Chapter 3: Jiraiya's Tale
"Mmm," Sakura said after one lick of her strawberry ice cream cone "Thanks Kakashi sensei!" Kakashi held his boal of rocky road in his hand, waiting for the opportunity to pull down his mask and eat.
"Your welcome, Sakura."
"Sakura-chaaaaaan!!!!!" An over energetic naruto cried. Sakura turned her head to see Naruto running towards her. Kakashi took this chance, pulled down his mask, and shoveled the cold dessert into his mouth before pulling his mask back up.
Bad idea Kakashi he thought to himself as he felt his mind freeze over. "Naruto!" Sakura squealed with equal enthusiasm and ran to give her friend a hug. Kakashi just stood there with his head pounding away. I can avoid every trap, learn every jutsu, and take down an S-class criminal, he thought to himself, but I can't seem to avoid brain freeze?!? Sakura and Naruto did not notice Kakashi's condition as they were celebrating Naruto's acceptance into the ANBU. "Kakashi sensei! Naruto got into ANBU! Isn't that great…Kakashi sensei?" She questioned as she turned her head to see her former sensei swaying back and forth holding his head. Sakura noticed his empty bowl and realized immediately that he had brain freeze. Both her and Naruto burst out laughing at their former sensei. After a few seconds, the pain stopped and Kakashi turned to congratulate his ex-student.
"Congrats Naruto," he said "I can tell you from experience that this will open a new chapter in your life. Now you are an elite ninja."
"I'm gonna be a great ANBU captain, just like you Kakashi Sensei. Only better!" He said with a very wide grin.
Kakashi chuckled. Naruto parted ways with his two friends and went straight to Ichiraku for some well deserved congratulatory ramen. "Well," Kakashi began "I'm off."
"Where are you going?" Sakura inquired.
"I need to see Jiraiya-sama about..." He chose his words carefully not to worry her, "when his newest edition of Icha Icha Paradise will come out." Sakura scowled her former sensei.
"Pervert." She said before he laughed and poofed away.
"mmmmhehehehe," Jiraiya chuckled, "New material, new material." The Legendary Sannin was peeking in on the girls bath again to get 'new material' for his books.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted lazily. Jiraiya spun around and straightening himself up, back towards the fence.
"Kakashi! Don't scare me like that. I thought you were Tsunade for a second."
"My apologies," Kakashi replied lazily, "I need your help."
"Oh?" Jiraiya stroked his chin, "And what could the great Copy Nin need from me?"
"Something happened to my arm just about ten minutes ago," Kakashi began, "it's something that never happened before."
"Do tell." Jiraiya exclaimed, interested.
"Well I was tree hopping, and I noticed a boulder coming my way. Usually I would try to avoid it, but my I felt a sudden lack of control in my right arm as it formed a Rasengan and pummeled through the rock." Jiraiya stood his eyes wide. Could it be? He thought to himself, Of all the people it could've happened to, it happened to Kakashi? The Sannin looked serious now. "Kakashi, show me your right arm."
Without hesitation, the Copy Nin held out his right arm to his sensei's sensei. Jiraiya rolled up his sleeve and gasped at what he saw. Kakashi was confused and surprised when he saw what was on his upper arm. "What is that?" He asked.
"Kakashi," Jiraiya began solemnly, "This is the Hatake bloodline limit."
"The what?" Kakashi asked, his eye wide.
"The Hatake bloodline limit is an incredibly rare bloodline trait. It was so rare that nobody really believed it existed. It was created during the time of Hatake Hajime, the founder of your clan." Kakashi knew him only by name through books he read about his clan history. "It was believed that Hatake Hajime married a member of the Saotome clan, an extinct ninja clan. The Saotome clan had no real known bloodline limit, but the Hatake were known for its clan members to specialize in Lightning based chakra. Although this was not a bloodline limit, somehow it was created with the joining of Hatake and Saotome blood.
"Unlike most bloodline limits, this one was rarely passed on. It was a recessive trait that did not occur very often. In fact, only a few Hatake members were known to even carry the trait. Your father being one of them." Kakashi remained impassive even after the mentioning of his father.
"The bloodline limit was a defense mechanism that took over for the user if they ever were in a situation where they could not get out of."
"But why did it activate now? I've been in plenty of those situations before." Kakashi questioned.
"That I do not know," Jiraiya said, shaking his head, "but what I can tell you is that this mechanism comes with a price Kakashi. Similarly to your Sharingan, it can drain an immense chakra out of you. My only advice on controlling it is to always be alert and know what to do in a situation before the jutsu kicks in. If it does at the wrong time, it can end up causing negative chakra and therefore killing you." Kakashi looked at the symbol on his arm. It looked similar to the Sharingan, only this had three lightning bolts going through each of the dots.
"Will do," Kakashi said "Oh by the way."
"Hn?" Jiraiya questioned before turning around.
"Could you possibly keep a copy of your new book for me?" Kakashi asked nervously.
Jiraiya smiled at his student's star pupil (and best customer for that matter). "Sure thing Kakashi," He said, "On one condition."
"What?"
"Use your Sharingan to put a genjutsu over the ladies so they do not see me standing at the edge of the pool!" The old pervert exclaimed.
Kakashi sighed. "Maybe I'll just wait till it comes out in stores." Jiraiya lowered his head in dismay as Kakashi poofed away from the scene.
Kakashi arrived at his doorway wen he heard someone calling his name. "Oi! Kakashi!" It was his good friend Genma.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted lazily.
"Hokage-sama is looking for you. Urgent information on your mission." Kakashi's eye widened as he poofed to Hokage tower.
Pop! Kakashi arrived in Tsunade's office. "You requested my presence?" He ask her. Tsunade turned around looking very serious.
"Have you been doing as I said Kakashi?" Tsunade questioned. Kakashi was taken slightly aback.
"Yes. I helped calm down Sakura, stayed with her overnight at her request, and even bought her ice cream after her training."
"You need to do more than that Kakashi."
"What more can I do? It's not like i'm as close to her as Naruto or Ino."
Tsunade stood up. "You're her legal guardian for Kami's sake! Staying a night and cheering her up isn't all you can do. You need to be a parent to her. You need to move in with Sakura for the next 8 months and properly take care of her." Kakashi stood there surprised at his new mission details.
"I really have to move in with her?" He asked, "That's going to be kind of awkward for her having her former sensei living with her."
"That is not the point. You are more than a sensei now. You are a brother to her, and it is your rightful duty to look after her in every way possible."
Kakashi sighed. "Whatever you say Hokage-sama." Tsunade eased up and sat back down. What the hell is this? Kakashi thought to himself, This is gonna be really weird living with my ex-student. I'm already acting like a 12 year old around her and now I have to live with her?
"I have called Sakura over so that she knows the situation," Tsunade said, interrupting his thoughts, "You will move in right after this meeting and will truly begin your mission."
"Hai." Kakashi said half-heartedly.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Tsunade replied. Sakura walked in and smiled at her new guardian. "Sakura, as your new legal guardian till you turn 18, Kakashi will be moving in with you." Sakura flushed and looked at her ex-sensei who looked just as embarrassed.
"What? But why? I can take care of myself Tsunade-shishou."
"That isn't the point. It is his duty now to take care of you. He will be like a parent to you now." Sakura looked at Kakashi slightly irritated at the information disclosed to her.
"Why did you have to ask to move in with me?" Sakura asked Kakashi as they walked to his apartment.
"I didn't ask for this," he responded, "She forced it upon me. I really have no desire to live with you." Bad move dumb ass he thought to himself.
Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so now there's something wrong with me?" She questioned angrily.
"That's not what I meant," Kakashi replied with a sigh, "It's just that it'll feel awkward living with you."
"How do you think I feel living with a pervert?"
"Hey, just because I read porn doesn't make me a pervert."
"Yea, but it does make you look creepy, seeing you read those novels. I can't imagine what it's gonna be like catching you reading that smut in my own house! Ugh!"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "sigh This is going to be a long 8 months."
When they arrived at Kakashi's apartment, he stopped at the front door and turned around to face Sakura. "What?" she asked.
Kakashi put a hand behind his head. "Please excuse the mess. I haven't had a chance to clean up." He turned around and pulled a key out of his pocket. He opened the door and a foul stench filled Sakura's nostrils.
"Oh my God, Kakashi what is that stench?"
Kakashi sniffed the air a few times. "What stench?" They walked in and Sakura almost collapsed. The apartment was filthy. There were empty bowls of cup ramen all over the kitchen floor, clothes hanging off every which corner, and garbage overflowing from the small waste bin. As Sakura made her way behind Kakashi to his room, she noticed through a crack in his bedroom door that his floor was twicec as bad. There were boxers, socks, and jounin shirts lying around everywhere. To her surprise, Sakura found a pair of pink women's underwear hanging on the bedpost. Sakura flushed and looked up at her sensei. He looked back down and quickly said "Those aren't mine!"
"Oh really?"
"I'm serious! They're Shizune's." Ultra bad move dumb ass. Kakashi thought to himself, wishing he could take back his words.
Sakura gaped at the Copy Nin. "Your sleeping with Shizune-san?!"
"Hey! It was one night. We got drunk and I brought her back here!" Kakashi stammered.
"Still!" Sakura yelled, "Shizune-san! Tsunade-shishou's dead boyfriend's neice!" Kakashi thought for a minute then realized what a taboo it was. The fact that he slept with the Hokage's almost neice-in-law made him shudder at what she would do to him.
"Let me just get my things." He quickly ran from closet to drawer and pulled out the essentials and stuffed them in a bag, shoving Sakura out the door and pushing her towards the front door. "Good! Now let's go back to your place."
"Kakashi-san?" An unknown chuunin asked.
"Yes?" Kakashi responded with his lazy expression.
"A note from Hokage-sama." The chuunin handed him the letter. Kakashi read it and held his usual impassive face.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"Your parent's bodies have arrived," Kakashi said slowly, "Tsunade-sama has asked me to prepare the funeral."