ii. Crippled

For a long time now that Naruto just silently sitting there, Kakashi himself had also whispered his prayers to those special people he would never meet again; his father, his mother, his sensei, Rin and Obito and even those comrades he lost in the previous war.

He then decided to sit beside the younger man and the latter just smiled at him, acknowledging his presence.

"Kakashi sensei," Naruto eyed him, blue eyes slightly dancing towards the warm afternoon sun through the cracks of the dancing leaves of the trees surrounding them.

"Hm…?" Kakashi responded.

"I promised these people I will be the best Hokage ever…" The yellow haired boy said, unfamiliarly serious. "But you know, sensei… I can't…"

Kakashi stared back to those beautiful deep blue eyes, once again trying not to be swayed dangerously deeper than necessary. "It's okay. Though I wanted for you to stay positive as you always are, just relax, Naruto. Take it easy, learn in your pace and before you know it, you'll be as ready as you you'll ever be."

Naruto smiles widely, "You should be the Rokudaime, sensei."

Kakashi didn't reply, he just hummed for a moment before responding the amount of cheerfulness in Naruto's voice and smile. "I don't know, Naruto." He said truthfully. "I have things…things I needed to settle."

Naruto's forehead winkled under his forehead protector, "Ehh? Such as?" The boy confusedly and curiously asked.

"I can't really tell you…" Kakashi said and wisely changed the topic, "I would have thought you wanted to be the Rokudaime."

"I do." Naruto honestly said. "But I'm not entirely stupid, sensei. I know I wouldn't be ready for this, seeing how being the strongest in the battle isn't everything about being a Hokage."

Kakashi laughs, "Maybe Shikamaru's words scared you. You just don't want to do all the silly paper works, do you?"

Naruto made a scared face, remembering about that. That certainly made everything being a Hokage painfully scary for him. "Haha. If you put it that way. I supposed I'll be scared." He shivered.

"It couldn't be that bad."

Naruto smiled, "I want sensei to be the next Hokage and so I could study how to be Hokage watching you, sensei." The earnestness of the voice made Kakashi's hair in his arms stand. The way Naruto's voice wakes everything in and out of Kakashi's senses still both terrifies and amazes the jounin.

"Seems like a good plan." Kakashi agreed. But he added, "Just so you know, just in case I'd ended up taking the hat, don't expect me to elect you as my right hand man. I know you'll be useless for the role as you are probably useless being the Hokage right at this moment."

"Ah don't be mean, sensei!" Naruto shrieked, his face distorted to hurt and sulking expression. "My learning abilities surpassed anybody's."

"As your former sensei, I highly beg to differ." And the jounin made a huge chuckle, even more seeing Naruto admittedly pouted to this one, murmuring about how mean the jounin could be sometimes.

And then Naruto responded after his inaudible murmurings, "If it's Kakashi sensei, I wouldn't mind at all." Naruto looked up at Kakashi, bringing his fingers to trace on the jounin's masked jaw and said, "I wouldn't like anybody else." He added and gave the warmest smile he could muster.

Kakashi's heart instantly stopped as if it has a mind of its own despite him trying to tell himself to carry on and not react the way he is doing now. Damn it, Kakashi! The boy probably doesn't mean it the way you would want it to be! The boy is talking about being the Rokudaime, not his lover! He screamed to himself, only slightly relieved to realize that he still kept a good stoic face after all what really happening internally.

"Neh, Kakashi sensei?" Naruto tried to gain a response by holding his chin tighter now against his fingers, sharing the man's head by it.

"Maa, Naruto-chan." Kakashi hummed, "I'm not too sure yet." Kakashi just about managing himself to calm down.

Naruto laughs as he added, "Besides, having a crippled Hokage wouldn't be a good image for Konoha."

Kakashi watched Naruto raising his right arm. It was his bandaged arm. He lost half of his arm from his last fight with Sasuke in the Valley of the End while Sasuke lost his left arm similar way. It was idiocy, for Kakashi's opinion, but he also agreed that there's no other way the two boys could have dealt with this many generations of fate –that the two will always end up fighting. Kakashi is just glad that the boys came out of there with only just half of their limbs missing –and their feelings sorted finally.

Silly boys.

Kakashi's eyes focused on the boy's artificial arm Tsunade had managed to build out of the white Zetsu's study after the war. He grabbed the arm by the wrist and held it up, he smiled to the boy and said, "You won't be the only Kage who had lost an arm, Naruto." He replied.

Naruto stared at Kakashi and he knew quite well who Kakashi meant because the said Kage himself reassured him that losing an arm is not the end of everything. The fourth Raikage of Kumogakore, Ay, lost his arms to Sasuke during the Five Kage Summit. The odds of that both Naruto and Ay lost their arms to the same mind but it seems like all is even between the three of them.

"Well then, seems like I don't have any choice," Kakashi's hand holding Naruto's artificial wrist slides up until he had his fingers intertwined on the other's fingers. He smiled as he added, "I will be your right arm until you feels comfortable with yours."

Naruto looked at their intertwined fingers, looking confused but didn't try to pull away. So, did Kakashi. For a moment there, Kakashi doesn't want to let go and was disappointed when Naruto took his right hand away but again, as the best ninja in surprising, Naruto replaced his right hand with his left. He smiled to Kakashi, "I feel better with my own real hand." He explained and gave Kakashi's fingers a squeeze.

Kakashi blinked, surprised but his heart melted anyway. Like the usual. Naruto, you idiot. You can't simply hold your sensei's hand without expecting him to…to…what am I expecting…? The boy just wanted a hand to hold… if the boy has the slightest chance to hold Sakura's instead, surely the boy would prefer hers. Though, I bet Sakura wouldn't mind it now. Everybody loves Naruto. They would happily die just to get Naruto hold their hands. But then Sakura would probably punch him square in the face anyway.

Kakashi shrugs.

And why Naruto's hand feels so warm… and right…and feels so different from the ones when he was just a genin? His hand doesn't feel that way before… damn, Kakashi. You protect the boy, that's it. No ill intension. Be at least embarrassed in the memory of your sensei, his father…and in front of the whole Konoha.

Konoha.

Kakashi didn't know how long they have stayed there in front of the Memorial stone. All he could see now was the sun quietly departing the sky, showing the warmest orange hue around the landscape of the restoring Konoha. It wasn't completely like before, the village, as they all strived to rebuild, had grew wonderfully unique and stable on its due course of time.

For Kakashi, Konoha has rebuilt beautifully and he never would have expected the village to quickly restore like the way it did. It made him proud that he is a part of this village, gladder that he survived to see more budding home borne in this village, hope and love conquering all types of hardship.

Looking at the village now, there were only a few things that could remind them that a battle had ever occurred there. Even those they are gradually fixing. Konoha would stand tall and strong again, stronger now knowing Naruto will just be there protecting the world with their new found friend, Kurama, the Kyuubi.

It could have been just a thought but Kakashi doesn't want to question the prowess of a million years old beast when he realized that Naruto who has fallen asleep with head on his shoulder started emitting chakra that Kakashi strongly could recognized by now.

"Kurama,"

Naruto, or Kurama, at this stage since once Naruto falls unconscious, Kurama could simply slips himself out as Naruto gives him freedom with wide doors open. "The brat didn't get any sleep last night." The kyuubi explained.

Kakashi stretches his back, hearing loud noise his bones make. He hasn't been able to move since Naruto fell asleep. "I know." Kakashi admitted. "Nightmares way too often now, yes?"

Kurama grimaced. "The boy is pure hearted, truly doesn't hate nor regret. But his heart is uneasy. He's not satisfied and there's something missing, Kakashi. For the long years I have lived, I couldn't name it. Something… something."

Kakashi fixed his gaze to Naruto but he knew it was the beast that governs the body right at this moment. "I understand." He muttered, "Well, not exactly but—"

"He's only okay when you're around. His mind's at ease, his heart doesn't twitch as much…his eyes doesn't… you know what I mean, Kakashi… the boy needs you."

"I know, Kurama." Kakashi said, "But it wasn't to the same way I needed him."

Kurama snarls, fox-like, "At this point, I wasn't too sure anymore, Kakashi-san. I'd bet my nine tails the boy might actually like you just the same as you do."

Kakashi gaped but his mask hid it all away.

"But then, the brat is an idiot. He might not even realize it. For now, you might even be just a father-figure to him, somebody he could lean on and just…simply somebody he can call home."

Kakashi laughs, "Well, thanks, Kurama. That made me feel even better." He said, sarcastic. What a slap in the face. He didn't hold a grudge though, for a wise creature like Kurama, he could be right. He then added, "Don't you fret. I'll be just here for Naruto."

Kurama just nodded and the kyuubi's chakra vanished quickly just as fast as it came out. What's left was Naruto's limp head fell back to Kakashi's shoulder.

Naruto made a shuddering sigh on his sleep and Kakashi let himself caress the other's chin carefully, and occasionally trace the whiskery scars on the boy's face. They were beautiful, making the boy looked even more enchanting.

Ah, Kakashi should really stop referring Naruto a boy. The boy is nearly twenty and nobody calls a twenty years old a 'boy'. He should be referred a man and be respected as one.

"Maaa, that'll even make it harder for me." He sighs as he resumed stroking his former student's face lovingly. And the blond sighs to it, unconsciously liking the caress. Hmm, I can get used to this. Kakashi thought.