Chapter Text
Gai was, he would admit, not the most intellectual shinobi.
He was a genius of hard work and by no means stupid, but it was his eternal rival who had earned the epithet of prodigy and genius; The brains to his brawn.
So you will have to forgive him if all his thoughts are a little disorganized and if he is missing a pattern in the mess that others could more easily identify.
This line of thought began around the time of the war's end, when Sakumo-sama asked Gai to make notes on the lowest sectors of their society, mostly the orphans and red-light workers. The Hatake head, who wasn't Hokage at the time, explained that he wanted to be more informed about the finer details of life in the slums before attaching the Hatake name and funding.
Thus, Gai began his most covert work ever, where he was still brash and bold, but now with a secret. The red light district was the easiest; he framed himself as a speedy messenger who was naive to the exact types of messages he was passing along. This brought Gai into contact with several of the ladies and gentlemen who serviced the vices of both shinobi and civilian clientele.
In doing so, he found many secrets and passed the pertinent report along to the now Hokage-sama. (One exciting incident led Gai to discover a small spy ring for Iwa through a traveling merchant guild.)
Along with his notes on secrets, Gai also sent truths to the Yondaime: Many of the children born in the red light district were often neglected and largely abandoned. Gai made it his personal mission, using his own earnings in some cases, to get those unfortunate young ones into schooling or caring apprenticeships.
In a dissimilar vein, it was quite difficult for Gai to garner information from some of the orphanages in Konoha. Obviously, the Northwest Orphanage was now under the benefaction of the Hatake, mainly Ikubyo and Harumi, and thus those children did not need Gai’s specialized attention. And all other children's homes in the northern half of Konoha, closer to the center of business and administration, had matrons and caregivers welcoming of Gai’s interloping and offered aid.
But those of the southern half were quite secretive and downright rude whenever Gai made overtures of friendship. Particularly, the matron of the South Orphanage, Yakushi Nono-san, was constantly anxious when Gai visited and greatly reluctant to let him play with or speak to the children. Nono-san insisted the orphanage was well-funded, even though many of the children walked barefoot, and the food pantry Gai had snuck into was quite bare.
Something wasn't right.
The South Orphanage was the most rural and remote of them all. There were many children stationed there, as was the case with other sites, but the space was crowded with numerous toddlers and had very few above the age of eight. There was no paperwork showing the relocation of older children.
They might have run. It was expected that teenage orphans would run away from inadequate shelters to search for something better in the wider world. Perhaps Nono-san was simply determined to keep her incompetence from the spotlight and maintain her position. But that didn't feel like the right answer. If that were the case, there would be evidence of the escapees.
Enough, Gai refused to keep thinking in circles; it was time to move this puzzle upward.
Kakashi listened to Gai's convoluted explanation, but at no point seemed confused. At the end of Gai’s boisterous speech, his rival gained a far-off look in his eyes.
Gai had long since learned that the glazed expression did not mean inattention, but was rather a sort of meditative way for his rival to focus on a problem. Gai liked to stare deep into Kakashi's pupils whenever he developed that look; Gai hoped he could see the other side of his rival's thoughts.
After some moments, Kakashi came back to himself with a blinking grin. Using a full palm, Kakashi moved Gai's face away from his, "Gai." His voice was giddy with triumph, making eye contact with dark eyes between spread fingers, "You are a genius."
The red of the sunset could not compare to Gai's blushing embarrassment at the compliment.