Chapter 14
Chapter 14
The next morning, Akira showed up early to the restaurant Kakashi told him about, a bit surprised when he saw the jonin already waiting for him. He would not realize the significance of that fact for a while, though.
“Hello, Akira.”
“Hello. Have I made you wait long?” the kid asked respectfully.
“No, not at all. I realized I forgot to tell you a time to meet me.” Said the man almost sheepishly before gesturing for him to take a seat on the stool next to him. The boy did so and they both ordered something for breakfast upon the jonin learning he hadn’t had one yet. “So what have you decided?”
Apparently, they were done beating around the bush. Akira decided to do the same.
“I accept your offer of an apprenticeship.”
“Perfect.”
Kakashi smiled slightly under his mask, unnoticed. Then he produced a folder out of nowhere and placed it on the table between them.
Akira looked over the papers, finding out that it was the forms for an apprenticeship, already signed by the Hokage. Figures.
“So there are some things I need to explain to you first before signing the contract. One of them is about the main rules you need to follow, another about the stipend you will receive and then you can sign the papers and we can begin to talk about your timetable.”
Akira nodded, listening intently as Kakashi first explained that he didn’t much care if he called him shisou or sensei, but that he expected him to follow his instructions without protest, especially whilst out on missions.
Next he explained that he would receive a monthly stipend, one that was independent from the money they earned on official missions. That money was to be destined to maintain him until his apprenticeship was over and would be given out by Kakashi himself as the master.
Akira’s eyes opened wide when he heard the money he’d be receiving every month; it was much more than the small stipend from the orphan fund that Naruto and he had received from the Hokage until they passed the genin exam. With that money, they wouldn’t have to worry about paying rent and going hungry and he would still have enough money to buy some ninja equipment.
When he raised that up, absentminded, Kakashi’s expression seemed to change for a second, but whatever showed in his eyes was gone too fast for him to identify it.
Kakashi then proceeded to give him a list of places to buy that equipment at, citing that quality was important when it came to a shinobi’s tools.
Finally, Akira was ready to sign the contract and he was just about to do so when he was stopped by the silver-haired man.
“Let this be my first lesson to you: never sign anything official until you have read what it entails. What if I had lied when I explained things to you?”
Akira stopped and nodded, before starting to read the papers. With Kakashi explaining what he didn’t understand, he read through them all before finally signing.
Kakashi smiled, his eyes closing with the gesture. Akira returned it, a touch more shyly.
HPNHPNHPNHPN
Their breakfast finally arrived when someone new entered through the doors of the shinobi-frequented restaurant.
Recognizing Kakashi, a young dark-haired man and red-eyed woman approached the duo and sat on the stools next to the Hatake, who introduced them as his fellow jonin-senseis.
Asuma, who had been reaching for a glass of water, almost choked on his own spit when he learned that, not only had Kakashi passed a genin team, but he’d also taken on an apprentice.
“Isn’t that a lot of work?” asked Kurenai, looking slightly worried.
Kakashi shrugged.
“I’ll manage.”
“Well, you must’ve done something right to be chosen as Kakashi’s apprentice.” Congratulated him Asuma before ordering some food for himself.
Akira’s head lowered a little to hide his blush.
“Not really.” He said.
Kakashi was surprised at his humility, but his heart clenched in his chest at how much that expression reminded him of his old sensei.
“Well, now,” began Kakashi taking a bite of his food when no one was looking. “there is one more thing we need to speak about and it’s your timetable. I will organize each of the things we’ll begin learning when I have decided on Team 7’s schedule, but I wanted to run over them with you first.”
And so he proceeded to explain how he would test basic things like his stamina, speed and force, then his taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu, followed by a recap on hand seals until he was sure he was proficient in their use even one handed.
Then he would decide which aspect to focus on depending on which one he rated the lowest at.
He would also be testing his chakra control and only then would they begin training any new ninjutsu.
Finally, Kakashi asked if he had any preference regarding which day of the week he wanted to be free.
“I’m friends with a genin from last year’s graduates and he usually has Tuesday afternoons free, so we usually meet up for a friendly spar.”
“You do know free days are actually meant for relaxing, right?” Kakashi sighed. “Alright, who’s his jonin-sensei? Maybe they’ll agree to you both training together a few mornings…”
“Ah, what was it… Might Guy?”
Kakashi choked on his food whilst Kurenai and Asuma started to smile.
“Are you certain?”
“Yeah, Lee’s actually over the moon about him. It’s ‘Guy-sensei this’, ‘Guy-sensei that’… So I’m pretty sure.”
As if on cue, a green-clad shinobi appeared and the jonins cracked up. Kakashi looked a mix between horrified and resigned.
“Are you Lee’s dad?” asked Akira with a mix of horror and fascination.
“Who is this, my Eternal Rival?”
“My apprentice, Uzumaki Akira.”
“Ah, you must be my youthful disciple’s friend!”
It was deftly followed by a lecture on the flames of youth that Akira was already pretty familiar with. So he tuned him out and turned to Kakashi.
“He even speaks like him.” His horror growing. “I mean, I can only stand Lee in small doses and now there are two?”
“I understand you. Believe me, I do.” Said Kakashi.
But suddenly it was like something clicked in Guy’s mind and he just realized what Kakashi had said.
“Wait, apprentice? You mean my Eternal Rival has taken on an apprentice!? Oh, my youthful friend-”
With mounting horror, Akira listened to Guy’s tirade before deciding the best he could do was to high-tail it out of there.
“Oh, sorry, I think I left the oven on back home. I’ll see you all at another time!” Akira said waving goodbye and making a hasty retreat.
Kurenai and Asuma were laughing in earnest, whilst Kakashi just looked despondently between Guy with his still ongoing tirade and his apprentice’s retreating back.
“He even has the same penchant for obvious lies!” almost cried Guy.
“Traitor.” Muttered Kakashi under his breath before an idea took root in his mind and he smiled evilly, cutting off Kurenai’s and Asuma’s laughter. “Say, Guy, what do you think about training our kids together at some point? I bet you mine can kick yours ass in less than a month.”
Guy turned thoughtful.
“And I bet Lee will win. If I lose, I’ll run ten laps around the whole of Konoha on my hands!”
HPNHPNHPNHPN
Akira walked home slowly, contrarily to how he’d left the restaurant in a hurry. He was lost in his thoughts, thinking about Kakashi’s words of how he would not be allowed to, as he said, dumb himself down.
Akira knew he was intelligent, more than people were actually comfortable with on a child so young.
However, as much as he prized that about himself, he’d hidden it.
And it had not been because of fear: he’d never let that stop him. It had actually been for love that he’d hidden.
Love for his brother.
He still remembered that night back when they were 8, how he’d woken up because of the sound of thumps only to find his brother practicing shurikenjutsu in the middle of the night.
Or he’d been, because Naruto’s cheeks were covered in tears.
“Naruto, what’s wrong?” he’d asked, worried.
“I’m trying, Akira, I’m trying really hard but it just doesn’t work. I can’t do it. I’m not as good as you.”
It hadn’t helped that their teachers would not help them, not correcting them when they were doing something wrong. Naruto had been trying so hard to get things right, and yet he simply did not have the natural talent that his brother did.
It was then that Akira started to downplay his own abilities.
Kakashi had been the first adult to see through that and now, it appeared, he wouldn’t be the last.