Chapter 15.

As Konoha's Jounin Commander, Kakashi had the honor to speak first during the Jounin Council's meetings. Needless to say, these gatherings rarely ended peacefully, with clans often at each other's throats by the time the council adjourned.

"I think we all know why we are here," said Tsume Inuzuka as soon as Kakashi finished the customary introductory speech. "What the hell happened yesterday at the Academy?"

The bite in Inuzuka matriarch's tone didn't normally appear until much later in the meeting, but it looked like yesterdays battle at the Academy was much too outrageous of an occurrence.

"I was about to get there–" Kakashi started but was once again interrupted by another jounin.

"This is getting ridiculous; we can't even ensure our children's safety within the walls of our own Academy!"

"And we still don't know the full details on what happened," seconded another, followed by indignant voices from the rest of the attendees.

"If you let Kakashi-sama speak, I am sure he will fill us in on the specifics," Shikamaru suggested diplomatically. The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly, as if beckoning their Jounin Commander to continue.

"Thank you, Shikamaru-sama. I was meaning to inform you regarding my and Kasai Manobu's… encounter yesterday. We conducted an investigation and after questioning the witnesses, namely Academy staff and students, it has been concluded that Kasai was the instigator."

"No shit, is there anything we couldn't deduce ourselves?" Tsume's flippant remark elicited equal number of smiles and frowns among the council.

"Protocol is important, Tsume-sama," Kakashi reminded, "and we can't just ignore the appropriate steps during such a situation."

"You mean the law is followed only when it's usefult to you?"

Kakashi had to stifle a groan. Why did that woman insist on being such a pain?

"Let's cut to the chase, as no one here particularly fancies going through all the bureaucracy," Hiashi chimed in with a nod towards the Copy Nin.

Thankful for Hyuga Head's interjection, Kakashi spoke once again.

"Kasai was not the most stable and level-headed of people, I am sure you are all aware of that. And when provoked by students he engaged into a verbal match. It wasn't long until the teachers got involved. Long story short, he almost killed my sister-in-law, Hanabi," Kakashi said, making said girl's father's eyes widen in surprise. "At that point I had no other choice than dispose of the man."

"My daughter didn't tell me anything about being involved…" Hiashi said stroking his chin, expression pensive. "Nonetheless, I thank you for your interference."

Kakashi smiled. "I understand your concerns," he said, addressing everyone present. "Such an occurrence is unacceptable within our village's walls and I will do my best so that it doesn't happen again. However, I believe I did what I had to do given the situation. Danzou-sama has approved of my decision as well."

Despite his unpopularity in the council, Copy Nin could clearly see that most of the jounin representatives agreed with him. Reluctantly, but they couldn't find fault in his actions during such a stressful situation.

'If only they knew,' Kakashi thought ruefully, remembering how he almost killed Hanabi with his risky plan.

"Here is the full report on what happened, written by the police and Root," he said, tossing a hefty stack of folders on the table, one copy for each member present.

"Well, shall we move on to other matters now that we are done with this?" Hiashi suggested, giving his folder to one of his subordinates for later inspection.

Shikamaru's glance shifted between the Hyuga Head and their Jounin Commander. Something seemed to change in their relationship, he couldn't help but notice. It was as if there was a certain level of respect between them. And Hiashi was subtly trying to soften the blow on the Copy Nin ever since the meeting started, always redirecting the conversation whenever Kakashi was being scrutinized. Yes, these two definitely came to some sort of understanding beforehand. Sorting that information for later, the Nara Head turned his attention back to their meeting.

Unbeknownst to the young Resistance leader, his other comrades too had come to a similar conclusion regarding the sudden warming of Kakashi and Hiashi's relationship. There was no doubt that it was due to Kakashi's marriage on the latter's daughter. The question was whether their alliance was mutual or forced on Kakashi's part. Judging by Hinata's completely loyal disposition to her husband, it was likely that the Hyuga clan appreciated Jounin Commander as an ally. This was something that needed to be examined more thoroughly, so everyone of Shikamaru's friends decided that they'll approach their leader after the meeting.

"Is he serious?" asked Hanabi no one in particular while Kakashi was away on the Jounin Council meeting. "Does he even know?"

Did Kakashi know that today, December 27th, was Hinata's birthday? The reason Hanabi was so exasperated was that Kakashi showed no indication that he was aware of his own wife's date of birth.

"He probably doesn't," dismissed Hinata.

The elder Hyuga wasn't in the least affected by her husband's negligence. After all, he had no way of knowing if she didn't tell him herself. Even if he knew, it did not really matter to her whether he celebrated it or not. She knew that he cared and that was enough for her.

And if he cared, Hanabi was quick to point out, then he should celebrate it.

The Hyuga siblings went to the market. What Hinata forgot to mention to Kakashi, aside from the fact that today was her birthday, was that Shikamaru hosted a soiree of his own. With the Jounin Council being too reliant on Danzou and Kakashi, most of Konoha's inter-clan matters were solved during such "parties". These events usually involved a lot of people Hinata has never met before, as virtually every clan, minor or major, held representation there.

Hinata hoped to use that occasion to make her friends start working together with Kakashi, since her husband agreed to let Shikamaru's group in on his plans to overthrow Danzou. But first things first, she was asked to prepare food for the reception.

Walking the rows of Konoha's market, Hinata couldn't help but feel like with each passing day the prices went up, with Danzou's government constantly increasing the tariffs. Even the assortment seemed poorer than a year before, with some of the more exotic goods becoming hard to come by. Their Hokage did not care though, all he needed from the village were soldiers to wage war with and money to fund it. It was surprising that Danzou's regime could go for a whole year without a major conflict.

Five hours later and Shikamaru's house was ready for receiving guests. Hanabi proudly looked over the assortment of food and drinks they've prepared, all accurately arranged on numerous big tables. Appropriately excessive. Nevertheless, cooking with Hinata was so fun that she didn't mind making some extra anyway. The Nara chefs were also impressed by her sister's culinary skills. Never did they learn that her sister received cooking lessons from the best chefs courtesy of Father's education.

It wasn't long before first visitors started to arrive. Hinata's former teammates and sensei fancied showing up together in a mob, it seemed. They didn't forget about Hinata's birthday, as a chorus of 'happy birthdays' echoed in the still quite empty lounge, followed by presents. As other guests started to make appearance, Konoha 11 were catching up. As the event was geared towards Konoha clans, Sakura, Tenten, Sai and some of Hinata's other friends were not present. She understood why they were not invited, but it bothered her still that she couldn't spend her birthday with all of her friends together.

Meanwhile, people kept coming and coming, it felt like, with all the constant greetings and pleasantry exchanges. Unlike her big sister, Hanabi was appropriately bored. There was not a single person whom she knew aside from Hinata's circle of friends. She didn't want to miss out on spending time with her sister, but this formal clan meeting was more of a chore than a party. She would've been fine if they actually discussed things directly like in a council, but the diplomacy there was more subtle, with people quietly mingling with each other and solving their problems in relative shadow. Hanabi easily admitted that Hinata-oneesan was much better than her at these kinds of social things. The girl looked her sister's way, seeing a sizeable group of people practically surround Hinata on all sides.

"Hatake-sama, what a pleasure it is to finally formally meet you."

"How do you find this little party, Hatake-sama."

"Oh, you must visit the next party we will be hosting! Our compound's gardens are absolutely exquisite in the evening!"

"I doubt they will impress Hatake-sama, she is also a Hyuga, afterall."

Hinata felt overwhelmed by all the attention from the guests. She never realized that they had so many clans in Konoha. As soon as they saw her chatting with her friends, they swarmed her in their attempts at making small talk.

"Pardon me, I think my sister is looking for me," she said, excusing herself from the suffocating presence of Shikamaru's guests.

Hanabi, to her credit, looked like she was expecting her sister to turn to her for help. She stood there, arms crossed, and a smirk etched on her face.

"Don't like all the attention?"

"Don't you start too, Hanabi," Hinata scoffed. "It is obvious that they want something from Hatake's wife, even though I can't possibly understand what."

"You are kidding, right?" Hanabi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hello, Jounin Commander's wife?"

"But why would they think I have any influence on Kakashi?"

"We are talking clans here, neesan. These people have been playing this game since they were old enough to talk. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew that your relationship with Kakashi is amiable," Hanabi explained.

Not everybody thought that Kakashi was a neglectful husband. Afterall, Hinata and Kakashi have been training together a lot and were often seen together in public. Hinata scoffed, now they didn't think that her husband abused her. She only hoped civilians would come to the same conclusion.

The Nara compound stood amidst the snowy field, a lone islet of warmth in the darkening chill of December afternoon. With the vast expanse of the forest behind it, Shikamaru's house reminded Kakashi of a woodsman's cabin, despite its much too large size. The guards at the primary entrance allowed him in without a word; clearly, Shikamaru wasn't lying when he said that Kakashi would be welcomed.

Copy Nin remembered their recent encounter, right after the meeting. Shikamaru in no uncertain terms had invited him to their clan "party" this evening, which surprised him. While aware of these events taking place, Kakashi never thought he'd be welcomed there, so he didn't bother to attend. Nara Head's personal invitation made it impossible to avoid going, so he resigned to a dull evening full of scornful glares from the other guests.

"Well, I hope the food at least will be good," he muttered, coming up to the gates of the main building.

Kakashi was once again surprised when Shikamaru had personally greeted him at the entrance to his abode. After a short exchange of pleasantries, he guided Kakashi through the underwood that was the Nara garden to a lounge that was filled with people from nearly every clan in Konoha.

"Make yourself at home," the shadow master said turning to leave, before adding, "Hinata, Hanabi and Kurenai-sensei are here too."

That made Kakashi feel significantly better about spending the evening there. He thanked his host and immediately went searching for his wife.

It wasn't hard to locate the most beautiful woman in the room, and soon Kakashi was approaching his wife and the group of her friends who all chatted cheerfully in the corner. Upon his arrival, all conversation stopped. Every pair of eyes was on him at that moment. The whole of remaining Konoha 11, sans Hinata, stared at him as if they didn't expect him to be there.

"Yo," he greeted nonchalantly.

Aside from Hinata's smile he got no reaction from the crowd.

Kakashi felt awkward, but he didn't let their lack of response discourage him.

"You guys don't mind me; I was just going to ask Hinata which table she is sitting at." With those words, the masked man quickly followed his apologetic wife's directions to a relatively big table. With nothing better to do, he secured himself a seat and a drink, quietly watching Hinata and her friends from afar.

"So much for a nice evening," he mumbled, taking a sip. Alone.

Hinata, of course, offered her company, but he didn't want to separate her away from her friends. She already spent every day with him, and as much as he wanted to be selfish, he understood that she needed some personal time with her friends. Not like she would mind if he joined them, but the Copy Nin knew that it would make everything awkward and ruin their gathering.

Kakashi began familiarising himself with the assortment of food on the table, nibbling at deer meat when he heard the brat's voice.

"Why such a long face, old man?"

"Oh, hey, Hanabi-chan," he greeted as Hanabi unceremoniously plopped on the vacant seat near him. "I could ask you the same question."

The girl snorted, "As if it's not obvious. It's boring as hell here."

"Same," Kakashi nodded, pouring himself another glass and taking a small sip. At least the food and drinks were as good as he imagined.

"Why are you not with neesan?"

"I don't want to impose on her time with her friends."

"Same," Hanabi agreed, making both of them sigh resignedly.

"It's neesan's birthday," the girl said after a full minute of them sitting there not doing anything.

"All the more reason for me to stay away," Kakashi replied after a short pause. He sighed again, seeing Hanabi's unconvinced expression. "You saw their reaction when I arrived. I'll just be ruining the party."

Hyuga girl's features softened. "At least wish a 'happy birthday' when everyone is gone," she exhaled, turning towards the food, "I don't think she really cares about presents or anything, just talk to her."

"And I will do exactly that later. But first, why don't we chat a bit more," the man said standing up. "Let's go outside and we can discuss your progress in Lightning jutsu."

Hanabi only grinned in response, readily following her mentor out of the stuffy lounge room.

"So, tell me, how far are you in mastering the technique I taught you the last time?" Kakashi asked as soon as they left the building.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, but there is still this thing I can't figure out," Hanabi replied.

"Show me."

"You serious? We could accidentally burn something."

"That's the part that is most fun, don't you think?" Kakashi slyly responded, making his charge smirk in agreement.

"We need a–" Hanabi was about to remind him that they needed a blade for that when Kakashi pulled out a table knife he misappropriated from the table earlier. He would've given her a real kunai had the guards not taken all his weapons upon his entrance.

"Alright, but if neesan starts one of her lectures because of it again, I'm telling on you," the girl gave in, catching the piece of cutlery thrown her way.

With those words, they found a suitable space and Hanabi performed the necessary hand seals with the knife still in her grasp. Immediately, the dull blade was coated with lightning chakra, and the young Hyuga felt it vibrate in her hand due to the sudden rush of power.

"Looks good to me," Kakashi said, observing Hanabi's display. "Could use more control, but you definitely learned the jutsu. What makes you think you were missing anything?"

"When you showed it to me you threw the kunai," Hanabi replied, remembering how it pierced right through a tree as if it was a piece of paper. "I tried to do the same, but the chakra is gone as soon as the blade leaves my hand."

To demonstrate, she launched the table knife into a nearby tree. As she told, the projectile immediately lost all the lightning and bounced off of its target in a rather underwhelming manner.

"See?"

Hanabi's disappointment was interrupted by a laugh from her companion. She sharply turned to him, incredulous.

"What's so funny?" she asked, a little hurt by Kakashi's reaction.

"It's just that what you wanted requires a high level of mastery over Lightning, and I never expected you to learn it so soon. In fact, what you attempted right now was so complex that it can almost be considered as a distinct technique of its own."

"Really?" Hanabi questioned, surprised. She'd thought it was the same jutsu.

"Yes. Some scholars believe it to be the same jutsu, while others claim that it is a derivative of its simpler form. Regardless, you shouldn't feel bad about not being able to throw chakra imbued kunai. You'll get there in due time with practice."

Despite Kakashi's reassurances, Hanabi couldn't help but feel bad about failing. She spent the whole week trying to learn how to throw the lightning kunai and hadn't progressed at all in her attempts. She heard her companion snicker before she felt a hand ruffle her hair in a manner that's become so familiar to her.

"You never stop halfway, do you?" Kakashi said, a proud smile under his mask. "That's why you are my favorite sister."

"I am your only sister," Hanabi deadpanned, pushing his annoying appendage away from her head. Despite her seeming vexation, she felt warmth spread in her chest from Kakashi's words. "So, are you going to teach your favorite sister how to do this or not?"

The Copy Ninja chuckled and led her a bit further into the garden to begin their impromptu lesson.

Initially Hinata was glad to see Kakashi and Hanabi walk off together. Knowing those two, they were probably itching to escape outdoors for some mischief. That meant that the two of them won't be bored and will have some quality time together. However, when two hours passed and there was still no sign of her husband and sister, Hinata started to worry. Things tended to turn… chaotic when the two disappeared for such a long time. She would know, afterall, she was the one who reprimanded them for burning down the training field or turning their yard into a warzone. So, naturally, when one of the Nara clan members approached Shikamaru regarding the "suspicious activity" in the garden, Hinata immediately knew who were behind it.

"It seems your husband and sister decided that our garden would be a perfect place for them to practice jutsu," Shikamaru commented dryly, turning to her.

All the people who were around and overheard the conversation began whispering among themselves.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru-kun, I'll go get them," Hinata said, trying not to look embarrassed.

"It's fine," the Nara Head waved his hand dismissively, "as long as they are not burning down the trees, I don't think there is any harm. What's a party without a little fun here and there?"

Hinata smiled at her friend gratefully, hoping that the two dunderheads weren't doing exactly what Shikamaru joked about.

Her fears turned out to be misplaced as she saw Kakashi and Hanabi return. Her husband went straight to where she was while Hanabi walked off in the direction of refreshments. She gave a hesitant smile upon his approach, silently pleading that he didn't get into trouble.

"Don't worry, dear wife," Kakashi laughed, making Ino imitate gagging at his endearment, "We didn't break anything or burn down the forest."

Hinata shook her head, a smile still plastered on her face. It's not her he was supposed to apologize...

"Well, I'm gratefult that you didn't," Shikamaru chimed in. "It would've been awfully troublesome tracking you down to get our reimbursement for the destroyed forest."

Kakashi just scratched his head sheepishly, clearly wishing the conversation steer away from his person. Noticing this, Hinata quickly changed the subject, engaging her teacher, Kurenai, into telling them a story about when she was their age.

Kurenai talked in great detail about her generation's teenage escapades, even going to mention Kakashi from time to time. Hinata found herself enthralled whenever that happened, shyly asking for more details about her husband. Ino rolled her eyes playfully at that, an all too knowing smirk on her pretty face.

"Why, Hinata, one would think you asked Kakashi-san to tell about his past, not Kurenai-sensei," the blonde quipped, making Hinata look bashfully at her teacher and then Kakashi himself.

Her husband's awkward disposition didn't escape Hinata's attention whenever she spied a glance at him. Immersed in the warm ambience of their gathering, Kakashi clearly felt out of place. He had his hands in his pockets, no doubt feeling the comforting touch of his beloved Icha Icha book. Hinata gave him a soft smile.

"I think I'll leave you guys for the time being. I'm feeling quite thirsty," she said to her friends, starting to walk towards the table Hanabi was sitting at. "Are you coming, Kakashi?"

Said man nearly jumped, "Of course."

At the table, the three of them, Kakashi, Hanabi and her, were watching Hinata's friends start to separate into smaller groups. Breaking away for some private conversations. Ino-Shika-Cho trio were expectedly together, while Kiba, Shino and Kurenai continued talking where they were left off.

"Happy birthday, by the way," Hinata heard Kakashi's soft voice. He was looking away, clumsily handing her a little book.

"Thanks," Hinata replied taking the gift, feeling strangely excited and shy at the same time.

Upon closer inspection she noticed that it wasn't actually a book; more like a notebook. Its pages were empty and made of traditional washi paper.

"I swear, if it is one of your pervert novels…" Hanabi said behind her, before she too had a look at Kakashi's present. "Oh."

Hinata smiled, stroking the crisp pages, feeling the texture – it was obviously handmade. She could see the exquisite binding and cover as well. The notebook itself looked like a piece of art, so finely made it was.

"This is the best gift ever!"

"Really?!" rang two surprised voices from Hinata's each side.

"Really," she affirmed, rubbing her offended ears, though her grin never faded.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it. Obviously, I didn't make it myself, but…"

"I love it!" she interjected happily. "Oh, no, it must have cost a lot…"

"Don't be coy, sis. You are not fooling anyone here; you obviously want this book," Hanabi teased with a smirk.

"Don't worry about the cost. It wasn't that expensive anyway," Kakashi reassured, silently glad that he decided not to include the receipt in his gift.

"Thank you so much!" Hinata stood up and placed a kiss on his masked cheek. "This truly is an amazing gift."

She seemed to realize what she did only after the action was complete, eyes widening in shock. Kakashi sported a similar expression, albeit much more exaggerated compared to his wife. Hanabi groaned as both "adults" turned away from each other, blushing heavily. Not wanting to spend the entirety of the night watching the two send covert glances each other's way, Hanabi decided to intervene.

"Hey, what about my gift?!" she asked, pouting in mock upset.

"Your gift is also amazing, Hanabi-chan," Hinata beamed at her little sister.

Hanabi knew that she was complaining just because, but her neesan's approval still made her feel all fuzzy inside.

"What did she give you?" Kakashi asked, curious.

"None of your business," cut Hanabi, starting to get embarrassed herself.

"Oh, come now, Hanabi-chan," Hinata admonished softly, "your bouquet of flowers was lovely!"

"Neesan!" the little sister groaned, fighting the blush that was threatening to adorn her cute face.

"And don't you make fun of it, Kakashi," Hinata berated her snickering husband. "She picked the flowers herself! The pansies and hellebores were particularly beautiful."

Hinata's remark made Kakashi stop, but not because he felt chastised. He simply was curious where did Hanabi find flowers in the middle of winter.

"There are plants that flower in winter too, you know," Hanabi mumbled in response to his question. "Also, I received some help from Kurenai-san. She has a little greenhouse and I requested her to plant some of the less durable ones there. What's so special about Gray-hair's gift anyway?" she asked in turn, also curious as to how a simple empty book could elicit such a delighted reaction from her sister.

"You remember I like to press flowers," Hinata started to explain.

"It is a whole process and requires special technique and equipment," her little sister commented with a nod.

"One of such equipment is paper to glue flowers onto. You can't use just any paper; it has to be appropriate. This notebook is made of high-quality hand-crafted paper – perfect for my hobby. Not to mention that its design is absolutely gorgeous!" she began gushing over her gift once again, clutching the book lovingly to her chest, before a sudden realization struck her.

"You know," Hinata continued, "your gifts are awesome by themselves... But combined, they truly make the most wonderful of things."

With those words she pulled her confused family in a big hug.

Only when Kakashi and Hanabi pulled away from her embrace did the two of them understand what Hinata was talking about.

"My flowers…"

"… and my notebook…"

Yes, Hinata nodded happily, glad that they understood. She could press Hanabi's flowers into Kakashi's book! That way both gifts would be preserved to cherish by Hinata forever.

"I think it's fitting that your gifts would be so complementary. You two are like two peas in a pod, afterall."

"Hmph," Hanabi scoffed, turning her head away from her good brother.

Said good brother just proceeded to mess her hair once again, chuckling to himself. Their moment of idyll was interrupted soon however, as other guests started to approach the tables. Tired from all the standing, they no doubt came to rest their legs over a plate or two of snacks. As if on cue, the lights dimmed, and a sizeable screen was brought on a makeshift stage at the end of the room that faced all the tables.

Only then did Kakashi understand what was going on. They were about to witness one of the famous Nara shadow plays. The jounin snorted in amusement; their hosts couldn't have prepared a more fitting entertainment. Hinata and Hanabi's excited whispers only confirmed his suspicions, and so Kakashi sat comfortably in his chair, readying himself for the show.

The jounin didn't notice, however, that nobody apart from Hinata and Hanabi was sitting at their table. Hinata looked around, noting how some people preferred to watch standing rather than share the same table with them. Well, with her husband specifically. She searched for her friends but none of them seemed to be present in the lounge, most likely overseeing the performance and making sure everything went well. Her gaze finally stopped on Kakashi himself. He didn't seem bothered at all, so Hinata thought that perhaps he didn't even notice. Nevertheless, she scooted her chair over closer to his, so that they were touching each other, and placed her head on his shoulder.

Kakashi nearly jumped when he felt the pressure on his arm and the scent of his wife's shampoo attacked his nostrils. Almost immediately, however, his shock subsided giving way to an expression of content. He looked at Hinata and the two shared a shy smile, before he took her hand in his own. Absently, they heard Hanabi's sounds of disgust. Although even she stopped her complaining when the play finally started.

It was a truly captivating play, Hinata thought while watching the fantastic legend unfold behind the screen. It was a story about a group of friends from different Nations who traveled the world on a flying bison trying to escape from a banished Prince of another, enemy Nation. One of the children in the group is the Chosen One, destined to save the world from the Fire Nation that started the hundred-year war…

Never in her life did Hinata see anything like that play. The puppeteers' performance was astonishing, it was obvious that the shadows of the characters were created naturally by the puppets. Only the environment and special effects were actually made with the signature Nara jutsu. Expectedly, everyone else was no less impressed by the show. The hall erupted in applause when the last act finished with the Fire Lord's defeat at the hands of the Chosen One, who mastered all four Elements in order to do so.

Needless to say, Shikamaru's party was a success. Konoha clans were able to not only mingle and decide various private matters between themselves, but also had a good time doing so. The atmosphere shifted significantly after the play, with people becoming livelier, discussing lighter topics and generally being more friendly and less suspicious of each other. Perhaps that was Shikamaru's plan – to raise the morale of his allies. Hinata smiled, Naruto would be proud of his friend if he saw all of what the young Nara had done for the village.

Speaking of the young Nara, Kakashi was currently talking with Shikamaru and others. Hinata decided to find Hanabi in the meantime and wait until her husband's business with them is finished. No doubt he was making true on his promise of including Shikamaru in his plans.

As soon as the play finished, Kakashi searched around for their gracious host. There he was, sitting in the corner, chatting animatedly with Kurenai and a few others. Unfortunately, in order to get to him he had to literally pass through the whole room. Bracing himself, he decided the direct approach was inevitable.

"Hello there, Shikamaru-sama," he said as cheerfully as possible, interrupting the conversation, "Kurenai."

Both of them nodded in recognition. Others tried to brush off his presence. Not that discouraging so far.

"Thought I'll join you guys for a moment here," Kakashi continued, integrating himself into their little group with the grace of a felled oak. "Great play by the way."

"Thanks, Ino made all the arrangements," Shikamaru credited his blonde friend.

"Sai helped with the puppets and designing the decorations," the woman proudly added.

Absently nodding, Kakashi pulled his Icha Icha out, as if to begin reading. If luck was on his side, this book will be in Shikamaru's possession by the end of the evening.

"I thought you wanted to talk?" he heard Kurenai ask, the woman's amused tone indicated that she wasn't cross with him anymore.

"You know what they say, the important thing is to take part."

Genjutsu mistress smirked at her comrade's response, there was comfort in knowing that some things never changed.

"In that case, I was telling Shikamaru that Mirai should be fine, and we don't need to go back yet."

Kakashi just murmured in agreement, already seemingly engrossed in the book. In truth, he was just waiting for a perfect moment.

Weirdly enough, after him joining, everyone seemed to pay his group a little more attention. Copy Nin took time observing the guests. Those adults were acting a lot like him and Obito when they were twelve, which was hardly a compliment in on itself, even less so considering how childish they were back in the day. Although he knew that Hinata's friends were capable ninjas and loyal to the fault, it was exactly that immaturity of theirs that made him doubt their trustworthiness in the first place. Shikamaru, however, seemed more poised. The Nara sent curious glances at him from time to time, as if he expected him to approach and now was just waiting for him to start the conversation.

Kakashi had to admit that at least Shikamaru seemed to be like someone who he could have complete faith in.

"So, Kakashi," said Kurenai in her attempts at breaking the ice between her friends, "is there something you wanted? Don't tell me you came here just to read."

"He is probably trying to send a message," he heard Ino say, which made the Copy Nin worry for a moment.

Had they figured him out already? Because that was exactly what he was there for. Fortunately, Kiba was there to save the day once again with his lack of tact.

"He is probably trying to get rid of us by ruining the atmosphere," he grumbled. What was his deal?

'Ah, yes,' Kakashi thought to himself, remembering his mother's rather charming personality. Clearly, there were qualities that were inherited.

"Have you ever read it?" he asked instead, ignoring the jab. Noticing everyone's confusion, Kakashi gestured at the small book in his hand. "Have you read Icha Icha, Shikamaru?"

Asuma's former student did not expect being asked such a question. To his credit, though, he quickly recovered. "I only used it to make sense of Jiraya's message once," he replied.

"Oh, yeah, I remember. It was rather embarrassing, wasn't it?"

"Sure was."

"But you know what?" Kakashi continued. "You were using the newer sequel, while the one in my hand is the original book," he smiled, mimicking the way Shikamaru emphasized his usage of the book. "Here, take it, I'm sure it will be very useful."

Kakashi winked suggestively, handing the stunned Nara his orange book.

"Corrupting my family, I see," he heard Kurenai say, to which said family coulnd't help but blush.

Fortunately, Shikamaru was levelled enough to keep his gift. He looked like he was handed a piece of dung, but nevertheless put the book in his back pocket.

Mission accomplished.

"Oh, look at the time," Kakashi said rather theatrically, glancing at his wrist, "I'm afraid I'll have to leave your company."

"First of all, there is no watch on your wrist," commented Ino, "and second, what the hell kind of conversation was that! Don't tell me Hinata has to deal with… that," she loosely gestured around Kakashi's person with her hands, making Kurenai giggle and her two male students frown.

Kakashi had no answer for the blonde. Thus, he decided retreating was the best course of action. "Have fun! Thanks for inviting."

Relieved, he went outside to meet Hinata and Hanabi. They too seemed deep in the discussion of the play they watched.

"Finally," he heard the brat groan. "Let's head home!"

With those words, the trio went on a leisure walk to Kakashi and Hinata's house, all the while talking about the shadow play.

"Who is your favorite character, Gray?" Hanabi asked. "Mine is the Earth girl, and Hinata's is that broody Fire Prince." The girl made a face at her big sister's choice.

"Hmm… Let's see…" Kakashi replied, thinking. "I think I really liked the Water Tribe girl. She reminds me of Hinata."

Said woman only blushed at his remark.

"Well, at least it's not some jerk Prince."

"Hey, the Prince is a great character," Hinata argued. "His story is that of redemption."

"Redemption-schmedemption… Tall, awkward, a scar on his face – doesn't it remind you of someone else we know?" Hanabi teased, hinting at the only man among the three of them. "Maybe that's why you liked him so much?"

Hinata sputtered incoherently, completely knocked over by her sister's cheek. She kept falling to Hanabi's bait until she was so embarrassed that she silently handed Kakashi her bag of presents and chased after her little sister who was happy to expertly evade her, laughing all the while. The Copy Nin shook his head, his hand automatically going into his pocket to pull the Icha Icha out before he remembered that he gave his copy away to Shikamaru just minutes ago. Resigned, he silently followed the two siblings to their house.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "at least I gave it up for a greater cause."