"I'm taking him," Iruka said after a moment of quietly listening to the baby babble and play with Iruka's hair. Kakashi had taken to leaning against the peeling wall next to the window, a couple of fist sized holes behind his head. When Iruka spoke he raised his single eye from Naruto's cheerful face to Iruka's most serious one.
"Where? There's no way the Hyuuga compound would allow this monster to live among them, especially now that they're stretching their patience with you already." The words were incredibly harsh, but Iruka knew that Kakashi was right. Even though Kakashi had no clan to answer to, he was still the last member of one of the most influential clans of Konoha. He knew clan politics.
"Why did Sandaime-sama tell everyone?"
The question was sudden but solemn and quietly spoken. Iruka's eye felt suspiciously wet, and he gently stroked Naruto's soft hairline. Even though he was dirty, the baby was soft. Iruka glanced up at Kakashi after clearing his eye and noticed Kakashi's rigid shoulders and clenched fist. Something inside Kakashi had seemed to harden at Iruka's question.
"I'm going to find out," Kakashi said. This was the best answer Iruka had heard from him so far. "I'd like your help," he continued, and Iruka's hold on Naruto tightened subconsciously. "I've heard of your legendary pranks. That type of mind is something I want with me to break into the Hokage's records."
Iruka's stuttering was frantic and the fatigue that he'd barely been holding back started weighing on him harder. He'd never wished to just go crawl in a hole more than this moment.
"What makes you think I wouldn't just turn around and tell Sandaime-sama that you're going to break into his vault?" he demanded, lifting Naruto higher against his chest and pressing his cheek against the boy's ear, like the baby was his old teddy. Naruto cooed and started slapping Iruka's opposite cheek rather roughly. Iruka winced a little and pulled back slightly, chortling when Naruto squealed boisterously in response.
"Because you know something is fishy, too," Kakashi countered when he had Iruka's attention again.
Iruka worried his bottom lip for a moment, silently admitting to himself that Kakashi was right and that fishy didn't even begin to describe this situation. Not only was this orphanage absolutely not functional for healthy Konoha children, but Naruto was being abused. No matter what, this was a baby, and abuse didn't fly with Iruka. If the Sandaime knew Naruto was being treated like this and instead continued to let it happen . . . well.
"What's your plan so far?" Iruka asked, locking his single eye onto Kakashi's single eye.
Kakashi straightened from the wall.
It struck Iruka at that moment that Kakashi was dangerously lithe. The smooth movement when his shoulders lifted from the wall and when his foot fell to the ground without a stutter in the dust below it gave Iruka complete certainty that if Kakashi so chose it, there would no longer be Iruka Umino-Hyuuga. No trace left behind. Not that he believed Kakashi would kill a Konoha nin on purpose - if that was the case he would be locked away or killed and ravaged for his secrets. That was the only reason Iruka's alarm didn't cross his face at how unsettled he was at Kakashi's casual movement.
"Do you know of your kekkei genkai?" Kakashi asked instead of answering. Iruka pursed his lips and wiggled Naruto's toes when he started getting a little loud. The baby giggled and tried to grab his hand, so Iruka entertained him by pretending to grab for his toes. He didn't know why Kakashi wanted to know about whatever kekkei genkai he had (which, wow, he really never thought he'd have a kekkei genkai or be special, but here he was), but he felt he could at least share this information since it would probably be common knowledge when he finally began training in earnest.
"No, I don't know anything about it. I was supposed to start my seals training yesterday, and also start learning about my mom's ability," he admitted. "I still don't know what happened yesterday, I don't even remember getting to the hospital."
"Ouch," Kakashi said dryly, but Iruka had heard of Kakashi's detestation of the hospital from every nurse he talked to, so he knew Kakashi was truly sympathetic. "That complicates matters a little bit. You don't even know what it's called, do you?" His tone was still dry.
"No," Iruka said sheepishly.
"It's called Shodosenko," Kakashi answered, stalking forward until he could start playing with Naruto in Iruka's arm. The baby happily welcomed the company, however Iruka could only feel uncomfortable at how close Kakashi was. The teen lowered his voice for the rest of his explanation, creating an intimate atmosphere. "You have the ability to immediately create seals and barriers by your thoughts, and then imprint the chakra stamp of the seal onto whatever you can project your chakra onto. It's the only ability of its kind, and your mom helped Minato-sama, the fourth Hokage, seal the Kyuubi into Naruto."
"My mom..?" Iruka wondered, awed.
"Your mom, yes. You can do the same thing. If Naruto's seal gets damaged you have the ability to immediately seal Kyuubi away again - with the help of someone else's chakra reserves, obviously."
"Yes, obviously," Iruka muttered, his turn for the dry tone. But Iruka was thoughtful now, his countenance blank and eye far away despite staring at Naruto in his arm. Kakashi was quiet while Iruka absorbed the information. "You said this complicates things," Iruka stated - Kakashi nodded. "So now that you know I have no idea how to use Shodosenko, what do you think we should do? I still have the Byakugan."
"You do, and that will help a lot. It does mean that we need to do some research on the wards in the Hokage's vault, however." Kakashi finally stepped back and Iruka took a deeper breath. He offhandedly was incredibly grateful for nose blindness. "Can you handle some stares?"
The question was unexpected, but Iruka rolled with it. "I've been stared at since people heard about what I now carry in my skull," he said caustically. Kakashi snorted.
"Okay, then, let's go," he said, and one foot stepped out of the crooked window. Iruka sighed loudly.
"You're taking Naruto," he said, walking over to hand the baby over to Kakashi. Kakashi opened his arms wide and came in to tickle Naruto before gladly taking him from Iruka. "I'll meet you outside."
Iruka turned to the door, finally allowing his shoulders to slump when he heard Kakashi say "giddyup!" and heard Naruto's laughter fade away. The exhaustion was back, but Naruto was important. Iruka squared up again and headed down the dilapidated hallway.
He waved at Batto-san when he passed by her office but she called his name, so he worked on erasing the fatigue from his face before he turned to smile at her. "Yes, Batto-san?"
She eyed him with sharp brown eyes hidden in folds of wrinkled skin.
"Will you be coming often?" The question threw him and he narrowed his eye at her, taking in every micro expression he could find. Finally, he nodded, not deigning to answer verbally. She seemed to tighten at his response. "Bring what you can."
Gruffly, Iruka said, "That was your job."
He turned away.
…
"So where are we going?" Iruka asked, but he knew that Kakashi wasn't going to answer him. He supposed the principal of the matter was what counted.
"Naru-chan, look at the pretty leaves," Kakashi baby-talked at Naruto. The baby gurgled in answer, hands swinging in the air sporadically.
As they walked the stares started increasing. Slowly, people stopped walking and just stood in the road, watching the three children (one of them strong enough to kill any of them many times over) walk in their small procession. Iruka knew it was going to be a lot, but for people to literally stop in the street to watch them was a new one.
"Got a problem?!" Iruka shouted, fists clenched and scowl rather magnificent. A couple people moved on, mainly a few women with their own children they didn't want Naruto near. The rest continued to stare. "Jeez, I hate to think badly of my own village, but this is horrible."
"I agree," Kakashi said, just loud enough for Iruka to hear. What Iruka had said could be taken as traitorous and insubordinate, so hearing Kakashi agree was startling and opened his (metaphysical) eyes. People expected Iruka to say things like this; they all knew him and knew he never meant any of it - he was as loyal as they got. However with Kakashi, one of the strongest of Konoha's nin, to agree with dangerous words was, well: dangerous. It set him on edge and made him wonder what the supposed genius had planned.
"Are you actually a genius?" Iruka wondered out loud, sure he could see through Kakashi's plot.
"I suppose you'll never know," Kakashi teased. Iruka snorted and didn't say anything more.
They walked for blocks, all the way to the southern border of Konoha. To say Iruka had to use Kakashi as a crutch would be factual but still shameful. The road had changed from the typical concrete and cobblestone to dirt and broken brick, barely seen underneath the thick layer of dead leaves. This was the older part of town, the part that bordered Konoha and the slums. It was where the Hatake compound was located.
On the walk Naruto had fallen asleep in Kakashi's arms, little legs dangling and swaying with every step of Kakashi's feet. He was adorable, his little whiskered cheeks chubby and pink with a small pool of drool coating Kakashi's shoulder pad. The minka they walked to had a three story tower in the middle, delicate black framework rusted and the white paint peeling away to reveal the natural orange of mulberry wood. Kakashi led Iruka into the minka, his wheat hair swaying softly with the mournful wind that breezed through the compound.
"This is my family's library," Kakashi finally offered, masked face shrouded in shadows cast by the dark minka frame. He tilted his head back to say, "It hasn't been used in years, so feel special."
Iruka chortled at his wording. "I'm already special enough, thanks."
Finally, after walking around the minka's hallway to an entrance, Kakashi slid open one of the paper doors with casual ease. Iruka wondered when the wards had been deactivated.
Inside was a shrine on the ground level, covered in half melted odorless candles and dead flowers. The ground was polished paulownia, but he could see spots in the corners where the polish had been rubbed or scratched away from use and age. Two kiri wardrobes were placed on opposite sides of the room, lacquered in an ombre finish. One was opened, with multiple scrolls on the ground and an ink pot broken open. The ink had dried and the shadows tricked Iruka into thinking the spirit plane had eaten parts of the floor.
Next to the wardrobes were two sets of curving stairs, missing railing in a couple of spots - though Iruka didn't see the railing pieces on the ground, so he wondered how they went missing. The stairs came together in the middle to create the platform for the second floor, viewable from their vantage point on the first floor. The second floor wrapped around them in a mezzanine of intricately carved mulberry pillars, depicting lightning and wolves. On the walls of the second floor were curving shelves that were stacked with cubbies of scrolls and books. Kakashi had said there was a third floor, so that meant beyond the ceiling of the second floor were more shelves that contained more scrolls and books. There were two windows shuttered on the second floor, directly above the two wardrobes, and Kakashi handed Naruto to Iruka to open them.
Light poured in and the room seemed to breathe with the breeze that whipped through joyfully, as if it was glad for the chance to air it all out. Iruka saw a couple of benches to his immediate left and right and gratefully plopped down onto one of them, curling Naruto into his lap.
"Nice library," Iruka finally said, panting slightly and leaning his head back against the wall to close his eye.
"We'll need every scroll we can find on wards," Kakashi said instead of responding to the compliment. Iruka assumed he would be just as uncomfortable going back to the house he had lived in with his parents after years of avoiding it - if it was still standing, at least. The Kyuubi took the option from him, and he didn't know if he was thankful or not.
"Y'know, I am supposed to be starting my Fuuinjutsu training. You're sure this can't wait for like a month?" Iruka was desperate to go back to sleep.
Kakashi paused from his search on the second floor to turn and look down at Iruka sitting on a bench by the door. "We can at least get started on it now, right?"
"I really don't think I should push Getsumei's patience," Iruka admitted, hoping this was enough of an excuse to get out of research until tomorrow. Kakashi stared at him. "Look, if she wakes up and I'm gone from the hospital I'll never be trusted. I need to go back. I can at least meet with you later, let's say tonight?"
Naruto snorted softly when it fell silent before rubbing his nose on Iruka's shirt and sighing, dozing again.
"Tonight," Kakashi agreed. He leapt down from the second story and gently pulled Naruto from Iruka's lap. "Go rest up."
"Thanks," Iruka yawned.