sparse enough that this kid should be able to avoid them entirely, not unless he somehow knew where they were." Jiraiya chuckled suddenly, rubbing a hand over his face. "I thought I knew everything about this kid," he admitted, "but obviously there's a huge piece to this puzzle I'm missing. So, since you spent so much time training the boy," he pushed the map closer to Kakashi with the side of his foot and offered him a mild smile, "do you have any idea where in the ever living hell he might be?"

Kakashi cocked his head at the map, considering it. "You're sure he's not trying to find Itachi?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "He would've reached him by now. And even if he didn't, at least one of my sources would've seen him." He gestured toward the entire eastern part of the map. "Not to brag, but I'm extremely well connected in those parts."

Kakashi tried not to roll his eyes, instead turning his attention back to the issue at hand. "That would've been the course of action that made the most sense for him," Kakashi admitted. "Getting revenge on his brother for killing his clan, I mean."

Jiraiya rubbed at his eyes. "That's what I —" he stopped abruptly, peering at Kakashi from between his fingers. "What?"

"The kid has a bit of a revenge complex," Kakashi explained. "Itachi killed the Uchiha clan, so it wouldn't shock me if —"

"Wait, no," Jiraiya held up a hand, cutting Kakashi off. "What?"

Kakashi was at a loss, so he returned the question. "What?"

Jiraiya seemed absolutely dumbfounded, staring at Kakashi like he was some undiscovered specimen. "You don't—" he stopped himself, looked back at the map. "Shit."

Kakashi waited for the man to explain himself, but Jiraiya didn't expound on his evident frustration. He only crossed his arms and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Kakashi looked down at the map, then back at Jiraiya. What the fuck?

The Sannin appeared to come to some sort of decision after a time and nodded. He opened his eyes and regarded Kakashi. "I'm not at liberty to say anything," he murmured. "You bring up a good point, though: I've been operating under the assumption that Sasuke knows as much as I do." Jiraiya grabbed at the map, pulling it back towards him. "Even if the jutsu was fully broken, and that's a big if, he still wouldn't be aware of —" Kakashi realized Jiraiya was rambling, and given that he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, he chose to ignore the man. Instead, he looked over and pondered Naruto, still sound asleep and completely oblivious to the world around him.

"He knows about Itachi," Jiraiya said. "He has to know about Itachi. He might even know about the other Sasuke, depending on how much Orochimaru wanted to tell him. But him heading west still makes no sense —"

"Why did you bring Naruto?" Jiraiya paused and looked up at Kakashi. Kakashi returned his gaze and shrugged. "Sasuke's only a kid, but since he joined Orochimaru, he's technically an enemy of the village. Quite a dangerous mission to bring Naruto along on, don't you think?"

Jiraiya glanced over at the blond. He heaved a tired sigh. "Sasuke's dangerous," he admitted. Kakashi moved to argue, but Jiraiya only held up a hand. "Sasuke is dangerous," he repeated, his voice firm, "whether he's a kid or not. But there are more dangerous people out there." He considered Kakashi carefully. "And you're not the only one I don't trust."

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Jiraiya leaned forward with a grunt and collected the map, hauling himself to his feet. "Thanks for the help," he said.

Kakashi watched Jiraiya make his way back to his own sleeping bag, perplexed by the entire situation. But he didn't ask for more information, because that wasn't his job, not on this mission. He just had to keep Naruto safe, and if that meant trailing after Jiraiya to some shop near the Hidden Waterfall Village while listening to Naruto complain the entire time, he was duty bound to do it, no questions asked. An image of Sasuke flashed in his mind.

He looked towards Naruto and offered the boy a small smile. "It's right up ahead," he assured the blond. "Just like Jiraiya said."

• • •

The shop was small, a mere rest stop for weary travelers. Kakashi couldn't even figure out its name, the sign so decrepit and worn down that the letters only appeared as a vague stain on the wood. Why Jiraiya was intent on stopping here was beyond him. He figured that it probably had something to do with his sources, but Kakashi wasn't about to ask.

Naruto, meanwhile, was far more vocal about his complaints.

"They don't even have ramen here," Naruto moaned, sulking down in his chair and staring forlornly at the rice dish the waitress had placed in front of him.

Jiraiya glared at the boy. "Would you pipe down?" He took a quick drink from his glass, the ice cubes rattling against the sides. Naruto poked at the food.

"This doesn't even look edible, Pervy Sage," he groaned. "Why are we here?"

"Business," Jiraiya answered easily. Kakashi took a sip of his own drink as Naruto stood up in a snit, his utensils clattering against the table.

"I have to take a leak," Naruto grumbled, trudging to the bathroom. Jiraiya only waved him off with his hand. He was staring resolutely at the entrance behind Kakashi's head, and although Kakashi knew the Sannin wasn't looking at him, he was still mildly uncomfortable by the fact that it appeared like his eyes were intently trained on him.

"Don't take too long," Jiraiya called after him.

Kakashi took another drink and regarded the Sannin. Jiraiya appeared to take notice of the scrutiny and raised an eyebrow at Kakashi. "I'm waiting for someone," he explained.

Kakashi shrugged. "None of my business," he reassured him.

Jiraiya gave him a sardonic smile, focusing his gaze back on the entrance. "Unfortunately, I think it kind of is your business now." He took another drink. "I don't know —" His eyes suddenly widened. "Holy shit." He pulled his gaze back towards the table and motioned towards Kakashi. "Don't look behind you."

The Sannin's alarm immediately put Kakashi on edge. He fought the urge to reach for a weapon. "What?" Jiraiya only shook his head.

"I don't believe it," he mumbled, his gaze riveted on the table. "What are the odds —" he glanced back up and nodded his chin in Kakashi's direction. "Okay, look now."

Kakashi cautiously looked back over his shoulder, his nerves skyrocketing.

A boy was at the entrance, leaning over as he quietly spoke to a waitress. A small shock of recognition ran through Kakashi's body, a whispered voice telling him that he knew this person, but he couldn't quite place the boy. He was young, probably the same age as Naruto, and was clearly a shinobi of some sort. Kakashi didn't see anything particularly odd about the exchange, though, and assumed the boy was just a traveler asking for directions. He was about to turn back towards Jiraiya to ask him why the boy had unnerved him so much when the kid stood up to his full height, peering towards the back of the shop. And that was when Kakashi caught a glimpse of his eyes.

Sasuke.

He was thoroughly taken aback by how much the Uchiha had grown. The wiry child he remembered was entirely gone; the Uchiha was taller, stronger, more put together. The boy even looked like he might prove to be a formidable opponent, something Kakashi had never particularly thought while he was training him. He vaguely remembered what Jiraiya had said about Sasuke, remembered how he had called him dangerous.

Perhaps he was right.

Kakashi turned back towards Jiraiya. The man was swirling the contents of his drink, deep in thought. "That's a bit convenient, don't you think?" the Sannin wondered aloud. He placed his drink down and squinted at the boy, tapping an uneven melody on the table with his fingers. "No one's seen this kid for months and he just happens to show up here? It makes no sense." He shook his head. "What the hell is going on?"

Kakashi took a breath, still shocked at Sasuke's sudden appearance. "What do you want to do?"

Jiraiya hummed, taking another drink. "We'll play it safe and keep our distance for now. Until we can figure out what he's doing, we'll follow him and see —" Jiraiya paused suddenly and looked around, the contents of his drink jostling and coming dangerously close to spilling. "Where's Naruto?"

"Watch where you're going, asshole!" The voice was unmistakable.

Kakashi sighed. Of course.

He looked over to see that Sasuke had moved to the back of the shop, evidently putting him on a collision course with Naruto when the blond emerged from the bathroom. And, if Naruto's outburst was anything to go by, Sasuke probably hadn't even offered him so much as an apology after walking into him.

Despite the benefit of his mask, Kakashi felt himself fighting off a smile. Sasuke never was one for manners, he reminisced.

He couldn't hear Sasuke's response, but, whatever it was, it obviously wasn't to Naruto's liking. The blond got right in the Uchiha's face, his cheeks turning red. "What'd you just say, you —"

"Fucking shit," Jiraiya leapt from his chair and hurried across the room. Kakashi pushed himself to his feet at a considerably slower pace, turning just in time to see Naruto rear back and aim his fist at Sasuke's face. Kakashi cocked his head.

Let's see what you've learned.

Sasuke evaded the attack easily, rolling past it and grabbing hard onto Naruto's forearm. He used the blond's momentum and threw him straight into a nearby table, a defense that made an uncomfortable amount of nostalgia bubble into Kakashi's throat.

He didn't want to step in, not really. But then Naruto reached for a kunai and Sasuke reached for his sword, and he didn't really have another option.

Jiraiya grabbed hold of Naruto, wrapping the boy into a large bear hug and practically throwing him away from the fight. Kakashi, meanwhile, appeared next to Sasuke in a whoosh of air. He laid a firm hand on Sasuke's wrist, keeping the sword firmly in its scabbard. Sasuke only glared up at him.

"A chokuto, huh?" Kakashi remarked. "That's new."

Sasuke grunted and pulled away from him. He looked Kakashi up and down, the frank assessment reminding Kakashi of all the times they'd stood across from each other before a sparring session.

He's just a kid, Kakashi reminded himself. A stubborn, irritable kid, but a kid.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and gave the boy a smile. "Nice to see you again, Sasuke."

Sasuke tilted his head at him and narrowed his eyes, a cautious, wary acknowledgement. "Kakashi," he finally replied.

• • •

They were kicked out of the shop, all four of them. Jiraiya had tried to placate the frazzled shop owner, had even offered up money for the necessary repairs, but the man had little patience for them after Naruto and Sasuke's antics. He drove them through the entrance, threatening them with legal action if they didn't leave immediately. Sasuke left easily enough; Kakashi and Jiraiya had more trouble getting Naruto out, the boy yelling that he didn't even do anything and that it was all that bastard's fault, anyway.

Naruto was still grumbling when they finally got him back onto the road, rubbing at his shoulder and glaring at Sasuke. "Damn asshole bastard, who does he think he is —"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Would you calm down. Just because you got your ass kicked —"

"I didn't get my ass kicked —"

Kakashi looked over to see Sasuke walking away from them, making his way slowly down the road.

"Hey," Jiraiya called. The boy didn't stop.

Kakashi sighed. This was far more trouble than he was interested in dealing with. "Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped and glanced over his shoulder, regarding Kakashi with little more than a raised eyebrow. His gaze shot over to Jiraiya as the man took a step forward. The Sannin was moving slowly, cautiously, acting as if Sasuke was a wild animal that could, at any moment, turn around and rip his throat out.

He's just a kid.

"If you don't mind," he gave Sasuke a reassuring smile. "I have some questions for you, Uchiha."

Sasuke scrutinized the Sannin silently. "And if I refuse?"

Jiraiya's response was immediate. "Then you're under arrest."

A smirk toyed at Sasuke's mouth. "For what?" he asked, the amusement clear in his voice. Kakashi suddenly felt something tug at his sleeve, and he turned around to see Naruto peering up at him.

"What the hell is going on?" the boy whispered, glancing anxiously between Jiraiya and Sasuke. "Who is this guy and why did you —"

"Defection." Jiraiya's voice was clear in the silence surrounding them. Kakashi looked back to see that Sasuke had turned to face them, his hand resting lazily on his sword.

"Defection?" he asked. "Is that the official story, then? That I defected from the Leaf Village?" Jiraiya only pursed his lips, which appeared to be enough of an answer for Sasuke. The Uchiha turned his attention to Kakashi, considering him. Naruto was still pulling at Kakashi's sleeve, but he couldn't rip his gaze away from Sasuke's, the weight of the moment keeping him frozen in place.

"Do you believe that?" Sasuke finally asked, his eyes boring into Kakashi. Kakashi couldn't help but note how tired Sasuke looked when he asked the question, how he almost seemed to deflate after the words left his body.

He's a kid.

The answer, Kakashi knew, was no, he didn't believe it. He'd read the reports, had gotten the debriefings, all of which claimed that Sasuke abandoned the village for Orochimaru. It had made sense at the time, what with the fake Sasuke being attacked and abducted just when the real Sasuke mysteriously escaped from the outpost. All Orochimaru's doing, the Hokage had reassured him, something none of them could have foreseen happening.

"I thought I knew everything about this kid, but obviously there's a huge piece to this puzzle I'm missing."

Kakashi was about to shake his head no, to tell Sasuke that he didn't believe it, not a chance, when Naruto suddenly cried out.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" Kakashi turned to find the blond absolutely fuming behind him, pulling at his hair in frustration. "Who the — why do you — I don't understand!" he yelled. Jiraiya made his way towards the boy with a sigh.

"This is going to be a bitch to explain," he bemoaned. He waved towards Kakashi. "Make sure Sasuke doesn't go anywhere, yeah?"

"Why do you keep calling him Sasuke, that's not —"

"If you would give me a second to explain maybe —"

Kakashi sighed. A crap fest. An absolute, utter crap fest.