A.N: I'm back, baby. Lez do this!
Tale of Crimson Tails
Chapter 6: Tails of "Fuck This"
'Fuck this.'
'Fuck this.'
'Fuck this.'
'Fuck, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!'
". . ."
'This is bullshit!'
'I mean really, who in their right mind thought this was a good idea, hmm? I wanna know! I want to know what idiot thought this was a good idea!'
". . .Kit."
'I mean, six years! Six years they saw us interact with each other! What excuse do they have for this big of a fuck up?! Huh? Tell me Kyuu!'
" Umm. . .I. . I don't know. Listen Ki-"
'Has the old man finally fallen off his rocker!? Is that it?! One too many nosebleeds maybe. That's what he gets for reading all that Hentai, perverted motherfu-'
" That. . . is quite possible but, I don't think-"
'FUCK THIS!'
Flashback: Five Minutes Ago
" Alright everyone! Gather round, I have the order of your Gennin teams here!" Iruka said, watching as all of the future Gennins lined up in front of him. He wasn't too sure how these teams were going to go over with everyone. Originally he had placed Naruto on a team with Shikamaru and Kiba with Asuma as the Sensei, but Hokage-sama had over-ruled his decision. That still smarted a bit. He had watched these kids together for six years, damn-it! When it came to who worked well together, he knew best!
Iruka glanced at Shikamaru and Shino talking quietly with Naruto, while Kiba bounced around him excitedly. He sighed and prepared himself for the loud shouts of indignation sure to come.
"A-hem! The teams go as follow: Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akamichi Choji with Sensei as Sorutobi Asuma. Team 8: Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata with Sensei as Yuuhi Karenai. Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruna Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto with Sensei as Hatake Kakashi."
. . . . .
"EEHHHHHHH?!"
"I wanted to be on Sasuke-kuns team!"
"Aw, we're not on Narutos team?!"
"Troublesome."
". . ."
"Yosh! Take that, Ino-Pig!"
"Na- Naruto-kun."
"*Munch*, *Crunch*, *Slurp*."
"Hn."
'. . .'Ruka-sensei you traitor!'
Present
Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji and Shino looked at each other. Then they turned and looked at Naruto. He had a vacant look in his eyes. He hadn't reacted at all when Iruka-sense listed the teams.
"Oi, Iruka-sensei, you broke Naruto." Shikamaru said.
"Ehhh? Oh- Oh my." Iruka stammered. He knew this was a bad idea.
Kiba shuffled over towards Naruto until their noses were almost touching. He leaned over and-
"O- Oi, Kiba! I don't think-"
-Poked him in the cheek. Hard.
"Wakey wakey, Naruto~! I know you're upset that we aren't on the same te-AUMPH!"
"I tried to tell you, you troublesome idiot." Shikamaru said, looking at Kiba sprawled out on the floor holding his smarting cheek.
Naruto looked at Kiba, awareness coming back into his eyes.
"You poke me, I poke you back." Naruto stated, smiling sweetly.
"Poke me!? You HIT ME! Wah, Akamaru! Why is Naruto so mean to me!?" asked a sulking Kiba.
'Because you're an idiot.' thought everyone.
"You good now, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, looking at Sasuke and Sakura. They were at the other end of the room, Sakura looking a little too happy and Sasuke looking. . .like Sasuke. Although he did look a little irritated. Shikamaru would be too, if he had Sakura draped all over his back like that.
Naruto followed Shikamaru's gaze and sighed.
"Yeah, I shouldn't complain. Comrades are comrades after all. As a ninja, you don't get to pick your team-mates. To be a good ninja means to be able to work with different shinobi under all circumstances. Petty differences can't get in the way of the mission." Naruto said, completely serious.
"Well said, Kit."
"Exactly right, Naruto-kun." Iruka said, smiling softly. Even Sasuke had a look of subtle, begrudging respect on his face.
"Still sucks that you're not gonna be on any of our teams, though." Choji said, munching on a bag of chips.
"True." Naruto said, nodding sagely.
The look of respect got whipped away.
'Though it's not really Sasuke and Sakura I'm worried about dealing with. Even though both of them are going to be troublesome.'
"Oh? And prey-tell,who is it exactly that you're worried about?"
'Hatake. That man has more baggage than a pack mule. How can he possibly, successfully lead a Gennin team?'
"Hm, you have a point."
'Of course I do. Personally I don't like his attitude. He's disgracing the memories of his loved ones, acting the way he is.'
"Why don't you tell him that, then?"
'Hm, maybe I will.'
"Oi, earth to Naruto. We're leaving." Shikamaru said, standing with his team alongside Team 10. Everyone else was gone. Looks like Team 7 were the only ones still waiting for their Sensei.
"Ah, Ja then. See you guys later." Naruto waved as he watched his friends leave the classroom. The only people left were himself, his team-mates and 'Ruka-sensei.
One Hour Later
"Ugh! That stupid Sensei! Where the heck is he?! He's an hour late already!" Sakura screeched. She was sick and tired of sitting around waiting for her stupid excuse of a Sensei to show up. If the man forgot about his future students then he obviously was an incompetent ninja.
'Ugh, we know this. You don't have to shout it loud enough for all the Hokages to hear.' Naruto thought, head laid on the table; eyes closed.
" 'Ruka-sensei."
Iruka looked up from scanning the papers filled with information about possible new Gennin canidates. Both Sasuke and Sakura looked up as well. This was the first time Naruto has said anything since the last hour.
"Yes, Naruto-kun?" asked Iruka, a smiled on his scarred face.
"You don't have to stay here with us if you don't want. You do get a few days off from the Academy now." Naruto said, sitting up.
"Yeah, Iruka-sensei! You don't need to stay with us! We are Gennin after all!" Sakura said, nodding her head enthusiastically.
Sasuke tilted his head down once in affirmation, a small smirk settled on his face.
"Ma ma, it's fine. I'll leave once Kakashi-san gets here." Iruka said, thumping the papers against the desk, stacking them in a pile on the top corner.
"Aa." Naruto's nose twitched.
'Speak of the devil.'
Naruto pushed away from his seat. He then lightly padded over to the chalkboard 'Ruka-sensei used for lessons and grabbed a dirty eraser. Walking silently over to the door he grabbed the closest chair, stepped up onto it gracefully, pulled the door open a bit, stuck the eraser in between the gap in the top corner, stepped down silently, put the chair back, then proceeded to plant himself on Irukas desk.
"Oi, Dobe. That's not going to work, he is a Jounin." Sasuke stated, arrogant smirk firmly in place.
'Dobe?' Naruto thought.
"Dobe?!" Kyuubi growled.
"Yeah, Naruto-Baka! Stop being so childish!" Sakura said looking happily at Sasuke.
'Naruto-Baka?!' Naruto thought, gritting his teeth.
"Naruto-BAKA?!" Kyuubi roared.
'Fuck This!'
"Oh? Willing to bet on that, Sasuke-chan~?" Naruto asked, casually studying his nails.
"SASUKE-CHAN?! NARU-"
Sasuke raised his hand, silencing her.
"Terms?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Whoever is right gets fifty brand new titanium senbon needles. Loser pays for them." Naruto said with a toothy grin. He reached his delicate arm towards Sasuke.
Iruka panicked. He knew Naruto didn't have that kind of money. The small penchant Hokage-sama gave him every month only covered Naruto's rent enough to have a small amount left over for groceries.
"N- Now boys-."
Sasuke reached out and grasped Naruto's hand in his. Sasuke's hand dwarfed Narutos in comparison.
'His bones feel so frail under my fingers.' Sasuke thought, slightly awed.
"Deal."
Just then the classroom door slid open.
Revealing one chalk dust covered Hatake Kakashi.
The eraser, that had bounced off Kakashi's head, clattered to the floor loudly.
Iruka tried to stave off the giggles trying to make their way up his throat.
Sakura gaped silently, her eyes wide.
Sasukes eye twitched.
Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder.
"I look forward to those senbon, Sasuke-chan."
Kakashi pointed to the three of them, smiling to hide his irritaion.
"My first impression is. . . I don't like you guys. Meet me on the roof." He then proceeded to Shushin out of the room.
Everyone in the room stared. For different reasons, of course.
'He's just sulking because he was caught off guard.'
"Agreed."
Naruto made his way to the door. Stopping he looked back at Iruka and bowed.
"Thank you for being my Sensei for six years Iruka-sensei. I promise to visit often." And with that, he headed towards the roof, Sasuke and Sakura trailing behind him.
Iruka looked after them as they left.
In all of his time teaching, Naruto was the first student of his to say "Thank You".
Iruka looked down, smiling softly.
"You're welcome, Naruto-chan."
.~***~.
Once all three of them were seated on the roof railing, Kakashi started speaking.
"Well, first off lets start off with some introductions. Likes, dislikes,dreams for the future, hobbies. Stuff like that." Kakashi said, leaning against the railing.
"Well since you are our Sensei, how about you go first Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said, nodding her head.
'He probably won't tell us jack shit.' Naruto thought.
"Oh? Me? Lets see, my name is Hatake Kakashi, I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes, dreams for the future?. . .hmmm. Well I have lots of hobbies. . ."
"Yup."
". . .So, we only learned his name?" Sakura asked, looking between Naruto and Sasuke.
"Alright, lets start with you on the left." Kakashi said, gesturing to Sasuke.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything. And. . . I don't want to use the word "dream" but. . .I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and. . . to kill a certain man." Sasuke stated, looking solem.
Sakura stared at him in awe. Kakashi however in suspicion. 'I thought so.'
Naruto kept up his poker face.
'. . .Really. All he had to say was that he could use a hug. What's the need for this overly depressing atmosphere? Jeez, Drama-Queen.'
"Pfft!"
"Ahh, next, the miss in the middle please." Kakashi waved his hand in Sakuras general direction.
"I'm Haruno Sakura, the thing I like is. . .Well the person I like is. . .Umm. . .Should I say my dream for the future? OH MY! The thing I dislike is. . . Naruto! My hobby is-"
'Yeah, well I don't like you either.' thought Naruto.
'Girls this age are more interested in love than ninjutsu. . .' thought Kakashi.
"Last but no least, you on the right." Kakashi said, pointing at Naruto.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, my likes are: A certain fox, my friends, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, gardening and my parents. I don't really have many dislikes, as for my dream for the future...I don't have anything concrete set yet. I'm only ten. And my hobbies pretty much have to do with my likes." Naruto finished. Although he did leave out a few things, but those were on a need to know basis.
There was a lengthy silence. Naruto looked around.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" He then proceeded to swipe his slim fingers over his scarred cheeks, trying to wipe away any crumbs or smudges.
Sasuke and Sakura were thinking along the same lines.
'He's ten? I mean he looks young but...' Sakura thought.
'Ten? How did the Dobe graduate two years before me?' Sasuke questioned, his fists clenched.
Kakashi on the other hand-
'Certain fox? Could he mean. . .? And his parents, could he know about Minato-sensei*? I'll have to get him alone after this.'
"That's enough of that. We will start with our duties, tomorrow." Kakashi said, looking at his students carefully.
"Duties? What kind of duties?" asked Sakura.
"First we are going to do something with just the four of us."
"Ooh, what?" Sakura asked, getting excited.
Narutos eyes narrowed.
"Survival Training." Kakashi smiled.
"Training is our duty? But we did plenty of training at the Academy." Sakura frowned.
" I'm your opponent, but this isn't normal training." Kakashi stated.
'Bell Test.' Naruto thought.
"Bell Test, Kit?"
'Yeah, it's where the Sensei has two bells in their possession and the students must work together to take it from them before the time limit. They use it to weed out the kids who aren't ready to be ninja.'
"How do you know all this, Kit?"
'Oyaji**, mentioned it in one of his scrolls about his team I found . He used the test on Hatake and his two other students. They passed, barely.'
"Ah, I see. Useful. You know your idiot father was young when he died, if he were alive he still would be."
' Well he's officially under the hill now. But his perverted disciple is still alive and kicking. . . I'll play along for now, Baka-Scarecrow.'
"Ano, then what is it?" Naruto asked.
" He he he."
". . ."
"Hey, what's so funny, Sensei?" Sakura asked, feeling a little anxious.
"No. . .Well. . .It's just that. . .When I tell you this, you guys are definitely going to flip." Kakashi said lowly.
"Flip? Why?" asked Sasuke, menacingly.
"Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Gennin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent!" Kakashi stated dramatically.
'. . . Seriously. Is it a Sharingan thing maybe? I mean, they both have it and both of them are being Drama-Queens. We all know Sharingan holders are a little over the top. I mean look at what happened to Itachi. Got put under too much pressure and pulled a fucking massacre out of his ass.***' Naruto thought.
"Very true." Kyuubi nodded sagely.
"W-What? But we already graduated?" Sakura asked, disbelieving.
"Oh. . . That? That's just to select those that have the chance to become Gennin."
"EHH?!"
"Anyway, tomorrow you will be graded on the training field. Bring all your Shinobi tools. Oh, and skip breakfast, you'll throw up." Kakashi said, handing the three children tomorrows itinerary.
"The details can be read on this printout. Don't be late tomorrow." Kakashi finished, smiling.
Kakashi watched as both Sasuke and Sakura made to leave, each deep in thought. When they were gone he turned back around-
And found Naruto still sitting on the railing, looking at him.
Those eyes made him uneasy.
They were a dull blue, almost slate grey. Completely different than a few seconds ago.
"Yes, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto never broke his gaze as he spoke,
"You wanted to talk with me."
Kakashi's one visible eye widened. He reached up to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Maa, you caught me. How did you guess?" Kakashi asked curiously.
Naruto smiled sharply,
"Fox's Intuition."
Kakashi's eye narrowed,
"About that Naruto-"
Naruto sighed.
"Yes I know about Kyuubi, Hatake." Naruto said, stone faced.
Kakashi's eye widened. 'H-How? That information is SS Class Top Secret. Who told him-'
Naruto watched carefully concealed emotions flit across Kakashis face.
" I did some digging and stumbled upon it myself." Naruto said, keeping his eyes on Kakashi.
"W-Wha-. . .Stumbled?!" Kakashi asked, his voice rising an octave.
Naruto narrowed his eyes,
"I'm ten. Not an imbecile, Hatake. You find enough clues, put two and two togther, and it makes sense."
"A-And your. . . parents?" Kakashi asked, swallowing.
"I figured that out too. But Kyuu filled me in on most of it. He wont talk about my Okaa-san though." Naruto said.
" Kyuu. . .you mean The Kyuubi?! You can communicate!?" asked Kakashi, shocked.
"Yes."
"Naruto, I don't think you understand the-"
"Calm down, Hatake. I understand perfectly fine."
"NO! You really don't! Minato-sensei would no-!"
Naruto backed Kakashi up against the roof railing, effectively pinning someone who was taller, older. Didn't mean Naruto wasn't stronger.
"You're the who doesn't understand, Hatake! You have NO right to speak of my Father's wishes! You know nothing! My Father, your HOKAGE, entrusted my well being to the people in this village. He wanted them to see me as their SAVIOR! Someone to be looked upon with gratitude and warmth! Not this scorn and hatred that I face every day! My Father wanted me to be surrounded by precious people, who would hold me dear to them and care about me! He-He wa. . .!
Naruto's eyes filled up with tears. He hadn't cried in years.
" M- My O. . .Oyaji w-wanted me to be. . .Happy!"
Kakashi thought he heard the sound of broken glass, but then realized it was the sound of his heart Shattering.
"A-And you people abandoned me! You abandoned a newborn baby! My own God-Parents left me in the care of an elderly Hokage who was so busy running a whole village that he couldn't focus enough attention on me! I didn't expect any of you to open your homes to me! I just-"
Kakashi closed his eye as if in physical pain when Naruto tightened hi little fists in his shirt.
"I just wanted someone to love me!"
A single tear slipped passed Kakashi's closed eye.
"You're so engulfed in guilt and shame that you don't see what's right in front of you! All of the people that died for you, you're shaming them, because you're not living anymore Kakashi! You don't have to forget them to move on! Don't leave their memories in the ugliness that was the past! Bring them forward with you, as you walk into the light that is your future! Carry them in here!" Naruto yelled, pounding the spot on Kakashi's chest where his heart beat frantically.
Naruto reached up and pulled Kakashi's Hitai-ate up at the same time he pulled his face mask down.
Both of Kakashi's mismatched eyes widened. "No sto-."
Naruto slammed him harder against the steel railing.
" You are Hatake Kakashi: Sharingan no Kakashi! Son of the White Fang of Konoha, disciple of Namikaze Minato: The Yellow Flash of Konoha, who was the disciple of The Great Toad Sage Jiraiya: One of the Legendary Three Sannins. You are also the Honorary Uncle to his child Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto: Jinchuriki of The Kyuubi no Yoko! START ACTING LIKE IT!" Naruto finished, removing his hands from Kakashi's flack jacket and turning around.
He reached the rooftop door before pausing and looking back at Kakashi.
"There was only one person who was here to love from the very beginning, Kakashi." Naruto said, smiling tiredly.
Kakashi squinted his eyes as a bright sunbeam landed on Naruto.
His eyes widened impossibly and his mouth dropped.
Standing next to Naruto was a red wispy shadow of a tall young man, with long hair, fox ears and nine fox tails. He had his shadowy arms wrapped around Naruto's slim shoulders and was smiling sadly at the emotionally drained child. "Lets go home, Kit" it whispered.
The sunbeam shifted, temporarily blinding Kakashi. When the spots finally cleared from his vision, Naruto and the shadow were gone.
Kakashi warily slid down the steel railing, emotionally exhausted. His whole body was shaking. He tilted his head up and looked the sky.
"You are also the Honorary Uncle to his child Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto: Jinchuriki of The Kyuubi no Yoko! START ACTING LIKE IT!"
"Minato-sensei, Obito, Rin. It looks like I have ten years to make up for." Kakashi said, face tilted towards the sun, eyes closed and a smile on his unmasked face.
TBC
A.N: Chapter six done! Worked in this sucker for over 10 hours straight. Phew! Apologies for the EXTREMELY long wait, but I am back and ready to role! How did you guys like it? Did I come back with a bang? Did anyone cry or at least get EMOTIONAL during the Kakashi Naruto scene? That fucken "Oyaji wanted me to be happy" scene had me bawlin there for a minute. I tried to make it more attention gripping. Let me know how I did. Also the *'s were there for a reason.
SIDE NOTES:
*: Yes, I know. Chapter One he's Arashi. And I had a good reason to choose that name instead but, Kazama Arashi just isn't as free flowing as Namikaze. It's awkward . And I can't go edit soooo, just pretend it was always Namikaze, okay?
**: Oyaji: Old man/One's father/boss. This one is a very casual thing to call one's father, equivalent to that use of "old man" in English, but usually portrayed affectionately. Can also be used as 'pops' or 'old man' (as in father).
***: Naruto and Kyuubi don't know what really happened with the whole Uchiha massacre thing. I don't want them to know everything right away, it makes for bad character development. I can just see Itachi and Naruto talking about the whole thing over pocky or somethin'. Summer is here and I'm feelin' youthful, so be on the lookout for frequent updates.