Chapter Text
Konoha feels stifled. What’s left of every building is covered in soot, and the oppressive smell of smoke and metal fills the air. Shinobi mill around the razed streets, regarding the broken storefronts and homes, asking to bum a cigarette or grab a drink, doing anything to temporarily distract from the feeling of bone-numbing exhaustion. It’s a given that shinobi die in battle or on missions, but that doesn’t detract from the mourning, from the bitterness and defeat of your village, your home , being destroyed. Konoha, even with The Yellow Flash and multiple bloodline limits, was no match for the Kyuubi’s rage, and the mere fragments of the city it left behind are a constant harsh reminder of the village’s ruin, and the beloved Hokage’s sacrifice for it.
In a small makeshift medical tent lying behind the Hokage tower, secluded from the village, Kakashi stares blankly at the baby lying on the medical table in front of him. Tears refuse to come, but his brow is furrowed as he clenches his fists at his side, resisting the urge to go wash them. The baby, at least, seems unaffected by the somber mood as he gurgles softly in his sleep. His shocking blond hair and ruddy cheeks seem to suck up all the light in the tent, unapologetically drawing attention to himself without even being awake. Kakashi is then struck by how normal the baby looks, how vulnerable and small he is, how, without the three whisker marks on his cheeks and the foreboding seal etched onto his stomach, he could easily be mistaken for any other child, have a normal childhood after being taken in by a clan or the orphanage– how, without those damning marks, this innocent baby would never be identifiable as the jinchuuriki, in whom the Kyuubi was sealed.
The baby weakly flails his fists around and accidentally tugs on his own hair. With his attention drawn to it, Kakashi immediately thinks about how relieved Kushina must have been that her baby wasn’t cursed with the same bright red hair as her, how embarrassed she would’ve been if Sensei had to be surrounded by not one, but two passionate redheads. The clash in family pictures would’ve been horrendous, he thinks, and is thoroughly taken aback by the sheer absurdity of his own thoughts. He tries to imagine what the baby might have ended up looking like in Kushina’s worst nightmare: Minato-sensei and his kind smile and soft eyes, but with jarringly scarlet locks, and suddenly begins to laugh. His quiet chuckles slowly escalate into laughter that forces itself out from his belly, full-body guffaws that have him clutching his sides in pain. And once Kakashi’s body gets used to the feeling of heaving with a morbid sort of glee, he can’t stop, he ends up having to grab the table in front of him to brace himself as he doubles over, the sounds of his hysteria making medic-nin and injured shinobi turn to look over in concern at him.
Kakashi’s reputation precedes him; shinobi from Kumo to Suna whisper in awe of the Copy Cat Ninja, curse the Sharingan Bastard, revere the son of the White Fang, but everyone forgets that for all his battle prowess and high rank in ANBU, Kakashi is still just a fourteen-year-old, robbed of his childhood, his only family, his best friend, his teammate, and now, his only remaining father figure, Sensei.
Sensei, if only you could see me now, Kakashi thinks as his hands and shoulders shake, look at me. I failed the biggest mission you’ve ever given me, and here I am, laughing at your baby. This is a new level of disrespect, even for me. I have no idea what to do with this kid, I don’t know what I’ll do when he wakes up. Sensei, you know I have no idea how to deal with kids, why did you leave me alone with him? Why me? Somewhere in his mind, Kakashi is aware that his shoulders and hands are still shaking, but he’s not laughing anymore, his chest is heaving– Obito is so much better at dealing with babies, probably because he is one, but I’m not Obito, Sensei, I’m not him, I wish he were here, I wish you were here, Sensei, Sensei–
“MY ETERNAL RIVAL!” Kakashi jolts. Beside him, Gai clasps his shoulder and glances over his face, assessing him. Vaguely, Kakashi feels the chakra in his Sharingan eye pulsing, and as he reaches up to adjust his hitai-ate and calm his eye, he realizes he had been crying. Kakashi immediately feels his cheeks redden and goes to wipe his eyes.
“Gai… what are you doing here?”
Gai’s hand doesn’t leave Kakashi’s shoulder. Somehow, Kakashi appreciates the grounding gesture. He’s not sure if he would if it were anyone else. Kakashi promptly puts that fleeting thought away before he can even begin to assess it. “My friend, we couldn’t find you after the battle, and once we heard about–” Gai fumbles over the Yondaime’s name, unsure if Kakashi wants to hear it, but barrels on anyway, “about Minato-sensei and Kushina-senpai, we wanted to find you to make sure that yo– to make sure that everything was alright.”
“Well, you found me,” Kakashi starts, pointedly not responding to the latter part of Gai’s statement, and then catches on. “We?” He takes his eyes off Gai's face and suddenly registers the presence of Genma and Jiraiya behind him. Fuck. How did I not see them?
The magnitude of his grief must be obvious to anyone, then, if he couldn’t take his eyes off of the baby and Gai’s face to see Genma and Jiraiya right behind him, let alone sense their chakra signatures as any other competent shinobi would have. No one mentions this, and Kakashi is infinitely grateful for them sparing his pride.
Genma chooses this moment to speak up. “Can I see him?” He swallows. Kakashi looks properly at Genma for the first time, and takes in the deep bags etched under slightly puffy and red eyes, and the dulled, far-away look he has. The senbon he usually carries in his mouth is nowhere to be seen, but his lips are dark and scabbed over, like he had bitten them too hard one too many times. On one level, Kakashi knows Genma is only two years older than him, and that he is a better ninja than Genma, but right now, Genma looks old. And he looks so, so tired.
And Kakashi realizes that the two people who harbor the most guilt for the loss of his Sensei are in this tent, looking at each other. Genma, who served as the guard of the Yondaime Hokage, and Kakashi, whose mission it was to protect Kushina and her baby. The knowledge that Genma feels the same guilt as him overrides the protective instinct Kakashi feels towards Sensei’s kid, and so he steps aside so that Genma, Gai, and Jiraiya can see the newborn baby of Minato and Kushina, and the Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki.
The baby had woken up sometime during Gai calling out for Kakashi, but miraculously remained silent during the whole exchange. Now, with all four of their eyes on him, the baby’s azure eyes flit between the three teenagers and the man standing with them, small mouth opening and closing as his hands lightly fist on either side of his head. Sensei’s eyes, Kakashi thinks, and is struck with the sudden urge to cry again. Gai’s hand, who still hasn’t left his shoulder, clenches. The striking resemblance between the beloved Yondaime and his legacy isn’t lost on anyone.
“What was his name again?” Genma croaks. Kakashi keeps his eyes trained on the baby, determined to give Genma his privacy.
Kakashi knows the answer, but he doesn’t want to respond. He doesn’t want to say the name aloud, he doesn’t want to be the one to tell Genma Sensei’s kid’s name when it should’ve been Sensei and Kushina instead, when no one should’ve had to ask in the first place because Sensei and Kushina should’ve been alive, Genma should’ve learned the baby’s name over dinner or while Kushina visited Sensei at the Hokage tower, they should’ve learned his name by hearing how Sensei cooed over him and doted on him, by hearing Kushina scold him for not showering after training or eating vegetables. Genma and Gai should’ve learned the baby’s name as Sensei and Kushina wanted it to be learned, with that brand of unconditional love that comes naturally with being a parent and the joy of bringing a child into the world. They shouldn’t have to hear the name from Kakashi’s mouth, Kakashi the Friend Killer, Kakashi the Sharingan Bastard, Kakashi who grew up alone, whose memory of his parents are as much rumor and legend and nightmares as they are real experience, who has no idea how to form the word with the same tender weight Sensei and Kushina would’ve given it. So he refuses to speak. He keeps his eyes stubbornly on the boy, who is slowly picking up on the negative energy and is beginning to squirm.
Blessedly, Jiraiya takes pity on Kakashi, and answers instead. “Naruto,” he says, giving the word the weight it deserves. “His name is Naruto.”
And like magic, when Naruto hears his name for the first time, his expression clears. His already wide eyes get impossibly brighter, and he starts to move his fists more enthusiastically, blubbering nonsensically at the four men staring down at him, all completely out of their depth.
He recognizes his name, Kakashi realizes. That means Sensei and Kushina were able to speak to him before they died. It’s like that lifts a weight from his chest, the fact that somewhere in his subconscious Naruto knows what his name is supposed to sound like, has heard it from the two people who matter most, and hasn’t been stripped of this one grace is almost overwhelming. He wants to hear Sensei say it one more time, he wants to hear Kushina cooing to the baby in her womb just one more time, he wants–
Gai startles him again, finally moving the hand that had steadfastly remained on his shoulder to Naruto, reaching out with a finger that he waves in front of him. Naruto is immediately enchanted by him, and he reaches to grab Gai’s finger and shake it about. Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi sees Gai smile, something softer and more private but equally as genuine as his bright grins, teeth and all. Immediately, Kakashi feels more relaxed. He may be flat-footed around babies, and other people generally, but maybe if Gai were with him, things wouldn’t be so bad.
“What are we going to do with him now?”
And Just like that, Jiraiya voices the question Kakashi had been staunchly avoiding. Kakashi looks frantically back at Naruto, ridiculously hoping he could provide some insight, and finds Naruto still grabbing Gai’s hand and staring intensely at it. Kakashi’s heart squeezes, just a bit more. Jiraiya, completely oblivious to Kakashi’s impending panic, continues– “It’s not like Minato and Kushina have any relatives here, and we can’t even send him to Uzushio because it doesn’t exist … Do you think someone else could take him in? He’ll die otherwise!”
“I don’t know how many families are going to be willing to take in the jinchuuriki right now, shinobi or not. It’s not like most people knew Kushina-senpai was pregnant, too, so they wouldn’t be able to figure out that Naruto was her kid….” Genma chews on his lip and looks away, frustrated.
“Maybe we can give him to one of Minato’s jounin friends? Shikaku was always reasonable and I think he had a kid a bit ago… Or Inoichi, Naruto’s hair could probably blend in with the Yamanaka clan, although I know it’s a little off–”
And Kakashi suddenly remembers exactly why this conversation with Jiraiya feels so off to him, and blurts, “wait, aren’t you his godfather? Why don’t you just take him in? You’re the only person he really has right now!”
Jiraiya, for his part, looks massively uncomfortable, and rubs the back of his neck, saying “Well, my loyalty is to Mount Myoboku before Konoha, everyone knows that, and I’m busy traveling… It’s not the ideal place for a kid, and I don’t really have any experience raising one… I don’t know if Minato and Kushina would really trust me with their kid, I mean, you know how I am…”
Kakashi scoffs while Genma and Gai look up at Jiraiya in shock. “Sensei and Kushina named you, you of all people, godfather to their child. Do you think Sensei made you godfather to his only legacy because he thought it was funny? Do you think he did it for a laugh?” The longer Kakashi thinks about it, the angrier he gets. “Are you really as stupid as you seem?”
“I don’t think either of them expected to die the day Naruto was born! No one expected the Kyuubi to get out! They probably just wanted to name me an uncle! I’m not equipped to raise a kid!”
Kakashi is starting to get so angry he feels the small sparks of chidori at his fingertips. His sharingan is beginning to awaken in his covered eye again, and he knows he’s oozing killing intent, but he can’t seem to shake it even though Naruto is right there. Sensei and Kushina are dead, they died trying to protect the village they loved and the child they sacrificed everything for to bring into the world, the baby they forced into being the weapon of the village because they had no other choice, and Jiraiya is just walking away, like a coward. Kakashi feels the sudden, inexplicable urge to pull his mask down and scream right in Jiraiya’s face, and actually moves his hand, but Gai, perceptive as ever, steps in before violence can ensue.
“With all due respect, Jiraiya-sama, if you can’t raise Naruto, who will? The Yondaime himself named you Naruto’s guardian in their absence. Who else is there? The closest people to him and Kushina-senpai apart from you are my eternal rival, Kakashi, and my dear teammate, Genma. And though I love both of my friends dearly, it is clear to me that neither of them, nor myself, are equipped to healthily raise a child at our tender ages. Shinobi ability and parenting ability are not the same. Besides us, the Yondaime was close friends with Shikaku Nara, who must spend his energy retraining the jounin troupes and acting as the leader of Konoha until a temporary Hokage is chosen as the advisor to the Yondaime. Not to mention, he has his own son as well. Inoichi must continue to lead the Torture and Intelligence division, certainly very hectic during this time. I do not think the Yamanaka clan would be an ideal place for Naruto. Jiraiya-sama, please, it should be plain to you that Naruto has nowhere else to go. If you refuse to accept it from the Yondaime because your primary allegiance lies elsewhere,” Gai steels himself for his last effort. “Take Naruto in for Minato-sensei. Do it for your student, whom I am sure you loved dearly. Imagine how Minato-sensei would feel, knowing his beloved teacher left his newborn baby alone. How could you face him after abandoning his legacy?”
“Gai…” Kakashi’s visible eye widens as he stares at Gai. He had always known Gai had conviction and honor, but this was the first time Kakashi truly saw Gai stand for something outside of a battle. Genma looks at Gai too, with something like approval and pride. Kakashi, for the umpteenth time in the last hour, is strangely grateful for Gai’s presence.
“You have to understand, kids, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t take him in, it’s just not feasible. I have nowhere to stay, and I have…” Jiraiya very briefly flicks his eyes to the back of the tent before returning to meet Kakashi, Gai, and Genma’s eyes. “Research, that I need to be working on. I’ll be traveling indefinitely. I can’t just bring a baby with me for that.”
Genma laughs, but it’s dry and mocking. It doesn’t sound much like the easygoing teen Kakashi knew tangentially through his “rivalry” with Gai. “Everyone knows your research is just peeping on girls in hot springs and bars so you can write your shitty porn, Jiraiya. Minato-sensei and Kushina-senpai literally had copies of Icha-Icha Paradise that they jokingly annotated on their bookshelves. You’re not fooling anyone, just stop making excuses and take responsibility for once in your life. He’s a baby. ”
“I’m telling you, I can’t fucking take him in! It doesn’t matter how much you kids think I can, I’m incapable of it at this point! He needs to stay within the city as the jinchuuriki, and I can’t tie myself to Konoha! I’ll try to be involved in the kid’s life somehow, but this isn’t what I signed up for! I just can’t do it.” Jiraiya is frustratedly running his hands through his mane of white hair, starting to get visibly angry.
Kakashi is an elite shinobi. He understands the value of patience in battle. More importantly, though, he understands the importance of picking your battles at all. So, he inhales deeply through his nose, closes his eyes, and looks directly at Jiraiya. “Fine. It’s clear you’re not up to the task. It’s useless to continue arguing about this. Even if we could somehow force you to take Naruto in, it’s obvious that you would be a horrible parent, given that you couldn’t even address Naruto by his name just now.” Jiraiya visibly flinches at this. Good, Kakashi thinks. He continues. “We need to find a place for him to grow up safe and happy. If you’re so set on going directly against Sensei’s wishes, you better have a good alternative plan.”
Jiraiya actually thinks before he answers here, which Kakashi hopes means that he actually gives the slightest damn about the son of the Yondaime and his best student. “We could just give Naruto to the orphanage.” Kakashi opens his mouth to tell Jiraiya that’s a fucking stupid idea, but he continues, “there are bound to be a lot of orphans because of the amount of destruction. Nobody knows that Kushina was pregnant, but the only other person I’ve ever seen with hair like the kid’s was Minato, so hopefully, people should make the connection. If they figure they’re taking care of the Yondaime’s kid, maybe they’ll treat him well.”
Kakashi looks to Gai. He doesn’t trust himself to say anything that isn’t thoroughly offensive at the moment, regardless of his objective feelings on the matter. Gai, praise him, seems to be calmer. “Jiraiya-sama, while I agree with my eternal rival’s sentiments wholeheartedly regarding your blatant cowardice regarding Naruto, I agree with you that perhaps sending him to an orphanage may be the best course of action. Although people will be more likely to label Naruto as the jinchuuriki than the son of the Yondaime, Naruto will have the opportunity to grow around other children his age. I do not feel comfortable burdening Minato-sensei’s friends with a newborn because they have their own families, and I am aware of our own shortcomings. Not only are we young and highly inexperienced, we are also active shinobi. We could neither bring Naruto on missions with us, nor could we leave him behind. Thus, giving him to the civilian-led orphanage with good faith seems to be our best option.”
Jiraiya nods, looking relieved. Asshole, Kakashi grimaces. “I’m going to go talk to my toads and give them an update on everything that’s happened since last night.” It’s an obvious ploy to get out of the tent and Kakashi’s obvious disdain towards him, but Kakashi lets it slide. He’s pissed enough without having to look at Jiraiya’s face even more. He looks back down at Naruto, who has found time to grab Gai’s other index finger with his other fist, and is now aggressively waving them around, mesmerized by the movements.
It hits Kakashi at that moment how little he can do for this innocent baby. If Sensei’s wish had just been to go out into greater Fire Country to track and assassinate someone who was thinking about hurting Naruto, he could have done it. If Sensei needed Kakashi to fight alongside him on the battlefield, he could have done it. But raising a baby? Kakashi could scarcely imagine what a newborn baby could eat. His apartment was nowhere near suitable for a baby to live in, with weapons strewn about haphazardly, uncovered food on tables and counters, and he had no desire to ever step foot into the Hatake Clan compound ever again, lest he relive the first five years of his life.
But I should be able to, he thinks. I failed one mission already, I should be able to make up for it. But I can’t, I just can’t. I can’t raise a kid, I can’t love a baby, I don’t know how to do this. Kakashi feels weirdly like he’s floating and like he’s about to collapse. I failed Sensei, I failed Kushina, and now I’ve failed Naruto, he breathes heavily through his nose, and tries to accept this as his reality. I failed. All I can do now is try to move forward.
“–the orphanage, like I said, is another feasible option–”
“–I mean, they’re shinbi, they’ll see the hair–”
“–the seal–”
Kakashi tries to regulate his breathing, slowing down his heart rate and forcing himself into battle calm so that he can focus less on the fact that he is an abject failure of a student, and more on possible solutions to the current problem of Naruto. The longer he inhales, the cooler his head feels, the more concentrated his energy gets, and the voices of Genma, Gai, and Jiraiya float softly around him until they become blurred tones that meld in together with their chakras, subtle markers of human presence around Kakashi instead of the suffocating reminders of his failures they were before. He feels the chakra in his eye settle, stretches his fingers, and straightens his spine so he stands at full height, poised and ready for battle. When he opens his black eye, Gai, Genma, and Jiraiya are looking at him warily. Kakashi is vaguely aware of the staticy feeling of his hair and clothes, the light shimmering of chakra around his body. He decides whether or not to care. He does not.
“Jiraiya.” Kakashi looks up to meet his eyes and hold his gaze steadily. Maintaining eye contact, Kakashi pulls up his hitai-ate to reveal his sharingan, three tomoes spinning lazily. To his credit, Jiraiya doesn’t flinch, but he sees Genma and Gai’s eyes widen in his peripheral vision. “I will remember every single detail of this exchange, down to every second of hesitation. If I figure out you’ve disrespected Sensei’s wishes even more than you already have, I will kill you. If I’m called a traitor and made a missing-nin for that, I don’t give a fuck. Naruto is all I have left. Do you understand?” Kakashi keeps his voice flat and inflectionless, as he would during an interrogation. He doesn’t have much in the way of emotional and passionate appeals like Gai, and he doesn’t have the inherent protective instinct and ability to make connections like Genma, but Kakashi is the son of the White Fang, the youngest Commanding Officer in all of ANBU, and he is a Sharingan. He understands war, even if the battle lies in negotiation and coercion.
Jiraiya straightens, too. When he responds, his voice is grave. “I understand.”
“You will take Naruto to the orphanage. You will do your part to conceal Naruto’s identity as both Sensei’s son and the jinchuuriki if anybody asks you. You will not just drop him off and leave, you will see that he is safe, situated, and cared for. You will make sure that the head of the orphanage is competent.” Jiraiya nods, and something else occurs to Kakashi, something that had felt off since he found out Sensei and Kushina had died. And since Jiraiya had to agree to the terms he set, he may as well keep going. “And while you’re outside of Konoha, knowingly going directly against your student’s wishes–” Jiraiya finally flinches, “you will also do research on who exactly was responsible for taking advantage of Kushina and releasing the Kyuubi. You will also find out exactly which of the village advisors and elders was the traitor that told someone that Kushina was pregnant at all. This will be your top and only priority until you find information. I do not give a singular shit about your porn. Am I understood?” Gai and Genma are still looking back and forth between Kakashi and Jiraiya warily. There’s no way they didn’t also figure out there was a traitor of some kind, instinctively, but Kakashi voicing it has made it a certainty rather than a suspicion. Kakashi knows himself. He is never wrong. Jiraiya doesn’t respond, so Kakashi repeats, this time more forcefully, “ Am I understood? ”
Finally, Jiriaya nods. “You have my word. I will take Naruto. I’ll make sure he’s got someone good taking care of him, it’s the least I can do as his godfather.”
“That’s the first thing out of your mouth tonight that hasn’t been complete bullshit,” Kakashi says. Nonetheless, he’s satisfied. He covers his red eye again and starts to lessen the flow of his chakra until he feels his sharingan stop spinning and come to a rest beneath his hitai-ate.
They all look down at Naruto again, who is still softly gurgling and playing around with Gai’s fingers. Again, Kakashi thinks about how much Sensei and Kushina would’ve loved this cheerful baby, would’ve been head over heels for him, would’ve leveled cities to protect his tiny, chubby fingers, just to see the stretch of his mouth into a guileless smile, and allows himself one more moment of self-hatred for failing his mission.
Outside, the sun is starting to rise, and the sunbeams are filtering through the layers of soot, dust, and smoke to shed small pools of light along the sides of buildings and the ground. Naruto will start to get hungry soon, and as Kakashi looks hastily across the medical tent, there’s nothing they could possibly give Naruto to tide him by. He has no idea what babies eat, but he’s pretty sure you can’t give a newborn baby soldier pills.
It looks like Gai comes to the same conclusion, because he swallows, eyes still on Naruto, and says, “Jiraiya-sama, I think the time has time for you to take Naruto. He has been here for quite a while, and I think he will start to get hungry soon. We need to give him to someone who knows what they’re doing.” He holds Naruto out to Jiraiya, who takes him hesitantly.
Genma speaks up. “The higher ups will wonder what happened to Naruto. I don’t know who they’re going to appoint Hokage right now, but as soon as you drop Naruto off, find Shikaku-san and tell him where Naruto is. Even if he can’t adopt Naruto right now, I know he’ll want to know where he is, as Minato-sensei’s friend.”
“I will. I’m sure Naruto will be in good hands there, the color of his hair is unmistakable. And who could refuse a newborn baby, even if the Kyuubi is sealed in it?” Jiraiya chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.
It doesn’t work. “Stick to your word, Sannin. I will find out otherwise.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’ll be going now. You kids get some sleep, alright? I’ll check in soon, or at least send Fukasaku or another toad with a message.” Jiraiya steps outside the tent, the sun now giving his white hair a soft glow.
They watch him leave. As soon as Jiraiya is out of sight, the exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours hits Kakashi like a punch to the gut, and he keels over onto Gai’s shoulder. He feels himself breathing– panting, really– heavily, and his hands are clammy. Chakra exhaustion, he realizes.
“My rival!!” Gai panics and looks down at him. “Are you feeling unwell? We must have one of these honorable medic-nin heal you!”
Kakashi shakes his head softly. “N…. no. Follow Jiraiya, I need t- to follow him, I don’t know if he’s,” Kakashi swallows around his dry throat, “if he’s keeping Naruto safe….” He tries to push himself away and off of Gai’s shoulder, but Gai quickly clamps him down with a chakra-enhanced grip.
Genma moves around Gai to bracket Kakashi on the other side, sighing. “Come on, man, we’re all tired. You made the guy promise to keep him safe, you’ve made your case. The most you can do for anyone right now is rest. You’re no use to anyone in this state.”
Kakashi shakes his head, more aggressively now. There is a stubborn downturn to his mask-covered lips, faintly reminiscent of Obito, as he mumbles, “I can still be,” he tries to catch his breath– when did he get out of breath? “I can still be useful, let me go, let me go follow him, Gai, let me go–”
“ Kakashi .” At the sound of his real name out of Gai’s mouth, Kakashi stills. “I cannot let you continue to be reckless. You will burn yourself out, and then you will fail your mission from Minato-sensei again because you will have died instead of living long enough to see Naruto grow up and protect him.”
“Gai–”
“My dear teammate, please allow me to finish. Kakashi, you did the best you could have. You completed the mission the Yondaime gave you to the best of your ability. I am absolutely positive that Minato-sensei would be extremely proud of how you are ensuring that Naruto is taken care of. You know you remember every single detail of your conversation with Jiraiya-sama, and you know you will find out if he even thinks about going back on his word to you. You have done everything you possibly could have done, and more. And I promise you, as soon as we are able, I will come with you to check in on Naruto and ensure that he remains youthful and healthy. But for now, please, sleep .” Gai loosens his grip on Kakashi’s shoulder infinitesimally. “Can you do that for me and Minato-sensei, my eternal rival?”
Kakashi feels his lids starting to get heavy and his vision starting to blur, and it seems like he has no other choice but to give in to his exhaustion. Gai guides him to a pallet, and asks a nearby medic-nin for a bottle of water. And with a quiet sort of care not normally associated with Gai at all, he helps Kakashi lie down as Kakashi continues to lean against him, and brings the light blanket up to tuck Kakashi in. Kakashi feels something press against his palm once his head hits the pillow, and slowly brings his hand up to his face so that his strained eye can focus on it. “...Soldier pill?”
Gai’s lips quirk up. He speaks quietly now, and Kakashi feels himself getting lulled to sleep by the naturally rhythmic intonation of Gai’s voice, as he says, “If I’m not here when you wake up. I don’t want you to lose any energy.”
Kakashi nods, a short, abortive movement that serves more to adjust his head on the pillow below him than actually show any comprehension of Gai’s statement. Kakashi is mainly focused on how he doesn’t think he would’ve made it out of last night alive without him and his uncanny ability to put exactly what Kakashi wants to say into words. He feels Gai’s hand brush against the cool, scratched metal of his hitai-ate, hears Genma murmur “We’ll be back soon,” and senses the two chakra signatures of just about the last two shinobi in Konoha he can force himself to give a damn about getting farther and farther away. Once he can no longer sense the energetic green of Gai and Genma’s sharp but subdued blue, Kakashi accepts his fate and finally, finally succumbs to sleep.
Shimura Danzo stands at the head of the cedar table, looking down at what remains of the Yondaime Hokage’s Council. Although he stands on a cane, brow furrowed, eyes sunken, he exudes a quietly cunning power that establishes his position as alpha in this meeting. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, his former teammates, flank him on either side of the table, exuding an air of self-satisfaction and arrogance that comes with knowing you have the most power in Konoha and being drunk on the fact. When Danzo sits down, the rest of the table will have to look at him, Homura, and Koharu together, whether they like it or not. Despite their age and declining abilities, there is no doubt that they are all former disciples of the Nidaime Hokage himself, the Lion of the Battlefield, Senju Tobirama. Despite their small number and the vastness of the table they sit at, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu overwhelm and suffocate the dim meeting room in the Hokage tower, making the normally spacious room feel as confining as the deepest cells in the Torture and Intelligence building. They have done so on purpose.
It’s obvious, then, that the meeting room’s other occupants pick up on their energy quickly and steer as far away from them as possible. In the end, Shikaku and Fugaku draw the short straws, sitting next to Homura and Koharu and representing the Jounin Forces and the Konoha Police Force, respectively. The Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Hyuga clan heads also line the table, and chatter amongst themselves, checking in and catching up with each other after the disastrous events of the last three days. Jiraiya, the only Sannin in Konoha, Genma, guard of the Yondaime, and Kakashi, Commanding Officer of ANBU, sit near the opposite head of the table. Together, the three of them face off Danzo and his two accompanying advisors, unsure of what this meeting will bring.
As soon as both of them are situated, Kakashi turns to Jiraiya, who anticipates what Kakashi is about to ask and answers before Kakashi can say anything. “I dropped Naruto off successfully. They know his full name is Uzumaki Naruto, but because the orphanage head is civilian, I don’t think she made the connection between Uzumaki and Kushina. I didn’t mention the fact that he is the jinchuuriki, and his parents didn’t come up. The orphanage is safe, and they seem like competent people. I’m not sure what will happen once they find out about the seal, but they seem to understand that they can’t just throw a newborn baby out for that reason.”
Kakashi narrows his one visible eye, and mentally weighs the pros and cons of leaving the meeting right now to find Gai and visit the orphanage. Danzo is a creepy motherfucker, though, and this meeting is important, he thinks. Naruto will just have to wait. Kakashi turns to Genma instead. “How is Gai?”
Surprisingly, the only indication that Genma is at all shocked that Kakashi cares enough about Gai’s wellbeing to ask after him is his right eyebrow twitching. “He’s resting up. He’s been recovered for a while now, but I’m forcing him to take it easy so he doesn’t completely screw himself over when he trains. He’ll be glad for you to stop by.”
If Kakashi stops by, he can get Gai to visit the orphanage with him and watch Naruto from afar. And if they need to talk to anyone, Gai can do the talking and make sure that neither of them get in trouble for wandering through the civilian part of town while they’re on-duty. He doesn’t say this out loud. Instead, he gives Genma a short nod, and says, “I’ll make some time.”
Genma and Jiraiya’s eyes both widen, and Kakashi very determinedly pretends not to notice both of them glancing skeptically at one another.
Mercifully, Danzo chooses that exact moment to call the meeting to order. He lightly touches his walking stick to the ground, and says, not bothering to speak over any of the chatting clan heads, “I would like to address the issue of choosing a Hokage.”
By the way a hush immediately fell over the room, it would be as if Danzo had screamed, or released a throat paralysis jutsu. He continues as if the room had been this silent the entire time, staring at a spot just above Jiraiya’s left shoulder, avoiding eye contact with any of the twelve other shinobi sitting at the table. “While we, too, mourn the Yondaime’s tragic demise and appreciate the sacrifice he made to protect the village, we are of the opinion that a Hokage must be chosen at once, in order to preserve Konoha’s image amongst the other hidden villages. We cannot afford to be weak, now more than ever.”
“ We,” Kakashi hears Inoichi mutter next to him. “This is pathetic.”
Kakashi has only had access to these meetings for the past year and half, during which time, only three meetings of this level were called. But Kakashi is sharp. He picks up on Danzo’s verbiage just as quickly as Inoichi, and likes it just as much. That is to say, Kakashi is immediately on edge.
Shikaku picks up on his window to prompt Danzo to continue, although he does it without much enthusiasm. “Danzo-sama, by calling this meeting I assume that you already have someone in mind for the position. Is that correct to assume?”
Danzo nods, resting his palms at the top of his walking stick. Kakashi is starting to become thoroughly annoyed by Danzo’s decision to continue standing once the meeting has started. Sensei never did that when he led meetings. “That is correct, Shikaku-san,” Danzo responds. “We believe--”
It seems like Kakashi wasn’t the only one who got frustrated at Danzo’s blatant show of superiority, because Inuzuka Tsume interrupts. “Danzo-sama, why don’t you sit down with the rest of us? I’m having a hard time hearing you,” she smirks.
Kakashi immediately stills every single muscle in his face so that he doesn’t give into instinct and immediately drop his jaw at Tsume’s comment. Anyone with half a brain cell or even passing knowledge of the Inuzuka clan understands that they are trackers, there is no way in hell a kunoichi as powerful as Tsume is having a hard time hearing Danzo. Fugaku is focusing extremely hard on a piece of lint on Shikaku’s shoulder, while Shikaku himself has elected to remain completely still. Chouza, meanwhile, is doing nothing to hide his mirth, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Inoichi looks about two seconds away from following suit.
Danzo lowers himself into his chair with about as dignity as he can muster after having his pride wounded by Tsume at the first official meeting he has called. He waits a moment, refusing to directly acknowledge her, and continues on. “We believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen is the ideal choice, given that he is already acquainted with the position. We are in a state of emergency, and there is no one else we could feasibly declare the new Hokage. We do not have the resources to take any jounin from the battlefield and rebuilding efforts currently, nor do we have anybody to train a new Hokage. Are there any objections to this proposal?”
That… actually isn’t a bad suggestion. All the current clan heads are heading important branches of Konoha that we can’t redirect resources from, and there is no one in the current group of jounin that has the skill and political savvy to take the hat. Glancing to his left, Kakashi assesses Jiraiya, and laughs inwardly. There’s him, but he can’t even be trusted with a baby, let alone the future of Konoha. I think that pretty much settles it. I would’ve liked it to not be Sarutobi, but it’s the best option we have. All I need to do is focus on training and making sure I don’t disappoint Sensei and Kushina. Whatever gets me out of this meeting.
Shikaku, living up to the Nara clan’s reputation, speaks up. “Danzo-sama, I appreciate your haste in calling this meeting, and I understand your thought process quite easily.” He remains focused on the stack of papers in front of him, keeping his face entirely, purposefully blank. Kakashi is instantly reminded of the fact that Shikaku often leads trial proceedings and assists Inoicihi with particularly challenging interrogations. “Why have you and your allies chosen The Professor? Why not you yourself, Danzo-sama? I was under the impression that you’ve been interested in the Hokage position for quite some time now. Giving up the opportunity to act as Konoha’s fifth Hokage, even temporarily? Indulge me in explaining your reasoning further.”
The temperature in the room drops ten degrees. Shikaku continues to hold himself in that signature Nara way, body lazy and slouched, eyes sharp and alert. Some eyes widen, some shift in their seats, Homura and Koharu openly staring disgustedly at Shikaku. Kakashi, though, is curious. It is unspoken yet common knowledge that Danzo has lusted after the Hokage position since the Nidaime took the hat, yet is constantly turned down. Kakashi is aware that Danzo fancies himself as a sort of “Shadow Hokage,” who works towards the same goals as his public counterpart. Danzo’s delusions of grandeur peaked during the Sandiame’s era through ROOT, which was supposedly disbanded. But from the way Danzo’s grip on his walking stick tightens and his lips thin, Kakashi figures there has to be something else at play here.
Every single person, save Homura and Koharu, turns to look at Danzo directly now. Even sitting at the back, Kakashi can feel the weight of every clan head’s stare, the cold, assessing gaze of war-hardened and politically savvy shinobi. Danzo is not the leader he fancies himself to be. He is not the genius that Kakashi is. And so when Danzo responds, Kakashi very subtly uncovers his sharingan.
“Shikaku. Thank you for your…. Concern. Although I regret to have to answer this question in such a… public manner, I will, as you say, indulge you.” Danzo briefly clenches his jaw and then releases it. “Currently, I do not feel as though I could contribute greatly to the welfare of Konoha in the position of Hokage. Like everyone else attending this meeting, I could serve Konoha better through my own unique duties.”
Shikaku’s gaze narrows, and he turns away to look back at the stack of papers in front of him, absentmindedly running his fingers the writing on the top sheet. The temperature of the room continues to drop, and in the corners of the room, Kakashi sees shadows begin to dance and lengthen across the walls, and Genma meets his eyes from across the table, panicked.
Then, for reasons unbeknownst to everyone in the room, Shikaku releases his chakra and the room immediately lightens again. “Well, Danzo-sama, that certainly is a viable explanation. Thank you for putting the needs of Konoha above your personal desires. This will be remembered. Are there any objections to Danzo-sama’s recommendation for the Sandaime to take the hat again now that we’ve all heard his explanation?” He pauses, and briefly meets Kakashi’s eyes as he scans the table. As Shikaku lets his eyes pass over Kakashi, he casually brings his hand up to scratch at his hairline, resting his fingers along his forehead for a split second more, before continuing on to check on the remaining members of the table. Kakashi immediately takes that for the symbol that it is, and keeps his sharingan uncovered. “None? Perfect. Then I will bring the news to Sarutobi-sama. With no other aims for this meeting, Danzo, will you dismiss us?”
Danzo complies. People get up and stretch, clan heads returning to their usual chatter. Kakashi hears Tsume’s signature bark of laughter and then a dull thud, he suspects she’s hit Shibi Aburame rather forcefully as they converse. He remains close to Genma and Jiraiya, standing with them in order to maintain the facade of interaction, but as soon as both of them saw Kakashi’s sharingan still on, they stayed quiet.
Kakashi feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around. “Shikaku,” he says, avoiding any formalities.
Used to Kakashi’s constant insolence through his friendship with Minato, Shikaku just smiles dryly. “How are you holding up?”
“Fine. Gai’s been making sure I sleep and eat. Genma’s been good too.” Kakashi jerks his head to where Genma stands behind Kakashi, and shoves his hands into his pockets. “I’m trying to get back to training as soon as I can, though.”
Shikaku nods. “And how is he?” He glances up quickly at Jiraiya while he says it, intending the question to be heard by him as well.
There’s no question about who exactly Shikaku is referring to, but Kakashi doesn’t dare to refer to Naruto by name here, not in front of so many people who he doesn’t yet know to trust. “He’s okay. Jiraiya dropped him off at the orphanage a few days ago. I haven’t been in to see how he’s doing but according to him, he seems fine.”
Both of Shikaku’s eyebrows shoot up into his forehead, a rare but clear sign of shock. “Jiraiya-sama, he’s not with you? I thought Minato named you godfather?”
Genma snorts from behind Kakashi. “Yeah, we said that too. This asshole doesn’t give a damn about Minato-sensei’s wishes, I guess. We decided the orphanage was the safest option.”
“And you agree with this?” Shikaku asks Kakashi directly.
“I don’t approve of it. But I know it’s our best option.”
Shikaku looks assessingly at Kakashi and then Jiraiya for a moment, and nods. “I would have offered,” he says, glancing away. He feels guilty, Kakashi realizes. “But Yoshino and I have Shikamaru to take care of, and the Jounin division…” he trails off.
The absurdity of Shikaku implicitly asking Kakashi for forgiveness is not lost on him. “Don’t sweat it. We know the position everyone’s in, which is why we decided this was the best option. I think it’ll be fine.”
Shikaku nods, looking slightly relieved, and then straightens again, seamlessly transforming from Shikaku, Minato’s friend and first-time father, to Nara-sama, commander of the jounin forces and advisor to the Yondaime Hokage. “Kakashi,” he says in a low voice.
Kakashi immediately snaps to attention, slouch lessening, and meeting Shikaku’s eyes. His sharingan still pulses with chakra, Obito’s triplet tomoes turning lazily in his eye socket. “What do you need?”
“I know you recorded the relevant parts of this meeting. I have a hunch that Danzo, and by extension, Homura and Koharu, are hiding something from us. I have no idea what it is, but the fact that Danzo values whatever he’s doing enough to reject the Hokage position after so long is extremely concerning to me. And my hunch is never wrong.”
“I figured the same thing,” Kakashi cocks his head lightly. “But why is that relevant to me?”
“Danzo is one of the people who knew about Kushina’s pregnancy.” Kakashi feels his blood run cold, and senses Jiraiya and Genma both stiffen in their places behind him. “I need you to make sure whatever it is he’s planning does not bring harm to my best friend’s legacy. Am I clear?”
Kakashi feels like he can’t breathe again, and tries to fight the urge to wash his hands. Or worse, find Gai and do something stupid, like ask Gai to tell him about his day as a distraction. Instead, he says, “we have no idea whether or not we need to worry about Danzo based on this meeting.”
Shikaku levels a flat stare at Kakashi. “You and I both know you aren’t stupid. You’ve memorized this entire meeting. Tell me, Kakashi of the Sharingan, how many instances of possible dishonesty did you catch in Danzo’s speech and body language this past hour?”
Automatically, Kakashi responds, “twenty-three, sir.”
“Right. And you’re telling me there is no possibility of any of those twenty-three instances having anything to do with the newborn and vulnerable weapon of this village?”
Kakashi gulps. “No, sir.”
“Are you willing to take that chance, at the risk of not only Konoha, but the will of my best friend and your Sensei?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. Do you understand what I am asking you to do, Kakashi?”
“Yes.”
“Indulge me. For the sake of Minato, what exactly am I asking you to do?”
Kakashi’s eye begins to throb, but he meets Shikaku’s gaze steadily now. “Whatever it takes.”
Shikaku maintains his stare for just a moment longer, and then clasps Kakashi’s shoulder. It feels different than when Sensei and Gai did it, but Kakashi doesn’t find himself hating this either, strangely enough. “I’m proud of you,” he says, and Kakashi hastily moves to cover his sharingan as an excuse to draw attention away from the fact that his one black eye is beginning to mist over.
“Right,” he says awkwardly, “thanks.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, okay? I know I can’t be a parent, but Minato and Kushina would murder me if I just disappeared from the kid’s life entirely.” Kakashi nods again, and Shikaku finally releases Kakashi from his presence.
Kakashi, Genma, and Jiraiya step out of the meeting room, not wanting to be alone with the steadily decreasing number of clan heads and Danzo. The walk down to the street is quiet, as the three of them process Shikaku’s demand of Kakashi.
When they reach the street below, Jiraiya takes the opportunity to speak up again. “Kakashi, Genma,” he begins, waiting for both boys to turn their attention to him. “I have to go back to Mount Myoboku and tell the Elders what’s happened here. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Kakashi immediately wants to do things to Jiraiya that he is fairly certain would classify him as a missing-nin, but he is too tired. Thankfully, Genma responds instead. “What the fuck, old man! You can’t even stay to check up on your kid? What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t like it either, kid. But like I said, it’s just not feasible. I can’t bring a baby to Mount Myoboku, and I can’t take him while I’m doing research, either. It’s not safe for either of us. I can’t stay in Konoha, no matter how much I want to, either.”
But Kakashi is past the point of giving a damn about Jiraiya’s lack of commitment to Naruto. “How will we be able to contact you if something comes up?” He asks instead.
“You can contact me through your summons,” he responds. “Pakkun has access to the sage realm, too.”
“Pakkun?” Genma asks. Kakashi waves him off. He doesn’t have the energy for this right now.
“Anyway, before I leave, I wanted you to have a copy of this. It’s Minato and Kushina’s copy, so keep it safe.” Jiraiya pulls out a small, white, hardcover book from his back pocket. “You don’t have to read it, but I thought you might like it.”
Kakashi looks unimpressed at the cover, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he now possesses something of Sensei’s. Something he can keep. “‘The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja?’ You couldn’t think of anything better to name your stupid book?”
Jiraiya chuckles. “I’m better at story writing than title writing, but that’s neither here nor there. Just keep it safe for me, alright? And if anything happens, send me a message. Even if I’m in the middle of something, I’ll travel back here as soon as you and Naruto need me. Okay?”
Kakashi looks at Jiraiya, already retreating to Konoha’s gates, and sighs. “You better not be lying, old man.”
And with that, Jiraiya shunshins off, leaving only a trail of leaves in his wake. They stare at the spot where he disappeared for a moment longer, and Kakashi starts to feel the exhaustion from interacting with so many people and using his sharingan for so long.
Luckily, Genma catches on. “Let’s go find Gai,” he says, elbowing Kakashi. “God knows you need to tell your eternal rival what happened today.”
“Ugh, don’t say that,” Kakashi grimaces. “It sounds weird when you do.” But Kakashi moves with Genma anyway, debating how much chakra he will have to use to cover his ears when Gai greets him at the door.
For some reason, he doesn’t really mind that.