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Chapter Text

It’s a surprisingly easy mission Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were tasked with. All they needed to do was escort Kakashi to a meeting with the Mizukage and then escort him back. The three of them knew their role as bodyguards was mainly a sham; Kakashi just wanted company during the trip, and Shikamaru had bullied him into taking someone with him if he was rejecting his team of Anbu.

It’s an easy mission, considering they’re the three next sanin, and that Kakashi was the hokage. They weren’t exactly expecting any assassination attempt to succeed, considering the four powerhouses that would be involved in the fight.

It was an easy mission, or at least it should have been, and maybe that’s why it all went horribly wrong on their way back.

They’re on the border between lands when Kakashi stills, sensing something. The man’s sixth sense was not something to scoff at, and they exchanged glances between each other as Kakashi surveyed the area. The air was still, the animals quiet, and Naruto realized that it was unnaturally quiet. Forests were naturally loud, through animal cries or the crunch of leaves and grass. Something was wrong.

Kakashi throws a kunai. It startled a coyote from its spot on the grass, and Sakura gasps. “That isn’t a native animal from around here?”

Their cover blown, the assassins make themselves known. The coyote disappears in a puff of smoke, clearly a summoning animal, and ten rogue ninja surround the four of them. Really, these aren’t difficult odds at all, but there’s a strange feeling in Naruto’s gut, watching them circle them like predators having closed in on their prey.

Sakura had channeled her chakra to her fists. Sasuke had a sword unsheathed. Naruto kept a careful eye on the man who was clearly the leader; there was a dangerous aura to him the others lacked, at least in intensity, and Naruto could see the other ninjas peering back at him occasionally, deferring to him, waiting for their next orders.

The leader was a tall man who seemed no older than Kakashi. His hands were heavily scarred and seemed almost permanently stained with ink. He was watching Kakashi with an intensity that made Naruto uneasy, making it clear who his target was for the ambush.

Kakashi lazily slid his hands in his pockets, appearing unimpressed. “Hm? What’s this?”

“Kakashi Hatake,” the leader greeted. “It’s been a long time. You’ve done well for yourself. I hear you’re even the kage of your village.”

“Is this a party to celebrate me? Aw, you shouldn’t have.”

“We’re certainly here to celebrate,” the man begins, grinning sharply. “Celebrate your death.”

Cheesy, Naruto thinks, before a hail of kunai is unleashed upon them. They press against each other, a tight formation as the circle of ninjas close in. Naruto half hopes the ninja have at least a few interesting jutsus; assassination attempts aren't near as interesting as they used to be when they’ve become as powerful as they have.

It isn’t exactly uncommon for someone to try to assassinate Kakashi. He’s only recently transitioned into being the hokage, so the attempts on his life haven't died down yet. Most assassins were annoyed at the shinobi alliance and hoped to spark a new war, or at the very least, sever the peace. There were a few, however, who targeted Kakashi for revenge… It seemed Kakashi had pissed off quite a few people in his Anbu days, and even some back during the third war.

“Sensei, you know this guy?” Naruto asks, curious about the history.

“What did you to to piss him off?” Sasuke wondered, sword clanging against another’s as he engaged one of the rogues.

“Forgive me for not remembering every person I’ve ever angered,” Kakashi smoothly answered. “The list is rather long.”

“You don’t remember me?” The leader asked, appearing rather annoyed by the idea. “I see. Does an assassination attempt on the third hokage mean anything to you?”

“There were quite a few of those,” Kakashi admitted, likely just to tease. “Some even before my years. Are you sure it was me?”

“Yes!” The leader shouted. Naruto giggled. “It was eighteen years ago!”

“Ah. That’s right.” Kakashi dodged a shuriken as he contemplated. The leader pushed forward, summoning a water style jutsu Kakashi counteracted with a fire style. “Now I remember. Kiri had sent a battalion of assassins to attack the hokage in his own home.”

“It was a bloodbath,” the man confirmed. “And the epicenter of the storm was you. Do you remember what you did to me?”

Naruto struck down one of the assassins. He was getting rather bored of the taijutsu fighting. They’re no where near as good as Lee or Guy, so it wasn’t exactly a fun fight. Sasuke was still playing with his food, engaging in a boring sword fight while they listen to the man’s tragic backstory. Sakura had gotten impatient as well, knocking out two of them and already engaging a third.

“You put me under a genjutsu,” the man calmly said. “And forced me to kill my own child.”

Naruto shivered.

Sakura, however, had a confused look on her face at the explanation. She was studying the man as she fought her third shinobi, and Naruto wondered what she was thinking.

Kakashi frowned. “You attacked us. It was our right to defend the hokage from you. I’m sorry that your son had to die, but that is the risk in these operations.”

“You and your Anbu comrades killed the rest of the battalion,” the man continued. “You let me live, to report back to the Mizukage at the time, as a warning not to send anymore hostile forces.”

“I remember,” Kakashi stated. “Are you really seeking revenge for something nearly twenty years ago? Let the memory of your son rest and move on.”

“Peace is a farce,” the man cried. “And peace led by you of all people? The Copy Ninja of Konoha? The rumored Friend Killer? A man with hundreds of confirmed kills, and the gods only know how many unconfirmed? You are no arbitrator of peace. You’re the same thing all shinobi are- a weapon of war.”

Naruto’s hackles raised. “How dare you say that?”

Kakashi kicked the sword from the man’s hand. It was clear he was done playing games as well. Sakura took that as permission to kick another man into unconsciousness. Sasuke took care of two more.

“I don’t want to fight with you,” Kakashi says. “If you leave now, we will let you go. The shinobi alliance agreed to let each nation's bloody history be for the sake of peace. Revenge is only cyclical- if you kill me, others will kill you in turn, and we will only make things even worse than before. I am sorry for your son, but he understood the risks of becoming a shinobi, and a black ops at that. Don’t disgrace your son's memory by calling his sacrifice into question.”

“You’ve softened,” the man states, almost amused, almost insulted. “But any era of peace lead by a man like you is destined to fail. Bloody histories can not be ignored. Justice is always fair play.”

The man strikes out with a knife from his thigh. Kakashi swiftly dodges, and the man chases after him, swinging madly to hit him. Kakashi kicks, forcing the man back, but the man doesn’t falter. It’s admirable in a pathetic sort of way, how the man won’t give up trying to exact his revenge. Naruto watches, certain Kakashi has this covered, while Sakura and Sasuke take care of the remaining shinobi.

And that’s when something unexpected happened.

The man had summoned more than just the one coyote, it seemed. A second one darted from its hiding spot, charging at Kakashi. He dodged a bite from the animal, and avoided a slash from the man’s knife, but that’s when a slip of paper slid out from the man’s sleeve. With a harsh hand, the man slammed the piece of paper against Kakashi’s side as he dodged, and Naruto watched with wide eyes as Kakashi suddenly crumpled to the ground.

“Kakashi!” Sakura shouted. The three of them rushed towards the man, who had begun to carefully perform some sort of jutsu. Naruto tried to track his hand signs, having a distinct feeling the three of them won’t stop him in time from completing it. Despite its complexity, the man has clearly practiced signing the jutsus enough times that he managed to get through it rather quickly. The last sign was already formed when Naruto struck him, tackling him to the ground.

A white light flashed. Whatever jutsu the man had done was clearly activated. Naruto growled, pinning the man harshly to the ground, fangs beared. “If you hurt Kakashi-sensei, I’ll get my revenge on you!”

The man grinned at him. “Revenge isn’t always an eye for an eye. Or at least, not in the way you’re thinking. A life can never equal another life. You have to learn to make do.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The man grins. In a blink, he disappears from Naruto’s crushing grip, and Naruto is stunned, feeling the whispers of a familiar jutsu. It can’t be-?

“Was that the flying thunder god technique?” Sasuke murmors, appearing just as incredulous as Naruto.

“No way!” Naruto cried. “How could some dimwit ninja like him be able to pull that off?”

But it clearly wasn’t a substitution jutsu, considering Naruto didn’t have an armful of wood. Body flickering wasn’t possible, either, because Naruto would have felt that. He obviously wasn’t a clone if he didn’t disappear in a puff of smoke. What other technique could possibly explain his sudden disappearance?

“Sensei!” Sakura shrieked.

Naruto and Sasuke diverted their attention to the crumpled form of Kakashi. Naruto tilted his head. The crumpled form seemed bigger just a moment ago, in the heat of battle. Now, the more Naruto looked, the more he noticed most of the mass was loose clothing.

Naruto’s eyes bugged. “Sensei disappeared as well! And he’s naked?!”

Sasuke slapped the back of his head. “You idiot, look.”

Sakura approached the pile of clothing. Something was squirming around beneath the hokage robes Kakashi had worn for the meeting with the Mizukage. Carefully, Sakura slowly peeled the clothing back, and they watched with wide eyes as she revealed what had begun squirming beneath the layers of robes.

A small child was laying on the ground, swimming in an oversized shirt that looked suspiciously like Kakashi’s masked jonin blues. His hair was a wild, unkept silver mane, and his eyes were squeezed shut, as if in a nightmare. For a brief moment, all three of them stare incredulously at the sight of the small boy. He couldn’t be any older than six, from what Naruto remembers of being a small child.

“Sensei?” Naruto wondered. After all, why else would there be a gray haired boy where their teacher had once stood? Is that what the seal the man attached to him did? But why?

Sakura placed a hand over his forehead, frowning. “Aw, poor thing is burning up.” Her eyes shifted to Naruto and Sasuke; she was taking charge. “Naruto, pack up Kakashi’s clothes and seal up the ninja we captured. Sasuke, see if you can track the guy that did this. I’m going to give Kakashi a check up, and then we’re going to find a good spot to set up camp. I don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

Naruto groaned. He hated clean up duty, especially now! There was something way more interesting to be paying attention to, like the mini version of their sensei! Naruto opened his mouth to complain, but a steely look from Sakura made him reconsider. “Ugh, fine, fine.”

Naruto pulls out the sealing roll, muttering to himself as he collects the unconscious ninja involved in the attack. Sasuke had begun searching the perimeter, summoning one of his hawks to survey by air. Naruto tries to finish up quickly so he can bother Sakura and investigate their mini sensei more. It’s clear Sakura also thought the small child must be Kakashi, which meant his theory was actually rather sound.

Naruto rushes over to Sakura’s side. Her hands are pressed against his chest, glowing softly as her medical chakra investigates the small body. Her brows are furrowed in thought, a look that made Naruto hesitate to bother her, settling for scrutinizing little Kakashi. His eyes weren’t squeezed so tightly, and he instead appeared much more relaxed, though his little hands were fisting the oversized shirt he was wearing. Sakura must have taken care of the fever, or at least reduced it, and Naruto hoped the boy was having sweet dreams now that he was feeling better.

“He seems healthy,” Sakura finally said, her chakra fizzling out. “Beyond the minor fever, probably caused from the jutsu making him shed nearly thirty years, he’s actually in really good health.”

“You think this is really Sensei?” Naruto wondered. He couldn’t help himself any longer; he reached out, petting Kakashi’s hair, watching the last bit of tension fade away. He doesn’t quite snuggle into Naruto’s idle petting but it is a close thing, and his hands loosen their grip on his shirt.

Sakura had the decency to allow Kakashi’s lower face be covered with the oversized mask attached to his shirt. Naruto itched to push the fabric down, but it felt like cheating to do it when Kakashi was obviously out of commission and unable to put up a decent fight. Besides, now that Kakashi was a third of his usual size, barely older than a toddler, he looked oddly vulnerable in a way Naruto had never once seen him as, and it left something uncomfortable in his stomach.

“What else could have happened here? The man clearly has knowledge on seals and space-time manipulation jutsus.”

“Huh? How’d you gather that?”

“The man looked no older than Kakashi,” Sakura explained. “But he had a kid old enough to be in the Anbu eighteen years ago. Kakashi calls himself an old man, but he’s barely thirty two. He would have been fourteen at the time. The man couldn’t be near his age and also have a child in the Anbu!”

Naruto tilted his head. That’s right, the man did look oddly young to be mentioning a child. Even Kakashi’s age now, to have a child old enough in the Anbu would be quite odd. “Maybe he’s using that stupid glamor technique Granny Tsunade does.”

“That could be possible, but you and I both saw the way he disappeared from your grasp. That looked like the fourth hokage’s jutsu.” Sakura hesitated. “Or at least a version of it. Coupled with the fact that this is obviously a younger version of Kakashi? It’s pretty clear this man has experience with space-time jutsu.”

“And sealing,” Naruto added, thinking about the paper the man had tagged him with.

“What a pain,” Sakura murmured, sighing.

It was at that moment Sasuke returned, a hawk settled on his shoulder. His eyes zeroed in on Kakashi’s small, quiet body, soaking in the sight before he glanced back at his hawk. “There were no tracks to follow. It was as if the man had disappeared off the face of the planet.”

Sakura sighed. “Then it really was the fourth hokage’s jutsu. And if he has experience in space manipulation…”

“Time manipulation isn’t that much of a jump,” Sasuke continued, peering back at Kakashi.

“Tsunade is going to kill us,” Naruto stated, already dreading the bruised ribs he was going to get. Fear shadowed Sakura’s expression in understanding; even Sasuke seemed to be dreading the confrontation. “She just passed on the hat to him! She’s not gonna be happy to put it back on.”

“One problem at a time,” Sakura decides, running her fingers through her hair. “I don’t think the man is going to come back… space time is powerful, but he wouldn’t be able to take all three of us alone, now that his fodder ninja are taken captive. Still, we should probably move and try to make a hidden camp. Kakashi likely needs rest from a jutsu so hard on his body, and hopefully he’ll wake up soon so we can figure out if he’s actually five years old in mind, too.”

Naruto hadn’t even considered the idea that Kakashi might be an actual five year old at the moment. Space-time jutsus are usually based on teleportation, and the easiest jutsu is to translocate. It’s possible the man simply swapped thirty something Kakashi for five year old Kakashi. But if that’s the case, thirty something Kakashi could be in the past? Wouldn’t that fuck up the timeline?

Naruto groaned, rubbing his forehead. Time travel is so confusing!

“We spotted a village west of here,” Sasuke offers, pointing in the direction. “Being in a civilian area should stop them from trying to attack us- it would be much more difficult to sneak around in. If Kakashi’s condition worsens, we’ll also be near a hospital.”

“We’re still a couple of days out from Konoha,” Sakura muses. “It might be best to take a rest stop at the village and see if Kakashi will rouse anytime soon. Not knowing the full extent of this jutsu is making me a bit nervous to travel all the way back. He seems healthy, but… I’d rather him be awake to tell me if anything else is going on.”

Naruto nods. “Then let’s head to the village. Maybe we can find Kakashi some clothes that fit while we’re there. I don’t think multiple days of travel in this thing is gonna work out.”

Naruto scoops Kakashi into his arms. Despite knowing he’s a five year old, it was still a very odd feeling to cradle something so small and light and associate it with Kakashi. It was always Kakashi who was catching and carrying Naruto around, and something stirs in him when he adjusts him in his arms, watching Kakashi bury his face in his neck, unconsciously searching for warmth and comfort.

Sakura opens her mouth, clearly about to chastise, before she pauses, considering the sight before her. Her eyes flicker to Kakashi before she scolds Naruto. “Don’t you dare try to take a peek at Sensei’s face while he’s like this, got it?”

“Of course not!” Naruto cries. “That’s no fun, anyway! That’s cheating.”

Sakura rolls her eyes before standing up, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She turns westward, and announces, “Alright then, let’s go. I’m excited to have a warm bed after all this traveling, I can’t lie.”

“I hope they have ramen,” Naruto added.

The three of them began to run, jumping from tree to tree. It was such a painful walk in the Land of Water, where trees were no where near as abundant, and they had to travel on foot, on the ground. It was much faster to go by trees, and most Land of Fire shinobi were more acquainted with that mode of long term running. It always felt so much more boring to walk like a normal person.

Now, Naruto was carrying precious cargo, and he made an effort to try not to bounce Kakashi around too much as they traveled. The journey is boring after the fight they had just had, and Kakashi didn’t stir once, snoozing away as Naruto carted him towards the village Sasuke had spotted. He didn’t feel like he was getting any warmer, and Naruto hoped that meant he would wake up soon. The longer Kakashi was unconscious, the more nervous Naruto felt. It didn’t help that a sleepy six year old looked far more helpless than a chakra exhausted adult.

The journey is boring, but they finally manage to enter the village by sunset. Sakura leads them to the first inn they can spot, chatting with the innkeeper and pretending to be a family coming back from seeing old relatives, just in case the rogue ninja was still after them. A confrontation wouldn’t be ideal, considering the state Kakashi is in, so it would be best to try to get home without incident and hope Konoha’s resources can undo whatever happened.

The innkeeper coos at Kakashi, still sleeping in Naruto’s arms. “What a strapping young boy you have! I suppose the journey tuckered him out.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long one,” Naruto said, feeling odd.

“At least when they’re asleep, they aren’t so fussy.” The innkeeper laughed good naturedly and offered Naruto a few pieces of candy from behind her desk. “For when he wakes up. My little ones were always so crabby any time they woke up from a nap, and I’m sure traveling had worn you down, too. Being a single parent means you sometimes cut corners, and you learn when to pick your fights.”

Sasuke and Sakura were snickering. Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, but no sound came out. He felt mortified by the assumption he was old enough to have children, and equally mortified by the ideal that Kakashi had been mistaken as his. They don’t even look alike!

Well, Naruto assumes. He can’t see half his face, after all.

“He’s actually, ah, my brother,” Naruto says. Something odd settles in his gut at the idea, remembering Kakashi’s relationship with his parents before they died. Maybe in another life, that could have been true. A foreign melancholy slips across his face for a moment, peering down at a sleeping Kakashi.

The woman mistakes it for something else, likely mourning his parents. “Oh, my apologies! I hate to have assumed. I hope you all have a good nights rest.”

They thank her for her hospitality and search for their room. There was only two beds, but they had decided it would be best if they could stay all together, in case they were attacked again, or in case something happened to Kakashi. Sakura blushes at the sight of the two beds but focuses back on Kakashi, urging Naruto to lay him down.

Hands glowing green, Sakura performed another check up on him, carefully observing if anything had changed. She smiles softly, watching Kakashi’s tiny hands fist at the soft sheets. “Looks like his fever is gone. He seems perfectly healthy, so he’ll probably wake up some time soon.”

Naruto sighed in relief, sitting down on the other bed. Something about seeing their teacher so tiny and weak had made him incredibly anxious, and the reassurance about his health did wonders for the worry he had been feeling. Sakura leaned back, cutting off her check up, but she smoothed the bangs on his forehead. “He’s such a cute kid! It’s odd to think of the man he grows up to be.”

Naruto scrunches his nose. “It’s weird thinking that this kids gonna grow up to be such a pervert.”

Sasuke flicks the side of his head. “Don’t be weird, idiot, he’s only five.”

“Hey! I’m just saying-“

“Ugh,” Sakura moans, “You’re even more perverted than him if your first thought is about Sensei’s Icha Icha habits.”

“I give up,” Naruto huffs, crossing his arms in exasperation. He knew what Sakura meant, though. It was odd to see such a powerful man so small. Sakura and Sasuke had grown to become legends in their own right, but Naruto had grown right beside them, and could remember when they were just children, how Sasuke was such a picky eater and Sakura would pull on Ino’s ponytail in schoolyard fights.

Kakashi has always been the legendary Copy Ninja to them, having met him when his legacy already surpassed him. Naruto had been star struck with him, seeing someone so powerful try his best to be kind, to promise he would never leave them behind. Kakashi had always caught him when he stumbled, when he fell, and it was strange to look at the prone form on the bed and know the powerful man he grows to be.

Kakashi shifted under the weight of their gazes. The three of them leaned in, wondering if he was about to wake up. He was stirring, rolling over until he was facing Naruto, and he watched as his sleepy eyes fluttered open, a small hand moving to smother a sleepy little yawn from his mouth. Even as a child, Kakashi still had those droopy, dreamy eyes, and Naruto watched as they finally landed on him.

“Sensei?” Kakashi murmured, high pitched and juvenile, sleep muddling his speech as he rubbed his eyes.

Naruto opened his mouth before understanding dawned on him… Kakashi had mistaken him for his father.

Chapter Text

Kakashi stopped rubbing his eyes, looking more awake. He frowned, peering at the three of them as Naruto struggled to figure out what to say. It seemed no one else had a bright idea; Sasuke looked stiff and uncomfortable, not that Naruto figured he would be kind enough to break the tension building. Sakura’s hands fluttered, like she wasn’t sure what to do with them. Naruto couldn’t remember how to work his jaw.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” Kakashi accused, and his usual lazy draw sounded odd with a high pitched, childish voice instead of the timbre Naruto was used to.

Kakashi paused.

Hesitantly, Naruto asked, “Kakashi-sensei?”

Kakashi ignored him. Instead, he was now peering at his hand, something like horror, with a hint of awe reflecting in his wide eyes. He stood up on the bed, his mask nearly tumbling off his face before he frantically pushed it back up, peering down at himself. Silence settled across the four of them as Kakashi observed himself, wriggling his toes, then touching his face.

“Huh,” was the only thing Kakashi said after a moment. Then: “I hope I won’t have to go through puberty again. Okay, what happened?”

Sakura shifted into medical nin mode, situating herself in front of Kakashi. Gently, she tugged him to sit back down on the bed, catching his attention. He raised a wry brow at her, an odd thing to see on a small child, before she began questioning him. “What’s your name, age, and current date?”

“Kakashi Hatake, thirty two, and it should be November 30th.” Sakura stares at him intently. Kakashi sighs, then offers the current year as well.

“That is correct,” Sakura muses. “So you’ve been turned into a five year old, but you’ve still got all your memories of being thirty two.”

Kakashi pauses, eyes squinting in concentration. Naruto can tell he’s doing something with his mouth from under the mask he was holding up, lips moving as he works. “Six years old, to be precise. I lost my first tooth after I completed the chunin exam. Considering how recent this feels, I suspect that whatever did this to me rewound time exactly twenty six years. I completed the chunin exam on November 29th, and I lost my tooth the next day while Minato-sensei rewarded my achievement with ramen.” Kakashi had a fond look on his face. “Minato had been so worried, seeing me suddenly spit out a tooth, and we had gone to a medical ninja at the hospital only for us both to remember I was at the age my baby teeth would start falling out.”

“Wait, wait!” Naruto cries. “You were a chunin at six?”

Kakashi shrugged. “I still out rank you and Sasuke even at this age.”

Irritation and humiliation flared within Naruto at the realization this two foot child out ranked him. Sasuke appeared just as embarrassed, turning away to hide his flush. Sakura, however, only appeared mildly disturbed.

“Six years old,” she repeated. “You became a chunin, and you hadn’t even lost your baby teeth yet.”

Kakashi frowned, peering back at her, seemingly confused by her tone. Naruto contemplated the idea, glancing at Kakashi, sitting crisscrossed on the bed, wearing a shirt too big for him, missing one of his teeth. A strange somber feeling settled across his shoulders at the thought of such a tiny child enduring what they had seen and done as twelve year olds in the forest of death and the tournaments afterwards.

Even Sasuke appeared lost in thought. The pinched expression he was wearing was typically reserved for thinking of Itachi, and all the confusing, conflicting feelings Sasuke harbored for him.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Sensei?” Sakura prodded, shifting the mood.

Kakashi considered the question, crossing his arms. “It’s odd. I remember the fight with the shinobi near the Land of Fire border, where I was hit with a seal of some sort. But at the same time, I feel as if I was just sitting at Ichiraku with Minato-sensei…” Kakashi’s eyes flickered towards Naruto for only a moment, barely noticeable. “Whatever happened after I was hit with the seal, I don’t remember.”

“The man, do you know who he was?”

“Kai Shimizu,” Kakashi confirmed. “What he said was true. He was involved in an assassination attempt against the third, dispatched by the Mizukage at the time. I believe the assumption was that the nine tails attack had weakened us enough that they might succeed, especially with the amount of forces they had sent to do the deed.” Kakashi remained quiet for a moment. “He had been listed in a few bingo books after he went rogue, but ultimately disappeared about ten years ago. Most assumed he had died. I have a suspicion he spent his time researching space-time manipulation jutsu. One doesn’t simply develop the seal that he used on me in a day.”

“The man looked awfully young to have had a kid in the Anbu,” Sakura says. “I wonder if he used a version of the seal on himself, and when that proved successful, decided to use it on you?”

“But why?” Naruto wonders. “Why go through the trouble of risking his life just to… turn you into a six year old?”

“I’m not sure,” Kakashi admits. “I had only met the man once, during the assassination attempt. The purpose of this seal… I wonder if perhaps he hoped it would make me an easier target to kill?”

“Unfortunately for him, you were already a chunin at this age.” Sakura leans back, contemplating. “Maybe if we look at the seal, we could figure it out. Oh! And he used a strange jutsu to activate it, I think.”

“That’s right!” Naruto tried to remember the hand signs he had used, carefully working through the order he was pretty sure they were in.

“No, it ended with an elemental hand seal,” Sasuke corrects, making the sign for water. “And ram came after dog, not before it.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “I know what I saw!”

“And which of us has a sharingan?”

“Were you actually using it when you were watching the fight?”

“I thought it was ram, rat, dog,” Sakura admits. “That’s what it looked like from my angle.”

“Hm,” Kakashi muttered. “Remind me to never rely on you guys for something like this ever again.”

“Hey!”

“Sasuke’s likely right,” Kakashi continues. “Though I’ll keep the possible variations in mind. You three agreed on most of the jutsu, however, which is promising.”

“You know seals, don’t you?” Naruto asks, poking him where the seal had tagged him just hours ago. “I remember you sealed Sasuke’s curse mark all that time ago. And you knew my dad and mom…”

“I’m not a seal master by any means,” Kakashi admitted, though with Jiraiya gone, Naruto suspected he might be the closest thing Konoha has to one. “But it would be a good idea to take a look at the seal he tagged me with…”

Kakashi hesitated, toying with the hem of his shirt before he pulled it up to reveal his abdomen, shifting to show off the side of his rib cage that had been tagged. Concentrating, he pulsed a small amount of chakra towards the seal, and was rewarded with characters appearing along the length of his side. Naruto studied the seal, knowing well he wasn’t going to understand much; he’s been trying to investigate sealing through his father’s old notes Kakashi had found in the hokage archives, but it has been a rather slow process.

“What do you think?” Sakura asked, peering back at Kakashi.

Kakashi didn’t respond, staring at the characters inked across his skin. A chubby finger reached out to try to trace one of them, and eventually the chakra faded, causing the characters to disappear. Irritation flashed in Kakashi’s eyes for a brief moment, before, oddly enough, he was flushing with what looked like shame.

“Hm,” Kakashi mutters. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had leaned in to look at the strange seal, and Kakashi was unconsciously shifting away from them now, appearing rather embarrassed. For a moment, Naruto wonders if they’re going to have to fight to get whatever is bothering him revealed, but then Kakashi sagged, and quietly admitted, “I suspect that my body has retained only the skills my six year old self has…”

“What does that mean?” Sasuke asked.

Heat floods Kakashi’s cheeks. “You won’t be able to rely on me to try to break this seal.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I… can’t read the characters.”

“What?” All three of them cry.

“You can’t read?” Naruto accuses.

“I can read!” Kakashi barked, sounding far too defensive for Naruto to believe. His irritation fades back to embarrassment as he crosses his arms. “Though, currently, I seem to have the skills of a six year old.”

“You couldn’t read any of those characters?” Sakura repeats. “So the seal is affecting more than just your physical state, but even your physical skills. Wait, read this.”

Sakura shoves the room service menu at Kakashi, who gingerly holds it, carefully examining each word on the menu. It’s silent for a long moment, the three of them holding their breath as Kakashi stares at the words before he slowly shakes his head. “I can recognize some of the characters, but obviously not at the level I could as an adult.”

“Aren’t you a prodigy?” Sasuke muttered. “And you can’t read at the age of six?”

“How did you pass the chunin exam?”

Kakashi scoffed. “The point of that exam was to cheat. I simply copied the most competent looking person’s answers. I passed the academy through mainly physical feats, and my exam was mostly verbally conducted to make sure I had foundational knowledge. Afterwards, on missions with Minato-sensei, he tended to write the reports.”

He shrugged. “I am also currently six years old. Most ninja prodigies were passed on their exemplary physical abilities and ninjutsu skills. Someone this age can only have a reading level so high, anyway.” Kakashi’s chest puffed slightly. “I can read, and rather well for my age, just so you know. But sealing is going to remain difficult for me to parse, considering its stylized nature.”

“I guess this means no Icha Icha for you then,” Naruto muses.

“We were not going to be giving that back to him even if he could read it,” Sakura states. “There’s no way a six year old reading that garbage in public would be acceptable.”

Kakashi was definitely pouting under his mask, lips pursed slightly. Naruto wishes he would let the loose fabric fall already so he could see his missing teeth and chubby cheeks. “I am still a thirty two year old man, you know.”

“You don’t look like one,” Sakura emphasizes. “And the last thing we need is for you to be drawing attention to yourself like that.”

Kakashi opened his mouth, fully prepared to argue, but Sakura’s scathing look made him reconsider. He crossed his arms, disgruntled, but soon resigned, a look of a haggard veteran crossing his face, looking incredibly funny on a six year old child.

“Now what?” Naruto wondered.

“We rest,” Sakura decides. “We just had a battle, and that jutsu did a number on you, Kakashi. Growing boys need their rest, anyway.”

“We are already at an inn,” Kakashi grumbled. “We’re at Rosemary Village, aren’t we? The trip back to Konoha should be within two days. I suggest we get back to the village as fast as possible, to avoid a potential confrontation in case Kai has found reinforcements, and so we can figure out how to break the seal and get me back to normal.”

“We should get you some better clothing while we’re here,” Sakura decides.

“We are not clothes shopping,” Kakashi states.

“You can’t expect to wear that the whole way back,” Naruto points out, grabbing the sleeve of Kakashi’s shirt. It slipped over Kakashi’s small wrists, tumbling over his hands, emphasizing how small he was in the large adult shirt. “You’ll probably trip over it or something.”

Kakashi yanked his arm away from him with more force than a six year old should be capable off. “I shouldn’t be a child for very long, it would just be a waste of time.”

“We’ll get you one outfit,” Sakura decides. “You can pick it out.” She sounded rather put out by that idea. “But if they can’t break the seal right away, we’ll have to get you more.”

“Fine,” Kakashi agreed. “This isn’t exactly an outfit I can fight in.”

“Fight in? Kakashi, you're currently six years old. If you think we’re going to let you fight in a battle with Kai anytime soon, you’re out of your mind.”

“I’m also a chunin,” Kakashi reminds them. “I was performing missions with Minato-sensei in the third war at this age. In three months, I’ll have killed someone for the first time. Let alone what I will do in the next twenty six years. Do not condescend me just because I am in a six year old body.”

Naruto’s blood was frozen with the knowledge. The idea of six year old Kakashi, running around during the third war, made him feel cold. Imagining the little boy with baby fat clinging to his cheeks, having just lost his first tooth, killing a man in cold blood in only three months from now, forced to do so to survive in the midst of a brutal shinobi war, was something Naruto had a hard time doing. But it clearly happened, all those years ago, because Kakashi was a chunin, the same rank as Sakura, and it would have been expected for him to fight…

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Kakashi continued, eyeing the three of them, as if he wasn’t quite certain why the tension between them all was so high. He slid off the bed, adjusting the shirt he was wearing. “It’s been a while since I’ve fought like this, so when we rest tomorrow, I would like to do some mild sparring to be better acquainted with my skill level.”

Kakashi walks off towards the bathroom. The doorknob was level with Kakashi’s forehead, causing him to reach up slightly to open the door. For a brief moment, the three of them stared after him once the door closed, still feeling rather wide eyed at the knowledge Kakashi was the size of a six year old child.

“This is weird,” Naruto finally said, flopping on to the bed. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him stating the obvious, leaning against the wall near the bed.

Sakura still had a strange look on her face, one which hadn’t changed since Kakashi mentioned his current rank. “I knew Kakashi was supposed to be a prodigy- Lady Tsunade used to tell me stories, if she was drunk enough. I don’t think she mentioned he was this small, however.”

“Lady Tsunade knew Kakashi as a kid?” Naruto wondered. She’ll have a field day dealing with him now, as a thirty year old man stuck in a six year old body. Something tells Naruto that Kakashi has always been an “old soul,” the way some of the grannies would call Shikamaru. Maybe he doesn’t act that much differently now. Then again, it’s very difficult to imagine Kakashi acting as a typical six year old. Thinking of all the things Naruto had gotten up to at the age of six had him wondering.

“She was always rather vague about it,” Sakura admitted. “And watching them interact, I feel like you wouldn’t know. Lady Tsunade said she had left the village while Kakashi was still quite young, and claims to have mostly known him through reputation.”

“Reputation?” Naruto repeated. He could hear Sasuke shuffling in mild interest. “He already had one at eight? Don’t tell me he was already the Copy Ninja of Konoha at that age.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke chastised. “He gets that title after the…” He hesitates, glancing back at the bathroom door, “the sharingan.”

Right. That was still a rather touchy subject for Kakashi. To have lost the last gift of an old friend, and for the dramatic reveal that Obito was alive this entire time. Naruto still saw Kakashi at the memorial stone, on the occasion when he decides to visit his parents or Neji. Naruto knew that Kakashi still loved Obito, despite all the horrible things he had done, but suspected he had incredibly conflicting feelings about the man even still, his gaze far away when they mention his old sharingan, or speak of the fourth war.

Obito had lead to the death of Naruto’s parents, after all. Explicitly, Obito had resulted in Kakashi losing more precious people. Let alone the other things he had done during the lead up to the capturing of the biju, and all the other sins committed afterwards. Naruto himself had conflicting feelings on the man, mostly a deep disdain with a dash of pity and a wonder for what he could have been like if he hadn’t been a casualty in the third shinobi war. He could only imagine what exactly Kakashi thinks of him, the boy he had idolized for sacrificing himself for him, only to learn what he had done…

Sakura and Naruto instinctively looked back at Sasuke, interested by his willingness to add his two cents to this conversation. As children, Naruto had picked up that Kakashi’s sharingan spooked Sasuke a bit. He knew the man wasn’t a Uchiha, obviously, and even at a young age was quite aware of blood line thefts; the incident with Hinata as a child had made everyone alert. He had been somewhat placated when Kakashi one day told them it had been a gift from an old friend; Kakashi’s sincerity had won Sasuke over, in the end.

After his defection, it was common for Sasuke to discredit Kakashi’s sharingan and his ability to wield it. It didn’t belong to him, not like a true Uchiha, and Kakashi was inherently inferior because of it.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, right.”

“He had other titles,” Sasuke continued. “His reputation for being ‘cold blooded’ was well known. Tsunade could be referring to that.”

“It isn’t very nice talking about people in the same room as you,” Kakashi chastised. All three heads snap to him, standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed. He didn’t seem particularly bothered, hearing them call up old monikers, but that didn’t mean much.

“Ah, sorry, Sensei,” Sakura started, trying to break the mild tension. “We got a bit off track in our conversation. Did Lady Tsunade know you at this age?”

“You could say that. We weren’t in contact much.” There was a far away look in his eyes, an unsettling sight for a small child. “She left the village during the height of the third war, and I wouldn’t see her again until Master Jiraiya and Naruto dragged her back.”

Naruto smiled fondly at the memory. He had mastered the rasengan and won a bet against Tsunade (though he quickly learns that the last part isn’t much of a feat). He had been too impatient and short sighted to appreciate the conversation Tsunade and Jiraiya had during their time together, but Naruto could look back on them fondly.

Sakura frowned, looking as if she had more to say. Kakashi turns away from her, looking at the menu they had discarded, and announces, “We should eat dinner while we’re here. A nice warm meal would be a wonderful break from those ration bars we’ve been living in for the past few days.”

Sakura frowns harder but doesn’t deny the desire for a good meal. Kakashi hands the menu to the three of them before climbing on to the bed, a determined look on his face as he finally manages to settle himself on top. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto bicker about what food to order, mainly ribbing each other’s tastes, before they finally settled. Kakashi must have been thinking about this when he first read the menu as a challenge from Sakura because he rattles off his order to Naruto without looking at the paper.

The meal is delivered without hiccups. Naruto didn’t realize how ravenous he was until he started eating, devouring his entire plate within seconds and glancing at everyone else’s food to try to steal from. The fight from earlier, the mad rush to the village, and the anxiety over Kakashi's condition had exacerbated his pit of a stomach.

Kakashi pushes a plate of tempura towards him, picking at his own food. “I suspected you couldn’t be satisfied with one dish. You can have the tempura that came with mine.”

“Thanks!” Naruto bites into the greasy goods and gets halfway through the meal when he glances back at Kakashi, considering. Why did he order a meal with tempura if he doesn’t even like that? There were other foods with eggplant in them. In fact, he’s surprised he didn’t go for the saury.

He pauses mid bite, watching him balance the bowl of soup he was eating from in his small lap. He really was six years old, and really did have the skills of his six year old self, no matter how cool he tried to play it off.

It became all the more evident watching Kakashi try to fight off the drowsiness that had overcome him after a good, warm meal. Sakura and Naruto were discussing what they wanted to accomplish in the village they were staying at before they went to Konoha, debating if they should bother sending word of what happened when they were already close to Konoha. Sasuke was situated by the window, pretending not to care what decision they take, but Naruto could tell he was listening keenly.

Kakashi had kept up with their conversation for a while, adding his two cents about not bothering to warn Lady Tsunade and the like, that their head start wouldn’t matter given it would only amount to possibly one day, and that it would be best for her to see him in person and go from there. Afterwards, he began to fade out from the conversation, and Sakura and Naruto occasionally glanced back to find him nodding off, resting against the headboard of the bed, pretending to be awake for the conversation, eyes fluttering every once in a while.

Naruto grinned, opening his mouth to tease, but Sakura shook her head, and continued discussing the errands she wanted to run. Eventually, they came to an agreement, and Sasuke decided they should get some rest. Naruto and him squabbled about who should take first watch, just in case someone attacked them at the end, and rock paper scissors gave Naruto the short end of the stick.

Sakura moved to adjust Kakashi into a better position, waking him up momentarily and earning a sleepy smack in the process. Kakashi grumbled about being able to usually take at least a small night watch shift at this age, complaining that the jutsu must have made him tired, and Sakura indulged him before tucking him in. Kakashi must have been tired not to bother giving her a few scathing words about treating him like a baby, just a mild glare, and he falls back asleep rather fast, in ways the adult version of him never seemed to while they were on missions.

Sakura and Sasuke took the unoccupied bed, both hesitating slightly before performing their nightly routines and settling into the bed. Despite the oddities that occurred today, Naruto notices they nod off quite easily. He hopes it’s because they’re both comforted by the fact that Naruto was watching over them, though he suspects they’re just tired of all the running they had to do. The fight wasn’t that vigorous, but the stress of what happened during it didn’t help.

The shift is quiet. Naruto keeps watch out the window, people watching the few pedestrians wandering around at night. He entertains himself by coming up with stories about where they came from and where they’re going, and it isn’t exactly a riveting experience, but he’s only doing half a shift before switching with Sasuke, so he isn’t bothered.

At about the three hour marker, the sheets behind him shift. Naruto glances back, finding Kakashi’s expression tight, his hands gripping the bedding. Naruto approached, watching his expression twist. It wasn’t often Naruto saw Kakashi sleep- the man was an insomniac on the best of days, even after peace time had been won, and on missions Kakashi usually took watch the whole night through. Naruto had never seen him have a nightmare before, but that’s clearly what was happening. He was so still, despite whatever was making him uneasy, shifting only minutely as he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

Naruto reached out before he could think better of it, running his fingers through Kakashi’s hair, trying to soothe him. “Hey, it’s alright. Wake up, Sensei.”

Kakashi stiffens at the contact but doesn’t immediately wake up. Naruto continues to pet him, curious about Kakashi’s thick and wild hair. He’s always wondered what it felt like, watching it defy gravity with the support of his headband, and it sort of reminds him of dog fur, stiff and thick but not unpleasant. His ministrations bring results, because Kakashi’s tight grip on the covers loosen and the tension in his little body begins to fade.

Kakashi stirs, blinking tired eyes up at Naruto. They’re cloudy with something Naruto is all too familiar seeing Kakashi’s eyes reflect: a quiet, faraway grief. “Sensei?”

Naruto freezes. That’s the second time Kakashi had mistaken him for Minato. An embarrassed flush rises on Kakashi’s cheeks when he focuses, letting out a long sigh. “Ah, sorry. It’s… it’s an odd feeling, but I feel as if my memory from twenty six years ago happened just yesterday, the same way that the fight that caused this feels like it was just yesterday.”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal.” Naruto shrugs. “I’m well aware that I look almost exactly like him.”

“You have Kushina’s face,” Kakashi says, a strange, earnest tone to his voice Naruto had never heard before. Kakashi rubs at his eyes, suddenly looking his age and then some. Naruto wonders how old he was when they died. “I’m sorry. I do think of you as Naruto, not the legacy of your parents. You’re not a carbon copy of either of your parents. You’re…” He seemed to be carefully considering the next word, before sighing. “Well, you’re Naruto.”

“I know, Sensei.” It does make his heart swell to know that. He had been worried, for a while, that perhaps Kakashi only put up with him because he was a student of his father. It was always an odd feeling, knowing how much he looked like the parents he never really had, but it was a fond one, knowing he carried their memory, their legacy, within him. “You should tell me some stories about them, though. What you said about Dad forgetting you could lose baby teeth was pretty funny. Everyone always talks about him like a living miracle or something. It’s nice to hear how lame he was.”

It made living up to him so much less daunting. Kushina hadn’t hesitated to speak about how much of a loser he was in their youth, but his time with her was fleeting, and he wished he could have heard more stories. Everyone living always speaks of him with such reverence, and while Naruto is proud of the man, he’s grown past his idolization of him, and it would be nice to hear some humanizing stories of the Yellow Flash.

He supposed Kakashi might be the only person alive that could really give him that. Everyone else was mere acquaintances or only knew Minato on the battlefield. Kakashi, however, had been his student for nearly ten years. Surely he has some funny stories up his sleeve.

There’s a somber look on Kakashi’s face, ill fitting on a six year old. Naruto can practically read the decades of guilt in his eyes as he peers out the window, contemplative. “I guess I should. After not speaking about them for years, I suppose…”

“It became a habit not to.” Naruto shrugged. Kakashi’s grief had always been present but quiet. Considering the controversial ways Rin and Obito died, and then the order Hiruzen gave to not even speak about the fourth and his wife, it was no wonder Kakashi instinctively remained quiet despite the ban on Naruto’s heritage being lifted. Kakashi really only started moving on from Obito and Rin after the fourth war, so in a way it’s still probably a healing wound.

Naruto understands, sort of. He likes talking about the people he misses. Tsunade and him often speak of Jiraiya and what they believe he would think about this or that, or simply reminisce on old memories. Sparring sessions with Lee sometimes lead to fond memories of discussing Neji and his rivalry and push to become stronger, faster, better.

But Kakashi had always been private- allegedly, from Guy, even as a young child.

“Well, it’s time to break habits,” Naruto decides. “You should break that porn reading habit too, while you’re at it. Or at least read something of better quality.”

“I’m not interested in getting lectured on the quality of my porn by you of all people,” Kakashi drily mutters. “Your sexy jutsu is even tackier.”

“How dare you? I’ll have you know extensive research was done to ensure perfect accuracy!”

“Don’t let Sakura hear that,” Kakashi warns. “Though that research likely includes peeping on women, so you probably do deserve a good scolding and a few broken ribs.”

Kakashi settles into the bed. Naruto blanches, thinking about Sakura getting riled up from the mischief Naruto had been up to. In his defense, he did that when he was twelve. And everything else he learned was largely due to Jiraiya, and not always something he wanted to know.

“Okay, okay, you win. Keep that to yourself and I won’t say anything else about your bad porn.” Kakashi raised a brow, and Naruto, with great reluctance, corrected, “… average porn.”

“Good.” Kakashi firmly nodded. “Sasuke, are you ready to take your shift now?”

To Sasuke’s credit, he doesn’t startle at being caught. He shifts, carefully rolling over to not disturb Sakura and offers them both a bland look. “From how noisy you both were, I feel that I deserve an extra hour.”

Kakashi clicks his tongue. “Bring earplugs next time. I always do when I’m on a mission with Naruto. If you thought his sleepwalking as a tween was bad, imagine how much worse it got once he learned the rasengan.”

Naruto sent Kakashi wide, betrayed eyes. “Hey!”

Sasuke shudders. “A nightmare.”

“Well, you snore in your sleep!” Naruto accuses, crossing his arms. Sasuke sits up, eyes narrowed at the accusation.

“You’re making that up.”

“It’s true! You’re like a freight train! It’s awful!”

“You’re just lying because you’re mad that we’re right.”

“No, it’s true!”

“It’s not.”

“It is!”

“Not.”

“Is!”

“Not!”

“I recommend you lower your voices,” Kakashi mildly intervenes. “Or you might wake Sakura, and as a sensei of wisdom, I will remind you to pick your battles carefully.”

Sasuke and Naruto hazard a careful glance back at Sakura, who stirred slightly at the sound. Carefully, all three remained still and quiet as statues, watching her roll over and go back to bed. Hesitantly, Sasuke slowly climbed off the bed, wincing at every squeak of the mattress, and slowly began to cross the room, mindful of noisy floorboards.

“Go to bed already,” Sasuke orders. “Give me a few hours of peace from your voice.”

“I will go to bed, but not because you told me to!”

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Are we sure I’m the one who was turned into a six year old?”

Naruto grinned mischievously, realizing he had several advantages here. Kakashi was six years old, puny and easy to manhandle, so Naruto pushes him to the other side of the bed, rolling him over like a log before climbing into the warm space Kakashi left behind. Kakashi, startled and not having the strength to stop him, and unwilling to make too much noise in case of incurring Sakura’s wrath, still managed to kick Naruto’s arm with surprising force before landing on his back on the other side of the mattress.

Kakashi had a venomous look in his eyes. “I’ll get you for that.”

“Hey, this was revenge for you making fun of me,” Naruto said, slipping under the covers. “So really, we’re even now.”

“Pushing me off the bed like a dog is not the same thing as mild teasing.”

“I didn’t push you off the bed. You’re so dramatic! If you complain anymore I’m gonna touch you with my cold feet.”

The look of pure disgust on Kakashi’s face nearly made Naruto snort, only barely keeping it in to avoid Sakura waking up. Kakashi looked back at Sasuke, whose lips were twitching like he watered to smirk. “I changed my mind. Let me take the night watch.”

“Should have volunteered before I woke up,” Sasuke said, without a shred of remorse. “Now both of you go to bed already and give me some peace.”

Kakashi grumbled about being betrayed before he finally settled, shifting about until he was curled up beneath the sheets, tucked under his neck as he mumbled complaints about it being cold and that someone had stolen his hard earned body heat. Naruto grinned, glad to see Kakashi in a lighter mood, and settled himself down as well, wondering what these next few days are going to be like.

Chapter Text

Sakura wakes up first the next morning, barring Sasuke, who had taken the other half of the night shift. It was a mild surprise, considering she was usually the last to rise; Naruto had grown into a morning person, and Sakura’s over night shifts at the hospital turned her into a night owl over the years. Kakashi, the strange insomniac he was, tended to take the entire night shift if no one was looking, or would otherwise always be the first to wake, perhaps habitual considering he would wake at dawn to sulk by the memorial stone, as she later learned during the years Naruto and Sasuke had left the village, stumbling on him when she wanted to pay respects after a long shift at the hospital.

Sasuke decides to settle back on the bed for another hour or so, since he never took long to get ready in the mornings, and she suspects he didn’t sleep well last night. Something about Kakashi’s situation had unbalanced him, though Sakura couldn’t get a good read on what, exactly, was the issue. Sakura leaves him to it, rising from the bed while he takes a mild nap, and investigates the bed Naruto and Kakashi occupied.

Sakura had to stifle a squeal, seeing the adorable sight of Naruto cuddling Kakashi. It was well known the boy was an octopus if you had the misfortune of sleeping in the same bed as him, and through the night, no matter how far apart you were from each other, Naruto would sneak closer and closer until he was wrapped around you like a sloth. Kakashi was reluctant to share a bed with Naruto for this very reason, often opting to sleep on the floor instead, or any other surface to get away from him. Sakura suspects Kakashi secretly likes it, but that Kakashi also finds that mild desire for unconscious affection and touch to be disconcerting, and thus squishes the feeling down and resorts to teasing Naruto about it.

Naruto had his arms wrapped around Kakashi, keeping him close, his legs sprawled awkwardly in ways Sakura envied his healing ability to avoid waking up with aches. Kakashi was sleeping on his back like he always did, one hand splayed across Naruto, as if to smack him, while the other was settled on his stomach. The two were deep asleep, Naruto snoring away, Kakashi soundless as always as he slept, his breathing as quiet as he was still.

On the rare occasion Sakura would take up watch during the night, and Kakashi actually managed to fall asleep- not just close his eyes for a few hours, or pretend to be asleep, but genuinely, deeply, asleep, Sakura was always mildly uncomfortable. The man slept like a corpse, perfectly still, barely able to see the rise and fall of his chest, his breath silent, his chakra held tight to his body, barely a flicker, and Sakura had on more than one occasion attempted to read his pulse while he was sleeping. Once Kakashi was asleep, he did not move, and if Sakura accidentally woke him, the man was always ready in an instant for a fight, wide awake as soon as he opened his eyes.

It was somewhat discomforting to see the smaller version of Kakashi with the same habits. She isn’t sure if he was truly like this as a child, but given that he confirmed taking missions with Minato as young as he was, she wouldn’t be surprised.

She stood there for some time, contemplating the sight of the sleeping Kakashi, looking his age of six years old for the first time. That sharp glint in his eye that spoke of his decades of life had taken away his ability to be a very convincing six year old, though she wondered if he already had that look, slightly duller, when he was truly six.

Sakura knew that their time in the chunin exam had been different. Orochimaru and Gaara were not foes typical of a chunin exam, and had been an outlier experience. The fact remains that lethality was allowed, however, and being six years old and facing people who were often at minimum twice your age or height was a dangerous risk nonetheless. Sakura knows Kakashi had signed them up for the chunin exams not expecting them to be promoted, but to give them a taste of what the shinobi world was truly like, under the most ideal conditions possible. Kakashi, at six years old, had been allowed to participate, and no doubt expected to perform well, if not acquire the title, by the people who allowed him in.

Sakura frowned harder. In three months from now, after Kakashi had lost his first baby tooth, he would be killing a man for the first time. Sakura wants to believe, that despite Kakashi holding the title of chunin, Minato had kept him on safer missions suitable for genin since he was so young, but she had a sneaking suspicion that wasn’t the case.

Perhaps Minato had tried, and the man seemed earnest enough to do that. He had seemed kind, in the few moments Sakura had seen him, but the fact remained that the third war would have started not long ago, and Konoha, so depleted from the second shinobi war, would be more than willing to use a boy with the rank of chunin as necessary. Minato, as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, would have been forced on the front lines with his abilities, and she’s certain Kakashi would have followed him. The fact that Kakashi kills a man in three months from now makes her heart heavy, but the longer she thinks about it, the more it makes complete sense.

Kakashi’s nose twitches, a sign that he’s sensed her staring, and Sakura reluctantly walks away from the bed towards the bathroom to perform her morning routines. She showers, grateful for warm water after days of hiking through the woods, remembering why she preferred shifts at the hospital to going on missions if she could help it. But with team seven reunited, Sasuke returning from a year of absence to find himself, she couldn’t resist the allure of going on missions with them altogether again.

By the time Sakura finishes, leaving the bathroom squeaky clean and refreshed, Kakashi is awake, likely stirred by her movements. He had already carefully extracted himself from Naruto and was leaning against the window, peering out with a thoughtful gaze.

“Ryo for your thoughts?” Sakura asked mildly, curious about what was on his mind.

“Just people watching,” he answered, not looking back. What he really meant was that he was alert and watching for threats, she could tell, from the slightest tension in his shoulders, and the way his dreamy eyes were carefully cataloguing each person on the street.

Sakura left him to it, circling her attention back to Naruto, who was cuddling a pillow in Kakashi's absence, muttering about Ichiraku. She’s so her best not to disturb Sasuke while she woke him up, though she figured it was a losing battle considering how loud he (both of them, really) was. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him awake with her chakra enhanced strength (nothing less could wake him, he truly slept like the dead), entertained by his wide eyes and startled cry that she smothered with one hand.

“Sasuke is resting,” Sakura warns. “So go prepare for today quietly, if you can manage that.”

Naruto huffed, though she could see his eyes flicker around the room, searching. She let go of him so he could spy Kakashi behind him near the window, and his shoulder sagged with relief before he puffed his chest. “I’m a ninja too, you know?! I can keep quiet.”

“A rank below me,” Sakura muses, enjoying how one of his eyes twitches at the reminder.

“Your ability to whisper leaves much to be desired,” Kakashi murmured.

“Yeah, yeah!” Naruto got out of the bed, noisily, and at least had the decency to wince after he stood up, glancing back at Sasuke. Sakura is sure he’s awake by now, if he ever fell asleep, but even just resting your eyes for a while could do wonders, so she didn’t call him out.

“Kakashi and I are going to go have breakfast,” Sakura decides. “You can join us when you’re done.”

Kakashi raises a brow at Sakura’s ‘suggestion’ while Naruto grumbles as he enters the bathroom. “Shouldn’t I keep a low profile and stay in the room?”

“We’re going to have to buy you some clothes,” Sakura reminds him. “You might as well come out for breakfast.”

Kakashi frowns but acquiseces to her logic, climbing off the window seal and moving to follow her out the door. Sakura and Kakashi wander towards the restaurant portion of the inn where other travelers are already starting their day, blearily enjoying their coffees and teas before they head out on the road. Sakura and Kakashi find themself a table, and Sakura watches Kakashi climb on to the seat with only mild difficulty, restraining herself from making a teasing comment.

Sakura orders for them both, choosing things that would appeal to Kakashi’s taste without giving away he was a thirty year old man in a child’s body. The tea isn’t as bitter as he normally likes it, but Kakashi only eyes it, mildly disgruntled, before drinking it without complaint. For a while it’s just the two of them, Kakashi sneakily eating his eggs whenever Sakura happened to look away, and she’s mildly worried his younger self might get a stomach ache from eating so quickly, but knowing Kakashi, he had probably been doing this since he was that small.

Kakashi is vigilant despite his lazy, sleepy demeanor. He’s watching all exits with sharp eyes, and his scrutinizing gaze lingers on anyone who looks like a threat during a fight. Kakashi disguises his gaze as simply a child prone to stare, pretending to be wide eyed when he saw something impressive, and Sakura had to commend his acting.

“I’m thinking we’ll finish up breakfast,” Sakura decides, earning Kakashi’s attention. “Wake up Sasuke, grab our gear, and then find a clothing shop in the village before we head for home.”

Kakashi’s nose scrunches slightly at the idea of buying clothes. Sakura thinks he’s trying to fool himself into believing this would be temporary, though until they speak with Tsunade, who had a bit more sealing experience than anyone else (or at least, anyone currently literate) from hanging around Jiraiya, they wouldn’t know for sure.

Kakashi being turned into a small child bothers Sakura, generally but also as a plan from a shinobi who declared wanting revenge. Kakashi had positioned the idea that it was to make him weaker and easier to kill, but the man had already gone the full nine yards and attacked them. Surely, there were other deals he could use to incapacitate Kakashi that would be much easier than inventing space-time manipulation. She would like to pick his brain a bit more, to see if that’s what he really thinks, but now wasn’t the time and place.

Naruto arrives not long after, hair still damp from the shower. He plops himself down next to Kakashi, who appears mildly irritated that he was stuck on the inside of a booth, and that he could no longer see his surroundings. Naruto, oblivious, began to order his own food, chowing down with ravenous hunger while Kakashi seemed to be contemplating crawling under the table. He didn’t like the sounds of eating, she remembered, and Naruto could use his manners, but didn’t always, and sometimes chewed with his mouth full.

Sakura decides on giving Kakashi some pity. His nose was twitching, and Sakura knew the man had better senses than most. He could control himself well by the time he was their teacher, but Sakura doubts his six year old self could keep his enhanced senses in check, especially his sense of smell. “Why don’t we go ahead and visit Sasuke? I’ll bring him some tea.”

Naruto tilts his head, confused about why they were leaving. Kakashi hesitates only a moment before crawling over Naruto, unapologetically stepping on the fat of his thighs, making Naruto wince as he climbs out of the booth and sits on Sakura’s side as she waves down a waitress, ordering some tea for Sasuke.

Sasuke is awake when they come back to their room, already backing up the gear. He thanks Sakura for the tea, watching Kakashi with mild interest as he investigates his own pack, ensuring everything was still there. They weren’t going to let him carry it, obviously, considering he was nearly the same size as the pack, and at this point likely the same weight, but Sakura indulged him in looking things over.

“Where are the rest of my clothes?” Kakashi wondered.

“Naruto sealed them,” Sakura explains. “I’m not sure with what scroll, but you can ask him when he comes back. He sealed away the shinobi we had fought as well, and we’re going to bring them in for T&I.”

Kakashi glanced at Naruto’s pack, as if itching to dig through it himself, but nodded in agreement, approving that they thought to bring the shinobi with them. It was ill advised to keep living people in seal scrolls for too long, but two days was just on the cusp of acceptable, so no one was terribly worried.

Naruto appeared and Kakashi immediately asked where he put his clothes. “Hm, which scroll was it again?”

Naruto dug through his back, scratching his head. Sakura wants to believe Naruto was just teasing Kakashi, but she has also seen him forget what he was holding in his hand before, so she’s a bit nervous when Naruto finally picks a scroll to unseal. He picked right, thankfully, and Kakashi was given back his clothes, though Sakura wasn’t sure what he planned on doing with it.

Kakashi knew what he was looking for it seemed, and it dawned on Sakura what it was as soon as he was prying open his weapons pouch. Proudly, Kakashi was holding his beloved Icha Icha again, hands smoothing over the well worn cover.

“Oh no you don’t,” Sakura exclaims, reaching down to snatch the book away from him. Kakashi anticipated the move, ducking under her and holding the book close to him. “Kakashi, you’re six years old. You can not be reading that in public.”

“I know,” Kakashi said, clearly annoyed. “I don’t have to read it, but I just want it with me.”

Naruto, who had been standing behind Kakashi, repacking the scrolls, suddenly moved, plucking the book out of Kakashi’s hands. Kakashi’s eyes went wide before he turned back to Naruto, obviously feeling betrayed as he sent a scathing look at him, which Naruto ignored. Naruto moved the book hand to hand, considering. “Man, I really don’t get why you like this trash so much. But how about this? You can have it if you can reach it!”

Naruto holds the book high above his head. Sakura frowns, seeing the challenge in Naruto’s eyes, and the returning determination in Kakashi’s, and has a distinct feeling Naruto (and subsequently the rest of them) are going to regret making such a promise. She opens her mouth to scold Naruto, both for teasing Kakashi and for making a promise no one else agreed to, but Kakashi was already on the move, chakra walking up Naruto like he was a flat surface, stunning them both when he grabbed the book from Naruto’s hands.

Then, just to show off, he jumps off of Naruto’s shoulders, performing a small flip, and lands on his feet, perfectly balanced. Sakura and Naruto stared at him; even Sasuke appeared surprised.

“What?” Kakashi asked, bored as he flipped to a specific scene in Icha Icha. “I’ve been chakra walking since I could walk. It’s not my fault you didn’t make the challenge hard enough.”

“Wow!” Naruto was starry eyed, no longer offended by how Kakashi had climbed him like a tree. “That’s so cool, Kakashi! Even Sasuke took a long time to figure out chakra walking!”

“So did you, idiot,” Sasuke reminds him.

“Did you learn that from my dad?” Naruto asked, appearing thoughtful. “Man, how long did you know him?”

“Your father didn’t teach me this. I didn’t meet him until I became a genin.” Kakashi hesitated, before, in a quieter, more subdued voice, admitted, “My father taught me this.”

“Oh!” Naruto’s eyes lit up with recognition. “The White Fang of Konoha!”

Sakura faintly remembers Naruto mentioning this, after the mission to rescue Gaara. The small insight into Kakashi’s past they had gained thanks to Lady Chiyo was something that had wanted to follow up on, curious about the man who invoked the wrath of Lady Chiyo, but things had quickly gone awry, and the information was lost in the upcoming storm.

“Yes, that was him.”

“I still think it’s funny that Granny Chiyo attacked you over that.” Naruto places his hands behind his head. “You had your face covered with your mask and forehead protector and all that, but she still recognized you!”

“Lady Chiyo was a strange woman,” Kakashi admitted. “She had a mean intuition, and wonderful skills in the art of poison, but she also enjoyed playing dead to trick her brother.”

The topic shifted, Naruto reminiscing on the oddities of people from the sand. Sakura listened absently, knowing Kakashi intentionally tried to poke Naruto into a different direction, and wondered about the man who raised Kakashi, who taught him a skill like that at such a young age.

Sasuke interrupted at last, setting down his cup of tea. “We shouldn’t delay any longer. Shops should be open by now, so let’s move on.”

Naruto grumbles about Sasuke’s rudeness while Kakashi nearly folds the clothes he had unsealed. All four of them do a few last minute checks to make sure they didn’t leave anything behind, and at last, Kakashi placed his book inside his pack, preparing to carry it, when Sasuke picked it up from the ground before Kakashi had even lifted a strap.

“I can carry that,” Kakashi complained, holding out a hand for Sasuke to give it back.

“It’s the same size and weight as you,” Sasuke states, blandly. “Besides, you’re six years old. You’re going to tire out easily, and I don’t want to have to carry you.”

Kakashi’s eye twitched and the insinuation of his incompetence. Sakura agreed with Sasuke- it was clear Kakashi was well trained even as a child, considering he was a chunin, but six year olds only had so much stamina, and so much stride, so removing weight would help him in the long term. Sakura also suspected Kakashi might not be able to handle the whole trip back to Konoha, and that Naruto or her will have to carry him back, but it was clear Kakashi didn’t exactly like that prospect.

“Do I have to remind you I’m a chunin?” Kakashi complained. “I was carrying heavier supplies and mission targets under Minato-sensei at this age. I can carry my own backpack.”

“How about we let Sasuke carry the backpack while we’re in the village?” Naruto chimes in. “You are a chunin, but we’re supposed to be kinda low profile, sneaky and stuff, right? It would be weird seeing a small child cart around such a big, heavy bag.”

Kakashi’s eyebrow twitches. He glances at the bag, now slug over Sasuke’s shoulder, and deflates. “Fine. I want it back when we leave the village.”

They leave the inn, Sakura insisting on holding Kakashi's hand. They had removed their forehead protectors and were trying to pretend to be civilians, and civilians make sure their children don’t dart off into the street. Kakashi stared at her hand as if it had every germ in the world, but was convinced by Sakura’s sound logic (and a few threats of violence) to hold her hand as they crossed the streets of the village.

Sasuke instructs them to a shop he had noticed on their way to the inn last night, and they all follow after him like ducklings. The shopkeeper is kind and obviously intrigued by the sight of Kakashi, dressed in an adult shirt and nothing else.

“There was a small accident while we were traveling back from seeing his grandparents,” Sakura admitted. She could feel the embarrassment radiating from Kakashi, at being thought of as some helpless child who was stupid enough to ruin all his clothes. “A lot of mud was involved, and we figured it would be easier to just buy him a new outfit. Besides, our growing boy was due for some new pants.”

Kakashi’s ire was totally worth the teasing, she decided. Besides, this was the part of being a ninja Sakura loved best; pretending to be someone else. It’s always fun, developing a silly cover story for brief excursions, and Sakura was entertained, telling the shopkeeper about her fake marriage with Sasuke and how Naruto was her adopted brother and all sorts of tall tales.

“He’s such a pretty child,” the shopkeeper says, looking moments away from pinching Kakashi’s cheeks. That was a last straw Sakura knew Kakashi would not take, so she hesitantly pushed Kakashi towards the section with shirts, telling him to pick out something he likes. “It’s a shame he wears that mask all the time.”

“Ah, animal-bond clan blood from my side gives him issues with smells,” Sakura says, apologetic, and quietly clapping herself on the back for coming up with an excuse so quickly. Truthfully, she has no idea why Kakashi wears that mask, though she has her suspicions. “How old is your son? I wonder if mine will ever grow out of being so picky about his clothes and having sensitive skin.”

That sends her off on a long winded conversation, successfully distracted. Kakashi eventually emerges from the rows of clothing with Naruto, who appears very displeased by Kakashi's choices. Sakura, too, was disappointed by the plain black shirt and green pants Kakashi had found, but a promise was a promise, and she let Kakashi try the outfit on, though she couldn’t help making a small aside that he had the same boring taste in clothes as Sasuke. Kakashi’s glare spelled trouble for the future, but Sakura didn’t mind.

Kakashi confirmed the outfit was acceptable. Very, very reluctantly, he added underwear to the pile of clothing, and Sakura winced at the idea of him going commando the entire way to Konoha, glad he had thought of that. The pink in his cheeks as he struggled to cover himself with the adult sized mask made Sakura pity him. “Is there anything here you could use as a mask instead?”

Sakura had given up on trying to see his real face. Well, partially- if there was a good trick she could use, she’ll try it, but for the most part she figured Kakashi would show them when he was ready. As much fun as Kakashi had with teasing them, there was clearly a strange psychological component to him wearing his mask considering even Might Guy hadn’t seen him without the mask in years despite their odd friendship and various challenges. Hell, his own summons hadn’t seen him without the mask in decades.

Kakashi frowned. Sakura's half sure he had committed to trying to wrap the shirt around his face like a scarf once he puts on his new clothes. He wanders off while Sakura pays for the clothes, mildly irritated she’s footing the bill again, though silently resigned to the fact that Kakashi was going to financially milk being six years old to the best of his ability.

Sakura made idle small talk with the shop keeper while Kakashi roamed the store. Sasuke appeared bored out of his mind, staring longing at the door, while Naruto badgered after Kakashi, desperately trying to convince him to wear some ugly orange outfit so they could match. Kakashi simply ignored him, and Naruto finally gave up when Kakashi approached once more, tugging on Sakura’s sleeve before silently presenting a thick green scarf. For a brief moment, Sakura was struck by the sight of Kakashi peering up at her, looking his age as he quietly pleaded for the accessory, and not for the first time, Sakura wondered what Kakashi was really like as a six year old, wandering shops with his father, the White Fang of Konoha.

The shopkeeper gives it to them for free. “The weather outside is soon to be freezing! Keep warm now, all of you!”

Kakashi changes into the purchased items, reluctantly handing his masked shirt to Sasuke, who neatly folds it before placing it in his pack. Dressed in clothes more fitting for a small child, and half his head covered in an oversized scarf he was near drowning in, Sakura couldn’t help but fawn at the sight of him, looking like an adorable six year old boy despite the death glare he was sending her. Really, the mean look was dampened by the giant scarf, and if it wasn’t wrapped firmly around his head, she would be very, very tempted to pinch his cheeks, much like the shopkeeper.

It was hard not to want to dress him up like a cute little doll. The shop keeper was right, even with half his face obscured, Kakashi was a pretty child, dreamy eyes and thick grey hair. Sakura holds his hand as they leave the shop, wondering about the outfits she could push on him when they get back to Konoha. She’s sure her parents have a few clothes left over from when she was young, neutral in gender but brightly colored enough to satisfy her taste in dressing him.

They head towards the edge of the village, slipping away into the shadows of the forests to head farther west for Konoha. They dart off immediately, hoping Kakashi won’t have the time to complain about not getting his backpack, and set a brisk pace.

Kakashi wasn’t lying about his skills as a shinobi. They didn’t have to slow down for the boy, keeping pace with them as they ran through the trees. She supposed he had to be fast to keep up with the Yellow Flash, and keep up he did.

His energy waned near the mark of noon, and Sakura was kind enough to call for a break without calling attention to his need for rest. Kakashi fell asleep midway through eating his ration bar, nodding off against the tree he was propped against, and they let him have a small nap while the three of them discussed the next part of their trip.

Kakashi was roused and the four of them continue onward for a few more hours before Kakashi began to lag. Without hesitation, Naruto scooped Kakashi into his arms before settling him on his back, carrying the rest of the way to the next village they decided to spend the night at. Kakashi grumbled, beating at Naruto’s head to let him down, but eventually succumbed to his need for rest, and took the free ride with minimal complaints afterwards. There was an odd look on his face for a while thereafter; when Sakura would look back to make sure Naruto didn’t drop him.

They rest in another inn, concerned that camping out might invite mischief. Kakashi is the first to fall asleep, nearly falling into his bowl of soup, and Sakura takes the first watch after Naruto and Sasuke debate on who’s sleeping with who on which bed. Sasuke kicks Naruto off to sleep with Kakashi, determined not to be bothered by Naruto’s sleep cuddling, and Sakura watches as Naruto settles into the bed, momentarily waking up Kakashi, who chides him for making so much noise despite being, supposedly, a ninja, and falls back asleep before Naruto is done complaining at him about how he’s totally stealthy and quiet when he wants to be.

Through the night, Naruto snuggles up next to Kakashi, snoring loudly. Kakashi sleeps just as he always does, leaving Sakura mildly unnerved by his small, quiet, still body, and she’s almost thankful when he starts twitching, a sign of life she hadn’t seen since he first fell asleep. His eyes are screwed tight, his hands fisting the sheet, and she realizes he must be having a bad dream, a small ache in her heart at the sight. She knows Kakashi is a grown man, who served in a war and seen many troubles in his life, but it was all the more morose to see such a small child so troubled.

Kakashi wakes before Sakura can try to sooth him. He carefully extracts himself from Naruto and doesn’t spare her a glance, beelining straight for the bathroom. Sakura leaves him be, watching the window, listening to the sounds of the tap running, and it’s only when a few minutes pass does she feel a mild alarm grow. She looks away from the window, listening to the sounds in the bathroom, but the only thing she could make out was the sound of Kakashi washing his hands, over and over.

Sakura frowns.

She’s worried he’ll scrub his hands raw at this rate, and slowly approaches the bathroom, waiting to see if Kakashi will finish soon. Once she’s settled by the door, she can hear his strained breathing, and wonders if he might even be sleepwalking. Lightly, she taps at the door. “Kakashi?”

No response. The tap continues to run, the sounds of soap suds bubbling, and the slide of skin against skin as Kakashi continues. More urgently, and a little louder, still trying not to wake Sasuke or Naruto, “Kakashi?”

The handwashing stops. For a moment, the sounds of the tap continue, and Kakashi’s strangled breathing slows. The water stops, there’s some shuffling, fabric rustling, and the door opens, revealing Kakashi, looking so small in the dim light of the moon, eyes lidded so low he looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.

“Sorry,” he murmurs. “Did you need to use the bathroom?”

“No, you were just in there for a long time. Bad dream?”

Kakashi shrugs. Sakura knows he won’t talk about whatever upset him, but she still feels it’s her duty as a doctor to say, “If you’re having frequent nightmares, Lady Tsunade or I can prescribe you something to help with that.”

“I’m fine,” Kakashi says, eyes crinkling. Sakura sends him an unimpressed look, and for a moment he studies her, before quietly admitting, “At this age, I was prone to having a few bad dreams. Now, I have even more memories than before. It will pass.”

Sakura frowned, watching as Kakashi slipped away, back towards his bed. She settled herself by the window again, wondering what she should do, before deciding to leave it be. Nightmares with children were not uncommon, even ones who lived relatively nontraumatic lives, from the studies she had been investigating. She’ll become concerned if this is a daily issue, she decides.

Naruto takes the shift after her, and the routine of the next day is not so dissimilar to yesterday, eating a hardy breakfast before they continue the rest of their trek to Konoha. Sakura feels mildly concerned that Kai hasn’t attacked again, and again unsettled at not truly understanding his plans behind the seal, but she supposed for now, no news was good news. The trek was long and boring, just as most missions that require long distance travel are. If they weren’t in such a hurry, they would usually chatter amongst themselves (well, Sakura and Naruto would, though Kakashi could be goaded if you talk about the right subject).

There was an undercurrent of urgency in their speed despite their rather lax behaviour regarding what had happened, wanting to confirm that this seal wasn’t dangerous. Kakashi seemed perfectly fit, in fact more so than any other six year old Sakura had met, but additional verification would be nice. It would be a relief to start drumming up a proper plan to break the deal as well.

The second half of the trip saw Sakura carrying Kakashi when they were an hour away from Konoha. She was rather impressed by how well he could keep up with them, but was worried he was straining himself too hard, and when he began to slow, Sakura offered to carry him. When he refused, she ignored that and carried him anyway, much to his displease. Like a mangy cat he hissed and struggled but finally relented when she reminded him that if they slowed their pace for him, they would get to Konoha later. Perhaps it was cruel to equate him to a burden, but it worked, and Kakashi reluctantly latched on to her back, grumbling to himself.

Half an hour away, Kakashi said, “Despite how derailed this mission became, your goal was to escort me, the hokage, to and from Kiri.”

“I remember.”

“Kotetsu and Izumo saw us leave. I suspect they might be curious why I’m not coming back with you.”

Oh. Realization dawns on Sakura with the understanding that if they want to keep Kakashi’s status on the down low, they’ll need to trick the gate guards. Which, admittedly, isn’t that hard, but does require some planning ahead.

They eventually decide that Sasuke will use his sharingan genjutsu to trick the guards into not noticing Kakashi while Naruto makes a shadow clone henge to appear as Kakashi. It works like a charm when they enter the village Kotetsu and Izumo swindled with ease despite Kakashi seeming a bit peppier than usual.

Reluctantly, Sasuke takes Kakashi from Sakura’s arms, hiding him with his cloak as they roam the village towards the hospital. Naruto leads them towards Tsunade’s office, where he then kicks the door in, interrupting what looked to be Tsunade’s lunch break, given the sake bottle in her hand and the apple she was eating in the other. Shizune jumped at their arrival, Tonton oinking in surprise.

“What now?” Tsunade grouched, twisting open the bottle in her hand, Shizune sighing in the background.

Wordlessly, Sasuke sat Kakashi on the ground, gaining Tsunade’s attention. For a brief moment Tsunade and Kakashi made direct eye contact. Tsunade looked away, glancing at the bottle in her hand, then back at Kakashi, who watched her with clear anticipation. Tsunade sighed.

“I’m going to need a bigger bottle.”

Chapter Text

Before anyone could speak, Tsunade raised a hand, signaling for them to keep quiet. Silently, she twisted the lid from the bottle and began to take a long, long, long drink of her bottle, Shizune wilting with every gulp. At last, she stops, setting the bottle down with a clunk, and with a heavy sigh, and great reluctance, says, “Last I heard, your mission was to escort Kakashi to and from the hidden mist village. Instead, you’ve brought back a small child that looks suspiciously like Kakashi when he was a runt. Did that brat… spawn another brat?”

She gazed at Kakashi with intrigued eyes. The realization of what Tsunade is asking makes Sakura blanch. “No, ah, this is Kakashi, Lady Tsunade!”

“Huh.” She takes that with surprising grace, her gaze turning scrutinizing. “Is that true?”

Her question is directed towards Kakashi. He straightens slightly at being spoken to. “Yes. It’s me, Lady Tsunade. An encounter with a rogue shinobi and a space-time jutsu and seal left me as a six year old, I’m afraid.”

“You really do look like when you were six years old. Even that green scarf is like the one you used to toddle around with all the time. It almost makes me nostalgic.” Her nose wrinkles. “Actually, forget that. You were a real pain in the ass as a little kid. Worse than now. But it’s reassuring to find that you aren’t reproducing illegitimate children. One of you is tiresome enough.”

“You really did know Kakashi as a kid?” Naruto asked, sounding curious.

There’s a mildly troubled look on Tsunade’s face, eyebrows slightly furrowed. Sakura recognized that look, which meant she was thinking about something not entirely pleasant; something that did not happen to her directly, like Dan or Nawaki, but something somber she was very familiar with. The troubles of Orochimaru or Jiraiya were often her thoughts, or when she was generally melancholic about the shinobi world. Shizune, however, seemed oddly occupied with Tonton, pretending to melt into the background.

“Most shinobi did,” Kakashi mildly says, attempting to direct attention away from his past, no doubt. “I had a reputation back then, though not quite the infamy I have now. I’m afraid my past has caught up to me this time- it was a targeted attack by a man who disappeared from the bingo books about ten years ago. He was an Anbu shinobi from Kiri who attacked the third hokage eighteen years ago. His name is Kai Shimizu, and he was the sole survivor of the assassination attempt from the Anbu sent to kill Lord Third. His son was killed in the attack, and I believe he seeks revenge against me for it.”

“Eighteen years is a long time to hold a grudge,” Shizune comments.

Kakashi shifted. A mild look of discomfort reflected in his eyes. “During the attack, I used genjutsu to force him to kill his own son. He was then left as the only survivor after myself and other Anbu picked apart his attack force, sent back to ward Kiri off from trying this again, and to prove the might of the Leaf despite the recent nine tailed fox attack.”

“Well, that would do it.” Tsunade sighed. “You said he used a space-time jutsu and seal?”

“Yes. He tagged me with a seal, and performed a jutsu. I was incapacitated, so you will need to discuss the seal with Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.”

“And I presume Sakura already performed a preliminary check up when you… shrunk?”

“Yes,” Sakura confirmed. “He had a mild fever as a side effect from the jutsu, but that was the only issue, and it faded within a few hours. Kakashi turned into a kid approximately a minute or two after the completion of the jutsu, and was unconscious for six hours. When he awoke, his facilities appeared to be completely in order, proving he was thirty-two year old Kakashi.”

“Hm.” Tsunade tapped her fingers on the desk. “Kakashi, status report?”

“I appear to be exactly six years old. My belief is that the jutsu turned back time exactly twenty six years. I lost my first tooth the day after I took the chunin exam, which was November 30th.”

“And it’s currently December 2nd,” Tsunade said, mildly. “It’s a two day trip, so he tagged you on the 30th.”

“Yes. I’m currently missing one of my lower front teeth, the same one as a child. No other teeth are missing, and this feels like a very recent loss.” His scarf shifts, indicating that he was probably prodding at the missing tooth with his tongue. Tsunade looks mildly amused at the sight, while Shizune had a complicated expression Sakura didn’t see very often. “So we assume he shifted my body back exactly twenty six years. The man has likely used this seal before, considering the age he appeared when he fought with us. He looked almost my age, of early thirties, but he was a man who should have been in his mid to late fifties.”

“He also performed a jutsu along with the seal?”

“Yes.” Kakashi repeated the signs Naruto and Sasuke had shown him perfectly. Sakura forgets that his status as the Copy Ninja was well earned. “Sasuke and Naruto and Sakura report slight variants, but the version I showed you is the one I think makes the most sense, based on chakra theory. I can show you the seal as well.”

“Do it.”

Kakashi lifts up his shirt. With a small pulse of chakra, the seal reappears. Sakura stares at the combination of characters and specific patterns, not at all understanding what she was seeing. Sealing was foreign to her beyond the basic seals used in medical ninjutsu, and it’s not like she actually understood the true theory behind them, only how to force them to operate.

Tsunade moves from behind her desk, settling herself on her knees to take a good long look at Kakashi’s torso. Her hand lit up with green, likely performing a small check up of her own while forcing the characters of the seal to appear for longer. “Interesting. I’ve never seen anything like this before. The way the characters are interwoven is incredibly complex. The stylization is strange to me as well. What do you think of it?”

Kakashi slowly settles his shirt when Tsunade pulls away. A slightly embarrassed flush colors his face, earning a quirk of Tsunade’s brow. Kakashi hesitantly admits, “There are some skills of mine that did not translate in the space-time shift. I… can not read the seal attached to me.”

Tsunade’s expression shifts from amused to grim. “You’re six years old. Surely you can read the character for water?”

“I can not read all of the characters,” Kakashi confessed. “My literacy is the same as it was as a six year old. I have not been able to confirm how many other skills I may have lost in the process.”

Tsunade frowns, biting her lip. “You’re the last student of Minato, who studied seals with Jiraiya and Kushina. I’m afraid my knowledge on this is extremely limited… We can gather a team to attempt to crack the seal, but I wouldn’t bet on it happening fast.”

Kakashi deflates. “I can offer some guidance on sealing if needed, though my knowledge may be rather rudimentary.”

Tsunade scoffs. “Don’t sell yourself short. After Jiraiya, you’re the best we have. I’m sure we can sort through some of Minato’s old notes and figure things out. Your literacy might be an issue, but you do have a very fine grasp of the theory. We can work this out, but it may take more time than I’m sure you’d like.”

Tsunade stands to her full height, a contemplative look on her face. “Have you any idea why he turned you into a little kid? Usually people who want revenge for a loved one aren't doing… well, that.”

“My current theory stands that he hoped to make me a weaker target. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ve only met the man once, and I can not discern his interest in doing this.”

“Hm. I’ll assemble a team to investigate breaking that seal. Another team will be assigned to find more information on this Kai man. For the time being, your safety is going to be the priority.” Tsunade has a conflicted look on her face. “I’ll reassume command as the hokage. For now, we’re going to say that you were gravely injured in an assassination attempt. Your status as a child needs to remain hidden. I’m sure you have more enemies than just Kai who would take advantage of this.”

Kakashi frowned but didn’t object. Sakura’s sure the man had been itching for a break from his duties, though this probably wasn’t what he had in mind.

“Are there any other side effects of the seal I should know about?”

A moment of hesitation. Sakura frowned, watching as Kakashi considered his answer, before he admired, “I have my full memory, but the memories of my six year old self feel more… recent. What happened two days ago feels just as recent as my memory of celebrating my chunin promotion with Minato.”

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. That seemed concerning to her. It was obviously concerning to Kakashi as well, considering how hesitant he was about sharing that information.

“You are currently a chunin,” Tsunade acknowledged. “But since we don’t know much about the seal, nor your current abilities in this body, team Kakashi has a new mission: you’re going to continue to act as Kakashi’s body guards until the seal can be broken.”

“I do not need to be babysat,” Kakashi stated. “I was a perfectly functional chunin at this age. I may mention, too, that I would be on the front lines with Minato-sensei during the third war at this age. Let alone all that I have done in the years since.”

“You were a functional soldier,” Tsunade says, and there’s a strange look in her eyes. “But you were explicitly following Minato’s command during that time. We don’t know how much this seal may affect your current jutsu abilities, nor even your emotional and rational abilities. There’s too much unknown about this jutsu- and we don’t even know what the enemy wants with you, exactly. So don’t bother throwing a tantrum. I’m assigning you bodyguards. You’re to be with at least one member of team seven at all times.”

Kakashi’s eyes twitched. It was very, very clear that he wanted to argue more with her, a challenging look passing between both of them, Tsunade leering against her desk, almost begging him to start a fight. Kakashi deflated. “I see.”

“Don’t be so glum!” Naruto cried, reaching out to muse Kakashi's hair. Kakashi immediately ducked, avoiding his hands to side step closer towards Sasuke, who was watching Kakashi with an unreadable expression. Naruto pouted but otherwise took the rebuke in stride. “Oh, it’s like a sleepover! C’mon, every kid likes sleepovers!”

“I am thirty two years old,” Kakashi reminds, and he sends puppy dog look to Tsunade, begging for even a crum of pity for being forced to stick with Naruto for an undeterminable amount of time; Tsunade holds firm. His expression sours. “Besides, I did not have ‘sleepovers’ as a child.”

“Really? Not even with Obito and Rin?”

Sakura could never quite tell if it’s a faux pas to bring either of them up. Obito was obviously a sore spot, given all he had done, and the circumstances of Rin’s death would haunt anyone for the rest of their lives. Still, she couldn’t help her curiosity over the depth of their relationship and a small insight into Kakashi’s childhood.”

Kakashi was stiff at the reminder of his old teammates. It took him a few moments to reply. “No. I could barely tolerate Obito. Rin… was not bold enough to suggest such a thing.” Shifting, Kakashi said, “Might Guy, however, was a different matter. Much like an infestation at times. I suppose Naruto won’t be much different.”

Naruto opened his mouth, then seemed to realize that was an insult, and readjusted, flicking Kakashi’s ear. Kakashi, expecting retribution, ducked with ease, and again sent a plea towards Tsunade. “You’re a rude little shit, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” Kakashi mildly answered.

“Do you have anything else of interest to report?” Tsunade asked, sitting back at her desk, fingers itching towards her bottle. “I’ll assume command of being hokage while you recover and assign a team to investigate. T&I will talk to you guys tomorrow, to give you a full day of recovery and in case you think of anything else.”

“No, that was the extent of our knowledge,” Kakashi confirmed.

“Then you four are dismissed. My only word of caution is to keep a low profile. We’re hiding your status as a child, so disguise yourself if you have to leave your residence.” Tsunade eyed Kakashi’s wild mane of hair. “Light colored hair like yours isn’t very common here, and you are the spitting image of Kakashi. If you want to avoid rumors of illegitimate children, I would proceed with caution.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure no one recognizes him!” Naruto enthuses. “We’ll see you later, Granny.”

Dismissed, the four of them shuffle out of the office together. Sakura turns back just in time to see Tsunade pick the bottle back up; Shizune wasn’t scolding her, however, and instead a somber look was settled on her face as she started to speak with Tsunade. The door closed, and Sakura casted her attention back to Naruto, who was trying to convince Kakashi to let him carry him. She could tell, from Naruto’s twitching hands, that he was close to just snatching Kakashi up.

In order to stop whatever fight was sure to break out if Naruto tried something- not out of the kindness of her heart to help Naruto avoid getting his ass kicked by a six year old, but simply because she didn’t want to deal with his bitching and moaning (she knows the chunin rank is going to get on his nerves)- Sakura claps her hands together, catching everyone’s attention. “We still have to figure out where exactly Kakashi is staying.”

“In my apartment,” Kakashi stated, voice firm. It reminded her of a child demanding a toy from the store, though she did not voice that thought. Kakashi would surely go for her ankles.

“Sasuke is staying at my apartment,” Sakura continued. “So you could stay with us, but it might be a tight fit.”

“Sasuke should stop being a bum and move out,” Naruto complained, earning a glare from Sasuke.

“I only came back a month ago,” Sasuke flatly stated. “And someone hasn’t officially registered me as a shinobi that can take missions again and get paid.”

The pointed look was directed at Kakashi, who placed his hands in his pockets, unbothered by his grousing. “Hm? Did you say something?”

Sasuke’s eye twitched. Sakura was beginning to think Tsunade held them in too high of regard to be able to complete this task. It seemed this was a punishment for all parties involved.

“You can stay at my place,” Naruto decides. “I live alone, without some leeching, no good bum around.”

Kakashi didn’t even entertain the idea. “No. I’m staying at my apartment.”

“But you can’t be by yourself!” Naruto complained. “What’s so bad about my place, anyway?”

“When was the last time you vacuumed?” Kakashi asked. “Washed your dishes? Mopped the floor? Dusted?”

Naruto deflated with each question. “But-“

“Does your refrigerator even have non-expired food?”

Sakura’s face pinched at the reminder of that habit. Maybe it really wasn’t wise to leave Kakashi in Naruto’s apartment, filled with biohazards survivable only because of the fox’s healing factor. “On second thought, maybe Kakashi is right. For now, you’ll stay over at Kakashi’s place. Sasuke and I can spend the night a couple days of the week. Maybe next week, we can trade off and have Kakashi stay with us.”

Sakura has a feeling it would be beneficial for Kakashi to spend the first week in a familiar place. Kakashi might not be an actual child, but the psychology books Sakura had been reading regarding children mentioned stability was key. It might help Kakashi feel more in control to stay in his apartment, where he had power over his belongings and space.

“Why can’t we just stay at my apartment the whole time?” Kakashi crosses his arms.

“It’s not fair to make Naruto watch you all the time. And when it’s our turn to watch you, it would be much easier having you over at our apartment instead.”

Kakashi frowned, not exactly appeased. Still, it was better than being forced to stay at Naruto’s apartment, and Kakashi seemed to agree, turning on his heels and preparing to walk towards his apartment. They had sequestered themselves in a hallway in the hokage’s tower as they bickered amongst themselves. Now that they were going to go outside, however, Sasuke placed a hand on Kakashi’s head, stopping him in his tracks.

“You’re supposed to be disguise,” Sasuke reminds. The shifting of his scarf indicated Kakashi was puffing his cheeks in a pout. “Until then, I’ll hide you with my cape.”

“I could body flicker,” Kakashi muttered.

“Can you?” Naruto asked, in not so hidden wonder. “Man, I was bad at that even as a genin.”

“Yes,” Kakashi states blandly. “How else do you think I could possibly keep up with a man who teleports?”

Naruto laughed, heartily, and the slight tension Sakura felt at the mention of Minato eased. It was somewhat odd to hear Kakashi speak of him so candidly, after years of keeping quiet about his relationship to the man. Sakura wonders if Kakashi truly feels at ease talking about him, perhaps satisfied by seeing him during the fourth war, and finally able to let the roadblock break… or if this was some sort of side effect of the jutsu. Kakashi did mention his memories of Minato were just as relevant as his memories of a few days ago.

“Let’s save our chakra for later,” Sakura decides. “Maybe tomorrow, we’ll find a training field for us to figure out your level of combat and ninjutsu. For now, today should be a day of rest, and we don’t want to expend any more chakra than necessary. Let Sasuke carry you, okay?”

It wasn’t actually a request, and was really more of a demand, but she allowed Kakashi to pretend, studying Sasuke for a moment, rolling over the points she had made. With a resigned sigh, Kakashi turned to Sasuke, and he took that as his cue to pick him up, cradling him with surprising delicacy as he used his cloak to shield him from prying eyes. Settled, the four of them headed towards Kakashi’s apartment.

It was evening, close to dinner time, but darkness had already fallen thanks to the dawning of the winter solstice. Kakashi struggled to stay awake, cozy in the cocoon of Sasuke’s arms and cloak, and Sakura watched as his eyes drooped the longer they took to get to his apartment. Internally, she cooed at the sight, both because of how adorable Kakashi was as he struggled not to nod off, and because it was rather charming to watch Sasuke carry a small child around.

They climb the stairs to Kakashi’s apartment. Roused at last, Sasuke set him down and Kakashi pulled the keys from his backpack to unlock the door for them. He allowed them to step inside, shutting the door behind them, but then stood directly in front of them, blocking them off from the rest of his apartment.

“Ground rules,” Kakashi explained. “Don’t touch anything. Don’t fight. I feel like that’s simple enough, but knowing you three, I expect trouble nonetheless.” He sighs, running his fingers through his hair, making it look even more wild. “Just try not to damage anything, and don’t snoop. Got it?”

Sakura's slightly miffed she's lumped into the same category as Sasuke and Naruto, but internally admitted she definitely wanted to snoop around. Kakashi never invited them back to his apartment, always appearing at one of theirs, bumming off of them during activities. She had been here enough times to count on hand over the past six years she had known the man, and twice was because he was too comatose to stop her.

“Fine,” Naruto groaned. “We won’t break anything!”

“And you won’t snoop,” Kakashi said, not moving an inch.

“We won’t snoop,” Sakura confirmed. The apartment was just as bare as she remembered it. Pain had destroyed the original apartment Kakashi had stayed in, but once the jonin quarters were rebuilt, Kakashi had moved back in. It was even more threadbare than his last one, Kakashi admitting once that Kurenai had forced him to buy a majority of the paintings, furniture, and decor he had. The most life she could see was the book case filled with bad romance novels. Beyond that and the photographs on his window sill, Sakura wouldn’t know someone actually lived here. There was barely any snooping to do, frankly.

Kakashi waited until Sasuke finally grunted in agreement before he allowed them inside. There wasn’t a proper place to put their shoes, so Sakura placed her sandals by the door, noting that Kakashi hadn’t done the same, still wearing his sandals. He had walked off while they awkwardly stood in the doorway, heading towards the small kitchen of his studio apartment, and all three of them exchanged a look before following him.

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked, leaning on the table. He only had one chair. Maybe Sakura should have insisted on him staying with Naruto; she makes a mental note to force Naruto to deep clean his apartment sometime this week.

“Dinner,” Kakashi stated. “I’ll need to go to the market tomorrow for better supplies. I cleared out most of my fridge due to the trip to Kiri, so I’m afraid I’m a little light on my supplies, but I have some frozen fish I could fry up and a few odds and ends here.”

Kakashi was already working, opening cabinets in search of his pots and pans. The man didn’t have much in personal affects, but his kitchen utensils were not as modest as the rest of the apartment. Kakashi must have been holding out on them, Sakura thinks. Then again, she would have never suspected such a lazy man actually enjoyed cooking.

It felt rather odd to watch Kakashi work. She hadn’t really seen him cook as an adult, and watching a small child chop up vegetables was making her nervous. Kakashi has clearly sensed her staring, scoffed lightly at the notion that he couldn’t handle chopping an onion, and with an incredible speed he proceeded to perfectly dice it, each piece identical in size and shape to the last, and Sakura admitted defeat. Besides, if Kakashi had been old enough to handle kunai, he could certainly cook in the kitchen…

The thought made her somber, thinking of six year old Kakashi cooking.

“Wow,” Naruto said, watching Kakashi expertly fry the fish. “I didn’t know you could do this stuff, sensei!”

“I’m not sure how much of a compliment that is,” Kakashi wryly said, not looking away as he flipped the fish with expert culinary skill, catching it with the pan, just to really show off. “Considering all you make is ramen.”

“We should make you cook for us more often,” Sakura declares before Naruto could go on a tangent about how ramen was the perfect meal, any time of the day.

“You haven’t even tried my cooking yet,” Kakashi said. “You might not even like it.”

The smell of the sizzling fish said otherwise. Sakura’s stomach was growling unapologetically, hungry from the long trip they had taken, and roused by the delightful smell of spices and meat. “Do you cook like this often?”

“Hm, not really. It’s such a fuss to do all this work for only one meal, and I’m not a big fan of left overs.”

“Where’d you learn to do this?” Naruto wondered, looking dangerously close to trying to pick the fish directly off of the pan. “Did you copy some famous chef?”

“No.” Kakashi didn’t add anything for a while. He seemed almost lost in thought as he began to combine the vegetables he had chopped, stirring idly. Finally, he said, “Am I not allowed to simply have hobbies?”

“I didn’t think you did anything but read porn,” Sasuke added, casually leaning against the wall.

Kakashi remained quiet again, as if debating. Sakura turned her gaze from the meal towards Kakashi who was carefully peeling a few of the boiled eggs he had made, but the concentration wasn’t on the shells. “… well, I had a lot of free time as a child.”

As if knowing that sentence would pique their interest, he pushes the bowl of eggs towards them, instructing them to finish peeling while he continued to cook. Sufficiently distracted, Naruto dared Sasuke into peeling more eggs than him, and the two began to mangle the eggs while Sakura continued to watch Kakashi cook.

Finally, the meal was finished. Kakashi pulled out the dinnerware, sparse in her opinion, though if he was used to cooking for one it made sense. They settled around the kitchen table, Kakashi dragging his trunk for them to sit down on while he propped himself on the counter. The meal was incredible, and even Sasuke seemed mildly surprised by the rich flavor produced from the simple ingredients and spices Kakashi had used.

“Wow!” Naruto cries. “This is my second favorite restaurant! How’d you do all that?”

“A lot of practice,” Kakashi admits. “I used to go through old cookbooks at my place and practice each recipe until I perfected it, then moved on to the next. Once you’ve cooked enough recipes, you learn to adjust for the ingredients you have on hand.”

Kakashi wasn’t kidding about having free time as a kid.

“If you plan to spend the night,” Kakashi begins before they can try to pry, looking directly at Sakura. “I suggest you make a supply trip run. I’m afraid I don’t have enough blankets or pillows for everyone.”

“We all need a change of clothes,” Sakura decides. “I’ll stop by my apartment and bring some supplies. We all brought our mission packs over, so we can use the bedrolls we brought with us. Naruto, give me your key and I’ll stop by your place, too.”

Naruto doesn’t complain, dropping his keys into the palm of her hand. “You want any help?”

“It’s just blankets and clothes. I’ll be back in a little while. Try not to burn anything down while I’m gone.”

Kakashi sends a pleasing look, as if begging her not to leave him alone with Sasuke and Naruto. She gives him a mean grin before walking out of his apartment. In truth, these past few days have left her with a lot to think about, and she had an errand or two of her own to complete.

The first stop on her list was actually her parents house, the civilian district not that far. It made sense, so the jonins could rush out in case of emergency if this part of the village was attacked, and so Sakura began the quiet and simple trek towards the house her parents had rebuilt themselves. Her mother is surprised to see her so late and clearly fresh from a mission; Sakura makes up a story about how Ino’s cousin is visiting and needs some clothes.

Her mother had kept everything she could salvage, and Sakura’s old clothes were left in the attic. She sorted through them, trying to find things Kakashi could both fit in and actually enjoy wearing. In truth, Kakashi didn’t seem to care much for fashion, so he probably wouldn’t care that much if he had to wear girl clothing, but she figured she owed it to at least cater to his tastes, searching for darker colors or shades of blue. She has three outfits that satisfy her qualitifcations, but Sakura lingers, peering at some of the childhood pictures her parents have hung up, thinking of what she was like at six years old. She hasn’t even entered the academy yet, and to think Kakashi was a chunin…

It was true the civilian and shinobi sides of the village didn’t mingle much. Still, she sat down at the kitchen table where her mother was cleaning up their own dinner leftovers, and wondered, “Hey, Mom, did you ever hear about Hatake Kakashi before he became my sensei?”

Her parents had seemed mildly uneasy about him when she first told them he was going to be their teacher. Her mother later confessed Kakashi had came over and spoke with them, very briefly. After a while, they seemed content with him, and Sakura didn’t think much of their initial concern, just nervous about their little girl in the shinobi world. They had supported her interest, perhaps because they simply didn’t know the depths of despair the shinobi world could hold, but she was grateful nonetheless.

“Oh? I never met the man before he was your teacher, but he sure had a reputation in the village. Everyone said he was some sort of comrade killer. And there was a whole stink about his father that I never really paid attention to. He was kind of a spooky kid though, any time you did see him. But he was polite enough when I talked to him as your sensei. He was actually pretty awkward, I guess it’s because he didn’t have to talk to Sasuke or Naruto’s parents.”

Sakura sighed, shaking her head. That was her mother- as blunt as ever. She was probably right, however.

“Still don’t know much about him,” her mother confessed. “But he seems like he grew up into someone good. And I always thought that friend killer stuff was a load of hogwash. Sure, he was spooky looking, but when you came home preaching back those lessons about how abandoning your friends made you trash, I knew for sure those rumors were stupid. You know, you should send him by here sometime. I know he’s the big shot hokage now but I bet he’d make for some interesting dinner company.”

“I’m… not doing that. But thanks for answering my question. I’ll see you Sunday.”

It was actually kind of interesting to see the civilian perspective of Kakashi… though her parents weren’t exactly average people. It made her wonder what she was talking about with Kakashi's father- didn’t Naruto tell her the man was called the ‘White Fang’ or something? Tsunade was reluctant to speak about him, and of course Kakashi had never said a word. She was vaguely aware of Obito mentioning an incident with the man, now she thought about it…

The thoughts rolled around in her head as she headed back to her place, looking for things to pack. Pillows and blankets and a fresh set of clothes, and Sakura grabbed a plain looking hat to cover Kakashi’s wild hair if they needed to go into the village. Naruto’s apartment was just as dirty as she knew it would be, so she carefully slunk around to pull out some clothes and his own pillow before high railing it out of there.

She’s drifting past the Yamanaka flower shop when she spies Shizune leaving, a bouquet of white flowers in her hands. Sakura approached, intent on jabbing at her nonexistent love life, when she realized they looked like camellias. Shizune, however, had already noticed her coming. “Sakura, aren’t you busy with your mission?”

“Just running a few errands. Naruto and Sasuke can be left in charge… for a few minutes.”

Shizune smiled, walking in step with Sakura. “Are we sure about that? I have a feeling they might have already caught something on fire while you’re gone.”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” Sakura confessed. “And I wanted to get away from all three of them to think about some things… I know you left the village with Tsunade when you were still pretty young, but did you ever know Kakashi as a kid?”

That same look from earlier was back. Shizune frowned, peering thoughtfully at the horizon. For a few moments they walked in silence, and she finally admitted, “Well, I didn’t know him very well. We were in the same class as genin, but he graduated earlier than me. In fact, by the time I was a genin, he was already a chunin.”

“What was he like?” Sakura wondered, a thought that’s been on her mind ever since she saw him after the attack, small and endlessly fragile in her arms as he slept.

“A real pain in the ass,” was Shizune’s immediate response. Then, she was somber, and corrected, “Well, he was rather haughty as a child. One of the youngest kids to be promoted chunin, and as far as I know, still the youngest to be genin. He was very proud of that, and he was… well, admittedly, better skilled than a lot of us older than him, and he wasn’t afraid to prove it. After his father died…” Shizune was quiet for some time. “He was very cold, focused only on following the rules. He might have been a haughty child, but he still knew how to laugh. Hm, it’s not really my place to talk too much about it…”

The silence was thick between them, Shizune lost in thought. It was interesting to hear her perspective however; so often she was in the company of Tsunade, who would loudly give her own thoughts even if she wasn’t involved in the conversation. Sakura had grown to learn that while Tsunade and Shizune had similar opinions, they didn’t always match. Shizune was a lot more thoughtful than Tsunade, which wasn’t a mark against either of them. Sakura appreciated Tsunade’s boldness and honesty. But sometimes Sakura appreciated Shizune’s quieter, contemplative nature.

“Tsunade and I left when I earned my chunin promotion,” Shizune continued, voice soft. “She had already lost Nawaki, and couldn’t stand the idea of seeing another kid go to war. The last I had seen of Kakashi was not too long before his jonin promotion. A lot of the adults in the village were talking about it. Tsunade was melancholic by the idea, and it only spurred her on to cart me out of the village along with her. I never understood why until recently, when we came back to the village, and seeing all of you as fresh faced genin, older than him at the time of his jonin promotion…”

Again, Shizune stopped herself. “Ah, I’m sounding like Tsunade, aren't I? Always so bitter about the past. I think Kakashi was a good kid with a lot of troubles. It was hard realizing that as a child, though. We were kind of mean to him, but he was mean right back. You know how kids are…”

That, Sakura did. Ino and her’s rivalry was proof enough, and she remembered how the village children sometimes treated Naruto. She never went out of her way to be cruel to him, but he was very annoying, so she wasn’t above teasing him either if she felt he deserved it.

Shizune remained thoughtful as Sakura peered at the bouquet in her hands. It was a handful of flowers, not a large amount, and it made her wonder whose grave she was visiting. She didn’t speak much of her mother, having lost her quite young, but she could be easily cajoled into talking about Dan. Tsunade was often tight lipped about her lover, but Shizune enjoyed reminiscing on the man who took her in after her mother died. Still, it didn’t look like the sort of flowers you were giving to someone you held so dear.

Shizune caught her staring, but didn’t chide her. Sakura opened her mouth, not wanting to pry and hoping she could get that across to Shizune, but she didn’t seem to mind. She just seemed thoughtful before she said, “I’m visiting the father of a friend of mine. I didn’t know him very well, but his kid has been on my mind lately with all this trouble with Kakashi.”

Again, Shizune paused. This used to drive Sakura crazy, when Shizune would get too lost in her head and randomly stop conversations. Now, Sakura was content to wait, to listen. “People didn’t like him very much. They say he made a terrible mistake. I don’t think very many people have visited his grave because of that. But the more I think about his kid, the more I’ve been thinking about him. I didn’t have very nice thoughts about him as a child, either. So many of the adults around us said he was dishonorable for what he had done. I haven’t thought about him in a long time, but I realize that isn’t true. I want to apologize to him, for think so lowly of him when he had done the right thing.”

They hit a fork in the road, where Shizune would part towards the cemetery and Sakura would continue to Kakashi's apartment. “Have a good night, Shizune. Thanks for talking with me.”

“You’ve matured a lot, Sakura,” Shizune says with a smile. “It’s nice to have adult conversations with you. Good luck dealing with those boys, however- you’ll need it.”

They both laugh and carry on, Sakura ending her walk in a thoughtful quiet. There was a lot about Kakashi she had never thought about, taking for granted the persona he crafted. Now, Sakura had a lot to wonder about, and Shizune had only given her a small insight into what her sensei was really like as a child.

She knew, of course, about Obito and Rin. It was easy to see the cracks their death had left in him when she was looking for it. Back in their youth as genin, and the arms length Kakashi kept them at even as he grew fond of him, that the chunin exam was a misguided attempt to show them the depth of the shinobi world and to toughen them up. Kakashi was afraid, both of them and for them, and it had taken her a very long time to recognize that, and even longer to understand why.

She couldn’t help but wonder, though, about all the other ways the shinobi world had failed him… and if he even recognized it himself.