A/N I forgot to add a note on the last chapter. I made Sakura(and the rest of her gen by default though it wont matter) a couple of years older so I wouldn't have to drag out the story years. She is 18 and Kakashi is 30.

Chapter Seven

Family Time

Three days later, Kakashi stood with Sakura and the kid in a crowd of civilians and, by the looks of it, every single Leaf shinobi before Hokage tower. The Sandaime stood on the rooftop balcony, his council behind him. When Sakumo appeared beside them, confused and angry mutterings swept the crowd. The shinobi around them demanded justice for the war they'd been forced to fight. What exactly that 'justice' would entail was unclear.

Someone nearby whispered loudly to his neighbor that the 'traitor' should be thrown in prison. It might have been shocking if he hadn't just survived an attack from his own team. Kakashi-kun took hold of Sakura's hand and seemed to shrink into her side. He was scared, Kakashi realized. Sakumo had done his best to shield him from the worst of the village's backlash. But he could not hide his injuries, and now he was surrounded by a crowd calling for his father's arrest. Hopefully whatever the Hokage said would pacify the village.

Just in case, Kakashi took a step closer to them, standing right behind the kid and wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders. She glanced up at him, anxious, before casting a disgusted glare around the crowd.

The Hokage raised his hands, and gradually the harsh tide of voices was silenced.

"Today, I come before you to address a grave miscarriage of justice. Four months ago one of our very finest Shinobi—a man that is in no small part responsible for winning us the last great war—made a decision as captain of his team. That decision saved the lives of his comrades at the cost of the mission. It went against the core tenets of what is asked of us as shinobi. The mission must always be put first. We shinobi are merely tools in the hand of the Hokage, wielded for the protection and betterment of the village.

"But how easily we forget that despite our rules and training and mighty skill, all of us are still human. It is impossible to root out all emotion, to destroy fully the love for our comrades and village. And woe to those who would try.

"Hatake Sakumo may have made a controversial decision, but it was his love for his comrades, and his village, that drove that choice. With such a valorous record, leading countless shinobi into battle with many victories, I trust his judgment.

"Unfortunately, and to my deepest shame, I kept my personal feelings on this matter to myself. In a moment of weakness of character, I chose to allow one of my best and most loyal generals to take the blame for a war I could not prevent. Yes, I knew the manner of vile falsehoods spreading among you like wildfire, but I said nothing. I would have allowed his very life to be destroyed to avoid taking your fear and anger onto myself."

Around them, the crowd was starting to mutter amongst themselves. Shinobi glanced at one another nervously, confused, not a few looking betrayed and angry.

"This new conflict has been festering since the last war ended. Bitterness and hatred, old grievances and new, have been raging violently ever nearer our borders for the last year. Efforts for peace have been frustrated at every turn, but that failure rests with me, with the other Kage.

"I can no longer allow a shinobi I will rely upon greatly in the coming months to be martyred for my sake. This war is not his fault. Not in the least. I must own my failures as his Hokage."

Hiruzen turned from the stunned crowd to face Sakumo. "I can only offer my most sincere apology, Hatake Sakumo, and pray to all the gods that you will forgive me and the village that has wronged you."

In an act of humility Kakashi was not sure he fully believed, the Hokage bowed at the waist before Sakumo. Behind him, his council followed suit. Danzō, he noticed, hesitated briefly. Kakashi had noted the Hokage's choice of words and wondered if it had been done on purpose.

Accepting the apology graciously, Sakumo briefly returned the bow. That taken care of, Hiruzen returned his attention to the crowd. "Very soon our great nation will be plunged once again into the chaotic fires of war. We must not allow ourselves to be torn apart from within. Now, more than ever, we must rely upon one another. I take some small solace in knowing that when I must once again ask you to fight as one, to risk your lives on behalf of your nation, your village, your families, I send you off under the leadership of one who so values each and every one of your lives. I am confident that the Land of Fire will arise from the ashes of war, victorious once again."

He ended to a ruckus applause. Kakashi guessed most of it was bullshit. He doubted very much that the war wouldn't be the drawn out, bloody disaster he remembered. Surely his father would make a difference, but how much of one remained to be seen.

"What will happen to the other shinobi? Surely this is not a time to be wasting good Jōnin."

Sakura sighed softly as she continued shelling garlic. "I'm not sure. Sakumo has officially forgiven them, but attempting to kill a fellow Leaf shinobi is a serious offense. He told Karasu the other day that they're currently being held in T . So long as no one tries it again, I don't care."

The old woman, her grandmother's dear friend and Sakura's new sworn enemy, pursed her lips and went back to her knitting. "Speaking of your husband—" Oh no, here we go. "You two have been awfully quiet at night since I've been here. If you aren't keeping up the neighbors, he's not doing it right."

Oh gods, this old hag will be the death of me.

"Oh Yōko, do shut up." Ume turned from where she'd been chopping carrots, her knife waving dangerously as she glared down at her friend. "Can't you see you're embarrassing the poor girl? They're being polite. Honestly."

Yōko scoffed. "At my age, Ume, I need all the entertainment I can get, else I'll die of boredom."

Sakura was positive she had never been so embarrassed in her life. And then the man in question slipped into the kitchen, the pink tops of his ears indicating he had heard at least part of the conversation. Now she was the most embarrassed of her life. Unfortunately, Yōko had seen him too.

"There he is. You know, young man, it is a husband's duty to please his wife properly. My late husband used to do this marvelous thing with his tongue and index—"

"Oh gods, woman, that's enough!" Sakura had dropped the garlic and leaned halfway over the table to cover her wrinkled mouth with her hand, blessedly just in time for Kakashi-kun to peek out from around his older self.

"Unhand me, child! This is for your benefit!"

Furious but not willing to actually murder an old lady, Sakura pasted on a fake smile and glared hard down at her. "My husband is doing just fine in that department, thank you very much. There is a child present. Please shut up."

She brushed her hands away and sniffed, indignant, finally going back to her knitting. "Fine. Spoilsport."

Sakura met Kakashi's eyes, feeling like she would like to die from humiliation. Fortunately he was pushing his younger self into the room ahead of him, an excellent distraction.

Kakashi-kun was carrying a flat box and looking between them and the old lady with a sort of calculating confusion that filled her with mild terror until he was nudged impatiently in the arm. "Go on, kid."

Seeing an escape, Sakura rounded the table and excused herself from the dinner preparation. "Come on Kakashi-kun, let's go to the other room."

He frowned up at older Kakashi but followed her anyway. "What were you talking about?"

She sighed, exasperated. "Remember how we talked about minding adults' privacy? Well sometimes batty old hags forget their manners as easily as nosy little boys."

Ears still burning, Kakashi cleared his throat but it sounded suspiciously like a laugh. When she glared at him, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Still more comfortable, dear?" He only coughed, not meeting her eyes. "We need to find somewhere else to live. I can't live with that nosy old nut anymore. Yesterday she badgered me for an hour about babies. Who does she think she is? My mother? Honestly, Karasu, I would rather live under a bridge."

"Come live with me! We have loads of room. Dad won't mind. I promise to not be nosy!" Kakashi-kun was looking up at her with shockingly pleading eyes. Sakura was a little surprised he'd offered.

"Hey kid…" Kakashi ruffled his hair. "We can talk about that later. Give her the box."

"Oh yeah." He held it up eagerly. "You ruined your clothes when you fixed dad up the other day. And the first time… We got this for you to say thanks."

Sakura took the box from him, confused but putting a smile on her face. "What is it?"

The little brat crossed his arms and looked up at her like she was the dumbest pile of rocks he'd ever seen. "Open it."

The smile slipped from her face and she reached to flick his forehead. He dodged but knocked into Kakashi's side. She tsk'd, focusing on the box in her lap. It was a new dress, a dark emerald qipao similar to the ones Kakashi had bought her weeks before. It looked like it would fall to her knees, with slits up the side for easier movement. On the back, picked out in white embroidery, was the Hatake crest. She only recognized it from this time as her Kakashi never wore it in the future.

Her eyes darted over to meet his.

Can I wear this?

He looked contemplative. And then, his eyes softened and she could tell that he was smiling.

Yes.

She let the smile tugging at the corners of her lips bloom as she turned back to the kid beside her. "It's beautiful, Kakashi-kun. Thank you."

His eyes crinkled all the way shut with a masked grin. "I picked the color. Dad said we should get you the same color you had but I thought green would look better with your hair. Blue really wasn't your color."

How he managed to be so adorable and still so annoying at the same time she didn't think she would ever understand. "Let me put this on and then we can go, okay?"

Kakashi and Sakumo sparred again. They did not go so hard this time, sticking to taijutsu and tools. But it was still impressive to watch. When they were done, Kakashi-kun boldly demanded that she spar him. She looked at her Kakashi with a question. Can he handle this?

The almost indignant smirk told her that yes, Kakashi-kun could definitely handle this.

Arrogant.

As it turned out, even at five and a half, Kakashi had been exceptional at taijutsu. She was actually having to put real effort into their spar. It was a little annoying.

When he did a clever little sidestep, popping up behind her to tap her backside lightly, before sweeping around to avoid the kick she'd been aiming, she very nearly saw red. His father scolded him from where he sat but it was too late. He took one look at the thunder on her face and darted off across the field, shouting apologies between fits of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Ayame-san! I didn't mean to!"

"Get back here you little punk!"

She was fast but he had a head start. Deciding to teach him a lesson, a wicked grin split Sakura's face as she pulled chakra to her fists. In one precisely aimed strike—careful not to completely destroy the field—she brought both hands down. A narrow fissure erupted, cracking all the way to where he was. He stumbled as the ground shook and leapt into the air. When he looked down to see the fissure split open beneath him, his arms started windmilling erratically and he fell into the new crevice with a satisfying cry of surprise.

"What happened to 'laying low,' Ayame?"

She threw a smirk back over her shoulder at Kakashi, who was shaking his head in frustrated amusement, before taking off to make sure the kid was alright. "You can fix that, can't you, dear?"

By the time she got to the gash in the field where she knew he had fallen, Kakashi-kun was sitting up, clutching his ankle. "Are you alright, Kakashi-kun?"

He looked up at her, the angry pout beneath his mask and his bright red ears melted what was left of her anger. Dang cute little brat.

"I think you broke my ankle."

"Oh no." Leaping down, Sakura sat in front of him and gently pulled his foot into her lap. He hissed in pain when she touched him. "Sorry." Bringing healing chakra to her hands, she started to fix what she had broken.

"I really didn't mean to touch your butt, Ayame-san."

She arched one dubious brow. "Hm?"

"I was aiming for your wide open back, but you leaned into your kick so I missed."

"Tch. Wide open…" His ears were still red, and she wondered if he was more embarrassed than she was. "I'm not really mad, Kakashi-kun. And I'm sorry I hurt your ankle."

He sighed but didn't look away from her hands.

"You know you really are very gifted with taijutsu."

"I know." She scoffed. "You're not bad either." He waved at the wrecked earth around them, eyes wide. "And you're really strong."

Her lips tugged to smile but she pressed them together. "This is nothing." He hummed thoughtfully-eyeing her with what she chose to interpret as the proper amount of awed respect-but didn't say anything until she was done. When he still favored his other leg, she crouched down in front of him. "Hop on." He easily accepted her help.

"Ayame-san?"

"Hm?" She turned her head so she could see his face as they walked back towards the house.

"Do you think you could teach me that?"

"What?" She hopped over the fissure. "That?"

He shook his head and swung his previously injured leg out. "No. The healing. I want to learn how to do that."

"Oh." Sakura tried to think if she had ever seen her Kakashi use healing chakra. She didn't think she had, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn. "Not everyone has the aptitude for it, but I would be happy to help you try."

His arms tightened slightly around her neck. "Okay."

"What happened?"

Sakura let Kakashi-kun down on the engawa beside Sakumo. "He landed wrong when he fell. I fixed the fracture but it will be a little sore for a day or so."

Sitting gingerly beside his father, Kakashi-kun turned to him with the same pleading eyes he'd used on her earlier. "Dad, can they live with us? Ayame-san says she doesn't want to live with her aunt anymore because of the nosy old bat that keeps asking about babies and other 'private adult' stuff."

"Kakashi-kun!"

"Pup—"

"What if they leave and I get hurt again? What if they get so tired of old ladies they decide to go to those islands anyways and leave forever?"

"They can—"

"You're going to leave for the war and you might be gone for ages. If they leave too then I'll be alone."

Sakura's heart squeezed at how small his voice got. She hadn't realized he was at all attached to them or that he was so worried about his father leaving already. In hindsight the latter was obvious.

With a heavy sigh, Sakumo scooped his son up in a hug. "I'm not going anywhere just yet, pup. And if they want to, of course they can stay with us."

Sakura returned Sakumo's warm smile and turned to face her Kakashi who had finished fixing the fissure and was making his way to them. Would this be okay?

He ran a hand through his hair and locked eyes with her. "You were serious about leaving your aunts?"

She thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yōko doesn't have anywhere else to go, but I think I really might kill an old woman if I have to put up with any more of her crap."

He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we wouldn't want that."

Even though they had already spent time there with his younger self and his father, this felt different. As long as they were just visiting, somehow it all felt transitory. They were just passing through, fixing what they could before moving on somewhere they wouldn't be in the way to raise their friend. This was not something they had discussed.

There couldn't be two Kakashis. Occasionally interacting was not the same as living together. Though, she supposed, the moment they saved his father their lives diverged. Kakashi-kun would grow up to be a completely different man than her Kakashi. At least to the rest of the world, he was just Karasu. Kakashi was a five-year-old little boy asking for them to be a part of his family. They were two distinct people, sharing nothing but a father and DNA.

Sakura wasn't even born yet, her parents, not even married. If they were still in Konoha in six years, maybe that little girl would grow up calling her 'Aunt Ayame.'

"We wouldn't want to impose."

Sakumo waved a hand around them at the mostly empty estate. "Please. This is the Hatake clan home. You have as much right to it as we do. Besides, it was built to house more than just one man and his son. When I was a kid…" He looked around and Sakura wondered what he was remembering. "Well… Please. We would be happy to have you here with us."

Her Kakashi met her eyes again. She answered the unasked question with a small tilt of her lips.