Chapter 5.

Hinata watched Hanabi happily munch on the grilled fish and rice they had for breakfast (they felt traditional this morning). It was the beginning of their two days together, so naturally both sisters were excited. Hanabi looked like she was dying to say something, and Hinata smiled at her sister's inquisitiveness; it felt like they were back at the compound, stealing moments to hide from tutors to gossip.

"Say," Hanabi started, eyes innocent, "what happened to Naruto?"

Alright, that was not what Hinata wanted to talk about first thing in the morning.

"He is in prison…" she said, feeling the guilt come back full force.

"I know that he's in prison. What I mean is, I thought you loved him?"

Now that was a topic she found even harder to talk about.

"I thought so too," Hinata replied, watching the tea swirl in her cup. "And I told him as much, but…"

"He doesn't feel the same?" her sister finished.

Hinata shook her head. "Didn't even give a reply." She took a sip of her drink. "But it was war, so…"

It was foolish to believe that Naruto would have any feelings for her. After all, he's never shown any inclination to that regarding her person.

"So, you are, like, open to other options? Back on the market?"

The older Hyuga choke on her drink, almost spilling everything all over. "What?" was the only coherent thing she managed to cough up.

"I mean that you are no longer obsessed with Naruto."

Hinata thought on it for a moment. Were her feelings towards Naruto the same as they were a year ago? The answer came unsurprisingly fast. She still admired him; those feelings didn't go anywhere. But admiration and respect did not mean love.

"I guess not," Hinata finally replied, feeling strangely calm about her revelation. She guessed it was because the change in her affections had been gradual and didn't hit her out of the blue. "Wait, why do you think I was obsessed with Naruto?"

Hanabi just gave her a meaningful look, as if asking if she were serious.

The two let out a chuckle at that, going back to their meals. The heaviness, however, lingered in Hinata's heart. She wondered how Naruto was now. Even if she no longer had a crush on him, he was still her friend. And even if he explicitly told them not to worry, she still felt like she wasn't doing enough to help him. Kakashi promised that he would look after his student but seeing as he was neck-deep in Danzou's business, she wasn't sure that he had the clearance to do so.

Hanabi saw the melancholy expression glaze over her sister's face. The girl continued their chatter in an attempt to distract her sister from any thoughts that were so obviously troubling her. She had already succeeded in bringing Hinata out of her mood, when Kakashi finally woke up.

Copy Ninja stretched, awakened by Hanabi's loud voice. Looking at the clock, he nearly sprung from his place until he remembered what day it was. Today was his 'day off'. Of course, it wasn't a completely free day; he had a meeting shceduled, but still.

"Good morning," his wife paused the conversation she was having with Hanabi.

"Morning," he replied, stretching. That couch was not a comfortable place to sleep on.

Hanabi just sat there, glaring at him, which Kakashi suspected will become the usual from this point. Getting up he made sure to pat her on the head before going to get ready for the day. "Good morning to you too, Hanabi-chan." Girl bristled and covered her head with her hands, still glaring. Kakashi knew she didn't like it, which was precisely why he made a point to do it. Hinata seemed amused by all of it, which was yet another reason for his motivation.

After a short but hearty breakfast where Kakashi masterfully dodged all of Hanabi's attempts to see his face (for someone who hated his guts she sure was nosy), they all went to the private training area at the back of the house for some practice. Personal training site was one of the pros to having a high position in the village government.

Hinata thought Hanabi wouldn't be very fond of that part of their arrangement, but her sister surprised her by actually looking excited. She was practically bouncing with energy, eager to flaunt her Hyuga skills, Hinata guessed. Sometimes her little sister was a bit of a show-off.

The morning was perfect for training. Winter was never harsh in Konoha, but todays weather seemed to be particularly kind. Kakashi even pointed out so, before ushering them to begin. He largely left them to their own devices during the warmup, no need to teach anything as basic as that. Although Hinata kept catching Kakashi's glances, as if her husband was discreetly observing them. Once or twice their eyes met, and everytime she would make sure to give him a smile. He always responded in kind.

"Alright," Kakashi declared their warmup to be finished after some time into their session, "I don't really see anything wrong in your forms and techniques yet. So how about we spar, Hanabi-chan?" He then smiled, turning to Hinata, "that is, dear wife, if you do not object. It would be a great way to determine where Hanabi-chan stands in terms of skill and training."

"Not at all," Hinata easily agreed.

It would be beneficial for her and especially for Hanabi. She didn't mind observing, but she would like to spar with her husband as well. Not every day you get a chance for a personal training session with the legendary Copy Ninja. It didn't matter that he lost the Sharingan, he was still an elite.

Hinata seated herself several feet away from where Kakashi and Hanabi were going to spar. The two stood on the opposite sides of the training ground. Hanabi was calm and focused, Hinata knew, like a snake before it jumps her pray. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked disinterested, almost bored. Hinata figured he either wanted to tick Hanabi off or it was his usual expression in situations like this. Probably both.

"Aaand, we start," Kakashi lazily declared, not moving from his spot at all. Hanabi did the same. After a few moments of them both not doing anything, Kakashi raised his brow.

"You know," he said, "you are not going to see what you are capable of if you don't do anything."

"Who told you I'm not doing anything," Hanabi replied hotly.

"I don't need to be told what I can see for myself."

"I am waiting for your move, genius."

"It could be a viable strategy in a real battle," Kakashi agreed, "but when you are sparring, especially with someone for the first time, it is better if you attack head on. Come on," he encouraged, "You can use whatever weapon, jutsu, or fighting technique you want."

"Why don't you attack then?" Hanabi argued. "You should follow your own advice."

"I don't need to know what I am capable of against you, but you need to see what you can do against a stronger opponent." He paused for a moment. "Think of it as when you are handing in your assignment to a tutor. You don't wait for him to ask for it, do you? You just give it so that he can evaluate and give you your mark."

Hanabi stood, contemplating his words for a second or two, before readying for an attack with a determined nod. Kakashi seemed glad that the girl listened to his advice. There was no point in her to be on the defensive, since he was trying to see what she was capable of doing. Perhaps later, when he is more familiar with the way she fought, he could see how she conducted herself in a real battle scenario. As for now, he was happy to dodge and deflect her incoming attacks.

Hinata observed the fight. Hanabi has improved markedly during these years. All of them had. Speed and finesse always were Hyugas' strongest traits, allowing them to excel in both defense and offense. However, Kakashi was on a whole new level. He was practically dancing around his opponent, much to her irritation. Her sister kept her expression calm, but Hinata knew that beneath was a pool of growing exasperation. Hanabi never liked when her opponents refused to fight back. She calls it dishonorable. Hinata calls it smart. Kakashi calls it standard tactics. Hinata noticed that even though Kakashi was pulling his punches, he didn't seem to be holding back as obviously as her tutors did.

"You are too focused on outsmarting me," Copy Nin said, ignoring Hanabi's feint in favor of dealing a blow of his own. Unlike her, his hit was very much real, sending her toppling a few meters. "This spar is all about fighting, so you need to be able to think fast."

Hanabi, who'd fallen on the ground from Kakashi's last attack, immediately stood up, frustration clear on her face. Determination was something the girl had in abundance, and she continued displaying it throughout their fight. Her opponent, in contrast, just slouched lazily, having not moved at all. He seemed content lecturing her.

"Your chakra gives away your intentions," he casually observed, sidestepping her charge while pushing her forward at the same time, effectively sending her stumbling to another end of the field. "Keep it even, you can't trick me if I know exactly when you are going to strike."

There was no patronizing, no demeaning indulgence – just hard honesty. If there was one thing Hanabi respected it was honesty. She began panting from all the exertion, having been tossed and pushed all over the grounds, but refused to let her failures affect her judgement. Hanabi closed her eyes for a few moments, catching her breath and concentrating. If she kept her chakra steady, Kakashi won't be able to deduce whether she was going to attack or fake. Absently, she was more than impressed with the man's combat skills. Even without the Sharingan he seemed able to predict her next move just as fine. With an audible exhale, she moved once again to attack her opponent.

Kakashi moved precisely at the speed required of him to dodge or parry Hanabi's strikes, nothing more, nothing less. Even though he repelled her next attack just as easily as all the previous ones, Copy Ninja noticed that this time the spikes in Hanabi's chakra whenever she moved were significantly less noticeable. The brat was learning fast.

Hinata, who watched the battle, also noticed the change in her sister's approach. She silently rooted for Hanabi but was pretty sure that there was no way Kakashi would lose to a genin.

As their spar progressed, Hinata noticed that Kakashi had also changed the way he fought. After a few more minutes of his initial evasive tactics, Copy Nin decided to go on the offensive. He started to increasingly throw in punches of his own, forcing Hanabi to defend. After one of her successful dodges, Kakashi made himself look vulnerable, baiting his opponent to retaliate. He then utilised his opening to launch a surprise attack, quickly ducking behind her. While doing so he squatted for some reason and joined his thumbs, index and middle fingers in a characteristic tiger seal. During all of this he managed to call out the name of his technique.

"Thousand years of pain!" Hinata heard him shout at the same time while performing said jutsu.

Hinata didn't have time to ponder on what kind of jutsu had only one hand seal. She barely had enough time to note that there was no way Hanabi will allow him to perform a jutsu up so close, fast hand sealing or not. That was before she saw just what exactly was that jutsu of Kakashi's. Her husband was indeed deranged, Hinata deadpanned, thinking on what Kiba said to her before. For there was no way a sane person would come up with something so ridiculous and give it such a dramatic name. Luckily, Hanabi managed to react and dodge just in time. It did nothing to prevent Hinata from deducing where Kakashi was aiming with his 'technique', though. Her sister also seemed to get the purpose of the move. She blushed heavily and sprang back away several meters from Kakashi as if scalded.

"What are you doing, you pervert?!" she screeched, hands balled into fists.

"Not bad, not bad," her husband hummed, unfazed, stroking his chin. "You managed to dodge."

He thought about Naruto, who couldn't dodge it at her age. So far, he was impressed. However, his pleased expression did not do him justice in his young opponent's eyes. It looked like he was making fun of her. Which he clearly wasn't, by the way.

"I'll show you not bad!"

With a snarl, Hanabi sprinted towards the masked man, intent to kill or at least inflict severe bodily harm clear on her face. Kakashi changed his stance. It seemed familiar to Hinata, until she realized it was a slightly modified version of Hyuga Gentle Fist. He parried all her sister's attacks using exactly the same moves, mirroring his opponent. He even threw some punches of his own. This time he didn't hold back as much.

Hinata now realized that being a show-off was something her sister shared with Kakashi. The woman had to admit that it was impressive, though; not many people outside of her clan were able to adequately use Gentle Fist.

Needless to say, the fight was over quickly. Hanabi was barely standing, her arms uselessly hanging at her sides. She couldn't move from exhaustion and chakra block. It seemed twenty minutes at top speed was her limit. 'Not so bad,' Kakashi thought, overall impressed by her skills and stamina.

"You can lie down," he ordered her. "No point in standing when you obviously cannot continue."

Hanabi looked like she wanted to argue, but promptly decided against it and plopped down on the ground.

"Can you stop copying others?" she accused, vexed. "Don't you have a style of your own?"

"I do have my own techniques." He smiled. "Why, just now I demonstrated Village's Most Secret and Sacred Technique: One Thousand Years of–"

He was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "Dear husband," he heard Hinata call behind him, voice sounding a tad bit too sweet and expression strangely frightening despite her saccharine smile. "An interesting technique you demonstrated there. Quite dangerous, too. Luckily, Hanabi-chan could dodge in time."

Kakashi turned around and gulped. Somehow, he was sure that 'dangerous' and 'luckily' meant for him, and not Hanabi. Hinata might have been smiling sweetly, but underneath, all he could see was righteous fury.

"A-anyways," he cleared his throat, turning back towards Hanabi. He absently noted that his wife would've looked even more attractive when angry had that anger not been directed at him. "I defeated you in your own discipline."

He knew that gloating was childish, but he wanted to divert Hinata's attention, so he prayed that Hanabi would fall for his bait.

"You changed it!" her answer wasn't long in coming, of which Kakashi was glad.

"I improved it," he said.

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Then why are you lying on the ground and I am not?" It was so much fun, Kakashi thought, as Hanabi sputtered incoherently.

Hinata shook her head. Watching these two argue was like watching siblings who always annoyed the hell out of each other. It was adorable in a way. Finally, she decided to interrupt, sparing her sister from further teasing. It was clear her husband enjoyed it a bit too much.

"Alright, Hanabi-chan, that's enough," she told her, helping her up. "You should admit that you lost."

Hanabi's attitude turned 180 degrees, as she obediently looked at Hinata.

"I know," she said somewhat guiltily, before pointing at Kakashi with an indignant tone, "but he is being annoying."

"I see you can move your arms again." Kakashi observed innocently, seemingly glad that function returned to her arms.

"Shut up! You should be ashamed of yourself, bragging about defeating a genin. You have like, fifty years of experience over me!"

"I am not that old," he deadpanned.

"Sure, Mr. Gray-hair."

"I'll have you know that it's silver, not gray. It is associated in some countries with calmness, balance, logic and skill," he grouched, making Hinata giggle; she shouldn't have given him their girly magazines to read. "Seriously, though, I do believe that there was no way for you to win. I just wanted you to realize that. Humility is one of the most important qualities a ninja can have. I wanted to make sure you understand that."

He looked at Hanabi. Arrogance was dangerous in their occupation, he wanted her to realize it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Hanabi seemed fond of skipping from one extreme to another.

"I get it," she sighed, crestfallen, kicking a piece of earth from underneath. "I'm weak."

"No. You are not weak. I am stronger." Kakashi walked up to Hanabi and gave her his hand; index and middle fingers outstretched in the traditional peace sign. "You are strong, Hanabi-chan. Do not ever doubt that. Besides, strength isn't the only important quality," he smiled, repeating Hanabi's own words spoken to her Father long time ago, that he heard from Hinata.

Hanabi looked at his sign of reconciliation. She couldn't understand this man. He was supposed to be an uncaring bastard, but here he was, treating her as an equal. He should be cruel and ruthless, but he was virtually the first adult who never looked down on her and her sister. In fact, he seemed to be treating Hinata with far more affection than she would've expected. Last night, before going to sleep, Hinata-neesan talked with her about him. She didn't get it then. Now, she thought that she began to understand what her sister meant. Kakashi clearly was not who she thought he was. And if neesan believed in this man, then she should give him a chance too. The unison sign was a sign of respect between fellow opponents. So Hanabi reciprocated the gesture.

"It's not like I respect you or anything," she felt the need to say. "I just didn't want to leave you hanging like that."

Hinata looked at the heartwarming scene before her. Despite what her sister said, it was clear that Kakashi did gain some respect in her eyes. She hoped the talk they had last night had helped. Kakashi seemed surprised too, but in a good way. Hinata was sure she saw him grin underneath that mask.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, excited. "Now we can go over some exercises I think would help you, Hanabi-chan. I already devised a schedule. Today and tomorrow we can do the practice and you can ask any questions. Next week, we will–"

"Hold your horses, old man," she stopped him. "You must spar with neechan too."

Kakashi turned to Hinata, realization dawning. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Got carried away a little."

If she were completely honest, Hinata didn't mind. Her husband looked so eager to teach Hanabi. Not to mention that the girl herself would've benefited immensely from his training.

'He must really miss having a student,' she thought.

"It's okay, we can quickly spar now," Hinata said with a smile. "Then you can show us those exercises of yours, and we can ask questions as you planned."

"Thank you, dear wife."

Something in his tone felt warm and familiar. Like he really meant each word he said. Hinata felt her cheeks heat up, and quickly rushed to her intended spot at the sparring field. Why did she seem to take so much pleasure from his happiness?

"Yeah! Neechan, kick his butt!" Hanabi cheered in the meantime, seemingly oblivious to her revelations.

"I will probably lose just as badly," Hinata smiled, recovering from her embarrassment.

"No way! I bet you can punch him at least."

"Your confidence in me is reassuring," the woman deadpanned, as if landing one punch was much of an achievement.

Then again, against someone like Kakashi it might very well be.

"Before we start," Kakashi said turning to the younger Hyuga, "Hanabi-chan, you must watch closely. I want you to look for any mistakes any of us makes, and I want you to think on how they could have been avoided. It is important to critically analyze your battles to improve. One good battle analysis gives you as much insight as tens of spars."

Hanabi didn't look particularly convinced, but nodded in agreement nonetheless.

With that, Kakashi and Hinata's own spar has begun. It was Hanabi's turn to observe now, so she activated her Byakugan. It wasn't like it was much of a help when analyzing movements, but she activated it anyway, to at least have a look at what happened to their chakra during the fight. Her sister was strong, so she was sure Kakashi won't have an easy time with her. Indeed, he seemed to be on full alert.

Unlike her, Hinata concealed her chakra fluctuations very well, giving no indication of her next move to her opponent. She also was faster than Hanabi, and her punches packed more power. This fight, by comparison, looked much more even than the previous.

Once again, Kakashi chose to fight in a Gentle Fist style. Despite him using only the basic techniques, he seemed proficient in it so far. Hanabi didn't know why the man decided to use it, but her bet would be that he simply wanted to impress Hinata. She snorted, as if a couple of fancy moves could make her sister instantly admire him. As she was having those thoughts, Kakashi attempted to perform Hyuga's secret technique. It looked like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, with the exception that Hanabi counted only sixteen hits instead of the standard sixty-four.

Alright, that was impressive, the girl begrudgingly admitted. And although Kakashi couldn't expel chakra from his palms as well as a Hyuga, his precision was good enough to have dealt significant damage to Hinata's tenketsu had she not parried his attacks.

Hanabi couldn't find any mistakes in Hinata's form. In fact, both fighters seemed to be displaying considerable prowess. She wasn't even sure how she was supposed to analyze a fight she could barely keep up with. She noticed, though, that Kakashi's way of Gentle Fist significantly differed than what she was taught. He incorporated various kicks and wasn't beneath grappling with his opponents, the kinds of moves you never see in a traditional Gentle Fist. She guessed it was because unlike Hinata, Kakashi was not a Hyuga, so he couldn't utilise their style to its fullest. Her tutors back at the clan compound would've probably fainted if they saw this spar. It was already sacrilegious to use Gentle Fist outside of the clan, not to mention the way Copy Nin butchered their techniques. The inner rebel in Hanabi was impressed. Those stuck up geezers didn't see further than their outdated traditions anyway, so she continued enjoying the show.

If Hanabi had to describe the fight that unfolded before her eyes she would use word 'awesome'. Neechan was so fast and her movements so graceful. When thinking about Kakashi during the fight, the phrase 'pure skill' came to Hanabi's mind. None of them was holding back in terms of technique, but Kakashi was fighting in an initially disadvantageous situation, since it was a taijutsu spar. Hyuga were among the best taijutsu specialists in Konoha, and yet, Kakashi did not even look like he was struggling. Her Byakugan did not see him infusing chakra in his palms like Hyuga usually do. That means he was matching her sister's punches with his sheer physical strength alone. Moreover, who knew how fast he actually was at his top speed... If she were to be honest, Hanabi thought her neesan's husband was terrific.

All the stranger his lack of fight against Danzou. Hinata was definitely right – there was something they didn't know about the man.

Twenty or so more minutes of intense fighting, and Hinata started to show signs of fatigue. Not to mention all the hits that grazed her starting to make their presence known.

'I cannot keep this up for long,' she thought.

She needed to either find an opening that allowed her to win, or lose trying. Kakashi didn't even seem to get tired. For all Kurenai-sensei's talk about Kakashi's stamina being his biggest weakness, she wasn't noticing it. If this is bad by elite shinobi standards, she thought, then her own stamina was downright abysmal. And he wasn't even trying to play mind games he was so famous for. He was just simply trying to beat her up, and succeeding, if the pain all over her body was any indication.

Hinata jumped just in time to dodge his sweeping kick but couldn't do anything else as she had to immediately block his follow up attack. He threw punches relentlessly, not giving her any time to recover. The speed and power in his hits never decreasing since the start of the spar. If anything, his attacks had become more intense! Feeling her arms start to get heavy from all the abuse they were taking, Hinata waited for a perfect opportunity to present itself. She knew it was unlikely, but there was no other way for her to win. Besides, she had a plan. Well, sort of.

If she couldn't hit without being hit herself, then so be it. She decided to exchange blows with him. Already figuring out the rhythm of his punches by this point, she was fairly sure she would be able to hit him if she took one blow herself. The only problem was catching the perfect timing to deliver her punch. For all his holding back strategy-wise, he did not hold back in terms of the way he fought. He fought her with the same speed and power as he would've fought an enemy shinobi. She suspected because he valued the training itself rather than winning, so his priorities were different in a spar. He didn't use moves that would give him a quick victory, opting for experimenting and testing his limits instead. She was a bit disappointed that he took it easy on her, but she understood that it was necessary. If he fought to his fullest, she wouldn't stand a chance, she knew it. She only hoped that this tendency won't last long, and she would be able to spar with him on equal grounds soon.

She patiently endured for when his attacks became predictable, preferably with a combination of straightforward punches. Her resilience was rewarded as Kakashi seemed to decide to do a succession of quick basic moves in an attempt to wear her defense down. Little did he know that she wasn't even going to defend.

'Gotcha!'

Hinata put all her remaining power in her chakra infused attack and threw one last punch aimed squarely at his chest. She, in turn, took a hit to the face. It didn't matter though, for she felt her palm cleanly connect with its target.

Hanabi saw the two exchange blows and fly about eight meters away from each other in opposite directions. Their fall raising dust clouds from the ground. Young Hyuga immediately stood up and ran to her sister at one side of the field.

"Neechan!" she called, approaching to where Hinata had landed.

There lay her sister, with an area around her eye rapidly bruising, and a triumphal grin on her face. Hanabi helped her stand up, and together they went to check on Kakashi who was on the other side. Apparently, he was able to get back up by himself.

And immediately fall afterwards.

"That's going to leave a black eye," he commented, pointing at her bruise, before swaying and dropping on the ground.

"Kakashi!"

The two sisters rushed to his side, Hinata immediately noticing how he was clutching his chest in pain. She frowned, remembering how he did virtually the same a day prior.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered, no longer accepting 'no' for an answer.

Why didn't she insist on checking his chest when something definitely appeared to be wrong a day ago? He shrugged her concerns off, but still, she was the one who had medical knowledge. She should've pressed the issue then. Her mental berating of herself was stopped short when Kakashi finally removed his shirt.

"It's fine," Kakashi said, as if they were blind and couldn't see that it was quite clearly not 'fine'. "I used chakra to absorb most of the damage. It's just a little sore."

The only thing that was 'just a little' was widening of both girls' eyes at what they saw.

There was a very nasty looking bruise just under his chest. It looked like it hurt, and Hinata couldn't help but wonder what kind of injury the man had gotten himself before sparring with them. Since the bruise was already fully formed, it was unlikely that he got it from her.

"Your rib is cracked!" Hinata exclaimed, infusing healing chakra to his chest, soothing the pain and reducing inflammation. "It looks like it's not as bad as it seems, though, like it had been healed with chakra before…"

Suddenly, Hinata remembered healing a man who Kakashi beat up after the explosion incident. His injury was similar, located in exactly the same region as Kakashi's was now...

"It can't be," Hinata murmured, trying to bring those events back to memory, connecting the dots.

Sakura was acting weird that day, she remembered. That ninja she healed, he left a string of purple patch behind. Sakura told her to keep it, and it must've been for a reason. Hinata fished in her pockets, pulling out the purple thing. She saw recognition flicker in Kakashi's eyes when he saw it, only proving her suspicions.

"Are you– you–" she sputtered, bewildered. "Are you serious?!"

Kakashi kept silent, looking at the purple patch in his wife's hand. He was certain that she'd put two and two together and he was busted.

"What? What's going on?" Hanabi questioned, agitated. Clearly, the girl didn't like to be out of the loop.

Hinata seemed too shocked to say anything, her gaze jumping from her husband to her hand with the piece of evidence in it. Thus, the explanation falls to Kakashi.

"Hanabi-chan," he started, licking his lips, "did you know there was an explosion a couple of days ago?"

"Of course I know!" she responded, offended. "It's been the subject of village talk since the word came out that you beat some guy up."

"Yeah..." Copy Nin confirmed, "but you see, I didn't beat anyone."

Hanabi didn't look convinced. It was in a newspaper afterall.

"I mean I did beat someone up, but it was me," Kakashi corrected lamely, fearing that Hanabi was thinking him crazy now. "Yeah, I beat myself. You see, the man I punched was the real me, while the Kakashi everyone saw was my Shadow Clone," he explained.

He spied a glance at his wife, seeing that her shock had subsided by this point.

"You mean to tell us that you staged everything?!" Hanabi asked, incredulous.

Kakashi gave a nod in affirmative. Absently, he noticed that the pain in his chest had lessened. Evidently, Hinata's medical ninjutsu skills were more than adequate.

Even though she had already figured it out, hearing Kakashi confirm it still hit her like a ton of bricks. She was shocked, and she wasn't sure if it was more in a good way than bad. On one hand, Kakashi wasn't a ruthless bandit who beat people into submission. On the other, he was a selfless madman, willing to inflict harm upon himself to protect others.

"Wait, what this purple thingy is about?" Hanabi asked.

Hinata too, wanted to know. It was pretty mysterious.

"I put these on my face to conceal my scar," Kakashi readily replied. "So that there is nothing that can give away that it's me in disguise."

Hinata found herself agreeing with him. She didn't even recognize that the man whose injuries she tended to back there was her husband. But more importantly...

"I don't care what everyone says about you. You are a hero," Hinata said with absolute conviction.

At her words Kakashi felt warmth spread all over his chest. Or maybe it was the effect of her jutsu? Nevertheless, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading on his face.

"Thank you," he said, locking eyes with her, feeling lighter than ever.

Just looking in those gleaming orbs made Kakashi feel like he could accomplish anything.

They sat like that for a good five minutes when Hanabi finally snapped them from their trance.

"How about we discuss the training?" she asked gently, the knowledge imparted upon her today made an impression on her as well. She began viewing Kakashi in a whole new light.

"I think I'm an unworthy sparring partner," Hinata said, surprised at the dejectedness in her voice. She meant it as a joke to lighten the mood.

"You did manage to land a hit on me," Kakashi also recovered. "Not to mention your good thinking and flawless technique."

Kakashi was grateful of Hanabi for her change of topic. Despite them supporting him, Kakashi didn't want to discuss the explosion incident. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sis, you were amazing!"

Their encouragement seemed to work, as Hinata cheered up slightly. If not reassured, then at least touched by the kind words.

"But still," she said, disappointment still lingering, "you were holding back."

"I know. But even my sensei held back on me. It is essential for us to learn. I tried to fight as evenly as possible, because I believe that we learn best when we face opponents of equivalent strength or slightly stronger."

"Really?" she asked, voice unsure. "That's an awfully specific criteria you have."

"Of course!" Kakashi went on, not realizing his wife was joking. "When I was a kid at the academy, Lord Sandaime used to come visit for training sessions. He sparred with everyone, including me. Do you think he didn't hold back?"

"That's totally different!" his wife chuckled. "How can you expect Hokage to fight seriously with a bunch of kids?"

"But he did fight seriously," Kakashi argued. "He didn't fight at his fullest, sure, but if you think he ever lost a single spar against me you are mistaken. He fought at the same level as me, and he always won. Sure, it may be disrespectful to give victory away on purpose, but it is even more disrespectful to spar with your opponent without intending to make them better. My losses always were different. He made sure I learned something from each spar, even though he clearly held back."

Hinata laughed again. "Somehow, I have a feeling you gave Hokage-sama more trouble than he bargained for." She imagined Sandaime having to actually concentrate fighting against a 5-year-old kid.

"What can I say?" Kakashi shrugged. "I was a special kid."

"And humble, too," added Hanabi, which made both adults laugh, while Hanabi herself cracked a slight smile.

The lunch passed over enthusiastic conversation. It was Hanabi and Hinata who did most of the talking, but Kakashi tried to participate as well. Hanabi for her part, was talking incessantly, jumping from one topic to another, clearly wanting to discuss anything and everything with her sister. Hinata happily indulged. She knew that back at the clan compound Hanabi didn't have anyone who she could freely turn to, so she had a lot of things pent up she wanted to talk about. Weather, Hyuga household, food, Hinata and her team's adventures – they talked about it all.

Kakashi found it hard to follow the two, as their conversations were always filled with inside jokes, but he made sure to drop in a word or two whenever he had an opinion.

"You, know, sis," Hanabi suddenly said, changing the topic of conversation once again, "I wish I had a team like yours. It sure sounds like a lot of fun," she sighed, dejected, her voice trailing off at the end.

Hanabi looked pensive, all her spirit suddenly vanishing. Hinata didn't know what to say. How do you comfort a person in a situation like this? She understood that since her sister was a clan heir, Father did not allow her to go on missions. Because of her status she never had a genin team, nor any friends outside Hyuga clan, so she never experienced that camaraderie with other ninja. She never traveled anywhere outside Konoha.

The life of an heiress of a great clan is that of a caged bird.

Once again, guilt swarmed Hinata. If she were stronger, she would have been chosen an heir, and Hanabi would have all the freedom in the world. Her sister was strong, and Hinata knew that she had long since came to terms with her situation, but just thinking about how much happier she could be if only Hinata was competent enough…

Hanabi looked at Hinata sternly. "Neechan, you aren't blaming yourself again, are you?"

"I'm sorry, Hanabi," her big sister replied, voice laden with guilt. "I cannot help but think that if I were better…"

"And what would it have changed? I would be in your place instead." Hanabi looked at her disbelievingly. Kakashi visibly shuddered at the picture. "You do realize that your life was just as hard, maybe harder?"

Noting her sister's silence, Hanabi rose from the table and came up to Hinata, hugging her.

"Hinata-oneesan, I don't blame you for anything. You are my sister and my best friend. If anything, it's me who should be apologizing," she told her softly.

"What do you have to apologize for, silly?" a strained chuckle escaped Hinata's lips. She fiercely hugged her little sister back.

"You know, for taking Father's attention and making you feel neglected and stuff." Hanabi wasn't very good with sentiments. Nevertheless, she tried her best to convey her feelings.

Kakashi couldn't possibly relate to the girls, but he understood. It was indeed a terrible thing to be a prisoner within your own village. 'How many childhoods has this village ruined?' he asked himself, thinking of Naruto, Sasuke, Hanabi and Hinata. He himself did not have a great life, but he at least had a taste of the bliss that was being a child. Long ago, when his dad was still revered by everyone, and life was simple and everything so much brighter. These girls, he saw now, had no such experience. Constantly monitored by the adults, with elevated expectations pressing on their minds and souls. He was a genius, having great expectations was a given in his case and he didn't mind. He didn't have much of a life after his teammates died anyway, so burying himself in work and training was a way to escape for him. These girls were different though – they had to work hard every day with no reward but the satisfaction for managing to meet the adults' unrealistic goals.

'It may be too late for me, but it's not late for them.'

With newfound resolve, Kakashi swore to give Hanabi a taste of carefree childhood. Hinata was not a child anymore, but she would enjoy it with Hanabi too. He will make sure of it, he decided, adding the vow to his long list of promises he intended to keep. Now he just needed to think. Once again, he thanked his brain for its ability to come up with solid ideas in times of great stress.

"Hanabi-chan," he approached tentatively. "Am I right to assume that you never left the borders of Konoha?"

"So what?" was her defensive answer. It seemed her tone when talking to him was either that or contemptuous.

"I just have a short diplomatic mission in Suna in two days, thought that I could take you with me. You know, for training purposes."

Hanabi looked at him, many different emotions passing behind her big eyes which were so alike to her sister's. There were initial surprise and contemplation, he noticed, then fleeting happiness, with her finally settling for disbelief.

"And what's it to you? Why are you suddenly suggesting it?" she questioned, suspicious.

Kakashi looked at Hinata for approval. A beaming expression from her was answer enough. Reassured, he feigned a heavy, sad sigh.

"I get lonely on missions. Thought since you are my sister now, you could keep me some company."

"Eww!" Hanabi shrieked. "Don't ever say that, I don't need to be reminded if I can help it."

"It was just a suggestion," he continued, with the same nonchalant tone. "But if you don't want to go it's fine. It's for a few days anyway, and you have important lessons to attend to."

Hanabi could refuse as much as she wanted, but Kakashi wasn't friends with Gai and had Naruto and Sasuke freaking Uchiha for students for nothing. Between getting himself out of Gai's more ridiculous challenges and convincing his students to anything, Hanabi's argument was child's play. She was already interested from the beginning, now all he had to do was create pressure on her by retracting his offer, and give her an alternative that was much worse, such as spending a week studying boring lessons instead of traveling with him to Suna. Judging by her wishful expression, Kakashi had no doubt she would crack.

"Hanabi-chan, I think you should go. It would mean a lot to me if you spent some time with Kakashi," Hinata provided additional help, gently nudging her sister.

"Fine," Hanabi finally grunted, as if she were doing him the biggest of favors by agreeing. "Since you are so obviously desperate, and sister taught me to get along with family, no matter how annoying they are…" that last part she quietly muttered so that Hinata couldn't hear, before continuing, "I'll go with you to your stupid trip." She crossed her arms. "Here, happy now?"

Kakashi shared a conspiratorial smile with his wife.

"Thanks, kid," he told her, standing up from the table and ruffling her hair. "Don't worry about your dad, I'll handle him. In the meantime, I am afraid I must leave your presence. I have some important matters to attend to. Have a nice day."

"Make sure not to strain yourself anymore, your injury is still fresh!" Hinata said after him. "And don't forget to apply the ointment. It will soothe pain and reduce inflammation."

"Stop mothering him, oneesan. He is a grown man," Hanabi admonished.

With those words, and the ladies' goodbyes (he would like to think that Hanabi's glare was affectionate), he left the two to have some girl time together. He did have an important meeting; one he couldn't be late for. Its outcome could determine the near future of Konoha, and he needed to plan his further actions accordingly.

'I wish I didn't have to deal with those people' he thought, leaving the house, whatever good mood he had before instantly vanishing. Mere thought of having to discuss his village's affairs with those scum caused him a headache.

He sniffed the crisp afternoon air.

'I also wish I took a shower,' he added as an afterthought.