Chapter Text
Naruto ran across the village as fast as his feet could take him, Kakashi keeping pace beside him. Two very strong and unfamiliar signatures were heading straight towards Fū and he had a bad feeling about them. He’d felt them enter the village not long ago but he couldn’t sense any Taki shinobi accompanying them. He knew better than to doubt his instincts and so he would rather be safe than sorry.
“Kakashi, we need a summon,” he called to the jounin.
Kakashi sped through the hand signs, not stopping as a puff of smoke appeared on top of his head. The pug clung onto his master’s head and looked over to Naruto.
“Two potential S-rank enemies are heading towards Fū at the tree in the centre of the village,” he reported quickly. “Shibuki-sama is in the east of the village, five minutes run.”
“Got it!” Pakkun answered him and leapt from Kakashi’s head, hitting the ground running and quickly disappearing.
Shikamaru and Sakura were close behind them but Naruto could feel them falling behind. They weren’t as fast as he and Kakashi but he knew they would get there soon enough. They broke through the tree line, between the buildings, and Naruto leapt onto the large expanse of water, channeling chakra to his feet as he continued to run towards the chakra signatures. They were strong and the closer he got, the more details he could make out.
One…wasn’t one; it felt like many that had been smashed into one. A patchwork of different signatures unnaturally shoved together by force. It made Naruto feel a little sick. The other was very different but no less strange. It felt heavy and Naruto tasted something metallic as he focused on it. The bad feeling he’d had back at the accommodation was only getting worse and he sped up even more, pushing his body to its limits as he channeled chakra to his legs to strengthen them. They were finally approaching the edge of the small island and three figures came into view.
Black robes with red clouds. He cursed as he flung himself between Fū and the potential assailants. He’d interrupted Fū talking to the shorter one, catching the words ‘fellow Taki shinobi’ and ‘friend’ before he shoved her back. He took up a defensive stance as he surveyed the pair.
The one Fū had been talking to had a Taki hitai-ate on his forehead, scored out to signify his status as a missing nin. A grey hood covered his head and a black facemask concealed the lower half of his face, leaving only a pair of bright, pupil-less, teal eyes staring at them. He was a large man, standing taller than even Kakashi. He wore the same black cloak as Itachi had back then with red clouds decorating its surface. He recalled what Jiraiya had told them about the Akatsuki; they had to be here for Fū. He was the one with the patchwork chakra and he didn’t like the implications of it.
“More sacrifices for Jashin!” the other man cackled, drawing Naruto’s gaze.
He was taller than his partner, with grey hair slicked back and a clean, uncovered face. He looked young, unmarred by scars or signs of age. His purple eyes were a lighter shade than Rio’s but something unsettling lurked beneath the surface. The top of his black cloak was left open revealing the scored through hitai-ate of Yugakure and chain necklace with a symbol Naruto had never seen before. He held a scythe across his shoulders, with three red blades in a line at its tip and a rope connecting its end to the shinobi.
“Fū,” he said, not taking his eyes off the enemy. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said brightly. “This guy was a Taki shinobi!”
She didn’t seem to understand the danger she was in.
“The Uzumaki,” the first man muttered. “You would fetch a good price.”
He did not like how quickly this man recognized him. He felt Kakashi shift his weight closer to him. Before Naruto could respond, his partner turned to him.
“Fuck off, Kakuzu!” he yelled. “They are obviously meant to be sacrifices for Jashin! You shitty bastard, money is an offense to the great Jashin!”
“Jashin is a waste of time,” Kazuku answered back, seeming annoyed. “Money is only dependable thing in this world.”
“You fucking blasphemous bastard! Why the fuck did I have to get stuck with you!”
Naruto remained where he was, watching the pair argue.
“We’re here to do a job, Hidan,” Kakuzu growled. “Focus.”
“Fuck off,” Hidan snapped back. “I can handle these small fry.”
“Fū,” Naruto said quietly, trying not to draw their attention. “You need to run.”
“What?” She replied loudly and Naruto cursed as the grey-haired one looked their way.
“They’re after Chōmei,” he insisted. “They want to take her from you. You need to go. We can hold them off until back-up comes but you need to get out of here.”
“Why are they after her?” asked Fū, finally starting to show some concern.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “But they’re strong; you’re not ready for this. You have to go.”
Fū seemed to be arguing with herself and Naruto grit his teeth. They didn’t have time for the genin to get overconfident. He had no doubt she could fight and she even had some control over her Bijū but that wouldn’t be enough. He could sense their power and he and Kakashi would struggle, never mind a genin. She was the target; she had to be taken out of the equation. Shikamaru and Sakura were still on their way and Naruto knew they wouldn’t be ready for this either. Shit, he had to stop them too.
“Intercept Shikamaru and Sakura,” he ordered quickly, the pair starting to notice their conversation. “They were the Konoha nin who were with us. Take them and find Shibuki; get help.”
She hesitated for a second longer but giving her a task seemed to have convinced her. She nodded, something emerging from her back. They felt like Chōmei and Naruto caught sight of the thin orange wings out of the corner of his eye. There were four pairs of various sizes and soon she was lifted into the air.
“Oh no you don’t, you fucking bitch!”
Hidan flung the scythe at Fū in a show of impressive physical strength and Naruto flipped through hands seals.
“Fūton: Bouseki Tate no Kaze!” he yelled, throwing his hand above his head to form the shield in front of Fū. He felt the scythe hit it and grimaced, pouring more chakra into the technique. He hadn’t expected that much force from the weapon. Fū managed to get away as Hidan pulled his scythe back into his arms via the attached rope.
“You fucking asshole!” Hidan shouted at him. “Now we have to track down that bitch again!”
“We will not be leaving empty-handed,” Kakuzu broke in, teal eyes intent. “We will be leaving with their bounties.”
“Fuck the bounties!” Hidan roared. “I’m taking their fucking heads for Jashin!”
Naruto shared a glance with Kakashi. They could do this. They just had to hold out until their back-up arrived. It annoyed him that yet again he didn’t have the strength to finish this fight himself, Itachi’s words ringing through his head, but he also knew he had to be realistic. These missing nin were strong; it poured out of the their chakra like a waterfall.
“We totally got this,” he said to Kakashi with more confidence than he felt, the jounin nodding.
They just had to last.
Kakashi took up a defensive position, hating everything about this situation. He remembered the cloaks Itachi and his partner had worn when he’d faced them two years ago and he vowed that today would not have the same outcome. Naruto had told him about the Akatsuki and their interest in Rio and now here they were, defending another kid from them. He didn’t know what their endgame was but he would have much preferred it if they would leave the genin out of it.
The man with the scythe took a swing at Naruto but he dodged, managing to make the movement look elegant. All those years of dodging kunai with Genma were showing. He looked back at his own opponent, despite everything in him telling him to help Naruto. He had to trust the Uzumaki could handle himself and he knew he could. Naruto was strong. The pair danced further away from them, Hidan cackling in twisted amusement, but Kakashi kept his attention trained on the foe in front of him.
“So you are the Kakashi of the Sharingan?” the man pondered in his raspy tone. “Your head would be worth quite the sum in Iwa.”
“This isn’t your lucky day,” Kakashi responded dryly, lifting his headband to reveal his Sharingan.
The man began to respond but was quickly cut off by something being flung at them in the corner of their eye at high speeds. The large, three-bladed scythe sliced into Kakuzu’s arm, the man only being quick enough to prevent the loss of the limb entirely. It was quickly yanked out by its chain but Kakashi noted it did not bleed.
“Control your weapon,” the enemy hissed.
“This fucking bitch won’t quit with the windy shit!” Hidan yelled back at him. “It’s like fighting a fucking tornado; Jashin will be pleased with such a sacrifice!”
So Naruto was doing okay. That was good. The exchange gave Kakashi the opening he’d been waiting for.
“Chidori!”
His fist lit up with a sharp blue light, the familiar sound chirping in his ear. He launched himself forward, slamming his fist straight through Kakuzu’s chest. It was missing the squelch and soft resistance that he normally encountered with this technique but he didn’t know many shinobi who could survive a direct blow through the heart. He pulled his fist back and saw the large hole left behind but something wasn’t sitting right, his instincts screaming at him.
He was proven right when a foot slammed in his chest, knocking the air right out of him, and throwing him back into one of the larger rocks. He gasped, trying to force some air back into his lungs. Coughing, he shrugged some of the rubble off. What’s going on? He knew he got his heart. The dust cleared and he stood, Kakuzu in the same place as before with a large hole in his chest.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” he said to Kakashi, sounding unbothered by his injury.
He threw off his ruined cloak and Kakashi’s eyes widened at the state of his body beneath. His body was a patchwork of flesh, stitched together haphazardly; he looked like a collection of body parts in the form of a man. What looked like masks had also been stitched into his skin, covering his back. Kakashi didn’t know why he had gone to such extremes but as a mass of black energy tore open his back, Kakashi knew it wasn’t good. The black masses formed vaguely humanoid shapes, the masks taking the place of where the face would go. They towered over them, standing just behind Kakuzu, their roar echoing around the clearing.
One began to melt into a puddle, slowly fading from existence as the mask crumbled. Kakashi made the connection immediately; that must be the one he hit with his Chidori. He didn’t have much time to analyze it further as Kakuzu spoke.
“You stay back from this one, Hidan.”
“No fucking way!” The man yelled back. “I want both for Jashin!”
Naruto appeared next to Kakashi as Hidan stomped over to Kakuzu. Kakashi had the feeling that Hidan wasn’t taking them very seriously. He was more concerned about Kakuzu not sharing than he was about Naruto. Kakashi allowed himself a moment to check over his companion. He wasn’t hurt, a little ruffled, but he did look thoughtful.
“There’s something up with the scythe,” Naruto told him. “Don’t let it cut you.”
“Need to destroy the masks to beat the other guy,” Kakashi shared in return.
“Let’s go with the usual,” Hidan said and Kakuzu brought up his hands into a hand seal.
Kakashi braced but his vision was full of Hidan before he could react. He brought out a kunai and met the scythe blow for blow, Naruto’s words in mind. The clanging sound of metal-on-metal filled the air. He was fast and as Kakashi defended himself, his Sharingan caught movement just behind the man’s head. His eyes widened as he saw the mask.
“Fūton: Atsugai!”
A massive explosion of air slammed into them from behind Hidan, sending them both flying. Kakashi hit the ground hard, shredding half his jounin vest as it took the brunt of the hit. Dust surrounded him but he couldn’t see Hidan anywhere near him, not even with the Sharingan. He heard the sound of a raiton technique start up. He flung himself towards the source and shoved himself in front of Naruto, lifting his hands to take the lightning directly. He channeled as much of his own chakra into his hands as he dared, grunting as the force of the technique tried to blast him away. The sleeves of his shirt were burned away and his hands felt far too hot but finally, the technique lessened and the glow faded.
“Each of the masks represents a different element,” Naruto commented quietly from behind him.
“That was very impressive,” Hidan called out, standing back next to Kakuzu as if the wind explosion hadn’t touched him. “You’re the first one who’s ever survived that little one-two combination of ours.”
“But what about this next one?” Kakuzu said, bringing up his hands to control one of the masks. A wave of fire shot from its mouth and Kakashi immediately began the seal for a counter jutsu, but was beaten to it by Naruto.
“Suiton: Mizu Tate no Jutsu!”
They were immediately enclosed in a small dome of water and Kakashi watched the steam as the two techniques clashed. The flames vanished and Naruto released the shield, the water sloshing down around them. That had saved their asses; Naruto had started that technique before the flames had shot out so how did he know which element was coming?
“I can sense the chakra,” Naruto said breathlessly. “I know which element they are.”
Kakashi did not like the way Kakuzu looked at Naruto.
“You’re a troublesome one.”
Kakashi lifted up a kunai to block Hidan’s scythe, allowing himself to be pushed away from Naruto and Kakuzu. He met each swing blow for blow, all too aware of the blades as they sang through the air. Hidan laughed manically as he swung his weapon again and again. He dodged a blow that left a long, deep furrow in the ground and Hidan stopped to look at him.
“You really are good,” he sneered.
Kakashi didn’t respond as Hidan pressed forward and he focused his energy on avoiding the blades. He hoped Naruto was getting further than he was.
“You can predict my masks,” mused Kakuzu.
Naruto glared at him, his heart breaking at the implications of what he’d just figured out. He could sense the elemental chakra of each mask but there was more to it than that. He could feel each mask as if it were an individual person now they were outside of Kakuzu’s body but they were missing something. A vitality, a spark, anything but the presence of chakra; something to indicate that they had been alive once.
“You stole their souls,” Naruto accused.
The masked monster had died in Kakuzu’s place when Kakashi landed his Chidori, so they must be tied to his chakra. The damage done to Kakuzu would only be transferred to the masks so they would need to destroy all of them to kill him.
“Good eye,” Kakuzu rasped. “Each of these hearts once belonged to a shinobi. They can easily be replenished.”
Naruto grit his teeth, the sounds of Kakashi and Hidan clashing somewhere to their right echoing through the clearing. He lifted his arms to brace as Kakuzu appeared in front of him, slamming his leg into Naruto. It was like trying to stop a boulder. He felt himself being forced back a few steps and he spun, slapping a seal onto the side of Kakuzu’s neck. He activated the lightning seal but it didn’t faze the man as he landed another blow to Naruto’s gut. Naruto only just kept the contents of his stomach down as he danced back, trying to get himself some space.
He cursed as the raiton masked monster tore itself away towards Kakashi but there wasn’t much Naruto could do about that right now. The katon mask launched a fireball at him and he rolled to the side, trying desperately to think of a way to force an opening.
He sensed the fūton mask flare up and a terrible idea occurred to him, inspired by Kakashi blocking the lightning. If lightning chakra could touch other lightning chakra with no harm to its user then the same must go for the other elements, right? He flooded his arm with wind chakra and shoved his hand directly in the path of the massive cannonball of air. Moments like these, it would have been helpful to have two chakra-conducting arms but despite the tearing of the muscles he could feel in his forearm, the cannonball stopped and he pushed it away from him, straight back at Kakuzu. The man dodged but Naruto could tell he hadn’t been expecting that.
“Your chakra control is impressive,” Kakuzu commented. “It will not be enough to save you.”
The katon mask launched another attack and Naruto dodged, falling into a pattern of avoiding the flames and trying to catch the air cannonball attacks to fling back at Kakuzu. He could feel his arm becoming more strained with every attempt and he knew he couldn’t keep it up for much longer. He decided to change tactics and flung himself in the direction of the fūton mask. He pushed chakra into his legs, speeding up.
“Fūton: Tatsu no Oshigoto!”
Naruto unleashed the tornado in the direction of Kakuzu, causing a moment of distraction as he easily dealt with the technique using one of his monsters; but a moment was all Naruto needed. He brought out a kunai,
“Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba!”
The ghost of a blade appeared over his kunai and he sliced at the mask. He saw the retaliating technique, but dodging would ruin his shot. He wouldn’t get another chance at this. He allowed the blades of wind to slice through his skin and pressed forward, landing his kunai on the mask. There was a howl as the mask split in half and the black mass sank into a puddle similar to the one earlier. Naruto fell a short way to the ground but he couldn’t quite support his weight, falling to one knee. Those techniques had really drained his chakra; constantly using fūton was catching up to him.
“You destroyed a mask,” said Kakuzu, the statement sounding more like a question. “You are not recorded as strong enough for that.”
Kakashi’s chakra flickered and Naruto cursed. He flung three explosive seals and as the area around them filled with smoke and debris, Naruto launched himself towards where he could sense Kakashi. He jumped in front of the man and held up a kunai, channeling fūton chakra as he met the swing of Hidan’s scythe mid-blow. He grimaced as his arm throbbed in pain and his limbs shook with exhaustion but held his ground, meeting the manic lavender eyes of the enemy head-on.
“You are going to be perfect for Jashin,” the man snarled as he pressed his weapon against Naruto’s.
Naruto summoned a seal and managed to slap it onto Hidan’s hand. The man went limp but before Naruto could press his advantage, one of the masked monsters whisked him away. He turned to Kakashi as the smoke from the earlier explosions began to clear up. He was alive if a bit beat up; Naruto imagined he didn’t look much better himself. He spotted Hidan lying down next to Kakuzu as the man peeled off Naruto’s paralysis seal. He’d hoped that would buy them more time.
“We need to split them up,” Kakashi said, his Sharingan watching the enemy intently.
Naruto was distracted from replying by the feel of some very familiar signatures approaching them.
“Or outnumber them,” he grinned as Shikamaru and Sakura appeared beside them.
He could feel the Taki shinobi converging on them and he straightened his back, ignoring all the aches and pains.
“Do you really think this would stop us?” Kakuzu mocked. “That we would not kill everyone in this village?”
“Collect even more sacrifices for Jashin!” Hidan grinned viciously.
“Maybe not,” Naruto said with more confidence than he felt. “But Kakashi and I alone were enough to stall you; do you really want to chance all of us? Doesn’t seem very profitable.”
His wording caught Kakuzu’s attention and Naruto prayed he would take the bait. He and Kakashi had held their own but he knew they were a disadvantage. These guys were strong; stronger than anyone Naruto had faced so far. It had taken so much to take down just one of those masks and that was without the complication of Hidan. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t made a dent on him.
“You’re already down two out of five,” he added.
Naruto felt a flicker in Kakuzu, in what must be his original heart; maybe losing two of his mask had more of an impact than they thought. Kakuzu waved a hand at his companion.
“We will return for the girl,” he ordered. “It is not worth the hassle of the entire village; it would more profitable at a later date.”
“Fuck that!” Hidan spat. “”We should just murder them all! Jashin demands it!”
“Jashin will have plenty of other sacrifices,” Kakuzu rasped. “The Copy-nin and the Uzumaki will fall by our hand, but not this day. We will allow their bounties to grow further.”
“Fuck that bullshit! Money is blasphemy to the Great…!”
The rest of Hidan’s rant was cut off by Kakuzu grabbing him and disappearing. Naruto scanned the area to make sure they were really gone before he sagged to the ground, swaying as he sat on the hard earth. He really didn’t think they would retreat. Hidan was not the retreating type and Kakuzu hadn’t viewed them as enough of a challenge to warrant caution. Taking out that last mask might have made a difference; Kakuzu apparently wasn’t willing to risk facing the entire village with only three hearts. It was probably more likely that there was no financial gain to fighting them all but he would take it.
“Naruto!” “Kakashi-sensei!”
Naruto immediately looked over to check on Kakashi, his vision swimming with the movement. He looked okay, but was he really? He didn’t have time to ask as he sagged into the man’s arms, closing his heavy lids and succumbing to the exhaustion.
Naruto groaned as he felt his arm throb, the heaviness of sleep weighing him down. Someone poked at his arm again and he automatically tried to pull it away, swearing as a sharp pain shot up and immediately cleared the fog of sleep. He opened his eyes to see Sakura knelt next to his bed.
“Sorry,” Sakura said sheepishly. “You did a number on your arm so I’m doing what I can. You’ve only been out for about ten minutes.”
Naruto looked down at his very discoloured, very swollen arm.
“Oh I really hope I don’t ruin another arm.” The words escaped him, prompting a snort from across the room. Naruto looked across and saw Kakashi lounging on his own bed. “It’s not funny; I really need this arm.”
“I know,” Kakashi eye-smiled. “It was the way you said it.”
Naruto didn’t have the energy to let Kakashi know what he thought about his sass right now so he just slumped back in to the pillows, cataloguing his injuries. Sakura had healed the slices he’d obtained taking down the fūton mask but he didn’t feel any less exhausted. His arm still really hurt so he suspected that would be a Tsunade job. He felt her hands go to his chest and panic slapped him in the face, his heart jumping into his throat. He quickly shoved her hands away and grinned weakly at her shocked expression.
“Just…just bandage up the arm,” he grinned nervously. “I’m fine otherwise.”
“But I need to check your vitals and make sure there’s not anything else…”
“Sakura.” He winced at his harshness but it had to be done. “I am fine. If you are done with the arm, go let Shibuki-sama know we are ready to talk.”
Sakura nodded but Naruto could see the hurt on her face. God, he felt like shit. She was silent as she quickly wrapped his arm and he couldn’t help but admire her skill. She was learning a lot with Tsunade. He watched her leave the room and felt Kakashi’s gaze on him.
“If she examined me…”
“…she’d find out about your illness,” Kakashi finished for him, prompting Naruto to look up at him. “You don’t want her to have to lie to the others.”
Warmth blossomed in Naruto’s chest; Kakashi understood. Things were easier when he was around. He sobered up, thinking back to the fight.
“We didn’t win, did we?”
“No.”
“It appears I need to train more,” Naruto tried to joke weakly but the disappointment choked him.
He thought he would be better. Itachi’s words had never left him and he had taken steps to improve himself and get stronger. He had to protect Rio is case they ever came back to Konoha but as today had shown, he wouldn’t stand anymore of a chance than he had two years ago. He knew he was only going to get physically weaker as time went on and it made it even more frustrating.
“Naruto?”
Kakashi hopped off his bed and limped over to his. Naruto sat up, wincing as he moved his injured arm and pressed his back against the cool wall behind him with a sigh. Kakashi took a seat beside him; he couldn’t quite hide the stiffness in the movement. Someone had taken Naruto’s hair down so it flowed over his shoulders and he grabbed the blanket, resting it over their legs. He felt Kakashi’s shoulder press against his and the tension he’d been holding seeped out of him.
“How am I meant to protect Rio?” he whispered, answering Kakashi’s silent question.
“You already are.”
“I can’t even beat one of them and there’s a whole group.”
“That’s what a team is for.”
“Kakashi.”
The man was silent for a moment.
“We can train together when we get back; diversify our skill-sets. We could even ask…Gai…to train…with us.”
Naruto snorted at the clear reluctance in his voice but knew he meant it if it would help.
“You laugh now; wait until he has you climb a mountain at four in the morning on your hands.”
That just made Naruto giggle harder. Kakashi nudged his shoulder playfully.
“Would we wear the spandex?”
Kakashi shuddered and a real laugh escaped Naruto. He looked up and saw Kakashi’s eye twinkling. People thought the mask made the man hard to read; so he could hide all his expressions and emotions. Naruto knew better.
“Thanks.”
“We all have bad fights,” Kakashi said quietly. “We don’t always beat them, but we’re alive and Fū is safe. I would call that a win.”
Naruto nodded, but he couldn’t help keeping thinking about how they were still out there, waiting for a chance to try again. He had to admit Kakashi had a point though. The Akatsuki could have done a lot worse and just because he couldn’t defeat them didn’t mean that the fight was worthless. Fū was safe. He heard the truth behind Kakashi’s words but he could tell that there was something else, a feeling lurking beneath the surface.
“You’re frustrated too.”
Kakashi froze before sighing deeply.
“I want to protect them too; can’t do that if I can’t beat the people trying to hurt them.”
Naruto took his hand and intertwined their fingers, understanding completely. They had to protect their precious people and a big part of that was being strong enough to defeat anyone targeting them. It wasn’t the only thing but as today made apparent, it was damn important. He knew the kids were growing stronger every day but they weren’t ready for this. Naruto hadn’t been ready for this; but he swore he would be.
“We will get stronger,” Naruto said firmly, his resolve clear in his tone. “Next time, we’ll beat them all. We’ll protect them.”
Kakashi didn’t say anything but held his hand tighter. A more immediate issue had to be dealt with first though. They may have driven the Akatsuki off for now but Fū was no longer safe in Taki. Some difficult decisions would need to be made.
Naruto sat on the bed with his back against the wall, legs dangling off the side. Kakashi sat beside him with his shoulder pressing against Naruto’s, while Shikamaru and Sakura stood off to their right. Shibuki and Fū sat on the opposite bed, looking ill.
“Has anyone been able to find out why the Akatsuki are hunting Jinchūriki?” Shibuki demanded.
“No,” Naruto shook his head. “We know they want the Bijū but not why.”
They had told Taki everything they knew about the terrorist group. It wasn’t much, only what Jiraiya had gathered so far, but it was enough to make the situation clear. They hadn’t revealed anything about Rio but the presence of the criminals was enough to convince Shibuki of the seriousness of the situation.
“They will come back?”
Naruto nodded.
“They will,” he confirmed. “We don’t know how many Jinchūriki they already have but we do know that they won’t stop.”
Shibuki shot a distressed look at a frowning Fū. She hadn’t said much since they’d started talking about the Akatsuki. It had been a close call, finding her when they did. She was too naïve; she was willing to accept Kakuzu just because he’d formally been a Taki nin. It was true that she’d had no concept of the danger she was in but it was still an issue. He didn’t know how to convince she wasn’t safe here; even worse, he knew Taki had nowhere to send her. The other villages weren’t any safer.
“You have to leave Taki.”
She immediately shook her head.
“No,” she argued. “This is my home. I wouldn’t be any safer anywhere else.”
“We got lucky that they didn’t fight the whole village,” Naruto argued back. “Hidan is not the type to retreat; we only made Kakuzu think twice. He will be prepared for that next time. Staying would just be giving yourself to them and losing good shinobi along the way.”
“Chōmei and I can fight!”
“You are not strong enough yet.”
Fū stood from the bed, shaking.
“What do you know?” She yelled at him, orange eyes furious. “You’re just some Konoha nin. You don’t know what we can do.”
“Shibuki-sama does,” Naruto answered calmly, looking over to the village leader.
The man had been watching the exchange and Naruto met his gaze unwaveringly.
“Kakuzu is an S-class missing-nin,” he said slowly. “We can assume his partner is too. We do not have many shinobi that could beat those sorts of odds.”
“Shibuki-sensei!”
“Fū.”
She automatically closed her mouth at the authority in his voice. It was the first time Naruto had really heard the man sound like a village leader. He’d felt it in his chakra but not really in his demeanor. He was used to leaders like the Sandaime and Tsunade, who could command a room and move armies with a single word. Shibuki was a different sort of leader, one who asked instead of ordering, and Naruto liked him a lot, but there were times orders were necessary. This was one of those times.
“Fū, you are strong,” Shibuki smiled, “but you are still only a genin. I have no doubt that in time you will become one of our strongest, but Naruto-san is right. You are not ready for this.”
Fū threw daggers in his direction; a stark contrast to the bubbly girl they’d met only a day ago but he couldn’t hold it against her. A lot had happened in only a few hours.
“You think she should leave?” Shibuki directed this to Naruto.
“I do,” he nodded. “I can give her seals that change her appearance, even her gender if necessary, and she can change her name. We can make it so they can’t find her. It should give her time to get stronger.”
“I can’t give up who I am,” Fū shook her head. “Beside where would I even go? I’ve never left Taki.”
“We have a Sannin who travels the continent,” Naruto said, keeping his tone neutral as his team shot looks at him. “He has an apprentice and I know he would take on Fū too. He would keep her safe while continuing her training.”
“He would take a known Jinchūriki?”
“He’s a master of Fūinjutsu,” Naruto nodded. “He’s also our spy master so he’s in a better position than most.”
“There is the risk you wish to have Fū for yourself,” Shibuki commented. “Jinchūriki are rare and the opportunity to have one for yourselves would not be easily overlooked; especially by a powerhouse like Konoha.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Naruto nodded. “Speaking in strictly practical terms, the value of having Fū is outweighed by the international consequences it would have. Kumo would want to have their say and the same with Iwa. They would not let us have a Jinchūriki if they could help it and us ‘stealing’ Fū would certainly qualify. It would give other villages a justified reason to attack Konoha and our allies would be hard pressed to side with us knowing we were the ones in the wrong. It would be to Konoha’s detriment to take Fū.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Shibuki answered, unmoved. “Your words still do not guarantee anything.”
“What about a contract between our villages?” Naruto offered. “We can outline the measures that would be taken to protect Fū and control how much influence Konoha has. You can send a representative back with us to Konoha to confirm its arrival and speak with our Hokage. There would be legal protection and evidence so that if Konoha did try anything, you would be within your rights to receive compensation while avoiding the detriments that come with war.”
“You have the power to do something like that?” Shibuki was looking at him strangely.
“I do,” Naruto grinned. “I was told to try and build a relationship between our villages. This falls under that instruction.”
He was stretching that ‘instruction’ far beyond the scope of the original mission but he knew Tsunade would be on board with this. There was no risk to Konoha; all they had to do was not kidnap Fū and he was confident that they could manage that. It also had the added benefits of solidifying an alliance with Taki and keeping a Jinchūriki out of the hands of the Akatsuki. Shikaku would be proud.
“You are also taking a risk. You would unnecessarily endanger your own to help an unallied village,” Shibuki continued.
“I know,” Naruto sighed, “but we cannot allow the Akatsuki to get the Jinchūriki. We know they extract the Bijū, which kills the container. We don’t know what they do with the Bijū but I can’t think of a good reason for them to be doing this.”
The news of the extraction took the wind out of Fū’s sails.
“They want to take Chōmei?” She sank back onto the bed.
“Ask Chōmei what she wants to do.”
The room went silent and Naruto raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru’s incredulous look.
“It’s her they’re after,” Naruto said slowly, not sure what he’d said. “She should get an opinion in all this.”
Fū’s eyes widened before she nodded, closing her eyes. There a moment of stillness before she opened her eyes, looking defeated.
“Chōmei thinks we should listen to Naruto,” she admitted reluctantly.
Naruto sighed again, feeling like they still weren’t getting anywhere with her.
“Look,” he said. “I am not a shinobi of Taki and ultimately have no say in this decision. This will be up to Shibuki-sama but I really hope you believe me when I say I want to keep you safe, Fū. I want you and Chōmei to be able to live your lives in peace in a way that you choose, no one else. The threat from the Akatsuki is real and it is here, now. I understand it’s hard and it isn’t fair, but it is something you need to understand.”
Shibuki looked at him thoughtfully as Fū watched him with unreadable eyes.
“We will discuss this in private,” Shibuki announced, beckoning Fū to follow him from the room.
The door closed quietly behind them and Naruto sagged against the wall behind him. He was exhausted and it wasn’t looking like he’d get to rest anytime soon.
“You’re going to send her to Jiraiya?” Shikamaru asked skeptically.
“Taki don’t have anyone that could take her.”
“I know, but surely have a Jinchūriki near Rio would put him in danger,” Sakura added worriedly.
They didn’t know Rio was a Jinchūriki and that a big part of the reason he was on this trip with Jiraiya was to stay one step ahead of the Akatsuki. He knew it was a huge risk, placing two Jinchūriki together but so far Jiraiya had proven to be an effective deterrent against the Akatsuki. There had been no reports of Itachi or his partner trying anything in the past year and a half and there’d been no sign of any of the other members. Gaara hadn’t reported any incidents with the Akatsuki either. He didn’t know why they had decided to go after Fū or what order they were trying to grab the Jinchūriki in but something told him this was Fū’s best chance.
He couldn’t let her or any other Jinchūriki fall prey to the Akatsuki, not while he could do something about it. He saw them and could only think of Rio. He knew the sort of treatment Jinchūriki received and they didn’t have many people in their corner. He saw them and wondered how their big brother or father or mother would feel losing them. He’d done his best to protect Rio and make sure he grew up without the shadow of the Kyūbi hanging over him but he also knew that was rare.
There were also the Bijū themselves to consider. They weren’t mindless beasts and they didn’t deserve what the Akatsuki were going to do them any more than their containers. Being stuck as prisoners in humans was also not an ideal situation but something told him that they wouldn’t be any better off with the Akatsuki.
“We can disguise her so that even Shibuki wouldn’t know it was her,” Naruto looked at the pair. “We have to help them.”
Sakura and Shikamaru shared a look.
“So what do you need us to do?” Kakashi asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.
A million things began to run through Naruto’s head but they needed to start with one.
“We need to track down Jiraiya.”
Naruto sipped his drink, scanning the sparse crowd. The bar wasn’t very busy this time of day, with only travelers and the dedicated drunks in attendance. Fū fidgeted next to him but Naruto didn’t bother to tell her to stop. He’d learned during the trip that she wasn’t the type to stay still; very much like Rio.
She was unrecognizable. She had cut her hair into a much shorter, spiky style that flopped over her forehead. She’d replaced her white crop and skirt combo for slim brown pants tied with white tape at her ankles and a loose cropped mustard yellow jumper that hid most of her figure. She would figure out what worked for her but for now, generic was the goal. His seal had changed her colouring, so instead of bright orange eyes and sea-foam green hair, she had navy blue hair with light grey eyes. Her skin was still tan, if a bit darker. He’d given her a Konoha hitai-tai to complete the disguise and he saw how much she struggled with that. It went against all their training to wear another village’s symbol but she had to blend in with Rio and Jiraiya.
“So what are they like?”
Naruto glanced over to her before continuing to scan the bar. Jiraiya’s signature wasn’t far off now.
“I think you and Rio will be good for each other,” he commented. “You’re very alike.”
“In what way?”
“Energetic, honest, earnest,” Naruto smiled, thinking about his brother. “You want to get stronger, not for yourself, but to protect others. He likes to fidget too.”
Fū stared at him and Naruto waited patiently.
“Who is he to you?”
“He’s my little brother.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Is he…like me?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t tell Shibuki-sensei about him.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“The same reason Shibuki-sama told you to come with us: to keep him safe. We have an alliance now but Rio is more important than that. I’m telling you because you will find out when you travel with them. You might even be able to help him foster a better relationship with his Bijū.”
“It never bothered you? That he’s a Jinchūriki?”
“Never,” he shook his head. “I can feel chakra. I’ve always been able to feel the difference. The Bijū he contains didn’t have a choice either, so how am I supposed hold something against either of them? Neither chose this for themselves.”
Fū went quiet for a moment and Naruto took a sip of water.
“Chōmei thinks you’re kind.”
“I’m honoured that Lucky Seven Chōmei thinks so,” he smiled. “Thank you for passing along her messages; I know you don’t have to.”
“I know what it’s like to be ignored,” Fū admitted quietly. “I don’t want to make her feel like that if I can help it.”
“You’re very kind yourself, you know.”
The moment was interrupted by a man leaning obnoxiously over the counter next to Naruto. He’d felt the man enter the bar but he didn’t know why he was approaching them like this.
“What’s a beauty like you doing all alone in a place like this?”
Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. He was in disguise too; he figured it was better err on the side of caution. He’d donned his gender-changing seal and scavenged a dress from Taki before they left. His now black hair hung to his waist, kept out of his face by blue flowers Sakura insisted were necessary for the disguise. His simple blue dress hugged his form, a slit up either side so his movement was uninhibited and the long sleeves hid his tattoos, simple black gloves covering his hands. He wore his own black sandals and didn’t change anything about his features, leaving his eyes blue. He didn’t carry a bag or a belt, everything he needed stored in his tattooed seals. His voice was softened as a result of the seal but he didn’t really feel any different. He knew for some shinobi that the body changes they underwent from the seal could be very disconcerting but it’d never bothered him.
“I’m not alone, Jiraiya.”
The words registered before the Sannin flinched away from him, pointing an accusatory finger.
“What the hell, Naruto? You can’t do that to a man!”
Naruto looked back at him, unimpressed.
“I was just sitting here, waiting for you at the place we agreed on. I don’t understand why you’re surprised.”
“Why are you…?” Jiraiya trailed off, waving a hand in his general direction.
Naruto rolled his eyes. The Sannin hadn’t changed in the time he’d been gone. He was still a mountain of a man with olive green robes and a red haori. His white spiky mane was being held back by his thick metal headband. The red lines running down from his dark eyes were contorted as he stared at Naruto with a strange expression.
“Can we get on with this?” He snapped, not in the mood for Jiraiya’s antics. “Where’s Rio?”
“Training outside the town,” Jiraiya answered, becoming somewhat serious. “I figured it was better for him not to see you.”
It had been a pointless question that he’d been unable to help asking. He’d been able to sense Rio’s chakra the moment he came into range. The feel of his brother’s chakra washed over him, a warm familiarity that now he was so close to, felt like a punch to the gut. The fact he was so close and yet couldn’t see him, talk to him…he could hardly bear it. He wondered, as he’d done every day, how much his brother had grown. Was he okay? Did he still love green and ramen and dogs? Had he made lots of new friends? Did he miss Naruto too?
He knew what Jiraiya said made sense; he would just be a distraction. This trip was an opportunity for Rio to learn and grow on his own and Naruto didn’t want to undermine that. It didn’t make the ache of his absence any easier to live with.
“I know,” he took a deep breath, handing over a scroll. “This is Fū; you are to train and protect her the same way you are with Rio. Everything is in the scroll.”
She had remained quiet through this exchange. From the little time he’d known her, he knew that was a little unusual but it was an overwhelming situation. Jiraiya stuffed the scroll into his pocket.
“Another one?” Jiraiya grinned widely at her. “How fortunate that you have the opportunity to learn from the Great Jiraiya!”
“I didn’t have much choice,” Fū crossed her arms and Naruto didn’t bother to cover up his amusement.
“The same rules apply to her that I set down for Rio,” he glared at the Sannin, “Proper training and no funny business.”
Jiraiya threw up his hands.
“I know, I know.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Should we go then, Fū? Unless Naruto needs anything else…?”
He shook his head, smiling encouragingly at Fū as she walked over to stand next to Jiraiya. The man dwarfed her but Naruto had a feeling she’d be able to hold her own. It would do Rio some good to have someone to challenge him and Fū would get the opportunity to travel and explore life outside Taki. They would be fine.
“I’ll see you around, Fū.” He stood from his own chair. “Keep them out of trouble for me, okay?”
“I will,” Fū nodded, although she hesitated.
Naruto paused but she didn’t continue. He turned away from the pair, heading toward the exit when Fū’s voice called out to him.
“Thank you.”
He turned back, smiling.
“Anytime.”
Kakashi walked along the dirt road, Naruto strolling beside him. They’d met back up with him a few towns over from where he’d dropped off Fū and he’d immediately been able to tell something was up with the redhead. Sakura had asked if he’d seen Rio and Naruto had told her that he didn’t want to distract him from his training. He knew Naruto would have been able to feel his brother’s chakra. He didn’t know how it must have felt being so close and yet not being able to actually see him but he knew it must have been hard.
Naruto had changed back into his usual mission gear before meeting back up with them, his left arm in the brace and his right arm swathed in bandages. He had kept the blue flowers Sakura had picked and they stood out amongst the sea of red.
“It’s weird having to be careful with this arm,” Naruto said suddenly, waving his injured limb. “I’m so used to the other one being broken.”
“Maybe you could try not injuring either of them,” Sakura called back from where she was walking with the Taki representative in front of them.
“That would be too much to ask,” Shikamaru added from his position behind them.
“I feel so attacked right now,” Naruto gasped dramatically. “Kakashi, defend my honour.”
Kakashi tilted his head, grinning mischievously beneath his mask.
“At least you didn’t blow up any apartments this time.”
Naruto spluttered in indignation as Sakura laughed.
“That happened once!”
“What about that time you blew up Suna?”
“We were framed! That doesn’t count!”
“Land of Rivers?”
“I am legally not supposed to talk about that.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Sakura walked slower, allowing them to catch-up. “When did you bomb Suna?”
“I didn’t,” Naruto stressed. “Kazuya and I were framed by a terrorist group who blew up Suna. At most, I destroyed a couple buildings but not on purpose. The Kazekage totally overreacted.”
“Didn’t he ban you from Suna because you told him he was a bad father?” Shikamaru asked, shrugging as they all looked at him. “My dad told me the story.”
“Technically, yes, I did do that, but he deserved it!”
Naruto froze for a half a step before he groaned.
“Kazuya is never going to let me live this down,” he cried.
“Why?”
“He always blamed me for missions going wrong or taking ‘unexpected’ turns,” he expanded, dragging a hand down his face. “He couldn’t prove it was me since we did all our missions together but he’ll use this mission against me. I’ll never know peace again.”
“What missions have gone wrong?” Sakura asked curiously. “Suna, Land of Rivers apparently, but there can’t be many others?”
“There’s not,” Naruto lied through his teeth. “It sounds a lot worse than it is.”
“There were notes on the mission map at the Mission Assignment Desk,” Shikamaru interrupted. “You were banned from Suna and the Land of Rivers for a while and your file has a massive red stamp limiting your out-of-village missions. Is this why?”
Naruto threw up his hands, grinning.
“You caught me,” he laughed. “Really, though it’s not as bad as it sounds. All shinobi run into unpredictable scenarios on missions. I just happen to see more than most. It’s nothing I haven’t been able to handle.”
Kakashi knew the red stamp on his file was less for his mission history than it was his illness. Naruto’s body couldn’t cope with constant travelling and along with the value of his sensing and fūinjutsu, it made sense to keep him in the village whenever possible. He knew it was easier to let the kids believe that he was a trouble-magnet; he absolutely was a trouble-magnet so no one thought to look any further.
“I think the worst thing is that you genuinely don’t seem to think it’s a big deal,” Sakura shook her head.
“Sakura, I have been a shinobi for ten years,” Naruto’s grin softened. “I’ve had a lot longer for things to go wrong than other shinobi my age. Thank you for worrying about me though.”
Naruto had switched into his ‘older brother’ mode. Rio was his only blood relative but Naruto had a habit of treating all the kids’ Rio’s age as his. He was only three years older but in times like this, he seemed to have aged a decade.
“I’ve never heard of a shinobi involved in that many international incidents,” the Taki shinobi piped up.
He was a young man, close to Kakashi’s age. He had been pretty quiet during the journey, content to just watch and listen. Dressed in all black with a grey body protector, he blended in with any other jounin. He remembered him being introduced as ‘Kirishima’. Kakashi hadn’t been able to pick up anything that would indicate he would turn against them or place them in any danger but he wasn’t the type to take that sort of thing at face value.
“Naruto has always been special,” Kakashi added.
Naruto shot a look at him but it was filled with warm amusement.
“I am not as interesting as you are all trying to make me out to be.”
Sakura and Shikamaru appeared to leave the conversation there, but Kakashi just watched Naruto. He always did that. Deflected or downplayed or distracted from any attention on him, especially if it was positive. He knew Naruto didn’t want people looking any deeper, constantly worried the wrong person would figure his illness out but it also meant he never gave himself the credit he deserved. Kakashi had the privilege to see Naruto for not only who he was but for what he did for the village and the people around him. It was a lot. It was a lot more than he led people to believe. He was willing to bet the new Icha Icha that there wasn’t a single person in the village that knew the full extent of what Naruto had done over the years, not even him.
All Kakashi could do is be there for him now. He knew he wasn’t the best person and he had so many demons that some days he couldn’t breathe, but he could be there for Naruto. For a reason Kakashi could not fathom, Naruto chose him. He let Kakashi in, trusted him with the parts he hid from everyone else, and Kakashi wanted to be worthy of that. He’d let him down for a long time but things were different now. Kakashi would be his best for Naruto; it was nothing less than he deserved.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Naruto crossed his arms as he stood in front of an impassive Tsunade.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
Tsunade’s forehead twitched.
“You told me to build a relationship with Taki.”
“I did not tell you to fight two S-class missing-nin, form a contract with Taki about their Jinchūriki without consulting me and arrive two weeks later than you were supposed to! If Kakashi hadn’t sent that message, we would have had to send search parties!”
“You didn’t say not to either…”
“Naruto.”
He stood at attention, waiting for the Hokage to process the situation. He knew if it had been anyone else, they never would have been able to do this, but he knew it was the best option. He knew as much about Konoha as Tsunade and he probably knew more about the administration and inner workings. He would never do anything that would hurt Konoha and she knew that.
“The rest of you may go. Kakashi, show our guest to the nearest hotel. We will have a meeting this afternoon but I’ll let you settle in first, Kirishima-san. I apologise for the delay but I need to deal with my shinobi first.”
There was a chorus of ‘yes, Hokage-sama’ as the rest of his team shuffled out the room. The door closed with a soft bang and silence blanketed the office.
“If anyone else had dared use this much independent authority…”
“I know,” Naruto interrupted. “I didn’t do this lightly. I did not want to undermine your position or use authority I don’t have, but this needed to be done. Can you see that?”
Tsunade sighed, rubbing the spot between her eyes.
“I suppose I should be grateful you have no interest in being Hokage, otherwise I feel like I’d be out of a job. You could certainly run Konoha better than I.”
Naruto opened his mouth to object but Tsunade held up her hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“I am promoting you to full jounin status,” she announced. “You have more than earned it and getting you to actually take the Jounin exam would be too much hassle. You are A-rank in the Bingo book and help run half the departments in the village; I don’t think anyone will object. It’s long overdue.”
Naruto didn’t know how to respond. He knew she would understand but had expected a lot more resistance. Maybe a punishment or some form of discipline and he would have accepted that without question. He knew what he did pushed the boundaries. He hadn’t expected a promotion.
“I…”
“You can’t say no,” Tsunade added. “You can’t say no to me for a long while after this. You will be doing my paperwork for at least the next week. I also want a bottle of sake, the good shit too.”
“Fair enough,” Naruto nodded, relaxing as the tension dissipated from the room.
“Shizune will be delighted that my paperwork will be done correctly for once. Now get over here so I can heal that arm.”
Naruto walked forward, smiling warmly.
“Thanks, Baa-chan.”
Tsunade didn’t respond for a long moment.
“You remind me a lot of your parents,” she said quietly. “Minato would have thought of it but Kushina would have had the confidence to pull it off. They would be proud of you.”
Naruto swallowed, not expecting that. It meant a lot coming from someone who had known them. He hoped they really would have been proud. He had to get stronger though, so he could protect his precious people. He had a long way to go.
Naruto opened his front door, breathing in the stillness of the room. It had been a hectic few weeks and he was grateful to be home. Kazuya wasn’t home but Kakashi was; he would need to go pick up Momo at some point but right now he just wanted to lie down. He kicked off his sandals and walked into the apartment, spotting Kakashi in his favourite spot. Kakashi had opened the window so a fresh light breeze entered his lungs, the leaves of Kazuya’s plants rustling gently.
He walked up to the sofa, flopping down on top of him. Naruto laughed as he felt the huff of air from the impact but Kakashi quickly adjusted. He lay next to the jounin, tucked in between Kakashi and the back of the couch and he rested his head on Kakashi’s shoulder, breathing deeply as he fully relaxed for the first time since they’d left Konoha.
“There’s nothing quite like being home,” he mumbled into Kakashi’s shoulder.
“How did go with Tsunade?”
“She promoted me to full jounin status.”
He waited, wanting to hear what Kakashi thought. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t deserve it. Everyone else worked hard, went to the Jounin exams; he felt like he had tricked Tsunade into giving this to him. He had no idea how and he knew his godmother wasn’t the type to be easily swayed but it just didn’t feel right.
“Took her long enough.”
Naruto whipped his head up to look at Kakashi.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t earn it. I didn’t go to the Jounin exams.”
“Naruto,” Kakashi looked down to meet his eyes. “I do not know a single person in this village who deserves it more. Yes, you did not attend the jounin exams, but you have fought multiple S-rank shinobi-”
“That I lost against,” Naruto interrupted.
“-helped train many of the genin, ran the Mission Assignment Desk, saved Sasuke twice, prevented multiple international incidents, became a fūinjutsu specialist with no teacher,” Kakashi continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Naruto, there isn’t a single shinobi in this village who has done more.”
“I would argue that a lot of the older shinobi have done way more,” he pointed out. “You fought in the Third Shinobi War; a lot of you did.”
“Maybe,” Kakashi allowed, “but you cannot argue that you have been a full jounin in all but name for years.”
Naruto didn’t reply, thinking about it. It was true that he had a lot of responsibilities and a lot of those required him to be in charge of shinobi of a jounin rank. Shikaku was the Jounin Commander and Naruto had done his work more times than he cared to count. This promotion didn’t actually change anything about his role or the work he did in the village. It was just a title; nothing was actually going to change.
“Maybe I see your point,” Naruto admitted, resting his head back onto Kakashi’s shoulder.
A comfortable silence settled over them and Naruto lay there, content to just be. The chakra signatures bustling around the village seemed so distant and as he focused on Kakashi’s signature, they disappeared altogether. He closed his eyes and just breathed, never wanting to move from this spot. He was warm as Kakashi’s body heat sank into him and Naruto was so grateful for him. Someone who understood, who would never ask more than he was willing to give, someone who met him where he was at, someone who still challenged him; Kakashi was all of these things and Naruto was better for it.
“Have you ever considered moving in?”
He felt Kakashi move beneath his cheek but he didn’t look up. He’d been thinking about it for a while but hadn’t known how to bring it up.
“I mean, you pretty much live here anyway,” Naruto rambled, “and Kazuya wouldn’t blink an eye. You could stay in my room. The kids wouldn’t think anything of it either and they’re yours as much as mine. Momo loves you too.”
He breathed softly as Kakashi remained quiet.
“I like having you around,” Naruto continued quietly. “It wouldn’t change anything about us, I still don’t want to pursue anything romantic or whatever and I know you don’t either, but I like coming home to you. I like it when you’re here and I hate it when you go back to yours.”
He waited for Kakashi to say something. He looked up and stared at Kakashi’s mask, guilt creeping in.
“I understand if you don’t want to though,” he said quickly. “I don’t want you to feel on guard in your own home. I know how important your mask is to you and that might be difficult here; we aren’t exactly a quiet household and we have a lot of foot traffic. You deserve the freedom to go without your mask without the danger of revealing your face to someone. That would be even harder if you shared a room with me.”
“Naruto.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Naruto frowned.
“For what?”
Kakashi shook his head, not answering, but he propped himself up against the sofa arm so he was looking down at Naruto. Naruto propped himself up on his elbow, meeting Kakashi’s eyes in confusion. His eyes widened as he watched Kakashi hook a finger on the top of his mask and he closed his eyes.
“It’s okay, Naruto. I want you to see.”
Naruto breathed deeply, anxiety twisting his gut. He slowly opened his eyes, latching onto Kakashi’s exposed face and drinking it in. He was pale. There was a faint tan line where his mask had been and the scar from his eye reached down to the corner of his mouth. He had a little mole on his chin. His lips were curved into a small smile and Naruto couldn’t help but reach out to gently touch his cheek.
“Why would you…” he whispered.
“I trust you,” Kakashi said, as if it was that simple. “If I’m going to live here, then you would see my face anyway. It would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to hide it from you.”
It took a moment up then Kakashi’s words registered.
“You want to move in?”
“I don’t like going back to my apartment either,” Kakashi whispered conspiratorially and Naruto grinned.
He wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly. He knew that this would probably start another round of rumours about them dating but Naruto didn’t care. He and Kakashi didn’t have to explain their relationship to anyone. They knew what they had and although they didn’t fit the norm, Naruto wouldn’t change a thing. Kakashi was his person and at the end of the day, nothing else mattered.
“You realize Gai knows where I live?”
“…we need to move.”
The sound of Naruto’s laughter filled the apartment, joining the soft rustling of leaves and the distant sounds of the village. He was glad to be home.