Truth be told, Kakashi actually liked sweets. He would never admit to this, as it was a useful excuse to remove himself from possible social interactions, but he didn't dislike them. They were certainly not his first choice of food, but his ninken knew him to sneak the occasional dango. So, when Rin and Obito brought him to the new dango shop that had just recently opened up, Kakashi decided not to complain.

Thankfully, his companions didn't leave space for any residing tension in the air. Obito and Rin quickly filled the time with their chatter, occasionally asking Kakashi what he thought on the matter, as insignificant as it was ⎼ and when he would answer rather than ignore them, their faces would light up. The sight of it would spark a little bit of warmth within Kakashi's chest, and he found himself actually enjoying the time he was spending with his classmates.

The questions that Minato had suggested to him, what felt so long ago now, were lingering in the back of his mind. Occasionally, he would glance at Rin's bracelet, or Obito's goggles, and he wondered: why did they wear those items so religiously? What manner of significance did they hold, if they held any?

"Kakashi?" Rin's voice brought him back to the present. He really needed to stop spacing out in the middle of conversations, he thought. "You were spacing out again. What are you always thinking about?"

He shrugged in response. "Maa…"

"Oh, come on, Bakakashi," Obito pestered. "You never tell us what's on your mind."

Kakashi decided to relent. "Well, I was thinking about your goggles." He looked to Rin. "And your bracelet."

"My bracelet?" Rin reflexively began to fiddle with it. Obito adjusted his goggles, frowning.

"What about them?" Obito asked. Kakashi could hear the hints of defensiveness in his tone, and, naturally, that only piqued his interest. Rather than showing that, though, the Hatake only shrugged.

"I just noticed you always wear them."

"And you were wondering why?" Rin asked, her gaze flicking from her bracelet to Kakashi. He gave her a nod in response.

Obito scoffed, crossing his arms. "Well, why should we tell you?" He grumbled. "You always keep secrets from us."

Kakashi thought on that. It was true that he kept many a secret from his teammates, let alone now that he was actually an adult flung half a lifetime back in time. He wanted to know their answers, though.

"What if I propose an exchange of information?" Kakashi suggested. That caught their attention immediately.

"An exchange?" Rin echoed.

"An exchange of what?" Obito clarified, eyeing Kakashi with wary interest.

Kakashi smiled. "Rin tells me about her bracelet, you tell me about your goggles, and I…" He leaned forward, just barely. Rin and Obito leaned forward twice as much, their eyes wide as saucers. "...will tell you about my mask."

Their jaws practically hit the floor.

"Deal," Obito spit out instantly. Any scrap of information that he could scrounge up on the Hatake prodigy he would take. Rin was equally as curious, and she nodded her agreement.

"Alright then. It's a deal." Kakashi leaned back again, his posture relaxed. "Who's going to go first?"

Rin fiddled again with her bracelet. "I can," she volunteered. "The bracelet was my mom's. She gave it to me the day I started at the Academy. She carved symbols onto the beads for strength, wisdom, and kindness." Rin hesitated. Obito and Kakashi waited patiently. "She… died, not too long after. She was really sick. So, this is what I have left of her."

"Oh, Rin." Obito was quick to comfort her, or try. He had the awkwardness of a pre-teen boy, and shifted in his seat, looking as if he wanted to reach out to her but didn't know if he should. He glanced at Kakashi, who gave an encouraging nod. He seemed briefly surprised but said nothing, instead taking Kakashi's silent advice and wrapping his arms around Rin.

"I'm so sorry," he said. A quiet sob came from their female teammate. "I didn't know."

Obito held her for a couple short minutes, and Kakashi glared daggers at whoever in the shop felt nosy enough to stare. Quickly, Rin pulled herself together, sniffling and wiping her eyes and nose with her sleeve.

"Thanks," she said, "and, sorry." She glanced at Kakashi, as if expecting to be reprimanded. "I know shinobi don't cry, but I…"

"I prefer to interpret that as shinobi don't show emotional weakness in battle," Kakashi hummed dully. "We're not in battle."

Both Obito and Rin seemed taken aback, but Obito was quick to move past it. "And it's your mom," the Uchiha added. "I get it."

Rin leaned back from Obito's embrace fully. He reluctantly let her go. "Thank you," she said again. "I didn't mean to get emotional. But, yeah… That's why I wear the bracelet all the time. It's a reminder of her."

The waitress stopped by the table, then. Kakashi half-wondered if she was simply doing her job or if she was as nosy as the other patrons. He asked her for hot tea for Rin, to calm her nerves, and she left. Then his single eye slid to Obito.

Obito gawked. "What? Why do I have to go next? You should go, Bakakashi, you're the one who made her cry⎼"

Kakashi tsked. "I didn't make her cry, the story did. And how do I know that, after I tell you about my mask, you'll still tell me about your goggles?"

The Uchiha groaned, smacking his head on the table. "Damn you and your paranoia. Fine, fine." He sat up again, readjusting his goggles. "My old lady⎼ I mean, my grandma gave them to me. She said my dad used to wear them all the time when he was my age, before he got his ninja headband. She said he used it to remind himself, whenever it got tough, that he was doing this for his clan and for the village. She gave them to me when I enrolled at the Academy."

"You have your hitae-ate now, though," Kakashi pointed out. "Why still wear them?"

"Well, same reason as Rin, I guess." Obito glanced to the girl beside him, a light flush creeping up on his cheeks. "It's nice to feel like I have part of my parents with me."

Kakashi mused over this for a moment. Was this why Minato had suggested he ask them about their belongings? Because it would give them more things in common? Kakashi was an orphan, as was Obito, and Rin was halfway there.

"Alright, your turn!" Obito demanded, standing up. "Why do you always wear that dumb mask all the time? Is something wrong with your face?"

Kakashi huffed, rolling his eye. "No, actually, I wear it because⎼"

"Wait." Rin set her hand on Obito's arm. Kakashi stopped, and both boys looked at her curiously. Obito sat down. "I know the deal was you tell us about your mask, but, um, do you think you could tell us about your eye, instead?" She asked shyly. "You've started covering it up recently, and that one time it made you pass out…"

Ah, Kakashi really should have known he wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "I'm sure you've been wanting to know about my mask since we met."

Obito had a look of fierce concentration on his face. Rin and Kakashi waited patiently for the Uchiha to arrive at his decision. Finally, the boy gave a firm nod. "As much as I want to know about your mask, I want to know about your eye. I could've sworn I saw a Sharingan in it yesterday, in the Forest of Death."

"No, no Sharingan," Kakashi replied smoothly. "I'm not a Uchiha. There's no way it could be that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that, but I also know what I saw."

"Would you rather I show it to you?"

Rin spoke up first. "Yes, please." Obito voiced his agreement.

"Alright, then." Kakashi pulled up his headband to reveal his closed eye. His left eye opened about halfway, and sure enough, it was just as gray as the other. "See? Nothing special about it." He closed his eye and replaced his headband to where it was, snuggly covering it.

"How come you didn't open your eye all the way?" Rin asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "It's sensitive."

"Sensitive?" Obito echoed.

"Stuff to do with my medical records." Kakashi waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it."

Rin frowned, peering at her silver-haired teammate questioninly. "Are your 'medical records' also why it made you pass out?"

"Yup."

Obito and Rin both let out a heavy sigh. They were getting answers, at least, so they couldn't complain⎼ even if they did wish the answers were a little more thorough. Neither of them noticed Kakashi's eye dart elsewhere, and they also didn't notice the near nonexistent chakra signature disappearing.

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm going to go home." Kakashi stood up. "Thanks for the dango."

"What? It's still daylight, what do you⎼"

Obito didn't get to finish, because Kakashi was already gone. He looked to Rin, who was as equally confused. They exchanged shrugs, assuming it was just Kakashi being Kakashi. At least they had learned something.

Little did they know, they weren't the only ones with more information.

へのへのもへじ

Kakashi took to the rooftops instantly. He was already too far behind, from those precious seconds excusing himself from Rin and Obito. But there, in the distance, he saw an ANBU agent darting silently across the rooftops. Without hesitation, he took off after.

Why was an ANBU agent eavesdropping on the conversation of a couple Genin and a Chunin? Sure, they were Namikaze Minato's team, but they hardly talked about their sensei during that short conversation. And, the ANBU left only after Kakashi disclosed the barest of information about his medical records.

He didn't like this. This little body was too inadequate, too. He was having trouble keeping up, barely keeping the ANBU in his sights, let alone catching up. Unless he channeled more chakra to his feet, which he was reluctant to do as it would alert the ANBU, he was going to lose his stalker.

Who was the ANBU reporting to, anyway? The Hokage, who already had access to every shinobi's medical records? Or Danzo, the shadow of Hiruzen, who controlled ROOT, the shadow of the ANBU?

The answer seemed obvious, and it worried Kakashi all the more. Since when had Danzo taken an interest in him? If his memory was correct, Danzo should have his hands full with Orochimaru and the experiments which would soon bring Tenzo into his life. Besides the one incident which resulted in his hospitalization, everything over the past couple of months should have stayed within Team Minato. There was always the possibility that ROOT had dug in deeply to the hospital as well, but what interest would they have in the hospital report of some Chunin? Kakashi was a prodigy, yes, but Genin and Chunin were injured on missions all the time. Had Danzo had his eye on him for this long, without his realization? As far as Kakashi knew, Danzo's interest in him had only bloomed after the death of Minato.

Kakashi found a dozen more questions on his already-filled plate. The only way he would get answers was if he managed to trail that ANBU. That was a big if, given his current physique. While nothing to be messed with, no training in the world could match up to someone of more or less equal skill and longer legs.

The ANBU dropped to the ground, and Kakashi did the same when he reached the spot. He could still sense the chakra signature, barely, and so he darted to the right, following blindly around the back of the hospital.

He came to an abrupt stop when the ANBU appeared behind him, pressing a kunai to his throat. "Hatake Kakashi," came a deep, rumbling voice that he didn't recognize. "You're more perceptive than I thought."

"I am a prodigy," Kakashi replied smoothly. His shoulders were not tense; there was no hiccup in his voice or tremble to his hands. The ANBU was curious to say the least, why the Chunin would not be begging for his life already. The fact that the Hatake had the balls to follow him was impressive enough. He was beginning to question if the prodigy was smart or idiotic.

Kakashi continued. "It's rude to look through someone's medical reports, you know. Danzo could've just asked me himself."

The ROOT agent stiffened near imperceptibly. "Cocky brat," he hissed. "You're lucky that⎼"

"That Danzo's interested in me, or else you would've slit my throat two minutes ago. Right?"

The kunai pulled away from his throat, and just as suddenly, the blunt end slammed into the back of his skull. Kakashi choked, his legs buckling. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

He really needed to stop pushing his luck.