Chapter 4: The Way Genma Tried, Failed, and Somehow Succeeded in Getting Partially Over the Fourth Hokage's Death: There was the little blonde boy Genma wanted nowhere near him, who seemed to have become the kids' newest friend in less than literally a minute. Even though he tried to keep them away, the kids insisted... But... Well, at least the Uchiha siblings were around to distract him whenever the kids tried to get out and force the blonde to come into his apartment.
..~..~..
He ended up sharing his birthday with Kiba and Neji. It had been a rather interesting birthday, if he could tell the truth. Especially considering that the cake had somehow managed to encompass all their three personalities in one three tiered cake.
The bottom tier had been green and designed for Genma. It had been simple with grass painted onto the bottom, but not much more to it. Something that he really appreciated considering how crazy the top tier ended up being. Dogs, kunai, a running figurine of Kiba chasing after another of Neji while Genma sat over the bottom tier with his arms clasped behind his head.
Unlike with Tenten and Sakura's birthday, Hiashi had actually stayed to celebrate his nephew's birthday. And Genma honestly believed that the man had been left both shocked and somewhat traumatized by the way the kids played. And how Neji decided that he would like to wear his hitai-ite like Genma did in a bandanna that covered up his forehead.
If the surprise was a good or bad thing, Genma wasn't sure. He just knew that Hiashi spent more time with Neji than before, apparently training him after the birthday party to be prepared for the Academy. This had meant that Hinata and Neji were brought to his apartment later than usual and weren't allowed to sneak out at all hours like before. But Neji seemed happy to talk to Genma about everything he learned, so the man didn't worry too much about it.
The party had been thrown in the park where he had first met Neji. All of the clan heads had been there and all of the kids had spent quite a stellar time playing games and having fun. It had been pretty amusing to see the children running around, having fun, and even inviting the other adults aside from Genma, Raidou, and Tsume to play along with them.
They had even tried to get 'Scarecrow' to play along with them and failed adorably. Kakashi was much too cool to play with any children. And when the children had tried to get at him for having ignored them, they had tried to surprise attack him in a manner similar to how they had attacked Raidou. Which had failed (they all blamed the fact that they didn't have proper ninja weapons) and Kakashi had wound up crouching up on a tree branch with mirth clear in his only visible eye.
Sakura had been left pretty shocked by all of the insanity all the kids could bring. Shino, though, had melded pretty well and even did his best to help his new friends try and capture the ever elusive Copy Cat Nin.
After that party, the kids had made it their life's mission to capture the man and embarrass him like they had Raidou.
Oh, right, and as their joint birthday gift to him, all of the children gave him this adorable pair of fuzzy duck slippers that quacked with each step. And it was really adorable when they handed it to him, because they had their own specific reasons as to why they had decided he needed it.
"You're always running around after us! You need something more comfortable than ninja sandals if you're going to continue wrangling us!" Kiba had shouted with a broad smile.
"It'll make you remember me whenever you look at the bright yellow!" Ino had told him with an arm slung over Sakura's shoulders, all the while the pinkette had smiled somewhat awkwardly up at him.
"You need more color in your life." Tenten had huffed with a nod, only for Neji to step forward and agree, "And their beaks are orange. Your favorite color."
He honestly had no idea where the kid had gotten that from. But before he could tell the that, no, orange wasn't his favorite color, Shino took one step forward and said, "And ducks are your favorite animals."
He had no idea where these kids had gotten these ideas from. He really had no idea whatsoever. And from the way the rest of the adults looked, even they couldn't understand.
But as he held those slippers in his hands and looked at the way all of the kids looked up at him with hopeful and wide eyes, the man couldn't really tell them that he didn't want them. So he instead smiled broadly, told them that he loved them, and tried them on at the insistence of the kids.
After that he began to wear them just about everywhere when the kids asked him to. He didn't really mind the way they quacked with each step and they were actually extremely comfortable and fuzzy.
It was a good birthday.
Sasuke hadn't really come to his apartment at all. Even though Genma had been forced to work a few times with the clan head kids at least four more times since the first time. Fugaku wasn't really all that eager to have his son running around with the ruffians that were the kids and Genma really couldn't be bothered to try and fight against a man that would most probably respond violently.
But that all changed when August rolled around.
He was still kind of struggling with money, but had been able to make ends meet. The money given to him by Shikaku for the past four clan head meetings had been enough for him to be able to afford to not have to skip dinner every single night. And he had also been able to go on a few missions to keep himself afloat. So, while he wasn't about to be able to buy any fancy food or exotic objects, he was able to keep himself and all of the kids fed.
One lazy afternoon in which the kids were running around his apartment like the true mongrels they were, throwing all kinds of objects without any worry.
Normally, Genma would have scolded them and told them to stop being so destructive. But after a particularly difficult mission in which he had been forced to work with two overly snooty shinobi that didn't know how to keep their mouths shut, he really didn't care if they broke anything.
He could just tell their parents that they had broken shit and get them to replace it if the worst came.
As he served himself coffee- as black as Neji's hair- he heard someone knock on his door. And with a crash from his bedroom, he heard the kids scrambling to move and answer. But he had learned his lesson weeks ago about letting them open the door when an innocent courier had come to bring him a mission scroll and had wound up getting trampled over.
"The kid that touches the door will have to wash my laundry!"
Immediately the sounds of their stampeding stopped. And when Genma walked out of the kitchen, he found all of the children staring at him with wide eyes, reminding him a lot of deer when they heard a twig snap near them.
"Retreat!" Kiba screamed, immediately running away from the door to return to his bedroom.
Genma hadn't liked the kids using his bed as a fort and play place. But that had been yet another battle he had lost and now allowed them to go inside and play as long as they promised to not go through his closet. He had cleaned his drawers out and thrown everything that may have been dangerous and/or raise suspicions as to his character.
The rest of the children scurried back, and he could see among the mass of bodies that Hinata and Sakura were both wearing some of his bandannas, all the while Neji and Tenten wore the ones they had been gifted by him.
Because he didn't really have much money for extravagant gifts, Genma had given all of the birthday kids simple gifts. For Tenten, a red bandanna. Sakura had gotten an emerald green one. Kiba had gotten a gray one with skulls and bones on it. And Neji had received a dark navy blue bandanna that he proudly wore over his head without any qualms.
They all looked pretty adorable, if he could tell the truth. Especially because of the way that Raidou was now insisting that this was not a daycare anymore, it was a cult.
When he reached the door, he opened it with a small shake of his head and sip at his coffee. He, really, did not bother with appearances anymore. He hadn't been one to care much for them before. And now that the kids had basically turned his life upside down, he cared even less. He was shirtless, wore a loose set of pants, and the fuzzy duck slippers that quacked.
He had been forced to lock up all of his senbon after Neji had tried to teach his devilish compatriots how to use them. And because he couldn't deny Hinata anything, she always managed to get the ones he rolled around in his mouth. So, while they were in the house, he was forced to bare the loneliness of his mouth having nothing to occupy itself with.
Like on most days, he expected to find one of the parents, a clan member looking to pick their respective kid up, or a courier. But the people before him were none of these.
"Itachi?"
The dark haired youth looked up at him with a cold gaze that just didn't seem right on someone that was only eight, "Shiranui-San. I am sorry for this abrupt meeting. But I must ask a favor of you."
He had never worked with Itachi personally. The boy was a prodigy, the likes of which Kakashi was, and he was currently working on being promoted to chunin. And just like most prodigies Genma had met in his life, he took himself much too seriously.
No eight year old should sound like a forty eight year old.
"My father and mother have left the clan compound for two weeks because of an urgent meeting with the Fire Daimyo. My little brother was left to me to care for and look after." The boy cut right to the chase, much like Genma would expect from someone that took himself too seriously. "But I have been called away on a mission for the Hokage of utmost importance. Normally, I would leave Sasuke in the care of our clan members. But he had quite an unusual petition."
With this the younger male hanging onto Itachi's hand smiled broadly, "They said that they were always at your apartment! I want to hang out with them!"
There was no doubt in Genma's mind as to who these 'they' were. And he would need to talk to them about his right to privacy. And the fact that he would kind of appreciate it if they didn't broadcast where he lived to just about everyone.
Itachi smiled softly at his brother, then looked up at Genma with an apologetic look to his face. "Would you mind caring for Sasuke for the next four days? My mission, while urgent, is rather short. And the children told me that they stayed over all the time at your apartment."
Genma didn't like the fact that Itachi called the children just that, seemingly separating himself from the fact that he was still a kid himself.
Sasuke looked so adorable with those dark eyes so wide. And Itachi, even for how old he wished to seem, looked bashful and hopeful as well.
Genma knew that Sasuke got along pretty well with the kids. And what was four days? He had Kiba at his apartment just about every night now. And Neji and Hinata had only stopped because Neji had begun training and Hinata was on her way to being taught.
"But I'll warn you, Itachi," The man said, taking one more sip of his coffee before continuing. "The Sasuke you get back will undoubtedly ask to be brought over here more often. And he'll most probably wish to start wearing bandannas on his head. It's a side effect."
The boy looked Genma with a hint of disbelief. But he soon nodded and offered the bag he had packed full of his brother's things. "I trust you, Shiranui-San. There must be truth behind the whispered words around the village."
"Wait, what words?"
But Itachi had dashed off without answering, leaving Genma with a broadly smiling Sasuke at his doorstep.
~/~
There had been no hope for Sasuke. He had been a polite and kind boy with a curious and intrigued streak. But after his hellions had finished up with him, he was almost unrecognizable.
He had refused to let the kids stay the night like Sasuke. They had been jealous about him getting the special treatment, But Genma had told them that he was doing it because his family was out, busy being actual ninja, and that had, for some reason, intrigued them all. And Sasuke had seen no problem with telling his new friends about his awesome brother, and he proved to be a pretty intriguing story teller. Even Genma had been enthralled by some of his stories.
In the four days Sasuke stayed with him, the boy slept in his room while Genma took the couch by the living room. And this made Genma assure himself that he needed to buy a bed for the guest room that was currently under lock to make sure the children didn't mess with the walls and furniture like they had with the rest of the house.
His neck and back hurt like a bitch after the four days of sleeping on the couch, but he'd be damned if he gave Fugaku any understandable reasons to be angry with him. The man would not like the idea of his son staying four whole days and four whole nights with him. So Genma would do his best to make sure that there were no true, logical reasons for the man to be angry. Just the one the one thing he would undoubtedly hate that deal with his son staying with a regular shinobi for quite some time rather than his own clan members.
Sasuke slept over four nights. Genma had known that there was a possibility that Itachi's mission might take more time than expected. It was a given with most missions that went out of the village.
But when the older Uchiha arrived on the fifth day, looking as pristine and well kept as he had on the day that he left Sasuke, Genma couldn't help but feel somewhat sad.
In times of peace like these, there was no reason to continue graduating kids at such a young age. They deserved to be children. Even if they were training to be the shinobi of the future, they had a right to live out their childhood years for as long as possible. Itachi deserved to live for just a tad bit longer like a kid. Not like the weapon he was being forced to become.
"Did Sasuke behave?"
The boy spoke much too formally. It made Genma's heart clench slightly. He had known many people, male and female, that had grown up much too quickly. He had been one of them. And it sucked.
When Genma opened his mouth to answer, he heard the sound of bare feet padding rapidly against his wooden floor. And when he turned around to look at the person that was nearing, he found Sasuke smiling broadly with one of his hitai-ite wrapped around his head, running up with a broad smile on his face.
"Itachi! Itachi!" The young boy crowed proudly, jumping into his big brother's arms. "You're back!"
The smile on Itachi's face when he hugged his brother back was one that was filled with complete love. There were no doubts in Genma's mind as to how much love there was between the siblings. Sasuke didn't seem to be able to shut up about Itachi. And there was a fondness to always find in the elder's eyes whenever he looked at his younger brother.
"How are you Sasuke?" Itachi questioned with a pat to Sasuke's clothed head. "Did you have fun?"
"I sure did! Genma's so cool! Did you know that he can throw a senbon with his mouth!" The young Uchiha gasped out, pointing back at the man with a wild look in his eyes. "Can I please keep coming over?"
Even for how composed Itachi usually was, Genma was able to see the flinch. It was a hurtful subject he was sure. Especially with a clan as strict as the one they belonged to.
Sasuke seemed about to insist. And Genma knew this was a difficult subject for the elder. So he stepped forward, rubbed the kid's head, and said, "Would you like some breakfast? It's early and you still need your sustenance."
The boy, no matter how polite, had proven to be a trouble during breakfast time. He liked to be active, even at the top of the morning. And having to stop to eat wasn't something he enjoyed to do because of all the things he wanted to get started on immediately.
"Can Itachi stay too?"
"Sasuke, you don't have to-"
"Nonsense!" Genma smiled down at the elder of the two, motioning for him to come inside. "I'm used to making food for the equivalent of a small army! Feeding you two will be a walk in the park!"
With this, Sasuke pulled his brother into Genma's apartment. Itachi was clearly left stunned by the sudden invitation, but Genma left no room for the boy to deny him. He closed the door quickly and ushered both boys into the kitchen, where he began to prepare their breakfast.
And as he cooked, he could see Itachi glance down at his awesome duck slippers but kept his mouth shut.
It was at that moment that Genma decided that Itachi would feel like a kid whenever he crossed the threshold into his apartment. He could be a mature shinobi while out in the village and in his own home. But when he was in Genma's apartment, he'd be the kid he deserved to be.
It wasn't fair to see how much the boy looked like his deceased father.
But, really, Genma shouldn't be surprised. It seemed as if the parents of this generation had all been given some kind of special water or something while they had been kids. Seriously, all of them had miniature clones running around. Shino was the spitting image of Shibi, just like Shikamaru and Chouji were to their own fathers, Kiba was the male equivalent of his mother, and Ino was a female replica of her father.
Hinata, Neji, and Tenten were the only ones that didn't really follow with that theory, but he could make an exception considering how the rest were so identical.
Still... Seeing the boy that was the literal spitting image of one of his greatest failures... It brought back memories Genma didn't want to face. Everything about the boy was identical to his father. The golden hue of his hair, the hopeful and innocent shine to his eyes, even the way they smiled was identical.
At one point in his life, his father had smiled at Genma like that. Back when he, Raidou, and Iwashi had still been part of the Hokage's bodyguard squad and had yet to commit their greatest failure, the man had been one of the kindest people he had ever met. Tough, yet understanding and fair. Judicious and logical.
"Kids, we're leaving."
All of the children groaned and shouted out as soon as they heard him, but Genma didn't care about keeping them happy.
Those blue eyes... He had failed them.
He had failed his Fourth Hokage too many times. And he couldn't stand looking at the young blonde without wanting to drown his sorrows in alcohol like he had been forced to stop by kids that had no idea he even drank.
"But Genma!"
"No buts." The man hissed, grabbing Hinata beneath the arms to place her on his hip before grasping Kiba's hand to pull him away. "We're leaving."
The ten kids that he was caring for were undoubtedly put off by the fact that he was acting so differently. He'd never spoken to them with so much finality. They'd never gotten him angry enough to speak like this. And he was sure he'd never looked so totally seriously. Not even when Raidou and Kakashi were bothering him had his face been pulled in so tightly.
"But... We were playing..."
"Don't worry, Naruto! We'll come back later! Promise!" Tenten called back to the blonde boy that sounded devastated, but Genma only felt his heart harden at the sadness in his voice.
A thousand different bad things had come to him when that boy had been born. He may be the son of the man he had once idolized and respected, but... He couldn't bring himself to look at the boy. Much less allow him into his apartment and into his life. Not like he had done with the other children.
He was the spitting image of Minato. And it hurt too much to look at him.
The kids didn't like how he had not allowed the young blonde in the park to become part of their group. They were all angered and felt peeved at him having made them leave the park so suddenly. But Genma stood behind his decision of getting away from the kid before the memories of his father could begin to haunt him like they had before.
He couldn't have allowed himself to go through that in front of the children. He couldn't allow them to see vulnerability.
They saw him as this strong protector that could take down anyone that came towards him. They had even told Kakashi many times that if he didn't stop reading those stupid books and started paying attention to them, they would find him to kick his butt.
Kids were overly trusting, after all. And they all believed he was much stronger than he truly was.
"Shiranui-San?"
Genma was forced out of his reverie right when he chopped another piece of lettuce with more force than was necessary. He turned to look at the boy perched by his kitchen's counter, one eyebrow quirked even though a frown pulled tightly at his lips.
"What's wrong, Itachi?"
The boy was extremely perceptive. A thousand times more than any of the children he normally took care of. Which, really, didn't surprise Genma at all. He was an Uchiha prodigy and on his way to making chunin. He had to be perceptive to make it so far in such a short amount of time.
"Are you alright?"
With a glare at the eggs he was to boil, the man nodded slightly and moved to grab them and throw into a pot of boiling water.
"Of course I am, Itachi. Why would you ask?"
His words were tight, which was exactly how the rest of his body felt.
He was trying his best to keep Minato's face out of his mind. He couldn't allow the reminders of his greatest failures to pounce on him while he was still caring for eleven kids. Those thoughts tended to make him reckless and much too vulnerable. In the past, he had forced them away with gruelling missions. But now all he could do was try to cook the stress away.
"You are not wearing your favorite slippers."
As soon as he heard the observation, the senbon enthusiast body's froze. He was in the middle of turning the heat down just slightly on the pot and his hand stopped midway.
Leave it to Itachi to notice even the smallest of things.
"It's nothing, kid." The man forced his body to move, although it felt mechanical and unnatural. "Now, would you like salmon teriyaki or beef teriyaki?"
There was a beat of silence in which Itachi didn't answer and Genma could just hear the gears turning in his head. He wasn't acting calm or collected. He was frazzled and was allowing it to show.
For once, with his back turned on Itachi's probing eyes, he felt like the one caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I prefer salmon, Shiranui-San. Although my brother-"
"Likes beef more. I know." Genma sighed, then moved to the refrigerator to grab both kinds of protein. "I'll make both kinds. I'm sure the rest of the kids will appreciate having two options."
"So... Any reason as to why there are two Uchihas sleeping on your bed, Genma?"
Genma awoke with the ever annoying Kakashi Hatake poking at his ribs. He glared at the younger man as soon as he was forced to look at him, only to receive a curious look back from him.
"I didn't think Fugaku would ever let his prized children run around with those so beneath them."
For once, couldn't he just have a day in which he was able to sleep in?
With a groan and a long stretch of his groaning body, Genma sat up and scratched at the back of his neck. Then he grasped for the senbon that had become second nature to have in his mouth, found nothing on the stand beside him, then remembered the safety precautions he had been forced to take because of the kids' ingenuity.
"Their mother convinced him..." The man yawned, smoothing down some of his hair before glaring lazily at Kakashi. "What are you doing in my home so early in the morning?"
There was a smile playing behind the mask that covered the lower half of his face, but Genma wasn't feeling up to dealing with Kakashi at the moment.
His night had been filled with nightmares of Minato's angered face yelling at him, accusing him of his greatest failures. His death. Kushina's death. The village's destruction. Naruto's exclusion.
He was lucky if he had somehow even managed to sleep an hour.
"Dude, you look like shit."
The smile wasn't on Kakashi's face anymore. Instead the amused look had been replaced by one of worry.
But Genma just waved him off and nodded softly.
"Of course I look like shit. That's what I feel like."
Kakashi seemed as if he wished to say something else. But was cut off by Genma's apartment door slamming open and a blur of an Inuzuka rushing in, immediately throwing himself at Genma with a proud shout.
"Genma! Can we go to the zoo today!? Naruto said he'd like to go!"
Genma's blood immediately ran cold.
"Did you just say Naruto?"
The boy's grip on his neck loosened when he heard Genma sound so distant, then nodded softly. "Yeah. I found him while I was walking here. So I invited him over... You never minded before, Genma..."
The man's whole body numbed when those bright blue eyes appeared in his doorway. And from the way Kiba and Kakashi both turned to look at what he was staring at, the man guessed he wasn't being too subtle in his shock.
The kid was at the threshold, eyes glancing from one spot to another in obvious trepidation and distrust. He was fearful of this new place. And in a sick way, Genma hoped the boy would feel so uncomfortable he would just leave.
"Hm... Is that Naruto, Kiba?"
The boy turned to look up at Kakashi and nodded softly, although then he looked back at Genma with worry in his dark brown eyes.
"Farmer man? Are you okay?"
Those blue eyes had been so angry in his dreams. He had failed Minato so many times... How could he bring himself to even speak to his spitting image when he knew he would just let him down as well?
Kakashi stood up with a small huff, placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder which urged the boy to look up at him.
"Farmer man isn't feeling all too well, Kiba. We should leave him alone for a little while until he feels better."
With these words, Kakashi picked the Inuzuka up and began to walk towards Naruto. But Genma could see how Kiba's eyes never left him, wide and somewhat scared.
He was scaring Kiba. Simply because he was too much of a coward to face his reality.
He was despicable.
"Naruto, are you hungry? I could make you both some breakfast if you'd like."
How Kakashi was able to keep so calm around him made no sense to Genma. How could he be so collected around the boy that had essentially killed his teacher? How could he be so civil? The little monster had destroyed the village! Had killed his parents! Had... Had... Had done nothing to do with all of that.
He was just a baby when all of that happened. He hadn't released the beast. He was too young to even speak when the attack that had killed Minato had happened.
But even though Genma knew this, his heart told him that he had a right to hate the boy.
"Are you sure you can cook, Scarecrow? Last I heard, you burned just about everything you touched."
"I do not!"
~/~
He did.
Kakashi burned a simple miso soup recipe. And he'd managed to make so much smoke rise up in his apartment that Itachi had run out of his bedroom, eyes alert and prepared to fight off any incoming invaders.
"Dammit, Kakashi!" Genma smacked the man upside the head with a growl of anger, which only made the silver haired idiot whine and rub at the spot he had hit. "Are you trying to burn my apartment down?"
"I was just trying to make breakfast for the kids!" The man tried to defend himself, all the while Kiba and Naruto both snickered from their spot out of his apartment's window and on the fire escape.
With a glare at the man, Genma ran cold water over the pot the man had somehow managed to utterly burn, then growled in exasperation and threw it away.
That had been his sister's favorite pot before she had moved away from Konoha...
This day was just getting better by the second.
He felt like stabbing Kakashi. Maybe even poisoning him. But the rational voice in Genma's head told him that he couldn't hurt the man after he'd tried to cheer him up, even though he had failed so miserably.
"Just sit down and read your damn pervert books." The angered man hissed as he pulled out a smaller pot to make the miso soup.
Some of the ingredients had not been burnt to a crisp and could still be used. So Genma would just make enough soup for the four kids in his home.
He couldn't feed three and leave the blonde out. It wasn't right. And no matter how little he liked the boy, there was no way he could bring himself to be intentionally cruel to such a point to deny him food. He had always been taught that food was never denied, after all.
As he began to work on a meal he hadn't even wanted to make in the beginning, the man noticed that Kakashi pulled Kiba and Naruto over with him when he sat down on the couch. Both boys were gladly rough housing with him, trying to pull the mask off of his face. And while Kiba's laughter brought a bit of warmth to Genma's heart, Naruto's iced it out.
It was so much like Minato's own... So honest and innocent... It hurt. It was a more high pitched version of Minato's own, of course. But there were too many similarities for him to deny.
"Shiranui-San, would you like me to help you with anything?" Itachi was suddenly beside him, looking over the ingredients laid out on the counter before him.
Normally, Genma would have told Itachi that, while he appreciated the help, he didn't really need it. But right now he wanted something to distract him from the blonde clone laughing and having fun in his living room. So he nodded at the Uchiha and told him, "Cut these onions into more manageable bits, please. Even though he's great on the battlefield, Kakashi is apparently a horror in the kitchen."
Kakashi's voice drifted in from the living room because of this, "You wound me, Farmer man!"
A burst of amusement went through Genma at those words. But then he remembered just why it was that he had been feeling like pure shit since he had woken up and decided to not retort. Instead he went and grabbed eggs from his refrigerator and began to prepare the breakfast soup with Itachi's help.
"Naruto's so cool!"
"He's so funny!"
"I want him to be on my team!"
"No! He should be on my team! He's blonde like me!"
The kids were arguing over who should have Naruto on their team. Like a new toy, he was the center of attention.
Genma was terrified of what would happen if the kids' pushed too far and unleashed a power they were unaware of.
What if the seal wasn't strong enough? What if his body wasn't powerful enough to keep the Nine Tails at bay? What if some horrible accident happened because of childish roughhousing and the Nine Tails was released on the village once more?
He didn't think he'd be able to survive another attack like that.
"Wait, what are we playing again?" Sakura questioned curiously amongst all the shouts of her friends, clearly confused by everyone wanting to have Naruto on their team.
"Steal Scarecrow's mask, of course!"
Even the blonde's voice had the same intonation as his father's...
Just why did fate hate him so much?
"Wha? My mask?"
Kakashi had been content to read his book beside Genma. But now that he had heard what game the kids were planning to play, his attention was taken from it.
"Why would you want to do that?" He questioned, sitting up to look at the tykes in front of him.
"Because we want to see what you're hiding beneath it." Tenten answered with a roll of her eyes.
"Duh." Ino added, then smiled broadly. "Tenten, Sakura! You're my team! Let's go!"
The girl jumped as soon as she shouted this, Tenten following closely behind her. Sakura, though, was left behind with her eyes wide, clearly surprised by the sudden orders.
"Hey! No fair!" Kiba growled, then shouted, "Sasuke! Naruto! Come on!"
Both boys took off after Kiba without needing to be told any further. Which left Shino, Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji behind, staring at their wilder friends as they moved to try and grab Kakashi's mask.
The man was fast enough to get away from their grubby hands before they got too close. But the kids were anything but the kind to give up, so they immediately started chasing after him.
"Genma! Call them off! Call them off!"
But Genma really didn't feel like stopping the only thing that actually made him smile on this horrible day. So he just leaned back and crossed his arms behind the back of his head to look at the show.
The other five kids sat down to watch as well, clearly intrigued by seeing their friends try and stop the man.
"I... Don't understand..."
Genma cocked his head to the side slightly to look at Itachi, humming as a sign to make the boy elaborate.
"Why does he not just jump onto a tree? Or stop them with a trap? He could surely stop them without any difficulty."
It was at this moment that Genma whole heartedly decided to make Itachi feel all of the amazing things that came from being a kid. If he didn't understand what an exhilarating game like this could cause for both a skilled shinobi and a couple of terrible tykes, then he clearly needed to be taught.
"It's all in the fun of the chase, kid." Genma smirked lopsidedly, not feeling up for a complete smile, "Maybe if you were to help them, you'd be able to see what was so fun about it."
Immediately the kid shook his head. "It wouldn't be right. I am a genin of the Hidden Leaf Village, it is not right to take part in such ridiculous-"
"I'm going to stop you right there, Itachi." Genma pushed himself up and grabbed the kid's hand, pulling him up with him. "Kiddies!" The five that had been left watching looked up at him, clearly curious as to why he was calling on them. "Let's play Catch the Scarecrow!"
~/~
There was something about Kakashi that was enigmatic to Genma. He could be cold, yet somehow warm. Detached, yet overly attached. Relaxed, yet much too hyper to deal with.
For all the coolness he tried to emulate, Kakashi was actually one of the most childish people he knew.
And it was because of this childishness that he most probably allowed the game of Catch the Scarecrow to run for as long as it had.
By the time all of the kids were tired (including Itachi), both men were starving and ready for a stop in all of the running. None of them had been able to grab the man's mask, which really didn't surprise Genma at all, and were all ready to just collapse and get some good food.
"I'm starving!" Kiba shouted as he hung onto Kakashi's left leg.
"Me too!" Ino agreed, hitching a ride on Genma's own left leg.
"Give us food, Farmer man!" Tenten crowed, holding onto his right.
Hinata yawned and smacked her lips together while she nuzzled her head against Genma's neck, hanging onto the right side of his body, all the while he carried Sakura on his left.
Sasuke was being carried by his brother in a piggyback style, much too tired to give his own opinion on his hunger. And Naruto was hanging onto Kakashi's right leg, while the man carried Shikamaru and Chouji with little strain.
Shino and Neji had been the only kids aside from Itachi to refuse getting carried. Even though from the way they were walking somewhat sluggishly, anyone could tell they were extremely tired.
"We could go get ramen!" Naruto suddenly gasped out, immediately getting a chorus of agreements from all of the kids.
Genma felt uneasy over going along with the blonde's plans. But from the way Kakashi nodded and Itachi's face softened just slightly, he could tell there was no way he was going to change anybody's mind. Besides, he didn't want to cook after having spent a whole afternoon chasing after a troublesome scarecrow.
~/~
"And that's the last of the kids!" Genma huffed as he threw himself onto his couch besides Kakashi, earning a noise of annoyance from the younger but nothing else.
The kids had eaten their ramen with renewed vigor. But after they had finished eating, they had adopted their previous positions before, forcing the three male shinobi to carry them all the way back to Genma's apartment.
He had never hated being on the fifth floor more than that idea. Especially because the elevator had decided to break down.
Itachi was off alerting the different parents as to their children currently sleeping and asking if they wished to pick them up tonight or just wait until morning. Genma already knew that the great majority of the parents would leave the kids and let them sleep. But Sakura, Shino, and Sasuke were all still new to their group and so their parents didn't have the same amount of trust in him.
They had taken up his whole bed. Sakura, Tenten, and Ino had been placed one beside the other at the head of his bed, hugging his pillows tightly. Then, because Kiba had himself said he didn't mind it, Genma had placed the Inuzuka in the dog bed Tsume had left some time ago for Kuromaru. He was sharing with Naruto.
He had been lucky. Kakashi had taken over settling Naruto down beside Kiba. He hadn't been forced to touch the blonde.
Neji and Hinata were hugging one another at the foot of his bed, while Shikamaru was splayed out right beside them. Chouji had rolled onto the floor from his spot beside Shikamaru, and neither he nor Kakashi had bothered with returning him to the bed. And, finally, Sasuke had been placed on one of the sleeping bags that had been left here by one of the kids (Genma couldn't really remember who), while Shino was placed on another one beside him.
"You are a horrible friend." Kakashi hissed after a moment, his head leaned against the back of Genma's couch with the rest of his body relaxed. His eyes were closed.
Genma knew that he was one of the few people that had been fortunate enough to win the Copy Nin's favor. If he hadn't, the man wouldn't have done any of this with him. He wouldn't even bother to make his life a living hell with Raidou.
Raidou... It had been a while since he had last heard from his best friend. And he felt like a crappy friend for not thinking of him sooner. But running after all of the kids and keeping them in line and making sure that none of them died... Well, it was a full time job.
He would much rather ponder on Raidou than think about Naruto.
"Genma..."
The man's tone spoke of severity. And Genma wasn't sure if he wanted to have this talk.
"About Naruto-"
"Have you heard about Raidou?"
Kakashi's eye glared at him. But Genma could be just as head strong as him. And he would much rather avoid the conversation Kakashi clearly wanted to have.
"He's off on a mission. He's gone to Iwa to check up on some rumors coming from there... Nasty ones." Kakashi admitted softly, then shook his head. "There's something off about the whole thing."
For Kakashi to admit that made Genma feel uneasy. But then the man was speaking once more and trying to have the conversation he desperately wanted to avoid.
"The kid's like Naruto. You can't just push him away. And you can't let your-"
"Shiranui-San, father said he would allow Sasuke and I to stay!"
Itachi had flown into his apartment without any hesitation. And upon seeing the light in the kid's eyes, Genma knew that it wouldn't be too difficult to make him see the lighter side of life, if even for a little bit.
"He actually did?" Genma questioned, then smiled at him. "That's amazing, Itachi!"
But the boy's smile soon faded and he soon looked guilty. "Have I... Did I interrupt something?"
Genma knew that Kakashi wanted to speak to him. But he didn't want to hear this. So he stood up with a soft smile and shook his head.
"Nothing important... Say, you want to learn how to make pies? We could make one for tomorrow's breakfast."
Itachi faltered, eyes going from Kakashi over to Genma before looking down at the floor. "If you wish to speak-"
"Don't worry about it, kid." Genma reiterated with a bit more force, moving to wrap an arm around the Uchiha's shoulder to pull him towards the kitchen. "Scarecrow, you want to help?"
"I thought I was a terror in the kitchen?"
But the man still stood up and moved to help. And as the three all worked to make two different pies for tomorrow's breakfast, he could see the flashes of Kakashi's eye. It clearly said that he had been saved by Itachi. But he would corner him at some point and force him to talk about everything they would need to speak about.
Quite frankly, though, Genma had contingency plans he was sure he'd be able to use to avoid all sorts of conversation with the man. The kids, after all, were extremely good distractions.
..~..~..
So I hope you all liked this! This story will be filled with humor, angst, feels, fluff, adventure, and everything in between! So be ready for all kinds of feels, from adorable to angsty, through the course of this story!
Please review!