Ninja of the Shadows by Gaki
First attempt at writing for Naruto. ^^; The characters might be OOC so please forgive me if they are.
A ninja is a being of darkness. To be a ninja, one must make oneself become the shadows. To be a ninja, one must be part of everything around oneself. To be a ninja is to be a sleek and silent enigma. If you can not accomplish such a feat, then you will never be able to call yourself a ninja.
That was what Hatake Kakashi was, a ninja of the shadows. When he moves, the darkness would move with him. When he strikes, the shadows would cover his attack and there would be nothing but silence all around. In almost every thing he did, there was elegance about it, not one of womanly charms but one of a man who has mastered the art of being what he is.
Those who did not know of him would say that he is one ninja you would never want to approach. Yet, those who do know him, those who have been around him and have spoken to him, knew that he was not all the rumors have said. Hatake Kakashi may be a ninja of the shadows, yet unlike the shadows, he mingles with the light. He has adapted to his surroundings. He has learned that in order for him to survive, he had to blend himself in with those around him. For a ninja who knew things is a ninja who would live to see another day.
Iruka of the Leaf Village knew of Kakashi. He'd heard the stories and the rumors. He'd seen the looks on people's faces when the name Hatake Kakashi was spoken. Iruka was also one of the few who knew Kakashi. He knew that the man who should be feared always wore a happy expression. He knew that the man, who had mastered jutsus that even he could never dream of mastering, was laid back and friendly. He knew that Kakashi would never harm a fly, unless that fly was invading his ramen bowl.
Yet, Iruka knew the one thing that no one else would ever know about Kakashi. He was the only one who knew this and he would never tell anyone for it was his most treasured secret. Iruka knew that behind the mask that always covered that smiling face and behind the Sharingan eye, was a man who was lonely. He knew that Kakashi honored friendship more than anything. He knew that Kakashi would never betray those he has given his word to. Yet, even more importantly, he knew that Kakashi was a lonely man.
He knew that Kakashi was a master at hiding things from people, that if there was something he didn't want people to know, no one would ever find out. Yet, for some reason, he had found out. For some reason unknown to him, he saw, if only for a short second, behind that one revealed eye a loneliness that was even greater than his own.
From that moment on, he knew that behind the ever kindly smiling face, was a person who wanted to surround themselves with people. Because if Kakashi surrounded himself with others, then he wouldn't be alone yet that would not be enough for him, Iruka knew. He knew that surrounding yourself with other people means nothing if those people did not long to be near you. He knew that wanting to be apart of something, yet was always push towards the edge was a horrible feeling and that that would feed itself into the feeling of complete loneliness.
Kakashi may be a ninja with skills far more advance than his own, yet when it came to people, Iruka knew that he knew more than Kakashi ever would.
So Iruka knew why Kakashi would tell Naruto and the others to appear early in the morning for their training. It was because Kakashi knew that Naruto and Sakura would complain to him whenever he appeared late and if they complained, that would mean they were talking to him. If they shouted and whined at him, that would mean that they could see him and that he wasn't alone. If they looked up at him and said loudly, "Kakashi-sensei! You took forever!" then he knew that they were aware that he wasn't there when he was supposed to. And that would mean that he wasn't a complete shadow.
He stood there now, hiding behind the corner of a building as he watched Kakashi at the usual ramen place he loved to visit so much. With his hand resting against the cracked surface of the building, he observed the other ninja carefully.
Sitting alone on the stood with his elbows resting on the wooden top of the table, Kakashi was smiling brightly to the owner of the small ramen stand. He could faintly hear them talking to each other; it was a causal conversation. It wasn't a small talk between two people who have known each other through out the years nor was it one between two people who understood each other. It was all it seemed, a normal conversation between two strangers in the street.
Somewhere in his chest, a string tugged at Iruka for him to move. Yet, he did not know what he would say to the other ninja. What do you say to a person who you knew was lonely even when he was around people? What do you say to a person who probably never once had a person who understood them? Looking down at the dirt ground, he frowned. It was a horrible feeling, that complete loneliness. That feeling that whatever you tried to do to get rid of, would never go away because no one wanted to be near you. No one wanted to have anything to do with you because you were not the same. That feeling of complete lost, of not having what so many others have. That sense of companionship, that wonderful feeling of having a family. That was why he reached out towards Naruto, the boy without a family.
The reason why he gave Naruto all the things he could give him was because he did not want Naruto to feel that alone. He did not long to see that young boy be so lonely, like he was. Then, in a sudden flash of realization, Iruka looked up once more.
He had reached out towards Naruto to keep the boy from being completely alone. Perhaps, reaching out towards Kakashi and showing the other ninja that he wasn't completely alone was what he should do at that instant. There were no words he could say to ease that pain for he himself could not do it to himself. There were no words to chase anything away because that feeling had already embedded itself deep inside of Kakashi, he knew. The only way to help the other ninja was to be beside him, like how he was with Naruto. The only way to prove to the other ninja that he was not alone was to stand with him, behind him, in front of him and beside him. That was the only way, that was the only thing he knew what to do.
Taking a step away from the building, Iruka readied himself. The gap in their skills may be wide but that was not something he worried himself over. He respected the other ninja, not only for his skills but for who he was. Kakashi was a strong ninja despite his wonderful and fearful abilities. He was one who you could trust your life with. He would never betray those he held close. If there was anything Iruka knew he could do for this man who had forsaken the need for a family in order to become a great ninja, he would do it in a second.
So as he slowly made his way towards the ramen stand, he prayed silently that this small gesture would some how ease that intense hole inside of Kakashi.
He knew that Kakashi knew he was there and Kakashi being no other than himself had said nothing all the while when Iruka had silently observed him. Though, he was glad that the other ninja didn't say anything about that when he finally reached his side. Instead, Kakashi only turned and looked up at him from where he sat an expression of curiosity on his face as he wondered why Iruka was standing there before him.
Feeling slightly embarrassed at himself, Iruka offered a smile as he bowed his head forward a bit, speaking up quietly.
"Would it be alright if I joined you, Kakashi-sensei?"
That one eye gazed up at him for a moment longer, as if it were trying to see into him. As if Kakashi was trying to see if there was more to this encounter than what he saw. Then, probably when finding nothing but a hopeful request, Kakashi smiled at Iruka, his deep voice holding that teasing tone as he answered.
"Iruka-sensei, you know it's more than a pleasure for me to be able to eat with you."
Feeling his face heat up once again, Iruka sat down as he smiled once again before giving the owner his order.
As they ate, they sat in a silence that was not uncomfortable or heavy. It was a silence between two people who understood each other without having to say anything. It was a silence that spoke of knowledge and hope. It was a silence that brought with it a sense of ease, that slowly blanketed itself onto those it surrounded. As they ate, they offered each other smiles that did not speak of longing for companionship, but of a glee of happiness.
Hatake Kakashi may be a ninja of the shadows but there was one person who could see him from inside that darkness and understand him. That person was no other than Iruka of the Leaf Village himself.