Yo. I want to give a big thank you to "…" and "nannon" for reviewing. Later.

To Serve and To Master

He was taken to a small village about ten miles away from Iwagakure. Taro took him to what looked like a very poor village with traditional buildings. Kakashi felt as though he had moved back in time about one hundred years. The windows were like the shoji, and to Kakashi were inferior to the glass windows of Konoha. Pedestrians all wore either a kimono or a yukata, and they slowly walked along in either geta or zori sandals. Some people were even barefoot.

"I didn't know the Earth country was so poor."

"Hmph. The Tsuchikage knows better than to invest money in a village like this. He focuses his resources on Iwa, like a wise Kage should."

Taro continued to pull Kakashi along the road by his left arm, like a child who had broken something. He knocked on the door of a small building, which had almost no characteristics to distinguish it from the rest. 'This place is a wreck. Even the buildings look miserable…' An old man slid the door open, looking Kakashi up and down before nodding his head. Taro bowed, taking Kakashi down with him, and almost dragged Kakashi onto the wooden floor. The old man gave him a quiet smile before speaking.

"Taro-kun, we have plenty of time to teach him manners. You, take your shoes off before you ruin the tatami mats. Where are your manners? Young people can be so disrespectful."

Kakashi took off his shoes and stood before the elder. 'Who's in charge here and why exactly did they bring me here?'

"Taro-kun, you may leave now. You know I have no need for shinobi here."

Taro bowed one last time and left the house, leaving only Kakashi and the elder standing near the door. The man grabbed a short wooden stick and pushed Kakashi's head down with it.

"Do the Leaf shinobi know no manners? I shall teach you to bow and to serve. Now that I have shown you your first bow in greeting, what is your name?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

'This is nonsense! Not to mention it hurts…' He pulled out his kunai and blocked the stick with ease. He underestimated the man's speed and got a good blow to his head. He put himself on guard, stepping back in defense. The man bowed, still holding the stick.

"My name is Masakazu Akira, but you shall refer to me as your otou-san. I would not recommend you attacking me or anyone here. An attack or an attempt to escape will be seen as you being uncooperative, of course, and the treaty will be void. That's not what you want, is it?"

Kakashi glared in anger but knew he had no choice. 'He's a cunning one. He's quiet and soft-spoken, but he knows I won't hurt him to keep the treaty.' Kakashi put his kunai away and shook his head in response.

"We know that Konoha is in no condition to go to war, especially after being attacked by the Sand and Sound countries. Our allies, the Water and Lightning countries, will attack with us if you dare to go back on your word. Even with the help of the Sand shinobi, Konoha will face utter destruction. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Yes…ow!"

Akira gave him a very painful smack on his right wrist. Kakashi felt like a child.

"You shall respond quickly and with respect. I am your otou-san, not a helpless old man. Answer the question correctly!"

"Yes, otou-san."

"Good. Now it is time to remove the filth you are wearing and find you some proper clothing. You are no longer a shinobi; you are now a servant and a resident of this house."

Kakashi immediately put his hand over his vest and stepped back. Twice. Akira put out his hand and unzipped Kakashi's vest faster than he thought possible.

"You don't need this here; I have a yukata ready for you. I know I have one in your size somewhere…"

The man practically ripped off Kakashi's vest and tossed it in a corner with his shoes, and produced in his hands a brown yukata…and a beige obi!

"Umm…excuse me…but I'm not a woman. Ow!"

Another good whack to his head had him convinced that Akira was crazy. 'What am I, a kid? Didn't he say something about me being a servant? I don't like this.'

"Don't speak unless you are spoken to. What kind of servant voices his opinion? I know exactly what you are. There are no women here because they are too weak and always try to run away. We use the obi to tell the servants apart from the other men. Change into this."

Kakashi put on the yukata but kept his headband and mask on. He didn't know how to tie the obi.

"Why are you still wearing that? You are not a shinobi anymore."

"I'm not taking it off."

"You have no choice now."

Akira pulled his headband off and ripped his mask apart. Kakashi was furious, but bit his tongue and closed his left eye.

"We will get you a headband to match your yukata. We will begin your first lesson once I tie your obi."

He rolled his eyes and stared at his forsaken clothing. 'What exactly was Tsunade-sama thinking? This old man's treating me like a bad child.'

"I shall now teach you how to walk in your yukata. We don't want you making a fool of yourself. Try to walk to me."

He certainly couldn't walk like he used to. Kakashi nearly forced open the yukata and had to hold the obi in place to keep it closed. He tried again, taking smaller steps than before. He was more successful, but it took some effort for him not to trip over his own feet.

"You walk like an animal and your posture is terrible. Don't hold your head up like a king, and don't stare at your feet. Look at the floor in front of you and keep your back straight. Having your head bent down slightly is a sign of respect, and having your back straight shows that you are willing to work."

After several walking attempts and whacks to his head, Kakashi was able to walk in his yukata the way Akira wanted him to. He was shaking with fury at the thought of having to obey the old man. Akira picked up his old clothing and headed for the door.

"I am going to burn these. You don't need them. Open the door. I'll be back to give you your next lesson."

Kakashi waited at the door since he really couldn't do anything else. Akira opened the door to let himself in, and Kakashi felt the need to express his anger.

"I don't care what you say or do. I am no servant; I am a shinobi of Konoha. I serve the Hokage, the Godaime; I will not betray my village."

"Then you will do as I say. Your own Hokage agreed to the peace treaty. Going back on your word would be not only a betrayal, but a failure; a failure to protect your village."

Akira gave him a headband that matched his yukata, and he used it to replace his Leaf headband. He knew Akira was right; he had no choice. He could grit his teeth and bite his lip in fury, but there was nothing he could do. Kakashi leaned back against the wall and stared as his hands. The same hands that had shed so much blood for Konoha, the same hands that threw kunai and shuriken, the ones that formed seals and controlled chakra; those hands were now going to be used to serve someone else. In a way he saw this as a betrayal, as treason against Konoha. Serving anyone else had to be treason. How could it not be?

"I've always protected my village with my strength, my very life even."

"You are simply mastering a different art now. You mastered the ninja arts by serving the Hokage; now you shall master the art of complete servitude by serving your master. You cannot devote yourself to Konoha any longer because you can never go back. Knowing this, you must make yourself useful or you will become worthless. Don't let that fire die out. Take your devotion and direct it towards your master."

"You are not my master!"

"You are in no condition to make any decisions. I give you my home; in return, you will serve me. If you cannot accept this, you will cease to be of any worth to anyone. Contemplate on this until I return."

He was shaking from anger and frustration. He knew he couldn't go back to Konoha; now that he had entered the Earth country, they would never let him leave. All he had now was a brown shaggy-looking yukata and Akira's smile.

'What am I supposed to do?'

TBC

Mazuiko: I hope I kept all the characters IC. If I didn't at any point, please let me know and I will fix it. I hate it when I make them OOC. I know I said five reviews, but I am on a roll here. Here are the translations for this chapter.

Yukata: Japanese robe used in the summer time. Usually made out of cotton.

Shoji: Paper screens. A sliding door in a building.

Geta: Wooden sandal with a raised heel. Only worn on formal occasions.

Zori: Flat wooden sandal. For everyday use.

Shuriken: Ninja throwing stars.

Kunai: Ninja throwing knives.

Obi: Cloth used to hold a woman's kimono (dress for formal occasions) in place. Wrapped around the waist.

Otou-san: Otou means 'father'. –san is an ending added as a sign of respect.