Author's Note: Thanks again everyone for the wonderful reviews and answering last chapters question! All of your answers were interesting to read, each one I think having some truth if we were given a peek into the Naruto!verse civilian life, and your responses to the second part of the question made me feel like I was getting know you better. I mean, readers get to know writers plenty through their writing but it's like a one-way mirror. So, hearing back from you all like this is really cool.
My answer: Like a lot of you, I think it varies between people. It depends on a community's personal history with ninja and how much interaction they have with shinobi if at all. A lot of it, in my opinion, would change based on any nation-wide events such as the Shinobi Wars. But general opinion changes, most notably between generations. Specifically, I think older generations would have poorer relations with ninja than the younger. I'd even venture to say that before Hashirama united shinobi clans and organized them, practically institutionalizing them as they merged into an organized structure, the public looked to ninja more as organized crime groups. Organized crime that can do terrifying, seemingly unnatural things just with a few finger gestures - all for hire.
I'd even go as far as to say that the Hidden village system sort of...domesticated them in a sense. While before they were solely organized by family and clan politics, now it's a whole lot bigger and they have some real bureaucratic hoops to jump through to do anything (the Academy, formal exams, ranks, paperwork, etc). Yeah, they're still military city-states with highly questionable policies (looking at you, Kirigakure) and all that mess BUT they're now "legitimized" as a gathered government - just one with an all-powerful president/general/dictator called Kage.
My personal reaction to ninja in general: yikes. I'd stay out of that nonsense. Probably own a little tea shop for myself faaaar away from any Hidden village and sure, say hello to the occasional shinobi passing through but very politely give them some speedy service so they'll be on their merry way a lot sooner 'cause I am NOT having any random ninja brawls in my tea shop. Any hyperactive and/or destructive genin would be shooed out with a broom.
Curiosity and the Copycat
...a Naruto fanfiction story...
Curiosity and the Copycat © Mx. Irony
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Takara is a Bisexual Badass
chapter four
Unbelievable
"And the danger is that in this move toward new horizons and far directions, that I may lose what I have now, and not find anything except loneliness."
Sylvia Plath
The quilt was a tangled heap at her feet, caught between her ankles. Long eyelashes fluttered, lids pressing closer together. After a minute, she shifted, turning on her side. She eased her breathing, slower, deeper. Another minute passed. Takara twisted to her other side, then back again. Eyes clenched shut, she flipped the sheets off of her and pulled the pillow further under her head.
Outside her apartment window, absent of the moon, it was dark. Takara watched the shadows flicker across the dark wall opposite it. She knew that even in the summer with its early sunrises, it wouldn't be light out for awhile. A small glance at the clock showed it was over an hour before her alarm was due to go off. She exhaled slowly through her nose and sat up.
The woman rubbed the crust from her eyes and stumbled out of bed. Her limbs felt like lead; legs ached as they took her to the bathroom. Flipping the light on, Takara was immediately met with her blurred reflection.
Bracing herself against the sink, she leaned closer to the bathroom mirror and found a familiar face swimming into focus. Her carroty hair was a tangled mess, pulled from its nightly ponytail and mussed after tossing and turning. Its color was close that of rust in the dim lighting. Takara pulled back, gazing at that person's hollow cheeks and thin lips. Those green eyes looked like a hungry cat's, pupils dilated wide.
She snatched a towel from a nearby shelf and covered the mirror, tucking the corners into the medicine cabinet behind it.
It was 3:50 a.m.
"Good morning, Hatake-san."
"Morning, Takeira-chan."
"It's Takara, Hatake-san."
"Oh, sorry. I forgot." He didn't. She knew that, and she knew that he knew just as well.
But despite his feigned forgetfulness and overall passive aggressive tendencies, Takara's shoulders relaxed. Things were back to normal, and that was better than what she expected.
Lips tilting into a polite smile, she inclined her head and went on her way.
Hatake moseyed along right beside her, hands in his pockets. He was quiet, the only sound being her own footsteps in the near empty hall. It was like being escorted by a shadow with all the noise he made - fitting, as he was all but a black smudge at the edge of her vision. If not for that, she would not have known he was there.
Then Takara realized: he didn't have his book with him.
Crap.
Takara kept her gaze pinned ahead, even as he matched her pace step for step down the first flight of stairs. For each furtive glance she gave him from the corner of her eye, he said nothing. It was like he was waiting for something.
Neither exchanged a single word. The awkwardness was practically a physical presence in the air around them.
When they reached the second flight, she broke.
"Did you finish your book?" Her voice pitched higher.
"A couple times."
"...oh."
"Mm."
She tipped her head slightly to peek at him through her bangs. Hatake was not even looking at her; it was almost as if she wasn't there.
Something began to simmer in the pit of Takara's stomach.
Tone level, she asked, "What's it called again?"
He deliberated, taking his sweet time before answering. "Icha Icha Paradise."
"Ah, that's right. How could I forget?" She hadn't. He knew that; she knew he knew that. "It sounds interesting."
"You think so?"
It didn't sound like a genuine question.
"I do."
She knew it wasn't.
The awkward silence persisted, halting any further conversation. Soon enough, they reached the last set of stairs. Whatever simmered inside of Takara was close to a boiling point.
Another attempt: "Is there anything you're looking forward to today, Hatake-san?"
Hatake paused.
Takara stopped a few steps behind him, standing a few inches above the man, and frowned faintly at his back. "Hatake-san?"
"Nothing really comes to mind."
Eyebrows furrowed, the orange-haired girl studied Hatake from behind. That reply held no more for her than anything he had ever given her, completely absent of any personal details. But it told her something. Hatake had faltered, however slightly, and took his time with his answer.
Over the years, Takara had learned that sometimes there was something unintentionally more sincere between some people's frequent half-truths and excuses than in their occasional direct honesty. She was beginning to understand that Hatake Kakashi was one of those people.
"Hatake-san - "
Takara skipped a few steps to catch up. A foot caught, sending her toppling over. "YAAH!"
Her nose was a foot from the ground when he caught her. Breath caught in her throat, Takara's heart pounded as she stared wide-eyed down the staircase which would've made for a long, painful fall to the end. A single hand - warm and strong - gripped her upper arm, right above her elbow, and pulled her upright. For a second, they were unexpectedly close. He didn't smell quite so much like iron today, Takara vaguely noticed. It made it easier to breathe next to him.
Hatake moved away first. "Be careful."
Takara slowly turned her head towards him, momentarily speechless. "You saved me."
He sweatdropped. "It was nothing."
The way she looked at him was like he actually did save her from some untimely death.
"Thank you!"
"Don't worry about it."
"That's twice now. Third if you count walking me home last night. " Takara's eyes sparkled. "You're practically a hero, Hatake-san."
He turned his head away awkwardly. "Let's not go that far."
"Is that what you do everyday, save random people in distress?"
"When were you ever in distress?"
"Yesterday."
"Oh were you?" Hatake asked carefully as the conversation edged dangerously close to the unmentionable encounter. It went unsaid that the topic was taboo between them.
"I was!" Takara insisted.
Briefly, his dark eye lifted towards the ceiling. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
"No, really. I was lost for over half the day. As soon as Morioka-san left, I was on my own until you found me."
"Don't you mean when you found me?" he asked dryly.
"And you were so nice about it."
"I don't know about that."
"And so patient."
"That's a little much." Kakashi watched her skip ahead of him as if she hadn't just tripped doing exactly that not ten seconds ago. He idly wondered if she would trip again and if he would bother to catch her a second time. They were halfway down the last set of stairs anyway, so it shouldn't hurt her too badly. The thought wasn't a terrible one, he admitted, but he knew he wouldn't actually go through with it.
"Such a kind person, Hatake-san."
"Well..."
"You're so considerate."
"Not really."
"And modest, too!"
"Hardly."
"Clearly."
Kakashi shot her look. Maybe he would let her fall...
Takara grinned cheekily and then softened her expression, sincere. "Really, though... Thank you, Hatake-san. For everything."
The man said nothing and for a moment, Takara worried that she crossed some unseen line.
"You're welcome."
She beamed up at him. Kakashi swore she actually sparkled or maybe that was just that happy-go-lucky demeanor of hers making a sudden reappearance. It was a little unnerving at times, especially in how quickly it popped up after her more reserved persona.
Progress! Takara inwardly cheered.
At this point, they reached the bottom of the staircase and neared the building's front door.
"Hatake-san?"
The ninja paused, giving her a side look.
Takara made direct eye contact. Her smile was subdued, smaller than the previous ones. Different. "There has to be one thing you're looking forward to. I'm sure you'll think of something later. You can let me know then."
Hatake considered her. Then he pulled his book out of his pouch and flipped to a page. "Maybe, who knows."
Sweatdropping, Takara's head fell forward til her chin hit her collarbone. So much for progress.
"By the way..."
The girl's head perked up.
Hatake peered at her over his shoulder with a...well, a look in his eye. It was not so much a bad look or an even remotely threatening one . More than that, it was the first time Takara had seen any kind of expression in his eye besides tired or bored or the more rare outwardly exasperated one. This was this spark of...something.
Her brow creased, intrigued. Takara's lips parted slightly but she said nothing.
"You forgot to lock your door again."
"I'm sor -?"
"Later." He gave her a lazy wave, not even bothering with more than two fingers.
Poof!
There was a puff of white smoke. Takara immediately coughed. She quickly waved the smoke away, hacking all the while, until it cleared. And in the spot where her neighbor had been and found...no one.
No Hatake.
He was gone, just like that.
Open-mouthed, a strange, strangled sound escaped her throat. Her right eye twitched. Snapping her mouth shut, Takara whirled her head from one side to another, scanning the surroundings. She stormed through the nearby bushes and pushed aside their thorny branches. She glowered up trees, half expecting to find a full-grown man hidden up in their branches. Like an angered goose, she circled the entire building to check every possible hiding place and came to a stop once more at the front entrance.
Still no Hatake.
Whatever simmered inside her earlier now reached a full boil. Fuming, Takara placed her hands on her hips and glared at the apartment building, particularly a window next the one she recognized as her own. The curtains were parted but she wasn't at the right angle to see into her neighbor's apartment. Somehow, though, Takara figured she wouldn't find anyone anyway.
She sucked in a breath and cupped her mouth.
"You could've told me on our floor, you know!" Takara shouted for the entire apartment complex to hear, just loud enough that her dear neighbor would surely catch word of it. To herself, she scoffed and shook her head, muttering, "Unbelievable..."
Not twenty minutes had past when he heard Hinamori's loud civilian feet come stomping down the hall. Unperturbed, Kakashi continued to lounge on his bed with his arms behind his bushy head. He had not bothered to change out of the outer layers of his Anbu uniform, still wearing the gray flak jacket and the long black gloves. Even when Hinamori stampeded by his apartment, his eyes remained closed, content.
"Didn't lock my door - what's he talking about, that ridiculous, rude man? I locked my door. I know I locked my door." A hinge creaked. "...I didn't lock my door."
Kakashi chuckled under his breath.
A sigh. "Maybe not so ridiculous."
That's what he thought.
"Still rude."
A dark eye slid open.
There was an audible squeak of a handle. Through the conjoined wall, Kakashi heard the increasingly familiar noises of Hinamori shuffling through her apartment. Some minutes later and she was outside again, shutting the door behind her. He listened until he caught the telling click of the lock.
Unbelievable. She even forgot her key.
Any possibility of her being anything but an ordinary civilian became slimmer with each interaction. At first, he was wary after her disturbingly accurate comment his (entirely confidential Anbu) mission but her behavior gave little to support further suspicion. If anything, Hinamori was perceptive - far more than he initially gave her credit for to Kakashi's own chagrin. Somehow, when he met Hinamori, he only saw...her, a too naïve and too talkative civilian, not a potential enemy. Now at least Kakashi understood he had to be more careful around Hinamori lest the overly curious civilian girl started poking her nose into things she really shouldn't.
Even if that meant using shadow clones to keep up appearances of a more "routine" schedule to avoid Hinamori's scrutiny.
"Could you repeat that one more time?"
"I came to ask about the job."
"Sorry, I didn't understand that. Mina - Mina-chan, come over here real quick!" the shop employee called.
A mousy brunette came to the front desk. "What is it, Teruko?"
"Listen to this," her co-worker told her before she turned back to the orange-haired woman. "What was that again?"
The corner of Takara's smile twitched. Eyes closed, she forced it wider. "My name is Hinamori Takara, ma'am. It's nice to meet you."
"What?" the brunette demanded.
"I'm here about the job, ma'am."
"What?"
"Talk a bit slower," the other girl suggested in a not very kind way. The laughter was far too clear in her voice.
Takara breathed in quietly through her nose. A calm smile. Slowly, she articulated, "I am here about the job. Ma'am." Her vowels stretched themselves out further, pulling themselves into a deeper drawl. Her accent pronounced itself more.
"What?"
The first employee openly laughed. "That made it even worse!"
Ears turning hot, Takara wondered at how such ill-bred girls were brought about. She knew that if she had ever been so disrespectful in Aomori, regardless of how old she was, any one of her uncles would've taken a tree whip to her hide in a heartbeat. Her old aunties would have had a field day. Takara herself had scolded her younger brothers for less.
How were these two tasked with minding a business in the first place?
"Say that again."
Say that again, please, Takara inwardly corrected. Basic manners, really that simple. Really, who raised these girls? Did they not learn anything about common courtesy?
Wordlessly, Takara placed the "For Hire" sign previously hung at the shop window on the desk.
"Oooh, the job. Why didn't you just say so?"
"Is it still open?" Takara asked with forced patience.
"Well..." The shop employee's face changed, becoming more serious. "No, not yet. What did you say your clan name was again?"
"...Hinamori," she said tentatively.
"Huh. Hinamori." The shop employee tapped her bottom lip. "Hinamori, Hinamori, Hinamori..."
Takara bit the inside of her cheek.
"Hinamori. Is that a local clan? There are too many to keep track of. Mina-chan, you know that name?"
The brunette shook her head. "Never heard it."
This made Takara's shoulders loosen.
"Hinamori." The shop employee turned to face Takara. "You new around here or something?"
"Yes, ma'am. I am," Takara said slowly, deliberately trying to shed her accent and mimic the Konoha dialect. "I moved to Konohagakure earlier this month."
"Uh-huh." The shop employee squinted. "Did you come to move in with some relatives or...?"
She gave her a practiced smile. "No, it's only me."
"Ooh, I get it."
Takara was not sure how she felt about that look. "You do?"
"You met one of our shinobi while he was out on a mission in your country and fell in love!"
"Huh?"
"And you guys just got married and he brought you here and you're just settling down, am I right? Congratulations!"
"Excuse me?"
"Aaaw! What a cute blush! Definitely a new bride."
Takara shook her head. "I'm sorry. I think you got the wrong - "
"What's his name? What rank is he? Let me guess. Chunin?"
"No! I mean - "
A gasp. "No way - a jonin? Woah! How did you manage that?"
"A what?"
"Don't tell me he didn't even tell you what his rank is. Oh, man. He's gotta be one of those 'eternal genin' guys. Ouch."
"I'm not married to a ninja," Takara said quickly. The mere suggestion made her made her simultaneously want to laugh at such an absurd idea and cringe at how people back home would react. Hotaka would have an actual fit.
"Oh." The shop employee stopped, considering her. "Why didn't you say so?"
Takara sweatdropped.
"So, a merchant then? Why don't you work in his business?"
"I'm not married at all," Takara said tersely.
The brunette spoke, "So you just moved here by yourself?"
Takara sigh was no less than tired. "Yes, ma'am. I did."
"Do you know anybody here? At all?" the brunette prompted.
"...no. No, ma'am. Not quite yet. I'm still...learning my way around." Yesterday's awkward encounter flashed through her mind and Takara contained her wince.
The two shop employees traded looks. It caused a deep, sinking feeling in Takara's stomach.
"I'm learn quick, though, and I work hard. I also have some references if you'd like to see - "
"Anyone from the village?" the brunette interrupted, serious. Her co-worker's face shifted into a frown.
Takara's smile froze. "Aah...no, no one from here."
Another look exchanged.
"I'm sorry, Takara-san," the first employee said carefully.
A bitter taste filled Takara's mouth. She liked neither the way this stranger spoke nor the way she used her given name.
"You see, this is a Hidden village and things are done a bit...differently here than a regular village."
"I don't understand," Takara said slowly.
"Konoha might be bigger than other Hidden villages and more...open to outsiders but everybody knows somebody here."
"I'm sorry. I still don't understand."
The brunette bluntly said, "Shinobi are suspicious people over all - for very good reason - and our shop tries to accommodate that. Meaning applicants have to at least have one person from within the village to vouch for them."
"An in," Takara concluded, head lowered.
The brunette nodded. "Exactly."
"Is that...so." She lifted her head and smiled widely at the two shop employees. "Now I understand."
Both women startled at the sudden switch.
"Uh..."
Takara bowed. "Thank you very much. For that helpful piece of information and...everything else you've done."
The Third Hokage was a widely respected man, in and outside the Leaf Village. It was he who lead the Leaf through the Second and Third Shinobi Wars. Taught by the Second Hokage himself and guided by the First, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a man of the older generation - the very first generation of children produced by Konoha. Through him, the younger generations learned and passed on the Will of Fire.
And it was in Hatake Kakashi that he saw that will to protect this village.
Eyes closed, the Hokage drew a long breath from his pipe and savored the tobacco. Tendrils of smoke blew out of his nostrils, curling in the air. His dark eyes slid open and considered the young man kneeling before him.
Sandaime, I understand why you said that the Anbu is not suited for me. But I don't think Kakashi is suited to be in the Anbu either!
Hiruzen knew each of his shinobi well: their strengths, their weaknesses, their greatest potential, what drove them. Some adjusted well enough to the Anbu, transitioning between the darker side of Konoha's operations and the light with relative ease. Hiruzen's own son and daughter-in-law were proof of that. Others, however, were consumed by the darkness. Kakashi had grown in past few years since being assigned Anbu and showed only unwavering loyalty to the village throughout his entire life. He was an excellent shinobi to have close to the Third's side as an Anbu operative. But at what cost?
Inhaling once more, Hiruzen removed the pipe from his mouth and spoke. "There have been reports of suspicious activity fifty kilometers from the western gate. I want for you to look into it." The need for discretion went unsaid; it was expected.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi remained where he was, respectively waiting for Hiruzen's leave.
A moment of silence passed between them.
Taking another puff from his pipe, Hiruzen regarded Kakashi seriously. He thought of the Fourth's reasoning for assigning his pupil to Anbu and whether it still stood necessary - for Kakashi's own sake. It had been ten years, and tens years was a long time for anyone to be in Anbu.
"You may go."
"Yes, sir." And the silver-haired man was gone.
He would keep watch for now, Hiruzen decided, still reflecting on Gai's words. If someone outside the force noticed something amiss, it might soon be time.
"An in, huh," Takara muttered, holding her chin. She sat on a public bench and watched the daily crowds surge through the street in the noon rush. Sitting next to her was a small stack of papers, job applications and the like which took up the most of her (extremely, even for by her farmer standards) early morning to complete. Now, though, Takara wondered if they were anything worthwhile after what the shopkeeper girls told her.
A thoughtful glance at the rooftops revealed the briefest flash of someone jumping from the top of one building to another. Takara stared after them, fascinated. Shinobi dancing between rooftops were such a common sight in Konoha that there was no missing it. Their presence was everywhere in the village, so deeply intertwined with its culture that it affected how people were hired in small businesses.
It makes sense it at least, Takara reasoned as she gathered her applications and stood up. The first rule of business, she learned quickly, was to know the target market. And naturally, a Hidden village's target market would be -
A flash of green whirled by, wind rushing behind it and whooshing right past her. Takara's papers instantly scattered like weightless birds but she hardly noticed. Long tendrils of orange hair blew out her loose bun and stuck every which way. She spat bits of her bangs out of her mouth and pushed them back to stare wide-eyed after where the actual blur went.
Was that a person?
Takara blinked once and suddenly there was a wall of green in front of her.
She yelped and fumbled backwards, losing the rest of her papers. Panicked, she hastily crouched down to snatch up the spreading papers.
"My apologies, miss! I did not mean to trouble you," the green wall said. His voice was deep and warm, a nice voice. It made Takara instinctively smile in response.
"Aha, it's fine. I was only a little surprised that's...all..." Takara's face blanked.
The wall of green turned out to be spandex, green spandex that fit...snugly to every part of this man's body. Really, it left only so much to the imagination. He was a tall person, taller than her, and seemed composed entirely of thick bands of muscle. As her gaze traveled up, it lingered briefly on the shining hitai-ate slung around his waist and then the familiar flak vest. A ninja? Really? He had an expressive face with distinct features: a wide, crooked nose; high cheekbones; and a pair of the thickest, bushiest brows she had ever seen. All completed with a broad (albeit apologetic) grin filled with blindingly white teeth. She swore she heard a definite "ding" from them.
It had been a long time since Takara had seen such an open, honest smile.
She stared.
"Allow me rectify this!" the man said.
"...pardon?"
"I will retrieve every last one of these papers!" he declared for the entire street to hear. Self-conscious, Takara glanced around at the surrounding people and saw a man further down the road shake his head. A couple of women watched, one pointing at them, as they gossiped among themselves. This made heat creep uncomfortably up her neck.
"You really don't have to..."
Some sheets had already scattered halfway down the crowded street. A few were trapped in a water drain, others lost in the mud. One managed to stick itself under a passerby's sandal.
The man almost seemed to ignore her as he declared, "In fifteen seconds!"
"What?" Takara yelped.
"Starting now!"
Before she had time to so much as say another syllable, he disappeared in a cloud of dust. Takara's bangs blew over her forehead as if hit by a sudden gale. Her eyes flickered, attempting to adjust, and raced over the street to track him. She barely caught bursts of green before they darted out of sight. Takara just spotted another one when the color abruptly solidified in front of her.
She flinched back.
The man gave her another big, open smile which allowed Takara's shoulder's to unknot themselves.
"Here you are!" He proudly held out a bunch of crinkled, muddied papers. One even had a dusty footprint imprinted on it, completely useless to her now. But someone had taken the time to retrieve each one and return them to her. Reaching up to accept them slowly, Takara offered a muted version of his grin back.
"Thank you, sir."
"Of course! It was the least I could do for startling you."
This was the politest person Takara had met since moving to Konohagakure.
A brighter smile bloomed across her face, so large that a dimple appeared in her right cheek. "It's alright. You've more than made up for it."
"I'm glad to hear it!"
"Also..." Hugging the applications to her chest, Takara leaned forward. Her eyes sparkled. "That was incredible! I couldn't even see you. I didn't know it was possible for a human to move that fast. How did you do it?"
His teeth glittered. "I've trained for years. What you just saw was a lifetime's worth of hard work."
"That's amazing! I don't think it even took ten seconds just now."
"Ah, you're too generous, miss," he said, holding his chin between two fingers. Preening despite his humble words. "That was actually twelve point seven seconds."
"That's still less than fifteen."
He laughed. "You're very kind - a lovely flower in the springtime!"
"...if that's what you want to call me," she said slowly, skeptical.
"Ah, but I'd rather know your name," the man returned.
"Hinamori. My name is Hinamori Takara. It's nice to meet you." She bowed.
"Nice to meet you, fair Takara-chan."
The civilian's smile twitched at the familiar address, dimple gone.
"I - " he posed dramatically, hands on hips " - am Konoha's own Sublime Green Beast of Prey, the Beautiful Savage of the Leaf Village. I am Maito Gai!"
Takara blinked - once, twice. Three times.
Gai struck another pose, finishing it with a thumbs up.
A giggle escaped her. Mortified, Takara slapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, that was rude."
"No need to apologize. We all have to laugh to keep ourselves youthful." If possible, Gai formed a more ridiculous pose.
She broke into more giggles, still muffled. Only after she quieted herself did Takara lower her hand. "You have a nice way of looking at things, Maito-san."
"Thank you, Takara-chan. It's all part of my life philosophy."
The corners of her mouth lifted but she didn't correct him. Takara hadn't talked to another person with such good manners since Morioka left the village, so she decided to forgive Gai's use of her given name...this time.
"From the sounds of it, I think I'd like your philosophy very much."
"I will gladly share it with you!" Gai practically shouted, his voice so loud and exuberant.
Takara's cheeks started to strain but she chose not to care; she contained her increasing laughter. "That sounds great. But first, if you don't mind, I have to ask - how did you get the nickname?"
Author's Note: Takara meets Gai and thus Kakashi's true nightmare begins.
Real quick - I want to throw out another disclaimer that Takara really is a normal civilian as I promised and not a spy. But her closing statement last chapter put Kakashi a little on edge. I mean, a (surprisingly) accurate comment on an Anbu agent's top secret mission? That's like correctly guessing where a CIA agent really was last summer when they told you they were just visiting family in Nebraska, if that helps explain it. So, yeah, Kakashi is a little wary now and he's taking extra precautions with her.
Because he's figured out that no, Takara is not stupid. It was fun writing their interaction in this chapter because it's all lowkey, passive aggressive snark between these two. In a way, they're both kind of egging each other on to see who will finally snap and react honestly first. Should be interesting in future chapters~ (*insecure writer voice* I hope so)
Fun fact: Mutsumi Tamura, who plays young Kakashi's voice in the Anbu arc, was born in real life Aomori, Japan. How cool is that?
And the question for this chapter, the most important question of them all: ...who here watches Yuri! on Ice? Feel free to skip actually putting your answer in the review and PM me. Immediately, please. We have much to discuss. Clearly. If you haven't, watch it - WATCH IT RIGHT NOW.