Hey guys! Thank you for all of the positivity, it makes me so happy! I've really enjoyed writing this so far. I hope you enjoy Chapter 2, let me know what you think of it! :)
Chapter 2: The Sharingan Inspection
The sky was painted black by the time Kakashi finally reached Konoha. He slowed to a stop before the guards could sense his presence as he considered his next move. While it would be easy enough to explain the situation to the patrol, he wasn't sure if he wanted the whole village to know of his… unfortunate circumstance just yet. At least not until a medic had a chance to examine how permanent his new body would be.
A certain pink haired kunoichi flashed into his mind since she normally examined him but he quickly shoved the thought away. He wasn't sure why, but he felt uncomfortable about the idea of her seeing him like this, even if it was just for an inspection. Besides, Kakashi was almost certain that tonight was Sakura's weekly "girls' night," and he didn't want to ruin it. No, Tsunade was his best option.
Having made a final decision, Kakashi suppressed his chakra to the point of it being undetectable, and covertly entered the village. Slight surprise rippled through him. Wielding his chakra for an extended time was more difficult than normal, and he had to put in effort to keep up the suppression while jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He couldn't stop his calculating mind from analyzing himself. This is interesting. Not only has my appearance changed, but also my body's capability. Kakashi groaned at the thought of training his body for another ten years to get back to where he was. He stopped his mind from derailing as the Hokage tower came into focus.
Kakaski landed softly on a tree branch just outside Tsunade's window. He inspected the office and wasn't surprised to find multiple sake cups littered on top of mounds of paperwork. He inwardly shuddered at the thought of having to deal with all that documentation. Tsunade herself was sleeping soundly with her head on her desk. Kakashi had no qualms about launching himself through the window and planting himself in front of her desk.
"We have a problem," he deadpanned, clenching his jaw. His voice was smoother than he was used to, less of his lazy cadence that he worked so hard to master, and the change bothered him to no end. To think that the difference he hated the most in himself was his voice was something he would question later when he tried to sleep.
Tsunade startled awake, sending papers flying. Kakashi crossed his arms as he waited for her to finish gathering herself. From the looks of it, she was thoroughly enjoying the evening before she fell asleep.
Narrowing her eyes, the Hokage leaned forward with her hands on her desk. "Kakashi?" The voice was doused in incredibility as her eyes bulged from their sockets. After a few seconds her shocked expression morphed into a secretly smug grin. "Ah, Kakashi! You've finally decided to assume a more youthful look just like you're charming Hokage, eh? I prefer the mid 30s myself but that age looks good on you. You'll definitely get the ladies." Her ramblings slurred with each sentence as she lovingly stroked her blonde hair until Kakashi couldn't take it anymore.
He let out a large sigh, correcting her unusual assumption. Kakashi filled her in on the mission and its undesirable ending. He watched as Tsunade sobered with the story and her face morphed into curiosity.
"Fascinating," she said, eagerly shuffling around her desk to get a better look at him. Kakashi shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He hated being under scrutiny. Oblivious to his unease, Tsunade continued mumbling to herself. "I always thought the Kinaggi clan just made people feel younger, not reverse their age. How is that even possible? It's not possible. Well of course it is, the evidence is right here. This can't be a genjutsu, though. What can it be?"
Kakashi was almost convinced the effects of sake were still in her system as she walked in a circle around him, occasionally gesturing to his covered face or loose clothes. He lightly coughed, pulling Tsunade out of her musings.
"Ah yes, right." She briskly inspected him, her chakra probing around his body. Her face pulled into an intrigued expression, which Kakashi took as a bad sign. It meant she probably couldn't return him to his normal age. When she finished, she took a step back with her hands on her hips. "Well, it looks like Migato reversed your age to when you were about twenty-five. You're definitely not locked in an appearance genjutsu. Your body, chakra storages, and energy have all changed to that previous time of your life. So far, I don't see any internal damage, nor has your body rejected the transformation."
Tsunade casually made her way to her chair, leaning back and putting her fingertips together. Kakashi waited for her to continue, but she only stared at him intently.
"Is that all?" He said impatiently. "Is this permanent?"
She shrugged. "I can't tell you. From the information I gathered, I told you everything I know."
Kakashi had the overwhelming urge to throw his hands in the air in exasperation, but just barely kept his cool. He gave her an icy stare. "So what should I do now? Accept this and move on with my life?"
Tsunade chuckled, seeing through his veiled frustration. "For right now, yes." She grabbed a blank scroll and started to swiftly scribble on it. "I'll send a message to the Kinaggi clan about what happened. Maybe someone there can turn you into an old man again."
His only response was an uninterested hum. Tsunade rolled up the message and placed it at the top of the pile for morning deliveries. Kakashi was tempted to tell her to send it now, but he held his tongue.
"For now, I suggest you go home and rest. Tomorrow you can test out your new body's limitations." She smirked at him. "It's not everyday you're given the gift of life, you should have a little fun." Tsunade winked at him with a hearty laugh.
He shot her a look that indicated just how unfunny her teasing was. As he turned to leave, she called out to him.
"Oh, also! I'm sending Sakura to your place tonight to examine your eye. I'm curious to see if the degeneration has reversed ten years as well, and she knows it better than me."
Kakashi hesitated, his earlier thought of not ruining her night at the forefront of his mind. Tsunade pulled an eyebrow up as she waited from him to say something. With a sigh, he nodded and disappeared, missing the small smile on her lips.
When Kakashi arrived at his desolate apartment, he rinsed off and changed into his old ANBU clothes that fit a little better. Thankfully Kakaski never got around to clearing out his closet in the past ten years. He slumped into a chair to wait for his former student to inevitably show up. He was unable to stop his mind from imaging what her reaction would be to his new, or rather old, body. The thought of her dumbfounded expression pleased him enough to look forward to her visit.
Sakura moaned as she exited the hospital, rubbing a kink in her lower back. While she loved working at the hospital, she always left her shifts with a new soreness, especially shifts that lasted more than twelve hours. But if that's the price to pay for saving lives, then she'd happily accept it. Imagining the long, hot bath that she was planning to take when she got home also helped ease her tired body.
She glanced up at the sky while jumping to the next rooftop. The sun was just a sliver on the horizon and darkness was creeping into the village. It wasn't until she landed on her apartment building that she slapped a hand to her forehead. She completely forgot that tonight her friends were coming over! I'm so tired. Maybe I should cancel? As soon as the thought crossed her mind she immediately rejected it. She canceled on Ino last week, and the retribution she got was definitely not worth the few hours of girl talk.
Sakura resigned herself to her evening, trying to look on the bright side as she fiddled the key to her apartment door. She promptly headed to the bathroom, where she stepped into the shower. No time for a bath tonight, she thought solemnly, but definitely tomorrow. She let the hot water roll down her back, stretching out her overworked muscles.
Being one of the best medics was rewarding, but it often left her running from surgery to surgery, helping the major injuries that required more skill and chakra control. It also left her without many breaks. She absently wondered if she ate dinner, but her grumbling stomach answered that question for her. With a sigh, she stepped out of the shower and got dressed.
A knock hit the door as she closed the fridge door with a groan. When was the last time I went to the store? She made a mental note to shop for ingredients tomorrow as she answered the door. Ino was on the other side, her hands filled to the brim with goodies.
"Forehead," she said with a grin.
"Pig," Sakura responded, matching her glee and moving to the side to let her in. Ino took her usual spot on the loveseat beside the grey couch, dumping the different wine bottles and snacks onto the table.
Ino spread her hands in front of the coffee table, looking satisfied. "I knew that you would forget to eat, so I brought some crackers and cheese that pair well with my parents' new wine flavor."
Sakura snatched up some cheese with a laugh. She scarfed down three crackers before stopping to take a breath. "Ino, this is why I love you. You're the absolute best."
"I know," Ino said, smugly crossing her arms.
Sakura sank into the couch with content. More than ever, she was happy she didn't let herself cancel on Ino again. It wasn't until she saw her best friend face to face did Sakura realize how much she missed her. Ino opened a bottle of wine and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet.
Ever since they turned twenty-one months ago, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten established one night a week where they got together and tasted the wine that Ino's parents made. They infused the wine with different flowers from their shop and it always tasted amazing. Ino referred to their friend group as her family's official taste testers.
"Where's Hinata and Tenten?" Sakura asked, only now realizing half their group was absent.
"How should I know? It's none of my business." The blonde responded, pouring out light pink liquid. Sakura gave her an incredulous look. Everyone knew that Ino was one of the biggest gossipers in the village. It was rare that something was going on that she didn't know about. Ino stuck her tongue out and said she hasn't talked to the two of them in a while.
"What I really want to know is how your love life is going," Ino declared, wiggling her eyebrows.
Sakura choked on the rose wine, grabbing up a napkin. When she was positive the liquid went down the right pipe, she glared at Ino. "You know how it's going. I already told you."
"You mean when we last saw each other two weeks ago? You're telling me you haven't gone on a date in that incredibly, horrifically long time span?" Ino looked shocked and put a palm to her heart.
Sakura waved a hand in dismissal. "I've been busy at the hospital, I don't have time for men right now." Which was essentially the truth. Sakura didn't have time, nor did she particularly feel like going out on dates with civilians who realize how independent she is and get scared off. It always turned out the same. She'd date a man, he would feel threatened by her strength (physically and mentally), and he'd dump her. She decided a while ago that she would wait for the right man, hopefully someone who would love her for who she was: a strong, sometimes high tempered, woman. Until then…
Ino didn't seem to understand the idea of choosing to be single. "That is not an excuse. I mean, I spend all my time at the shop and yet I still go out and have fun." She started to go into detail about her most recent rendezvous with Genma when a figure appeared on Sakura's balcony. Sakura couldn't help a small sigh of relief at the interruption. Ino rarely left anything out and the details tended to leave Sakura uncomfortable. She did not need to think about Genma that way.
She accepted the note and nodded to the messenger before he disappeared. Sakura quickly scanned the note from her mentor, her breath hitching at its contents.
Kakashi is back.
She folded the paper up and stammered an apology to Ino, asking her to let herself out. Before Ino was able to argue, Sakura sprung from the balcony in the direction of Kakashi's apartment.
Worry gnawed at Sakura as her mind speculated at what could have gone wrong on his mission. He was two months late, but being late was his speciality. What bothered her the most was that a messenger was sent to her, rather than Kakashi himself. He normally sent Pakkun to deliver a cryptic message that he was back, and she'd come over to check on him. She'd made the argument that he should just come to her apartment, but he was too stubborn for that. As much as he trusted her as a medic, he still refused to directly ask her for help. Sakura was grateful that he let her heal him to begin with, not that it didn't take years of persistence on her part to make that happen.
The fact that he hadn't reached out at all was terrifying. Maybe something went horribly wrong and he was unable to summon her? She picked up her pace, anxious to ease her rampant thoughts.
When Sakura arrived, she didn't hesitate to knock on his door, attempting to keep the sound soft since it was almost midnight and Kakashi's apartment building was filled with the elderly. She could sense that he wasn't severely injured as his chakra was stable and she sighed with relief. Whatever it was, he wasn't dying.
"You're late. I know you're normally late but this is a record for sure. And why didn't you send Pakkun, too much of an effort?" Sakura huffed when the door creaked open. She didn't look at him, her mind too focused on grabbing the proper materials for a check-up. Instead, she brushed past him and headed for the kitchen where she stored one of her medic bags. After all of the times trudging that bulky thing back and forth, she finally convinced him to keep it here for easy access.
Sakura froze, hand still in the bag, when she belatedly realized three things at once. First, when she walked past him, he felt a lot thinner, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. Second, his presence was different, like if someone's signature smell was off. Third, he hadn't bantered back to her, which he only didn't do if he was, in fact, critically injured. Kakashi never missed an opportunity to match wits with her.
She spun around, unable to hold back the gasp that tore from her throat. "Kakashi?" Her mind slowed as it strained to process the image before her. It was definitely Kakashi, but… not. He was thinner, except it looked like his muscles had shrunk rather than atrophied. His clothes were that of his ANBU days and he looked younger than he did when she first met him as a genin.
He pulled his shoulders up in a very Kakashi-like shrug. The gesture relieved some of the tension Sakura didn't know she was carrying. She was positive now he was Kakashi rather than a poorly created genjutsu. "What happened?" Sakura said, her eyes blinking. She gestured for him to sit at the dining table and Kakashi lowered himself into the seat before beginning his story.
As Kakashi talked, she mimicked his position and put her hands lightly on his tight, black undershirt. Sakura pooled her chakra into him and lightly probed for any injuries. Just like Tsunade had said, he was physically fine, but she wanted to check for herself. She tried to nod along to what he said, but she had a hard time focusing as she marveled at young Kakashi. To think, this is what he looked like when he was only a few years older than her. It was strange, to say the least.
With her hands running over his body, Sakura was able to feel the steel of his muscles. Kakashi had always been built due to his life as a shinobi, but he was in the best shape physically when he was a part of ANBU. His muscles were tightly coiled weapons on their own. Her hands unconsciously drop to his stomach.
It was then that Sakura noticed Kakashi had stopped talking. She glanced at him but couldn't read his expression with the mask on. Sakura jerked her hands away as if he burned her. A blush forced its way onto her cheeks, matching her hair. I can't believe I was ogling over his abs!
"The fifth Hokage wanted you to examine my sharingan." He said, leaning forward and pulling his forehead protector off his eye. She could hear the laugh in his voice, but his contrasting eyes were serious.
"Right, of course," Sakura stuttered. She had to force down the urge to punch him out of embarrassment as she placed her fingertips to his temples. The action felt weird. She had done it a hundred times, but something felt different about it now. After a moment of hesitation, she reached for her chakra.
Sakura struggled with her emotions while examining his transplanted eye. It was the absolute strangest feeling when she heard, touched, or saw him. He was Kakashi, but not the one she always knew. She appreciated that he was acting normal, though. Sakura wasn't sure what she would have done if he wasn't being Kakashi.
After a few minutes of silence, Sakura pulled back with a smile. "Migato really helped you out here. The sharingan looks better than I have ever seen it." She couldn't help but be fascinated by Migato's medical skills. However he reversed Kakashi's age was from a skill that was beyond her, and she wanted to do more research on the jonin to figure out how he had accomplished it. I doubt Kakashi would be a willing test subject, she thought gloomily.
"Thank you," Kakashi murmured before he rose from his seat and made his way to the stove, where he started filling a kettle for tea. Sakura nodded, even though his back was turned. She tapped her fingers on the table as she watched him go through the motions of filling two mugs with steaming water, mulling over her feelings.
By the time he came back and handed her a mug, she decided that this transformation didn't change who he was. And she wasn't going to treat him differently even if he looked different. If something similar happened to her, she knew that he would do the same.
Sakura left Kakashi's apartment about an hour after she arrived. When they bid their goodbyes, Sakura promised to come back in the morning for breakfast. He explained how he didn't want to be seen in public, but she wasn't perturbed. She even went as far as to say she'll cook him an omelette in his apartment. She had a triumphant grin on her face after she said it, like she knew Kakashi would never pass up on a free meal. Which was right.
Sighing, he made his way to his bedroom. The room was mostly vacant except for a bed, dresser, and nightstand. The only personal possession he had was a picture of him and Team 7 that was framed by his bed. He picked up the photo and stared at it. How much his team has grown since then. With a pang, it hit him again that his little students were adults now.
Sasuke had been accepted back into the village a few years ago, but he still had a hard time forgiving himself. Naruto went with him on a long mission so they could work on his self-deprecating feelings, which was about the same time Kakashi left to retrieve Migato. Naruto said they weren't coming back until Sasuke was "stupid enough to realize he's loved." Who knew how long that would be.
And Sakura herself turned into a strong medic, one of the best in the world. He was so proud that she was able to find her way even without his guidance. He always felt guilty that he never spent much time training her, but she never seemed to resent him for it. Kakashi was grateful for that. He always tried to make time to see her when he came back from each mission. At some point, their relationship had changed from teacher and student to friends.
Kakashi carefully put the photo back and laid on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was thankful for his mask on more than one occasion in his life and tonight was one of them. He enjoyed how flustered she could get, especially if he was the one who elicited it. Maybe some good came out of this after all, he chuckled to himself, his mind already coming up with new means to mess with her.
As he reviewed the night in his head, he lingered at the image of her blush. It was the first time her cheeks had ever colored when touching him. He wanted to make her blush more, to see how red she could get. The urge surprised him and he pushed it away, wondering where the thought had come from. He rolled over in bed and refocused his mind on tomorrow. He couldn't wait for breakfast, it had been a long time since he had eaten a home cooked meal.