Days Go By
Even though the assassination attempt was less than a week away, Kakashi had a rare day off. He had been going nonstop since joining ROOT and hadn't realized how exhausted he was until he fell into his bed the night before. Now with the sun, and Naruto both up Kakashi had to drag himself from the comfort of his bed.
While he went about his morning routine of tending to Naruto and getting ready for the day Kakashi thought about what he should use his off day for. He knew these complete off days would be far and few if he wasn't injured in some way. With no immediate idea of what to do Kakashi decided he would go shopping for himself and Naruto.
He didn't bother putting on his shinobi gear. Instead he dressed in a black short sleeve shirt, his mask firmly in place, and due to lack of options a pair of grey standard issue nin pants.
Even with six months since he was sent back in time Kakashi still had issues associating himself with his smaller, younger body. He had to admit being younger had its perks when it came to things like energy and recovery time. It was also strange for him to reach for something and fall a few inches short or forget his legs and misjudge a step during a fight. Small things that were easily shrugged off as growing pains all shinobi went through, but no one knew it was that he had grown down.
It was still fairly early in the morning when Kakashi and Naruto got to the market. The vendors were barely starting to set up, and hardly anyone else walked the streets. Kakashi had Naruto wrapped in the baby sling, but at six months old the infant was curious and kept moving around to see what was going on.
Kakashi sighed to himself as he repositioned Naruto, so the baby wouldn't fall.
"Hey you tiny knuckle-head behave. You don't want to fall from this height it could kill you."
He didn't get a response out of Naruto who weakly struggled against Kakashi's hands, with a pout that threatened to turn into a cry on his face. Once Kakashi had Naruto contained in his blanket and immobile he refocused on his surroundings.
The few people who walked around him were staring. All eyes gravitated to Naruto, the infant all of them knew housed the nine-tailed beast. Kakashi could feel the hostility coming off of the villagers, their anger directed towards Naruto made his own blood boil. He couldn't understand what compelled these people to despise the only thing standing in between them and mass destruction every second of the day. Those villagers were lucky he had gotten better at containing his dual Sharingan since arriving in this time.
He had slipped up a few times during missions but luckily none of the other ROOT members had caught him. And the people who had seen both of the Sharingan spinning in his eyes weren't alive anymore.
Naruto made fussing noises as if he could feel the dark emotions clouding Kakashi's mind and he turned his attention back down to the blonde baby. Looking at those blue eyes that would one day save the world made Kakashi's chest swell with pride. Who cared what those villagers thought?
Someday Naruto would shove their hatred in their faces and laugh.
Someday they would be begging a teenaged jinchuriki to save them from all of their problems.
Only for Naruto to end up fighting Sasuke and the two of them dying at each other's hands while Kakashi himself died and Sakura watched.
His students, his family, all lost.
But not this time. Kakashi would make sure of that.
"Kakashi!"
The teen turned to see Mikoto Uchiha a few feet away from him. As usual she had Sasuke in her arms and Itachi at her hip. The young Uchiha looked up at Kakashi with suspicious eyes, he hadn't seen the Uchiha family since the first night they had invited him to dinner. His minor panic attack hadn't gained him any points with the young prodigy, and from the looks of it he had a long way to go to regain his trust. Instead of sighing at his own failures he smiled politely to Mikoto and waved as she made her way over to him.
"We haven't seen or heard from you in a couple of months. Fugaku went to see you a few weeks ago but you were away on a mission and Reiko Sarutobi sent him away."
Her smile widened as she reached out and caressed Naruto's head. Naruto's sounds of complaint over being contained stopped as he looked up at the smiling woman.
"I would have paid to see the look on his face when she threatened to call Genma, and Raido if he didn't leave. That poor girl was always easily scared of my husband."
She said the last part with a weak smile.
It was no secret that many villagers and shinobi feared any Uchiha, most of all Fugaku who had gained a big name for himself during the wars. Kakashi knew how fragile Reiko was right after the tailed beast attack. She was one of the believers that a sharingan possessor had instigated the beast to attack the village the night Kushina died. It wasn't an incorrect theory, just misdirected since Obito hated his own clan as much as he hated the rest of the village.
But even with her unwarranted fear of the Uchiha clan heads, Kakashi knew the couple deserved to see Naruto as much as anyone else who knew his parents did.
"I hadn't heard about that. I'll be sure to let her know you two can see him whenever you like. I'm often away on missions so she's been watching Naruto for me."
The wide-eyed look on Mikoto's face made Kakashi rethink how he had worded that sentence. He wasn't supposed to let other villagers know he wasn't around to protect Naruto from them. While they probably thought it was the other way around Kakashi knew how savage those villagers could be towards the defenseless Naruto.
Not that he feared Mikoto or Fugaku would hurt Naruto but the Uchiha's were the last people he was supposed to be letting near the nine-tailed vessel. The village elders and council would give him hell if they knew he had slipped that tidbit of information to Mikoto by accident.
"Ah can you keep that just between you and I? I don't want word getting around that I'm not around to defend the villagers from another attack from the Kyubi."
Mikoto had straightened up and looked like she was about to say something when Kakashi sensed an incoming attack. He placed a hand on each of Mikoto's shoulders and stepped to the side with her just in time for Guy to fly by with a battle cry and flying kick.
"Ah I would expect nothing less from my rival, Kakashi."
Guy stood up from his kick and smiled like he hadn't just failed at another one of his many attempted sneak attacks. He looked at his surrounds and noticed there were others there, the Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan and its Heirs to be more specific. He finished dusting himself off before bowing in apology to the three who stood with his rival.
"Do excuse me Mikoto I had not realized you and your children were with Kakashi as well."
"Perfectly fine, I'll will be on my way now. Come Itachi, you can glare at others as we walk. Kakashi, don't be a stranger. You may have been their student, but they were my friends. He is as important to me as he is to you."
The trio left, and it was just Guy and Kakashi standing there with Naruto.
"Someday that Itachi is going to be ale to kill a man with just a look."
Guy stated with a nervous expression.
"You have no idea."
Kakashi repositioned Naruto so the infant was pressed a little closer to him at the thought of Itachi fighting one of his students in the future.
"Hmm, anyways my eternal rival I challenge you to a dual today."
"I'm a little busy Guy. Can we re-schedule for another time?"
"Aw, I see yes, yes – NO. This is the third time you want a re-schedule this week. That is so un-youthful for someone like you."
Kakashi gave Guy an exasperated look through his mask and motioned the infant he had just finished repositioning.
"I have been a little busy lately if you hadn't noticed."
Guy's eyes widened, and he laughed nervously for a second.
"Oh right, I was wondering if that was a sack of potatoes you were carrying there. I guess it would be a little odd with how you are carrying them."
Guy got closer to them to take a peak at Naruto, his big blue eyes stared up at him.
"Yea, you sure do have your hands full. Hey there Naruto; how's it going?"
The small baby looked to him and made a gurgling sound as if he was trying to talk to him. Guy laughed again and smiled back at him. He straightened back up and look at Kakashi.
"Okay, we can postpone this time. What are you guys up to today?"
"Not much really, I've been away on missions, so I thought I'd bring Naruto out for some fresh air. And maybe to so grocery shopping. I'm running low on some supplies for this guy."
"Cool, I'll come with."
"You don't have to do that Guy."
Kakashi said as he started to walk away in the direction he was first headed in. Guy quickly caught up with him.
"I don't mind, I've got nothing else to do."
"Alright, I guess you can help carry whatever I buy. If not; huh I'd have to make a few trips back home to drop things off. It would then take me all day to get things finished."
"So where to first?"
Guy laughed and Kakashi felt some of the stress from the past few months melt off his bones. It was nice being around someone who expected nothing from him. If Kakashi wanted he wouldn't even have to talk with Guy around, the challenge obsessed, green Shinobi would simply carry on a one-sided conversation as they walked. With all the missions and weeks spent plotting the future and how to save them all he was mentally and physically drained. There was nothing like hanging out with Guy to make a drab situation seem brighter.
They spent hours going in and out of stores, stopping by stands, and chatting. Guy was carrying more bags and supplies than an average person could, but Kakashi knew the looks they were getting from the surrounding villagers were all directed at Naruto. Kakashi signed as he restrained himself from glaring at yet another random villager.
"We should wrap this up and head home."
Guy stopped talking mid-sentence and turned his gaze to Kakashi.
"Got everything you need already?"
Kakashi didn't comment as he motioned with his chin for them to head back to the main road. Guy was quiet as he followed, his gaze taking in their surrounding after noticing Kakashi's stiff posture, and suppressed anger. The green Shinobi liked to refer to himself as a Kakashi Hatake expert, but he had failed to notice how angry the other teen had gotten as they shopped. He thought his friend was being his usual quiet and cool self, but now Guy could tell Kakashi was seething with rage. As he took in the village around them he suddenly realized why his friend was so upset. Nearly every civilian or shinobi they passed was glaring in disgust or anger at the small infant in Kakashi's arms.
The baby jinchuriki.
The son of Minato and Kushina Namikaze.
The only person Kakashi considered family.
The villagers were directing all the hatred and fear they felt for the nine tailed fox at Naruto Uzumaki. It didn't make sense and Guy knew it would be pointless to argue with them to feel otherwise, but the look on Kakashi's face hinted that he might try to beat some logic into the villagers. Guy couldn't really let his best friend go around beating up civilians, so he followed Kakashi back to his apartment without commenting. He noticed the white-haired teen moved Naruto from the sling he used to his arms, Kakashi now had Naruto pressed to his chest securely. As if he could protect the infant from the hateful gazes of the villagers, as if he could protect Naruto from the world. It made Guy realized just how much his friend had changed since Minato's death.
He couldn't help but wonder how much more things would change from now on.
The only thing stopping Kakashi from beating the living hell out of the villagers glaring at Naruto was holding the infant. Not that he needed his arms or hands to fight anyone. Not that the lack of using them would seriously slow him down if he wanted to end someone.
Once they reached the apartment Guy put the bags down and watched as Kakashi placed Naruto in a makeshift baby pin he had between the bed and wall. Naruto rolled back and forth on his back a couple of times, laughing to himself as Kakashi started to put the things they bought away.
"Don't you think your place is a little small to be raising a kid in Kakashi?"
Kakashi paused putting a box of cereal in the cabinet and turned his attention to Guy who was standing in the center of the apartment. Guy stood there with his hands on his hips, looking around with a critical eye. It was something uncommon to for Guy to be so judgmental of the way Kakashi lived. The only time Kakashi had ever heard of his friend judging how he lived was when he had been in ANBU for too long, before he started taking on students again. Guy hadn't been kind in how he told Kakashi to get his shit together back then, or if he thought about it now that hadn't happened yet. And with the changes to the timeline now that might never happen.
"My place is small, but Naruto is small. I don't see why I have to get a bigger place just yet."
Guy sighed and walked over to sit on the bed. Naruto's eyes got wide and he instantly rolled over to Guy's leg to grab at the green fabric. The teen laughed and didn't bother to stop Naruto as he turned his gaze back to Kakashi.
"Oh, my friend you can't possibly think he'll be this little forever do you?"
The image of Naruto at sixteen burned into Kakashi's eyes. The spitting image of Minato Namikaze, but so much more than his father had been. Naruto had gotten taller in the two years he spent training with Jiraya, and taller again in the year before everything came crashing down. Naruto's huge grin that was as bright as his hair, and the terrifyingly incredible power just beneath that smile.
Nanoseconds passed, and the image shattered into the bloody after war mess Naruto was before his fight with Sasuke. Then to the image Itachi had told him of his students ending each other's lives crept into his brain.
All the pain and anger he had been repressing since he died and was sent back in time bubbled just under the surface and his eyes bled into the Sharingan. The high emotions running through him causing the chakra draining ability to activate without him summoning it.
"Kakashi?"
Some how Guy had moved from the bed to right in front of he silver haired teen. Guy moved the box of cereal Kakashi was still holding out of his hand and placed it in the cabinet before turning back to Kakashi and placing his hands on his shoulders.
"Sorry, sorry it'll go away just don't look at my eyes for a few minutes just encase."
Kakashi shrugged Guy's hands off of him and stepped back to put some space between them. Even though only one eye was exposed Guy did as his friend instructed. He burned to question Kakashi about the sudden appearance of the Sharingan in his right eye but held it back.
"I know he won't be this small forever. In just six months I've seen him get bigger every day."
Kakashi laughed humorlessly as he closed his eyes tightly and pressed the heel of his hands to them for a few seconds, trying to will the kekkei genkai to go away. Once he felt the sharingan go back to it's dormant state he sighed and looked at Guy who hadn't moved from where he stood before. The green clad ninja kept his eyes on the ground, even though Kakashi could see the millions of questions bursting to be asked.
"It's okay now. I think I'll wait a little longer to get a bigger place though. Naruto won't mind not having his own room for a couple of years, and I want to keep him as close to me as possible until then."
Guy was one of the few people in Kakashi's life he didn't filter his true emotions from. He didn't have to embellish what he said or how he felt about his situation.
"Ah, Kakashi you already have such a complex, don't you?"
The laugh escaped Kakashi suddenly at the words because he knew how true they were. He didn't bother answering as both of them now went about putting the things Kakashi bought away. Naruto had fallen asleep in the small area he was allowed to roll around in. His tiny baby snores could be heard in the mix of hushed conversation in the apartment.
Kakashi deemed it a morning and afternoon well spent.