When Time Stops
Chapter 14: Inner Turmoil
Naruto ducked under the entrance to his favorite restaurant, stopping short upon seeing the silver-haired boy he had grown fond of, more than simply a sensei-student type of fondness, but more so as a younger sibling for whom he was responsible. "Oh, Kashi, you're here already." Naruto greeted with a smile as he plopped down next to the boy, ruffling his hair in the process, half startling Kakashi.
"Hn," Kakashi replied evenly, not even glancing at his brother and brushing down his already unruly hair in annoyance.
Naruto frowned, looking over Kakashi's pouting features (they were half way covered, hard to discern beneath the cloth mask Kakashi wore over his face). "You're not still mad at me about this morning, are you?"
Kakashi glanced up at his brother, eyes studying the concern in his older brother's happy blue eyes. He wondered if he should tell the blond how he really felt about being ditched, how if made him angry and how he felt slighted and unimportant. No, he decided finally, turning away from his brother and watching the workings of the ramen cooks, he couldn't hurt his brother by sharing his anger. Naruto was only following his own dream, after all. Kakashi was sure that raising some orphan kid wasn't nearly as important as Hokage training.
"Naruto-sensei!" Tana greeted as she entered the small shop, smiling and sitting down next to Kakashi.
Naruto watched the little bit of emotion that had played out over Kakashi's face disappear as he turned away. He deflated a little bit, but covered it up, smiling at Tana, "Hello, glad you could make it, Tana."
She looked around, as if in awe at such a small, average looking place, "I wouldn't miss my first team dinner. I wasn't sure where this place was, but my father knew exactly where it was. He said you eat here all the time."
Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing can beat Ichiraku Ramen!"
Tana laughed, looking from her sensei to her quiet, silver-haired teammate. "So, how did your training go today, Kakashi?"
Kakashi cast a sidelong glance at her, but otherwise ignored her.
"Don't mind him," Naruto rubbed the top of Kakashi's head, messing up his hair yet again, "Kakashi's in a bad mood."
"Am I the last one here? I'm five minutes early!" Hideaki cried upon entering the small restaurant. He grumbled under his breath, something about being stuck with overachievers, as he sat down next to Tana.
"Great, you're all here!" Naruto waved down the old man that he had known since childhood. "Hey, Old Man!"
Hideaki snickered at his teachers lack of respect towards the elderly man while Tana's face showed her surprise.
"Oh, Naruto! I was wondering when I'd see you again." He smiled, leaving the bowl he was cooking to greet the blond. "Kakashi-kun, it's nice to see you today."
Kakashi smiled under his mask, unperceptible to the others, "You as well, Old Man."
As if suddenly noticing the other two kids, the old man smiled at Tana and Hideaki. "I see you finally got the rest of your team. Is that time of year already?"
Naruto laughed, "It sure is, this is Tana and Hideaki. We're here to celebrate - my treat!"
The old man nodded, "Great! I'll get your food started."
Naruto turned to his genin after the old man had left.
"Naruto-sensei, what's our test going to be like tomorrow?" Tana leaned forward to see past Kakashi, asking the question the all inwardly wondered.
Naruto swatted away the question with an exaggerated motion, "Oh that? Don't worry about that. Its just standard procedure that the genin sensei test his new genin to make sure they didn't slip through the cracks and graduate the academy without knowing the basics. I'm sure all of you will do just fine."
"But, what will we be doing?" Hideaki butt in.
"It's a secret." Naruto smiled, taking in his students curious expressions - even Kakashi's. He sobered suddenly, his sudden mood change captivating the attention of his three students, as the old man returned with their food, setting the bowls in front of each of them. "However," Naruto started, grabbing a set of chopsticks and breaking them apart as he examined his delicious bowl of steaming ramen. His students eyes remained fixed on him, even though the steam from their food drifted up slowly in front of their faces. "My sensei gave me the same exact test. He warned me and my teammates against eating dinner or breakfast before, but I did anyways. No lie, I must have thrown up for a weak. I would advise you three to not eat dinner or breakfast too, I wouldn't want you to end up like me."
Tana's eyes widened and her stomach dropped. She hadn't realized that her happy-go-lucky sensei was such a hard-ass when it came to training. She eyed the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her longingly, but grimaced thinking about working so hard the next day that it would make her sick.
Kakashi eyed his older brother speculatively, knowing that the blond couldn't help himself from a good prank. "You're saying that if we eat between now and the test, then we're going to get sick?"
Naruto nodded, loudly slurping up his noodles.
Hideaki gulped loudly and pushed his bowl away.
A smile grew on Kakashi's lips, growing so big that he was sure others could see it through his mask. He fidgeted, barely able to contain his excitement. "Finally, I'll get some real training for once."
Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's reaction compared to Tana and Hideaki's scared and tense reactions.
"So, I guess none of you are going to eat your ramen?" Naruto asked, eying their bowls, to which they all shook their heads. "Great! More for me!" The blond smiled cheekily, reaching past the three and pulling their bowls towards himself.
Kakashi shook his head, sighing audibly at his brother's childish tactics. He turned and hopped of the stood.
"Whergh ah uuh goringh?" Naruto mumbled behind a mouthful of noodles.
"Home." He replied evenly, before ducking under the entrance and starting off down the road.
"What's his problem?" Tana asked, frowning as she watcher her teammate leave.
Naruto shrugged. He swallowed his mouthful, "He's just like that; say, why don't you guys tell me about yourselves. You guys know each other from the academy, but I don't know you." He gave them his best smile, slurping up another mouthful of noodles, all the while casually watching them. He had learned from years of experience that he could learn more by watching than he could by listening, especially when no one thought he was really paying attention.
Hideaki watched his bowl of ramen be demolished as his stomach growled loudly, "What do you want to know?"
"I don't know," the blond replied, "Your likes, dislikes, your goals for the future, stuff like that."
"Hm," Tana started, "well, I am in the second branch of the Hyuuga family, I like to tend to the garden with my mother. As for things that I don't like...people who look down on others for no reason." She shot an accusing glare towards HIdeaki who ignored her accusation. "My goal for the future is," she knit her brow in thought, pausing in her speach for several long seconds. "I don't really have one, I guess."
"That's no good, goals make us stronger; they give us something to work hard toward and to get stronger for." Naruto explained earnestly.
Tana nodded, her eyes showing her thoughtfulness.
"What about you, Hideaki?" Naruto turned towards the redhead expectantly.
"Well, I like a good story." Hideaki started with a smile, "My dad always tells me I should become a storyteller instead of a ninja. I'm the first person in my family to become a ninja, you know; my mum hates the fact that I'll be in danger all the time. I hate vegetables and reading - oh and dogs too, yuck!" He suppressed a shiver. "My goal is to become one of the strongest ninja and kick butt on S-ranked missions!" Hideaki grinned from ear to ear, showing off his bicep to Tana and his sensei.
Naruto smiled, the boy reminding him of his own eagerness and determination as a new genin.
"What about you, sensei?" Tana asked politely, watching him for an answer.
Naruto looked to Tana, half surprised as being questioned back. "I like ramen and training. I hate people who treat their teammates like dirt. My goals for the future are to become Hokage and..." he trailed off, thinking about Kakashi and the time ninja who had taken him not so very long ago. The looming threat of the Time nin's eminent returned cast a dark shadow on his thoughts.
"Sensei?" Tana spoke up when the blond had grown quiet and distant, "What's your second goal?"
Naruto eye-smiled, forcing away dark thoughts, "My other goal is to make sure my brother grows up well."
Kakashi leaned against the tree on their training field, the tree under which he and Naruto always trained beneath. He had woken up early, as was his usual schedule, to complete his ritualistic morning run around the training field. Naruto,surprisingly enough, was already gone by the time he had left the house, before even the sun had come up. Now, he waited patiently, head resting on the trunk and watching the orange-pink clouds travel across his field of vision as the sky turned from black to pink. He always enjoyed the early mornings, when the only other things awake were the birds, softly singing awake their surroundings. It was a time for him to clear his thoughts and clear his mind from his dreams, which he seemed to be having more and more often as of late.
"Kakashi-kun!"
The voice broke through the peaceful quiet of the morning air and pulled Kakashi out of his thoughts. He lifted his head, lazily looking towards the small dirt path that led back to Konoha. He found Tana there, jogging towards him and waving.
"Good morning," Kakashi greeted politely when she had come close enough to talk at a normal level.
"Good morning!" She smiled, tucking a loose strand of black silky hair behind her ear. "You're here early, Kakashi." She commented, looking around at the empty training field, grass still wet with dew, a light mist still lingering in the empty space, held in by the surrounding fence of dense forest.
Kakashi shrugged, "So are you."
"Well," She started eagerly, "I wanted to get here early, just in case Naruto-sensei started earlier than he said. Iruka-sensei always gave extra information before class-well, you know, he was your teacher too."
"Naruto isn't like that." Kakashi stated bluntly, staring straight down at the gravel under his feet. "He's not really reliable at all, actually."
Tana frowned, "That's a terrible thing to say about your sensei." She paused, watching Kakashi's emotionless face stare down at nothing. "He must be reliable in some way if he was assigned a genin team. Surely the Hokage wouldn't give us an unreliable teacher. Besides, my father knows Naruto-sensei and says that he is a really great ninja and that I'm lucky to have him as my sensei."
Kakashi glanced at Tana momentarily before looking away towards the other side of the field, merely shrugging in response.
Silence fell over them, making Tana shift uncomfortably, if only due do Kakashi's lack of sociableness. "So, I'm pretty nervous about this test," Tana admitted, hoping she could draw Kakashi into conversation to help pass the time. "You've gone on missions and trained and had time to get to know how things go, but it's my first day as a genin and I'm not really sure what to expect." She paused, watching her younger teammate who hardly bothered to blink in her direction." Naruto-sensei seems really nice, though, so I'm sure he'll go easy on us for our first day."
Kakashi snorted unintentionally, amused at the thought of his brother going easy on any of them while on the training field.
"What?" Tana scowled, looking skeptically at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head, annoyed that he had to explain it to anyone, even a first day genin. "Naruto's job is to prepare us for actual combat, where our training isis training for a life or death situation, not coddle us and hold our hands. If that's what you're hoping for, then you should turn around and walk straight back to the academy."
Tana nearly took a step back at Kakashi emotionless and harsh words. She had never had the opportunity to talk to Kakashi before, though she had seen him occasionally her first year at the academy. His personality and harshness surprised her. He was like sandpaper, scraping against all whom he came into contact with, keeping a solid distance between himself and those around him. She had grown up, as a member of the Hyuuga family, in a world where learning social cues and being able to read a person's thoughts and intentions were as important, if not more so, than sharpening your fighting skills. Kakashi, she could tell, was someone who had his own thoughts and opinions, which he held as inevitably true. It seemed that, for the few times she had talked to Kakashi, he was actually quite a lonely person, searching for the right path in the world and striving to be the best that he could be.
"Again?!"
The sharp cry caught Tana and Kakashi's attention, both turning to see Hideaki walking towards them.
"What's a guy have to do around here to not me the last person to arrive?" The redhead complained, stopping in front of his new teammates and looking at them expectantly.
"I guess you'll have to wake up even earlier if you want to beat us here." Tana joked, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Yea, well," Hideaki started, looking around the clearing for their sensei, "I couldn't get to sleep on and empty stomach." He held his hand against his growling, complaining stomach. "I'm just ready to get this over thing over with so I can eat lunch! Where is Naruto-sensei, anyways?"
"Well," Tana supplied when Kakashi didn't answer, "Kakashi-kun said that Naruto-sensei would probably be late..."
"Kakashi! How dare you slander my name after all our time together?" A voice spoke suddenly from above them.
Kakashi could only roll his eyes, recognizing the joking tone in his brother's voice.
Tana and Hideaki looked up in surprise, not knowing that the blond had shown up, squatting on the tree branch above them.
"Yo!" He grinned and gave them a wave, his blond hair glowing in the orange-yellow light as it moved softly in the light morning breeze.
"Sensei!" Tana gasped, feeling a blush flush her cheeks. "I-I didn't mean to-"
"Oh, don't worry about that." Naruto leapt down, gracefully flipping and landing in front of the three. "Are you all ready to begin your test?"
"What IS our test, Sensei?" Hideaki questioned.
Naruto smiled and reached into his pouch, pulling out two small silver bells tied to strings.
"Bells?" Tana asked, wondering what on earth they could be tested on using only bells.
"Yup!" The bells jingled a bit, "Your test will be to take these bells from me." Naruto tied the bells to his belt loop as he explained.
"There are only two bells," Kakashi voiced. It was a statement, not a question.
Tana gasped and Hideaki's eye's grew wide, having just noticed the fact.
"Correct, Kakashi." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, hoping he looked as serious and intimidating as Kakashi had years ago when they were genin. "Only two of you will remain genin by the end of the day. The one who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy to retake another year."
"What?! You can't do that!" HIdeaki yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the blond.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Watch me. I'm the top ranked jounin in Konoha; if I say that any one of you are not ready to be genin, the Hokage is going to listen."
"But-" Hideaki's words fell away, a look of worry and apprehension washing over him.
Kakashi pushed of the tree trunk finally, staring his sensei in the eyes. "When do we start?" His eyes gleamed with excitement and Kakashi could feel all his muscles tense in excitement at the test he was about to take.
Naruto grinned. "Now," he said, vanishing with a flash of light before any of them could blink.
Kakashi took off, running at full speed towards the forest to hide and plan his attack. He knew it would be no easy task to get those bells from Naruto, especially with two clumsy genin who would, undoubtedly, get in his way.
Tana gasped at her teacher's unexpected disappearance and Kakashi's rapid departure, barely able to take it all in. She frantically looked around and ran towards some nearby brush, assuming that Kakashi knew a thing or two about fighting their sensei.
Hideaki watched his two teammates run and scoffed, "You cowards!" He smirked to himself, marching to the center of the field, "Naruto-sensei! Come out and fight me! Kakashi and Tana are too scared to face you head on, but I'm not! Show yourself!"
"He's just like you!" Sakura snickered, trying in vein to keep quiet. Sakura crouched with Naruto in the upper branches of a tree, watching Hideaki continue to taunt Naruto and threaten him from center field.
Naruto laughed embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head, "I wasn't that bad, was I?"
Sakura nodded, unable to control her laugher.
Naruto took a moment from watching Hideaki to glance at where he knew Kakashi to be, checking on the boy's progress. Kakashi had all the tools to capture the bells if he only used them properly. He wondered though, if Kakashi would figure out that he needed to use the help of his teammates in order to pass.
"Who do you think will get the bells?" Sakura questioned after she had calmed herself, watching the redhead plop down in the dirt and cross his arms stubbornly.
"I'm not too sure," Naruto replied, pulling out his special kunai and polishing it carefully with the end of his sleeve. "Kakashi is the strongest, but I'm betting that Tana and Hideaki will get lunch since they're more willing to work together." He paused for several long minutes, a wry grin growing on his face. "Hey, Sakura-chan, watch this!" He conjured a clone, which snuck of into the trees in the direction Tana had scrambled off to. Once his clone had left, he threw his kunai towards Hideaki. It landed less than a hands-width from the boy, Naruto appearing over the boy's shoulder. "Hideaki."
The redhead scrambled up to his feet. "Naruto-sensei!" the boy yelped, with wide, nearly terrified eyes.
Naruto leaned causally on one hip, staring down his genin with a doubtful, disappointed expression. "If I had been an enemy ninja, I could have killed you in an instant with that kunai. You didn't even jump out of the way."
Hideaki growled, "I'll show you! Prepare yourself!"
Naruto laughed mockingly, "Do you really think that you can beat me so easily by yourself?"
Hideaki rushed forward, jumping at his sensei.
The blond disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving Hideaki's punch to throw him off balance and teetering on one foot.
"You should never show your back to your opponent, Hideaki," Naruto spoke cooly from behind the boy.
"Huh?" Hideaki glanced behind him, barely registering his sensei crouching behind him when Naruto reached forward, hands forming a seal, and yelling, "One Thousand Years of Pain!"
Hideaki found himself flying through the air, screaming in pain and holding his butt.
Naruto started laughing, leaning forward to brace his hands on his knees, unable to hold himself up. "Now," he yelled back to where he had left Sakura, "he's just like me!"
Kakashi turned away from his hiding place behind a bush where he had watched Naruto humiliate Hideaki. He shook his head at the complete incompetence of his useless teammate. He jumped up to a branch, heading deeper into the forest so as to better hide himself and formulate a plan.
Meanwhile...
Tana scurried into some rather thick bushes, scraping dirt into her clothes and snagging her hair on a branch. She squeaked, carefully untangling herself from the foliage and worked to quiet her labored breathing. She honed in her hearing and listened to the sounds around her, alert for danger.
Suddenly she heard a scream, coming from somewhere off in the distance. She jumped, wondering if it had been Hideaki or Kakashi that had made the sound. "Byakugan," she said in a harsh whisper, activating her kekai genkai and peering towards where the scream had come from. In the center of the field stood her sensei, no one to be found near him. Tana frowned, curiously finding Naruto's chakra to be red, emitting a slightly feral aura around him, opposed to the normal blue chakra she was used to seeing in most ninja.
A twig snapped and she spun around, her byakugan slipping away without her focus. "W-who's there?" she called timidly, carefully parting the bush with her hands and peering out.
"Tana..." a voiced rasped as she set her eyes upon Kakashi, covered in dirt with numerous injuries staining his clothes with blood. Kakashi stumbled forward and fell against the trunk of a tree, holding the gash in his midsection, from which blood flowed freely, dripping in puddles to the ground. He coughed, doubling over, his navy mask slowly turning a deep blood red.
"Kakashi!" She yelled in worried fear, running forward to her teammate only to stop short when their sensei appeared behind Kakashi.
The blond reached forward, grabbing Kakashi's head. Kakashi had only a moment to show his shocked expression before Naruto sharply twisted Kakashi's head, snapping it from his shoulders. Kakashi fell to the ground limply.
Tana covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a scream and everything else her body wanted do dispel. Her wide eyes were glued to her teammate, laying motionless in a disfigured pile in the dirt.
"Run, Tana, you're next." Naruto spoke, watching Tana. He stepped forward, eyes squinting dangerously.
Tana took off, running mindlessly through the brush, her adrenaline pushing her ever faster. Her heart pounded as her feet thud through the forest, low hanging branches whipping her in the face. She looked over her shoulder, searching for any sign of her sensei. She bit down a scream as she fell forward, tripping on a loose rock. She hit the ground hard with a thud, the wind being knocked out of her. She groaned, holding the spot where her head had bashed against the ground, slowly pushing herself up to her hands and knees. She spit out blood that began to fill up her mouth.
"This can't be happening..." she said aloud to herself. "Naruto-sensei is crazy! I've got to find Hideaki and warn him." She activated her byakugan and searched the surrounding forest. Nowhere in her immediate surroundings could she find her sensei, meaning she was in the clear for the moment. She focused her eyesight, peering further through the forest in search of Hideaki.
She found him not far away, progressing slowly into the forest.
She quickly wove through the forest, catching up with him after only a short time. "Hideaki!" She whispered harshly as she made her way to him, panting and swiping bloody sweat from her forehead.
Hideaki spun, fists up in a defensive stance, to find Tana. "What happened to you?" He asked, taking in her dirty, rustled appearance with surprise.
"It was Naruto-sensei," she gasped, catching her breath, "He-he killed Kakashi."
"What?!" Hideaki's eyes grew wide and he nervously glanced around them.
Tana nodded, "We can't beat him by fighting him individually, we're going to have to work together if we have any chance of getting out of here alive."
Hideaki nodded, features tense, "Right, we'd better keep moving while we come up with a plan, then."
Tana nodded, following him as they continued through the forest.
Meanwhile...
Kakashi crouched low on the branch he had jumped to. He carefully peered around the forest, scanning for some sign of his enemy. He had heard them, could smell their scent nearby. A rustle in the trees caught his attention. They were watching him, he was sure. They had been following him and his team for days, relentlessly chasing after them for miles without sleep. Even though his body was screaming at him to rest, his adrenaline heightened his hearing and sharpened his eyes. He, Rin, Obito, and their sensei had gotten separated. One had followed Rin and Obito, another two gone after his sensei, and one was currently tailing him. He glanced around the forest, making sure not to miss anything in his sleep deprived state. He quickly sift through his pouch, feeling for something that would give him an advantage. He only had wire and a few explosive tags. It would have to do, though, he could make a decent trap with the items. He glanced at the trees, sleep-deprived paranoia getting the best of him, and jumped to the next tree in the forest in search of the perfect location. Once he had finally come upon a suitable location and set his trap, he moved downwind, hiding himself and making sure to cover his tracks, all the while keeping his eye on the clearing below. He turned suddenly, noticing a presence appear nearby.
"That's quite a trap you've come up with, Kakashi-kun." A familial blond voiced.
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, noting the way his teacher's blond hair glowed in the sun, which danced through the forest canopy, and his blue eyes which sparkled as he leaned casually against a tree.
"Sensei, you found me," Kakashi replied, turning back to watching the clearing for the enemy nin in preparation to set off his trap.
"Of course," his sensei laugh, amused, "You'll have to set a better trap than that to catch me."
"I know that," Kakashi pulled out a kunai from his holster, readying himself, "Of course a jounin like you wouldn't fall for a trap like this, but they're not jounin - high chunin at the very most."
His sensei frowned, his amused features fading away, "Them?"
"You defeated the two following you fairly quickly, not that I'm surprised. You should go help Rin and Obito, I'm fine."
"Kakashi?" his sensei called, stepping forward in worry.
"Shh! They're here." Kakashi narrowed his eyes as the enemy, a dark haired female, walked into range of his trapped, a second ninja, a red-haired male, following some paces behind her. "Bingo," Kakashi voiced with a deadly edge, throwing his kunai at the nearly invisible wire that, when cut, would trigger his trap.
"Watch out!" His sensei called, eyes wide as the kunai left Kakashi's hand.
Kakashi turned to his sensei, furious that the man had had ruined his trap, only to find that Minato had vanished.
An explosion shook the forest, scaring the birds and animals. The clearing where his trap had detonated was covered in a veil of thick smoke and debris, making it difficult for him to ascertain if he had been able to hit his targets.
Authors Notes:
Woo, cliff hanger! Sorry to all who thought my last post was a new chapter! D: Anyways, I hope this chapter made up for that! I loved the end of this chapter; I have all the feels writing/watching Kakashi mix up the past and present so completely and without knowing that he is doing so DDDDD; DAMN TIME NINJA FOR MAKING HIS LIFE EVEN HARDER!
Anyways, if you didn't see the Author's Note Chapter, I've been updating the earlier chapters (revising, rewriting and editing). There are some major scene changes that have been made, though I tried not to mess with the main plot too much so as not to confuse everyone. Go back and read if you feel like it and tell me what you think of the changes :)
Edited Chapters:
CH 1: 05/16/13
CH 2: 05/18/13
When Time Stops Artwork:
anna-mae , deviant Art .c 0 m /gallery/43853406
NEW anna-mae , deviant Art .c 0 m /art/Bed-Time-374539226
NEW anna-mae , deviant Art .c 0 m /art/Father-and-Son-Bonding-353158528
Kakashi with baby Naruto, the juxtoposition is too heartwrenching and adorable. Don't forget Yamato. They are my ultimate OTF!3 (one true family)