Someone to Pray For
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto....obviously..... but I do own an imaginary
Haku plushie!
A/N: This fic happens after Naruto and Jiraiya come back with Tsunade, and
before Sasuke leaves. Minor spoilers for that arc. And if you see any major
mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them. I fixed the formatting
thing, so I can stop stressing over that. Sorry if that caused anyone
problems, but I can't log in from my computer, so I was having some
problems.anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Kakashi walked along lazily, reading his ever present Icha Icha Paradise, his face and left eye covered as usual. It was already three in the afternoon, and he simply hadn't been able to make himself go to see his students, despite the fact that they were supposed to meet at eight in the morning. He knew he would be in for a severe yelling at from Sakura and Naruto, provided they were still there. Not that he expected them to be, although he wouldn't be surprised to see Sasuke.
Walking into their training field, Kakashi's visible eye scanned the area with a deceptively lazy look. Not seeing his students, he resumed his normal stance, which caused him, one of Konohagakure's best, to look like an out-of-work bum. Not that he was, of course. Even if he was late for everything, lazy and perverted, he was a skilled ninja who never let his guard down. Not after what had happened to Obito.
Sighing sadly at the thought of his friend and teammate, Kakashi put his book away and began making his way over to the memorial, which contained the names of everyone he'd ever held dear. Sometimes he wished that his name adorned it, rather than the Obito's or Yondaime's. Frowning underneath his mask, he didn't notice the boy sitting in front of the memorial until he was almost there.
Glancing up, Kakashi blinked, and then stood still, using a small genjutsu to blend into his environment. Naruto was sitting in front of the memorial, his usual fox-like smile gone, replaced with the sad, lost look the boy sometimes had; the look he had when he thought no one could see him. The small blond boy looked lost, like the person that only Iruka knew him as.
Sighing, Kakashi walked over to his student. "Hey, Naruto."
Naruto glanced up, his face already reverting to its smiling mask, the hyperactive persona taking over again, "Sensei! You're really late this time! You better make it up to me!"
"Who are you here for, Naruto? I didn't realize that you.had someone to come for," Kakashi said, patting the boy's head affectionately. "Besides, shouldn't you be spending your time thinking up new tricks and causing trouble for Iruka-sensei?"
Naruto grinned, "Nah, Iruka-sensei promised he'd take me out for ramen everyday if I stayed out if trouble! Besides, I wanted to.come pay my respects."
Kakashi's eye narrowed a little, "For whom?"
".Yondaime."
Kakashi blinked, surprised, "Yondaime? You do know who he is, don't you?"
Naruto glared at him peevishly, "Of course I know who Yondaime is! The fourth Hokage, he was the one who saved our village from Kyuubi! Everyone knows who he is, sensei. Even I'm not that stupid."
".But, he saved the village by sealing the fox into you. No one would blame you for hating him, Naruto."
Naruto looked down, his smile slipping away, "Yeah, I know all of that. Even if it is his fault that people hate me, I can't blame him for it. Because he did it to protect the people that he loved; he did it to ensure our future." Naruto wiped his hand over his eyes. "I can't blame him for choosing me to seal Kyuubi into. After all, I was the only logical choice. I am his son."
Kakashi looked down at the boy, surprised, "How did you find out about that? Only the sennin and I knew that he was your father."
Naruto smiled a little bit. "That stubborn old lady told me! She said that you shouldn't hide the truth from me, that I had a right to know."
Kakashi stared down on Naruto, "Stubborn old lady? Are you talking about Tsunade-sama?" He blinked. "Well, I guess I can see that. She is stubborn, and she is fifty, although you'd never know looking at her."
Naruto snickered. "Our new Hokage is a stubborn old lady, and she has a temper too! It's so funny when I call her old; she gets this little twitch and just glares at me like she wants to kill me! But she can't, because she gave me her bad luck charm. Now I really will be the next Hokage, because the stupid charm hasn't killed me yet."
Kakashi sighed at Naruto's antics, "You really shouldn't call our leader names, Naruto. She has a terrible temper. If you insist on calling one of your superiors names, do it to Iruka-sensei. He likes you the best." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "And he's definitely the most fun to tease."
Naruto smiled-a real, genuine smile. Not one to hide pain and loneliness, not a smile to draw attention. A smile of happiness and belonging. "I guess you're right, Kakashi-sensei. Speaking of Iruka-sensei, I need to go find him! I haven't done anything wrong at all today, so he owes me ramen!" Naruto jumped up, ready to run off, before Kakashi stopped him.
"Hey, slow down, dobe. I think I'll squeeze a meal out of Iruka too," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "He's way too nice for his own good."
Naruto glared at the silver haired jounin. "You're gonna bum a meal off of him again? You're so cheap, sensei!"
Kakashi laughed, "Well, why should I pay when I can walk away before Iruka realizes I didn't pay? Come on, Naruto, let's go find him." The jounin started walking, leaving a confused boy in his wake. "Naruto.don't you want ramen? Hurry up!"
The blond grinned his fox grin, catching up with his sensei. Walking alongside of him, listening to Naruto chattering about nothing and everything, Kakashi mused that one day, maybe, the village would see Naruto for the person he really was.
Kakashi walked along lazily, reading his ever present Icha Icha Paradise, his face and left eye covered as usual. It was already three in the afternoon, and he simply hadn't been able to make himself go to see his students, despite the fact that they were supposed to meet at eight in the morning. He knew he would be in for a severe yelling at from Sakura and Naruto, provided they were still there. Not that he expected them to be, although he wouldn't be surprised to see Sasuke.
Walking into their training field, Kakashi's visible eye scanned the area with a deceptively lazy look. Not seeing his students, he resumed his normal stance, which caused him, one of Konohagakure's best, to look like an out-of-work bum. Not that he was, of course. Even if he was late for everything, lazy and perverted, he was a skilled ninja who never let his guard down. Not after what had happened to Obito.
Sighing sadly at the thought of his friend and teammate, Kakashi put his book away and began making his way over to the memorial, which contained the names of everyone he'd ever held dear. Sometimes he wished that his name adorned it, rather than the Obito's or Yondaime's. Frowning underneath his mask, he didn't notice the boy sitting in front of the memorial until he was almost there.
Glancing up, Kakashi blinked, and then stood still, using a small genjutsu to blend into his environment. Naruto was sitting in front of the memorial, his usual fox-like smile gone, replaced with the sad, lost look the boy sometimes had; the look he had when he thought no one could see him. The small blond boy looked lost, like the person that only Iruka knew him as.
Sighing, Kakashi walked over to his student. "Hey, Naruto."
Naruto glanced up, his face already reverting to its smiling mask, the hyperactive persona taking over again, "Sensei! You're really late this time! You better make it up to me!"
"Who are you here for, Naruto? I didn't realize that you.had someone to come for," Kakashi said, patting the boy's head affectionately. "Besides, shouldn't you be spending your time thinking up new tricks and causing trouble for Iruka-sensei?"
Naruto grinned, "Nah, Iruka-sensei promised he'd take me out for ramen everyday if I stayed out if trouble! Besides, I wanted to.come pay my respects."
Kakashi's eye narrowed a little, "For whom?"
".Yondaime."
Kakashi blinked, surprised, "Yondaime? You do know who he is, don't you?"
Naruto glared at him peevishly, "Of course I know who Yondaime is! The fourth Hokage, he was the one who saved our village from Kyuubi! Everyone knows who he is, sensei. Even I'm not that stupid."
".But, he saved the village by sealing the fox into you. No one would blame you for hating him, Naruto."
Naruto looked down, his smile slipping away, "Yeah, I know all of that. Even if it is his fault that people hate me, I can't blame him for it. Because he did it to protect the people that he loved; he did it to ensure our future." Naruto wiped his hand over his eyes. "I can't blame him for choosing me to seal Kyuubi into. After all, I was the only logical choice. I am his son."
Kakashi looked down at the boy, surprised, "How did you find out about that? Only the sennin and I knew that he was your father."
Naruto smiled a little bit. "That stubborn old lady told me! She said that you shouldn't hide the truth from me, that I had a right to know."
Kakashi stared down on Naruto, "Stubborn old lady? Are you talking about Tsunade-sama?" He blinked. "Well, I guess I can see that. She is stubborn, and she is fifty, although you'd never know looking at her."
Naruto snickered. "Our new Hokage is a stubborn old lady, and she has a temper too! It's so funny when I call her old; she gets this little twitch and just glares at me like she wants to kill me! But she can't, because she gave me her bad luck charm. Now I really will be the next Hokage, because the stupid charm hasn't killed me yet."
Kakashi sighed at Naruto's antics, "You really shouldn't call our leader names, Naruto. She has a terrible temper. If you insist on calling one of your superiors names, do it to Iruka-sensei. He likes you the best." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "And he's definitely the most fun to tease."
Naruto smiled-a real, genuine smile. Not one to hide pain and loneliness, not a smile to draw attention. A smile of happiness and belonging. "I guess you're right, Kakashi-sensei. Speaking of Iruka-sensei, I need to go find him! I haven't done anything wrong at all today, so he owes me ramen!" Naruto jumped up, ready to run off, before Kakashi stopped him.
"Hey, slow down, dobe. I think I'll squeeze a meal out of Iruka too," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "He's way too nice for his own good."
Naruto glared at the silver haired jounin. "You're gonna bum a meal off of him again? You're so cheap, sensei!"
Kakashi laughed, "Well, why should I pay when I can walk away before Iruka realizes I didn't pay? Come on, Naruto, let's go find him." The jounin started walking, leaving a confused boy in his wake. "Naruto.don't you want ramen? Hurry up!"
The blond grinned his fox grin, catching up with his sensei. Walking alongside of him, listening to Naruto chattering about nothing and everything, Kakashi mused that one day, maybe, the village would see Naruto for the person he really was.