So, over 50,000 words later and plot slowly starts creeping in! Which...we're not yet at that point with what I've posted? Haha... In any case, thank you all for the lovely feedback! :D I haven't had the time to respond to everyone but I appreciate and love everything you guys have sent me.
There's quite a bit happening in this chapter, in the way of character interactions. And we're slowly getting a move on with other things. Which is the important thing since the entire story isn't going to revolve around Naruto being 5 and Kakashi 19. However much fun I'm having with this time period... (God, how long is this going to end up being?)
Anyway, hope you enjoy! :D
Chapter 6
Kakashi had already gone to the Hokage's tower. He'd done it immediately after dropping Naruto back at his apartment before the ANBU noticed that Naruto hadn't spent the night there.
It was weird, since Naruto had half-expected Kakashi to be late. But it seemed like he was actually going to be on time?
Or was it being on time if the old man wasn't expecting Kakashi?
Naruto didn't know, but he was going to hold this over Kakashi's head when – not if, when – he was back on Kakashi's team and Kakashi kept turning up late with those ridiculous excuses. Because Kakashi could totally show up on time; he just couldn't be half-assed to do it most of the time.
Hm…he could see his sensei being the type to subtly troll everyone. Look underneath the underneath, huh?
And if everyone got so out of sorts due to Kakashi being late, it meant they forgot that he was a super dangerous shinobi who could kill them all without blinking.
Or something like that.
Not that Kakashi was that dangerous now. His jutsu kind of backfired if he tried pulling them out too quickly. Naruto hadn't been able to resist laughing when Kakashi had almost burned his eyebrows off with a misfired fire jutsu.
Of course, he'd fallen under the water immediately afterwards, so he'd had to stop laughing pretty quickly.
Sighing, Naruto stepped onto his footstool as the kettle finished boiling, turning off the heat and pouring the water into a cup. So far cooking had been going without any mishaps, although that might have been due in part to Kakashi always checking over the stove to make sure it wasn't going to explode.
Naruto was relatively sure he'd only set the kitchen on fire because he'd done something wrong with his instant ramen, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Kakashi that.
What sucked was that he couldn't take care of Kakashi. Not that Kakashi needed to be taken care of, but it was the thought that counted. They were partners, and Naruto couldn't even have his back because he was too small and his chakra control sucked.
But Kakashi was right. It was insulting for Naruto to think that Kakashi needed him there all the time. Kakashi had been a jounin for a really long time. Naruto didn't even know how long, but one didn't make a name for oneself by not being really good. (Or maybe one did. It could go either way.)
Glowering into his steeping tea, Naruto told himself that it was okay to worry. He would just…do it quietly. Where he wouldn't insult Kakashi with it.
In the meantime, he could distract himself by going to see Sasuke again. He wasn't too sure what they would be doing today. If Itachi was back from his mission, Sasuke would want to spend time with his brother. He probably wouldn't want Naruto around.
Dumping two large spoonfuls of sugar into his tea and a generous amount of milk, Naruto ignored the mental voice that sounded suspiciously like Sasuke complaining about tea deserving to be enjoyed and not turned into a sugary monstrosity. Actually, there seemed to be something that sounded like Kakashi in there, too.
"Neither of you are here so shut it," Naruto grumbled, taking a sip of his perfect tea and enjoying it. Mutinously.
Ugh, he was talking to himself now. Wasn't that the first sign of insanity?
No, stop it. Naruto wasn't insane. He had Kurama in his head. So he wasn't really talking to himself.
Even if Kurama was currently still sleeping his chakra exhaustion off and not listening to anything Naruto had to say.
"Does everyone have something to do but me?" Naruto asked his tea, scratching his nail against the rim of the cup. "I feel useless. I hate feeling useless. It sucks." And he was back to frigging tadpoles again.
He'd made friends with Sasuke, but the excitement of that had worn off. Mostly. It was nice not being alone anymore. Although it was always possible that the Uchiha would catch wind of Sasuke spending time with "that boy" and magically appear to haul him off.
Naruto wasn't sure what he would do in that case. Probably find a corner and cry. And then go and beat something up.
He could also go and find Sakura. It would be nice to have both his friends back.
But…he didn't know what Sakura did around this time. He had no idea where she lived, although he knew she was a civilian. And that in itself was a big issue, since civilian parents hated him. They made up most of the hatred he had to face in the village.
Yeah, the shinobi weren't all too good either, but the clan families were typically neutral. They understood sealing more than the average shinobi or any civilian did, so they knew that Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi.
But Sakura's parents were as civilian as one could be so far as Naruto knew. They wouldn't let him make friends with their daughter, let alone let him near her.
So…Sakura wasn't exactly an option at this point. Not until she entered the Academy.
Which was what Naruto had known from the start. It just sucked that he had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't the same Konoha from before. He was starting from square one again.
Dropping his chin to the table, Naruto considered making himself something to eat. He was pretty sure he had…instant ramen. Maybe some bread? Shopping hadn't been easy given how much difficulty he had getting anything from the stores.
Oh well. Instant ramen it was. Naruto was going to enjoy the fact that he could eat it now.
If Kakashi had any issues, he could drop by with a basket of vegetables and fruits. Naruto was sure he could manage it without looking suspicious.
Naruto had just finished his second cup of delicious instant ramen when there was a knock on his door. Pausing, Naruto stretched his senses out, finding some difficulty in placing the chakra that was outside his door. It took another few moments for him to remember how the old man's chakra felt.
Okay, that was unexpected.
Tossing the trash where it belonged, Naruto went to the door and opened it, making sure to affect a suspicious expression that changed to surprise when he saw the old man.
"Old man!" Naruto exclaimed, not having to fake the excitement he felt. "Did you come here to see me?"
Almost as quickly as it came, the excitement changed to a crushing pressure in his chest, one that Naruto was all too keenly familiar with. It strangled him for a petrifying eternity, but then Naruto forced in a large breath through his nose. Somehow he managed to keep the grin on his face.
"Ah, Naruto." The old man's smile was warm, eyes crinkling with fondness. "I wanted to check and see how you're doing."
"Oh yeah!" Naruto reached forwards, grabbing hold of his white robes and pulling him in. "The place is awesome, old man! You should come and see!"
Naruto led the old man through a whirlwind tour of his apartment, finishing in the kitchen. He was rather glad that his usually messy tendencies hadn't yet had a chance to come out. Of course, he'd gotten far too used to hiding all traces of his presence, and such a habit wasn't easily broken.
"D'you want some tea?" Naruto asked, eyes flicking over to his tea kettle. The water should still be hot. "That's what I should do, right?" he added. "To be a good host?"
The old man chuckled, ruffling a hand through Naruto's hair. "Tea would be splendid, Naruto."
Bustling around the kitchen, Naruto considered what the old man would want with him. He was probably overthinking things. The old man had visited him frequently as a kid. This was most likely just one of those visits. Naruto couldn't even remember what it had been about the first time; after a while they all just ran together.
Chewing his lower lip, Naruto glanced back at the old man, who had pulled out his pipe and lit it. He seemed to be simply enjoying a good smoke, but Naruto could tell that he was carefully looking around the apartment.
Looking for what, Naruto wasn't sure. There wasn't anything incriminating here. Kakashi was too good to leave evidence behind, and Naruto was just as good.
"Here's your tea, old man!" Naruto set the steaming cup down, along with some sugar and milk. "I hope you like it!"
"Ah, thank you, Naruto." The old man beamed at Naruto, laugh lines crinkling with the expression. It was so familiar that Naruto felt his eyes prickling, and he had to widen his grin to focus on not crying.
Damn it, he was not going to spill the beans. Not like this.
The old man had taken a slow sip from his tea before he spoke again, eyes on Naruto. "How are you doing, Naruto? Living on your own can be an adjustment."
"It's great!" Naruto proclaimed, bouncing up in his seat. "I really like it. It's a lot better than the orphanage." His grin flickered at the memories, faded as they were. "It's nice," he said more softly, smiling now.
"I'm glad to hear that," the old man said. "How is everything else?"
"Also great!" Naruto considered whether it was too early to do this, but then just decided to go for it. "And y'know what, old man? I really want to be a shinobi!"
The old man's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded vigorously, channeling every single bit of excitement that he could remember feeling as a kid. "It'd be really cool, right? And I could be like you and the other guys around the village! And the guys on the mountain!"
The old man laughed, setting his tea down. "Is that so, Naruto? Do you know who those men are?"
Naruto nodded again. "The Hokages! Everyone knows that! They're the best shinobi in the village! So…" He tilted his head, eyeing the old man. "That means you're the strongest, right?"
There was a gentle smile. "The Hokage is strong, yes."
Naruto sank back in his seat, returning the smile. "I want to be like that," he repeated, entirely honestly. "I want to be like you, old man. I want to be a shinobi."
"Just to be strong?" the old man asked.
Naruto glanced out the window, keenly remembering his original reasons to want to be a shinobi. They had changed since then, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten. But his reasons now weren't the type to be voiced by a child.
How could he say that he wanted to protect his precious people? That he wanted the strength to protect those he loved? That he wanted to be the shield for those who would come after him? That he wanted to end the cycle of hatred that troubled the shinobi and started war after war?
There was no way he could. Not right now.
"I want to be seen," Naruto said eventually, meeting the old man's eyes. "I want them to see me. They see you. So if I become a shinobi, they'll have to notice me."
There was an aching sadness in the old man's eyes, one that Naruto had seen before but not actually recognized for what it was. "I see." Slowly standing, the old man came round to Naruto's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I will make the necessary arrangements."
Oh, wait, when would that put Naruto in the Academy? He didn't want to go in there without Sasuke. That might ruin everything.
"Yeah?" Naruto looked up at him. "So I'll be a shinobi?"
"It will be a great deal of hard work, Naruto," the old man cautioned.
"Everything's work," Naruto responded unthinkingly. A moment later he added, more carefully, "I know, old man."
"Yes." The old man studied him closely, eyes shrewd. "In any case, it will be some time before the next year of the Academy begins. I could put you into this year, but you would be behind—"
"Next year's fine," Naruto hurried to say. "That way I can do all kinds of training and be ahead of the others, ya know!" He shot the old man a thumbs up, accompanying it with a beaming grin.
The earlier seriousness vanished, and the old man laughed fondly, reaching up to rest a hand on Naruto's head. "Very well, Naruto." His smile was kind, if slightly sad. "I look forward to seeing what you can do."
Naruto held his gaze, nodding seriously. He was going to be the best shinobi ever. And this time, the old man would live to see it.
Kakashi was on his ANBU team. Kakashi was on his ANBU team.
Naruto had a great deal of trouble hiding his happy grin when he noticed Kakashi's chakra. He managed eventually, but he couldn't stop occasionally glancing over in Kakashi's direction. It was disguised as him looking for something else, and he couldn't actually see Kakashi, but it was nice.
So it really was "routine." Naruto wasn't sure what Kakashi had done to be kicked off missions for a week, but he sure wasn't complaining about Kakashi getting an easy one now that he was back on duty.
It was nice that Kakashi was even letting Naruto know he was there. He was fully capable of going completely incognito so only sage mode would let Naruto snuff him out.
On that note…Naruto needed to let Sasuke know the happy news that he would be joining the Academy.
Taking off in a run, Naruto sidestepped civilians and other shinobi, picking up his speed once he was out of the streets and closer to the Uchiha district. The compound was on the outskirts of the village, even more so than other clan compounds. That said, they did have neat training grounds.
When Naruto arrived at the usual meeting place, he was pleased to see Itachi and Sasuke there. Sasuke gave Naruto a small smile once he saw him.
"Hey!" Naruto skidded to a halt before Itachi, regulating his breathing after several breaths. "Itachi! How was your mission? Was it cool?"
"It went well," Itachi answered, not missing a beat. He gave Naruto a small smile as well, one that looked eerily similar to Sasuke's. Or, well, Sasuke's looked similar.
"It must have!" Naruto linked his hands behind his head, rocking back on his heels. "Since you're back here and all!"
"Big brother's a chuunin," Sasuke added. "Of course he's going to be fine."
Itachi blinked slowly but otherwise didn't react. "I see you two have been spending time together," he said eventually.
"Yeah!" Naruto shared a look with Sasuke. "Sasuke's been teaching me how to throw shuriken and kunai! And I've been getting really good at it!"
Sasuke nodded in agreement. "He has."
"And, um…" Naruto drew his shoulders in slightly, hands still behind his head. "D'you think you could do that move again? The one I saw the first time?"
Sasuke's eyes brightened. "Oh, can you, big brother?"
Itachi's eyes softened when he looked at Sasuke, chin dipping in a nod. "Why don't you and Naruto move out of the way?"
Gesturing to Naruto, Sasuke pointed to the trees. "I usually watch from there."
It was a good vantage point, Naruto thought. Just out of the way that Itachi didn't have to worry too much about hitting them, but also giving them a good look at what would take place. Sasuke must have done this a lot.
Once they were out of the way, Itachi stood at a certain point in the clearing. Frankly, Naruto couldn't see what made that spot particularly different, but then he wasn't the expert at throwing kunai. He was decent, but he wasn't that good.
Itachi's arms blurred as he unleashed the first round of kunai. A second later he was airborne, flipping and spiraling as more kunai flew through the air, each one of them hitting a target. Even the targets that Itachi couldn't actually see.
Scant seconds later, Itachi was back on the ground and every single target in the clearing had a kunai in the center.
Naruto blinked, stunned at the display of marksmanship. Holy shit.
Even Sasuke hadn't been that good, had he?
Okay, wait. There was no way Itachi could pull off those types of moves in the middle of a battle. He was good, but he couldn't be that good. And he'd done this type of thing multiple times before.
It was possibly just showmanship. Possibly. Hell, Naruto hoped it was.
Because if not, Itachi was downright terrifying, and he was only ten.
"That was awesome," Naruto said a moment later, breathlessly. He didn't voice any of his thoughts, though he was going to as soon as he could talk to Kakashi.
He'd known Itachi was an amazing shinobi, but wow.
"Right?" Sasuke agreed, sounding just as awed. It was really cute.
Then Naruto blinked and told himself to never put Sasuke and "cute" in the same thought again.
"Has he taught you that?" Naruto asked.
"No." Sasuke sounded disgruntled. "I only know the basics."
"The basics are enough, little brother." Itachi came over, briefly tweaking Sasuke's nose. "You'll learn more at the Academy."
"You didn't learn that at the Academy," Sasuke pointed out, nose wrinkling after Itachi let go.
"I learned it after."
"Oh!" Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm. "I wanted to tell you! The old man said I could go to the Academy! So you and I will both be joining!"
Sasuke didn't jerk his arm out of Naruto's grip, which was a nice change from before. "When did that happen?"
"This morning."
"You saw the Hokage this morning?"
"He wanted to check up on me," Naruto explained. "I live on my own."
Something flickered across Itachi's face, but there was no other reaction.
On the other hand, Sasuke frowned. "You live on your own? How old are you again?"
"I'm five," Naruto muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "And I was in the orphanage…but they didn't like me there. So once I turned five the old man got me an apartment. It's nicer."
"But you live on your own?" Sasuke sounded rather confused at this.
"It's not like it's hard." Naruto dropped his gaze, scuffing the toe of his sandal against the grass. "I mean, cooking's a little difficult because I can't always reach the stove, but that's what a footstool's for, ya know? But it's a lot nicer than staying at the orphanage."
"But why?" Sasuke asked. "There would be people to help you at the orphanage…"
Naruto just shrugged, not really willing to get into how the orphanage ran things. He couldn't remember a lot anyway. It had been years for him, but some things weren't so easily forgotten. Like how cold it could be when no one cared, how lonely it was, and how the awful glares were everywhere.
"They didn't like me," Naruto repeated, giving a pained smile. "I guess maybe they said something, too."
"You didn't play a prank or something, did you?"
"I don't think it mattered." Naruto drew his shoulders in.
"That's enough, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly. "Naruto doesn't owe us any explanations."
Sasuke's expression was mulish, his jaw set stubbornly, but he didn't say anything else.
Searching for a way to lighten the atmosphere, Naruto tried, "I can have people over! So if you want to come over sometime…"
This didn't seem to make Sasuke feel better. Itachi was looking off in the distance, face carefully blank in a way that suggested he was angry. Naruto recognized the expression from Kakashi. It looked a lot different when one didn't have a mask.
"You can come over, too," Sasuke said, face fiercely determined. For a moment he looked so much like his older self that Naruto's heart skipped a painful beat. Then the image was gone and it was just the present Sasuke standing there. "Cooking can be dangerous, so if you want to come over sometime and have dinner with us, you can. I'm sure Mom won't mind."
"She probably won't," Itachi said, the words measured. "But we should let her know beforehand."
"Yeah, um…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Adults…generally don't tend to like me much. She might not want me around."
"She will," Sasuke insisted. "I'll ask her."
Clearly a five-year-old Sasuke was just as stubborn as his teenage self. Naruto didn't know why he'd expected any different. And it wasn't like he could drag Sasuke into a fight over dinner.
Itachi would probably protest.
"Okay," was all Naruto could say, smiling faintly. "Um…do you want to practice throwing shuriken today? Your brother's here, so he can say if I'm doing something wrong."
Sasuke let the change in subject pass, expression lightening. "Okay." He turned to Itachi. "Big brother, would you?"
Itachi's expression lightened as well. "Of course."
Blowing out a soft breath, Naruto took the shuriken Sasuke handed him. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened today, but he had the feeling it wasn't bad.
And, hey, Kakashi was safe, too.
"You realize you can't actually use the seals, right?"
"I know, but I can still make them."
Kakashi was leaning back against the wall, sitting on his bed with his knees drawn up. Naruto had commandeered his desk and chair, sealing paper strewn over the surface and a brush in one hand.
They had cut training short on Naruto's request, not that Kakashi was exactly complaining. He'd had a quiet day of following Naruto around, but it was different when he was being an observer versus a companion.
"You were in the village today," Naruto said, not looking up, "but not all your missions are like that. What about when you're out?"
"I'm on your guard again tomorrow," Kakashi said.
Naruto paused briefly. "Oh? That's…good. I'm glad."
Kakashi wasn't sure whether to be insulted or touched at the display of concern. It was nice to know Naruto cared so much, but he was able to take care of himself.
"That's fine, then," Naruto said, sounding slightly distracted as he focused on creating the marker. His hand wasn't as steady as it had been in the future. "It gives me more time to make these."
"You can't use them," Kakashi pointed out.
"Not now," Naruto agreed, "but eventually. The markers don't disappear, especially if you put a little chakra into them. And if you're going out of the village, you can start spreading them around. It'll make traveling easier." He blew on the paper and set it aside.
"I'll keep a stack on hand," Kakashi said, since it was a good idea. It wouldn't pay off for some years because the Hiraishin required very good chakra control, but it was good preparation.
"Keep one on you, too," Naruto said. "Just in case. I can't mark you right now."
Naruto wouldn't be able to help him even if Kakashi kept a seal on him at all times, but this was an argument Kakashi wasn't willing to get into. "All right."
They fell into a comfortable silence as Naruto continued creating the Hiraishin markers, becoming faster with each successive one. Kakashi was on the verge of nodding off when Naruto broke it, voice subdued.
"You saw Itachi today, right?"
"Hm?" Kakashi blinked slowly, cataloging what Naruto could mean. "I did."
"He's really something, isn't he?"
Was it going to be one of those conversations?
Sighing, Kakashi stretched his right leg out. "Uchiha Itachi," he started carefully, "is an excellent shinobi. He's extraordinarily gifted even without factoring his Mangekyou Sharingan. So, yes, he really is 'something.' That said, his display earlier today was mostly for show."
Setting a finished marker to the side, Naruto waved the brush around, splattering ink. "I knew it!"
Kakashi decided to ignore the ink. It could be cleaned up. "That's not to say it's impossible in battle situations with planning and foresight. And it trains reflexes, situational awareness, and aim. But the trick he did today is primarily a trick performed through muscle memory."
"Battle situations would have constantly moving targets," Naruto noted, nodding. "The ones he used were stationary, and he uses them all the time. So by now…he could probably do it with his eyes closed."
"Probably," Kakashi agreed. "It doesn't make it any less impressive."
"I know," Naruto said. "He figured out the weakness to Nagato's strongest attack on the fly and defeated it. Not to mention all the other stuff he can do."
Most of that stuff hadn't come yet, but Itachi was still a rather intimidating shinobi. And hopefully one that wouldn't go rogue again.
"Hey, sensei…" Naruto twisted around until he was looking at Kakashi. "When are we going to help the Uchiha?"
"Neither of us is in any shape to do anything about it right now," Kakashi answered. "In any case, even if we were, we couldn't do anything about it immediately."
"What?" Naruto frowned. "Why not?"
"I need to get more intel," Kakashi said. "This is the type of mission that takes time and a great deal of patience. We're in no hurry right now, Naruto."
"Intel?" Naruto's frown deepened. "So you have proof or something?"
"So I know exactly where to hit and how to do so," Kakashi said bluntly.
"Wait." Naruto turned around fully, knees on the seat of the chair. "Are you going to kill him? I thought we were going to go to the old man!"
Kakashi shook his head. "That wouldn't solve our problem. It would very likely make us a target."
"But there has to be another way," Naruto protested. "Why do we have to kill him?"
"Naruto…" Kakashi leaned forward, crossing his legs as he rested his elbows on his knees. "I understand that you want to give him another chance. If this were anyone else, I would try that option. But as it is, I can't chance it. There's too much at stake if we let this go."
Naruto's eyes were pained. "I…I understand. But…why can't we take this to the old man?"
"If I trusted that Sarutobi would do the right thing, we could," Kakashi said wearily. "But he let Orochimaru go because Orochimaru was his student. Danzou is an old friend, and Sarutobi trusts him."
"Would he trust him if he knew what his friend was doing?" Naruto argued.
"He found out about Orochimaru." Kakashi dropped his eyes to the floor. "The Sandaime knows, Naruto," he continued quietly. "Maybe not everything, but he knows enough about who Danzou is and what he's capable of. And it's enough that I don't feel it's the right choice to take it to him, even with proof in our hands."
"You—" Naruto broke off, biting his lip. After a moment, he started again, voice subdued, "You're awfully cynical, Kakashi."
Kakashi shrugged. "I'd call it realistic."
Naruto frowned briefly. "Okay, then…your plan is…to walk into his house and kill him?"
"A lot of assassination missions boil down to that," Kakashi said after a short pause.
"So when do you think you can do it?"
"That depends entirely on how quickly I get my control back to where it needs to be. Along with gathering the intel I need so that I don't mess up." Kakashi paused, tilting his head. "And that's going to be the part that will take the longest."
"Shouldn't that just take a few weeks? It can't be that difficult."
It was questions like that which reminded Kakashi that Naruto hadn't had the most orthodox shinobi career. It wasn't to say Naruto was a bad shinobi. He just didn't have the general knowhow the average shinobi did. His strengths lay in other areas, like magically converting the enemy to the same side or beating down the enemy until they couldn't fight anymore.
"We're essentially running a long undercover mission while needing to stay in the public eye," Kakashi said. "Ordinarily, yes, this type of intel gathering wouldn't take so long, but I can't be out of the public eye for the period of time it would take. Neither can you."
"Well…" Naruto slung his arms over the back of the chair. "I've got the kage bunshin jutsu working again…"
"No," Kakashi said flatly. "If you were with me, then maybe, but no. You don't have the training for this kind of intel gathering."
Naruto slumped over dramatically, head drooping. "I could learn," he muttered dejectedly.
"I'm sure, but let's try that on a mission that won't affect the fate of the Uchiha."
Naruto pouted, but his mood lifted slightly. He kept his head down, eyes on the floor. "You think this'll work, sensei?" he asked.
"I don't know," Kakashi admitted. "This mess with the Uchiha has been coming for a long time. This could help, or it could lead to something else that we can't predict. But either we do something or we let it happen the same way so we can control the outcome."
"No," Naruto immediately said. "We came back to change things. Not just let things happen the same way because that's easier. Maybe something else will happen, but we can handle it. I know we can."
The smile came easily, and Kakashi didn't make any effort to hide it. "So confident, are we?"
"It's you," Naruto said, echoing the words he'd said once before in the future, "and it's me. So, yeah, I'm confident, Kakashi."
Relaxing, Kakashi leaned back against the wall, slowly exhaling. That conversation had gone about as expected, although Naruto had acquiesced more easily than he'd thought he would.
It wasn't as if Naruto liked Danzou considering what had happened with the Uchiha and Sai. Naruto was nothing but viciously protective of his friends, yet he was also unfailingly kind. He'd given Obito a second chance after everything, and Kakashi was sure Naruto would've tried with Madara if given the opportunity.
So that Naruto would try to give Danzou a second chance considering he hadn't yet ordered the Uchiha massacre… It wasn't surprising. It wouldn't do to judge a person by the actions they hadn't yet committed.
Yet Kakashi wasn't judging Danzou by what he would do. Yes, he was biased enough to admit that it played a part in how he viewed the man, but that wasn't everything. No, it was everything else Danzou had done in the name of protecting Konohagakure.
It was Danzou taking young children and breaking them to the point where they couldn't recognize their own emotions and considered having such emotions a flaw. It was Danzou collaborating with Orochimaru and Amegakure, lengthening the Third Shinobi War and making things so much worse than they needed to be. It was Danzou sowing the seeds for what started Akatsuki and the Fourth Shinobi War. It was Danzou thinking that his way was the only way to do things, and that peace was a weakness.
No, Kakashi wasn't judging Danzou by his future sins. There was more than enough to pick from now.
"I thought you'd argue more," Kakashi said, surprising himself with the words. It was probably because he was half-asleep that they'd even slipped out.
Naruto was back at work, his back to Kakashi. "I don't like it," he said quietly, "but I understand. I'm not a kid anymore, Kakashi. Some people…some people can't be saved without making things worse. Besides…" He turned his head just enough so Kakashi could see the small smile on his face. "I trust you, Hokage-sama."
"Don't '–sama' me," Kakashi protested. "Or do the Hokage thing."
Naruto made a noise that indicated he'd registered the protest and discarded it. It was a noise Kakashi was keenly familiar with.
Naruto's answer wasn't one Kakashi was happy with. Just trust? Was that even a good idea?
"What if I abuse that trust?" Clearly Kakashi was just going for the win here.
"You listened," Naruto said. "You didn't have to listen to me; you could've just done what you wanted. But you explained why you're doing this, and I understand."
There was a long pause that dragged out to minutes, and Kakashi was definitely about to drift off when Naruto spoke again, voice soft. "You've never once abused my trust, Kakashi. And I don't expect you to start now."
Kakashi could name a few incidents off the top of his head, but he had the feeling that Naruto would shoot them down and come up with some explanation that should make no sense but somehow did.
"You should sleep, sensei." There was the sensation of a blanket being thrown over him. "I'm not going anywhere tonight."
Naruto should go somewhere. He should go back to his apartment before the ANBU noticed he wasn't there.
But Kakashi was too tired to make the argument, especially since it was an argument he wasn't that invested in. It was nice not to be alone. And he was definitely too comfortable to move, even propped up against the wall.
Itachi is 10. Why wouldn't he show off for his little brother? :P (Naruto is simultaneously terrified and impressed.)
So now you guys know what the plan is for Danzou. Or...some of the plan. It's not clear what they're going to do, but it's going to be fun. For Kakashi and Naruto. Not Danzou. Danzou is not having fun. I said that no characters would be bashed, and this is true. Characters are also going to get a fair shaking for the most part, but Danzou... Danzou is pretty tricky because of the personal history these characters have with him. And, well, I really dislike Danzou? Intensely dislike.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed it! :D I know it wasn't that funny and not as much of an emotional rollercoaster (I think?) as the last one, but I hope it was just as enjoyable! No promises on when Chapter 7 will be out, but after I finish Chapter 10. :P
I'd love to hear your feedback! :D