Chapter 6
Kakashi frowned down at his not-so-cute students. He knew that letting them alone for almost a week was going to return to bite him on the ass (no matter how relaxed he had been— if a bit painful, because chakra exhaustion.)
“...and that’s why I want you to see if there’s something blocking Sasuke’s sharingan.” Tobirama ended his rant, blinking innocently eyes at him. As if he was stupid enough to be fooled by his meek act.
It also didn’t help that the request made sense.
He had thought it unusual, that Sasuke didn’t have his sharingan after all he had experimented. That someone had sealed it down and the boy just assumed he didn’t have it, probably was what made it impossible for the doujutsu to appear.
He thought of Danzo; he hated the twist of anger and fury he experimented just thinking of the name. Nevermind the notion of the man actually putting his hands on his students. That may or may not be pack after all.
“Why didn’t you do it?” Kakashi asked, two parts resigned and one curious.
Tobirama twitched,
“It's because teme has an unfortunate face!” Naruto said cheerly,
Unfortunate face? Just what they were talking about.
“I’m not sure I will not deck Sasuke-san, or something worse, if he flashes the sharingan to me.” Tobirama explains shortly, if slightly sheepishly. “That’s why we waited until you were feeling better, sensei.”
How unusual, Kakashi had seen that reaction to the sharing before, but it was mostly on outsiders. On enemies that knew exactly what awaited them if they saw red with black tomoes.
“You don’t seem to mind mine.” He pointed helpfully.
“I’m not a coward.” Tobirama huffed petulantly, “I will not flinch if you show me the sharingan, I’ve come to know better. Yet, is the combination of the doujutsu and his face that concerns me.”
“See? Like I said, an unfortunate face!”
Sasuke, who had been silent during this exchange, touched his face with a frown. “...is it truly an unfortunate face?”
Kakashi blinked at the pure innocence of his raven student, gaping under his mask when the poor boy went gloomy when Naruto told him without an ounce of tact that he had always thought Sasuke’s face to be ugly.
The mischievous laughter in his eyes reminded him so much of Kushina that it hurt; like a tousan kunais piercing his chest.
He buried the reaction away, deciding to enjoy the sight in front of him.
“Naru.” Tobirama hissed, flicking his brother in the ears. The blond pouted. Tobirama wasn’t impressed, Naruto smiled at him when he realized his puppy eyes weren’t working. Tobirama muttered something along the lines of “...if anija’s didn’t work, yours won't’ either.”
“Sasuke-san.” Tobirama turned his attention to Sasuke, it pained him to see the Uchiha like this. It was a sacrilege! Uchihas are blessed by the gods to be unfairly attractive, they should never doubt their good looks! “I do not find your face offensive. If anything, I consider you good looking.”
“...really?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, then.”
“Nii-san, nooo! Don’t let the teme charm you, he’s rude and stinky! No good looks should make you think he is attractive!” Naruto wailed, eyes crinkling with mirth as he poked at his teammate.
“Shut up, dobe!” Sasuke scowled, “Tobirama would be lucky if I decided to grace him with my affections.”
They were bickering like children, Kakashi was impressed and a little horrified.
Tobirama sighed tiredly, “Both of you, stop it.”
The dynamics had changed, fast and unforgiving. Just what had happened when he was unconscious? They seemed close, Sasuke and Naturo acted like siblings, normal siblings. Tobirama was still polite but much more open with Sasuke and there was respect on the Uchiha’s eyes when he gazed at the albino, respect and gratitude.
“Alright,” Kakashi raised his hand, “That’s enough. Sasuke comes forward, I will see what I can do.”
Sasuke obeyed. And yes, there it was. Small and not malicious, the chakra curled behind Sasuke’s eyes. Kakashi picked his student forehead and the chakra traveled to find his fingertips, dissipating in seconds.
Sasuke’s eyes turned red, a half-mature sharingan in them.
“Thank you, sensei.”
“You’re welcome, Sasuke.”
Zabuza didn’t understand how they had ended up like this.
One moment he and Kakashi were fighting, crossing attacks and trying to kill each other. The kids fighting inside of Haku’s house of mirrors, the Uchiha brat and the albino one being better than he had expected.
Then the blond maintenance arrived.
Everything after that, was a blur.
A powerful and evil chakra had erupted, destroying Haku’s jutsu as a water dragon slammed against Zabuza, who sputtered and found himself at the mercy of the Copy-nin. Who, unlike what Zabuza expected, just knocked him out.
When he awoke (feeling his limbs numb and unwilling to cooperate), Kakashi merrily informed that Gato was dead and his contract thus turned invalid. The Uchiha at his right had coldly informed him that he should be thankful that Tobirama had decided to spare their lives for Haku’s sake.
The one called Naruto had smiled at him, all teeth and malice. “You better take off soon. Nii-san is merciful but I wouldn’t taste my luck if I were you, Demon of the Bloody Mist. You’re outnumbered and at disadvantage.”
“...where’s Haku?” He asked with a pang of concern for his partner.
“He may not be a medic-nin but he knows enough to help Tobirama.” The Uchiha said, sharingan spinning lazily as he stared Zabuza down. “He is also not that bad, Naruto and Tobirama like him. And so, he’s taking care of our teammate in the other room.”
Zabuza was not feeling threatened by a bunch of gennins, he was not.
Yet, the moment Haku returned to his side he left a relieved sigh. Haku seemed a little tired but otherwise uninjured, he also seemed to be liked by the other brats, who trapped him in an amicable chat about the albino’s condition.
Chakra exhaustion, Haku said.
Zabuza was going to ignore how that seemed to point towards the scrawny albino being the one that hit him with a water-dragon because his ego couldn’t afford something like that. He was one of the seven spadachins of the mist, dammit!
Kakashi seemed to find this amusing, the sadistic bastard.
Zabuza glared at him, wishing he dropped dead.
Kakashi’s eye formed a crescent moon, obviously laughing at his misfortune.
The gennin glared at him, the blond one even growling a little, while pressing themselves a little bit more into the sides of their silver-haired sensei.
Marco woke up to the worst headache of his life, including that one time when he drank himself silly after John killed his abusive fiance. Everything hurt. And not in a kind of muscular way that can be relieved with heat and herbs, no, it felt like his body was on fire.
Eaten by fire-ants, that’s a horrible way to go…
If this was what Chakra exhaustion felt like, he was going to put a shrine with his sensei face on it. The man was a saint, going through this many times during the events in cannon. And, maybe— No, he was absolutely going to find a way to help. Kakashi didn’t deserve this bullshit after the fate the gods had trapped him with.
“Ah, you’re awake.” Haku says, entering the room. “How are you feeling?”
He looks like an angel, Tobirama thought dreamly, I’m so happy my plan worked.
“...like I’m dying.” His mouth decided to be uncooperative and blurt the truth in a display of rare sincerity. “You’re pretty without the mask. Did Naru hurt you? Are you ok?”
Haku blinked down at the still-out-of-it albino, snuffling a surprised snort. After all that had happened, the boy was worried about him. It was shockingly gentle of the one who had used him to test the Uchiha abilities.
And then hurt himself to make Naruto’s rage mess with the seal, using the opportunity to beat the shit out of Haku and his master.
“I’m fine,” Haku said truthfully, the Uchiha had calmed down the wrathful blond. “You, on the other hand, are very hurt. You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I know.” Tobirama slurred, “But otherwise you two would be dead.”
Haku had known that Tobirama wished for them to survive this, Naruto and Sasuke had explained that much with his actions; Naruto defeating Gato’s army and Sasuke protecting Zabuza-sama until Kakashi finished Gato and thus, ended the mission for both of their teams.
“Thank you, Tobirama-san.” Haku kneeled, “For saving us.”
Tobirama closed his eyes, a little smile gracing his lips. “...there’s no need for thanks, I did it because I wanted to.”
Haku smiled, putting a wet cloth over the asleep boy’s forehead. Because he wanted to, huh? Such an interesting person...
Well, he wasn’t one to refuse the gifs of the gods.
“If you were to need me, I will do my best to serve.” Haku promised; Zabuza-sama was everything for Haku. And this time, it had been too close to lose him. Only being saved by the benevolence of this person.