"There. Park the car."
Naruto tried.
"Between the lines, Uzumaki."
His ears bled red. "I know. You're so annoying," he grumbled, reversed, and fixed his position. Once. Twice –
"That's good. You can park now."
Naruto shifted gears and stopped the car. His hands tightened nervously around the stirring wheel. Yesterday, he swore to never trust Hatake again; now, he was driving his car.
Sensei appeared nonchalant as he took out the keys and left the car.
Naruto followed suit, trailing after the man uneasily and scanning the area.
Apparently, Hatake took him to a small diner that did not deserve the title of a restaurant. The diner was, oddly enough, placed on the side of a road near the forest, hidden from cars and detached from the bustle of the town. It had several tables and chairs spread around the clearing and no customers unless the old man with the long white hair who sat in the corner and was obviously drunk counted.
The place looked abandoned and seedy.
Naruto felt for his gun and then felt ashamed for doing so.
"Oi, Dad, come see who it is!" cried the voice of a young woman. "Kakashi! I almost didn't recognize you! Did you forget how to drive?"
Naruto stared at the woman and then at his sensei.
What the hell was going on.
"Hello, Ayame," Sensei greeted, ignoring her question. "Is Teuchi here?"
"Of course he is, you know Dad. Always working." The woman rolled her eyes. "He's in the back. Hello! Who're you?"
Her eyes blinked at him curiously, and Naruto flinched. He never saw Sensei looking this comfortable. He felt distinctively out of place.
"Naruto, a student of mine," Sensei introduced and turned to face him. "I'm going to the back for a second. Order whatever you like." And walked into the diner without much ado.
The woman, Ayame, smiled at him. "Well, come closer, kid! I don't bite." She waved a menu at him. "You must be special if Kakashi brought you here. He is so annoyingly secretive about everything. Do you like ramen?"
Naruto accepted the menu. His heart beat in his throat. Special. He was – was he special? "Um, yeah. I like the instant stuff – "
"Blasphemy!" the woman yelled, smacking the counter. She blinked and blushed when Naruto stared at her. "Oh, sorry. That was a bit of overreaction, wasn't it?" She gasped. "So, wait, that means you've never had real ramen before? We will be your first time? Oh, my!" She clasped her hands excitedly.
Naruto could feel his face burning.
Ayame was oblivious. "I'll make you the classic, no, the special! No, the classic. With extra everything! This is amazing! Tell me everything that you like!"
Naruto took a small step back. The woman was intense. "Um," he managed.
"Ayame, don't scare the customer," said a warm, elderly voice. An old man appeared and turned to smile at him. "So you are…" and fell silent. His eyes widened and, suddenly, filled with tears. "Oh, my," he mumbled.
Naruto took a step back, defensive and unnerved. He searched for Sensei – and hated himself for doing so.
The old man approached him, fingers trembling and eyes seeking, and cupped his cheeks. "He's right," he whispered, "you look just like him."
Naruto swatted his hands away. "Don't touch me, old man! What the fuck is wrong with you?" he snapped, but his bark had no bite. The old man seemed… relieved to see him. Nothing made sense.
The old man smiled and wiped his eyes. "I apologize. I know, it's all very untoward." He ruffled his hair. "I'm just so happy that you're alive, kid."
Naruto swallowed as his body turned cold and numb and unresponsive. What the fuck. What the actual fuck was going on. What –
A hand tapped his shoulder.
He looked up and cursed himself for the relief he felt when Sensei gazed back.
The man tilted his head and led him to one of the tables. He sat down and signaled for Naruto to join him which, after a moment of hesitation, he did.
Sensei ran his fingers through his white hair. "Here. That's what I wanted to show you." He gave him a weathered photograph.
Naruto stared, confused and mistrustful, but Sensei kept his silence, so he managed, slowly, to tear his eyes off the man and gaze at the photograph.
The picture was old. It must have been taken during the fall because all the participants wore scarves and thin coats. He could easily recognize the diner in the background, but…
He frowned and looked closer. A handsome man with blond hair stood at the center of the photograph. He had one hand wrapped around a beautiful woman with long red hair and another ruffling the hair of a sullen-looking boy. The boy had a bandage wrapped around his left eye and appeared displeased with the crown of flowers that decorated his white hair.
The woman held a blond toddler whose smile was identical to hers, wide and shining bright.
Naruto frowned and looked up. "You wanted to show me… your family?" His heart raced, though he had no idea why. His cheeks flushed when he realized Sensei was watching him intently.
The man exhaled and appeared to be steeling himself. "No," he managed. He wanted to say more, but his voice failed him.
"But that's you," Naruto pointed out, frowning. "You lost your eye very young," he mumbled.
Kakashi stirred. "Yeah, that's me. And that's Minato, who was my teacher. That's his wife, Kushina, and that's you." He pointed at the toddler. "This photo was taken… about a month before they died."
Naruto could not breathe. He could not look away. He stared intently at the bright faces beaming up from the photograph. "So. So that's…." Words escaped him. All he managed was a choked gasp.
"Your parents," Sensei murmured. "Yeah. I had my suspicions for some time now… I wanted to tell you when I was certain."
"You…." Naruto tried, very hard, to make sense of everything he had just heard. "You suspected?" he managed, his voice small and breathless. He looked up –
And for a moment, he wished he didn't. He had never seen Sensei's eye holding so much emotion. The usually stoic, disinterested man whose eye was always half-closed now looked… vulnerable. His jaw was clenched and his lips parted and his eye was seeking his.
"You look just like your father," he rasped. "Your hair, your eye color… you even think like him." Sensei blinked and managed a small, sad smile. He looked away and gazed at the photo. "Except for your eyes. You have your mother's eyes and her smile, Uzumaki." His smile widened and turned sadder still. "And her temper."
Naruto leaned closer, drinking every word the man said with a thirst he did not know before. "You-you're not lying this time, right? You – "
"And here we go," the man from before appeared, carrying three large bowls. "Kakashi, your favorite." He placed a bowl in front of him. "He told you, didn't he?" the man said gently, gazing at Naruto with soft, understanding eyes. "Ayame told me you never had real ramen before. This was your father's favorite order," he placed a bowl before him. "And this was your mother's. I must warn you, however, that your mother loved spicy food more than any other woman I had ever met." He chuckled. "She had such a temper. And Minato had no temper at all." He ruffled Naruto's hair. "Keep the photograph. It should be yours." He gave his hair a final pat and left.
Naruto stared at the food and at the photograph and at his sensei.
He had to resist pinching himself.
Sensei finally looked up and met his eyes. "That's not a lie, Uzumaki. I simply had to make sure. I did not want to give you false hopes." He separated his chopsticks. "Well, eat up. Teuchi makes the best ramen I have ever had."
Naruto gazed at the two dishes, sniffing them. He pulled Minato – his dad's – favorite order toward him and slurped. His eyes lit up the moment the food reached his lips, and the flavor flooded his mouth. He might have groaned.
Sensei chuckled, and Naruto's ears burned red. "Shut up," he grumbled.
The man finished slurping his noodles. "I did not say anything."
"You chuckled," Naruto accused him. He flickered his eyes in the man's direction. "So that's the big deal? You knew my parents as a kid?"
That's not what he wanted to ask. He had a thousand questions – he wanted to know everything about them. He wanted stories. He wanted – until now, he did not even know what they looked like. He did not even know their names.
He did not know how to ask.
Sensei hmmed. "I apologize if that's not as exciting as being a gangster." He smiled.
Naruto scowled, but Sensei's smile was soft, so he decided to dare. "What were they like?" he asked.
The man looked up, thinking. His eye looked brighter than usual. "Hmm. Minato was… the calmest, most charismatic man I had ever met. He could silence an entire college-sized classroom with a glance. I had only seen him get angry once, and even then, he did not lose his cool."
Naruto stared at him. Sensei's soft voice and softer eye were marred with grief.
And all of that for a man who was once his teacher.
He's hiding something again, he thought. He said nothing and leaned closer. Every piece of information was precious – something he never imagined he'd learn. He gave up a long time ago – hating himself for wanting something he could never get. And now…
Sensei continued, "Kushina was the exact opposite. She was as beautiful and kind, but her temper earned her the nickname 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero,' though I suppose it helped she loved spicy food." He glanced at him. "Which I understand you don't."
Naruto winced. "He won't get mad, right?"
"Teuchi? Well, he can get touchy, but you did like Minato's ramen, didn't you?" Sensei's lips managed a sad, aching twist. "He will take that as a compliment."
Naruto gazed at the photograph. He noted his own bright grin and Sensei's sullen glare. "You knew me, too."
The man leaned back. "Well, as much as one can know a three-year-old. I remember you liked frogs."
Naruto stared. "Frogs?" His mind immediately conjured the cake with the orange glazing and the small, frog-shaped toy. Did he pick it on purpose? For him?
"Yeah. You'd make us go on 'frog hunting' hikes after the rain." Sensei chuckled. "One time, you brought a frog home from kindergarten, and Kushina yelled at Minato for about an hour."
Naruto finished his meal. "'Us?' Like, a class trip?" He frowned. "But Sakura said you graduated high school when you were seven."
Sensei flinched. "I did. Minato was my mentor in Konoha. He was a professor," he added. "Not a schoolteacher."
Naruto had even more questions. He leaned closer – almost close enough for their legs to touch – and jabbed his chopsticks into his sensei's ramen.
The man blinked. His eye followed Naruto's hand as he fished some of his ramen and slurped it, gazing back at him with defiance.
Naruto had never seen him look this baffled before. He pushed his bowl in Naruto's direction and suggested carefully, "If you would like another –"
"M' not hungry," Naruto bristled. His cheeks colored pink. "I just wanted to know what your favorite ramen tasted like." He chewed thoughtfully. "I prefer dad's."
Sensei stared at him, then smiled. "That's –"
"Oi! Is that – Kakashi?! Oi, you brat!" The drunk man from before swaggered toward them and wrapped his arm around the man's neck. "Is it beneath you to say hi to an old man like me? So rude. You're such a brat, Kakashi!"
Sensei winced. "You stink. Did Tsunade turn you down again?"
"So rude." The old man ruffled his hair. "I'm going to embarrass you in front of your date."
Naruto could not look away – not when Sensei, who was always so cool and composed, was treated like a little kid. His cheeks burned red.
And, oddly enough, so did Sensei's ears. "He's a student, not a date. Look at him, Jiraiya."
The old man gazed at him and paled as the sake bottle fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. His eyes scrutinized him, searching and staring and – and brimmed with tears.
"Minato," he gasped. He released Sensei's neck and reached for him.
Naruto immediately jumped back –
But the man was quick. He pulled him into his arms and hugged him, caressing his hair. "He's a copy of Minato when he was seventeen," he breathed. He released him and cupped his cheeks, scanning his face.
Naruto stared, eyes wide and hands instinctively pushing the surprisingly strong man away from him. He smelled of sake and sweet perfume, and though his touch did not hurt, it did not comfort him like Sensei's embrace did.
"You have your mother's eyes," the man whispered. "I can see her gazing back at me." Tears slid down his cheeks as he caressed Naruto's own. "I thought you were dead. We thought. We all thought…."
Naruto pushed his hands away. "Fuck off, old man. Don't touch me," he growled.
The old man made another attempt to grab him –
Sensei placed his hand on the man's shoulder and stopped him. "Maybe you should introduce yourself first, hmm?"
The old man deflated. He took a moment to compose himself, wipe his tears and clear his throat. He grinned brightly when he was done. "Very well! Prepare yourself, young man! I am Jiraiya, the great professor leading the Myoboku Mathematics Department! Be awed and amazed, Naruto!" He pointed his thumb at himself. "I'm your godfather, brat! Let's get you a drink."
"Out of the question," Sensei intervened. "He's seventeen."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes and crouched – the man was insanely tall – and whispered in Naruto's ear. "Let's go grab a drink without letting the nerd know."
Naruto winced and angled his head away. "No. You stink."
Jiraiya sighed and glared at Hatake. "You turned my godson into a nerd," he accused.
Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms. "I don't want you as a godfather at all. You're a drunk!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you brat," the man ruffled his hair. "I'm also an author and a leading researcher, you know. I'm very popular."
Naruto scoffed again.
Sensei sighed. "I know he doesn't look very impressive, but it's true. He's the head of the math department in Konoha and one of the most brilliant minds in the field today."
Naruto stared at his teacher and then at the drunk. "Him?" He furrowed his brow. "He's gonna teach me?" he asked, skeptical.
"Oi, brat, I'm not going to give you any special treatment just because you're my favorite student's son. You need to open your own doors, you know," Jiraiya lectured, rubbing his chin.
Sensei turned to look at him. "You declared he was a prodigy when you saw his solution to Minato's problem," he commented dryly. "No need for theatrics."
Jiraiya winced. "Let him fret for a bit – "
Naruto's eyes widened. "The… the triangle stuff, my dad wrote it?" He intervened and focused on the man next to him. His heart drummed faster whenever he spoke.
Sensei smiled at him. "Yeah."
Jiraiya shook his head. "I should've known you would use it. He always presents it to his grad students," he said, gazing at Naruto. "To humble them, more than anything else."
Sensei hid his hands in his pockets.
Jiraiya continued, smiling mischievously. "I remember when Minato gave you the problem to solve." He gazed at Naruto again. "Kakashi was such a brat. He solved the problem within an hour– "
"I was ten," the man said defensively.
"And all the more of a brat for it. Imagine a class full of twenty-something-year-olds, and out of them, only the ten-year-old solves it – to be told by Minato that, while correct, it wasn't what he was looking for."
Sensei saw his confusion and explained, "I used the same theorem Uchiha did, but Minato was looking for a different approach. Your solution, Uzumaki."
Jiraiya frowned. "Uzumaki? But that's Kushina's maiden name."
Sensei leaned against the table and said nothing.
Naruto's eyes flickered between the men and the weathered photograph. "Um. I don't… that doesn't make sense. Aren't you, like, forty?"
Sensei flinched, and Jiraiya burst out laughing, slapping Sensei's back. "You thought he was forty? With this face?" He wiped tears from his eyes. "Oh, that's – just wait till I tell Tsunade."
Naruto pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought he had a good complexion," he mumbled defensively.
Sensei looked quite uncomfortable. "I'm twenty-five," he admitted.
Naruto stared. "Eh? That's it? Then why are you acting like an adult who knows stuff?" he demanded, pointing a finger at him.
Sensei was not impressed. "I am an adult, and I do know stuff."
"You're only eight years older!"
"Did you calculate that all by yourself?"
Naruto tried, failed to think of a comeback, and scowled.
Jiraiya sighed. "You're both dumb kids. Oi, Naruto." He wrapped his hand around Naruto's neck – who did not resist his touch, this time – and whispered conspiratorially in his ear, "Whatever you do, don't fall for his tricks, you hear? Kakashi's very good at getting people to do whatever he wants using his face." He winked. "Make him work."
Naruto flushed and looked away.
"I do not," the man objected, ears slightly pink. "I'm a very smooth talker."
"Oh, sure. You can say whatever you want with a face like that."
Sensei tilted his head. "Ah. I understand. You're jealous because you're old and still lusting after twenty-year-old girls."
Naruto wriggled free out of the man's grip.
Jiraiya hmphed. "I would rather chase youth than watch it pass me by. You gave up a year in the most cutting-edge lab in Kumogakure to become a bloody teacher."
"I had my reasons." Sensei leaned against the table. "Kumogakure will wait."
The old man shook his head. "I guess some things never change. It is impossible to make you talk, Kakashi."
The conversation kept bouncing around and away from him. Naruto could not stay quiet. "Was it me?" he blurted, seeking his sensei with his eyes. His cheeks heated when the man met his gaze, his dark eye as undecipherable as always. "The reason," he added.
Sensei clenched his jaw. The gesture was almost invisible – barely a ripple in the stoic mask that was the man's face – but Naruto held on to it.
"No," he said quietly. "No. You must understand… your parents died in a horrible accident. Their car, somehow, strayed from the road and fell from a cliff into the ocean. Their bodies were found, but yours never was. At some point…." The man swallowed, composing himself. "It was determined that since the body was small, it was probably shattered by the rocks. If we had known…."
Naruto could almost hear the words Sensei did not say. We would have come for you. We would have saved you. He thought of his life, alone and unwanted, gritted his teeth, and looked away.
A hand ruffled his hair.
Naruto looked up and stared, his heart racing and tightening his throat, at Sensei's long fingers as they tangled in the golden strands. "I was asked to come and help Uchiha hone his skills. Never in a million years did I think that I would find you." He dropped his hand. "I'm glad that I did." His voice was soft and quiet.
Naruto stared. His mouth dried, and his body trembled. His eyes widened and brimmed with tears.
Fuck. He looked away and wiped his face.
Jiraiya chuckled. "He's a crybaby. Just like his father."
"Shut up, you pervert," Naruto snapped and punched his stomach.
The old man doubled over, gasping.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Naruto took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair. He punched Sensei's friend – and his godfather, or whatever – and now – his eyes flickered to glance at his sensei.
The man's stoic calm did not shift. "You deserved that," he pointed out and met Naruto's eyes. "Did Gai teach you that?"
Naruto stared, confused and desperate. "Um. Yeah. When I worked at his garage…." He blinked. "How did you know that?"
Sensei offered a semi-crooked smile. "The way you talked about the car. Not many people can see through the design and sense the engine." He slapped Jiraiya's back. "You should go back and train with him."
Naruto shuffled his feet and looked away. "I can't," he admitted, his voice hushed. He glanced at the coughing Jiraiya, and then edged near Sensei.
The man must have understood because he lowered his head and tilted it so that Naruto could easily reach him.
Naruto hesitated, but Sensei was really smart and really good at killing. He'd know what to do. "Boss said he'd blow the garage if I come back," he whispered in his ear. "You can't tell anyone I told you because he said that if I do, he'd." His voice faltered.
He stepped away, heart shivering from the sudden cold that overtook him. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, let alone explain himself. What if Gai wouldn't want him to come back? What if what he just did would cost Sensei his life and –
He froze when he felt Sensei's hand grabbing his shoulder and stirring him away from Jiraiya.
Sensei gave his shoulder one final squeeze before letting go. "Don't worry about that," he promised, his voice quiet. "I'll explain everything. Despite his looks, Gai is a clever man. He will understand."
"But – "
"I won't let anything happen to Gai or the garage," Sensei reassured him. "Consider it taken care of."
His voice was soft and comforting. Naruto pushed away the defensive anxiety that flared when he realized how easily the man could read him and frowned instead. "Wait, how'd you – do you just… know everyone?"
The warmth that Sensei's voice stirred within him – he pushed even further away.
"Told you," Jiraiya coughed. "It's his face." He managed to stand tall again and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
Naruto watched him leave. He had questions. So many questions. Too many questions. He did not know what to ask. He held the picture Teuchi gave him with reverent and trembling fingers.
Sensei sighed and looked up. "It's getting dark. Shall we head back?"
"Can I drive?" Naruto asked. He blushed when he realized how excited he sounded.
Sensei, in response, threw him the keys. "But only until we get to the town."
Naruto caught them.
"Also, take the gun out of your pants." The man cocked his brow. "Before it blows a hole in your leg."
Naruto flinched and did as he was told, ears red. "Could've told me earlier."
"You did not trust me enough earlier." The man still leaned against the table. "Do you know how to handle guns?" he asked quietly.
"I know about the safety stuff and how to load and unload," Naruto mumbled. "I checked that the safety's on."
He looked up, but he could not read the man's expression. "It's not enough. A gun is only safe when it is unloaded, and even then, it should be treated as a loaded one. Unload it, Uzumaki."
Naruto looked at the gun. "Now you don't trust me," he whispered.
"It's the gun I don't trust. It is a killing machine, Uzumaki. It has no loyalties."
Naruto unloaded the gun and checked for a bullet in the barrel, just like the boss showed him. He swallowed when he remembered that only yesterday, he pointed that gun at the man sitting calmly next to him. "M' sorry," he mumbled.
Sensei was silent for a long while. "It was my fault for scaring you. I don't blame you for your actions. Or your mistrust."
Naruto's head snapped up – but the man looked away.
He was so accepting, Naruto realized. No matter what I said or how I said it, he never got mad at me. I pointed a gun at him, and he came to save me. I treated him like shit – and he bought me dinner.
He never pushed back.
"Here, kid." Jiraiya approached them, waving something in his hand. "Took me a while to find it. Here." He handed him yet another photograph. This one contained a younger Jiraiya grinning proudly with his hands gripping the shoulders of a young, blond teen who gazed at the auburn-haired teen next to him with a soft smile and a softer blush. The girl, apparently oblivious, showed her medal proudly to the camera while the blond held his in his fist.
"See, you look just like him," Jiraiya said softly. "First place in the math Olympiads. I fully expect you to carry on the tradition when you join our ranks, kid." He ruffled his hair. "I wrote my number on the back. Call me if you need something, want something… if you want to talk, anything. All right?" He pinched Naruto's cheek, who flinched and stepped away. "Don't keep me waiting, yeah?" He turned to address Sensei. "You too, you ass. Keep in touch, you hear?"
Sensei waved his hand. "Yes, yes." He started walking to his car.
Naruto stared, then remembered he was holding the keys. He ran after him.
It felt strange to unlock Sensei's car and sit in the driver's seat. The man, however, did not seem bothered by the shift in power this move created.
Sensei turned to look at him. "Go on. Out of parking and into reverse."
Naruto blushed when he realized he was staring. He followed the man's instructions and slowly guided the car out of the clearing and toward the road.
"Wait!" yelled a muffled voice.
Naruto stopped the car. He turned to look at Sensei – who pointed at the window behind him.
Naruto turned around and blinked, then rolled down the window.
Teuchi ran to him and offered him a small slip of paper. "Took me a while to find this. Free meal on your next visit. You will come back, won't you, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded, too surprised to speak. He accepted the coupon.
"You too, Kakashi. Bring him more often," the old man said, still panting. "Well, drive safe!" He stepped back.
Naruto rolled up the window and merged with the road. "Um, how do I…."
"Second lever from the right. Flicker it up."
Naruto did, and the car's lights shone brighter. He had a thousand thoughts swarming through his mind, and none made much sense.
"Jiraiya used to treat Minato and Kushina to ramen, so the diner became their favorite place to frequent. It became a tradition."
Naruto frowned. "What?"
"You were wondering why everyone recognized you."
Naruto's scowl deepened. He was wondering that. "You could've waited for me to ask," he bristled.
Sensei was quiet. "I apologize," he finally said.
And Naruto felt like a piece of shit. Sensei was just trying to hold a conversation with him, and he… he pursed his lips and swallowed. "Is he really that smart? Jiraiya, I mean." His cheeks heated at that silly attempt. That's not really what he wanted to know.
"Hmm. Surprising, isn't it?" Sensei replied. "You can google him later and read his work, then form your own opinion."
Naruto nodded. He tried to decide what he wanted to ask first.
"Or you could ask Haruno."
Naruto flinched. He risked a glance at his teacher, but Hatake gazed at him with a sardonic glint in his one eye and a small, tight-lipped smile.
He scoffed. "Your fault for being all secretive and stuff." He tapped the stirring wheel. "Is that why you gave your car an old-looking exterior?"
Sensei sighed. "I needed the performance, but I don't care for brands and design. There's nothing mysterious about it."
"But you're so mysterious, Sensei," Naruto complained. "Why do you need a fast car and why do you know so much about guns and why did you say 'us' when you talked about the frog hunting hikes."
"To get places, to know how they work, and because I came along. You are overthinking things, Uzumaki." Sensei's tone was nonchalant, but Naruto felt it hid something underneath.
He could not tell how he knew, but a small part of him sensed that the man did not want to talk about himself. Something about him felt… tense. "I want stories," he mumbled. "I'm trying to figure out how much you know."
The tense shard in the back of his mind melted away. "Well, it is easier to ask directly, isn't it?" the man said quietly.
Naruto snorted. "Sure. Last time I asked you something directly, you kidnapped me to a remote place to show me a picture," he teased. He hoped Sensei would respond in kind.
"You drove us."
"So?"
"Well, that hardly counts as kidnapping."
Naruto tried to think of a comeback and failed, again. Something about Sensei's dry voice left his mind blank. "I can kidnap you now," he managed.
He felt Sensei's eye on him and felt his cheeks burn red.
"Seems like a lot of effort for a story," Sensei said finally. "Will you come back tomorrow, as usual?"
Naruto tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "Yeah," he mumbled, then groaned. "Bet Iruka wants my head."
"Hmm. I will take you up on that bet."
Naruto risked a short glance at his sensei. His expression was stoic as usual, but his eye was sharp – and slightly warm. "You mean you spoke with him again?"
"No. I excused your absence."
Naruto blinked. "You can do that?"
Sensei smiled. "Well, yes. I am a teacher, after all."
"When?" Again, that didn't make sense. Did he excuse his absence and then search for him? But –
"When Teuchi searched for the photograph. I had a moment to spare. Turn right."
Naruto did. He remembered to signal this time. He tried to follow the bits of information Sensei offered. "So if I'll come, you'll tell me a story?" he dared and glanced at the man next to him.
Sensei rested his head on his hand. His fingers framed his cheekbone and curled over his lips. He smiled. "Yeah."
Naruto immediately looked away, but the damage was done; his face flushed pink. Jiraiya was right – Sensei was too goddamn pretty.
"Tell me one now," he asked stubbornly.
Sensei returned his eye to the road. He was quiet for a moment and then started to talk. His voice was soft and rich – deep and not quite smooth – and Naruto was entranced. He kept interrupting and asking questions, but all he wanted was to hear more, learn more.
And memorize the sound of his voice.
"Stop the car."
Naruto immediately did.
"Not in the middle of the road, you brat. Park it."
Naruto's ears burned. "Right."
Sensei chuckled. "We've reached the town. Did you notice?"
Naruto parked and unbuckled the seatbelt. "No," he admitted. "I was focusing on you." He turned to look at Sensei – who stared – frowned and got out of the car.
I said something weird again, didn't I. He's gonna think I'm all weird n' stuff and –
Naruto leaned against the car and ran his fingers through his hair, tightening his hold.
What if he's nice just cuz of my dad and he doesn't like me at all? Or what if he thinks I'm an idiot and he's just guilt-ridden –
A hand tightened on his wrist, easing his fingers' punishing hold. "What is it, Uzumaki?"
Naruto freed his hand. "Nothing," he mumbled and walked past the man and toward his seat –
Sensei grabbed his shoulder. "Tell me." He tightened his hold just slightly. "Trust me."
Naruto shrugged the man's hand off but turned to face him. "I get it, my dad was awesome and you liked him," he muttered, hiding his hands in his pockets. "S'that why you're helping me?"
He did not look away – he wanted to see every reaction that managed to break through Sensei's mask. Every emotion his one eye was willing to betray.
The man exhaled softly. He opened his mouth –
"N' don't lie," Naruto burst through, too agitated to hear what the man had to say. "Everyone at the ramen place had a fucking meltdown when they saw my face. You knew," he accused. "Even if you weren't sure, you knew from the moment you saw me."
"Yes," Sensei said quietly. "I suspected… very early on. And I admit, that piqued my curiosity." His hand reached for him again and ruffled his hair. "But that's not why I'm helping you. You open your own doors, Uzumaki."
Naruto leaned into the touch without noticing. Sensei had long, expressive fingers, and his touch managed to soothe Naruto's agitated thoughts. "So… so it's not… it's not guilt, or charity, or…." He looked down and bit his lip.
"No. I told you I believe in you, and I meant it." His hand still caressed his hair. "I see how you think, and I believe you can revolutionize the way math is applied today. This is the truth, Uzumaki."
Naruto's breath was caught in his throat. He blinked furiously and looked down. Sensei… Sensei really thought he was good. He really cared about him and believed in him – "Good," Naruto managed. His voice was strangled. "Stop lying to me."
Sensei's adam's apple shivered as he swallowed. He ruffled his hair one last time and dropped his hand. "Ready to go home?" he asked quietly.
Naruto nodded. His eyes followed Sensei's hand as it disappeared within the man's pocket. He curled into the car seat and observed Sensei as the man entered the car and returned it – with a few smooth movements – back to the road.
The hour, Naruto suddenly noticed, was later than he expected. "Is that ramen place that far away?"
He flinched when Sensei chuckled. "No. You drove very slowly."
Naruto blinked. "Um. S'that bad?"
"Only if you want to get places."
Naruto scowled, but his curiosity was piqued. "You're bragging," he decided. "You wanna show off."
Sensei winced. "I assure you – "
But Naruto leaned closer. He was, suddenly and inexplicably, excited. "Go on, Sensei."
The man glanced at him. His eye widened momentarily before flickering back to the road.
He pressed the gas pedal –
The engine purred, but the car roared.
Naruto leaned forward, eyes glued to the rapidly changing view. The forest road ended dramatically and melted into an intersection –
The car passed by without slowing down to turn.
Naruto blinked and turned to gaze at his sensei… and there his eyes remained.
The man drove the car smoothly, almost like a dance. The speed had no impact on his driving. He dashed through the streets, passing cars and navigating, almost lazily, all the way to Naruto's apartment.
He stopped the car as elegantly as he drove it.
Naruto stared as the man exhaled and leaned back in his seat. The gesture was imperceptible, almost invisible, but Naruto could not look away. "Teach me to drive like that," he demanded.
Sensei's eye flickered to look at him.
Naruto's ears burned red. "Um. Please."
The man managed a semi-crooked smile in return. "Give me your phone, Uzumaki."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Only if you agree," he challenged.
Sensei cocked his brow. "Only if you give me your phone," he replied.
Naruto scoffed and obeyed. His cheeks heated when he revealed the cracked screen and the old model. It wasn't even a touchscreen phone. "I know it looks like shit," he babbled, nervous, "but it works, so..."
Sensei did not look at him. He pressed some buttons and offered it back. "I added my number. If you press the number one for more than three seconds, it will call me automatically." Sensei's eye held his. "I want you to call me if you're ever in trouble, Uzumaki."
Naruto accepted the phone and gazed at the man's hand. "You think Boss's gonna make another move… against me?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Sensei answered, his voice just as stark. "Do you prefer to stay at my place?"
Naruto flushed red. "Um. I have a dog."
"I have eight."
Naruto blinked. He tilted his head. "Bet my dog's bigger. But seriously? Eight?"
Sensei gave him back the gun he picked up. "I have a spare unit. Call me if you need anything or change your mind."
Naruto nodded. A part of him wanted to stay with him. The man felt safe, and Naruto slowly learned to feel comfortable in his presence. He wanted to know more. He wanted – Naruto unbuckled his seatbelt. "Good night, Sensei."
The man nodded, waited for him to close the door, and sped away.
Damn. Naruto scowled and rubbed his arms, then climbed up the stairs and rushed to his apartment. His mind was a mess of thoughts and wants and memories he had to ensure would last.
He locked the door, picked up the notebook hidden in the metal box, and began to draw.
He drew his sensei when he came to save him – his eye aching and his jaw clenched and his entire body almost begging him not to run away. He drew him eating ramen – an inelegant act that he somehow managed to turn graceful. He drew his annoyed reaction to Jiraiya when the older man hugged his neck and ruffled his hair and his sardonic smile when they bantered.
He drew him when he spoke about his parents. The slight glint in the black eye and the barely parted lips. The long, expressive fingers curled into a fist.
He could not stop drawing him.
The weight on the bed shifted – Naruto put down the notebook and embraced the dog's broad chest, pulling him closer. "M'sorry I was mean to you. I was just really confused and angry. M'sorry."
The dog rumbled and sat behind him, as he always did, and wrapped his body around Naruto's. He licked his forehead and brushed his cheek against Naruto's shoulder, then lay his giant head in Naruto's lap.
Naruto caressed his thick fur. "I thought about you today," he whispered. "That I should've taken you with me when I tried to run away. I was nearly done for; again. I don't know how they found me – I was just riding my bike, y'know, and then they popped out of nowhere and threw something at the wheels. I thought I'd die for sure."
The dog raised his head and rubbed his cheek against Naruto's neck.
Naruto hugged him and pressed his forehead against the beast's. "I kept thinking, maybe you'd burst out of the trees and save me. That kept me running. I thought, maybe I'm running to where you always go when you're not with me. I kept thinking, maybe you'll save me."
The dog pressed back, licking his hand. He rumbled again.
Naruto smiled. "Nah. I'm fine. Kaka-I mean, Hatake saved me." He blushed. "I had the weirdest day. And I keep saying that about every day since he started teaching. Look." Naruto picked up the two photos he hid in his bag with careful, gentle fingers. "But don't lick! You can only look. Here." He showed him the two pictures. "That's my mom, and that's my dad. I've never... I've never seen 'em before. I didn't even know their names." Tears slid down his cheeks. "I had to try really hard not to cry in front of Sensei. That's him. I think it's his birthday, but he looks really sad."
The dog licked his eyes, leaning closer, and Naruto had to push him away. "Stop! That tickles. I'm fine. This is happy crying because I kinda know my parents now. My mom had a temper, and my dad was a crybaby, like me. That's me," he added. "I look really happy. Sensei said I liked frogs, but now I think dogs are better."
Naruto placed the two pictures in front of him, furrowed his brow, and tried to draw his parents. "It's difficult," he mumbled. "I don't know what expressions they make or how they move. Pictures are not very honest. I think people and um, y'know, faces and bodies and all that, they make sense only in movement. Only when they change, you can understand what they mean. A picture is just like, well, like one word from a sentence. It means something, but not a lot without, um, the rest. Does that make sense?"
Naruto scowled at the picture.
The dog perked up his ears and barked.
Naruto giggled. "Sorry. I forgot dogs don't have words and sentences n' stuff. You're still very cute, even if you're silly." He said, patting his head.
The dog stared at him, unimpressed.
Naruto put away the drawings and the pictures and jumped on the dog, curling in his lap. "That's okay. I like you. And being dumb is a good thing. It means you don't have to worry about stuff or judge me for… for stuff." He picked up the photos and placed them next to him on the bed, tracing his fingers over their faces. "G'night mom, g'night dad." He chuckled. "G'night, baby-sensei. M'not telling you good night, you weird math pervert."
The dog licked his cheek and nuzzled at Naruto's neck.
"And good night to you too." Naruto caressed the dog's ear. "I think you are lucky, after all."
Notes:
Gotta agree with Jiraiya on this one – they are dumb kids hahaha
So I ehh… de-aged Kakashi a little bit. I don't think it really affects anything, but I just felt it would fit the story better.
Anyways! Got a little bit of exposition and hopefully answered some of your questions! What did you guys think?
Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I'll see you guys next Friday!
