Kakashi

"Kakashi..."

Naruto never dreamed that after hearing Kakashi's name for the first time today, the man would appear right in front of him moments later.

Staring at the uninvited guest standing in his home, Naruto's face turned stormy.

—Anyone would be annoyed to come home, open the door, and find some random person standing inside, wouldn't they?

Amid the jumble of emotions, the first thought that flashed through Naruto's mind was: should he take this chance to go over and land a few hits on Kakashi?

After all, Kakashi hadn't had a chance to identify himself, and as far as anyone knew, Naruto didn't know him. So if Naruto said he'd panicked, thought there was a burglar in his house, and attacked on instinct... that should be fine, right?

Naruto already couldn't stand Kakashi. And, to be honest, after training for so long, he'd been itching to find someone to fight and test his current abilities—in other words, he wanted to know just how strong he was now.

The trouble was, Naruto had just finished training and was nearly out of stamina. On top of that, the Forehead Protector on Kakashi's head was far too conspicuous. Both things made Naruto hesitate.

Just then, after Naruto said nothing for a while, Kakashi finally offered the belated introduction he should have started with:

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." Kakashi lowered his gaze to the open copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, your future Jonin instructor. I came to visit today... You did get the notice about the class assignment briefing the day after tomorrow, right?"

Kakashi's tone was as casual as ever, but that very nonchalance only made Naruto angrier.

"Whoever you are, even if you're here for a home visit... shouldn't you have let the homeowner know in advance? Did you come in through the window?"

Naruto's voice was cold. He slid off the Shadow Clone's back. Though his legs were still weak, he didn't lean against the wall in front of Kakashi. Instead, he dug his toes into the floor and forced himself to stand steady.

"And what's with wearing outdoor shoes in someone else's house?" Naruto pointed at Kakashi's boots. "Are you going to mop the floor for me?"

"..."

At that, Kakashi looked up from his book and studied Naruto again.

He really hadn't expected Naruto to speak to him so sharply.

Before coming here, he'd asked the Third Hokage and Iruka about his three students. They'd both had positive things to say about Naruto, describing him as a kindhearted boy... But they hadn't mentioned that the kid had such a sharp tongue.

Still, Naruto was right. Kakashi had entered someone else's home without permission and hadn't taken off his shoes, so he was in the wrong. He couldn't come up with any clever retort to defend himself. All he could do was sigh and shake his head, then speak in that familiar, unconcerned tone:

"Good grief... What an unlovable kid."

"Shut up. You have no right to say that about me, Kakashi."

"...Hm?"

Even after getting a taste of Naruto's sharp tongue, Kakashi's eyes still widened at the boy's pointed, almost scolding use of his name. He could no longer maintain his air of composure.

—What he couldn't possibly know was that Naruto had originally wanted to say, "Shut your damn dog mouth and stop barking." This was already the "polite" version, after Naruto had worked hard to tone it down. If Kurama had been in his place, he'd have fired off ten insults already.

"What did you..."

"I said you have no right to say that about me." Naruto acted as if he hadn't even realized that the other man was a Jonin and his future direct superior. Instead, he stared Kakashi down even more aggressively. As if worried Kakashi might not have heard him, he enunciated every word, one by one. "You of all people have no right to say that about me, Kakashi."

—Anger.

As an elite Jonin from the village and the renowned Copy Ninja, Kakashi felt a surge of anger at being insulted like this by a Genin.

But then, as if his foot had suddenly missed a step, that feeling dropped away. A weight sank into his heart, replaced by something else. Kakashi wasn't slow on the uptake, and a natural suspicion formed in his mind.

Had Naruto already discovered his parentage?

Was that why he was acting so... "abnormally" toward him?

At some point, the Icha Icha Paradise in Kakashi's hand had closed. Saliva gathered in his mouth. He didn't want to swallow and seem nervous, but as he looked at the patched-up clothes of the boy in front of him, he couldn't deny that he was nervous.

The boy's golden hair, tinged with orange, looked like a blend of yellow and red. His bright blue eyes were so like his father's, but his face was softer, more like his mother's... For some reason, though Naruto was the only one glaring at Kakashi, it felt as if both of his parents were glaring at him, too... silently demanding answers.

No.

His teacher might ask questions, but his teacher's wife probably wouldn't even bother. She'd grab a frying pan and beat him up first, then ask questions later.

A bitter feeling rose in Kakashi's heart. Though he'd run away for so long, the memories of Team 7 had finally caught up with him. The familiar faces from those days had all died twelve years ago, leaving him alone to remember them in vain. He'd spent twelve years missing them, yet now, with one of those familiar faces before him—the child of someone he'd lost—he felt afraid.

Perhaps he hadn't only become afraid now, and he hadn't spent twelve years missing them. He'd spent twelve years afraid, unable to face the pain. He'd hidden away in Anbu and buried himself in missions, pretending to forget that twelve years ago, a baby who knew nothing had survived. He'd thought that if he just closed his eyes, he wouldn't have to see.

And the longer he kept his eyes closed, the less he dared to open them.

"I..."

Kakashi started to speak, only to be surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. He closed his mouth, collected himself, and tried again. "You..."

"What right does an adult who barges into someone else's house, tracks dirt all over it without taking off his shoes, and stands there reading a dirty book in front of a kid have to call me unlovable?" Naruto cut him off. "Actually, I should thank you for thinking I'm unlovable. If you thought I was cute, I'd feel like my life was really over."

"..."

—Fair enough.

Kakashi awkwardly glanced at the Icha Icha Paradise in his hand, then stuffed it into his ninja pouch.

However, even though Naruto had given him a seemingly reasonable explanation for his attitude, the gloom in Kakashi's heart still didn't lift.

Kakashi wasn't easy to fool. He was always quick to pick up on little details. But for that very reason, he couldn't bring himself to summon the courage to ask the question Naruto had interrupted.

He wasn't ready to face the answer.

"..."

"..."

The two of them stood there in a silent standoff. Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, Naruto's Shadow Clone dispelled itself.

"Poof!"

The returning chakra gave Naruto a little more strength, helping him stand steadier. Kakashi's attention also shifted slightly away from his tangled thoughts.

"Um... Naruto?"

Just then, a timid call rang out from the hallway, breaking the heavy silence between them. Naruto turned his head, a little surprised.

"Ino?"