Oi!! Here is chapter 3!!! This one was fun...tee-hee!! It's nice to have some fluffiness before the angst rears its head...and there WILL be angst in abundance...I am really not looking forward to writing it, but...I shall bear it the best I can. Thanks so much for the reviews, guys!! I just needed to get this story out, and I thought I would share it with those who wanted to tag along for the ride...I really appreciate it!! Oh, and I thought I'd say that I picked Spike for Sakura because a.) I want to get rid of the little wussy girl image, and b.) her brass knuckles do indeed have retractable spikes - But I shall go into that in more detail in the future, I promise.

Chapter 3: Academy

"A few months after Asia was born, my mother and father decided that it was time for me to attend Academy." Kakashi paused, grinning at the memory. "Keep in mind, I was only four years old then, and a child of that age being enrolled was almost unheard of."

"How old is he?" A young man with knife scars littering his face leaned over the desk he sat behind to peer down at Kakashi, who looked back up at him with one eyebrow cocked.

"Why does everyone always do that?" Kakashi asked, directing the question at his father, who stood beside him. "It's weird."

Akinari choked back a laugh, and rested his hands on Kakashi's shoulders. "He's four," he said in response to the scarred man's question. "But I really don't think that is going to be a problem, is it?" He too raised an eyebrow, smiling wickedly. "He is my son, Genda. Trust me, he can handle this."

Eijiro dropped all pretense of sternness and laughed. After becoming a Jounin himself, Akinari's best friend had taken on the semi-permanent position of an examiner; the job suited him quite well, he thought. He enjoyed seeing all the fresh, new faces of students who reminded him so much of himself in those days, and was always happy to work with them. "So another Hatake is finally joining the ranks," he said with mirth. "I was wondering when that would happen. You pests are impossible to be got rid of."

"We like to fester," Akinari replied with a straight face.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi finally burst out. His father and the crazy man were speaking in some sort of code, it seemed, and he wanted in on it. "Do you know him?" He pointed at Eijiro, who winked.

"Your father and I have been friends for a very long time, since we were about your age, I'd say."

Kakashi looked sideways at Akinari, and he nodded a confirmation.

"So that's why you're both nutters," the boy said, to much amused laughter.

"Very well spoken," Eijiro complimented with aplomb. "That's exactly why." Opening a drawer in the desk, he produced a pen and scribbled something in a rather large leather-bound volume, a record of all the students to ever pass through the Academy doors. "I look forward to working with you, Hatake Kakashi," Eijiro said, a twinkle in his eye. "You start March 1st at 8:00 sharp. Good luck, kiddo."

"Kakashi, I've been wondering about something," Sakura said as she stroked the fur of one of the six dogs that inhabited her former sensei's apartment. "When did you start wearing the mask?"
"Almost as soon as I was accepted to the Academy. I'm sure you figured by now that I'm not a huge fan of being stared at," Naruto and Sakura both laughed, "and it happened all the time, so I came up with the idea of covering my face." He smiled. "Ma raised a fit over that."

"What on earth is this?" Haruko had just returned from fetching Asia, who had woken from her nap, when she caught sight of her little boy, and her eyes narrowed. While the rest of his outfit was normal, a navy blue shirt and shorts, one part of it just did not fit. "Kakashi, where did that come from?" She said, disgusted. A mask the same navy blue as his clothing completely shielded his face, only leaving his eyes exposed. Haruko hated it. "Take it off, sweetheart. It looks silly."

Kakashi, however, was adamant. "I don't care. I won't get funny looks now."

Haruko's eyebrow twitched, a sign that Kakashi knew was not good. "Why would you get funny looks?"

"I don't know. People get all goofy when they see my face, and now they won't have to. And my cheeks will feel much better, too," he added when he saw the spark begin to flare in his mother's eyes. Akinari picked that moment to come in from yanking out some weeds in the vegetable garden. Haruko's wrath changed direction.

"Do you see what your son is wearing?"

Akinari winced. "You've noticed the mask."

Haruko jammed her finger against Akinari's chest. "You encouraged him, didn't you?" She accused. "He looks like a bandit! Tell him to take it off!"

Kakashi watched as his mother argued and his father tried to calm her, and raised his eyebrows at Asia, who giggled. At least she understands, Kakashi thought, shaking his head. Asia babbled at him, not caring if his face was covered or not, knowing that he was the person who always played with her. Haruko was so distraught that she didn't even feel it when Kakashi took his sister into his own arms and cuddled her. Asia, he knew, loved it when he did that. "Mama's lost it," he said to her, and the baby responded by patting the material over his face with one tiny hand.

It took a while for Haruko to get accustomed to the mask, and while she never would like it, she managed to tolerate it enough to hold back the comments that would make no difference anyway.

"I don't blame her," Sakura said primly. "If you were my child, I'd have ripped it off. Poor Haruko-san, she had to put up with such nonsense."

Naruto snorted, and Kakashi shrugged. "I'm a natural-born troublemaker, Sakura. I thought you knew that by now."

"Oh hush. You just want to spend the rest of your life married to your dogs. I still can't get over the fact that you covered up a face like that all these years. You are completely deranged."

"Why, what a nice thing to say. I'm touched." Kakashi looked to Naruto. "She always comes up with the most endearing terms, doesn't she? Deranged...music to my ears, honey to my soul-" Sakura's fist found its target this time.

"You do realize that you are just egging her on, don't you?" Naruto said, wrapping an arm around his tiny wife.

"Yes. It's ever so much fun, too. Now, where was I? All these interruptions keep throwing me off track." He smirked at Sakura, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Whatever," she said.

"Anyway," Kakashi began, picking up where he left off. "My first day at Academy..."

Kakashi walked into the Academy of Shinobi Arts on sturdy legs, his excitement giving him a bit of a bounce to his step. While his parents had taught him quite a bit already, there were still so many things he had yet to learn, and he was eager to begin honing his skill. The fact that he was one of this year's youngest students did not intimidate him in the slightest, rather it made him even more excited than he already was. Older classmates had more tricks up their sleeves, tricks that he could observe and use himself. When he reached the main classroom, he could hear what seemed like millions of voices, all with the same energized edge. Kakashi, grinning beneath his mask, pushed open the whitewashed double doors and thus began the journey into the life of a shinobi.

Finding an empty seat was the first order of business.

After a few moments of scanning the area, Kakashi's sharp eyes detected a spot near the front, and he made his way down, noting with glee that his mask was effectively keeping attention away from his face. When he reached the spot, which was on the end, he sat, his feet a few inches from the floor. He was just about to take another good look at his surroundings when he heard a voice next to him.

"Hi there! My name's Sarutobi Asuma," a hand was offered, and Kakashi turned his head. The owner of the hand had dark hair and eyes, and he wore a peculiar pair of goggles that Kakashi found quite interesting. A well- chewed toothpick protruded from the boy's mouth, which he shifted to the side using only his tongue. Kakashi, needless to say, was impressed. He took the browned hand in his own, and shook it.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," he replied.

Asuma grinned. "This is all so exciting, isn't it?" He switched the toothpick to the other side and gnawed on it. "My dad's been teaching me stuff, but this'll be so much cooler."

The two then proceeded to engage in a very lively conversation, using assorted hand gestures and expressions. Kakashi discovered that Asuma was only a year older than he, and that served to cement their friendship even further. In the course of a few minutes, they were laughing and joking as if they had known each other all their short lives. Asuma, unlike Haruko, thought that Kakashi's mask was 'just as sweet as my goggles!' and Kakashi planned on telling his mother that. Maybe she would see how spiffy the mask made him look then.

While all of this was going on, another boy of exceptional talent watched the two who sat in front of him like a hawk, scowling. The kid with the goggles was annoying, but the other one, he thought he'd heard his name...Hatake Kakashi...he went beyond annoying. Why is he wearing a mask? Maito Gai snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Trying to be a hot shot, I bet. Feh. He'll have to beat me first. Gai pictured his own dashing physique, complete with a set of charmingly individual eyebrows and a fantastic hairstyle to boot, and laughed out loud, earning him looks from every direction.

Kakashi stopped in the middle of a sentence and turned around, curious as to what the commotion was, and had to bite his tongue to keep from snickering. He could sense Asuma next to him doing the very same thing. Gai mistook their efforts as jealousy of his obvious manliness, and flashed what would later become his trademark toothy smile.

"I know," he said, managing to sound deprecating for a child, "you must be upset that your looks aren't as good as mine." He waved a hand absently.

As one, Kakashi and Asuma's mouths fell open, and their eyes went wide. Whoever this kid was, he could be classified as insane and shipped to a mental hospital. For one thing, his eyebrows were at least ten sizes larger than normal, and for another, his jet black hair looked as if an upside-down bowl had been placed on his head. Granted, Kakashi, being four, did not really understand the concept of fashion, but eyes do not lie. He could see for himself that the boy had a few screws loose if he thought that he was good looking.

"Er.." he began, but could not finish. He would have lost to his laughter, and that would be mean. Asuma did not even attempt to speak.

Again, Gai mistook their silence for something else. "I haven't introduced myself! How silly of me!" He drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "I am none other..." he paused, to achieve a dramatic effect, "...than Konoha's very own Green Beast, MAITO GAI!" His declaration was accompanied by a pose, in order for his audience to admire him.

"Green..." Kakashi began.

"Beast..." Asuma finished.

Before the situation could get any crazier, their sensei finally made his entrance, and it was a good thing, too, because the minute they faced front, Kakashi and Asuma's laughter, though muffled behind mask and hand, escaped. Gai, who was oblivious to this, was more than a little put out to be interrupted, but he told himself that he would have plenty of opportunity to prove his greatness later, and snapped to attention when the man at the front of the room began to speak.

"Look at all of these faces!" The man exclaimed, beaming. "I have a feeling this year is going to produce quite a few talented Genins," he said, eyes meeting with Kakashi's briefly before they moved on to take in the rest of the class. "I am Amaya Nariaki," he inclined his head, "and I'm sure I'll get to know each and every one of you as we move into the swing of things. We're going to be covering a lot of material in here, but it shouldn't be too boring," the statement was greeted with laughter, "I know what it's like to be a student, so I'll do my best to keep things interesting."

Kakashi could barely contain his enthusiasm. He liked his sensei very much, and he was sure that the class would prove to be a lot of fun. Behind him, Gai was having similar thoughts, only his were far more animated. He could not wait to see how this year would turn out, especially now that he had found two new targets to display his awesomeness to. That alone was enough to satisfy him.

Returning home later that day, Kakashi was greeted by Asia, who was perfecting the art of crawling, having made it all the way to the front hall from the living room. He chuckled when he saw her, and scooped her up in a hug. "Hey baby girl!" Asia belly laughed and Kakashi pulled down his mask, smothering her with kisses. "Look how far you got today!" He put her down, and she followed along behind him as he went in search of his parents, finding them preparing dinner together in the kitchen.

"Champ!" His father grinned as he looked up from the vegetables he was slicing. "How did it go?"

"Awesome!" He swiped a fresh baked cookie off of the countertop before his mother could stop him and popped it in his mouth, speaking quickly. "I made a friend already! His name is Asuma, and he's only a year older than me! And my sensei rocks, his name is Amaya Nariaki, and then there was this really goofy kid who sat behind me named Gai-"

"Woah! Hold up a minute." Akinari raised an eyebrow. "Gai? As in, Maito Gai?"

"Yeah! He was weird!" Kakashi used his pointer fingers and motioned to his eyebrows. "He had these really big eyebrows, and he was saying all of this crazy stuff. He called himself the Green Beast." Kakashi put emphasis on the name.

Haruko and Akinari exchanged looks, erupting into fits of helpless giggling. "That is definitely Genjo's boy," Haruko said, wiping at her streaming eyes. "He has a certain flare for theatrics."

Akinari was still attempting to calm down. "You'd better watch out for that one, champ. If he's anything like his father, once he's picked a target, it's all over. He'll do whatever he can to show off."

Kakashi got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If his hunch was correct, then it was already too late. He was the target.

Sakura and Naruto were both howling too hard for Kakashi to continue, and, looking at them, it was difficult not to laugh himself.

"That sounds like Gai," Naruto chortled. "A buffoon even as a kid."

Sakura could not even get words out. When she tried, her voice issued as a squeak, and then she dissolved into hysterics again.

Kakashi shook his head, smiling. "He was something else, let me tell you. And, for the record, it's his fault that the whole rivalry thing started in the first place. He shouldn't have provoked me."

"Uh-oh," Naruto replied, arching his brows. "Do tell. I am all curiosity now."

And so Kakashi did.

As opposed to being entertaining, Kakashi was a bit disappointed to find that Academy was not all that interesting. It had nothing to do with his sensei: the young man had a very dry sense of humor and often cracked jokes in the middle of lessons. The problem was that Kakashi, being a quick learner, did not need as much time to absorb information and techniques as some of his classmates, which meant that he had to sit through drill after drill with his eyes glazed and mind wandering. At least, when he wasn't amusing himself with Asuma and Obito, that is.

Ryusaki Obito had wandered over to their side of the room a few days after term began, claiming that 'I was bored over there, and you guys look like you'll be fun to sit with.' From that point on, the three of them stuck together like glue, even giving each other nicknames that they used on a regular basis. Kakashi, for a reason unknown, was Max; Asuma, because of an incident involving a freshly mopped floor that he decided to try sliding down and ended up slamming into a wall, earned him the name Crash; and Obito, just because he was Obito, was called Ace. And of course, that left Gai, who they secretly called Harold.

He had not relented since his flamboyant introduction, and did whatever he could to draw attention to himself, determined to be a part of this little group that he saw forming out of Kakashi, Asuma, and Obito. Kakashi had been correct in his assumption that Gai had singled him out in particular, the other boy coming up with a various number of things to do in order to get a reaction out of Kakashi, who, because of his laid-back attitude, did not get angry very easily. Gai, it seemed, was not having that. Most of the time, Kakashi was able to ignore Gai's antics, but there comes a point when even the most placid of people reaches their limit.

Nariaki-sensei had been demonstrating one of the hand seals for the class when Gai came up with the idea to start wadding up paper and tossing it casually at the back of Kakashi's head. Since Kakashi already knew this seal, he sat with the familiar glassy-eyed expression that seemed to show up more and more often as the year progressed, Asuma and Obito looking much the same. He was jolted out of his haze when a wad of paper bounced off his head and landed on the front of the desk. Staring, he raised an eyebrow, but thought nothing more of it until another joined the first. Still, he refused to let it bother him, even when more followed soon after. Obito finally took notice of the paper, and stole a quick sideways glance behind him.

"It's Harold," he whispered, grinning. "What a dork."

Asuma sniggered. "I wonder what he'd do if I chucked a pen at him."

"Do it!" Obito urged.

Kakashi, however, had a different idea. Leaning back so that Gai would be able to hear him, he said in a low voice, "I swear, if you do that again, I'll punch you right in the face." And he meant it. He had been nice long enough and was irritated now.

Gai snorted, not believing that for a second. He let a few minutes pass, and then unleashed another ball of paper.

That was it. Kakashi was no longer irritated, he was PISSED. Jumping up on top of his chair, he slammed his fist home, knocking Gai back against the desk behind him. It took a few seconds for the students who witnessed the spectacle, and even those who didn't, to get over the shock before the laughter started. Asuma and Obito were beside themselves, slapping Kakashi on the back, hooting and hollering. Of course, while Nariaki-sensei was as amused as the next person, he could not allow Kakashi to go unpunished, even though he knew that Kakashi was provoked, and made a show of scolding him in front of the class, having him stand there and concentrate chakra on the leaf that was placed on his forehead for the rest of the day. Kakashi could have cared less, and had to hold back his grin. From that point on, however, Gai considered Kakashi his eternal rival, and swore that he would defeat the silvery haired boy one day, if it was the last thing he ever did.

As the months passed and the school year came to a close, Kakashi was itching to graduate. While he was happy to have met the people he did at the Academy, he was more than ready to become a Genin. The final test was a simple replication, which Kakashi performed with ease, creating four able copies of himself. When the ceremony to present the forehead protectors that were a staple of a shinobi came, Kakashi accepted his with honor, his mother, father, and sister, now able to walk and talk, proudly watching in the audience. He ran to them after it was over, swinging a laughing Asia in his arms and was well hugged by his parents, who showered him with praises and even more hugs.

One step of the journey was over. Another was about to begin.

"That's when you met Yondaime, isn't it?" Naruto inquired softly. Sakura squeezed her husband's hand, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Yes," Kakashi replied just as quietly, understanding Naruto's sudden change of countenance. They sat in silence for a while, the only coming from the ticking of a clock that hung on the wall.

I've always been interested in Yondaime, since we know virtually nothing about him save some of his techniques and that he gave his life to seal the Kyuubi. I've been looking forward to writing him, since I have a pretty good idea of what I think his character is...again, I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter up soon!