Chapter Three: Childish Ideals
Kakashi thought of himself as a self-aware person, and as a self-aware person he was cognizant of the fact that he had a big secret.
A big poorly kept secret.
As a future shinobi of Konohagakure he should work on hiding it better.
Kakashi had an intense fondness for his family. It wasn't strictly unallowed by shinobi rules, but it certainly led to various grey areas with potential to influence his decisions in the future. It's why he needed to stay vigilant.
He couldn't foresee a future where it was a problem. Dad was a seasoned and loyal shinobi and was considered a hero by many in the village. Kakashi admired his accomplishments and humbleness and was proud to have him as a father and mentor. He hoped to be as accomplished as him one day.
His sister, on the other hand, was a bleeding heart who had clear established boundaries. She never failed to raise to expectations and often surpassed them. Her emotional mask raised whenever she stepped outside their house. She wasn't clingy, per se, as she always respected boundaries but she was fearless in expressing her love towards them while at home. She didn't understand training as innately as he did but she never slowed him down – always only a few steps behind. However, it was the reverse when it came to learning more academic things like kanji and mathematics where he was usually the one a few steps behind.
Dad and Yuina were smart, competent, and strong people who walked the same path as him. As such, there was no reason to believe that his fondness for them will ever cause any problems, but one doesn't become a good shinobi by only preparing for what they expect. Good and accurate intel was preferrable but not guaranteed.
Kakashi thought of someone trying to use them against himself, but shook his head as the scene wouldn't form. They wouldn't get captured. They wouldn't let it get to that point.
Sakumo was placing bowls of fried egg on rice with sprinkled cut nori when he saw his son enter the room with a notebook in hand. It wasn't the first time Kakashi had 'borrowed' Yuina's notes. It's lead to Sakumo teaching the two the Shadow Clone Jutsu earlier than intended after the two hurt themselves while doing some experimental training. Kakashi had never looked so confused before though.
"Good morning Kakashi."
Kakashi shoved the notebook towards him ignoring all pleasantries. "What kind of code is this? Can you teach me?"
"Code?" Sakumo's mind immediately went to formulas Kakashi probably didn't know yet. Last time he peaked glanced into the notebook Sakumo noted that equations and diagrams were becoming increasingly more common unlike her broad early notes. He took the notebook and looked. Some was as he expected but the written notes were in some code. If he compared the new content to the earlier writing he could probably decipher it with some time, but it was nothing he recognized. "I'm…unsure."
Kakashi's eyes widened. His dad didn't know. He was always able to answer questions.
Yuina entered with a yawn but stopped mid-stretch to stare at the two staring at her. "What?" Her eyes glanced towards to notebook and frowned. "I gave in and said you could experiment with me if you stopped stealing my notes and trying on your own."
"I was just reading," Kakashi defended himself. Reading without action didn't technically break the agreement they made.
"…right." Yuina was clearly suspicious but sat down to eat as she preferred her egg warm.
It seemed like her choice to switch to English worked as a deterrent if Sakumo held the notes. She didn't like the thought of using kids to experiment her theories, especially not Kakashi, but he was adamant, going as far as sneaking out to try by himself, and quite frankly seemed more in tune with chakra than herself that she gave in under the promise that he couldn't do it alone. Especially after the chakra exhaustion and burns they both suffered last time.
And wasn't that a good thing to know. Chakra can burn.
"What kind of code is this?" Sakumo asked intrigued.
Yuina eyes the two and shrugged. She loved them but she wasn't giving in that easily. "That would defeat the purpose of writing it that way if I told you."
Sakumo changed the topic as he wasn't going to make progress on that front this morning. He had been requested to take on more, and longer, missions. He told his kids the information waiting to gauge their reactions.
"When are you going on your next mission?" Kakashi had no reservations and seemed eager for any details Sakumo was allowed to share.
Yuina hesitated before nodding as if asking the same question as Kakashi.
Yuina didn't understand Konoha's insistence on children being responsible for themselves from a young age. It was largely historical. If people were old enough to train to kill they were old enough to be responsible for themselves. She could see how someone made that leap in logic even if she thought negatively of it for a long list of reasons.
Kakashi didn't exactly act like a three-year-old though. That didn't mean he didn't deserve sheltering or protection but he would undoubtedly claim he didn't need it and act in such manner. She wasn't exactly a child either.
She suspected Sakumo would return regardless of their answers but it was likely the difference between being left alone and paying someone to check in on them. Despite the ethics of it, between those two options she would rather be left alone because having a babysitter just felt wrong.
"I haven't been assigned yet, but I will soon."
"I'll look out for Kakashi, so come home safe." She didn't know whether longer missions were necessarily more dangerous, but they certainly sounded like there were more opportunities for something to go wrong.
"I don't need watching over," Kakashi complained as expected. "And of course, he'll come home safe." He scoffed. "It's Otou-san".
Yuina's heart breaks a little. Comments like those reminded her that even Kakashi could act his age. She hoped Kakashi is never proved wrong in such childish ideals of invincibility.
"Now hurry up and eat so you we can train more before you go."