Confluence

By Violet Garnets

Chapter Eight: Begin

o-x-o-x-o

Naruto's breath hitched as he felt suddenly gloveless hands creep their way up his chest. The eye in Kakashi's head that weren't quite Kakashi's eye looked deep into him, and his skin crawled— albeit not in an entirely unpleasant manner.

"Sensei, what are you doing?"

"Whatever do you mean, Akira?" Kakashi whispered into the young man's neck, nuzzling it softly. "Strange you should call me sensei when you are older than I. I have taught you little, if anything."

Older? What the hell? As far as Naruto was concerned, there was clearly a fourteen year age difference between them and he could see absolutely no way Kakashi could possibly be younger than him. This was getting weirder by the moment. "I think you've got me mistaken for s-someone else! Get your hands off me!" His typical brashness kicked back into high gear.

"Ah, Akira, that's unfair. You promised that I could have you when I found you." He pressed a kiss to the very side of Naruto's lips and his tongue darted out to just touch upon the lower lip. Naruto resisted every muscle in his whole damn body to not fall apart, to not give in and just sigh into this man's broad chest.

"No, seriously! I think you've got the wrong guy! And what the hell is this hide-and-seek game you've got going on? Kakashi!"

And just like that, Kakashi suddenly slumped over, sending them both into the soft sheets of the bed. Naruto looked down to see Kakashi slowly trying to push himself up, but his elbows buckled and he fell back onto the younger one. Groaning, the jounin rolled off to lay right next to Naruto on the bed.

"N-Naruto?"

The blonde sighed. Thank god. Any longer with the other man's ministrations and he wouldn't have been able to stop… "Kakashi? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I guess. What happened?"

Naruto quickly ran through the list of possible answers he could give. The truth would just be…really, really awkward. Hey Kakashi-sensei, you just pretty much groped the crap out of me and called me 'Akira'! Yeah! Believe it! Naruto winced at the idea. In an immediate afterthought, he realized that a worried frown probably wasn't the best expression to give at the moment. He looked at Kakashi, who frowned back at him.

"Naruto?"

"Ah, uh…you passed out! Yeah, sensei, you must be exhausted! You just fell asleep right on top of me, and I was calling at you but you wouldn't wake up!"

The two stared at each other for a long time, Kakashi obviously reluctant to believe such a story. But eventually he acquiesced and nodded carefully. Naruto breathed a soft sigh of relief. He would tell Kakashi the truth later…if the need ever came up. He pulled at a few strands of his blonde hair, unsure of how to continue. He supposed it was time to go. "Hey, uh, sensei! Thanks for having me over and, uh, stuff. But it's getting late and I, you know, should probably go."

The grey-haired man blinked a dark, sleepy eye— obviously he was still completely in a haze. He reached out a hand and fumbled at Naruto's shoulder. "Of course. Go ahead, Naruto. I'll see you in the morning." The hand dropped down with a heavy thump on the sheet.

Naruto hesitated, several rather morbid ideas popping into his head. What if Kakashi had another fit? What if he did something stupid, like if he believed he could fly and jump out the window? Of course believing Naruto to be someone to kiss was entirely different from believing he could fly, but the young blonde couldn't help himself from thinking such thoughts. "Kakashi-sensei? Are you sure you'll be alright? I can stay the night if you want."

Kakashi sat in a long, monotonous silence before he shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just passed out. I'm probably losing chakra control as the years go by," he said with a strange almost-chuckle. "I just need some rest is all. Besides, you need your sleep as well. The Council and all."

"Right. Okay then. Um…I guess I'll be off now?"

"Have a good evening, Naruto."

Flattening out the wrinkles in his shirt as he stood up (the memory of warm hands running up his body quickly flashed through his head, shivers running through his spine), Naruto felt a heavy weight on his heart. He didn't want to leave, not quite yet. Then again, he never wanted to leave Kakashi's side. So if things always went his way, he'd end up latched onto the Copycat Ninja of Konoha at all times, which would prove trying for missions, he was sure. He looked over at the older man and when he saw that unmasked face, he couldn't help himself. He leaned over and quickly swiped his lips up against the other's. He grinned, adrenaline surging through him. He felt dizzy. "Just needed one for the road. See ya, Kakashi-senseii!" With that, he dashed out the door, grateful Kakashi was still too out of it to seriously respond to that.

He ran all the way home, the taste of late autumn on his lips even though it was still quite summer all around him.

Theories about Kakashi's strange behavior lingered in his mind, of course. But he'd tuck them away for now. By policy it was his obligation to report strange behavior from any fellow shinobi, and this definitely categorized into the weird-as-hell behavior. But he couldn't take Konoha's premier shinobi out of commission and besides…what if the put the man under surveillance or took the man into that shifty part of the hospital, where suffering genjutsu-afflicted people disappeared for months? He couldn't do that. The last time Kakashi had gone there, he came out a man Naruto didn't even recognize: broken, lost, and hesitant. A man Naruto had left to travel with Jiraiya. When he had left Konoha that first time, he had promised to come back stronger and protect all those he loved. He never realized until much later that the image of a broken Kakashi was one of the primary images that drove him on during those years.

In any case, he would keep quiet about the whole situation. He hoped it wouldn't happen on a mission, but Kakashi had probably gone on a number of missions and Tsunade had said nothing yet.

"Maybe they only happen when I'm around…"

Naruto groaned. All of this thinking wasn't going to lead him anywhere. Besides, he had work to do tomorrow. As much as he wanted to stay up the rest of the night dissolving into intense practice, he had to save up his energy. Danzou wasn't going to win this time, no way in the nine levels of Hell. With this resolution, Naruto crumpled into bed, slipping easily into a dreamless slumber.

o-x-o-x-o

It was a curiosity to see the Konoha elders outdoors, and even Homura and Koharu themselves looked rather confused, as if wondering why they stepped outside. Various shinobi who had contributed to Naruto's education were also there, from Iruka (fretting and biting his lip as he paced in circles) to Anko (who had heard the elders would pay for lunch afterwards). Maito Gai was doing squats all by himself, an expression of dedication firmly set on his face. Tsunade, Kakashi, and Yamato stood apart from the rest of the group, muttering in hushed tones. Danzou wasn't in full view, but Naruto knew that the old creep probably lurked around somewhere. The younger shinobi were nowhere to be seen, but Naruto was sure most of them were on missions or the older people had probably banned them from the grounds for the day. Naruto sighed to himself. He would've appreciated some moral support from his friends. Luckily he still had everyone else…

"Naruto!"

He turned around, and to his utter delight, the Sand siblings appeared before him. Kankurou grinned, a new set of markings on his face. Temari cocked her head to the side and smirked at her younger brother. Gaara, stonefaced as ever, twitched his lips slightly.

"Sunagakure was invited to oversee the examination of Konohagakure no Jinchuuriki," Gaara said simply. "To keep it objective."

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" Naruto said, the slightest tinge of sarcasm in his voice. "Just to keep it objective and all. Let's get started!" Kankurou and he grinned most deviously while Temari and Gaara only shook their heads. Naruto turned around and sprinted to where the rest of the people stood, shouting triumphantly as he jumped to a stop. However, being truly honest with himself, every muscle in his body twitched not because of confidence but absolute fear.

Despite all these people around him, despite the fact that Gaara and his siblings came all the way from Sunagakure to offer support, he was doing this alone. Alone. The word rang in his ears, filled up every pore of his being, parched his throat, stifled his breathing.

A gloved hand made contact with his shoulder. He looked to his right to see Kakashi's face staring at him. The jounin seemed focused – if a bit tired looking – today, but his expression was unreadable otherwise. Naruto imagined he saw a slight hint of an encouraging smile under the mask. The memories (of actually seeing that smile, kissing those supple lips, the hope that he could actually take his feelings somewhere) eased the feelings within, somewhat.

"Are you ready?" Kakashi asked, his voice as heavy as his hand.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and grinned, hoping he didn't waver. "Hell yeah!"

Kakashi squeezed his shoulder lightly as he called out, "Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade looked over and gave Naruto one pointed look (Don'tfuckingmessthisupkid) before she called them all together. "I doubt I have to reiterate why we're all here. Usually I've got to do it for Kakashi, but luckily he's been paying attention recently."

"You're welcome," Kakashi said. Naruto wondered if it was supposed to be a joke, because everything about his body language indicated that he was ready to tear someone apart. He noticed that the jounin's hand was still on his shoulder, but he decided to leaves things as is. It wasn't often that Kakashi showed any sort of affection— or at the very least, concern for another.

The Hokage continued as if she had never been interrupted. "Naruto's return hit many of you as a shock, I know. While we all knew Naruto was more than capable of achieving the tasks given to him at hand, the possible threats against him seemed—"

"Maa, maa, you all thought I'd fail, didn't you?" Naruto interjected, rather tired of being talked about as if he wasn't even there. "Well, I didn't. I'm back, and I can hold my own and the Kyuubi just fine! Mo~rons!"

Koharu sniffed. "We'll see. What has three years as a civilian taught you?" Homura grunted his agreement.

"That shinobi life sucks ass." A murmur of chuckles went around the group, lightly amused by Naruto's statement. "I'm serious. We have to kill people who haven't even done anything wrong, just because they pose some sort of threat to the nation."

"Yes!" Maito shouted, his eyes burning. "And no one knows of our work, so all the respect and praises of eternal youth go to those samurai!"

Anko swung down from her spot in a tree with a gentle landing. "Mou, that's so true."

Naruto nodded. "We work all day, get paid to put our life on the lines for reasons never really revealed to us. I really appreciate all you guys for helping me grow up and learn how to be a badass. Thanks!" He looked around at all of them, for every single person present once imparted a sliver of advice that shaped him into who he was. Iruka smiled at him, and Naruto's heart fell at the sight. That smile would soon disappear. "But if you think about it…I just learned how to be better at tearing someone's heart out and getting away with it. Now I can create a Rasen Shuriken, to obliterate someone's existence. Cool."

The air stilled.

"For three years, I was a ninja pretending to be a normal teenager. It's not that hard. It was kind of fun, actually. Civilians said I was annoying as hell, but then they would say, 'Maa, he's a teenager. Let him be'. But here…everyone says I'm a 'mission liability'." He tried his best not to look directly at the elders. Even harder, he tried not to look at the ones who mattered to him. He sighed loudly, staring upwards at the clouds trailing the sky.

Homura finally decided to speak up. "Then why did you return? If being a shinobi was so horrible, why are you back here?"

"I had some promises to keep," he replied, his focus back on the shinobi who surrounded him. Of course there were more reasons than that, but he didn't feel any need to share those with people who just wouldn't understand, no matter how he explained it. Besides, judging by the dry smiles on most faces around him, they understood his real reasons anyway.

"Well, we still need to know if you're capable of containing the Kyuubi," Koharu tilted her nose upwards.

Naruto mimicked her expression. "You'll just have to watch me then, won't you?" He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at the old hag and instead turned to Yamato. "Can I start with my kyudo, Yamato-taichou?"

The man nodded his head once. He mouthed "Ganbare" and stood to the side, ready to subdue the Kyuubi if the need arose.

Kakashi moved to stand next to Yamato, his arms crossed over his chest. Naruto looked away before he could catch the other's eyes. He couldn't look, not now. Not when all he wanted to do was crumble in the man's warm arms and just disappear.

He took center stage. The muscles in his legs trembled. His heart raced out of his body, struggling to shoot straight out his throat. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. It was time to prove himself once more to the most moronic, blind people ever; and he was going to win. Every single time.

Shaking out stray strands of golden hair, Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Let's go! Someone want to put me under a genjutsu already?"

"Yo. I'll do it." Kakashi sighed, as if he was forced to do it. He was already putting his hands together for seals.

Homura made a noise of disapproval. Naruto thought he sounded like a donkey taking a crap. "You will go easy on the boy. He is your student."

Kakashi pulled up his hitai-ate and the Sharingan immediately began to move, the markings like drops of ink in blood. "Naruto is more than capable of handling my most extreme genjutsu. There's no need to go easy on him."

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "Don't underestimate me!"

"However," Kakashi continued, "if you insist, choose someone else just as capable to do the job."

The blonde teen grinned inwardly. No one in Konohakagure could compare to Sharingan no Kakashi besides the Uchiha, who of course were long gone. Naruto himself knew he didn't need any particular leniency, but he had always wanted to dominate the almighty Kakashi.

In more ways than one.

Naruto turned a little pink at the thought. The hell? Now wasn't the time to think about that sort of stuff. He shook his head with wanton force. Re-center yourself, Uzumaki.

Koharu extended her arm outwards. The long sleeve billowed out in the breeze and Naruto became aware of the rising winds. "Shimura Danzou-san has offered his services for this job."

"Danzou?" The entire group crowed together. Naruto himself began to shake. This was unexpected.

The Root leader stepped out from under the trees, his countenance dark and serious. He crossed his arms over his chest and set his legs shoulder-width apart. "I am honored to take up this privilege, Utatane-san." He gave the old woman a little bow.

Naruto, still shaking, pumped a fist in the air and cackled. "Yeah, the privilege of getting your ass whooped!" he shouted. "Funny thing is, I don't even have to hurt you to beat you at this goddamn game!"

"It's not a game, Uzumaki-kun," Danzou responded. "Games do not have stakes this high."

"You haven't been playing the right games, ya old bat!"

Tsunade groaned, pressing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Naruto! Now's not the time."

"It's always the time! I am always Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! I do what I want!"

"We'll see about that," Koharu muttered as he pushed up his glasses. "Ready, Shimura-san?"

The bandaged old man nodded. He set his hands before him, ready to perform a slew of hand seals.

"Ready, Naruto?"

"More than you'll ever be," the blonde snarled through gritted teeth.

Koharu stuck a hand out, palm perpendicular to the ground, as if he were about to begin some sumo wrestling competition. "Begin."

The world around Naruto swirled into silence.

o-x-o-x-o

Sometimes I feel like Naruto lives his life running on adrenaline. As if he's always running away from a killer bear, and the only thing he can do to cope is minimize his situation with crude jokes and false boldness.

EDIT: mou, I knew I forgot to continue my AN. Anywho, as always, thank you guys so, so much for the support. I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter. It's sort of filler, but it leads up to quite an exciting chapter.

Also: I GOT EIGHTEEN REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER. That makes me giddy. Beyond belief. So thank you to all of you guys.

All comments are appreciated!

Ja ne,

Vi