The first time Kakashi came in contact with Naruto the boy was a newborn child, orphaned less than an hour after birth. Standing next to the sensei he had come to see as a father figure, Kakashi held Naruto close to his chest as he surveyed the pools of blood, allowing the child to suck on his finger in lieu of any other way to keep him quiet. The night was dark, his mood was darker, and no hint of a connection rang through him. He was glad, years later, that this moment was not the one in which he found his soulmate.