Righteous Side of Hell

Naruto had gone out early the morning Kakashi returned in search of food.

He had against Tanuki’s advise stocked up on ramen with his grocery money and while he could eat ramen day and night he wanted milk, and maybe eggs. Tanuki had swung by two weeks ago when Naruto had been heading out to buy his groceries and sighed loudly to announce his presence when he caught sight of Naruto’s quickly scribbled shopping list.

“Ramen, kid? No. Get something you can at least pretend is real food.”

Naruto had stuck his tongue out at the man. He was pretty sure Tanuki was a man. Naruto couldn’t really tell with the animal masked people who visited him for as long as he could remember. He was sure that since Kakashi-ni was such an important shinobi they were supposed to make sure Naruto was safe from enemy attacks or being used against his brother. It did Naruto little good though when most of the people who attacked him were villagers. He had come to the conclusion that villagers hated him for being the only baby born on the night the nine-tailed fox attacked the village and killed a lot of people.

Gai and Asuma never treated him like the monster most of the villagers did though. And there was Uchiha oba-san who came by with Sasuke, that jerk, and Itachi-ni. She was always so nice, bringing him clothes and snacks. Sasuke and Naruto would often argue over whose brother was stronger and Itachi-ni would just laugh at them and teach them simple ninja skills. Itachi-ni said he and Sasuke were really good at tracking but had a long way to go. The masked Usagi had told Naruto he was good at tracking too, so he figured it was only a matter of time till he was better than Sasuke.

The proof of how his tracking skills were improving showed themselves that morning. He had been two streets away from home when an all too familiar chakra signature caught his attention. Naruto bolted home and was greeted with the sight of Kakashi-ni in their kitchen. The man was tall, taller than most of the masked ninja, and the jounin he interacted with when Kakashi was gone. He was still wearing his uniform, but his armor had been taken off before Naruto got there. After chatting for a few minutes Naruto’s stomach reminded him why he was out so early.

“We should get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Kakashi-ni spoke as he got to his feet from where he had been sitting on the floor.

“But aren’t you tired? You just got home, I can go get you something to eat if you don’t want ramen.”

He looked up at his brother from the floor and gave his best puppy dog eyes. Naruto could see the exhaustion on Kakashi. Even his hair was less spikey then usual, his pale complexion grayish and dark circles under his one exposed eye. Feeling guilty about not buying things Kakashi liked to eat for groceries too. But since his brother would be back on a more permanent bases, he’d have to start buying groceries for both of them from now on. Maybe Tanuki could help him put together a better shopping list next time. Naruto would have to remember to ask him the next time he saw the racoon masked man.

“We can just pick something up, come on.”

Kakashi was already slipping his shoes on and grabbing his wallet from the table by the door. Naruto had no choice but to follow his older brother like always, still feeling a bit bad about the whole groceries thing but too excited to spend time with Kakashi to let it stop him. Naruto rushed to fall into step with Kakashi as they headed towards the market. Naruto grinned wide as Kakashi reached out and held his hand like he always did when they went shopping on mornings like this. It was early enough that stalls would still be setting up and there would be little to no villagers out aside from the vendors. Not that they always treated Naruto better than the shinobi or civilians but they tended to be too busy to really be nasty towards him. Plus Naruto had started to notice in the last year or so when Kakashi was with him no one so much as looked at them unless Kakashi was buying something.

Probably because Kakashi was so strong.

The thought made Naruto snicker a little to himself, grin still firmly in place and Kakashi squeezed his hand to get his attention. Naruto looked up to meet Kakashi’s exposed grey eye.

“What are you so excited about this early in the morning?”

Naruto scratched the back of his head with his free hand and swung the hand connected to his older brothers as he laughed a little embarrassed at himself. He wasn’t a baby anymore but he was too happy to be spending time with this brother to keep it contained.

“I’m just glad your home.”

Kakashi smiled through his mask and he listened as Naruto rambled on about everything the older had missed about village life while he was gone. Then they reached the market and some of Naruto’s bubbling joy died.

It was packed.

There must have been some sort of special due to the spring season officially starting and because Naruto was, well who he was he didn’t know about it. Kakashi noticed his discomfort instantly and whistled lowly as they stood on the edge of joining the crowds of the market.

“Looks like neither of us remembered the festival today.”

Naruto gripped Kakashi’s hand harder as a villager who had shoved him the day before locked eyes with him across the street. The man was as old looking as Sasuke’s dad and it was possibly why Naruto hadn’t noticed him as a potential threat when he was walking home from lessons at the academy. The sun was already setting since Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji got busted sneaking out of class to nap on the rooftop. Shikamaru’s dad had offered to walk Naruto home but he had refused since he didn’t want to be a burden and Nara-san was already planning on walking Choji home too.

Something about his wife making him take responsibility for being a bad example to kids was mumbled when Shikamaru had asked him why he was picking them up in the first place.

After convincing the trio he was fine Naruto had cut through the village center to get home quicker to avoid being out after dark by taking the long way he usually did to not be seen by villagers. That had been when the random villager he was trying to pass quickly and quietly moved one step into Naruto’s direct path causing him to run into the man’s leg by accident. He had apologized excessively and tried to rush off but the man caught the back of his shirt collar and started yelling at him. The words angry and loud but Naruto didn’t bother listening to what was actually being said to him. He tried to wrestle away from the man and then panicked when he saw the man’s free hand coming towards his face.

Naruto was small, he knew he was small. Even the kids in his class called him pipsqueak and shorty all the time. The man’s big hand coming open palmed towards him made Naruto only think about getting away so he did the one thing he could.

He bit the man’s hand.

It earned him a string a curse words and being thrown to the curb and landing half in a puddle as he scrapped his palms and knee on the pavers. There had been a quick moment of chaotic noise while Naruto tried to pull himself up without crying, because he never wanted to cry in front of those mean grown-ups and by the time Naruto got his feet back under him the man was gone.
The entire encounter flashed through Naruto’s mind when he met eyes with the same man in that second as he and his brother stood on the outskirts of the crowd. Something must have tipped off Kakashi’s older brother instincts as he had referred to them in the past because he tugged on Naruto’s hand to gain his attention.

“It’s really packed, why don’t I give you a lift so you don’t get stepped on?”

Naruto sniffled, realizing he had been so scared of the stranger for those long seconds that he had forgotten who he was there with. He pretended to pout as he looked up to Kakashi.

“I’m not going to be stepped on.”

He half heartedly grumbled but held his arms out to be picked up as Kakashi had offered. Naruto was only seven, so it wasn’t strange to let himself be spoiled every now and then by his brother. Kakashi just laughed and picked Naruto up and placed him on his back. Naruto laughed a bit as he draped his arms over Kakashi’s shoulders and rested his chin on Kakashi’s left shoulder, so he didn’t cover his brothers good eye.

“Kakashi-ni I think you got taller.”

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and shrugged, he used one arm to support Naruto on his back and left the balancing work to the hyper active kid so he didn’t fall off.

“Maybe, I don’t think I’ll get any taller than I am now though.”

“When I’m your age I’ll be as tall as you right? Cause we’re brothers!”

Naruto laughed as he thought about being above the mean villagers and very literally having to look down to see them from his brother’s height.

“If you do ever get as tall as me, I might cry.”

The dead serious tone Kakashi said it in made Naruto burst out laughing because it was such a Kakashi thing to say. It seemed like every time Kakashi was around for him to see Naruto do something to prove he was growing up made his brother cry.

Starting classes at the academy two years ago, Kakashi cried.

Gai telling a story about Naruto finally mastering a handstand, Kakashi cried.

Naruto getting into a fist fight with Sasuke last year, Kakashi cried.

Asking about getting his own room eight months ago, Kakashi cried.

For such a powerful ninja his brother did tend to cry over things really easily. He had asked Sasuke if Itachi cried over stuff as easily as Kakashi did but Sasuke only confirmed he had never seen his brother cry. Sasuke did tell Naruto his older cousin tended to cry over silly things that he or Itachi did though so maybe it was just people closer to Kakashi’s age who cried to much. Naruto didn’t really know anyone else with older siblings so he had a small pool to get information from. There was Kiba, but he had a sister and according to the dog loving kid it wasn’t the same as having a brother.

Naruto rambled all of this information to Kakashi as they made their way through the market. Kakashi making noises of acknowledgement or commenting here and there as he picked up various ingredients. Naruto had gotten so engrossed in relaying all the data he had collected on the other kids in his class and their siblings or relatives compared to Kakashi he completely forgot about the stranger who had attacked him the day before.

“Oh yeah! Kakashi-ni, can I take Pakkun to show and tell next week? I was going to take my Ichiraku punch card collection but Pakkun would be so cool.”

“I’ll ask him.”

“Yay! I can’t wait to prove Kiba wrong.”

He snickered into his brothers shoulder at the face Kiba might make when he showed up with Pakkun.

“Prove him wrong how?”

Kakashi asked casually as he handed over some money for a variety of fresh made onigiri.

“I told him you had a talking dog, and Kiba said that was impossible because only ninja dogs could do that and they don’t speak real words they use their own language. He said his family are the only ones with those and you can’t have one cause he would know.”

Kakashi laughed and shook his head.

“Pakkun isn’t really a shinobi trained dog he’s a summon I have a contract with so Kiba’s not wrong. Summons like my ninken and the dogs the Inuzuka raise aren’t the same thing which is why Pakkun can talk and a few of the others too.”

There were a lot of words thrown in there that Naruto didn’t fully understand but he did get one thing.

“Wait? So Kiba was right?! Awe man, maybe I just won’t tell him Pakkun is a, a…what was it called again?”

“A summoned ninken. The whole pack are summons, they are dogs just from a different place who only visit and help me on missions because we’re friends.”

“Wow. Maybe I should have written all this down because I am never going to remember that.”

Kakashi laughed so hard he shook Naruto who joined in the laughter as he gripped his brother to avoid falling.