(Since I got one review for response, I'll just roll with third person then. We'll see how it goes. Also, sorry for the long wait. Shit got hectic around here, and I might have forgotten my muse for a time. My Aunt and her girlfriend moved in, and her girlfriend is… weird. It's taking time for me and the cats to adjust to company. My cat, Jazz, dislikes both of them. Le-sigh. Anywho, here's chapter 6.)
The return trip was just as harried as the initial journey, and the genin had burst into the gate in damn near a panic. They spooked the chunin on guard there, and had briefly set off a chain reaction of panic in the civilians until Hige came strolling in with Sachi, laughing his ass off at the looks he received.
He got a lecture from the lower ranking ninja from it, but it was worth it in the end. Their faces had been beyond priceless.
Once his harried genin had calmed down, he'd directed them to the mission office so they could collect their pay and get started on their mission report. He left them to it, with Sachi remaining behind to make sure they didn't slack off and procrastinate in doing it, and turned to head up to the Hokage's office.
After checking in with the receptionist, Hige had stood outside the Lord Third's door, until summoned in. He had a lot to talk to him about, truly. The unsettling rumors and skirmishes that were getting worse heralded the dawning of the third shinobi war, if the Intel proved true.
The protective seals humming at his back dropped, and Hige took that as his sign to enter. Slipping in the door, he dropped into a sharp bow. "Lord Third, thank you for seeing me with such short notice. We have much to discuss."
The man in the seat was starting to gray more and more, but he still offered a sharp eyed smile to the younger man before him. "Of course. First though. How did your plan go for the little Uchiha? Did his Sharingan activate like you had hoped?"
"No, Lord Third. I failed in that regard- and unfortunately, these three work far better together than I'd hoped. It would be counterproductive if we switched the Uchiha out for one who already has the eyes."
The elder man nods. "It would be, yes. That's not time that I'm willing to let you have for them to build up trust and good relations. My apologies for my interruption- please, go on with what you came to tell me."
Hige straightened up, glancing to the ceiling briefly to collect his thoughts. Stapled to it, was a small piece of paper that had 'The solution to your problem is not up here' scrawled on it. He cracked a smile. Perhaps not, indeed. Turning his gaze to Sarutobi, the shinobi heaved a great sigh. "Intel from many of my sources are pointing to something very glaring, M'lord."
"Oh?"
"There have been a growing number of attacks and minor invasions along our borders, and a severe drop in trade. The attacks and invasions are growing in severity. Several Ninja from Tanzaku Gai have lost their lives on supply runs from many of the great nations."
"Troubling indeed. Continue."
Hige grimaced, well aware the Third didn't like to jump to conclusions. "Daro Fuchimori, son of Suko Fuchimori, and grandson of Nori Fuchimori, has been assisting me from the boarders. He's been supplying me with information, locations of attacks, and where the worst of the skirmishes are. Sightings of headbands from all of the great nations are a troubling fact he had presented me with. M'lord… As much as I hate to say it so soon after the last one… We believe we are heading into the Third Shinobi war, and we don't think that there will be any way to stop what has been already set in motion."
The wrinkles on the old man's face deepened, and he lit up his pipe to take a deep inhale of the calming smoke. Exhaling, the Hokage sat back, and glanced to the ceiling. One of his Anbu had put the sign up there to amuse him, and anyone else who happened to be allowed into his office. It was a good prank- he never did figure out who did it. It was harmless, so it was allowed to stay. "This is a problem, Hige. Our village is still recovering from the second war. You and Daro are absolutely certain?"
Grimly, Hige nodded. "Daro's line is not known for being wrong about gut feelings, M'lord. It is coming. I don't know when, but I'd wager half a years pay that it will be soon."
"This is disturbing indeed. You are aware that should war happen, you will be sent to the front lines, correct? Are your students trained enough to handle themselves should the day come when you're no longer there to teach them?"
"Not yet. They will be soon. I've been pushing them- and I'm going to push harder. Kushina's training with Mito is out of my range, but I'll work on making her body and spirit as strong as possible."
"Good. Make sure your Nara strengthens her reserves, and broadens her knowledge. Perhaps you should inquire to Sakumo Hatake. He's just recently lost his wife, and is at home taking care of his son. He's good with Lighting style jutsu, and might be able to assist her with it. Shame about the Uchiha though. His eyes would have been useful. You are aware that I can't allow Kushina out of the village once she houses the fox, correct? Not until the Uchiha has his eyes, and has proven to be able to subdue her."
Hige bowed and nodded. "Of course. I'll see to it that she's introduced to Sakumo. I'll continue working with Ahi as well. His mastery over his clan jutsu is going well, and I'm going to see about making him the Taijutsu specialist on the team. Would that be acceptable, Lord Third?"
Sarutobi waved a hand sinuously once the other stood straight again. "Keep in mind, Hige, that this team is going to be used for massive devastation and a show of force. I want them all to master- or nearly master- every available skill that they can. They can have their focus skills, but I want them all just as capable as each other in fighting."
"I shall try my hardest, M'lord."
"Good. The next round of in-village chunin exams are coming around. You should enter your lot. Once they reach chunin, they can have access to better scrolls and techniques."
"Of course, M'lord. I was already planning to enter them anyways."
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Once he'd left the office, Hige had taken the time to snatch Toki from the lobby once she was done with her report. As per the norm, she finished first, and then was free for snatching. He'd handle introductions today- it was easier than trying to snag Sakumo later. Sakumo was a notoriously busy ninja. No doubt his lot would be babysitting Sakumo's brat when the shinobi had to leave for missions- as Toki proved more than adept at handling small children and toddlers.
After Minato's brats had given one client's kid food poisoning, it was safe to say that the Number One requested team was not requested for babysitting. Which was fine by Hige- it usually made for easy mission money. Long term babysitting was the best cash- and for the Hatake brat, who was essentially a major target for just being related to the White Fang of Konoha, it would take him being there as well. He'd do the guarding. The kids could handle the kid.
Toki hardly protested as he snatched her up, and stole her away over his shoulder. She was used to his shenanigans- and illogically trusted him that he wouldn't drop her on her ass, or take her somewhere that she wasn't safe. He'd need to break her of that trust eventually. For now, though, it played into what he needed her to do.
He landed at the Hatake household easily enough. The once overfilled clan compound stood empty now, save the main household. There were lights on inside, and Hige politely knocked on the door of the compound, and waited for Sakumo to come answer.
The clan itself used to be massive. They'd had hundreds of members, old, young, and the like. The first, and second shinobi great wars had all but annihilated most of the members. Sakumo's parents had died during the second war. Sakumo, and now his son, were the last of a dying clan.
They didn't have any bloodlines to speak of- not like the Uchiha or the Hyūga- or Hige suspected that Konoha would likely have done a breeding program to bolster the numbers. Other than being excellent fighters, the most loyal soldiers, and having an easier time manipulating chakra that wasn't their original nature, the Hatake hadn't been special.
Most of the empty compound was overrun with weeds and other distasteful things. The Hatake clan summons ran amok there though, at Sakumo's beck and call most days. The clan summons were traditionally wolves, but their animals had begun to interbreed with dogs many generations back.
All the better for it in Hige's opinion. The wolves were assholes. Not that he'd tell Sakumo that. The man had adored the wolves when he was a boy.
"… Sensei, if we're meeting someone, shouldn't I be on my feet so that their first impression of me isn't my backside?"
"Maybe that's your better side to show." He received a thump to the head for his failed witticism, and relented when she started to squirm. Setting her down, Hige stood just in time for the door to slide open. Toki was just a bit slow in turning around, but she managed a polite bow without looking too foolish.
Sakumo had looked better, truly. His usually kind gray eyes were darkened with bags, and his face looked pale and thin. His silvery white hair was limp and he overall looked bedraggled and depressed.
Hige managed to hide his frown at the weak smile that Sakumo gave them.
"Hello, Hige. Who's this you have with you? I'm Hatake Sakumo, but you can just call me Sakumo."
"Hello, Sakumo sir." Toki stood from her bow, and offered him a kind smile. "I'm Nara Tokiko. You can call me Toki though, sir. Hige is my genin sensei."
"Oh is he? I grew up with your sensei. He and I were in the same class for a time. He's quite the handful, isn't he?"
Her smile changed, to a more exasperated look. "Tell me about it. I didn't find out that I was meeting someone until I was dropped on your doorstep."
"Hey," he huffed lightly. "It's a good visit, I promise."
"Speaking of," Sakumo leveled him with a curious gaze. "What exactly can I help you with, Hige?"
"Help me? Am I really so transparent?"
"Just a little, Sensei."
He snorted, but relented. "I was more thinking maybe a trade-"
"Trade?" Toki blurted, interrupting briefly.
"Yes, Toki, trade. We'll do something for him, if he does something for us." Came Hige's droll reply. He continued where he left off, giving Sakumo his full attention. "See, little Toki here is dual natured- water, and lightning. I can help with the water easily enough, but all I've been able to teach her concerning her lightning nature is how to give someone a serious case of static hair."
Hige was relieved when amusement lit up the dull tint to the gray eyes before him. "Is that so?" Sakumo chuckled quietly. "Well, that wont do for a shinobi."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Hige grinned. "So… I was thinking you could teach her and guide her in learning that specific element, and maybe she could do something for you. Baby-sit while you're on missions, maybe?"
"That would work," Sakumo nodded. He gave a relieved smile. "I could use the help. Kakashi is very hard to deal with without his mother around." The nearly two year old child was smarter than he should be at this age, and the boy knew that his mother wasn't with them anymore. It left him in a terribly foul mood. He didn't even want his food- hadn't for a few days.
"I'm good with little kids." Toki blinks up at Sakumo. "I don't mind helping you around my training. I just need to let my Dad know that I'll be here often, so he doesn't worry when he's in town." And Dai too. She might have been a shinobi, but she was still the little girl of the house. Toki suspected she probably would be until the day she died. "Unless Sensei is being particularly harsh in training, I could stop by here by five most days. Perhaps an hour of training when I arrive, and then I can tend to your son?"
"That would work." he nods. "I… I need to get back on the active mission roster eventually. Not for several months, but eventually I will need to. Children take a fairly decent amount of funds to care for. My usual missions can take a long while, and Kakashi doesn't take to other's easily." There were few people that Kakashi liked. Sakumo, Jiraiya, and a scant few others were among that list.
"I can handle him for long days, if he likes me. Only if you don't mind if he stays with my family, though. I wouldn't be able to watch him during training, but we have a family friend living with us that could assist me in handling your son, if that's alright. He's an ex shinobi."
"Ex shinobi?" There was a wary pause.
"Honorable discharge." Toki assures. "He got paralyzed in a fight. He was Hige and Dad's team mate for a while, after my mom died. He's still fit enough to protect, and he's gotten good with his wheelchair. He can get around just fine. His name is Dai. He does shinobi Tattoos and whatnot."
Relief filtered through him. "That would be fine. I would feel bad however, just basically dumping my Son onto you and yours. You're just a kid- and with some of my missions, I would be gone for some time." Months, even. Sakumo was Anbu too. "You would be basically raising him for me when I'm not here."
She almost blurted that it wouldn't be the first kid she's raised, but Toki managed to hold it in. "Then you can leave an allowance?" Toki hesitated. "Enough for diapers and food perhaps?" Toki wasn't going to do the 'make your own' stuff with baby food. Kakashi would just have to deal with store bought baby food. "He's on solids now, right?" Some folks fed their kids liquids until their full teeth came in. The different culture was a lot different.
An allowance would work. Dai… Dai… He'd heard of some ninja who had gotten tattoos from him, and he'd heard nothing bad. Konoha ninja weren't notorious for being bad ninja, either. "That will work." He nods. "I feel like I'm getting the better end of the deal, though. Yes, Kakashi is on solids. General baby food will do. He's very picky though."
"Trust me, you're not. Sensei is a complete dunce when it comes to lightning nature." She offers him a smile. "Besides, think of it like a long term d-rank. You pay me in teaching, and I do what I'm tasked. Sound alright to you, Sakumo sir?"
Sakumo nods. "It will do. When can you start?"
"Well, I just got back from a c-rank today, so… tomorrow? We'll probably be doing d-ranks for an age and a half, so I should be done early enough to come help you with Kakashi."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
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Tokiko, Kushina, and Ahi completed their first C-rank with ease, and found themselves engrossed in massive amounts of D ranks that needed to be redone since they'd left.
The number of them kept them busy for several weeks- verging into several months in-between various other supply run C-ranks that they were eventually assigned. most of them were closer than Tanzaku Gai, and thus less stressing by far. By a stroke of luck, the genin hadn't faced anything more dangerous than an irate bear, upon which Toki had pissed off with a wayward water dragon. Some harmless bandits had needed killing- which put everyone's kill count over zero, finally. It wasn't as traumatic as Toki had thought- but she still ended up with nightmares about it.
Ahi had to briefly see a therapist, because he felt he had slaughtered helpless people, but he came out feeling better about it. The bandits had families and children of their own, but they'd also chosen to do bad things. Shinobi were the weapons that policed the ones who threatened the lives of the civilians. That meant that the bandits at the time.
They eventually were village bound- Kushina had something to do with Lady Mito, and had a recovery time of several weeks.
Along the boarders, skirmishes were picking up though. It was becoming more and more obvious, even to the genin stuck in the village, that something was about to happen, and happen soon. So they trained, day in and day out. Toki knew what was coming- the other's didn't, but they followed her lead, and together the group worked in tandem. They worked with Kushina, who seemed to have developed more chakra suddenly, but a sudden lack of control over her output too.
They worked, and toiled, and trained until Toki was certain they could handle almost anything below Jonin level, if it came to it. Her mastery over the water dragon was startlingly easy, and she fought with it as an extension of herself, unlike using it for a one time blast like Hige tended to do. It would follow her arms, her legs, her shadow, and she could direct it however she needed. She kept a canteen full of the chakra thick water, alongside her normal water canteen. She was making some progress with Sakumo concerning lightning natured jutsu, but he was busy often, so they didn't have much time to train.
Dai was more than happy to make her a second one, once she gave him a good reason. Alongside that, Toki could manage a minor lightning charge through the dragon, but any more destabilized the chakra heavy water.
Ahi was almost a master with his fire style. He couldn't manipulate it like Toki, but he could use it to blast her dragon into chakra heavy steam, and then invade for Taijutsu. Ahi was truly brutal when it came to hand-to-hand combat. The Uchiha style he had was far different than the Academy style, or even the Nara style that Toki had the use of. The only way they could make him work for a win, was if Toki and Kushina worked together to put his ass on the ground.
They had to do so, often.
Kushina, despite her lack of control, proved to become a chakra powerhouse. She wasn't fast- not like Toki, or Ahi were becoming- but if she could get a hold of you, it was game over. All of that extra chakra- that Toki just knew came from the Fox- funneled into her muscles and all but made her super strong.
She may or may not have broken Toki's arm accidentally, which meant they had to retrain her to be aware of her strength. Many broken bones had ensued from their attempts.
The three of them together kept Hige on his toes. They'd managed to take him down once- by a stroke of luck on their part, before he upped the ante with them, and his skill level changed suddenly. No longer was he keeping himself limited to Jōnin skills only.
The genin were really no match for an Anbu level Inuzuka.
After putting them through their paces for the day, the Jōnin had stooped down to his bedraggled students, and dropped three tickets into Toki's hand. "Congrats, brats." He beamed.
"Congrats on what? You beat our asses, y'know?"
The three of them were sprawled on the ground, in various degrees of grubby and damaged states. Ahi had a kunai stuck in his leg, because his dumb ass had fallen on it instead of executing a correct tumble when he'd been flung.
Toki was slathered in dust that was mostly turned to mud, and might have crushed a squirrel on accident. There was something suspiciously bloody and fuzzy stuck to the back of her sandal.
Kushina had fared better than Ahi and Toki, but she looked like a drowned rat. Being pulled through water by a vengeful water dragon was good for doing that. Hige choked down a laugh, remembering the frantic screech that had left her, and the fact he'd forced Toki- who was strangely terrified of swimming- to go fetch her.
Forceful integration was one way of handling a phobia.
"You three are nominated to take the in village chunin exams." Many other teams were being pushed for it. He personally didn't think that they should be belting out child soldiers like they were attempting to, but everything was gradually growing worse. With more chunin available, more missions could be handled, and they could gain the experience needed to survive outside of the village without him.
"Really, sensei?" Toki looked skeptical, green eyes peering at him with obvious doubt. "We haven't even been genin for a year. Don't we need more experience?"
"Maybe if he hadn't trained us like a slave driver." Ahi groaned and tugged the kunai out. It wasn't deep. He'd go get it healed later. For now, he took a roll of bandages out, and began to tie it around his wound. "I know I'm stronger than I was. We almost had him again today."
"As Ahi said." Hige planted a hand on his hip and looked at his Students thoughtfully. "If you don't think you're ready, you don't have to compete."
It was Kushina's turn to give him a skeptical look as she wrung out her hair. It was getting a little long. She was growing it out because one of Jiraiya's students had said he liked her hair. Hige had laughed when she'd put him in place, but he'd noticed that she hadn't cut it. He'd need to mention that she would need to braid it, or get it cut. Leaving it long was dangerous- especially with how long it was getting. Long hair was easy to grab when left loose. "You mean we could wait if we're not ready like the others?" she was more than ready to advance- her patience with the D-ranks was dwindling rapidly.
"Of course!" He all but chirps, "You're not required to go, but if one of you doesn't, then you all can't compete. And if you don't become Chunin," he grins sharply at them, "Then that means we obviously need to train more."
Truly, the three of them were miniature death machines.
The three of them gave him an unimpressed look. "You're going to train with us even if we become chunin." Ahi snorted. "There's no escaping you."
"That is true, very true. But it would be a different kind of training when you're a chunin. As a chunin, you would be expected to train your strengths as well as keeping up with team training." He shifted and took a seat in front of them, grunting as Sachi fell in place behind him and made a lovely backrest. "As a frontal assault team," he continued, "the village is going to drive you towards Jōnin level skill as soon as possible. Unlike other chunin, your squad will remain together for missions, unless directly disbanded to aid other squads. You wont take on students of your own until you're late into your Jōnin career."
That was different than Toki remembered, but she supposed things would change with her here. "So we're basically just going to keep doing what we're doing now, but at a more extreme level?"
"Sounds about right to me." Kushina murmured.
"With one exception," Hige added. "Unfortunately, Kushina's… condition, means that she wont be out of the village except for dire situations, until she gains full control of it." Even then, it was not a guarantee. The village couldn't afford for her to be taken by another village, or for her to lose control. With Ahi not having the sharingan, it was a risk that no one was willing to take. The Nine Tails was a powerhouse that could decimate them if let loose. For all of their strengths, Toki and Ahi were just human kids. They were no Sanin, no Kage, and not even Anbu strength. "So, if your specific skills are needed for fighting, you will likely be paired with me for missions outside of the village."
The redhead made a face. "That's not really fair, but I suppose I understand." Her fingers fisted on her middle subconsciously. "… Sensei… Shouldn't Toki and Ahi know about it, since we'll be working together later…?"
"I can't tell them." Hige hummed. "Laws for it. You? You're outside of those laws. But you can talk about it when you discuss if you're going to compete. Toki, you need to head off. Sakumo's got a mission. You're on Kakashi watching duty for the next while."
Toki made a face, but nodded. She already knew, but she was the only one who knew that she knew. Ahi was quiet next to her- but he was used to being out of the loop for things. Hige was an ass like that. "Yes, Sensei. I'm assuming we're all released for now?" This would be her first time taking Kakashi. Looks like Sakumo's time off was up. Alas- he had been doing better with his son, under Toki's guidance.
"Yes, yes. The Chunin exams start in three days. You have until then to decide if you're going or not. During that time, take the days off to rest and recuperate. There are many strong ninja this year. You'll need all the luck you can get." He stood, and waved them off. "Go enjoy your time off. If you decide not to go to the Chunin exams, then we'll do some extra… fun training."
Toki shivered. That wasn't ominous at all.
"Alright, Sensei." Warily, Toki stood and helped Ahi up. "Do you need help getting to the medics?"
"Nah," He swatted prying fingers away from his finished bandaging. "I'll go there in a bit. I was thinking we could walk with you to your destination and talk maybe?"
Kushina looped her arm through Toki's, and nodded. "I need to tell you both something anyways."
When Ahi took her other arm, Toki sighed and nodded. She lead them off, taking the least populated roads and back streets towards Sakumo's residence. If it wasn't supposed to be known, then it was easier to keep it quiet when they were alone on the streets.
"So, what did you need to tell us?" Ahi queried once they were deep in the maze that is the streets of Konoha. A few shinobi loitered here and there, mostly busy minding their own business.
Kushina flushed almost as bright as her hair, and she tucked a damp strand of it behind her ear. It took her many moments, before the redhead finally sighed. "Alright. Alright. You two are basically my best friends, so I'm trusting you with this super, super secret thing and hoping you wont think I'm too weird."
"You're already too weird, but we love you anyways." Ahi reminds her. "I highly doubt anything you say will make us think you're anything weirder."
"I'm the nine tails Jinchūriki." she blurts.
Toki simply nods. "Okay." And that was that for her.
Ahi on the other hand blanched for half a second, before he had an epiphany. "That would explain why Sensei has been hounding me to activate my sharingan. Okay. So you're the living cage to a big furry monster that might like to murder us all. You're still you… Aren't you?"
"Oh yeah!" Kushina urges. "I'm still me. Always will be. It's just I can take it's chakra and do… Well, things? I guess. I'm still practicing with Lady Mito. She's not doing so good though."
"Her health is in decline, isn't it?"
"Yeah…" She sighs.
Toki grimaces, but nods. "We'll help as best we can. I don't think I can go toe-to-toe with you if you're using it's chakra. Speaking of… is it a dude? Or a she? It got a name?"
"It sounds like a guy. He's really mean for a big fur ball. He sort of looks snuggly until he opens his mouth." He'd threatened to destroy everything she loved, before she'd caged him tightly inside his seal. "I don't think he has a name."
"You should ask though. It's only polite. He might be a big scary thing, but if he can be mean, he probably has a name."
"I'll ask." Kushina nods lightly. "Can't promise anything though. He doesn't like me. Or anyone, really."
Toki nods slightly. "That makes sense. I can't imagine I'd like anything that kept me inside someone either." She gently bumps Kushina's shoulder with her own, and gives the damp shinobi a smile. "You're really brave for telling us, you know. Thank you for trusting us."
"Yeah!" Ahi grins. "We wont let you down. We've got your back, through thick and thin. You're on your own if you get dropped in a pit of spiders again though."
"And you're on your own if you get chased by Tora again." Kushina quips back.
Toki takes a glance at her fellow Kunoichi, and is glad to see that Kushina looks relieved. Her eyes are glittering damply, cheeks flushed with the effort not to cry. Toki didn't think it was that big of a deal, but she supposed something like that wouldn't be good if it ever got out to the general public. Other's weren't as accepting as her or Ahi. Likely Kushina would have been ostracized, or given different team mates if they had been anyone else. Toki simply smiles, and loops a shadow tendril around to dabble a tear away from her cheek without Ahi seeing.
"Thanks, Toki." The redhead murmurs gingerly.
"So, now that Kushina's big secret's out… Are we going to compete this round?"
"I'd like to compete. What about you, Toki? Ahi?"
"I think we're ready. Toki's strong, and so are you, and I've got the best Taijutsu."
"Strength isn't everything, though. Do we have enough experience?" That was Toki's main question. She'd seen Naruto- the fresh genin had a hell of a time in there due to their lack of experience in the field. And in general. Truly, some of the rookie nine were dunces. Toki and her team were smart, but she knew there were those smarter out there. Minato's team, for one. They were wicked strong- with Jiraiya as a Sensei though it was really little wonder why.
"We might be a little green, but we'll always be questioning if we have enough experience. We only get experience by doing."
"True, Ahi. Very true."
Eyes on her from both sides made Toki swallow, and she sighed. "Look. I'm not sure we can handle it, but I guess you're right. Plus, I really don't want to deal with Sensei if we don't compete. Besides, being Chunin means higher pay for the missions we do." Which meant they could go out to eat more often, or save up for better gear for them to use. The standard gear that they all had only did so much for so long.
"So that's a yes?"
Toki rolled her eyes. "That's a yes. We'll all go sign in when we need to, and we'll go kick asses and take names, right?"
Ahi grinned and bounced on his feet. "Yes!" And ouch, bouncing hurt.
The doorway to the Hatake household loomed ahead, and Ahi and Kushina let Toki go so she could go get her charge. She found the front door unlocked, and stepped inside.
Sakumo had everything set up for her. A bag of Kakashi's clothes, her wrap for carrying him, a pouch of credits, and a few scrolls to work as stand in lessons for him being gone. Kakashi himself was asleep on the couch, curled on a blanket with his thumb in his mouth.
On top of the luggage was a note, and Toki took a moment to look it over.
'Toki,
I'll be gone for a week at most. Can't tell you the details, but you know how it goes. I know the Chunin exams are coming up, and I hate to leave you with Kakashi, but he doesn't like anyone well enough to leave him with them for more than a day. Please, forgive me. I know you need to train.
I've added some scrolls to help you. There's a few minor lightning jutsu in them, one of them medical based. It's a nasty one though, if you get good enough at it.
I left you enough yen to cover the cost of care, I hope. If you have to go over it to keep him happy, let me know and I'll reimburse you.
Take care, and I'll see you shortly.
Sakumo-Sensei
PS. Kakashi's started to show signs of chakra manipulation. Be careful. I found him trying to climb the wall the other day.'
Great. Fussy toddler had started to use his chakra already. Oh well- it wasn't like she or Dai or her Dad couldn't keep up.
Toki was a bit dirty, but dirt never seemed to bother the white haired boy. Which was good- if one worried too much about how they looked, they'd never be a good ninja. Good ninja were prone to getting disgusting every so often. So she slipped on her wrap, tying it in the front and then slipping it around and down to her stomach. Her tank top was thin enough not to make it uncomfortable to wear.
"Kakashi," she crooned softly, stooping over to brush his bangs back. He got grumpy if he was woken abruptly.
Sleepy gray eyes blinked up at her, and he lifted his hands for her to take him. "Okioki." He murmurs quietly. "Daddy go?"
"Daddy go." She nods. He's lifted gently, and settled into the wrap. His legs sit around her hips, and he curls his front over her chest. He doesn't even seem to care that she's covered in dust and flakes of mud, and she gently brushes his hair back as he nestles his bared face against her neck to continue his nap. "You'll be staying with me. Is that okay?" He sits a bit differently on her chest than normal- a quick glance tells her that she's going to need a new bra.
"Ya."
As an adult, back in her old life, Toki had the hots for the adult Kakashi. It was hard to feel like that now, when she'd had to change his diaper once or twice to show Sakumo how it was correctly done. But, she was glad to say she'd seen his face. it was mostly normal, except for a small beauty mark on the lower curve of his cheek near his chin. He hadn't gotten to wearing the mask yet, but he wasn't socialized outside often, so there might not have been any reason for it yet.
Shadow tails curled out from the lower part of her shirt as she moved back to the door. They lifted up everything at the door, leaving her capable of keeping her hands curled around the drowsy toddler at her chest.
"Okioki dirt. Sinky."
"Sorry, kiddo." She presses a smooch to the top of his head, and he grumbles but relents. "I know you've got a good nose. I didn't have the chance to shower after training- but we can go take a bath when we get to my house. Sound okay?" He was little enough that she really didn't think he'd remember seeing her nude when he got older. He didn't even care about where his fingers were curled over, or where his face was nestled. Kids are great like that.
"Mmm. Bah fun." Which was about what she needed to know. Kakashi wouldn't throw a fit because she smelled.
Stepping out of the house, she nods to the dogs that had come to see what she was up too. They'd gotten used to her coming and going, but they hadn't seen Kushina or Ahi before. They were warily guarding the gates. "Peace, friends." She says to them. "They're my teammates."
"Pack?" One of the large dogs murmurs. Not all of them can speak like the humans can, so they usually had to translate for Toki. Unlike Sakumo, Toki couldn't speak canine. Which made sense. Susumu was her dad, and there hadn't been a Nara that she knew of that could speak to dogs. Not even her mom, half Inuzuka that she was, could speak to the other dogs clearly. Half sentences, she'd been told. And she'd had a habit of offending them unintentionally.
"My pack, yeah. They walked with me to get Kakashi. They're safe, I promise. You can meet them later, if you'd like. We're all a little offensive to the nose at this moment." Lugging the packs up with her shadows, she offers them an apologetic smile.
"It's fine." The big one says again. "You'll bring the little master back when Sakumo returns, yes?"
"Of course. I'll keep him safe while I have him."
"Your word on that?"
"My word as a Nara." She promises.
Relenting, the canines return to patrolling the Hatake land, and it gives her the chance to slip out of the compound and to return to her friends.
Kushina leans over to peer at the toddler in her arms. "He's kinda cute." She says honestly. Kakashi peeks open an eye to glare at the redhead. "Very grumpy. Is he always like this?"
"He is, yeah." Toki soothes him with a hand through his hair, and glances to Ahi. "You need to go get your wound looked at, y'know. If we're going to go to the Chunin exams, then you need to be at tip top shape."
"I'll head over now." He grins. "I wish you luck in handling Kakashi. I've heard he's a handful."
Toki snorts. "Maybe for someone who doesn't know how to handle him. He's really not that difficult once you learn his ticks and irritations. Kushina? Do you want to go with Ahi?"
"To make sure the dumb ass doesn't get distracted again?" The redhead chuffs lightly, before covering her mouth. "Oops."
"Baa wowd." Kakashi scolds against Toki's chest.
She chokes on a laugh. "Yes, very bad word Kakashi. But yes."
"Hey, I'm not that bad."
"You can be from time to time, Ahi. Even we know that."
"I guess so." he sighs. "Alright. Shall we?" He offers his arm to Kushina like the gentlemen that he could be, but usually isn't.
She links up with him, and waves to Toki. "Take care of the little guy. Meet up at your place tomorrow to discuss tactics and possibilities?"
"Sounds good to me." Toki nods. She gives them both a wave, and then turns to head to her home.
"Deers?" Kakashi chimes against her neck.
"If you're very good tonight, maybe I'll take you out to see the deer."
"I goo and sees deers?" A mild demand is in his tone.
Toki gently bumps her chin to his head in a gentle reprimand. "Yes, you're good, you can see the deer. That means you have to eat your oranges though, little mister." Mandarin oranges were the only oranges that came in baby food in this world, and it was a good source of vitamins for the little monster. Kakashi was far too fair skinned to go out in the sunlight for too long without ending up being a lobster by the end of it.
He makes a rude noise in her neck, but she laughs. She's learned that it usually means he'll do as asked. He really liked to look at the deer- and he was probably the most quiet child she'd ever handled, so long as no one pissed him off.
Kakashi had a set of lungs on him, yes he did.
It doesn't take long for Toki to return to her house. She didn't have a cradle for Kakashi- but they'd long discovered that he slept better when he slept with someone or something to snuggle. Either Sakumo, the dogs, a stuffed toy, or in someone's arms, Kakashi didn't care. He just didn't like to be alone when he slept. So, for the time being, he would room with her. She didn't have any toys, or pets for him to snuggle, and she wasn't going to thrust him upon Dai or her dad. Kakashi didn't really like her Dad- and it might have been his laziness. If Kakashi wanted you to play, you played or you were on his shit list.
"I'm home," Toki chimes, kicking off her shoes and shaking her hair out of it's braids.
"Welcome home, Toki." Her dad's voice came from the kitchen, and Toki detoured first to set the stuff in her room upstairs first. "I'm assuming you're babysitting tonight?" She'd had Kakashi here for day time babysitting, but not overnight.
"For a week or so, yeah." she calls as she heads back down the stairs. Kakashi is content in not moving. "Do we still have some of Kakashi's food here, or do I need to go get more?"
She comes in to see Susumu ducking into the fridge. "We've got his food, yeah. Oranges, peas, potato, and that weird pureed meat that kids eat. There should be enough in each of the containers to make a good dinner. Will that work?"
"For now, yeah. I'll need to run to the store tomorrow and get a larger variety for him." Kakashi made a rude noise against her chest again, and she chuckled. "You have to eat your oranges tonight, kiddo. Tomorrow, I'll let you pick out one can of any food you want, I promise." She spoiled him just a bit sometimes when he was good. She probably shouldn't, but he didn't have a mom to spoil him. So she'd do it in his mother's stead. "So, what's for dinner tonight, Dad?"
"I was thinking some Udon." He hums. "Sound alright to you?"
"Works for me!" Dai rolls into the room, his chair making hardly a sound. He glances at her, and makes a face. "You are filthy."
"Works for me too, Dad." She chuckles at Dai, and shifts Kakashi. "I am, yeah. Think there will be enough time between now and dinner being done for me and Kakashi to get cleaned up?" The boy had streaks of dust darkening the skin of his face.
"I'm not a fast cook, so sure. Go wash up with the kid, and then we'll get everyone fed up."
"An' en deers." Kakashi demanded.
"Yes, and then we can see the deer. I promised, didn't I?"
"Idn' wannu fragets."
"I wouldn't forget." He was too damn adorable sometimes. Toki waved to her dad, and then toted the demanding toddler down the hall towards the bathroom.