The walk through Konoha was quiet despite the low hum of energy the lights and people gave off. Konoha was always active no matter the time of day. All sorts of people lived in the village, and as soon as the sky turned pink and the first stars came out, the people switched places. A new village was born in the dark.

Konoha's night life was never too rowdy, unless you count the occasional festival. But that wasn't really right in saying the festivals were part of Konoha's night life; everyone was awake at those times. Normally Konoha's streets were dark and lit by the inside of businesses with low hanging curtains as doors. Iruka's favorite ramen place, Ichiraku's Ramen, was the same. Konoha didn't have street lights like he'd heard Sunagakure did. He supposed that was because glass was easier for them to make than it was for Konoha to buy. The only place Konoha had glass was the village center: the Hokage tower and the Mission Desk, located nearby, surrounded by more known clans' weapons smiths.

The shadows at night were always dramatic, so Iruka preferred the more lit streets where most of the people gathered. Alleyways were never the safest to go for orphans, and he didn't think being adopted by the Hyuuga clan made him any less of an orphan in most of the village's eyes. Clans were important. Belonging to one was only the first step, however.

While walking, Iruka purchased a skewer of dango on one of the more busy streets. He liked sweets, especially surrounded by laughter and light during his more lonely nights. Even if no one talked to him at all he felt more whole and okay than he did lying in his new soulless bedroom.

When he turned on the memorial way, the laughter and the light had dimmed considerably. The dango was only a stick, and Iruka was finishing the last piece in his mouth when his feet touched the gravel path. He flicked the stick into some bushes, aiming to flick it perfectly onto the tree he could see through a small patch in the leaves. He didn't miss this time. He did wonder how many of those sticks were there now, though.

While he walked he worked on casually scanning the area without moving his eyes. He didn't close his normal eye, however, as he wanted to appear normal. Not that anyone was watching (he didn't see anyone, at least), but it couldn't hurt to get used to seeing the in between and appear like he wasn't scanning into the very essence of someone.

It was difficult to walk while he focused his attention behind him and to the sides, where his normal eye couldn't see. Walking forward while seeing backwards was going to have to take some time to get used to. In the meantime, stumbling and smacking his toes onto spiky leaves and twigs was going to have to do.

"...You look like a newborn," an amused voice whispered above.

"Gaahh!" Iruka yelped, jerking his head up so fast his body followed and he ended up on his butt, wincing.

The laughter that followed wasn't so much laughter as it was a snigger.

"Yup, totally a baby."

Anger surged in Iruka so fast and deadly that even he was startled at how he reacted. "Who the hell do you think you are? I don't care what you think you see, but don't you dare insult someone doing their best! It doesn't matter if they look incompetent to you, that person is still trying! Don't laugh at me!"

It was only after screaming that last sentence that Iruka managed to come back to himself. His fists were clenched at his sides and his cheeks were so hot he knew they would be cherries if it was anything but dark. More importantly, he saw who he was screaming at.

"I-I-I . . . uh."

Kakashi Hatake stared back at him with one eye arched in an amused glint and his body relaxed against the tree he was sitting in. "Don't worry, I won't eat you for yelling at me. I only eat my friends, remember?"

Befuddlement replaced any guilt or embarrassment Iruka had been feeling. He furrowed his only working brow - for the moment (he still held out hope that he would be able to manipulate his brow at all).

"Who said you eat your friends?"

The silence was more worrisome, somehow.

Iruka rolled both of his eyes in response, and he noticed Kakashi follow the movement. He wouldn't have been able to catch it if he wasn't looking for it, even if it was daytime; Kakashi was quick. But Iruka had been looking for it and he scowled. Of course the only reason Kakashi Hatake would ever talk to him would be because he was intrigued by the eye just like everyone else.

"Just ask," he snapped, folding his arms across his chest.

It said a lot about Kakashi that Iruka's harsh tone rolled right off of his back. He dropped from the tree and in front of Iruka, leaning down to stick his face as close to Iruka as he could before Iruka's head pulled backwards out of discomfort. His eyelashes were as frosty as his hair, and his eye looked clear despite the shiny silver color. He wasn't as intense as he was probably trying to be, at least, not if he was trying to be friendly and intense.

"Is it really that difficult to walk with that thing?"

Iruka sighed and turned on his heel. "Yes. At least," he started walking towards the memorial stone, "it's more difficult when I'm looking behind me while walking forward."

"I don't envy you," Kakashi said behind him. He seemed more serious now. Iruka looked at his face while they walked and his eye was cast downward. Iruka was about to look forward again until he saw Kakashi's hand slowly drift halfway up his torso before falling back down to stuff into his pocket. Maybe this was why Kakashi started talking to him. He probably felt the way Iruka did.

"How did you get yours?" Iruka asked casually, hands in his pockets and feet barely stumbling while he kept looking around. The stars were pretty tonight.

"I'd rather not say," Kakashi replied, tone mild. Iruka hummed back at him in acknowledgement.

"So what else are you itching to know?" he asked instead.

"How loud does Hiashi snore?"

The laugh was startled out of Iruka, like Kakashi had reached inside and tickled it out. The most befuddling teenager ever. Wasn't this guy the cold blooded killer that everyone whispered about? The only person that anyone actually knew was in ANBU. Who was such a fierce team leader that his enemies flung themselves at him, either ready to die or wanting to take the legend down.

"I wouldn't know," Iruka rasped when he was done chuckling. "He sleeps out of earsight from me."

"But you can see him?" Kakashi inquired, tilting his head.

"Barely. My eye isn't as good as the rest of the clans' eyes." Iruka didn't want to think too strongly on what that meant, on who this eye was taken from and what age they were when Orochimaru took it. It was over and done, and none of the Hyuuga had whispered a word about it. Which meant they didn't know either. And that was the scariest part. A Hyuuga that no one knew about, eye (most definitely eyes ) taken from them by a crazy nin. Hidden away, alive or dead, and no one even knew their name or what family they belonged to. It was another chilling reason Iruka couldn't sleep at night.

"That sucks. You'll have to train a lot, then," Kakashi nodded. Iruka smirked in agreement, though he didn't verbally confirm.

They finally arrived at the stone, and Kakashi hesitated behind him. "You can stay, if you want," Iruka offered, finally turning his face to properly look at Kakashi. "I just came to say hi to my parents."

"That's okay," Kakashi said, shaking his head. His floppy grey hair wiggled like wheat stalks in a breeze. Iruka absentmindedly wondered how dry and textured Kakashi's hair would feel between his fingers. "I should go, anyway. Lot's to do tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, new Hyuuga-chan."

Before Iruka could even begin to open his mouth, Kakashi poofed away in a small swirl of leaves. Iruka scowled at the air where he used to be.

"Stupid Jounin."

…

"Report," Danzo ordered, fingers steepled together under his chin and elbows on his mahogany desk (that did not match the Hokage's).

Kakashi saluted.