Kakashi had been in luck that his chosen perch had the perfect view of the cafeteria and of Uzumaki Kuniharu. He internally cackled as Haru sat there in complete obliviousness to him. Kakashi was certain he had managed to hide himself, he had pulled out all the tricks he had gained over the years to sink his presence into the barest wisp possible. He was free to watch Haru as the man relaxed, surrounded by strange shinobi. Kakashi couldn 't tell if his comfort in foreign territory was brave or stupid. Kakashi quietly decided that it was a mixture of the two.

'Haru-chan ' as the Academy teacher now apparently called him, ate like he had never had a good meal in his life, and yet, smiled with a generosity that spoke of abundance. Kakashi was bewildered with the ease between Haru and Iruka. They had met less than an hour before, and yet, there they sat calling each other pet names as they gossiped about baby-wannabe-shinobi. Which, by the way, was not a ringing endorsement of the latest class that he would be forced to endure, again. It would just Kakashi 's luck that he would end up with one of the three most annoying types described (broody, the fangirl, and the loudmouth troublemaker).

It was unfathomable to him, and yet, Kakashi also found himself wanting to talk to Haru despite that being contradictory in nature to everything that he was. Kakashi wanted to understand how someone could both be so open and so mysterious. He wanted to touch 'NO, No. Nope '.no.

Kakashi slowly trained himself not to look too long at Haru 's smile. That smile was dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. His eyes too, were traps that Kakashi kept from gazing at for too long. Instead, he focused on the strange whiskers that spread brazenly across his cheeks, or the way the man kept splashing Iruka with broth. Yet, the academy teacher just glared playfully at him instead of saying anything! When Kakashi even breathed near him while toting Icha ICha he received the glare-of-death and he didn 't even know Iruka that well! It was almost like Iruka was used to that kind of treatment the way he masterfully avoided most of the spray. Kakashi knew that Iruka had gotten closer to Naruto over time, but was the Uzumaki that similar to the cousin he had never met?

Kakashi could hardly believe that the man with a noodle stuck to his chin, which danced each time he opened his mouth, was capable of waltzing into any hidden village he liked to steal artifacts from a Kage. It was inconceivable. But Kakashi could sense the power that lay waiting beneath the man 's skin. He could see the weariness that occasionally tensed his shoulders or the way his hands moved as though ready to throw a kunai at any moment. It was hidden beneath the goofiness and the teasing, but Kakashi caught glimpses of the potential that lay beneath. He idly wondered what their assessment spar would be like. If he made it that far.

Kakashi tried to ignore the thrill that went through him. It had been so long since he had someone of comparable abilities to pit himself against. The challenges with Gai were admittedly not as terrible as he might make them out to be, but sparring with Gai and other Konoha Jounin was not like sparring against someone of the caliber of Hiruzen, Jiraiya, or Minato-sensei.

If Haru was able to keep up with Jiraiya, then it was entirely likely, that Kakashi would have to push to the limits he had hardly grazed since he left his more suicidal days in ANBU. Kakashi knew that his skills were nothing to scoff at, but he feared that over time they would dull without the proper motivation to keep them sharp. He had become comfortable in the power he had, maybe overconfident in his own legend. Or at least that was what Hiruzen liked to subtly hint at as Kakashi blocked him out as he read Icha Icha.

Haru might be that motivation that made expanding his power vital again rather than the result of boredom. Just as Kakashi finished this observation, Haru described the next installment of Icha Icha to the embarrassment of Iruka and most of the shinobi in the cafeteria. Kakashi 's eye widened. It couldn 't be '.Kakashi was torn in half.

Jiraiya was taking sooo long to publish the next installment of Icha Icha, but to hear spoilers from the heavenliest of texts out of order and without context? No, Kakashi could not do it. Well, maybe he could just 'no, no, he must be strong. Kakashi plugged his ears and focused on Iruka, who appeared about to burst a gasket the longer Haru told his story.

He waited a good five minutes after Iruka 's blush disappeared before he let himself listen again and look back to Haru. He was still talking, but this time, it was a story about a territory Kakashi had only heard about in passing. He listened closely to the details, but for the most part, the Uzumaki focused on his humorous anecdotes and not the missions or reasons that had led him to the far reaches of the continent. Kakashi thought Haru was actually masterful in drawing people in with his stories without revealing anything of substance about himself. Well, that is, besides his talent for the ridiculous and the unpredictable.

When Ino-Shika-Cho came in, Kakashi observed how they zeroed in on Haru within moments. He knew Shikaku had also been brought in for his opinion on the rumors about Haru and that Inoichi had been made aware of their guest, but Chouza grinned at the redhead with curious mischief in his eyes as well. That is ' until he set his eyes on the food instead.

Kakashi could tell from how Kuniharu discretely eyed the trio that he knew who they were. He lingered on both Shikaku and Inoichi longer than on Chouza. Something darkened his eyes for a moment, though it was gone so swiftly it almost appeared to be an illusion of the light. Kakashi thought it might be wariness for what they represented in his future. They were the Jounin Commander and his possible interrogator, but there was also something sad about it that threw Kakashi off. He had looked at Hiruzen with a similar regretful twist to his mouth as though he were seeing a ghost. Like Kakashi when he stood in front of the memorial stone and pretended his friends could hear him. Had the Uzumaki known people as unique as the Hokage and the clan heads of Konoha, those who were all singular in their own right to almost anyone across the elemental nations? It was yet another piece of the puzzle that Kakashi filed away to turn over later when he had more pieces to fit together.

Kakashi bit his lip against laughter when Shikaku 's son was brought up. He had seen a brief pause when the two shinobi had been racing near the Nara manor, but he hadn 't thought much of it. Shikaku took the whole incident with wry amusement, so Kakashi supposed his son hadn 't actually been in too much danger. Actually, knowing the Nara, it was more likely the only reason it penetrated was because it got in the way of cloud gazing. Kakashi considered intervening. It was quickly approaching the hour-and-a-half mark. He didn 't want Hiruzen to be snippy. The Hokage was infinitely more likely to give him boring patrols for far too many successive missions when he pushed too hard on his good humor. He nearly tuned the talk about the latest generation of shinobi as he considered what else Haru would be asked in the interrogation ' when his admittance that he could not make Bunshin caught his attention. Now, Kakashi had heard Kushina complain about her chakra control plenty of times, but as far as he knew, she had been able to do a basic Bunshin.

He had no idea that the Uzumakis' required special chakra training. What would that mean for his sensei 's son, who had likely only received the Academy basics in chakra? The boy 's chakra would already behave strangely due to its intermixing with the Kyuubi 's, but to have a heritage that required unique needs as well? It would be an extreme burden on him. From Iruka 's face, Kakashi could tell he felt the same leaded sensation of guilt in his stomach as him, though not as profoundly. Kakashi had actually known Kushina; why had he not known this? In fact, why had neither Jiraiya nor Hiruzen known this, either? Was it too late to help Naruto, and how would they do so without the '

It did not compute to Kakashi when Haru blithely handed over the scroll as though the man had not been tortured for his family secrets and had no problem openly sharing them. It was true that chakra control exercises were hardly the most secret thing the Uzumaki would have. The only reason Konoha would not have known these techniques already was likely because only a Uzumaki would require that strict sort of training. There were other methods to train with for older Shinobi who wanted to work on chakra control. Either the gesture wasn 't what it seemed, or Haru was that strangely generous. If the exercises were real, then he had unknowingly helped his only family in a way no one in Konoha could. Haru could offer so much more to Naruto than Kakashi could. The prospect was both frustrating and a relief.

Kakashi detached from the wall after that when they became all buddy-buddy. The sappy look from Iruka and the softened expressions from everyone else told Kakashi his presence was needed immediately. Uzumaki Kuniharu was a danger. That much was clear, just not in a physical sense (not yet, anyway). He had easily made everyone listening to him half-smitten with him like he was the sun, and they were sunflowers that turned to be graced 'even Kakashi 's internal metaphors were giving him hives. He would not succumb to the magnetism.

He would not

.

Kakashi brandished Icha Icha to enter the cafeteria, and immediately, he felt the weight of Haru 's eyes on him. Everything was going fine until Haru opened his mouth.

'Got tired of watching from the window Copy-cat-san? ' Haru asked. Kakashi narrowed his eye on the sharp smile that had taken residence on his face. He wasn 't ' 'Ah, did you feel left out, Kakashi? '

No. H 'how did he keep doing that? Kakashi had been certain! He had not seen Haru glance over in his direction. It wasn 't '.it just wasn 't 'how? Kakashi played coy to hide his internal infuriation. This puny little '.how and the hell was he doing that?

Kakashi 's mouth took over for him as his mind whirred to come up with an explanation. He was almost certain that the redhead was baiting him.

Him

! The king of pissing people off was the one being baited. Kakashi fumed as he watched Haru say his goodbyes, not frightened at all by Kakashi 's leading insinuation about his upcoming interrogation. He should be scared, dammit! Vaguely concerned 'nervous?

Kakashi stared down at the pipsqueak as Haru stepped up next to him and had the audacity to pull him along. He was

touchin

g him. Why was he

touchin

g him? Kakashi allowed himself to be towed along to keep appearances of his aloof exterior as he struggled to comprehend that it was actually happening.

Once Kakashi 's mind caught up, he quickly adjusted their hands so it was him banding his fingers around Haru 's wrist. He glared down at the man who just 'he just kept smiling 'he kept laughing. The laughter didn 't feel like he was openly mocking Kakashi but more like Haru expected him to join in at any moment. As though Kakashi should be in on the joke, should understand why he was smiling that stupid blinding smile with those stupid sparkling eyes. Kakashi would have an answer to at least one question. He knew this even before Haru scampered away. Kakashi moved before he thought about it, his hand buried into Haru 's shoulder, a false sweetness in his voice. Haru seemed to decide to stop poking Kakashi to see if he would snap.

Haru managed to slow them down to explain before they reached the office. He felt Kakashi would be more upset if he cut off the explanation because they had to go inside. Almost like he had purposely orchestrated a cliffhanger to needle him. However, fun that may have been, this wasn 't the Kakashi who had taught him 'who had a vested interest in him being alive, if only to take the damned hat from him. This Kakashi, as much as he seemed like family, was a stranger. So, Haru started with the bit Kakashi-sensei had known about in his first life, the easier part of the equation to explain.

'Well, for one thing, the 'Uzumaki 's 'a few, at least, have the ability to sense negative emotion, ' Haru hesitated on the word Uzumaki 's. He almost slipped and said Jinchuuriki (especially the Kurama 's Jinchuuriki). He was sure Kakashi noticed from the way his fingers convulsed into his shoulder. 'Mito-sama could 'Ku said my mother had the potential, and probably Kushina-chan could have developed it over time. Surprise, surprise, I won the genetic lottery on top of being the last one! So, for example, I know you 're irritated but not homicidal 'yet. '

And while Kakashi had been watching Haru from the window, he had felt odd bursts of self-reproving anger or guilt, something his Kakashi had occasionally done. He had even done it when he looked at Haru but not when stalking him. Kakashi-sensei had stalked Haru for quite a while as he tried to dupe Haru 's sensing ability. Kakashi-sensei had developed method after method to dupe his negativity sensing, and it had worked, eventually. Since Kakashi-sensei did not have the intention to kill him, most of the time, he could fool his sensor if he maintained a negativity-free zone. Still, he had repeatedly been caught by Haru, who refused to even hint at the real reason. That is until jerky Sasuke, let the copy-cat out of the bag.

Kakashi let go of Haru, who side-stepped away but offered him a smile despite the fact the man still glared down at him. Haru could see the thoughts that spun behind his gray eye and the stubborn set of his shoulders.

'So, you 're impossible to ambush, ' Kakashi deadpanned.

He halted them in the empty stairway. Haru shrugged and backed up, so he leaned against the wall across from him. Kakashi stood there observing him with a cool detachment that fit more naturally on his face than any other emotion. At least that Haru had witnessed. The Uzumaki sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

'Well, ' Haru hedged, his face darkened, 'no power is infallible. '

Haru turned inward, lost in thought, as he considered the devastating truth of that statement. They had been stupidly confident in Haru 's ability to sense negative feelings and, therefore, that he could tell when someone wished them ill. They hadn 't expected the Sacrificed, the group that had been targeting the Kages and Haru specifically, to go to the lengths of purging all emotion with a seal adapted from Orochimaru 's research to avoid this quirk.

He had still sensed them, but not well enough. Not fast enough to save them. It had been an ugly thing that had taken the entirety of their face. Worse even than that damn cursed bird seal that the Hyuuga went around slapping on children. Haru had deciphered it during that final battle before he was ripped away from his time. It was a fight that had raged for hours through the night and into the early dawn light. Kakashi-sensei had theorized they had kidnapped shinobi and forced the seal on them during the few spare moments they had to consult with each other breathlessly.

Without emotion, what did the captured shinobi care what they were told to do? Just that they had been told to do it. When they had witnessed Shino among the masses, Shino, who had been declared KIA when he had gone missing nearly a year before, they had been certain about it. Haru had searched the faces for Hinata, who had gone missing on the same mission 'he still was not sure if he was glad he had not been forced to face her. There were hundreds of emotionless tools that had been sent to murder them from every village, big and small. They had been caught off guard coming from a Kage summit, ambushed as they lazed around a campfire gossiping about Sakura who had been about to be married to Lee.

It had been a bloodbath.

Kakashi watched the play of emotion on Haru 's face. It no longer appeared sunny and carefree. He looked 'sad and angry. He looked bitter. Like he were caught in a spiral of shame. Kakashi wondered if it was his failure to sense the men who had taken him and his caretaker hostage or if it was some other trauma that he was, as yet, unaware of. He allowed Haru to stew in whatever it was as he thought about the information he had so far. He could sense that the man had more to share.

Kakashi idly considered the Hokage as he allowed Haru the time to return from his dark path. Hiruzen would no doubt be irritated with the delay. They approached two hours after he had left the office. Kakashi could not let this go, though. He didn 't understand why he wanted to know so badly, what possessed him to expect it to be shared with him. Haru had no reason to trust him with it. It would be smarter not to. Why was some part of him convinced that the openness that he had seen from him to Iruka would be extended to him? Perhaps it was to prove that it wasn 't some failing in himself to be found out by 'Kakashi reminded himself that circling the drain of self-loathing would be broadcasted to the Uzumaki. He forced himself to stop that spiral of darkness by rerouting his thoughts elsewhere.

Yes, actually, that could be a way around that particular ability. A meditative state, or some kind of focus on positive emotion. It would not work if he intended violence; the ability seemed geared toward those specific feelings of ill intent toward a person, but if his motive was only to observe, there might be a way to do it. Which ' Kakashi 's eye widened, which was why the Uzumaki was able to relax. He could sense that those around him did not intend him harm. If the ability was not infallible, Haru must still be on guard, as Kakashi had already noted. But he would have known Jiraiya did not intend to harm him, that Hiruzen hadn 't set up a trap, and that Kakashi, even while he threatened him with his interrogation, did not intend him actual harm. The gift would be an amazing asset for a shinobi or even a civilian. Could Kushina truly have had the potential for it? Would Naruto? Why had she not known about it when Mito-sama had? Kakashi snapped back to attention as Haru sighed and reached back to ruffle his hair before he looked up at Kakashi with a faint, apologetic smile on his face.

'So, yeah 'there 's that part, and then there 's the other part, ' Haru said and then smiled wider when Kakashi glared at him with a spike of irritation, 'you know I 'm a sage?"

Kakashi nodded and then narrowed his eye at him, 'You weren 't in Sage mode either time you ' '

'Caught you stalking me, huh? ' Haru teased, despite the spike of KI that Kakashi allowed to leak out in response.

Haru internally sighed. It really was too difficult to hold back when this Kakashi reacted rather than stay behind his lackadaisical mask, which had been practically soldered onto Kakashi-sensei. Even after all those years together, Kakashi-sensei had kept up a wall. There were cracks, and sometimes it felt like the wall was gone, but something had always held Kakashi-sensei back from him. Their previous student-sensei relationship, his dad, or just all the unsaid things that had laid between them. It had kept them in the roles that they had long outgrown.

'Observing a potential ally,

Haru-chan

, ' Kakashi said. It was said in Kakashi's faux-playful voice, which he used to throw people off, but to Haru, it almost sounded petulant.

'Fine, observing me, ' Haru corrected and struggled not to laugh again. Kakashi did not appreciate his effort from the next hit of KI that Haru dispelled without batting an eyelash, 'No, I was not in sage mode, but I 'm still aware of nature chakra. You can ask Ero-sennin, it 's not as fine-tuned as Sage mode, but even out of it, you don 't forget what it feels like. '

'And? ' Kakashi asked, but then he suddenly shifted his head to glare at a Chuunin who had turned on the landing above them. At Kakashi 's look and the remaining KI in the air, the Chuunin took in the situation, evaluated it, and then turned around and bolted. Kakashi was certain there wouldn 't be a repeat performance. In fact, the rumor mill would start churning within moments. By the end of the day, the story would morph either into a bloody death match or a tryst in the stairwell. Possibly both.

Kakashi honestly couldn 't be bothered by which story would take root, but he secretly hoped for the latter. It would be immensely satisfying to watch Haru try to explain to people that he had not hooked up with Kakashi 'an unabashed reader of Icha Icha 'while Kakashi took his sweet,

sweet

revenge. Haru would be hard-pressed not to be labeled a pervert with the addition of his connection to Jiraiya being made public. Kakashi did not look underneath the underneath as to why he would find such a thing satisfying. No more introspection. He had a mystery to solve and a redhead to interrogate. He pinned Haru with a glare again but paused as he saw that Haru struggled to keep from laughing. His face had turned purple.

'What? ' Kakashi asked slowly, unnerved.

'You just ' 'Haru snickered before he let out his loud ringing laugh. He bent at the knees with his hands holding him up, 'You just made him piss himself with a glare, and it was brilliant! '

Kakashi didn 't understand why that would be funny. He continued to watch Haru lose it in the stairwell and had to fight the irrational urge to laugh along. He ignored the annoying fuzzy warmth that fizzled up from the happy sound. Yes, Uzumaki Kuniharu was a danger in every definition of the word.

Haru knew his explanation was weak, but he couldn 't explain to Kakashi that the man had worn the same expression every time someone interrupted them in the Hokage 's office with some tedious form to sign when he was particularly grumpy from being interrupted with his 'cute genin. ' Kakashi had usually been in the middle of torturing one of them from pure boredom. The Chuunin 's stricken face had reminded Haru of the rumor mill that had cropped up because of that same look. The rabid rumors that the former Team 7 was in a four-way love deathmatch, fighting one another for the other's hand. It had gotten ludicrous, with people throwing around ship names and bets under the table. The fact that Kakashi-sensei (the

Hokage

) purposely dropped rumors about his harassed aides when he was pissed at the trio hadn 't helped matters.

When Haru finally stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye, Kakashi prompted, " You were saying. " Haru nodded as he moved back to his languid position against the wall.

'Well, chakra affinities naturally draw in a trace amount of natural chakra of their specified type, right? So, if you fine-tune enough control of your natural affinity, say enough to add wind chakra to an unfinished jutsu that was near impossible 'um, anyway ' say you do that, and you become a sage? You become very good at sensing people 's natural affinities once you know what to look for. For the most part, I don 't notice unless I 'm actively looking or I 'm in Sage mode, but that is with one glaring exception. ' Haru lifted a finger and then grinned playfully at Kakashi.

'Lightning, ' Haru grinned, 'my best friend thought it was because lightning was the one thing you don 't usually see on a regular basis. Therefore, it would be easier to pinpoint. So, he tried to sneak up on me during thunderstorms instead, and I still managed to find him every time. It clearly wasn 't the reason, and he had to get more creative after that. '

'Why? ' Kakashi persisted though a million thoughts had taken flight in his mind already. Haru shrugged and then did something odd. He placed a hand over his heart as though something pained him. His face grew distant and sad for a moment before he refocused.

'Could be a couple of reasons, ' Haru admitted. 'I 'm wind-natured, so it could be that I 'm more sensitive to my opposite affinity. It also could be that I 've become attuned to it with exposure. My sensei was lightning-natured, and so was my best friend. Or, it could just be that nearly dying from lightning 'multiple times 'well, it leaves a person sensitive to it. '

Haru kept his hand over his heart, and Kakashi wondered if there was a scar there. Had Haru been attacked by something like Chidori or Raikiri? It certainly seemed like it. But Kakashi was the only one who knew either, and he was positive he had never met Haru before. Had someone copied the copycat or even created something similar? His thoughts skittered away from that and onto the problem of circumventing something that was literally an integral part of his nature. And another thing '

'That still doesn 't explain how you knew it was me when I observed you with Jiraiya, ' Kakashi pointed out. He crossed his arms and tilted his head at Haru, who just shrugged.

'It was kind of obvious, ' Haru admitted. 'I mean, you had no ill intent toward me that I could tell. You just spied on me, so I assumed Hokage-sama had sent someone to check on Ero-sennin to make sure I hadn 't murdered him or something. Really, who else with a raging lightning nature, who I could barely sense even so, would be watching without attacking? Chidori is famous across the elemental nations. I guessed. '

'So, you sense my lightning affinity, ' Kakashi confirmed and rubbed a hand through his gravity-defying silver spikes as his mind hit a wall. How could he get around this?

'It 's a bit like listening to very loud, very annoying static, ' Haru confided and tugged on his ear as he listened to the familiar staccato beat of Kakashi 's chakra that was as familiar to him as his own maelstrom, 'Since you 're stronger than most shinobi, your signature is louder. That 's even when you suppress it, which I gotta admit you 're pretty good at. Sas 'Sasuna figured out that if you suppress your nature and use a counternature to smoother your presence, it is almost impossible for me to pick it out 'if you 're clear of negative emotion and I 'm not in Sage mode. I could teach you if you really want to learn it. It could be helpful sensors with similar abilities. '

Haru grinned mischievously, but Kakashi was on his guard. He narrowed his eye at Haru.

'Why would you do that? ' he asked in a low wary voice. Haru didn 't seem to get it as he was still grinning at Kakashi despite the tension that had suddenly appeared between them.

'I mean, I have to join Konoha first and everything, but why not? ' Haru asked.

The wave of cautionary KI made it clear Kakashi wasn 't going to take that as the answer. The stupid scarecrow had gone on the defensive. Haru had done it now! He had gotten too familiar too fast for the man who had issues on top of his issues. Haru briefly prayed to the ramen gods that he wouldn 't land himself in T&I just because he couldn 't stop being overly helpful to people who were supposed to be strangers.

The thing was, to him, they weren 't strangers.

They just weren 't.

' 'Look, I 'll be real with you here for a moment, ' Haru raised his hands and allowed his serious side to peek through the happy shell to the truest part of him that often only came out in the face of an enemy he was about to talk-no-jutsu the fuck out of. 'I had a life out there. The traveling sucked, and I couldn 't stay in one place for too long, but I had a life. I had people I loved 'even after I lost my parents and Kurama. I found a family after years of being alone. '

Haru paused, but he no longer seemed to see the stairwell.

Kakashi, for himself, was still on guard. Against his will, he sucked up the information like a greedy sponge. He could see the expression in the Uzumaki 's eyes and knew the man had lost something real. Jiraiya nor Fukasuka-sama had mentioned anything about this, but it wasn 't out of the realm of possibility that out there, Haru had found something similar to a hidden village on the outskirts of the known world. He had a best friend who had been shinobi beside the caretaker who had raised him. Kakashi allowed Haru to continue speaking as he listened. If nothing else, it would tell him more about him.

'A little over a year ago, I lost everyone. Everything at once, and the only thing I had left was some delusion that if I found the right seal 'I could somehow resurrect my village, my life 'but I can 't. I 've gotten every scroll and artifact I can find, and they are still gone. '

The word hit them both in the chest. Kakashi knew that feeling. He understood, but could he trust '

'But then I meet Raiya, ' Haru said, and his face radiated joy that was so beautiful. Kakashi may have had difficulty breathing, but just from the surprise, that was all, 'and yes, he 's a pervert and an idiot most of the time, but I like him. I like Konoha and what it stands for. The will of fire, protecting the next generation. I want that. '

Kakashi could believe that. Looking into those blue eyes, it was impossible not to see the bone-deep truth of that statement.

'But I get it, ' Haru said, and his tone was darker, 'I 'm a stranger. I 'm stupidly powerful. I 'm not being arrogant. That 's just a fucking fact, and even if I have all the right things to say, even if I prove myself, I am still suspicious. So, if I have to give away a secret about my abilities to a shinobi I respect as an equal, then I 'll do it. I 'll teach fuuinjutsu to anyone who wants to learn it and can respect where it came from. I 'll let someone into my mind if I have to. If it means I don 't have to be alone anymore. So, yeah, I 'll teach you to creep on me without me knowing it. I 'll give away chakra control exercises just if it 's useful. I 'll happily acquiesce to being babysat by a dozen ANBU shadows who really are not as sneaky as they think they are. I 'm fine with being followed around, and all I ask is for a chance 'and maybe the opportunity to train with the legendary Sharigan no Kakashi if he can be bothered to trade for a super cool upgrade to his sneaky prowess. I never actually said it would come for free, Copy-cat-san. '

Haru was gasping by the end of the speech. He could feel the irritation surrounding him on all sides from the Anbu who had trailed him since he and Jiraiya had entered the village. Did they honestly think he hadn 't noticed them when he had noticed Kakashi? Come on, Kakashi was at least 5x sneakier on his worst day. Speaking of Kakashi, he waited in bated breath as the man observed him with that familiar quiet aloofness before his eye curved into an eye smile. Haru could breathe again. He had done it for now. Kakashi leaned back and held with hands out with a theatrical shrug.

'Maa, maa, ' Kakashi teased, 'no need to get emotional Haru-chan. '

Then came out the book. Like a light switch, they were back on stable ground. Haru smirked to himself.

So, that was how Kakashi was going to play it? Well, Haru could match him with ease. Had beat him to it, already.

'So, here is how it 's going to go, ' Kakashi said with his lackadaisical attitude back on for show as Haru gave the man a sardonic smile, 'teach me how to sneaky sneak, and I 'll teach you '. something 'that is, if you pass the interview and I 'm sorry to say, at this rate, it 's not looking too good for you Haru-chan. What were you thinking, making Hokage-sama wait over two hours? Ensure you don 't throw up on him. He doesn 't like that. '

Kakashi looked down at Haru with an eye-smile as he turned the page in his book. Haru gave Kakashi a smile, and seemingly on a whim, he extended out his fist to the copy-cat nin. Haru had adopted Octopops modus operandi of awesome (excluding the rap, except on very special occasions). Haru didn 't know if Kakashi would respond like Kakashi-sensei, who had always given him a sardonic fist bump, or snorted before he walked away with his hands in his pockets or his nose in a book. The Kakashi of this new life looked confused, as confused as he ever allowed to be visible. Still, he slowly extended his hand and bumped their fists together. Haru 's smile grew, and he laughed before he placed his hands behind his head and squinted at Kakashi.

'Shouldn 't we go now, ' Haru teased, 'I don 't want to throw up on Hokage-sama. '

Kakashi gave him an ominous eye smile in the way Haru recognized from the days of Team 7 torture training sessions when they had annoyed him just short of homicide.

'Sorry, Haru-chan, ' Kakashi opined, not sorry at all. 'Boss should be there in ' ' Kakashi looked down at the watch that was not on his wrist, 'about two seconds. You 're late. Ja ne! '

Kakashi made a peace sign, and then his shadow clone dispelled. He had substituted himself with a clone the moment he had decided to trust Haru halfway down the list of things the man was willing to do to prove the haunted look that lurked behind his eyes.

Haru guffawed into the empty stairwell before he, too, dispelled himself to the panic of his ANBU shadows. The boss had left ten minutes ago, the moment he had felt the anger and suspicion drain out Kakashi at almost the same moment that he smiled upon mentioning Jiraiya. He knew Kakashi, and besides, he had left the old man by himself for far too long. He wasn 't going to let Kakashi use him as the fall guy. Nope. Kakashi was a sadist when his pride had been hurt but Haru had learned from the best.

Kakashi had some catching up to do on that front.