A/N: Short interlude here, it's like half my normal chapter length cause it's just a bridge to connect the end of the mission to the end of the Wave arc. Next chapter (which should come out Sunday/Monday/Tuesday like normal, cause who even knows when it'll come out with me anymore) will have all those fun conversations about the Kyuubi that I am not *coughliescough* dreading to write. Not at all. Whatever gave you that idea?

Also, Kakashi's voice is so hard to get right. I should really stop giving him POVs, I always feel like I make him too mushy.

Anyway! Thanks for reading!

Kakashi bustles his students back to Tazuna's house as soon as he's certain they can walk. Tazuna calls out as they leave, asking what to do about the bodies of Zabuza and his accomplice. The sheer guilt on Naruto's face makes the decision for him, and he drags out two corpse scrolls, dredging up chakra he really doesn't have to seal them away.

They can have a proper shinobi burial later, once he's certain his kids are okay.

No one else tries to stop them as they hurry back to the house, whether because they're too busy coming to terms with Gato's death or because of all the blood Kakashi neither knows nor cares.

The relief he feels upon walking in and realizing even Tsunami is out is… something to be dealt with later.

"I- Kakashi-sensei th-they saw…"

Naruto's voice is so dejected it nearly hurts, but Kakashi pushes that away as he gets his other two students up on the table, to take stock of their injuries.

"Not here, Naruto-kun." He offers as gently as he can, removing a stray senbon from Sasuke's hip and tugging off the arm warmers to get a better look at the chakra burns beneath them.

"B-but-"

Kakashi shakes his head, partially to cut the blond off, partially to shove away the dizziness that threatens to overtake him.

Not yet.

"It is technically an S-Rank secret, Naruto. And all things considered, I believe that discussing it should wait until after we have briefed Sandaime-sama. Ne~?"

It's hard to make his voice lilt the way his children expect, but he puts in the effort anyway, because even he's aware enough to know that the last thing Naruto needs is his ANBU monotone, even if he'd rather.

"Because of me, right?" Natsu interjects softly, and Kakashi hums as he rubs the last of his burn salve into Sasuke's arms and hands. It's not as useful on chakra burns as it is on actual fire burns, but it works, and he knows that from experience. The Uchiha breathes a near-imperceptible sigh of relief.

"Mostly, yes, though I believe there was some talk of keeping the knowledge from Sasuke-kun specifically even before your arrival… it was a point of debate between the advisory council and the Hokage. I don't know if they ever came to an official decision regarding it." Sasuke quirks an eyebrow at him, and Kakashi does his best to offer a reassuring smile.

Danzo has always been a paranoid war hawk, and with the capabilities of a fully matured Sharingan, it's no puzzle to Kakashi why the man would prefer to keep such knowledge under wraps.

Now that he thinks of it…

Does Danzo even know about Natsu?

He casts his gaze over towards his pink-haired student. If Danzo knew, he surely would have done something.

The real question is, can they hide it from him now?

A lot of things can be explained away by 'taking Shinobi life seriously'. Somehow, I don't think being chill with the Kyuubi is one of them…

Kakashi can't even pretend to himself that Natsu would have any other reaction, upon learning the full truth, though the look on Naruto's face makes him think that maybe convincing the blond of that won't be so easy.

Something about that kid is just - well the term 'kid' might be loosely defined here... Even if Naruto were actually the Kyuubi reborn, would it honestly phase him?

The room settles into a casual silence, broken only by Naruto's nervous fidgeting and Kakashi's rummaging through the medical kit. He'd like to encourage his blond student, but can't quite find the words, mind lost in an exhausted haze.

He was, perhaps, too quick and too easily-reliant on his Sharingan, but with three reckless students and not an ounce of common sense between them he couldn't afford to hold back with it, and he's paying for that now.

He wonders if Natsu sees that, or if he's just being stubbornly self-sufficient, his pink-haired student insisting on dealing with most of his injuries by himself, leaving only the gash on his face for Kakashi to clean up.

"Mm. Good enough." He says as he finishes setting a plaster on Natsu's face and lets himself sink into a chair. "Just… behave while I take a nap, will you?" He tries to make it cheerful, though he gets the feeling he falls short as Naruto jumps up, loudly panicking-

Maa, how troublesome.

Kakashi might- just might- regret waking up.

All well and good to tell Naruto to wait for their briefing with the Hokage, but as he drags himself out of a futon he doesn't remember getting into, he can't help but wonder how by all the kami he's going to explain this to the Hokage.

The wounds he remembers getting in the second fight with Zabuza have been haphazardly bandaged with what looks like spare leg wrappings, and someone has definitely touched his mask while he was out.

He's not sure whether he's more surprised that he didn't wake up, or that his students only slid it down enough to treat a scratch on his face.

Honestly, if he was that deeply out he'd have thought they'd just take a proper look.

Heh. Maybe they're not total brats…

Really, all he's doing is avoiding the subject.

With the unique situation regarding Natsu and Sakura…

Hokage-sama is going to be furious.

He sighs, but turns towards the stairs anyway.

Perhaps he could stick around until the bridge was complete, delay their return as long as possible…?

Hmm.

Hokage-sama would expect no less of him, after all.

A reputation for lateness does sometimes make itself useful…

It takes nearly a week and a half for the bridge to be repaired and completed, which is… not as long as Kakashi had hoped.

At the least, it's enough time for everyone but Sasuke to fully heal, chakra burns lingering on his hands even though his arms clear up - the gash on Natsu's face nothing more than a pink line that will fade in another few days, and the wound down his left arm all but scarred over. If Naruto had any physical injuries in the first place, they were long gone by the time Kakashi regained consciousness, and while a good sensei might get a report from their students about everything that happened… well.

No need to make his cute little genin say it twice, it was clearly a traumatic event, he just wants to be nice is all~

Tazuna offers to name the bridge after Naruto, citing the blond's protection of Inari and Tsunami, but Kakashi isn't too surprised when his student declines.

Even though he hasn't exactly asked what happened while he was fighting Zabuza, Kakashi could pretty much piece the bare minimum together. The Kyuubi's chakra, both Natsu and Sasuke having varying degrees of chakra burn from it, and Haku's brutal injuries…

Naruto clearly isn't handling it well, possibly unable to blame anyone other than himself but… Kakashi has no idea what to say.

At the very least, for all his distress Naruto doesn't let it consume him, as he cheerfully convinces Tazuna to name his bridge after Inari's father, because Wave should remember their hero, not some outsider, and Kakashi might be legitimately proud of his brat.

Maybe, under different circumstances, Naruto would accept the honor without thinking, but…

He claps his student on the shoulder, giving him a wide smile beneath the mask.

And then they turn their feet toward Konoha, leaving behind a grateful village, a hero's bridge, and two graves marked by a single sword behind them.

No trade agreement, no mark of fame, no valuable corpse of a kekkei genkai user…

Hokage-sama is going to be so displeased.

Kakashi sighs and pulls out his Icha-Icha.

The brats might be impatient to go home, but patience is a valuable lesson.

They'll take the scenic route, he decides.

Behind his book, he grins as Naruto begins to complain about the slow pace.

They'll thank him for this when they're older, he's quite sure.