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Chapter Text

048. kakashi: reframing

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On the way home, Kakashi considers that perhaps he was wrong this entire time. It’s an uncomfortable thought for someone so accustomed to being right. Orochimaru’s words sit with him and Naruto’s bright blue eyes are now burned into his memory. How can he even think of caging the boy? How can he stomach such a thought? What sort of grotesque monster has he become that he considered crippling the boy he swore to protect?

Evening settles over the village, blanketing the houses with velvet shadows. The moon is hiding its face tonight, and although the market street glows with life and noise, nightfall somehow feels more haunted.

It takes no time to return to the apartment. Orochimaru’s home is towards the edge of the village proper, but with every season that passes and each year that Kakashi grows older, the village itself seems to shrink in proportion, growing smaller and more insular as if the very walls are inching closer to the Tower. Maybe they are, who knows; stranger things have happened in his life thus far. Or maybe it’s his mind, his perspective that continues to shrink, and thus his expectations of the world around him. His openness to risk and his willingness to trust.

Itachi unlocks the apartment and steps inside, holding the door open with a finger while slipping out of his sandals. Kakashi follows and locks the door behind him, allowing the familiar scent of their home to settle his nerves. They just had some, but tea sounds like a great idea.

“Tea?” asks Itachi, reading his mind.

“Sure.” Kakashi goes to clear their table.

The apartment is spacious, simple, clean. There are signs of life: chew toys for the dogs all stuffed haphazardly into a basket; sketchbooks stacked on the shelf; the moss terrarium in its place of honor; and the many books, shared between the two of them, an overlapping hobby. Soon they’ll run out of space. He considers the books from his seat at the table and wonders which ones they can both bear to part with.

“We should start training with the seal tomorrow,” Itachi says, hands full with a tray of tea implements. “We should take advantage of the time, while we don’t have a mission.”

“Not the training grounds; too many eyes. The forest.”

“The forest,” Itachi agrees, reaching for his most recent sketchbook while Kakashi pours for them both. “Sasuke looked well.”

“He’s going be strong.”

“Naruto-kun too.”

But they both knew who to watch on that team: the little Nara, with eyes as sharp as the strongest Sharingan and a restless brain to match. That boy has it in him to be ANBU, that much is clear. Kakashi hadn’t been present for the divvying up this year, out with his team on a mission, but he’s not sure he could have made a better team than this line-up that the Hokage had made. And to convince Orochimaru to be a genin-sensei…

“I’m glad they became friends,” Itachi quietly says, now bent over and focused on his sketch. A face, perhaps his own brother’s face; Itachi has always felt wretched about leaving Sasuke behind. “Your Naruto and my little Sasuke, I mean. They make good friends to each other.”

Leaning back with a sigh, Kakashi tucks his legs further into the kotatsu, which they never put away, not even in the humidity of Konoha’s summer. After so many years of active duty, their joints are always thankful for some therapeutic heat. “Your little Sasuke won’t be little for much longer, though.”

Under his breath, Itachi chuckles. “He has a long way to go yet. Let him take his time. I wasn’t able to take mine. Neither of us were.”

“No,” Kakashi agrees, looking out the window at the village lights, “our time was stolen from us.”

They remain like that until bedtime, Kakashi enjoying his tea with a dog on his lap, Itachi tracing the outline of Sasuke’s budding Sharingan. In the morning, they will pivot with the changes once again thrown their way, but tonight there is time enough to think.

Rat and Pigeon return injured from a mission and are taken off roster, so the two of them are requested to plug the gaps on the rota. In the early morning half-light, they both rise and make ready with the efficiency of veteran soldiers, tucking weapons into holsters and strapping guards around limbs. Kakashi makes their breakfast (tamagokakegohan) while watching Itachi deftly braid his long hair to wrap it round into a tight bun.

After all these years, it still engenders a curl of guilt, this intense attraction that surges whenever his eyes chance upon the slope of Itachi’s neck. Kakashi has given up on denying or dissecting the guilt and instead has learned to let it lie, insistent but quiet, at the pit of his gut. Neither of them is a stranger to regrets and mistakes; there is no need to dredge up the past. They both know better than to take for granted what little slice of happiness they have now.

“We don’t have time for that,” his partner admonishes, taking a bowl of rice with a chuckle. “The off-going shift will gut us if we’re late.”

Kakashi shrugs with one shoulder. “They can try.”

Breakfast is polished off while standing, the dishes left unwashed in the sink. They leave the apartment and arrive at ANBU Command with just enough time to spare. A relief: Rat and Pigeon were supposed to be on sentinel duty today. They don their masks and emerge from Command to head to the Sarutobi estate, where the Hokage is still enjoying his breakfast while overlooking his late wife’s cherished garden. Chakra ripples gently through the morning air as the off-going shift depart.

“Ah, good morning, good morning, Hound and Hare,” the Hokage greets in between bites of fish. It is always a traditional breakfast for the old man, whose habits are well-ingrained into the ANBU squadrons’ heads after his decades in office. It will be a jarring experience when the time comes to learn a new Hokage’s routines. “I suppose the healers didn’t feel too inclined to release Rat and Pigeon yet? Terrible business: shattered kneecaps, broken collarbones.... let’s hope the medics give them the good stuff. Have you ever shattered a kneecap, Hound?”

“No, Hokage-sama,” Kakashi answers.

“Not yet, is what he means,” Itachi follows. “Good morning, Hokage-sama.”

The Hokage chortles, well-used to the banter between the two of them. They are, after all, two of the Hokage’s sharpest, strongest blades. “Well, Hare, I hope it is indeed a good morning. Most of it will be spent in meetings, unfortunately. That’s all for breakfast, I suppose. Shall we?”

It is a quiet, quick procession from the Saturobi estate to the Tower, the Hokage shadowed by six ANBU in circular formation. Once at the Tower, they each take strategic positions tucked into the shadows cast by pillars supporting the walls. Guarding the Hokage is the rare occasion the two of them become shields instead. Among the ANBU, sentinel duty is considered both a serious responsibility and a coveted break. To sit in relative safety and do next to nothing is a luxury they never take for granted.

Kakashi settles in and extends his senses outwards, core spinning with the razor-sharp control required to be at once omnipresent and yet invisible. One by one, the other five follow, creating an overlapping radius of chakra-sense that even the most seasoned assassin would be hard-pressed to slip past. Inside, the Hokage putters around his desk, brewing tea while sifting through the papers that have already made it to his desk.

For want of interest, Kakashi’s mind wanders unbidden to yesterday afternoon. Once again, a dash of guilt and a pinch of shame: he has no right to be questioning Orochimaru’s plans for Naruto when he himself was absent for the boy’s childhood. He had known that Naruto was alone in that apartment, yet what did he do? On the one hand, Orochimaru is right: shortly after sensei’s death, he himself had been a child and would not have known what to do with an infant. But in recent years, that excuse no longer holds water. He has a sizable inheritance, a space of his own, a generous income;: how little effort would it have required for him to step in?

It was ultimately the Hokage’s decision. He wants to tell himself that he retains minimal culpability as someone several rungs below in the chain of command. He wants to tell himself that the Hokage knew best how to approach the situation, and that the Hokage would have been privy to information he would not have had, and the Hokage has had children of his own: there was surely no ill intent. But Kakashi has never been very good at self-deception, which, Itachi tells him, is part of why his Sharingan’s illusions are more fragile and exposed, and he is absolute shit at practicing blind faith. These personal shortcomings have long since kept him alive, so he hasn’t invested time into changing them.

Several chakra signatures approach the office from the base of the Tower, converging at the root of the spiral staircase from different directions. Shikaku-senpai is one of them, his sister another, Akita-senpai, Yamanaka-san, and—speak of the snake—Orochimaru. They talk as they ascend but Kakashi cannot hear what is being said until they are welcomed into the office. Greetings ensue for a few minutes, audible while the wards aren’t yet active. He anticipates them to go up at any moment, but then hears an unexpected summon.

“Hound,” the Hokage calls, “step into the office and let your squad cover your position. It’s too fine a day for enemies to attempt an assassination, no? Surely they’d want more cloud cover.”

Only Orochimaru chuckles.

Kakashi peels himself away from the tower’s exterior wall and the squadron shifts to accommodate the gap. He hops in through the window, the one that always stays open, and comes down to a knee next to the old man. With a twist of his hands, the Hokage activates the wards.

“Remove your mask,” says the Hokage. “This meeting has no need of Hound. Today, you are required here as Hatake Kakashi.”

Pausing only for a moment, Kakashi removes his mask with one hand. Whatever this is about, he’s sure he won’t like it.

“Sencha, sensei? I have just made a blend with orange peel this morning, it is quite fragrant,” Orochimaru asks, busy with the kettle at the Hokage’s tea station, as if it’s just another day and the office is his own.

“That sounds quite nice,” the Hokage sits with a grunt at the head of the low table and pats the tatami to indicate that Kakashi should take a seat too. “Come, sit down, Kakashi-kun.”

Kakashi doesn’t sit down. “Beg pardon, but aren’t I underqualified to be at this table?”

“Not if I ask you to be here,” the Hokage chortles, before turning to the others. “Shikaku, I’ve found some of my predecessor’s strategy notes in the Sealed Archives. I’d like you to have your son learn from them.”

Settling next to the Hokage, Shikaku raises both eyebrows. “Most generous of you, Hokage-sama. As long as it’s well with Orochimaru-sama…” he glances at Orochimaru.

“Dare I say you have a new favorite, sensei? Am I being usurped by my own student?” Orochimaru teases.

The Hokage responds with, “Well, you are getting old.” Orochimaru makes an offended noise.

“Team Seven came home two days ago from their first away mission. Shikamaru gave report to us yesterday,” Shimizu-senpai explains to Yamanaka-san. “Kid made a strong impression with that busy brain of his.”

“He’s a very smart boy,” Yamanaka-san agrees.

“Send him to me,” Akita-senpai says.

“Please, not yet!” Shikaku-san begs. “He’s too little!”

“It’ll be sooner than you think,” Kakashi agrees with his commander, still kneeling instead of sat. “That kid’s got serious ANBU potential.”

“Send him to me,” Akita-senpai repeats.

“In time,” Orochimaru finally makes his way to the table with a full tea kettle and two cups already poured, one for himself and one for the Hokage. “All three of my genin have immense potential. I suspect that Naruto will be the most useful in ANBU; he’s a natural at espionage. Sasuke will be one of Konoha’s strongest warriors, no doubt, but we can’t ask the poor child to hold a serious disguise. Shikamaru… well, you may be able to retire after all, Shikaku-kun.”

Shikaku tips his head back in prayer. “One can hope.”

“It’s always good to have a succession plan,” the Hokage agrees, turning to Kakashi. “That’s why you’re sitting at the table today, Kakashi-kun.”

Kakashi stands up.

“Now, now, settle down—”

“I refuse.”

“—I’m not giving you the hat, Kakashi-kun. It’ll be Orochimaru before you.”

“Oh.”

Kakashi slowly kneels back down. Around him, Konoha’s top command stills in anticipation.

“We’re making it official, then?” Orochimaru remarks as if on the weather. “And your advisors are in agreement?”

The Hokage savors a mouthful of his tea, creating a short pause, before responding, “They aren’t blind, and you have worked hard. It won’t be today; I need you to usher the children into relative independence. Naruto needs to be able to protect himself, as we have discussed. I won’t forever be here. Neither will you.”

“Agreed,” Orochimaru nods, “and so you mean to put Hatake next in line.”

Cold creeps upon the back of Kakashi’s neck.

“Objections?” the Hokage asks.

“None,” Orochimaru takes a calm sip of his tea.

“What if I have an objection?” Kakashi blurts out. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“That’s usually a good thing,” Shikaku-san points out, raising both hands when Kakashi levels him with a glare. “Sorry, but you know I’m right.”

“Quit complaining, Kakashi,” chides Akita-senpai. “Right now, you’re third in line. Unless you’re expecting the Hokage and Orochimaru-sama to drop dead tomorrow, you’ve got time.”

“But I’m ANBU,” Kakashi protests with a strength of a dying pimple.

“And you’ll remain ANBU. When I die, you’ll be ANBU Commander. When Orochimaru-sama is done, it’ll have been enough time that you’ll be so sick of this job you’ll want the damn hat instead,” Akita-senpai declares, crossing his arms in his usual manner. If only Kakashi didn’t owe the man his life several times over…

A warm hand takes hold of his arm. Kakashi turns and regards the Hokage, whose wise eyes meet his own with a knowing light. Kakashi has given decades of his life to this man. Is he willing to give more? Is he ready?

“Who else, Kakashi-kun, if not you? Who in this village could take you, one on one? Perhaps Itachi-kun, and he certainly would be next after you, but I doubt this village is ready for an Uchiha as its Hokage.”

Kakashi has his own thoughts about that, but they are shoved aside to make space for serious consideration of the Hokage’s proposal. He wants to think that he has an option to refuse, but now that top command has heard the directive, the choice is already half out of his hands. Briefly, he thinks of the small pile of double S-class missions on the Hokage’s desk and wonders if one of them is sufficiently dangerous enough to pose a real risk of killing him.

“I just don’t think I have a strong enough motivation for what the job demands,” Kakashi quietly confesses. “It takes more than strength to make one worthy. Minato-sensei taught me that.”

The table stills at the mention of Minato’s name. For most of the people in this room, the loss is still too fresh and represents an abject failure Kakashi knows all of them struggle to sleep with at night.

Orochimaru puts his teacup down.

“You won’t like me for pointing this out,” he says, “but the reason has been in front of you this whole time; you’ve just been ignoring it.”

Kakashi squares up to Orochimaru’s sharp gaze. “If you mean Naruto, he’ll one day be strong enough not to need my help or protection.”

“On that, I agree, but you misunderstand what I’m trying to say. Naruto is my responsibility now, not yours. Uchiha Itachi’s situation, on the other hand, is squarely within your scope of influence.”

Spine stiffening, Kakashi consciously resists the urge to snarl. “What are you trying to say?”

“You know exactly what I’m trying to say. As third in line, you would be an anchor to secure Itachi’s position. If you were to make an official declaration, as is your right as the head of your clan, Itachi would become unassailable. It would take him out of the Uchiha succession, of course, but Sasuke is the spare for a reason, and after hearing from both yesterday, I daresay Itachi would prefer such an arrangement to begin with. If the Uchiha clan decides that they want to retain him as their head after all, you gain an even stronger foothold over them as his partner. It would secure that entire clan to Konoha in a way that we have not been able to achieve since the Shodaime killed Uchiha Madara.”

Mind spinning, Kakashi kneels in silence. He wishes he had refused the summons. They could have stayed in bed today. They could have trained in the forest. Anything but this.

“I’m sorry, wow, that did not go where I thought it would go,” Shimizu-san remarks, blinking. “Orochimaru-sama, you’re telling him to get married?”

“I’m telling him that he could get married,” Orochimaru shrugs. “It’s a viable political strategy, unless of course the commitment is too much to consider. They are young, I suppose.”

Akita-senpai starts laughing, while Yamanaka-san hems and haws around the idea. The Hokage continues sipping his tea.

“That…” Kakashi pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, “…I can’t decide that on my own.”

“I should hope not!” Shimizu-san exclaims.

But the more Kakashi thinks about it, the more the idea makes an odd sort of sense. How long has he wanted to slap that whole clan to its senses? How many more must be ridiculed like Obito, exploited like Itachi, and neglected like Sasuke? The Uchiha isn’t the only problematic clan in Konoha, but it’s the clan Kakashi cares the most about, because life has given him no choice about the matter. Belatedly, he wonders for how long Orochimaru has had this scheme cooked up and ready to deploy.

The Hokage reaches over and pats the table. “Sit, Kakashi-kun. We have much yet to discuss. Your potential marriage is not, in fact, part of the agenda—although announcing you to top command is.”

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi unfolds his leg and gingerly sits on the mat. Positioned between the Hokage and Orochimaru, he feels bookended by expectations, and that word that has been uncomfortable since the death of his own father: legacy. Orochimaru pours for him, and when he accepts the cup, it feels like the final stroke to finish a seal.

He should not have accepted the damned cup.

“So what’s actually the main item on the agenda?” he asks.

Shikaku-san clears his throat and lays out the contents of the folder he’s kept next to him this entire time. The Hokage shifts his attention to the entire table and declares, “We will make a bid to hold next year’s Chuunin Exams in Konoha.”

“…it’s supposed to be in Iwa,” Yamanaka-san reminds everyone.

“It will be in Konoha.”

Shimizu-san releases a huge breath and drops her head back in a move exactly like little Shikamaru would have done. “Fuck, you’re serious.”

“Entirely, Shimizu-kun. I hope you all understand why.”

“Naruto,” Orochimaru says, to which the Hokage nods. “It makes operational sense, but it’ll be tricky.”

“Tricky?” Kakashi echoes. “It might start a war.”

“Calculated risks,” Orochimaru shrugs. “I would weather a war over losing Naruto to… well, there’s more than one entity interested in taking him, dead or alive.”

“Akatsuki would be the greatest threat,” Akita-senpai points out, “especially since going to Iwagakure would require our teams to pass through Ame. Is there a possibility we can get Jiraiya-san to come back and be present for the duration of the exams?”

Shikaku-san sighs. “Ideally, he would be present for the duration of Naruto-kun’s training, until such time the kid’s capable of taking care of himself, but…”

“We don’t live in an ideal world. We must make the best of what is available to us. If we can pull the exams back to Konoha, we will avoid having to travel that route. What spies do we have embedded in Iwa right now? Perhaps they can find a convincing reason why the exams shouldn’t be held in Iwagakure. If none, we will send some of our best to create reasons. Best to have more than one, of course. It is difficult to predict what will be convincing enough to other kages at any given time.”

Orochimaru says all this without pause, as if surveying pieces already long laid out on a board in his head. Kakashi has the sinking realization that he won’t like working with this man. He’s never been fond of feeling slow.

“Well?” the Hokage smiles kindly at all of them. “Thoughts, ideas? We have only until lunchtime. Orochimaru-kun must return to his genin in the afternoon; they are busy little things, you know.”

Saddled now with possibilities and expectations, Kakashi has no choice but to turn his cup around and plan.