+1)

Age 13

"You two are really going to race?" Was the first question Itachi asked as he approached his captain who was stretching his arms in front of him. The copy nin fixed the boy with a long side eye stare and Itachi could nearly feel the smirk beneath the man's mask.

"Of course. You will watch won't you?" He tried to keep his tone bored but he was hopeful that Itachi would stick around to watch him beat Gai. The Uchiha gave no reaction but he tilted his head back, strands of dark hair falling over his shoulders.

"Shisui and Genma are already placing bets. I might as well stick around to see who wins."

"Who did you bet on?" The Copy nin asked without looking at the boy who shook his head.

"No one. Technically I'm too young to gamble."

"Mahhh, age has never kept you back before." Kakashi nearly laughed and Itachi's lips twitched. "In any event I think I need a token."

"A token?"

"To wear into battle. In books, all the great warriors wear token's of their love's affections."

"Do you have a love?" Itachi asked curiously and Kakashi released a morose sigh.

"Nah." He turned his head dramatically to the sky as birds flew by. "I fear I must run this race with no token…how can I compete against Gai with no morale support?" He eyed Itachi for a long moment and the Uchiha nearly sighed in exasperation.

"Here." Itachi reached for his ponytail and Kakashi rose a brow as the boy pulled his hair free and handed him a long thin red ribbon. "Would this do?" Kakashi was hesitant to take it but slowly he reached out and took the ribbon from Itachi. The boy watched as he tied it around his wrist.

"It's perfect." He offered a thumbs up , eyes closed with his smile. Itachi slowly shook his head in amusement.

"I suppose now I have placed my bet on you. Try not to disappoint me Senpai." He replied and Kakashi chuckled softly.

"Are you teasing me, Kohai?"

"Heavens no. That would be incredibly unprofessional." The Uchiha quickly argued, but the sparkle in his eyes told a different story. Kakashi gave the boy a lazy salute, his visible eye fond as he studied the long haired Uchiha.

"I hope to see you at the race."

"You will…and good luck. I will be rooting for you." Itachi turned to leave when Kakashi called out his name. As he turned back to the Copy nin, the man shrugged, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Your hair looks nice loose like that." He murmured and Itachi smiled softly. With a shake of his head he took off for the cafe, leaving Kakashi smiling at his back.

The sun had long set over the treetops but Kakashi had not left the training fields. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had left for the evening after spending the entire afternoon training as the reunited team 7. Of course with Team 7 back together after so long, Kakashi had seen it fitting to bring out the bells once more. And they did not disappoint.

Each of them had managed to snag a bell and held it up to Kakashi gleefully. Even Sasuke had appeared pleased with himself as he held the long red string.

Kakashi held the three bells in his palm and smiled at the ribbon. It seemed that even after all this time, Itachi was still helping his little brother and was still rooting for Kakashi.

"Thank you, Itachi-san." The Copy nin whispered and the wind gently blew through the trees and ruffled his hair. The bells tingled together like a child's laughter and Kakashi's smile only grew. "Good-night, Kohai."