Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I loved hearing your feedback. A reader suggested using a seal to deal with the chakra problem, but neither Kakashi nor Naruto is a fuuinjutsu master, although they're both kind of adept at using seals. Naruto more so than Kakashi. In any case, using a seal wouldn't help fix the control issue, and Kakashi wouldn't let himself be handicapped by that in case the seal suddenly malfunctions.
Anyway! Plot! That's...still a ways off? This fic is incredibly self-indulgent for me (did I mention that before? I'm mentioning it again), so I'm enjoying writing the character interactions. It's not so much for the plot that I'm doing but the characters. The plot is a side effect. But it's going to come. Just...not in this chapter.
Okay, I guess that's enough? I'm not gonna do another long author's note here. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2
Information gathering wasn't Kakashi's usual mode of operation. That wasn't to say he was bad at it; it just wasn't what he normally did.
Especially not without some kind of assassination to finish it with.
Which, if all went well now, would actually be happening. It just wouldn't be happening for a while.
And it probably wouldn't be an assassination considering their enemy. Their enemies generally preferred flashy, so Kakashi would inevitably end up being flashy as well. (That his signature jutsu was loud and chirpy didn't mean anything. Especially since the advanced version didn't chirp; it just crackled.)
But regardless. Simply gathering information wasn't a mission Kakashi did often, and it wasn't something he'd done outside of a battle in years. And this time he wasn't scouting for information on an enemy's tactics or weaknesses.
No, he was trying to figure out the exact date and what the current political climate was. And how much time he had before he'd be sent out on another mission.
As ANBU, he couldn't afford to have his messy chakra control compromise anything.
His next mission could be anywhere from today to several days from now, and he had absolutely no idea when. That was the life of a shinobi, but it peeved him now because he couldn't be caught off guard.
Was he even off guard?
Kakashi paused in the middle of strapping his tantou on as he considered that. Then he shook his head and disregarded the question as nonsensical.
Truth be told, Kakashi couldn't remember when he'd last had the luxury of being off guard. There was probably some time that he'd been able to relax somewhat, but it was so long ago that it was a distant memory.
Even here, he had to watch his back and make sure that everything ran smoothly. Although there was less chance of an attack by white Zetsu clones that could rapidly annihilate everything they came into contact with.
Yeah, that was an issue that Kakashi was very glad to not have to worry about for now.
Mindless clones they might have been, but there was a point where hundreds of mindless clones became too much to handle. Especially if those clones started eating chakra for a purpose other than shape-shifting and pretending to be an ally.
Shaking his head again briefly to clear his head, Kakashi picked up the black hooded jacket that further served to hide his identity. A mask was perfectly fine so long as one had hair that wasn't terribly distinguishable, but Kakashi's hair was anything but.
Slipping said mask on last, Kakashi turned to the window and opened it, stepping outside and closing the window behind him. He almost moved to coat his fingers in chakra and create a seal, but remembered at the last instant that it was a bad idea.
He would very likely blow the entire place up before actually making a barrier seal.
Yeah, no, he'd need more practice before doing anything that advanced with seals again. Which was a shame.
Kakashi had grown used to abusing that particular trick. Although practically he would always be better with ink, paper (or any flat surface – he wasn't picky), and plenty of time, he knew his basic barrier seals inside and out to the point that he just needed a few seconds and his chakra to do the trick.
They weren't much use in a fight, but they were perfect for warding off enemies when one was camping. Or hiding a force in a cave.
Not that Kakashi needed to do so now. It was peacetime. Relatively speaking.
Remaining quiet, Kakashi paused on the edge of the roof, taking in the sight of an intact Konoha that was brimming with life. It was a familiar sight, one that had his throat aching. When was the last time he had been able to see this?
How had he not seen this before? Because Kakashi hadn't, not like this. Not in a way where he could take in how the rising sun seemed to illuminate Konoha and turn it alive. Not in a way that highlighted the people traversing the streets and living their lives, trusting in the shinobi to keep them safe.
Not in a way where he could see the brightness Konoha had, not just the shadows.
Kakashi had spent too much time in shadows. And he would be in the shadows for a while longer yet.
But for now…maybe he could enjoy this. This little moment of peace.
Apparently the tenth of October had been a few weeks ago. There weren't any signs of the festival remaining beyond some lingering flags and lights that some genin had apparently missed. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure how he'd missed that last night.
The only excuse he had was that he had been far more focused on not falling into dumpsters (which had not happened) or making holes in roofs.
There were more shinobi than usual on the roofs this morning. Kakashi deliberately avoided them.
It would be a nice D-rank mission for any genin. Definitely more interesting than looking for cats that didn't want to be found.
Kakashi was probably just a little resentful that Team 7 had been landed with that mission more times than not. (Would there be a Team 7 this time? The same team? He didn't want to think about it.)
In any case, the tenth of October had recently passed. So Naruto had very likely just turned five. Kakashi would need to check a calendar for the exact date, and he could find that out in the Hokage Tower.
But Naruto just turning five was a great deal better than Naruto being a few months off from turning six. It gave them more time to get their chakra under control and to plan out the smaller steps that would need to be taken.
Or sketch them out. Kakashi was hoping for at least some kind of guide so he wasn't floundering helplessly. He could wing it, but he wasn't Naruto.
Naruto somehow managed to wing everything and turn it into a miracle. Or at least not a total disaster.
Kakashi hadn't reached that level and he wasn't sure he wanted to. There were too many heart attacks involved in that line of work, and he wasn't that unpredictable. No, he'd leave that to Naruto. It was his moniker, after all.
Even if it hadn't been enough in the end.
Pulling out of his reverie, Kakashi slipped inside Hokage Tower, sticking to the shadows. Stealth was an important factor in being ANBU, even if most of the time they were rather of an open secret in Konoha. Their masks didn't exactly mean subtle.
Keeping an identity outside of ANBU was something else. Some people managed it, taking missions outside of the ANBU-sanctioned ones. Then there were others who sank entirely into ANBU and lived and breathed it.
Kakashi wasn't entirely sure where he fell on that line, but it was probably in the middle. He hadn't taken any missions outside of ANBU since he joined, although he was in contact with others who weren't ANBU.
They knew who he was. There was a point where it became difficult to hide identities, especially among shinobi. It was just…politely not spoken about. But he was one of the rarer cases; others remained hidden their entire ANBU career. It was difficult to keep his own identity secret when he had friends who were dead set on interacting with him whenever they could.
Anyone he encountered while wearing the mask was generally either a friendly or an enemy too busy choking on their blood to worry about the person behind the mask. His Sharingan didn't really give off freakish red light despite popular conception.
Unless he made it a genjutsu…?
Sighing, Kakashi refocused on his current task. Which basically involved wandering around Hokage Tower in an aimless manner that would look purposeful to anyone else.
If he had a meeting to get to, he'd be there reasonably on time. One couldn't really be late as ANBU; that was something he'd slipped into once he'd been a jounin again.
Naruto would very likely have a stroke at the thought of Kakashi being almost on time.
Smiling behind his mask, Kakashi turned a corner and found himself face to face with the Hokage, politely making his presence obvious as he did. It made the ANBU guarding the Hokage less twitchy if they could sense that someone was standing there and not just have to rely on their vision.
Encountering the Hokage…wasn't unexpected. He'd been meandering this way on purpose. But…it hurt more than he'd expected.
Sarutobi had been a resurrected body the last time Kakashi had seen him walking and talking. And then Kakashi had to watch his body disintegrate because Orochimaru had finally bitten the dust.
That had been a thoroughly unpleasant surprise for everyone in the vicinity of the resurrected Hokages because the caster's death hadn't supposed to release the jutsu.
It wasn't one Kakashi wanted to repeat.
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed, trying to remember how he'd behaved at this age. He hadn't really gotten into his looser persona until his twenties, right?
Damn, he hated undercover work. They weren't usually this tricky.
"Hound." Sarutobi didn't sound pleased, which could be due to a myriad of factors. Which didn't include Kakashi violating some obscure protocol that he couldn't remember. "I thought I said there would be no missions for you for at least a week."
Ah…?
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said eventually, putting a suitable amount of chastisement in his tone.
"I distinctly also remember saying that I hoped not to see you here during that time frame."
Kakashi wasn't injured. He wasn't suffering from chakra exhaustion. He didn't have any pressing obligations in the village.
What possible reason would Sarutobi have for tabling him for at least a – oh.
He'd had an unfortunate tendency to run back-to-back missions during this time of the year. The more dangerous the better, and it wasn't as if Sarutobi could deny him the request because Kakashi did deliver the results. But he'd always put a foot down at some point.
Apparently that point was…sometime in the last several days. Which Kakashi couldn't remember.
He supposed he was fortunate that the jutsu hadn't dropped him back in the past while he'd been on one of those missions. That would have been…bad.
As it was, he was surprised that he wasn't exhausted or hurt right now. Coming off so many high intensity missions usually meant some lingering exhaustion from expending too much chakra, but maybe traveling back in time had mitigated some of the effects?
Kakashi didn't know, and that was frustrating.
"I apologize, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, keeping his head bowed. Then, carefully, he added, "I thought I could run a routine patrol."
He was relatively sure he wouldn't have taken such an order lying down before.
"Hm…" Sarutobi eyed him doubtfully. "Your dedication is admirable, Hound, but your presence isn't required today. Or within the next week. Take this time to rest. See some friends." He had a small smile on his face as he said this last bit.
It took Kakashi a moment to register what the smile was for, and then he had to resist the urge to cringe.
Right. At this age, Kakashi hadn't had people he called friends. They were more acquaintances. Gai was perhaps the most insistent one.
Inserting the appropriate amount of resentment in his tone, Kakashi bowed crisply, saying, "Understood, sir." Then, taking a brief moment to balance his chakra, Kakashi moved into a shunshin that took him out of the tower.
The landing was much smoother this time, although there was a brief backlash from his chakra once he let it fall back to its now naturally unbalanced state. His skin tingled from the whiplash.
There was no one around him, so Kakashi took his ANBU mask and his hooded jacket off, wrapping the mask up in the material before tucking it under his arm. He left the tantou as it was, glancing back at the tower as he considered what he'd managed to glean from his investigation.
A week's downtime meant time to train and get his chakra control back to some kind of normality. Even if it wasn't perfect, he could cut down the amount of time it took for him to balance it out. A second could mean the difference between life or death, and Kakashi had no plans to die anytime soon because he couldn't do a proper shunshin. Or kawarimi.
That would suck.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Kakashi began walking out of the wooded area he had taken refuge in. Once he set foot on one of the paved roads, he tucked his hands in his pockets and considered what he should do with the amount of free time that had landed in his lap.
Finding Naruto was out of the question.
Kakashi could arrange to meet up with him "accidentally," but there would be too many eyes on them. And Naruto doubtlessly had something planned for today to start his training.
Hopefully it didn't involve too much chaos.
…Who was he kidding? This was Naruto. Chaos was practically one of his names.
Turning down the way that would lead to one of the training grounds, Kakashi continued to mull over his options.
Training was the priority right now. The other priority should be to try and shift his personality slightly so that he didn't have to work so hard at being the angsty teenager that he hadn't been for years. (Someone somewhere was laughing at him; Kakashi wasn't sure why.)
How could he start with that?
It couldn't be too suspicious.
There were some Uchiha around the area here. Kakashi deliberately masked his presence so he wouldn't be too much of an eyesore.
He had no desire to field their glares and barely masked animosity.
Resisting the urge to rub at his covered eye, Kakashi discreetly left the area as quickly as possible. It did remind him to double-check what kind of drain the Sharingan had on his chakra right now considering its unbalanced state.
He hadn't noticed anything unusual last night, but then he hadn't been too focused on it. Which was a mistake considering how often he'd suffered chakra exhaustion from overusing it. He and Naruto could both have been out with chakra exhaustion, and that would have raised a whole host of awkward questions had anyone found them like that.
Yeah, Kakashi needed to check on it.
Sliding into a shunshin, Kakashi arrived at the thankfully empty training ground and dropped his jacket and bundled up ANBU mask at the base of a tree. If he wasn't mistaken, this was where Asuma's Team 10 had trained in the future. It was quiet enough for now, but that might change.
Uncovering his Sharingan, Kakashi had to focus to register the increased pull on his chakra. He was so used to it now that he barely noticed it, but he needed to pay attention.
Everything certainly looked normal when he used the eye to inspect his surroundings. The drain on his chakra wasn't anything unusual either, albeit higher than he was accustomed to after years of using it. It would probably decrease once he regained his normal level of chakra control.
Initially, Kakashi hadn't been able to control the Sharingan's drain on his chakra at all. It had taken years of practice to get to the point where he could use it for longer and longer periods of time, which had mainly been due to increasing his chakra reserves than any actual skill in chakra control.
But after reuniting with Obito…
It had helped in more than one way.
The Sharingan was pulling at his unbalanced chakra in equal amounts, uncaring that his mental/spiritual chakra was so much more than his physical. It made sense since it was a doujutsu activated in times of emotional stress and then just needed a steady application of chakra to remain active.
It wasn't like one needed fine levels of chakra control to maintain it unless one was Uchiha Itachi and kept it active all the time.
In all fairness, Itachi had been going blind so maybe that had been a factor.
Covering the eye again, Kakashi exhaled softly as the drain on his chakra returned to normal. He'd have to practice modulating that, but first was regaining his control in general.
He didn't particularly want to accidentally activate his Mangekyou Sharingan just yet. It would land him in the hospital for sure.
Eyeing the nearest tree, Kakashi resigned himself to tree walking for the next hour or so.
If Gai were here, maybe it would at least be somewhat interesting…
About an hour later, Kakashi was fully ready to do just about anything other than tree walking. (Except maybe catch a cat.) He'd transitioned from walking up trees to jumping, working on split-second reaction timing.
Branches littered the ground, but by now Kakashi was getting better at balancing his chakra more quickly. It still wasn't perfect, but at least he could be relatively assured that he wouldn't raise suspicion because his chakra control had taken an inexplicable nose dive.
Now, if he managed to do it again later today then that would be even better.
Kakashi jumped, landed on a branch, and instantly slid into a shunshin, his destination his ANBU gear.
When he landed, there was a sensation eerily similar to having nearly been burned by a fire jutsu stinging over his skin. Clearly he wasn't as ready as he'd thought if he was messing up the balance on a shunshin.
On the other hand, he wasn't severely hurt from messing up, so Kakashi would take his victories where he could.
And he was going to leave the tree walking for a later point. Which left physical training.
With a sigh, Kakashi dropped and started doing push-ups.
Maybe the monotony of endless training was why Gai always spiced his up with ridiculous challenges? Kakashi could almost see the appeal. Almost.
"Ah, my eternal rival! It is invigorating to see you training so diligently!"
Kakashi finished the last kata he had been working through and smoothly turned on his heel to see a much younger Maito Gai beaming at him. His teeth gleamed threateningly.
Kakashi's heart did a painful thump in his chest, one that had him wondering for his own health. His lungs tightened, his next breaths coming with some difficulty. Even his throat rebelled, aching with an intensity that he knew would show in his voice if he spoke now.
Turning his back to Gai under the pretense of resuming his katas, Kakashi struggled to even out his breathing. It was easier once Gai was out of sight, but he could still feel the other's chakra.
Once he was sure that he could sound unaffected, Kakashi spoke. "Did you want something?"
Gai wasn't at all put out at Kakashi's nonchalant answer. "I merely wanted to see how my eternal rival was doing! I have not seen you in the village for some time!"
Considering normal nineteen-year-old Kakashi desperately tried to avoid Gai and had been on missions the past few weeks, this wasn't surprising. The current Kakashi wasn't so intent on avoiding Gai, so he hadn't gone anywhere when noticing the other's approach.
Transitioning his last kata into a spin, Kakashi turned back to Gai. This time his body didn't do anything funny when he saw his best friend's face.
"Some people have a life," Kakashi said offhandedly, trying to remember how he'd interacted with Gai when not avoiding him. It would be all too easy to fall into old patterns, but his relationship with Gai hadn't always been so casual on his part.
He didn't want to keep Gai at arm's length, but it would be strange if he suddenly started being all chummy with him.
"You're so cool, Kakashi," Gai proclaimed loudly, pointing a finger at him. "I challenge you!"
Kakashi could either flee and risk Gai challenging him at random points for the next week and get nothing done other than running away or indulge him. And…actually…this would be a good place to start with slowly shifting his personality.
"All right," Kakashi said, shrugging loosely. He rolled his shoulders, tucking a hand in a pocket.
"You can't run – what?" Gai blinked at him, surprise evident on his face.
"All right," Kakashi repeated, glad his mask covered his smile. It took an effort to keep the smile out of his voice, but somehow he succeeded.
Gai recovered remarkably quickly from his shock, striking his signature pose, teeth gleaming once more. Kakashi almost heard the ping. "Excellent, my rival! What shall our challenge be today? It's your pick!"
"Hm…" Kakashi tilted his head back, studying the sky as he considered the question.
He'd gone for milder challenges before, things like rock-paper-scissors or who could keep quiet the longest. He hadn't wanted to deal with Gai's exuberance and zest for life.
But now?
Well, he needed to get the training in.
"You'll help with training," he said finally, modulating his tone so that it was firmly decisive. "Taijutsu only. I'm dodging, you're attacking. If you hit me in the next thirty minutes you win."
He would have preferred first blood, but Gai wasn't going to be willing to do that. Bruises were all well and good, but blood? There was too much that could go wrong when one combined sharp, pointy weapons and two capable jounin.
Besides, dodging hits altogether required a bit more skill than blocking weapons.
To get through this, Kakashi would need to increase his speed to get to where he had been in the future. Being hurt was always too much of a liability, especially if one left blood behind. Hidan hadn't been the only enemy capable of using DNA to their own ends.
"Yosh!" Gai struck another dramatic pose, this time sliding into the first stance of his taijutsu style. "What a most youthful challenge, Kakashi! I will succeed in hitting you, and if I do not, then I will run three hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"
Kakashi almost asked "Not five hundred?" but bit his tongue at the last second. This wasn't his Gai. Not really.
"Okay," Kakashi answered instead, setting his stance so he could be ready to dodge at a moment's notice.
There was a long moment where neither moved and the only sound was that of a bird twittering.
Then Gai moved.
Or didn't, really.
Kakashi dodged the first strike with ease, rather puzzled at how slowly Gai was moving. Hadn't he been a lot faster?
Gai didn't telegraph his moves. He was too good for that. But Kakashi had spent years sparring with him and could read his body well enough.
Of course, that didn't matter when Gai had speed on his side and moved too fast for Kakashi to do much more than react and then strike back.
But right now Gai wasn't moving fast enough for that. He kept hitting the ground where Kakashi had been only a second before, leaving holes in the ground.
Getting hit even once would hurt.
Although it was relatively easy to dodge Gai's attacks, Kakashi was still hard-pressed to keep up the pace. In a battle of stamina, Kakashi would rarely come out on top. It just wasn't possible for him to do it. Unless he focused on nothing but physical training like Gai, but that would come with a cost for his ninjutsu.
Gai hit the ground with a strong kick, Kakashi flipping away backwards to put space between them. He crouched, pulling in strong, even breaths to maintain the flow of oxygen while he awaited Gai's next move.
When Gai attacked again, this time it was with a flurry of kicks and punches that Kakashi had to weave around, darting backwards each time.
Blocking wasn't an option. It would be a hit, and Kakashi was not going to lose here.
Gai was better than him, but not this Gai. This Gai was a decade too young to be Kakashi's match, even if Kakashi could see the powerhouse that he would become. The powerhouse that had been Uchiha Madara's match and paid the price for it.
And while Kakashi's body was younger than the one he had left behind, it didn't have the same stamina. He could keep up the speed with a careful application of chakra, but he occasionally misjudged the chakra balance and sent shocks of pain through his muscles.
The first time it happened, Gai's punch nearly took off his head, Kakashi's legs twitching with the misjudgment. He managed to drop and dart out of the way in time. The second it was his arms when he was flipping away, and he hit the ground with an ungraceful oomph that he quickly covered with a roll to get back on his feet. The third was his chest, and his breathing stuttered, vision blackening at the edges as he struggled to recover the lost oxygen.
But Gai didn't hit him once.
When the half hour mark was over and Kakashi fled to a branch, Gai slumped against the base of the tree Kakashi was perched in, panting heavily and dripping with sweat. Kakashi was in a similar state, although his breaths were coming much harsher than Gai's, and his muscles were trembling with exertion.
Kakashi was certain he hadn't put his body through this kind of training in the past. Not something solely based on dodging without any kind of retaliation.
But he had done it. And that was an accomplishment.
"I win," Kakashi said once he'd managed to somewhat catch his breath. He sat down on the branch, dangling his legs over it while he rested his elbows on his knees, peering down at Gai.
"You do!" Gai agreed, wiping at his cheek with the side of his hand. He beamed up at Kakashi, taking his loss in stride. "That was brilliant, Kakashi! A most amazing challenge indeed! And now the score stands fifteen to twenty in your favor!"
Kakashi hummed, glad for the reminder. Then, slowly, making sure to keep his face blank and voice neutral, he said, "Next one's your pick."
Gai paused in the middle of moving into a stretch, looking up at Kakashi in barely hidden shock. Then, eyes wide and seeming to be on the verge of watering, he threw both hands up, thumbs up in his signature pose. "Yosh! You are correct, my esteemed rival! But now…" He turned on his heel, still looking up at Kakashi with that beaming grin. "I will run three hundred and fifty laps around Konoha on my hands!"
He was gone before Kakashi could ask him if it hadn't been three hundred before.
Staring after the dust that Gai had left in his wake, Kakashi ran a hand through his hair before bringing it down to cover his – the hand paused over the covered Sharingan. Had he just gone thirty minutes against Maito Gai doing nothing but dodging without his Sharingan?
Kakashi hadn't even noticed.
Was the gap so wide between them now?
Logically speaking, Kakashi had known it would be different. That he was older now, had more tricks up his sleeve. That the people here weren't the ones he'd known in the future. But knowing and knowing weren't the same thing.
They looked practically the same except for minor wrinkles. Kakashi had already been taken aback at Gai's lack of speed, and now the fact that he hadn't even had to use his Sharingan was just the icing on the cake.
Dropping from the tree, Kakashi stood still for a moment, evaluating his current physical state.
His chakra was still decent since he hadn't used any except for enhancing his speed, and while he was tired, it wasn't so bad that he needed to call it quits. Going half an hour with Konoha's taijutsu master was no joke, but Kakashi would need to do that and more. This was a good start.
And now…
Kakashi cast his gaze over the ruined training ground, taking in the numerous holes and rocks thrown about from Gai's attacks. It would be rude to leave it like this for other people.
Bringing his hands up, Kakashi formed the first sign for one of the earth jutsu he knew. If he was going to be trying out jutsu, he could start with one that wasn't liable to electrocute him if he got it wrong.
Fixing the training ground was just a perk.
There had been an incident where he almost beaned himself with a rock. And there was a crater hidden in the trees that he was not responsible for and would deny all knowledge of if anyone accused him of having made it.
On the plus side, the training ground was now back to almost normal.
On the other, Kakashi was trying to figure out what to do with the excess rock that he'd somehow managed to pull from…somewhere. He wasn't sure how he'd managed that. It seemed more like a Naruto thing than anything he was responsible for.
Evaluating the amount of rock lying around, Kakashi thumbed at his chin, considered his chakra levels, and then ran through another sequence of seals. By the time he formed the last one, he'd hopefully balanced his chakra properly so that he could move all the rocks and dump them in the crater.
It worked marvelously, except now there was a distinct ridge in the landscape that hadn't been there before that signaled how Kakashi had dragged everything to its new home.
Earth was definitely not his natural affinity, and it showed with these jutsu.
Eh, it was good enough.
Casting the training ground one last look, Kakashi picked up his almost forgotten ANBU gear and left. There was no need to train himself into the ground, especially if he was meeting Naruto at night.
Idly, Kakashi wondered how Naruto was doing.
Elsewhere in Konohagakure, one Uzumaki Naruto had the suspicion that his sensei had just sent some nice thoughts his way. Or maybe Kakashi had wondered if Naruto was playing any pranks and if so, how bad they were.
Inspecting what he'd been able to get his hands on, Naruto had to admit that his pranks were not going to be up to their usual sense of style. Largely because he hadn't actually pranked anyone in years.
The war had kind of sucked the fun out of it.
Scratching his chin as he narrowed his eyes in thought, Naruto searched for the familiar ANBU signatures that had been following him all day. They were easy enough to sneak past, but that wasn't the goal.
Nah, he'd leave the sneaking around for night when he met up with Kakashi again.
His sensei was probably being really cool and had already figured out how to balance his chakra and empty his bucket out appropriately. Naruto had yet to try considering he didn't want to freak out his ANBU handlers.
Wait, that would actually make a really good prank…
No, bad Naruto. Leave the chakra-enhanced pranking for after he was in the Academy. Otherwise too many questions would come up, and Naruto was – frankly speaking – a terrible liar.
Sure, Naruto could squeak by with half-truths and grins and being really loud if he felt like it, but straight out lying? Nahhh. He left that to sensei.
Even if Kakashi's lies stretched the limits of belief on a normal day. The thing was that he delivered them in such a deadpan way that one couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi had really gotten lost on the road of life. Or helped an old lady with her groceries.
The last excuse was actually an excuse. Naruto had seen him do it one time.
The black cat was a flagrant lie. Kakashi had sat down and pet it.
Shaking his head at the memory, Naruto crouched and considered the several paint cans that he had been able to procure. They'd been all he could carry given his current physical state, especially if he wanted to be sneaky. And sneaky was important.
Stealth was one of the reasons he'd made it as long as he did. That, and being totally awesome. But that was a given.
Grinning wildly, Naruto moved to pick up a paint can and promptly fell over when it refused to budge.
Okay, this would take a little more time than he'd thought.
An hour later, Naruto had managed to get all his paint cans to the appropriate place. He was rather sore and his toes hurt from where he'd dropped the cans several times, but that was all in a day's work.
Plus, it was great physical training! Especially if he couldn't do the other things he was used to doing. Because that would raise questions.
Sometimes he hated being sneaky.
It helped to think of it all like a major prank that he was pulling over the village. Except no one would ever know that it was a prank. Hopefully.
There was always the possibility that something would go wrong and their status as time travelers would come out. Naruto wasn't sure what would happen then. Kakashi was certain they'd be taken to T&I and assessed for insanity and being traitors to Konoha. Naruto thought that the old man might give them the benefit of the doubt and listen.
It had been an argument between the two that hadn't been resolved beyond Naruto agreeing to do it Kakashi's way.
Kakashi was his Hokage.
And he hated arguing with his sensei.
Especially since now…
Naruto slapped his cheeks, tossing out the thought before it could fully formulate.
No bad thoughts! This wasn't the time for those. Bad thoughts were relegated to dreary rainy days. Or those days when everything was horrible and awful and he couldn't see a way out no matter how hard he tried.
This was not one of those days.
Rubbing a finger under his nose, Naruto resisted the urge to cackle.
Five minutes later, Naruto had cleared the scene and was watching the remnants of his prank take hold. The store that had kicked him out when he'd tried to get some food was now painted a lovely orange.
If he'd had more time he could've painted the inside, too. But as it was Naruto was physically five and he hadn't shown any particular aptitude towards sneaking around before. So he had to start small.
Such as upending several buckets of paint over the front of the store and all the customers.
Once he was sure the prank had been a success, Naruto fled the scene entirely. He had no desire to be caught, especially not by the people now. The glares were back, as were the people who ignored his presence entirely. He may as well have been a ghost for all the good it did.
It was the most awful feeling in the world, and Naruto hadn't missed it one bit.
Ducking his head as a woman glared at him, hissing something foul under her breath, he slipped around the corner and onto another street before breaking into a run. Naruto wasn't sure where he was going, but running at breakneck speed through the streets was something kids did all the time.
So what if it also served the purpose of avoiding those glares?
Naruto didn't realize that he'd made it to the playground until he heard the sounds of children laughing and adults talking. He slowed to a walking pace, half-registering the ANBU still on his trail. The rest of his attention was on the civilian children playing.
And the parents noticing he was here and beginning the process of pulling their children away.
Throat burning, Naruto walked past them all, heading into the trees that were behind the playground. He picked one and sat down heavily, burying his face in his knees.
He really wanted Kakashi right now.
When Kakashi entered Naruto's apartment that night, he was alarmed to find Naruto looking so down. Not only down, but quiet.
"Naruto?" He kept his voice quiet.
Naruto looked up at him, eyes pained. "You see me, don't you?"
Kakashi frowned slightly, confused. "Of course I do. You're right here."
The answer didn't seem to perk Naruto up. "I…yeah." He glanced back at his bedroom. "Let's go. I already set the bed up."
Perturbed, Kakashi followed Naruto out, letting him lead until they hit the street. After that, Kakashi led the two far away enough that he could move both of them into a shunshin that dropped them at Training Ground 3.
He was mildly pleased that there seemed to be no ill effects for him at executing the jutsu, but he was more concerned at how Naruto simply wasn't cheering up.
Kakashi watched as Naruto sat down heavily at the base of one of the wooden posts. He followed after, sitting down next to Naruto and crossing his legs, waiting for the other to say something.
If Sakura were here, she would have already asked Naruto to tell her what was wrong. Sasuke would have challenged him to a sparring match and then demanded answers in-between insulting him.
Kakashi could ask Naruto, but he generally preferred waiting until Naruto was ready to speak. He didn't mind sitting in silence, and sometimes patience was all that was needed.
Eventually his patience paid off.
Naruto leaned against him, shoulder braced against his own. "I forgot," he whispered, hugging his knees to his chest. "I forgot how awful it was. Being alone…"
Kakashi's eye widened slightly. Oh. The burden of a jinchuuriki… Kakashi had forgotten as well.
Kakashi hesitated, uncertain of whether Naruto wanted physical touch or not. But Naruto was leaning against him, so that had to be a yes. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around Naruto's small shoulders, encouraging him to lean more heavily into his side.
Naruto's earlier question made a lot more sense now. "I see you, Naruto," he repeated, this time with a greater emphasis on the words. "You're not alone."
"Yeah," Naruto breathed, eyes closing. "Thanks, sensei."
Kakashi didn't say anything else, letting Naruto be. He resisted the urge to shift or pull away. He'd been around people today who had treated him familiarly. Naruto had gotten the brunt of the village's hatred. The least Kakashi could do was let Naruto draw comfort from friendly physical contact.
"I'm glad you're here," Naruto said eventually, voice hushed. "But…I can't see you. I know why, but that doesn't make it easy." His arms tightened around his legs. "I tried talking to Kurama today, but he didn't respond. I think he's asleep. Or maybe he didn't come back at all."
It had been hit or miss as to whether the Kyuubi would make it back with them, but Kakashi had rather hoped that Kurama would manage. "You knew that it was possible he wouldn't come with us. A jutsu like that had never been done before."
"I know," Naruto muttered, eyes downcast. "But I hoped, y'know? It would've made things easier…"
"Well, maybe he is asleep," Kakashi said after a moment. He didn't think it likely, but he hated seeing Naruto so down.
"Maybe."
After a while, Naruto drew away, stretching before turning to Kakashi with a wide grin that looked far too fake. "So! Did you get the hang of it? And what did you find out?"
Kakashi eyed the fake grin for a brief moment before deciding to let it go. Naruto didn't want him to push, so he wouldn't. "It's October twenty-fifth. I'm under orders not to show my face at the Hokage Tower for the next week so I've no missions for right now."
Naruto blinked. "What, really? What did you do?"
"I didn't ask," Kakashi answered blandly, moving to stand.
"But you know, don't you?"
Kakashi pretended not to hear, walking to a tree.
There was a frustrated groan from Naruto. "Agh, Kakashi!"
There was a lot Naruto knew, but there was a lot Naruto also didn't know. And Kakashi didn't want to tell Naruto what an emotional wreck he had been at this age.
He might find out at some point, but Kakashi wasn't going to be saying anything.
Slowly walking up the tree, Kakashi turned and stepped on the underside of a broad branch, focused on maintaining the appropriate ratio of mental vs. physical chakra. So far it was working splendidly.
"So you did figure it out!" Naruto pointed up at him, grinning broadly. "That's awesome!"
Kakashi raised a finger. "It's easy enough doing it when I'm not pressed. But"—he snapped his fingers, letting sparks of electricity fly for a brief moment—"split-second reaction timing is something I'm still working on. It'll be a few more days before I'm back to throwing jutsu around when sparring."
"But that's just days!" Naruto said. "That's not long at all!"
"It's the bare minimum," Kakashi said, opting to walk back down the tree. "It'll be longer than that before it's instinctive. Right now it's still taking most of my focus to balance it properly, so I won't be going up solo against any A- or S-rank shinobi."
Naruto tilted his head, clearly thinking. "Which…basically makes up our entire pool of bad guys. Nice." He pulled a face.
"We've got time," Kakashi reminded him, walking past Naruto and touching his head. He would've gone for the shoulder but Naruto was short. "You should get started on climbing that tree." Then, smiling, he teased, "Do you need a kunai?"
"No," Naruto answered sharply, knocking Kakashi's hand off his head and shooting him a peeved glare. "No. I am not five years old, and I am definitely better than I was when I was a twelve-year-old genin!"
"Aren't you still a genin?"
Naruto shot him a disgruntled look. "Don't remind me," he hissed, stomping off towards a tree. "This time I'm going to make chuunin! At least!"
Laughing quietly, Kakashi didn't say that he had no doubt Naruto would succeed. It was only by technicality that Naruto had remained a genin anyway. He was technically jounin-level (or Kage, really). If one ignored the fact that Naruto had no control over his chakra right now.
Right now even Kakashi couldn't really be considered the same level as before.
Darting in to catch Naruto when his first attempt to climb the tree failed in a resounding splintering crash, Kakashi resisted the urge to laugh again, simply letting Naruto go.
"You go and do your thing," Naruto said, shaking his clothes off. "I don't need you catching me every time I explode a tree."
"Don't get hurt." Kakashi watched Naruto stalk towards another tree before turning and heading towards the water.
Water walking would certainly test his reaction timing, since the chakra flow had to be adjusted minutely every time the water shifted under one's weight. And since that was always, that meant he'd be adjusting his chakra balance every single second.
Maybe it wouldn't be too bad?
Kakashi lasted all of two seconds before he dropped like a stone.
Taking a brief moment to be thankful that he had left all his sensitive materials that couldn't get water soaked on the shore, Kakashi tried to get back up on the surface.
He managed, but then another splintering explosion distracted him and he was back underwater.
Yeah, he could tell this was going to take a while. At least they did have time.
Look, I really like their relationship dynamics. Obviously a little different from canon given we're looking at 5-6 years that they spent in active war, but I'm basing it off everything we see in Part II. But, yeah, I like their relationship dynamics, and I hope you guys do, too.
Also, Gai! I love his relationship with Kakashi. It is absolutely the best thing ever. So of course I'm not going to be skimping on Gai here. :P
I'd love to hear your feedback on this chapter! :D Like I said, I'm gonna try to go for weekly updates depending on whenever I finish the next chapter.