Author's Note: As usual, this was un-betaed and standard disclaimer applies. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

It was a dark day for Konohagakure. One of their most valued, an esteemed Sannin, had defected from the village.

Hatake Kakashi clenched his fists, trying to still the trembling of his body. It wasn't working, he was still shaking. The malice, the killing intent, rolled out of Orochimaru in tsunamis, when Kakashi had tried to engage with the Snake Summoner. He was supposed to incapacitate the older man, to not let him outside the village borders, but he couldn't. Kakashi couldn't fight, he couldn't move, he couldn't do anything. The fear was too strong and although his mind shrieked at him to move, to do something, as Orochimaru approached, his body refused. Instead, Kakashi could only watch as Orochimaru walked away and out of Konohagakure.

His order, detain Orochimaru, was a failure. Kakashi failed his mission because he was too weak. Now there was a legendary nuke-nin on the loose, a man who was deemed as too dangerous both by Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama, all because Kakashi let him walk away. Kakashi willed his body to stop shivering, and slowly his body was calming down. He sighed, relaxing more weight on to the tree he was currently leaning on. He wasn't strong enough to defeat Orochimaru then, but if the time he ever sees him again comes, then he would have to be. He had to get stronger so that any possible threat to Konoha would be put down. In order to protect his most precious people, he couldn't afford to be weak any longer. He had to get stronger.

"Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi glanced down at the boy sitting a few steps away from him. Kinoe was hunched over, his arms wrapped around his knees, with a faraway expression. Danzo had sent him to decapitate Orochimaru as well. But the brunette had run into trouble in one of Orochimaru's hideouts and the people who hid there. They all died, but something must be troubling him.

"I'm not your sempai."

"Kakashi-sempai."

Kakashi sighed, resigned. "What is it?"

"The people there, the ones hiding in one of Orochimaru's hideouts… They called me brother."

"Is that so?" Kakashi hummed, raising an eyebrow. Other than the experimentation and ROOT, Kakashi didn't know anything else of the younger teen.

Kinoe nodded, continuing, "I don't remember any of them. In fact, I don't remember anything before acquiring Mokuton, not even my real name. But they called me brother, the called me Tenzou. I'm not even sure if I was being mistaken for someone else. I'm just another nameless one in ROOT. But to them I was a someone, I was Tenzou."

The boy shifted to look up at Kakashi. There was conviction in his eyes.

"Kakashi-sempai, I want to be Tenzou."

-o-

Today Uchiha Shisui had Haruno Sakura all to himself.

It was Sasuke's birthday today, and as per tradition, birthdays were to be celebrated with family and family only. Since Sakura was not family, she couldn't partake in the festivities. But that was fine with Shisui, because he loved spending time with little Sakura-chan.

It was a surprise to him at first, of Sakura's existence, of Kakashi's decision of adoption, and of especially his ridiculous disguise he wore whenever he came to either drop off or pick up Sakura. The lengths that the Hatake would go to keep his ward safe, no matter how troublesome they seem, was something that Shisui still had trouble grasping. But every time he had the chance to witness Kakashi's dedication to Sakura, Shisui's respect for the elder ninja grew. He didn't know all the facts concerning his cousin Obito and the Sharingan transplant, but Shisui was starting to believe that "Sharingan Thief Kakashi" wasn't as bad as the Uchiha clan made him to be.

And Sakura-chan was adorable! Shisui had the good luck of seeing her frequently since she was at the Uchiha compound more often. She became a familiar face whenever Shisui came over to train his little disciple. And often or not in between breaks or when training was finished, Shisui would help Oba-chan with taking care of Kakashi's ward. And Uchiha Shisui loved it.

Haruno Sakura was so fascinating! She had an interesting coloring that matched her namesake, and her eyes - they were blind. Shisui knew they were blind, but sometimes she didn't act blind. Sure, she would crawl around and bump into walls but whenever Shisui was right in front of her, she would break out into giggles, as if she knew he was there. She must have some insane hearing or something. He wondered if Kakashi knew.

But that didn't matter, because both he and Sakura-chan was kicked out of Itachi's because of Sasuke's birthday and he was determined to make the most out of it.

"Looks like it's just going to be you and me today, Sakura-chan!" Shisui declared as he lifted the infant he was carrying into the air. He performed a little spin before performing a short Shunshin (Body Flicker) on the way to his own home. Sakura giggled at the burst of speed. Shisui grinned pleasantly surprised.

"Eh? You liked that! Sweet! Then I'll show you how fast your Shisui-niisan can really go!"

-o-

Kakashi read to Sakura religiously every night, just like the parenting books had said. However, he had already read The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi eight times already, and one could only read the same thing so much until even he tired of it. He was pretty sure that he could recite it from memory cover to cover. Although he knew that Sakura didn't mind, he wanted to read something else.

But Kakashi was a man of few possessions, including books. His small collection excluding The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi were depressing novels with heavy doses of tragedy and usually ended with suicide. He knew that Sakura wouldn't understand a word that he read, but the idea of reading such literature to her didn't really sit well with him. Besides, he hadn't really touched those books in a while anyway, and didn't really feel compelled to go back to them.

So he turned to the only piece of literature that he owned that didn't bother his conscience: the documents that he acquired back in his academy days.

That night, after tucking Sakura in, Kakashi proceeded to read aloud The Shinobi Rulebook.

-o-

"Happy birthday, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi blinked at the sight of the Sandaime standing outside his door. He shouldn't have been surprised, despite everything Sandaime was still family and birthdays were to be celebrated with family. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. He opened the door wider and ushered the elder man in.

"Hokage-sama! My apologies, I wasn't expecting you, please come in."

"Nonsense, Kakashi-kun. It's your birthday, of course I would be here," Sarutobi-sama retorted upon entering in. He spotted Sakura lolling about in Kakashi's mat and scooped her up. "You're turning fifteen, Kakashi-kun. You are no longer a child, but an adult. I wouldn't be anywhere else right now."

Kakashi closed the door behind him. That's right, today was his coming of age. He was an adult now, but he can't remember when he wasn't before. He hadn't felt like a child for so long. The last time he considered himself a child was the day before he donned on his hitai-ite for the first time. "Sarutobi-sama, my coming of age is not that important…"

Sarutobi-sama turned to him with a stern look. "Of course it is, Kakashi-kun. A coming of age is a momentous moment for anyone. Now, let us celebrate your birthday."

The elder man walked towards the table and set down a package. "I know that I'm no cook like Biwako-chan, so I apologize that we cannot share an extravagant meal today. But I did bring us takeout."

"That is more than enough, Sarutobi-sama, thank you."

Kakashi went over to the table and unwrapped the plastic bags to reveal Ichiraku takeout. He paused, a tide of nostalgia washing over him. He hadn't gone near that ramen stand since the Kyuubi's attack. Being Kushina-san's favorite haunt and a frequent meeting place for him and the Namikazes, the stand became a symbol of everything he had lost. He couldn't bring himself to eat there again.

A wrinkled hand came over his. "Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi looked up to see Sarutobi-sama smiling gently at him. He was smiling, but there was sadness in his eyes as well.

"Kakashi-kun, today is your birthday. And birthdays are to be celebrated with family, even if they are not physically here. I know that ramen could never be the same as their presence being here, but I hope it brings a sense of them here with us."

Kakashi nodded and snapped his chopsticks. They ate in relative silence, only broken by Sakura's sporadic coos. It was a sharp contrast to the loud and rambunctious meal from the year before. Kakashi couldn't help the pang of sadness as he slurped up the noodles.

After dinner was done, Kakashi gathered the remnants and threw them in the trash while Sarutobi-sama fed Sakura with her bottle. When Kakashi returned, Sarutobi-sama smiled at him. Setting aside the bottle, the elder man reached into his robes and procured a package. He handed it to Kakashi. Kakashi accepted the gift with a nod of thanks and proceeded to open it. His eye widened at what he saw inside.

"Sarutobi-sama! This is –"

"Yes, Kakashi-kun. This is Minato-kun's special kunai."

"Sarutobi-sama, with all due respect, I cannot accept this!"

"No Kakashi-kun, you must. You are his pupil, and I am sure that more than anyone, he would want you to have it. Think of it as a memento, if you will." Sarutobi-sama's voice was stern, but gentle. The smile never left his face.

Kakashi looked down at the dagger. It was his sensei's precious weapon, and he shouldn't be entrusted with it. He wasn't worthy. He had failed his late mentor so many times. He wasn't worthy, but Kakashi accepted it anyway, and he was grateful.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama, thank you."

-o-

Kakashi peered into his mail box and was surprised to find a package there. He took the parcel out of the mailbox and went back into his apartment. Once inside, he peeled away the wrapping and saw a novel with a note on top.

"Happy birthday Kakashi. Think of this as a coming of age present.

~The One and Only Awesome Toad Sage Jiraiya-sama

Kakashi raised his eyebrows at the flippant signature, but he was very much surprised. Sure, his birthday was a few days ago, but he didn't expect to receive any presents. The gift that he had received from Sarutobi-sama was enough. But to receive another gift on top of that, from a family member he hadn't seen in so long, was unexpected. Grateful nonetheless to receive a gift from the mentor of his mentor, Kakashi read the title of the novel.

Icha Icha Paradise.

-o-

It was a suicide mission.

Kakashi took the mission scroll from the Sandaime, bowed and went home to prepare just like he always did. But he never received these kinds of missions before. He knew of them, missions that weren't classified, that took an indiscriminate amount of time, and had survival rates less than ten percent. This was his first time receiving one.

His assignment was simple on paper. There was a growing criminal organization in Otafuku Gai, and Kakashi was to infiltrate it in order to destroy it from the inside out. But this particular organization was a horde for nuke-nin. One single slip up and he was a goner.

Kakashi didn't know how to feel. Ever since he donned on his hitai-ite, he sworn loyalty to the village. His body, skills, life and death belonged to the village. And he knew, before, he would've been ready to die for the village, eager even.

But Sakura.

He arrived home and was greeted with an energetic Gai carrying Sakura in his arm. "Eternal Rival! Welcome home, your little blossom was very youthful today, as expected!"

"Yes yes, Gai, thank you," Kakashi nodded, reaching out to relieve Gai of Sakura. But apparently Gai could sense Kakashi's somber mood, for his grin disappeared.

Kakashi sighed, knowing better to keep anything from Gai. He lifted up the scroll to show its black encasing, unmarked by any class. There was an intake of breath and the skin around Gai's eyes tightened, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gave Kakashi a solemn nod. "Whatever happens, your little blossom will not be alone."

After adjusting Sakura into a more comfortable hold, Kakashi returned the nod. "Again, thank you Gai."

-o-

"Thank you very much, Mikoto-san."

"Of course, Kakashi-kun. She is always welcome here."

Kakashi was dropping off Sakura at the Uchiha's again, an action that he had been doing quite frequently throughout the past year. But this time, something was different. This time, might be his last time. He adjusted the doll that he had given Sakura to a more secure place in Sakura's arms. He gave it a shake to hear its jingle for one last time, then wrapped his red scarf loosely around Sakura, as per tradition.

"Sakura…" Kakashi drew in a breath. He didn't know why he was going to say these things, especially since she probably couldn't understand anyway, but something inside him told him that these were words that he had to say. Maybe not for her sake, but for his. It didn't make saying them easy though.

"Sakura…" he tried again. "I'll be going away for a long time. I don't know when I'll come back and to be honest, I don't know if I'll come back."

There was a gasp from Mikoto, but Kakashi ignored her, intent on saying what needed to be said. He continued, "But I want you to know that even if I don't come back, everything will be alright. Konohagakure is your home, and there will always be people here to protect you. So if I'm gone, please don't cry. I'll continue to watch over you, promise."

He bent down, and shielding his face from Mikoto's view, unmasked his lips to place them on Sakura's forehead one last time. Then he whispered, "And Sakura? Thank you for never leaving me."

-o-

Author's Notes: The reason this chapter took so long was for two reasons. I was uncomfortable with having two birthdays in the same chapter, but both were necessary. And it took me a while to figure out a scene to put in between the two birthdays.

Also, my notebook that had all my notes for this story mysteriously disappeared. That really sucks because it had my plot line, scene order, chapter titles, and everything! I live in two different houses, so it's probably in the other house than the one I'm currently in. And I don't really want to continue this story until I find it. Trying to write this chapter from memory was hard enough. But I should return to the other house soon. And when I do, I'll update this chapter title and write the next chapter.

So as always, please review and let me know what you all think! Until next time!