I love adding these tid bits I think they add essence to the story and a bit more depth. If you guys read the first story you know I'm a stickler for flashbacks...this stories no different.

Mask:

Being with Jiraiya had taught him two valuable things.

One: technique.

Jiraiya did train him albeit a lot in stealth but still he had more skills than most of the academy students when he went back to Konoha.

And Two: how to read people.

Jiraiya as the leader of the underground spy network and with over a dozen Anbu operatives at his disposal. He knew how to read people in order to gain information, and he taught Naruto. Taught him to read through the nuances and find meaning in every action to not look at a person face value but through them.

It was the best and worst thing that he had ever taught him.

On one hand he understood the people precious to him a little better than before. But on the flip side…

It was frightening how many people wore masks and what lay behind them.

The villagers may have smiled sometimes but he could see the fear and hate. Even some of the ninjas had the same thing but they would smile because he was the son of the fourth hokage…

He wondered what would happen if he wasn't, what if no one knew they were related? Would they be more open about their hate or would they still hide it behind masks of falsehood.

After being with Jiraiya being in the village felt constricting, he enjoyed traveling and wandering from village to village. But when he returned home the hate and coldness… the oppressive pressure to be like his father… he hated it.

And if seeing the emotional mask on so many people weren't enough seeing a physical one just irritated him.

"Take it off"

"That's a bit inappropriate don't you think? I was thinking i'd wait until marriage but… well a happy wife is a happy life…"

An eight year old Naruto's cheeks bloomed red,

"IDYOT! I MEANT YER MASK! DON'T TAKE OFF YER PANTS!"

Kakashi stopped the motion he was using that was undoing his pants and Naruto could see the smirk on his face and the amusement in his eye.

"I don't mind either way"

Naruto frowned turning away,

"Well i do, ya perv"

Kakashi chuckled. As he looked at the pouting young boy.

"I'm surprised though, are you actually interested in my body? I didn't know you hit puberty so early? I was sure the only thing you were interested in eating was ramen."

Jiraiya, Kakashi realized, must have educated Naruto quite thoroughly if the heavy blush covering the young boy's face was anything to go by,

"I-I-I-DYOT CYCLOPS! I DON'T MEAN LIKE THAT!"

Kakashi figured as much, Naruto was too innocent still to even contemplate the same implications Kakashi was making, but.. It was cute teasing Naruto.

"I just… wonder…"

At that he died off. Kakashi didn't have anything against showing Naruto what was under the mask. After all he meant what he said, Naruto and him were in it for the long haul. But even then Naruto was still young, would it matter if he didn't show him?

He watched Naruto look out the window; He did that often nowadays.

Whenever he returned he looked more and more like he wanted to leave. He wondered if it was actually good for Naruto to leave the village so much. And Kakashi wasn't oblivious to the looks some of the villagers gave the boy. And he had noticed that Naruto wasn't oblivious either. So maybe Naruto was implying something else.

And well he didn't want Naruto to leave one day and never come back,

"Alright"

Naruto blinked as he looked at him in surprise,

"Alright?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and crouched down so he was more level with those blue eyes that he loved,

"You can take off my mask"

Doubt crossed over but Kakashi was patient. They were in his apartment, Kakashi had invited him over if only to get away from the world. No one would see anything just Naruto.

Naruto raised a hand hesitantly and reached out for the mask but Kakashi grabbed it so fast that Naruto jumped,

"Just remember this is a privilege just for you…"

Kakashi ran his other hand over a whiskered cheek brushing his thumb over pink lips a chance he could only get while Naruto was frozen in shock,

"Only you…"

Then Kakashi released his hand and Naruto gulped as he continued to reach his fingers to hook under the mask and slowly, ever so slowly he began to pull the mask down.

And Kakashi liked to think he wasn't ugly looking. He had had many women swoon at his appearance even men; straight men. So he wasn't sure what to make of the reaction the boy had. Maybe he was too young to appreciate his good looks. But the kid was staring at him so intently even Kakashi the normally cool headed ninja was starting to sweat. He wished he would just say something! Anything! Naruto talked a lot usually why when Kakashi wanted him to speak was he so silent!?

Two small hands reached up touching his cheeks and he cursed internally that he flinched. One hand raised the headband that covered his left eye. And Kakashi opened the eye slowly.

Damn it.

He was the older one, he should be the one in control. But Naruto with ease and innocence was the one making HIM nervous.

Naruto edged closer and even with the sharingan Kakashi couldn't read him. But most likely Naruto was going to place his forehead on his. Kakashi wasn't sure why Naruto did this but he did it at the best of times when Kakashi was feeling overwhelmed and like magic all the pressure he felt would melt away.

But just as he closed his eyes to accept the gentle gesture something else happened…

Naruto was…

KISSING HIM!?

Kakashi eyes shot open and indeed Naruto's eyes were closed as he had pressed his lips to Kakashi's bare ones…!

Then as suddenly as it had happened Naruto stepped back.

Kakashi felt his face warm but he was still in shock as Naruto seemed unaffected and was staring at him.

"Your nose is bleeding"

Kakashi's hand whipped to his face,

"I...i...i'm just.. S..surprised...you ...i mean...you've never…"

It was not like it was their first kiss. Kakashi had kissed Naruto often if not to just get him used to it, But naruto had NEVER INITIATED ONE!

And now the should be adult man was stuttering like a little girl who had her first kiss stolen by her crush,

IT WAS DAMN EMBARRASSING!

Naruto shrugged,

"Just felt like it"

Kakashi felt like his head might explode with the amount of heat that flooded him,

"I...i see… um ...well…"

Because seeing Naruto acting so mature was a rare moment and after that stolen kiss he felt so childish,

"Did you… um...did you...like...it?"

Naruto blinked at him and he waited on bated breath as Naruto tapped him chin and looked up in thought,

WAS IT THAT DIFFICULT TO ANSWER!?

Kakashi's pride was on the line,

"It was….tasty?"

And Kakashi froze,

Tasty?

Like food?

"Ha….haha….HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

And suddenly Kakashi couldn't contain himself as he fell to the floor laughing hysterically,

"HAHAHAHA...LIKE RAMEN? HAHAHAHAHA!"

Really when was the last time that Kakashi laughed so hard? Only Naruto could do this to him. And he looked at the pouting boy with cheeks pink,

"Oi...stop laughing or i'll kiss you again"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Kakashi couldn't help but keep laughing if that was a threat he would love to see the punishment. He slowed down a bit, mask still off so that Naruto could see the full extent of that mocking smile that he usually gave the boy,

"And if i say never?"

He watched in awe as Naruto blinked, did the boy really think the threat would really work?, then he watched as a smile curved on cute pink lips and blue eyes softened with gentleness as amusement filled them.

Yea he really had it bad.

Naruto laughed,

"You really are a perv"

...Even I get flushed reading my own writing sometimes...