Kakashi

"Kakashi..."

Naruto never expected that the moment he heard the name Kakashi today, the man himself would appear right before his eyes.

Looking at the uninvited guest standing in his room, Naruto's face turned a shade of leaden blue.

—Anyone who came home, opened the Space Gate, and found a stranger standing in their room for no reason would surely be annoyed, right?

Amidst these chaotic emotions, the first thought that flashed through Naruto's mind was: Should he take this opportunity to go up and land a few hits on Kakashi?

Anyway, he hadn't revealed his identity yet, and on the surface, he didn't know him. So, if he claimed he was startled and reflexively thought a thief had broken in, which led him to strike... that should be fine, right?

Naruto already disliked Kakashi, and to be honest, after training for so long, he had been itching to find someone to spar with to test his current level—or more accurately, he wanted to know exactly how strong he had become.

However, Naruto had just finished training and his stamina was nearly exhausted. Plus, the forehead protector on Kakashi's face was far too conspicuous, all of which made Naruto hesitate.

Just then, seeing Naruto remain silent, Kakashi finally offered his belated self-introduction:

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." Kakashi's gaze fell back to the open Icha Icha Paradise in his hands. "I am Kakashi Hatake, your future jonin instructor. I'm here for a home visit... You should have received the notice for the class assignment briefing the day after tomorrow, right?"

Kakashi's tone was as casual as ever, but it was precisely this nonchalance that made Naruto's nameless anger flare up even more.

"Whoever you are, even if it's a home visit... you should at least notify the owner in advance, right? Did you come in through the window?"

Naruto's tone was cold and hard. He slid down from the back of his shadow clone. Even 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 steadied himself.

"And what's the meaning of wearing outdoor shoes inside someone else's home?" Naruto pointed at the boots on Kakashi's feet. "Are you going to mop the floor for me?"

"..."

Hearing this, Kakashi couldn't help but lift his gaze from the book to look at Naruto again.

He truly hadn't expected Naruto to speak to him with such a sharp tone.

In fact, before coming here, he had already learned about his three students from the Third and Iruka Umino. Their evaluations of Naruto were all positive, describing him as a kind-hearted child... but they hadn't mentioned that this kid had such a sharp tongue!

But Naruto was indeed right; breaking into someone's home without taking off his shoes was indefensible, so Kakashi couldn't find any way to argue back. He could only sigh, shake his head, and use that familiar, indifferent tone:

"My, my... what an unlovable little brat."

"Shut your mouth. You have no right to say that to me, Kakashi."

"...Hmm?"

Even though he had already had a taste of Naruto's sharp tongue, this direct use of his name, followed by such a piercing and almost reprimanding remark, made Kakashi's eyes widen, unable to maintain his composed demeanor.

—And he couldn't possibly know that what Naruto originally wanted to say was "Shut your dog mouth and stop barking"... That was already a "polite" version Naruto had struggled to change it into. If it were Kurama, Naruto would have already spat out ten sentences of abuse.

"What did you..."

"I said you have no right to say that to me." Naruto acted as if he didn't realize the man was a jonin and his future direct superior. Instead, he stared at Kakashi even more aggressively. Afraid the man hadn't heard him clearly, he enunciated every word: "You, of all people, have no right to say that to me, Kakashi."

—Anger.

As an elite jonin of the village and the Copy Ninja famous throughout the Ninja World, being offended like this by a genin made anger well up in Kakashi's heart subconsciously.

But immediately after, like stepping into thin air, that emotion fell away, replaced by a sudden sinking feeling in his heart. Kakashi was not slow-witted, and a natural speculation occurred to him.

Had Naruto already discovered his own background?

Was that why he was being so... "abnormal" toward him?

The Icha Icha Paradise in his hand had been closed at some point. Saliva pooled in Kakashi's mouth; he didn't want to swallow, as it would make him look guilty, but looking at the boy in patched clothes before him, he felt truly guilty.

The boy's orange-tinted golden hair was like a mix of yellow and red. Those deep blue eyes looked exactly like his father's, but his facial contours were softer compared to his father's, resembling his mother more... For some reason, even though Naruto was just glaring at him, Kakashi felt as if those parents were glaring at him too... silently questioning him.

No.

The teacher might ask, but the teacher's wife probably wouldn't even bother asking; she'd just grab a spatula and beat him up first before saying anything else.

A bitter feeling welled up in Kakashi's heart. Even though he had been running for a long time, the memories of the old Team 7 caught up with him. Those familiar friends had all died twelve years ago, leaving only him to mourn in vain. He had mourned for twelve years, but when he saw this familiar face and the child of his old friends standing before him, he felt cowardly.

Perhaps he hadn't just become cowardly now, nor had he been mourning for twelve years; he had been cowardly for twelve years. Because he couldn't face the pain, he had hidden himself in the Anbu, buried himself in missions, and pretended to forget that an oblivious infant had survived twelve years ago, thinking that if he just closed his eyes, he wouldn't see.

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

"I..."

Kakashi spoke, only to be surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. He closed his mouth, adjusted himself, and then said again: "You..."

"What right does an adult who breaks into someone's home, doesn't take off his shoes, and tracks dirt all over the place have to call me unlovable?" Naruto interrupted. "And this adult was even reading a piece of trashy smut in front of a child... Come to think of it, I should thank you for thinking I'm unlovable. If you thought I was lovable, I feel like my life would really be over."

"..."

—A very good reason.

Kakashi glanced awkwardly at the Icha Icha Paradise in his hand and stuffed it back into his ninja tool pouch.

However, even though Naruto had provided this seemingly reasonable excuse that fully explained his attitude, the gloom in Kakashi's heart did not dissipate.

Kakashi was not someone easily fooled; he could always sensitively capture various details. But precisely because of that, he could no longer muster the courage to pursue the question Naruto had interrupted.

Because he wasn't ready to face it.

"..."

"..."

The two stood in a silent standoff, and the shadow clone Naruto on the side, seeing there was no more entertainment to be had, voluntarily dispelled the jutsu.

"Poof!"

The return of the Shadow Clone's chakra granted Naruto a surge of strength, allowing him to stand more firmly, while Kakashi's attention shifted slightly away from his complex thoughts.

"Um... Naruto?"

Just then, a timid call echoed through the hallway, shattering the frozen atmosphere between the two. Naruto turned his head, looking somewhat surprised:

"Ino?"