Many Masks

Written By - Treina

VII

Mask of Kakashi

Kakashi is a difficult case. Not only is he ANBU and wears a mask, there are hundreds of personality quirks that we must assume is part of his mask to cover up who he really is. Most people don't know that they are holding up a mask, people like Sakura have no clue. But there are some that notice their mask and gratefully feed it, knowing that if anyone would know their true self, they would be at a disadvantage. Any person could be a potential enemy. These are things that Iruka does not teach the kids. These are things that you learn while studying to be ANBU. Being ANBU, Kakashi was required to wear the mask, this never bothered him, some people wondered how he could breathe, but breathing was no problem for him. It was the itching that bothered him.

He wasn't an ANBU for an entire week before he realized that he must do something about the itching mask, so he went to the local Konoha ninjutsu training equipment store and found a nice, soft cotton mask to go under his required ANBU mask. His squad leader saw no harm in it and Kakashi found that he was much relieved. To tell the truth, his entire face where the stretchy material covered, he had broke out and later thanked his squad leader for allowing him two masks. After he joined ANBU, he decided it would be best to just leave on the mask, even when not on missions, but he found that the mask made him look somewhat ominous.

So all-night, while in his apartment, he went about certain ways to not look so ominous. He decided that the spiked hair looked nice, so he didn't want to do anything with that. Maybe...a bandana? Kakashi proceeded to tie a black bandana around his head and went to the mirror. No, it wouldn't work. This, for some reason, made him look even more suspicious.

He un-tied the bandana and threw it on the floor. He then began to arrange in forehead protector his different area's finally deciding on covering the eye. He looked at himself once more and then looked at the clock. It would have to do, if he could think of anything else, it would have to be tomorrow. He plopped on his bed and fell asleep, but found that didn't dream at all, but slept heavily and deep.

When he awoke the next morning, his head felt heavy and he really didn't want to get up, so he turned off his alarm clock and rolled over, 'maybe turning into a person that's late all the time would be less suspicious,' he thought to himself. He laughed on the inside, the idiotic thinking! He got out of bed and once again looked in the mirror. He sighed, noticing that he still looked too ominous.

He proceeded to get ready to head to the Hokage Tower, he went to his little green plant who he lovingly named Uki-kun and began to water it and say good morning, but as he was talking and watering his plant, he noticed a small pink book hidden behind his Uki-kun. He grabbed the pink corner and pulled it out from hiding, "it's my book!" Kakashi said with excitement. He had lost this over a week ago and only now he remembered putting it there.

He opened the book and turned around, only to spot himself in his mirror. It was perfect, still somewhat ominous and suspicious, but mysterious yet aloof. He laughed and left his apartment holding his pink book; he made it a point to make it look as if he was reading intently at ever word. Actually, he received more stares than he would have admitted. Mothers turned their children away and young adults would giggle.

Kakashi did not make it far down the road before a man about his same age jumped down in front of him. He was clad in green spandex, his eyebrows bunched heavily above his eyes and his think black hair was cut into a perfect bowl shape. Who was this clown? I looked at him briefly then stuck my nose back in my book while attempting to walk around him. But the man clad in green stopped him.

"Wait!" The man shouted in an over-enthusiastic voice, "what are you reading!" He pointed to the book and eyed him suspiciously; "you are poisoning our youth with your foul books!" He pointed his finger at Kakashi, whose nose was still stuck in his book, "I will teach you a lesson! My name is Gai...what is your name"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "ah, Kakashi," he said bluntly, still not moving his eyes from his book.
"Be prepared!" Gai announced as he began to charge in the direction of Kakashi.

But before Gai reached Kakashi, the silver haired ANBU poofed into a puff of smoke. As he entered the Hokage Tower, he snickered, what a weird guy. "Oh Kakashi...what are you holding?" The Third shook his head and sighed, "Kakashi."