Yeah, hi, I don't really have any excuses for the year-long absence other than my other projects... In any case, I'm afraid that at the moment I can't promise regular updates because I have two auction fics to write and another story to finish. But after that it should be easier to come back to this one and write more!

I do have loads in store for these characters and SO much more to do that I'm excited to share with you guys. And I'm so thrilled that so many of you enjoy this and what I've been doing. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! At this point I'm not even sure I can reply to all of the comments but I will try. But nonetheless please know that I do read every one of them and I'm always so happy to get feedback on this self-indulgent time-travel fic.

Now, onwards!

Chapter 12

It was hours later before Kakashi saw a semblance of a break, and by then he was exhausted (thankfully only physically). He'd limited his use of chakra intensive jutsu and hadn't used the Sharingan at all, but he'd had to summon his ninken.

It had been the pack from this time, since they had been somewhat informed as to what happened with Kakashi and Naruto and knew what the plan was with Danzou. Perhaps summoning the ones in the future would have been easier, but Kakashi wasn't going to neglect his pack in the here and now. Even if they would never know exactly what had happened.

Sarutobi had called in all the available ANBU once it was clear that it was no false alarm from Danzou. Kakashi's team had been one of two scouring Root's base, although his hadn't been the one to find the mess of Danzou's office.

No, they'd gone through the subterranean corridors of the base, checking for survivors and leaving the dead where they lay. There were more than Kakashi had realized, and he had to swallow back the memory of what he'd done.

At some point during the infiltration Kakashi had clearly sunk back into instinct, operating on blind bloodlust and uncaring of whom he killed. Considering the blood painting the walls and the bodies carelessly strewn about, this was apparent even to the others.

There wasn't a sound from his team, although they were much grimmer than usual. As expected, Itachi didn't flinch, but he did linger slightly more than necessary at the smaller bodies.

Kakashi didn't look beyond ascertaining that, yes, he had done his job thoroughly. And then they were alerted as to the state of Danzou's office and the disappearance of the man himself, and he took his team to meet with the others.

Danzou's office was a morbid sight even to Kakashi, given that he'd fled before he could be squashed by the tree that had sprouted from Danzou's arm. In fact, just about all that remained of the office was a tree, the roots sprawling out into the area surrounding it. The ceiling was cracked and broken, rubble on the floor, and Kakashi had no doubt that the tree had probably fought its way to the surface.

Yet for all there was a tree, it stunk of Danzou's scent and Kakashi said as much once the question rose as to Danzou's whereabouts.

After a small pause during which everyone seemed to digest the possibility that the tree had been Danzou, the decision was made for Tenzou to report this finding back to Sarutobi while the others continued to look for the culprit.

Given that the culprit was right among them and "helping out," they weren't very successful, except for finding the children still locked in the room Kakashi had found them in.

That had resulted in Kakashi sending Itachi and two other ANBU with them to escort them out of the base and into secure custody. The children had been quiet and mostly blank-faced except for the very young. Sai had been fine, clinging to the side of an older boy with light hair.

It was then that he summoned his ninken to do the more serious tracking after it was clear that the guilty party was gone and the base empty. They sniffed about quickly before catching Orochimaru's scent and taking off, taking the exact route Kakashi had.

But no sooner had they made their way out of the Root bunker did word arrive that the Hokage was recalling the ANBU in light of new information. Such as the two shinobi who had been found at the entrance waking up and claiming it was Orochimaru.

That had led to another debriefing and some rearranging of teams given the supposed involvement of a Sannin, but Kakashi still ended up going out along with several other trackers.

All traces of Orochimaru's scent trail ended at one of his bunkers, everything going cold at that point except for faint tracks that couldn't really be followed. Which led to Kakashi stumbling into his apartment at quarter to two in the morning and falling straight into bed.

Only to get up again in the morning to go to Sarutobi's office with the other ANBU captains. Given what had just happened, Sarutobi wouldn't be speaking to the ANBU as a whole, but rather the captains so they could dispense the necessary information.

At least this time Kakashi wasn't in danger of chakra exhaustion anymore, having slept despite Naruto's absence. Naruto wouldn't be coming over for a time either, not with the heightened village security and the likelihood of guards being posted on him again.

It was what Kakashi would do if he were Hokage now, and Sarutobi was no fool.

"Danzou is dead," were the first words Sarutobi said to them once they were all present. "How is yet to be determined, as there is no body to recover."

Kakashi made a mental note to avoid being injected with the Shodai's genes. Tenzou was doing fine so far, but one never knew. Maybe it was the artificial limb tacked onto a normal body? Madara had something similar, and he was totally batshit insane.

Sorry, Hashirama.

Sure, not leaving a body behind would be nice considering Obito's Sharingan, but Kakashi didn't fancy going the way of Danzou, with his own limbs eating him alive because he lacked the chakra to keep it at bay.

Yeah, he was staying clear of that.

"We have two survivors stating it was Orochimaru," Sarutobi continued. "All others are dead or were incapacitated before they could identify him. The children managed a brief glimpse, but only one could positively identify him after seeing a photo."

That must have been Sai. There was nothing to be done for that, since Kakashi hadn't bothered to use his Sharingan on the boy and wouldn't have done so either. Three witnesses was no worse than two, especially if none were Hyuuga.

"We have no sign of how he managed to infiltrate the village," Sarutobi said soberly. He paused, then sighed. "As expected of him," he added wearily.

"What of what happened yesterday?" one ANBU asked. "With the boy… Is that related?"

"That will be investigated," Sarutobi answered shortly, a moment before his gaze flicked to Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't react, keeping his body language casually at attention.

It didn't come as a surprise to him, although he was unsure what exactly Sarutobi would be doing. And, as much as it pained him to admit it, seeing Naruto for the foreseeable future wasn't going to be an option.

Fortunately it was a possibility they'd considered as an outcome of assassinating Danzou so Naruto should be prepared.

It didn't matter that Naruto was frankly quite terrible at lying. He was excellent at obfuscating and misleading others when necessary, and Kakashi trusted him to do what he needed.

Besides, no one here really knew Naruto.

"In the meantime," Sarutobi continued, "the village is under high alert. It is imperative we find out how Orochimaru was able to infiltrate us and what happened. None of you are to have your teams go alone; if Orochimaru is encountered, call for backup immediately."

It was a good thing Orochimaru hadn't actually been near Konoha at all. Kakashi really didn't fancy going up against a Sannin, especially the one who liked to experiment on himself.

Following several more warnings and rundown about what they needed to do to secure Root's base and be sure all sensitive material was gathered, they were dismissed.

Kakashi wasn't looking forward to the weeks of work ahead of him. Cleaning up after the mess he'd made was one thing, but the resulting paperwork was even worse.

Forget the paperwork. Kakashi would do just about anything else to get out of doing another patrol to make sure that the village's borders were secure. To get out of another patrol where he could make out the traces of Obito's lingering chakra, since his old friend clearly had nothing better to do than use Kamui to make his way into Konoha and back out.

It was driving Sarutobi and by extension the ANBU nuts, since it was clear that something was getting past the village's protections but they had no idea what.

Kakashi knew exactly what – or rather who – but he wasn't about to enlighten them.

He wasn't in any shape to fight his old friend yet. Because like it or not, he would need to fight Obito at this point before he had any hope of undoing the work Madara had done. For one thing, Obito would run before Kakashi could get more than two words out and those words would be "Obito, wait."

Or "Madara lied" but he didn't think Obito would take that kindly.

But it would probably have a higher chance of stalling Obito for a little bit…

In any case, Obito was best taken on with a team, and Kakashi would prefer Naruto be that teammate. Obito was also best taken on with a functioning Mangekyou. While Kakashi was able to activate his Mangekyou, he wasn't able to use it in a fight just yet.

So that left Kakashi up a creek without a paddle, and he was tired of having Obito's presence rubbed in his face while not being able to do anything about it.

On the other hand, he was relieved that the rest of his plan had gone off without a hitch. The fact that most of Root ended up dead at his hand was unfortunate, but it was something Kakashi couldn't have avoided after the Hyuuga outed him. Those that survived didn't know anything beyond that Orochimaru had infiltrated them with the intention of getting at Danzou.

It was something Kakashi kept telling himself when he woke up at night with the smell of blood in his nose, warm liquid on his hands, and a metallic taste in his mouth.

It didn't really help, but by now Kakashi was used to it.

It was probably just as well that Naruto didn't risk coming by.

And Kakashi didn't really know what was going on with Naruto either, since there were guards on him again and Kakashi wasn't going to risk sneaking by them now.

It was kind of a mess, but it was a mess of Kakashi's making. And it would sort itself out sooner or later.

Kakashi looked down at the white and red ANBU mask in his hand, reminding himself of that little fact. Sarutobi couldn't really justify the heightened village security for that much longer with no further sign of Orochimaru's presence.

Sighing, Kakashi reached up to rub the bridge of his nose, taking a brief moment to indulge himself in a moment of weakness before he needed to put the mask back on again. Only to drop his hand when he felt Itachi's presence approach him, putting the mask on before Itachi dropped down onto the branch beside him.

"Nothing, yes?" Kakashi asked before Itachi could say anything.

"Nothing," Itachi confirmed, his young voice only slightly distorted by the mask.

"As expected from a Sannin," Kakashi noted, beginning to move and keeping his pace relaxed.

"Sandaime-sama isn't expecting to find anything, is he?" Itachi asked a minute later.

"No, he isn't." Kakashi reached a hand up to an upcoming branch, grabbing hold of it and using it as leverage to swing up and around before landing. He waited until Itachi had jumped back to him before continuing. "In case you haven't yet noticed, there are a lot of politics involved in ANBU."

Itachi inclined his head. "Can the same not be said for shinobi in general?"

Although Itachi couldn't see, Kakashi's lips tilted up in a small smile. He did let a small laugh escape. "Unfortunately, yes. I think that's something you're probably more aware of than most."

If Kakashi hadn't been looking for it – if he wasn't who he was – he would have missed the way Itachi stiffened slightly. He pretended that he didn't notice, moving to sit on the branch. The rest of his team was still running the patrol, but Kakashi could afford this.

"So, you're still new," Kakashi continued conversationally, letting his hands come to rest on the bark by him. "Sometimes missions can get a little tough. How has this one been for you?"

"There have been no issues."

"It's not about your performance," Kakashi said, stifling his amusement at the confusion in Itachi's tone. If there was also a hint of sadness accompanying his amusement, Kakashi would be the last to admit it. "That has been exemplary."

"Thank you, taichou."

"I'm more referring to how this mission has been for you personally. There aren't a lot of opportunities for ANBU to talk about their missions, given practically everything we do is solely for the Hokage's eyes and ears. Which essentially just leaves our teammates." Kakashi paused, tilting his head back. "Do you remember what I said your first day?"

Itachi was silent for a moment before he answered, the words slow in coming. "That we are a team of people working with each other?"

"Yes." Kakashi let warmth enter his voice. "A kind of family, if you will. I make it a point to encourage that we do talk to each other when possible. A team is nothing without trust, and I've found that helps."

There was no verbal response from Itachi, but the boy dropped his head.

Kakashi let the silence draw out, feeling no desire to break it, not with Itachi considering his words.

"It has been difficult," Itachi said eventually, quietly. "The children…"

Kakashi let Itachi have his privacy, not looking in his direction. "Missions involving children are usually difficult." He kept his voice gentle.

"Do…you know what Hokage-sama will do with them?"

"I don't," Kakashi admitted, glancing at Itachi. "But if I were to make an educated guess…he's likely to try to include them in the village as much as possible."

"Become shinobi, you mean?"

Kakashi didn't comment on the hidden distaste in Itachi's tone. "Yes."

Itachi was silent for another long moment. Then, "It shouldn't have happened."

"No."

"But it did."

"There are many things," Kakashi said softly, "that happen that shouldn't. All we can do is pick ourselves up and keep moving forward."

"And make things better."

"Well…" Kakashi turned his head to Itachi. "I like to think so."

Itachi's expression was hidden behind a mask, but his determination was clear in his tone as he said, "As do I."

Outside of ANBU missions, Kakashi hadn't really been seeing much of Tenzou. So it was a bit of a surprise when Tenzou dropped by one of Kakashi's training sessions at the third training ground.

By now the third training ground had seen its fair share of destruction, namely the loss of trees as Kakashi put his jutsu back into working order. Holes in the ground could be mended, but taking care of trees was something else since Tenzou was the only one capable of fixing that kind of damage. And that wasn't his job.

Usually.

In any case, by now most of the shinobi considered the third training ground a bit of a hazard, especially when Kakashi was in it. The only ones who were willing to be there at the same time were Gai and Tenzou, and that was only because Kakashi knew Gai could dodge whatever happened and Tenzou wouldn't disturb him unless it was something important so Kakashi typically stopped whatever he was doing.

So when Kakashi noticed Tenzou approaching, he stopped channeling his chakra and let the water fall back into the lake. The ensuing splash did manage to catch Tenzou and soak him from head to foot, but it wasn't like it hurt him.

Wiping his face, Tenzou shot Kakashi a disgruntled look. "Was that necessary?"

"Was what necessary?"

Scrubbing another hand through his hair to dislodge the excess water, Tenzou clearly gave Kakashi up as a bad job. "Sandaime-sama called off the search."

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, wondering at Tenzou's point. "We weren't finding anything."

Tenzou grimaced, evidently disgruntled at this. "No. And my services were called elsewhere."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow in a silent bid for him to continue.

"I was…" Tenzou hesitated, frowning. "I was with the boy," he continued in a quieter tone. "Considering my skill set, I was tasked to help…just in case."

Kakashi deliberately kept his posture loose. "Should you be here telling me this?"

Tenzou made a pleading noise. "Kakashi-senpai, if not you, then who? This – this is about Orochimaru." He drew his shoulders in, looking unexpectedly small and so unlike the Tenzou Kakashi was familiar with.

Then again…this wasn't the Tenzou Kakashi had last seen. This was the Tenzou of now, several years younger and still growing into his own.

And Orochimaru had always been a sensitive subject for Tenzou.

"You can always talk to me," Kakashi said eventually. "I just can't promise I'll be any good at what you're looking for."

The tension seeping out of Tenzou's form told Kakashi that he had made the right choice.

"That's all right," Tenzou said, smiling weakly. "I'm…not really looking for anything in particular."

Kakashi rather doubted that but he would allow Tenzou the lie.

Tenzou turned to face the water, eyebrows furrowed. "We might have a lead on Orochimaru," he said long moments later. "It's unclear, but it's the best bet we have."

Unease prickled up Kakashi's spine. Naruto didn't know any more than Kakashi did about where Orochimaru was at this point. So how did they get this information?

"There was a boy with Naruto during the months prior to what happened. Naruto claims he was an orphan with him at the orphanage, but we've been unable to locate him." Tenzou closed his eyes. "If he got his hands on another child…"

Ah. Shit.

Kakashi definitely hadn't anticipated this when joining Naruto as Sukea. Regardless of whether they thought Sukea was in Orochimaru's pocket or Orochimaru himself, the results didn't look promising for Naruto. Or for their plans for the future if Naruto was put under a more stringent watch to be sure Orochimaru wouldn't try it again.

"Are they asking you to go after him?" Kakashi asked when Tenzou didn't continue

"No," Tenzou answered. "Not yet anyway. But I can't help wondering if they will…" He grimaced. "I don't… I don't know what will happen."

Kakashi slowly came closer, stopping when he was directly next to Tenzou. "You're stronger than you were."

"Not strong enough," Tenzou bit out, eyes squeezed shut. "Not for him."

Kakashi dropped his gaze to the ground, unsure of what exactly Tenzou needed. Strength… Tenzou hadn't been strong enough in the end, yes. He'd been captured, and Kakashi had never found him again.

But then Kakashi hadn't been strong enough either, had he? He never was, not when it mattered.

"The kind of strength you're thinking about isn't all that matters," Kakashi said eventually, quietly. "The kind of strength Orochimaru is looking for… I don't think you want that."

"That's a nice sentiment, Kakashi-senpai." Tenzou's smile was weak. "If not that strength, then what?"

Something Kakashi was still trying to figure out himself. "Strength in your beliefs," he said slowly. "Believing in others; relying on them when you need them. At least…that's what I've learned," he added wryly. "Physical strength is fine, but what does that get you when you're alone? And for all of Orochimaru's strength, he's alone."

Tenzou was silent for a long moment. Then, "I'm not, am I?"

Kakashi didn't answer beyond inclining his head, raising his visible eyebrow.

"It should be fine," Tenzou continued, sounding the words out like he needed to be sure they were real. "He can't – he can't hurt me."

"Well," Kakashi was unable to resist saying, "I'd still avoid running after him alone because he'll kick your ass."

Tenzou's head dropped like someone had tied an anvil around his neck. "Senpai…"

Patting Tenzou's back, Kakashi added, "That said, you're definitely stronger than before!"

The words only seemed to deflate Tenzou further.

Giving a small chuckle, Kakashi let his hand come to rest on Tenzou's back. "I wouldn't worry, Tenzou. Even if they send you after Orochimaru, you won't be alone."

Muscles flexing under Kakashi's hand, Tenzou lifted his head, a small, pleased smile flickering across his lips. "Thank you, Kakashi-senpai." He turned, smile broadening into a fond grin, eyes crinkling. "You're not as bad at this as you think you are, you know."

"It's luck," Kakashi said, smiling wryly. "Don't tell anyone I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me."

Once Tenzou left, Kakashi put together the sort of plan that he absolutely hated. The type of plan that involved pulling a Naruto and flying by the seat of his pants.

He hated these types of plans. Sure, it was fine if Naruto did them because they somehow tended to work out, but if he had to do them? It didn't actually give him hives, but it rather felt like it did.

Only in this case, Kakashi didn't have time for a meticulous kind of plan. With politics, meticulous kind of plans were the best, but he didn't have the time to consider all the possibilities and results. He could think of quite a few right off the top of his head, but he wasn't a Nara.

That said, this plan did involve a little more thought than Naruto's usual type of impulsive ones. Then again, Kakashi wasn't exactly Naruto and couldn't come up with the exact kind of plan Naruto would. Nor would he want to.

Still, for Kakashi this plan was pretty damn impulsive. Because if something happened to the kage bunshin that was Sukea…

Exhaling slowly, the kage bunshin of Kakashi currently in a henge to look like Sukea watched his actual body disappear into the darkness. Scratching the side of his head, Kakashi briefly allowed his hand to press into his left eye. There was a very slight headache from overusing the hypnotic capabilities of his Sharingan, but it was easily enough ignored.

Obito probably hadn't expected him to use it in this way, but then very little had turned out the way Obito had wanted.

Slowly creeping back into the orphanage that his real body had just left, Kakashi made his way to one of the bedrooms with an empty bed and curled up in it. The other two occupants in the room were sleeping heavily, having only been woken up briefly for the Sharingan to work before being put back to sleep.

Lying awake in the dark, Kakashi stared up at the ceiling and tried to tell himself that this was going to work out fine. So long as he didn't get dispelled…

No one at the orphanage noticed anything amiss with Kakashi-as-Sukea appearing out of literally nowhere. Granted, there still weren't physical records, but that wasn't too odd.

Tenzou might not have known, but Kakashi was all too aware of how orphans slipped through the cracks in Konoha. It was how Danzou had gotten his hands on so many.

It wasn't right, but it was how things were. Especially after the chaos of the Kyuubi attack, which had seen untold destruction, many records had been damaged and children left orphaned.

Sukea was simply one of them.

Kakashi wandered around the orphanage, eventually settling himself at the base of a tree and cracking open a book he had found in the building. Only to make a face when he saw the stains on the pages and that several pages seemed to be missing.

Well, it wasn't like he was interested in learning about…how to sow and plant seeds?

…That might actually be useful.

Turning back to the first page, Kakashi settled himself in and started reading. He did keep his fingers carefully clear of the questionable stains. He wasn't sure what they were and didn't really want to know.

It could have been food, but then these were kids he was talking about. Food wasn't the only thing they could have splattered the book with.

When the ANBU found him, Kakashi had made it fifteen pages and was considering his potential green thumb. Just about the only thing he'd done before was Mr. Ukki. Destroying Zetsu didn't really count, did it? Zetsu was a plant, but only so much as Kisame was a shark.

Sort of.

"Sukea?"

Kakashi paused, looking up and blinking in surprise. "Yes?" He looked between the two ANBU. "Oh…are you shinobi? You are, right? But you look a little different…"

"We need you to come with us."

Kakashi didn't move, widening his eyes. "Did I do something wrong? Wait, are you going to ask me to be a shinobi?" When one of the ANBU moved to grab him, Kakashi scrambled up, avoiding the grip by pretending to nearly fall over. "I don't want to be one! I want to be a merchant!"

The second ANBU paused. "A merchant?"

"Yeah! It's a simple life; I don't have to worry about being stabbed!" Kakashi paused, holding his book up defensively in front of his chest. "Please don't take me?"

"Sukea's super boring," a child standing just behind the ANBU said. "He doesn't want to be a shinobi, but I do! Can you take me instead?"

"No," the first ANBU answered curtly. Addressing Kakashi, he said, "Come, Sukea."

This ANBU could use a lesson on being personable. Kakashi squinted up at his mask, pegging him as one of the ANBU his actual self didn't really get along with.

"Am I in trouble?" Kakashi asked, channeling every single bit of six-year-old childishness he possessed. It wasn't actually much, but he hoped it did the trick.

There was no answer, but the second ANBU hefted Kakashi up without a word, settling him on his back before taking off.

Kakashi clung on tightly, hiding his face into the ANBU's cloak.

There was some jostling but otherwise the ride was relatively smooth. And then Kakashi was in T&I, clutching at the tattered book he somehow still hadn't lost and clinging to the back of the ANBU who had taken him here.

"Can you get off?" the ANBU asked patiently.

"No." Kakashi clung closer, careful not to strangle the ANBU. Henge or not, he did still have his strength. "Where am I?"

A small pause, and then the ANBU answered, "T&I."

"Oh, I'm going to drink tea with you? You could've just asked!" Grinning, Kakashi unwound his arms and slid down to the ground. "I like tea! Did you know some brands of tea smell like grass? They're not actually grass but they smell like it! And not all of them smell exactly alike but I can never tell the difference. So I guess I shouldn't be a tea merchant, huh?"

"Probably not," the ANBU said after a moment.

"It's a little disappointing, though," Kakashi said, waving his free hand through the air. "I mean, I really like tea! Especially with lots of milk and sugar—"

"Blasphemy," a shinobi off in the corner coughed.

"—because then you can actually drink it and it's not so bad. But maybe I can just sell some tea? And be kind of like a general merchant person? They have that, right?"

This ANBU was fun to mess with. It was just as well the other had gone off to report that Sukea had been found. All his fun would have stopped then and there.

As it was, Kakashi let his chattering come to a halt when Ibiki arrived. He judged the man would be intimidating enough to warrant such a reaction from a normal child.

"Are we going to drink tea with him?" Kakashi asked after a moment, voice a whisper.

There was no visible reaction from Ibiki, although Kakashi could tell the man was slightly amused from how he narrowed his eyes. There was an art to reading Morino Ibiki's body language and moods, and Kakashi had studied it simply so he wouldn't be intimidated by the man.

"My apologies, Morino-san," Kakashi's ANBU said. "He misinterpreted the name of your division."

Kakashi forced himself to reach out and tug at the ANBU's pants. "What – you said 'tea and I' didn't you? Maybe the grammar wasn't right but that shouldn't matter."

"We want to ask you a few questions," Ibiki said, putting a halt to any further conversation on tea.

Which was just as well since Kakashi had exhausted everything he knew on the subject. Anymore and he would have been forced to go on about the different colors and how cool they were. Or maybe coming up with his own kind of tea, did someone want something named after a dog?

No, it was a good thing Ibiki was here. Kakashi would prefer to have the entire affair done with now.

"Questions?" Kakashi made sure to sound curious. "I don't really know anything about shinobi."

"I'll see about that."

They ended up in an interrogation room. Kakashi hadn't been on the opposite end before, although he'd seen Ibiki's work.

Still, his current guise was that of a child. A civilian child. There was only so much Ibiki could do with that.

Unless…

Well, Kakashi would deal with it if it came up.

He did say he hated these types of plans, right? The quick pace of the battlefield was more his taste than the slow churning of political machinations. Even though Hokages had to be good at both, it didn't mean he liked it.

There was a reason he didn't exactly want the hat.

Ibiki broke the silence with a curt question. "What's your name?"

"Sukea."

"No family name?"

"I was orphaned during the Kyuubi attack. No one knows my parents." Kakashi paused. "Are we not going to have tea?"

"No."

Kakashi affected a disappointed expression. "Oh." Then, hesitantly, he offered, "You look like you could use some."

"I will take that under advisement." Ibiki's face was forbidding. "Where were you the last few weeks?"

"In the village."

"Our shinobi found no sign of you."

"I'm…good at hiding?"

"Where were you?"

Kakashi squirmed. "I wasn't at the orphanage, if that's what you're asking."

"Then where?"

"I was…" Kakashi tried to make himself blush but quickly gave it up for a bad job. That kind of acting wasn't his strength. He settled for averting his eyes. "There were nice ladies."

There was no reaction from Ibiki beyond a small silence. Then, "Nice ladies?"

"It was comfortable," Kakashi muttered. "And nicer than the orphanage."

"Did any of the ladies look like this?" Ibiki slid a photograph over the table, eyes sharp.

Kakashi reached out to pull the photograph closer, unsurprised to see a photo of Orochimaru. It was his shinobi registration picture, as they wouldn't have anything else. "Her eyes are cool," he said eventually, playing along with Ibiki's ruse. "Is she your girlfriend?"

There was a definite twitch at the corner of Ibiki's right eye. "I'm asking the questions here."

"Oh, you broke up, didn't you? Sorry." Kakashi didn't much effort into actually sounding sorry, blinking innocently at Ibiki.

The twitch was now at the corner of Ibiki's mouth, which surprised Kakashi for a moment before he remembered that this Ibiki was younger and not as experienced. Oh, this was going to be fun.

They deserved it after making him do this.

"You have no idea who this is?"

"No." Kakashi shrugged. "Should I?"

Ibiki's expression was once again impassive. "What is your relation to Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Relation?" Kakashi sounded bewildered. "I'm not related to him!"

Ibiki sounded like he was spitting his next words out. "How do you know Uzumaki Naruto?"

"He was at the orphanage!" Kakashi gave Ibiki a broad grin. "At least until he left… Did you know he's living on his own now?"

"Impressive," Ibiki deadpanned.

"Is he in trouble?" Kakashi didn't wait for a response before continuing, "No, wait, he did that massive prank, didn't he? Is he okay?"

"Aren't you his friend? Shouldn't you know?"

"Yeah, but he's going to be a shinobi. I'm not. He doesn't have much time anymore."

Kakashi dropped his gaze to the table, only to pause when he saw a splotch of dried blood. He slowly sidled slightly to the side, chair squeaking as he did so. "I haven't seen him," he added forlornly.

There was scarcely warning before Ibiki slammed his hands on the table and loomed threateningly.

Civilian, civilian, civilian—

Kakashi flinched backwards with a startled yelp, nearly toppling the chair over. It would have made it look better but he couldn't risk dispelling. The usual seal that his actual self normally drew on Sukea to lengthen the life of the kage bunshin hadn't been implemented given the risk of them actually asking Sukea to strip down.

"You were nonexistent before we saw you with Uzumaki Naruto," Ibiki said darkly, still looming. "There are no records of you. You were nowhere to be seen in the village in the last few weeks, and you just now appear. If you don't want to talk, we have ways of making you, Sukea."

Kakashi kept his breathing fast and panicky, which didn't help keep his thoughts calm as adrenaline surged through his body. "I-I-I don't know what you want!" he managed, glad when his voice came out appropriately shaky. "Is it wrong that I know Naruto?"

"How did you meet Uzumaki Naruto?" Ibiki's voice was foreboding.

"We were at the orphanage together until he moved out!" Kakashi kept a tight hold on the edge of the table, knuckles white. He swallowed loudly, blinking rapidly. "I didn't see him again for a while but he was on a roof and I thought it looked like fun. Why – why can't we have fun together?"

"Why couldn't we locate you before?"

Kakashi didn't answer immediately, pressing his lips together thinly. He kept his breathing quick and short, like a panicking child would. Then, in a voice filled with resentment, he said, "Why would you have? You don't care about us. We're not shinobi; we're orphans in a civilian orphanage. None of us have connections to the large clans of Konoha, and most of us have no idea who our parents were. If we don't find another family, we stay in the orphanage until we're too old or we're kicked out, like Naruto was."

He lifted his chin, forcing an appropriate amount of resentment in his tone. "I didn't do anything wrong," he insisted. "I don't know why you think I did. Naruto is my friend. You're not going to scare me away from him. And if you try to lock me up because you're being a bully, then I'll ruin all your tea!"

Kakashi's words had the intended effect.

Ibiki stared for several long minutes, face serious and foreboding, eyes narrowed in a steely glare. Then, suddenly, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, he broke into a sharp grin that would have looked dangerous if Kakashi wasn't familiar with Ibiki's mannerisms.

"All right, kid." Ibiki took his hands off the table, straightening. "You've got some balls. I like that."

Kakashi tilted his head backwards to meet Ibiki's eyes, resisting the urge to grin in favor of glaring. "I'd throw one at your head."

"I'm sure." Ibiki stared at something behind Kakashi, giving a silent signal that indicated the interrogation was over. Once done, he returned his attention to Kakashi. "You could be a shinobi."

"No." Kakashi lifted his tattered book up as a shield. "I prefer plants, thanks. Enjoy your tea and I." He paused, then added, "You don't even have tea, do you? Why is this place called 'tea and I,' then?"

The hapless shinobi entering the room probably had a heart attack at the loud bark of laughter that erupted from Ibiki.

As for Kakashi…well, he was glad that this plan at least went off without much of an issue.

Admittedly, he was now stuck continuing the façade of Sukea being an actual citizen of Konohagakure for longer than initially planned. (He hadn't even had a plan when deciding to use Sukea as a way to spend time with Naruto. This was why he hated doing things like Naruto; it ended up with situations like this.)

Sadly, he also couldn't dispel himself for a while either. There were ANBU on his tail since he wasn't entirely alleviated of suspicion yet. No, Kakashi still needed to play his part a while longer.

Hopefully he would last long enough for that. But then his actual self had been rather generous with his chakra, so maybe he didn't have too much to worry about unless he got into a scrape.

Still holding the disgustingly tattered book on plants under his arm, Kakashi went in search of Naruto. It had been long enough since he'd last seen him and it made sense for a young boy who had just been interrogated on his relationship with Naruto to go seek the other boy out.

Scratching the skin under his left eye, Kakashi didn't linger over the feel of smooth skin where normally there would be a scar. He'd grown used to the sensation after hours spent in this henge, along with maintaining the illusion that he used both eyes instead of just the one.

Finding Naruto was easy, since he was situated in his apartment. The look of surprise on Naruto's face when he saw Kakashi in Sukea's guise was gratifying.

"Sukea!" Naruto's eyes flickered to the area where Kakashi could sense the ANBU lingering. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't see my friend?" Kakashi gave him a gentle smile, eyes crinkling. "I was just asked a lot of questions by a shinobi with scars. I don't think he liked that I knew you."

"I-Ibiki?" Naruto blinked owlishly.

"I think that was his name." Kakashi kept smiling cheerfully. "Do you know he didn't have any tea?"

Naruto blinked again, mouth dropping open. "Tea?"

"Tea," Kakashi confirmed, probably enjoying this just a little too much. "The department's called 'tea and I,' isn't it? It shouldn't be since there wasn't any tea to be found, only a lot of questions."

"Um…" Naruto finally shook his head, seeming to regain his senses. "Yeah, there's no tea there."

"They asked you questions, too, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Naruto hesitated. "I told them about you," he said slowly, eyes scanning Kakashi's henged form, disbelief still painted over his face. "I…didn't know that they'd bring you in." I didn't know you'd do this.

"Ahh, they just wanted to see who your friend was!" Kakashi's smile stretched into a grin. "It was a little scary, but I'm here now!" He sobered slightly, adding, "I'm still your friend, right?" You're not alone in this.

"Yeah!" Naruto broke out into an ebullient grin, the sight reminding Kakashi exactly why he had done this in the first place. "You should come in," he added.

"Don't mind if I do."

It was then that Naruto noticed the tattered book in Kakashi's possession. "Is that…a book on plants?"

"Perfect for a merchant, wouldn't you say?"

"Um…isn't that the book that was peed on by—"

"I think I'll just put it here—"

"Don't you dare!"

The offending book went flying out the window, but Kakashi couldn't exactly say he was sorry to see it go. Then again, he was too busy defending himself with a pillow to really protest.

That it coincidentally hit an ANBU on the head was just a bonus.

All right, now how many of you expected that twist? :P I confess I had too much fun with Kakashi's interrogation scene (does it show?). Anyway, ramifications of Danzou's assassination are still coming. This chapter wasn't the longest but I'm trying to have an average word count for these chapters. Unlike some other stories of mine... (Let's see how well I keep to this in the future.)

Ibiki is the same age as Kakashi's physical body, but he's already a high-ranked interrogator. Mind, he's not as good as he is by the time we hit actual canon, but he's good enough to deal with "children," which is why they had him handle Kakashi/Sukea's interrogation.

Feel free to hit me up on tumblr! Username's the same as here. You can also check out my other works, although none of them are Naruto. But if you're fans of Supernatural and Avengers I've got another series with that and asexual/aromantic characters. It's well over 700,000 words of reading material so that might tide you over for some time. As well as a Dragon Age one with a demisexual protagonist... (I'm going to stop now.)

Please let me know what you thought! :D