A Matter of Opinion
Rating: PG
Summary: Hatake Kakashi has never been unremarkable. Hatake Kakashi hasn't ever had any problems with keeping the truth from those who deserve to hear it, either.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Naruto. I get my anime fix from Cartoon Network and fan fiction.
Something Extraordinary
Hatake Kakashi hadn't ever really planned on going back to the ANBU – after the drama with Team Seven, even the ANBU Black Ops would be tame by comparison. Besides, he was only getting older.
A prodigy from the moment he had stepped foot into the Academy, it hadn't been all that long before he stepped right back out of it as a six year old gennin. He was only seven years old the first time he killed.
It wasn't even just the one opponent. No, Kakashi could never have entered the Shinobi way of life so quietly, and unremarkably.
He took out almost a whole gennin team, while his own sensei took care of the other jounin instructor. It was an exercise in bureaucratic idiocy. The three gennin he killed were from the Water Country, and had been under the impression that the man that Kakashi's team was escorting was a missing ninja.
He had, in fact, been exactly that, and had thought it would be a good joke to see how many of the Hidden Villages he could infiltrate and fool. If everyone had just done their homework properly, they could've connected the dots from the Bingo Book right to his nihilistic, undeserving throat, and in the process, saved many lives.
Instead, Kakashi's team was redeployed immediately, where yet another C-rank mission turned A-rank. His life had never been normal, and when he joined the ANBU as an early teen, he discovered that he couldn't even go through puberty without causing a stir. His very appearance made him a (coveted) mystery.
So Kakashi had never been someone who could fade into the background. He was described by those who knew him as 'hip', 'cool', 'extraordinary'… variations on a theme. He was never boring. He was a striking figure in a homogeneous society. He was always late.
He even occasionally went out for ramen with Naruto, the 'Nine Tails Kid' who had made even the ANBU look so boring.
Now in his early thirties, and back on the ANBU Black Ops, he isn't particularly surprised when he is called into the Hokage's office between missions.
He is, however, a little bemused upon seeing a blushing jounin he recognised as Naruto's idol, Umino Iruka. He is even a little surprised to see the white ANBU mask dangling at his hip, and the katana strapped to his back.
But Hatake Kakashi has never, never been in a normal, unremarkable situation for more than a few hours at a time during his entire life, so he accepts a new subordinate, and student that day. Never mind that any ninja going into the ANBU damn well shouldn't need any more training - not beyond an introduction to any classified information and all the things they don't tell the general populace.
At any rate, a few weeks later, he's smiling at a blushing Iruka, and telling him that his sword work is passable, and as good as anyone's in the ANBU. A few hours after that, he stands in front of the Hokage, and tells her truthfully that the ANBU has never seen the like of Umino Iruka when it comes to killing with a katana. When the Hokage smiles, Kakashi finds himself going so far as to admit that Umino is the best damned swordsman he has ever seen.
Author's Notes:
So, a little two-shot that may become a trilogy of ficlets. Iruka-sensei pwns...XD
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my lack of a beta.
Thank you.