Chapter 35:
Naruto shrugged back on his cloak and pulled on his mask, helping Kakashi to his feet. The blonde refused to let Kakashi carry any of their gear, strapping his rucksack to his back and Kakashis to his chest. "I'm weak Naruto but I'm not feeble, I can carry my own gear." The blonde glared at him unrelentingly. "Fine, fine. Thank you, love." Kakashi raised his hands in defeat.
They made slow progress south, Naruto making them stop for frequent breaks. Kakashi could feel his strength slowly returning, tentatively pulling chakra to the palm of his hand. He grunted a little at the flair of pain that hit him but felt confident that he was recovered enough to defend himself and Naruto should a problem arise.
The outskirts of the village were coming into view, they had arrived just before super time. Kakashi looked at the blonde, "Keep your head low and your hood up. I am going to secure us lodging for tonight and tomorrow night. We will rest here in the village for a couple nights before procuring a boat and traveling to the Land of Whirlpools." Naruto nodded, pulling his cloak hood further over his head. Kakashi performed a quick jutsu to disguise his appearance, grunting slightly at the chakra use. Naruto's head snapped up at the noise, eyes filled with concern, "I'm okay, keep your head down, love." Naruto scowled at him before doing as he was told. They made their way back onto the beaten path, walking down into the village. There were a few vendor stalls scattered about along the main street, a pub at about the middle of town and toward the end of the street was a small inn. The village was very small with few residents so word of the appearance of outsiders traveled quickly. Kakashi hastily led Naruto into the inn's lobby. Naruto stood off in a corner while Kakashi booked a room for two nights under an alias. Kakashi also inquired about where to rent a boat, the innkeeper provided him the information happily and suggested they check out the pub in town, boasting about its delectable seafood. Kakashi bid him thanks and made for their room.
The room was small but clean, two single beds, a nightstand and a simple bathroom with a shower and a sink. It wasn't lavish by any means but it looked like heaven to the pair. It had been so long since either of them had felt the comfort of a bed or the sweet kiss of a hot shower.
Naruto dumped all the gear in a corner, stripping off his mask and cloak, "Two single beds huh? Probably for the best if you are meant to be recovering." he laughed. Kakashi released his transformation jutsu, stifling back a grunt at the pain radiating through his head. He pulled his own mask off, smiling at the blonde, "Why don't you go grab a quick shower?" Naruto's eyes sparkled, groaning happily, "Hot waterrrrr…." Kakashi laughed as the blonde stripped himself bare and dashed for the bathroom.
Kakashi waited until he heard the water turn on before pulling out his medkit. He pulled out the vial of pills, dumping them into his hand. He counted carefully the number of small blue pills he had left, sighing with relief. He had just enough medication to fight back the lingering poison effects. He popped two into his mouth along with a pain pill and swallowed them back with water from his canteen. He directed his attention to the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and arm. Naruto had tended to his wounds while he was unconscious. Kakashis gut twisted in guilt, he felt awful over leaving the blonde scared and alone while incapacitated. His heart hurt knowing Naruto was fearful that he was alone again, it hurt knowing Naruto had cried for him until his eyes were bloodshot. Kakashi cut back the wrappings and inspected the wounds; his shoulder was fine, the cut there was nothing more than a scratch. His forearm was damaged in the familiar fashion after using his Chidori. It appeared that Naruto had taken the time to pull every splint of bone from his wounds. He also cut back the bandage wrapped around his burned palm. Guilt further twisted in his guts, having to shake himself to clear his thoughts. Kakashi could hear Naruto quietly singing to himself in the shower. Unable to help himself, Kakashi stripped and made his way to the bathroom. He leaned on the doorframe of the bathroom, watching as his lover washed himself in the tiny shower stall. Naruto's eyes were closed, humming and singing happily to himself. Kakashi's heart fluttered at the scene, it was so… different. Since Naruto and him had been together they had made do, the best they could, living off the land. It was strange and beautiful to see the blonde in a normal, domestic setting. Kakashi couldn't wait for the day they were finally settled together in the farmhouse, living normal lives without struggle. Naruto started washing his shaggy blonde hair. Overwhelmed by the need to touch him, Kakashi entered the small shower stall, wrapping his arms around him. Naruto yelped in surprise, "Kami Kakashi, you scared me." Naruto ran his fingers through his hair a few times, rinsing out the soap, finally opening his eyes to look at the silver haired nin. Naruto was overwhelmed by those eyes, so filled with love and hurt. He hugged the older man back, "You okay, Kashi?" The silver haired nin smiled at him weakly, "I'm more than okay." Kakashi brought their lips together, pulling Naruto into him tightly. Finally releasing the blonde with a sigh, Kakashi swatted at the butt of Naruto, "I think you're done, leave some hot water for me." Naruto laughed and kissed Kakashi quickly on the cheek, "Sorry, it just felt so good to finally have a hot shower again." Kakashi smirked at him, "Mhmm, I'm sure it did. Here, help me wash, I'm still so weak." Naruto rolled his eyes murmuring, "Dirty old man." Kakashi laughed loudly, "Darn, is it that obvious?" Naruto smiled and nodded.
Naruto helped wash Kakashi's body while the silver haired nin focused on cleaning his hair. Naruto was right, the hot water did feel amazing. Kakashi groaned happily as what felt like months worth of grime was rinsed off of his body.
Finally both clean, they made their way out of the shower, drying off and dressing in fresh boxers and t-shirts. Kakashi was rebandaging his arm and palm when an idea hit him. "Naruto…" the blonde was busy putting together something for them to eat before bed. He pulled his attention from that to look back at the older nin. "What do you say I teach you a jutsu?" Naruto's eyes went wide, sparkling with interest. "Let's eat and I will show you before we sleep tonight, okay?" Naruto quickly nodded, bringing his attention back to the food. A few moments later and Kakashi was done wrapping fresh bandages on his arm and palm, Naruto handing him a plate. They ate while Kakashi explained what jutsu he wanted to teach Naruto, "This jutsu is easy to learn but hard to maintain, although I'm sure with your natural talent it will be easy for you. I want you to learn the transformation jutsu, that way you won't have to hide under that cloak and mask." Naruto finished with his dinner, collecting his and Kakashi's plates, rinsing them both off before sitting on his bed across from the older nin. "The hand signs are easy, Dog-Boar-Ram." Kakashi demonstrated, performing the hand signals and quickly changing his appearance to his usual disguise. He winced slightly at the chakra use, earning a scowl from Naruto. He quickly let the disguise dissipate, "It will probably be easier if you can see yourself in the mirror." Kakashi stood up and walked them back into the bathroom in front of the mirror. "I want you to imagine yourself exactly as I describe, the goal being to conceal your appearance but also make the image easy to replicate. The easier the appearance the less concentration it will take to maintain it. Make sense?" Naruto nodded, awaiting further direction. "I want you to imagine yourself with brown hair, instead of blonde. Also change your eye colour slightly, maybe green or whatever is easiest for you to imagine. Lastly, imagine your cheeks without your scars." Naruto stared into the mirror for a few moments, picturing himself looking exactly the way Kakashi described. He looked into the reflected gray eye on the older nin, giving him a quick smile before focusing back on himself and doing the hand signals.
Kakashi watched as Naruto's appearance quickly shifted. Gone were his shaggy blonde locks, replaced with coarse short brown hair. The scars on his cheeks also disappeared, leaving behind smooth tan skin. Lastly, his eye colour was replaced, gone were the sparkling sapphires Kakashi was so fond of. Naruto had opted for slate gray eyes, matching Kakashi's own. Kakashi frowned at the figure standing before him in the mirror, Naruto catching the frown and releasing the jutsu. "What? Did I do something wrong?" Kakashi smiled weakly and turned Naruto around to face him. "No love, as usual you learned quickly. I was just struggling with looking at you while you didn't look like yourself. I have grown very fond of every inch of you Naruto, seeing any of you marred or in this case transformed makes me upset." Naruto blushed at the words, placing a kiss on Kakashi's lips. The older nin hummed happily, "Okay, sorry, try again. I will be prepared to be more objective this time." Naruto turned back around to face the mirror, imagining again the appearance Kakashi had described for him. Naruto performed the hand signs once more, concentrating as his disguise fell in place. Kakashi nodded, "Good, it is a convincing transformation. Now, this jutsu is much like controlling your chakra while walking on water. It requires a lot of chakra control and focus. I want you to be able to maintain this appearance while out in public. Memorize your appearance as it looks in the mirror. Draw yourself a mental image so you can replicate it without the help of a mirror." Naruto nodded, scowling at his reflection in the mirror. "When you are done, release the jutsu and meet me back in the mainroom."
Kakashi slipped from the bathroom, making his way to his bed. He laid down hastily, relishing in the soft cushioning beneath his body. A content sigh left his lips as he stretched out and rested his head on the pillow. When was the last time he had the pleasure of using a pillow? He laughed to himself, fighting the urge to close his eyes and let sleep claim him. A few short minutes later he heard Naruto making his way back into the mainroom.
Kakashi pushed himself back up into a seated position. "Alright, sit across from me on your bed." Naruto did as he was told, sitting down and awaiting Kakashi's further orders. "Clear your mind and bring forth a memory of something. The goal here is to test your ability to remember your disguise when it is not at the forefront of your mind. Do you have a memory?" Naruto closed his eyes to concentrate, his cheeks suddenly flushing. He bit his lip and nodded at Kakashi, slowly opening his eyes. Kakashi smiled and couldn't help but ask, "What is the memory, love?" Naruto's cheeks flushed brighter, burning crimson. "I… umm… I was remembering the first time you actually kissed me… and then the umm…" Kakashi hummed, the memory vivid in his mind thanks to the Sharingan. "You mean this?" Kakashi opened his Sharingan eye, locking Naruto in a genjutsu, sharing with him the moments he mentioned but from his perspective. The images flashed through Kakashi's mind as he shared them with the blonde. Kakashi pressed a hand over his Sharingan with a pained grunt when the memory was over, freeing Naruto. The blonde gasped and moaned, fisting the blankets on his bed in his hands. Naruto was panting slightly, but he nodded back at Kakashi. Kakashi smiled at him, "A very good memory. Now, I want you to try and transform into your previous disguise." Naruto straightened his back and shook his head, trying to calm himself. Kakashi watched as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, performing the hand signs. Naruto's appearance changed before his eyes, whiskers gone, with a head of brown hair. As he opened his eyes Kakashi noted that they were gray again as before. Kakashi nodded, "Good, very good. How do you feel?" Naruto was thoughtful for a moment, "It's not as difficult as I assumed it would be, but I imagine it may be harder to maintain in different circumstances." Kakashi nodded, "Maintaining the jutsu is definitely the hardest part, I have an idea on how to help you practice maintaining it though." Naruto nodded, giving Kakashi his full attention, "Tell me." Kakashi held back a smirk before pushing himself up from his bed. He stood in front of Naruto, bringing his mouth to his ear, whispering, "You are going to do exactly as I say and focus on maintaining that jutsu." He watched as Naruto sucked his lip between his teeth, eyes widening, but nodded his ascent. "Stand up and remove your shirt." Naruto complied, pulling his shirt up and off, throwing it across the room. His imitation gray eyes darted back and forth between Kakashi's gray and crimson ones. Kakashi looked him up and down, "Form a Rasengan." Naruto was quick to comply yet again, pulling chakra into the palm of his hand forming a Rasengan, letting it swirl wickedly around his fingers before letting it dissipate. "Good…place your hands on top of your head." Naruto did as he was told yet again without batting an eye. Kakashi carefully studied the jutsu Naruto was maintaining, as usual it appeared he was a quick study. Kakashi closes his eyes and dips his head to the young man's chest, sticking his tongue out to lick at his nipple. He flicks his tongue back and forth across the hard nub before sucking it harshly into his mouth. Naruto moans lightly above him, his body shaking against Kakashi's lips. Kakashi bites down on the nipple, giving it a tug before releasing it and tonguing it again. Naruto gasps, his hands fall from the top of his head, to Kakashis, gripping at his silver locks. Kakashi pulls himself back from the young man's chest, opening his eyes, impressed that Naruto is still maintaining the jutsu while aroused. Kakashi nodded, "Very good, Naruto. How does it feel?" Kakashi could read the wanton need on the younger man's face, no level of jutsu was going to hide that. "I have been trying really hard to focus on maintaining my appearance, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't struggling." Kakashi smiled at his now brunette lover, "I am pushing your limits for a reason, love, if you can make it through this, you can make it through any normal interaction." Naruto nodded, his brows furrowed in concentration. Kakashi met his eyes before lowering himself down onto his knees. The young man still had his fingers gripped in Kakashi's hair, that grip tightening as Kakashi hooked his fingers around the waistband of his boxers. He slowly dragged them down until they were resting around his ankles. Kakashi kept his eyes locked on the young man as he placed soft kisses against his upper thighs. He could see him struggling to maintain the jutsu, the whisker scars on his cheeks slowly reappearing, "Focus, love." Naruto's brow furrowed, the jutsu locked back in place. Kakashi's tongue breaches his lips, slowly dragging it up the thigh. Naruto bites harshly onto his lip but the jutsu remains in place. Kakashi positions his face directly in front of Naruto's weeping length, blowing cool air on the tip. Naruto whimpers softly but keeps the jutsu in place. "Good, very good love." Kakashi licks up the base of Naruto's length, maintaining eye contact. Naruto is vibrating with need, his chest heaving as he drags in deep breaths to concentrate. "Release the jutsu, Naruto."
Kakashi groans happily, as Naruto's appearance shifts back to normal. He licks playfully at the blonde's tip before devouring his length, taking it deep into his throat with a growl. He sucks and bobs harshly at the length, gripping tightly onto Naruto's thighs. "Oh fuck … Kashi" the blonde groans out, his head dipping back, fingers tightening in Kakashi's hair. He can feel Naruto's legs shaking under his hands, his hands roam to the back of the blonde, squeezing at his firm ass cheeks. Kakashi drags his teeth up the length before sucking it back down his throat with a moan. The blonde spirals over the edge loudly, his length throbbing against Kakashi tongue. Kakashi slowly withdraws his mouth from the length, swallowing greedily. He pulls Naruto's boxers back into place before pushing himself back up off the floor. He places a soft kiss on Naruto's panting lips, "I think you will be more than capable of maintaining that jutsu, love…It's getting late, let's get you tucked in." Kakashi pulls back the blankets on Naruto's bed, guiding the young man to lay down. Naruto sighs contently as his head hits the pillow, "I forgot how nice a proper bed feels." The blonde brushes his knuckles across the bulge in Kakashi pants. Kakashi chuckles, pulling back slightly from the caress, "I meant to be resting, love, remember?" He pulls the blankets up over the now pouting blonde, running his fingers through his hair. Kakashi dips his face down to breathe in his scent, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "I love you, sleep well little fox." Naruto humms happily, "I love you too, Kashi."
Kakashi made his way back to his own bed, pulling back the blanket and crawling underneath it. He stretches out on his back, his fingers lacing together behind his head. He shuts his eyes and listens for the sounds of Naruto falling asleep. Minutes pass and the young man is still awake, "What's keeping you up, love?" Kakashi could hear the creaking of Naruto's bed as the young man made his way out of bed, walking to stand beside Kakashi's. Kakashi rolls onto his side, sliding back to the edge of his bed making space for the blonde to lay down. Naruto quickly curls up next to him, burying his face into Kakashi's neck, "I can't fall asleep without being next to you." Kakashi smiles and kisses the blonde on the top of his head, pulling him into a tight embrace. Naruto fell asleep almost instantly in his arms.