A/N: Uhh, hey there. So even though the Naruto manga ended over a year ago (*sniff*) and even though I updated this story last over TWO years ago… I think it needs a proper ending, don't you? Surprise!

Fair warning: This is the last chapter of this story as well as my own ending for Naruto as a whole, meaning you won't see Boruto and the other canon kids, and the events of the different hidens and movies won't be covered. This is all my interpretation. Everybody got that? Good!

Epilogue

Six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War…

"Honestly, sensei!" Sakura exclaimed from the hallway. "We're going to be late to your own inauguration!"

Kakashi chuckled as he adjusted his forehead protector in front of the mirror. The closed bathroom door was all that stood between him and Tsunade 2.0. If he wasn't careful, that door would be demolished, and even though he was becoming the sixth hokage, he'd still have to foot the bill. He set the protector in place and tied it behind his head. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, both of his onyx eyes staring back. He no longer covered the left eye, since he had lost his Sharingan, or Obito's Sharingan, rather.

"I'll be right out," he said.

He liked to think that things between him and Obito ended better than he ever expected them to. When it was revealed that Obito was the masked man, Kakashi couldn't help but be really happy and overwhelmingly despairing at the same time. His childhood friend was alive, yet he was also the enemy, the one who had aligned himself with Madara and declared war on the shinobi world. Kakashi thought that he had lost Obito all over again.

However, in the end, Obito became an ally and helped save Kakashi as well as Naruto. He loaned Kakashi his two Mangekyō Sharingan, giving Kakashi the strength he needed to finish his part of the fight. They even had a chance to say goodbye to each other.

"Okay, I gotta go now…" Obito told him.

"Oh… okay," Kakashi said.

Obito looked tired, and it wasn't because of the sagging, wrinkled right side of his face. His eyes said it all. He was ashamed that he had ended up a pawn in Madara's game and was forced to fight those he had once called friends. Sharingan or no, Kakashi could see that plain as day. Obito closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I've messed up the ninja world," he said. "So I don't really know what to say to you at this point."

Kakashi didn't respond right away, but when he did, it was with a warm smile.

"Well, in the end, me being able to say goodbye as friends, not enemies… that's all I need. To a friend that's always late because he's so busy saving lives."

Obito opened his eyes, yet his gaze remained fixed at the ground. However, when he finally glanced up at Kakashi, he had changed completely. His hair wasn't white anymore, and his face was young and no longer afflicted. Obito was a kid again, with his goggles placed on top of his forehead protector and everything. Kakashi didn't have to look down at himself to know that he was a kid again as well. He could sense it. Obito grinned, and Kakashi grinned back.

"Thanks, Kakashi," the former said. His body was becoming transparent as he started to disappear. "I've gotta go… see ya. Rin's waiting for me."

"Have you thought of an excuse for being late?" Kakashi asked.

"I already told her I was going to save your ass," Obito laughed. "So it's fine."

"I see…"

"You've got someone of your own waiting for you back there, you know. You'd better get going, too."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "What?"

Obito's smile never faltered, even when it was so faded that Kakashi could almost no longer see it. He didn't offer any explanation for what he had said, and by then, it was too late. He was gone, and so was his Sharingan. Kakashi returned to reality, exhausted and confused.

Kakashi shook his head a little, smiling at the mirror.

Obito… he's waiting for me right now, he thought. Everyone is. I'm becoming hokage today in your place. Well, before Naruto comes along, at least.

"Sen-sei!" Sakura called again.

"Alright, alright," he replied. "I'm coming."

Kakashi finally turned away from his reflection, opened the door, and stepped out of the bathroom. The pink-haired kunoichi whirled around and pounced on him almost immediately.

"Jeez, you're such a dawdler!" she declared, hands on hips. She inspected him from head to toe and only found one flaw. It was practically invisible and could've gone without correcting. But she tugged on the bottom of his jonin vest and nodded. "There. You're set."

"Thanks, Sakura."

She led the way as they exited his apartment, and he locked the door behind them. They made their way out to the streets of Konoha and found them completely empty. That was a bad sign. Unfortunately, Sakura was probably right: everyone was at his inauguration except him. Teacher and student dashed through the village toward the Academy, where the ceremony was going to take place. When they finally caught up to some people, all of them were clamoring excitedly and hurrying in the same direction, paying the two of them no mind. They were so distracted that they didn't even notice their new hokage beside them. Kakashi could hear the roar of the crowd already.

"We'll have to go around to the back," Sakura said with a laugh. "We don't want to ruin your big appearance."

"Sounds good," he said.

They moved away from the main drag and ran behind houses and apartment complexes. No kids were playing outside, and all of the shops were closed. They trailed the bottom of Hokage Mountain. Kakashi watched the faces of his predecessors as he went. The First and Second were beyond his memory only until recently. They had died long before he was born, but when both of them were reanimated due to Edo Tensei, Kakashi actually had the chance to meet them. It was intimidating, to say the least. Yet he had confirmed that each of them had been hokage for obvious reasons: their intelligence, power, and vision, among other things.

The Third was Asuma's father, and so because Kakashi was friends with Asuma, he respected the Third very much. However, it wasn't until Kakashi left ANBU that the Third became his superior, and he began to know the Third really well. The Third mentored him when he became a jonin sensei and turned out to be a good counselor on more occasions than he could count. Of course, when the Third sacrificed his life for the village, he had mourned him along with everyone else, maybe even more so. So Kakashi was happy to see him when he was reanimated along with the other hokage.

Then, there was the Fourth, Minato. As with Obito, Kakashi never imagined that he would see his sensei again, much less fight with him on the battlefield once more. It was the reunion of Team Minato that Kakashi only dreamed of, even though Rin hadn't been reanimated. She was with them regardless. Kakashi could feel it, and he knew that Minato and Obito did as well. He was elated to see Minato one more time. It got even better when Naruto was able to reunite with his father. Kakashi wished that all of them could stay together just a little while longer. When Edo Tensei was released, though, all of the hokage disappeared along with the previous kage from the other villages. It was the most surreal moment of Kakashi's life, seeing all of those past lives gathered together in the presence of the Sage of Six Paths and the tailed beasts. Besides fighting Kaguya, that is.

Finally, there was the Fifth, Tsunade. She was handing the position over to him and going into retirement, being the first of the Gokage to do so. Kakashi was surprised that Ōnoki hadn't been the first to retire because of his old age. He figured that Tsunade was only doing it to pawn the work off to someone else and get back to her drinking and gambling. But Kakashi could hardly blame her. If he had been hokage during the war, he would've been retiring instead of being inaugurated.

He glanced at the blank space in the rock where his likeness would eventually go, for real this time. Minato-sensei, he thought. I hope I can make you all proud.

He and Sakura stopped running at last and approached one of the back entrances to the Academy. They made their way in and up to the roof just above the hokage's office. Everybody that Kakashi had requested would be there. As they walked up the stairwell to the roof, he wiped his hands on his pants.

They arrived on the roof, and Kakashi had been spot-on. All of them stood in a formal, single-file line, paving the way to the edge of the roof. The crowd noise wasn't as loud at the moment; it had been quelled in anticipation. Yet he knew that would change very soon. Sakura strode ahead of him and took her place in the line, which consisted of the most cherished people in his life. Kakashi turned to the people right next to him, who were at the end of the line.

"Took you long enough," Shikamaru told him, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Sakura was absolutely right: you're late to everything, Kakashi-sensei!" Ino nagged.

"Congratulations on becoming hokage, Kakashi-sensei!" Choji said with a wide grin.

Kakashi had become Team 10's jonin sensei after Asuma passed, and he helped them complete a critical and personal mission in order to defeat Kakuzu and Hidan. Ever since, Kakashi felt that they were special to him, since he looked out for them in lieu of Asuma. At first, he was obligated to because Shikamaru had asked him to. However, as time went by after the mission, Kakashi remembered that Asuma was a dear friend of his, and he knew that Asuma would have wanted it. So leading Team 10 had been well worth it. Kakashi observed Asuma's absence and sent a silent greeting his way.

"Thank you," Kakashi said sincerely. "It's good to have you all here."

Shikamaru scoffed but smiled, and Ino and Choji laughed. Kakashi shook each of their hands before moving on to the next group in line. He might have been in a wheelchair now, but Gai looked more alive than ever. Kakashi supposed that he was still filled with the spirit of youth, and having Lee and TenTen at his side only invigorated him more. They had lost an important team member, too, and his absence was noticeable. Yet they all seemed as ecstatic as ever.

"Congratulations, Kakashi-sensei! Well done!" Lee exclaimed, saluting him.

"Congratulations!" TenTen chimed in.

Gai threw him a thumbs up, sported a shining smile, and started the heartfelt speech that he had expected to receive on this day.

"Kakashi… my eternal rival, my longtime friend. We've come far since our days at the Academy, wouldn't you say? Times have changed, people have come and gone, but we have remained, our youth fully intact! I'm glad that I challenged you one last time after Pein's attack on the village. Even though you didn't become hokage then, it's truly happening now, and…"

Gai lowered his eyes, looking at his legs. "We wouldn't have had that last match after all." Then, his head snapped up as though nothing had happened. "Yet we have new challenges of a different kind ahead of us, and we shall charge toward them with the fiery spirit of youth!" He nodded in earnest. "Thank you for everything, Kakashi, and congratulations."

Their friendship had been through its ups and downs, especially after Kakashi lost his father. Their rivalry, however, had been a highlight of his life. They motivated one another more and pushed each other further than anyone else ever had. There was almost no one that Kakashi trusted to have his back more than Gai. His father couldn't have said it better: Gai would surpass him, and he did by many, many miles. Gai's fight with Madara during the war proved that without a doubt, even if it did cost him his ability to walk. He fought with the intention to die, and he came out of it alive. That's all that Kakashi could ask of him.

Kakashi clapped Gai on the back. "I couldn't have done it without you, Gai. Our rivalry kept me going. And like I told you back then, it's reassuring having you here. I know that I can count on you to still be here when I need you."

Both Gai and Lee started sobbing almost simultaneously, tears and snot dripping on their faces.

"Kakashi…!" Gai said, his voice trembling comically.

Kakashi lifted his hand, smiled, and moved past them. The last group he faced was his own Team 7, the original trio. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all there, the living reincarnations of the legendary sannin and saviors of the world. They were the only team that he had ever passed as a jonin sensei. He couldn't have been prouder of what they had achieved and that they had come back together as a team in the end.

He went up to Sakura first, who proceeded to wrap him in a spine-splitting hug. She even lifted him off of his feet, which caught him off-guard, and he couldn't help but laugh. She put him down again and raised her arms up to put them on his shoulders. Kakashi's eyes widened as she stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek, kissing his mask.

"Congratulations, sensei," she said. "You're going to be an amazing hokage."

"Thank you," he murmured.

Sakura had grown into one of the best kunoichi that Kakashi had known and would probably ever know. She had surpassed her master by leaps and bounds, like Chiyo predicted so long ago. Sakura was a medical-nin of the highest degree, and Kakashi knew that her future would be bright. When he first met her, she had been so focused on winning Sasuke's affection, so in love with him. She still was. But she had also become a splendid ninja in the process.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke next, taking note of the stump of his left arm. So Kakashi offered his right hand for Sasuke to shake. The Uchiha gave his characteristic "hn," a small smile flashing across his face ever so briefly, and took Kakashi's right hand with his own. They shook once, yet each man had a firm grip and held it for a few seconds afterward before letting his hand fall.

"I'm glad that you decided to stick around for this," Kakashi told him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, of course," Sasuke responded. "Congratulations."

Sasuke's entire life had been one enormous roller coaster, his time as a member of Team 7 included. Kakashi couldn't convince Sasuke to give up on his revenge, and he defected from Konoha. Back then, Kakashi hadn't been able to understand him, even though Kakashi thought that they were so similar. For once, though, he had been wrong. When Sasuke entered the war, Kakashi had no idea what his former student's intentions were, and he realized that he still didn't understand Sasuke; however, someone else did, and Sasuke was back. That's all that mattered.

Kakashi got to that person right after. Naruto stood there with a beaming smile plastered on his face. It was clear that he couldn't contain himself. The jinchuriki embraced his sensei, even though he was missing most of his right arm, and Kakashi actually hugged him back. Naruto was the spitting image of Minato, and not just in looks alone. Kakashi had witnessed it on the battlefield when Naruto saved him and Gai from the tailed beast bombs of seven other jinchuriki. They were seconds away from certain death, and Naruto intervened in a way that only the Yellow Flash could have done.

At the same time, though, Naruto was like Kushina in personality. He also had Jiraiya's sense of humor, probably much to his mother's chagrin. Of course, Naruto had inherited the Will of Fire and carried the will of everyone in the world on his shoulders as well. He brought everyone together and connected them, as the Sage of the Sixth Paths had foreseen. It was almost impossible for Kakashi to believe what this young man had done in his short lifespan.

Naruto pulled away. "Kakashi-sensei… this is so cool!" he said genuinely. "First old man Third was hokage, then Dad, Tsunade-baa-chan after him, and now you."

"It'll be your turn soon enough, Naruto," Kakashi said. "When I pass this on to you someday, you better be ready."

"Of course!" his student proclaimed boldly. "I've always been ready, you know that!"

It hadn't been that simple, Kakashi knew, but Naruto was a pretty simple guy. So instead of going into a lecture like he normally would've, Kakashi simply nodded. Naruto returned the gesture.

"Congrats, sensei," he said.

"Thanks," Kakashi replied. Then, he addressed all three of them. "I'm proud of you and happy to have been your sensei. Yet this isn't the end of Team 7. It wasn't before, and it isn't now."

Tears welled in the eyes of both Naruto and Sakura, and Sasuke had a thoughtful expression on his face. The three of them seemed to deeply consider Kakashi's words. They all thought that Team 7 had ended when Sasuke left the village and especially when he became their enemy during the war. However, Naruto had brought him back, just like he promised he would. Team 7 had never truly been apart. They always cared for one another, no matter what happened to convince them otherwise.

Kakashi passed them before tears of his own threatened to build. He arrived at the first person in line, the last that he would greet before Tsunade commenced the ceremony. Iruka grinned as Kakashi reached for him, grabbed him, and pulled him close. He laughed and became really warm when Kakashi nuzzled his neck and placed a soft and short kiss there. For a moment, they were lost in each other. But Kakashi had to remind himself where he was and what he was doing. He moved away quickly and held Iruka at arm's length. He could tell that Iruka understood, though. The chunin nodded, unable to hide the blush that burned in his cheeks.

When they looked at Tsunade, she was standing a distance away from them with Shizune and tapping her foot impatiently. That wasn't good. Kakashi resumed staring at Iruka, and the other man stared back, the man that Kakashi loved with all of his heart and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Iruka opened his mouth to speak; suddenly, however, Kakashi beat him to it.

"Let's get married, Iruka."

That got the attention of Tsunade and Shizune as well as the entire line of people beside them. Iruka's mouth hung agape, clearly too surprised and baffled to say what he was going to say earlier. When he could finally form words, he stammered.

"Married?"

"Ah good, you did hear me," Kakashi laughed. "That would've been embarrassing if you hadn't."

Iruka still couldn't properly function to form any sort of coherent response. He tried saying something that only came out as a mixed jumble of sounds. Then, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you asking me to marry you, Kakashi?"

"You're the one asking all of the questions here, not me," the jonin teased.

It was too cute, the way that Iruka's entire face and neck flushed bright red because of Kakashi's jest. Yet he pouted at Kakashi for a moment or two before grinning like a fool.

"Yes," he said at last. It seemed like everyone around them was holding their breath. "My answer is yes."

Everybody present erupted into cheering and clapping as Kakashi hugged Iruka once more. Kakashi only made it last a few seconds. But when he attempted to put distance between them again, Iruka caught a quick kiss on his lips before he got too far. Kakashi could feel the warm and wet spot that Iruka had left on his mask.

"We'll have to plan the ceremony later," Iruka chuckled.

"Yeah," Kakashi replied, casting a wary eye upon a fuming Tsunade. "We'll get to that."

Kakashi strode over to the fifth hokage, calm, cool, and collected as always. Shizune giggled nervously as Tsunade gave him a death glare. Tsunade pinned a tiny microphone to his jonin vest, and fortunately, it hadn't been turned on yet.

"If it weren't for all of these people, I'd beat you senseless right now," she threatened.

"It's nice to see you, too, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi said with a smile.

The people in question formed a sea around the Academy, and for a crowd that enormous, everything was rather quiet. Everyone in Konoha was there, they had seen him appear on the roof, and they were nearly silent. The wind picked up as the morning sun started on its path and rose into the sky. Tsunade's rage then seemed to pass, and she faced every person in the village. She switched on a microphone of her own, which was pinned to her coat.

"The Fourth Shinobi World War has ended, and the Shinobi Alliance continues to endure," she said confidently. Her voice was picked up by the microphone and resounded loud and clear. "Many shinobi across the world fought and died for this to be so. Each village lost countless men and women during the war, and all of us lost family, friends, and loved ones well before their time. The winter season that have passed were times for reflection and celebration of our fallen."

"However, now that spring has begun, we must look to the future. The leaves have grown anew and given life back to Konoha, as they always have. Naturally, this time of rebirth comes with many changes, ones that will be made for the improvement and benefit of our village as well as the Alliance. You all know that I announced my retirement shortly after the war's conclusion, and I took the time to consider my successor."

Tsunade gave a heartfelt smile at this point. "I didn't need much time to make my choice. He was selected after Pein's attack by the village elders and the daiymō to replace me, and even though I recovered and remained hokage, I agreed with them completely. Ever since he was a boy, Hatake Kakashi has proven essential to Konoha. He ascended quickly through the shinobi ranks and became one of our village's elite fighters and strategists. He is successful in every mission he's assigned, and he protects his comrades to the very best of his ability, no matter the cost. He created a reputation that precedes him and will continue to for a very long time to come. There's no doubt in my mind that he will make an excellent successor. On this day, Kakashi will become the sixth hokage!"

The noise of the crowd exploded, and it was unlike anything that Kakashi had ever heard. Tsunade returned to him, and Shizune wasn't far away. The younger woman now held the new, clean cloak of the sixth hokage as well as the hat. Tsunade accepted the hat from her first and held it in both hands before him. Kakashi turned on his microphone with quick fingers.

"Hatake Kakashi," she began. "Do you swear to protect Konoha, its people, and its interests and represent it in everything that you do? Will you support the Shinobi Alliance that Konoha is a key participant in and uphold the peace that the Alliance has sacrificed so much to achieve? Lastly, will you carry the Will of Fire and its legacy in your heart and fight to maintain it until the end of your days?"

Kakashi bowed. "I swear."

"Then I, Tsunade, the fifth hokage, bequeath you with your garments and officially declare you as the sixth hokage of Konoha!"

The crowd went nuts down below. Kakashi stood upright once more and took the hat from Tsunade. He placed it on his head and fixed the sheets of material that cascaded down his face and behind his head. Shizune passed the hokage cloak to Tsunade, who then gave it to Kakashi. With a sweeping motion, he threw the cloak over his shoulders and put it on. He glanced over his shoulder at the red kanji going down his back, which spelled out "Rokudaime Hokage," and the matching flames that licked at the bottom of the cloak.

When Kakashi presented himself to all of Konoha, they cheered and applauded, generating a deafening sound. He could see people crying, others laughing, and everyone beyond elation. He held both of his hands up, however, and when they saw that, they shushed each other until no one made a sound.

Kakashi dropped his hands and swallowed thickly. "All I can say… is that I hope that I don't let any of you down," he said. "I can only dream of being as smart and powerful as the hokage who came before me. But I will do whatever it takes to serve each and every one of you as the highest authority in this village. You have my word on that."

He smiled from beneath his mask as the crowd noise picked up again. As he walked away from the edge of the roof and back to his loved ones, he gazed at both Iruka and Naruto. When Kakashi made eye contact with Iruka, the chunin nodded as if he was thinking the same thing.

Kakashi was only a stepping stone as hokage compared to what Naruto would become.

20 years later…

"C'mon, we have to hurry," Iruka insisted. "We're going to be late!"

"Naruto can go on without us if he has to, Iruka," Kakashi said lightly. "If he's not there when we get there, then you and I can just have dinner together, as usual."

Iruka stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to look at him. He was in a state of unnecessary panic. Kakashi couldn't help but be amused by his partner's frantic nature over something that was ultimately rather trivial. They weren't even running behind that much.

"But this is the first time that he hasn't had to cancel on us in the past few months, and his family's going to be there this time," Iruka told him. "I don't want to miss this opportunity."

"He's a busy man," Kakashi said with a shrug. "You remember all of the times I had to cancel on things like this? Besides, he's got the upcoming Gokage summit to deal with. He's probably even busier than usual preparing for that, and for all we know, he could have easily forgotten about tonight. There will be other opportunities to meet up with him later, though."

Iruka seemed to relax a little. He smiled and poked Kakashi playfully in the chest.

"Of course I remember. Yet there's only one way to find out if Naruto's forgotten or not, and that's to get going!"

He took Kakashi's hand and tugged him down the rest of the stairs into the living room of their house. Kakashi had always wanted to build his future home with his own two hands, and Iruka was very much onboard with the idea. So shortly after they were married, both men found an empty plot of land and went to work. They had lived there ever since Kakashi refused to live in the hokage's residence.

Iruka cupped Kakashi's face with his hands, and Kakashi placed his hands on Iruka's hips. With Iruka being so close, Kakashi gazed at him. The chunin's features had clearly been affected by the years that had passed. Wrinkles trailed across his face, and his skin sagged under his eyes. However, Kakashi certainly hadn't been immune to the aging process. Both of them were elders now and no longer shinobi. They had both opted for discharge when Kakashi retired from being hokage. They were, quite literally, an old married couple. Kakashi smiled widely at the thought.

"What was that you were saying about not wanting to be late?" he whispered.

"Oh, shut it," Iruka said jokingly. He tilted Kakashi's head down and planted a kiss on Kakashi's forehead.

The two men separated slowly, not wanting to be apart. But they exited their place and locked the door behind them. As they strolled down the street, Kakashi grabbed Iruka's hand, letting their arms swing between them. It wasn't a long walk from their house to Ichiraku Ramen, which had changed drastically over the years. What was once a stuffy, little shack was now a quaint café, with tables and chairs sprawled across the space as well as a new and improved bar top.

When Kakashi and Iruka entered Ichiraku together, they both spotted him immediately. So he hadn't forgotten or left yet after all. In fact, Kakashi wasn't even sure if he had ordered any ramen yet, which was shocking. Naruto wore the white robe of the seventh hokage, and his hat was hanging off of his chair. He was sitting next to Hinata at one of the tables and chatting with her. Something he said made her giggle and turn red. Sitting around them were their three children, talking amongst themselves. However, one of them saw the couple approaching and perked up.

"Oh!" he shouted and pointed at them. "Dad, Iruka-ossan and Kakashi-ossan are here!"

Naruto looked up as the older men walked over to the table.

"Yo!" the hokage said, greeting them with a wave. "Get over here!" Hinata and the other two kids all turned their attention to the couple as they pulled up their own chairs and sat down at the table.

"Modest as always, Naruto," Iruka chuckled. "It's good to see you all. How's it going, Kouta?"

He was the one who had loudly announced their arrival. Kouta was Naruto and Hinata's boisterous first child and their oldest son at 12 years old. He had Naruto's short, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, and he acted just like his father had at that age. Kouta's smile was brimming.

"Great!" he told them. "I've got my Academy exam tomorrow, and Dad's been helping me train whenever he can! It'll be really good!"

"That's good to hear," Kakashi said. "Best of luck. How about you, Hiroto?"

The middle child and second son was 9 years old, and he was a mix of both Naruto and Hinata. He had long blonde hair and possessed the Byakugan. He was shy like his mother was, but luckily not nearly to the same degree. Hiroto nodded with a small smile.

"Fine," he answered. "Thank you for asking, Kakashi-san. How are you and Iruka-san?"

"We're doing well."

"'Roto-nii-chan and I helped Mama around the house before he went to school today!" the last child piped up. "And then Mama and me did the rest together."

Miyako was the youngest of the three, being 5 years old, and the only daughter to boot. She had different parts of Naruto and Hinata's personalities in her, but she had Hinata's raven hair and Byakugan. She bounced a little in her seat.

"I do appreciate the extra sets of hands," Hinata said softly. "I've been busy keeping everything in order while Naruto plans the summit."

"And how's that coming?" Iruka inquired, addressing the hokage.

"Well Shikamaru's been helping me out with that a lot, but I told him that I was taking off the rest of the night to come here," Naruto answered. "So he took over until I'm back at the office tomorrow."

Shikamaru had his work cut out for him as Naruto's closest advisor, yet Kakashi thought that he was handling it extremely well. "It's good that you could make it tonight," he said.

"Yeah, totally!" Naruto said happily. "I'm glad I could, too."

"Daaaaaad, can we order now?" Kouta complained. "I'm starving!"

Naruto turned to his son and laughed, patting Kouta on the head and ruffling his hair. "You've been very patient, Kouta. Thank you for that. But yes, we can go ahead and order."

"Finally! Ayame! We want some ramen!"

Teuchi's daughter, now the owner of Ichiraku's since her father retired, walked out from behind the bar, cleaning a drinking glass with a rag.

"I'm ready when you are, Kouta-kun," Ayame told him in her bubbly manner. "Fire away!"

As everyone took turns ordering, Kakashi looked at each member of the Uzumaki family. When the ramen arrived, Kouta and Miyako both ate enthusiastically like their father, while Hiroto ate conservatively like his mother did. From time to time, Hiroto would remind Miyako to use her napkin and wipe her face. Once Kouta had finished his first bowl, which he did in record time, he encouraged Hiroto and Miyako to order another one with him, even when they hadn't finished theirs yet. But Miyako wouldn't fall behind her oldest brother, whereas Hiroto didn't treat their meal as a competition. Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata talked to each other and entertained their children in various ways.

"It's amazing, don't you think?" Kakashi asked Iruka under his breath. "The kind of husband and father that Naruto has become."

"Yes, it is," Iruka replied softly. "Even though he was made hokage, he still makes time for them, no matter what."

Kakashi nodded and heard a jingle come from the door of Ichiraku's. He turned around in his chair to see who had entered, only to find that it was Sakura. It was like a mini-reunion of some sort.

"Oh, hello, Sakura-san," Ayame said, greeting her from behind the counter.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Aunt Sakura!" the kids said at the same time.

"Hi, everyone," Sakura told them as she walked across the café and took a seat on Iruka's other side. "I figured I'd find you all here. I decided to come by after work and just say hello."

"Why don't you order dinner while you're here?" Iruka suggested. "We've got a lot to catch up on, after all."

Kakashi knew what Iruka meant. In the years that had passed, Sakura had worked her way through the medical corps and become a jonin sensei of her own cell. Soon enough, once her students had moved on, Sakura was promoted to head of the medical corps, and she founded a medical school for shinobi who wanted to become medical nin and even for the average citizen who wanted to study in the field of medicine. The medical school produced enough skilled, civilian doctors and nurses for Konoha's hospital as well as new medical nin for the corps. She created a whole new, original system of medical study for the village, which was a huge accomplishment. She had done so much, a lot like Naruto had.

Unlike Naruto, however, Sakura never started a family. As much as she loved Sasuke, things didn't work out between them. Yet that hadn't kept Sakura down for long. She busied herself with studying and teaching, and after a while, she decided not to be a wife or a mother entirely. She was very much Tsunade's disciple.

As for Sasuke, he chose to travel the world shortly after his final battle with Naruto. Kakashi was surprised when Sasuke explained his situation with Sakura to him in total confidence; Kakashi hadn't shared a word of it since. When Kakashi asked if Sasuke returned Sakura's feelings, the Uchiha actually answered yes. But he said that he was undeserving of Sakura's love and had hurt her too much to even think of spending his future with her. Kakashi understood that Sasuke was right, yet he couldn't help but feel remorse for both him and Sakura. Despite everything that had transpired, he had hoped that something would happen between them, even if it took many years to forgive and move on.

Sasuke revisited Konoha from time to time, and his relationship with Sakura seemed normal enough. However, it wouldn't go beyond friendship.

Kakashi thought of all of the members of Konoha 11 in that moment. Naruto had become hokage, Sakura the head of the medical corps, and Sasuke a wanderer. While Hinata had become the hokage's wife, Kiba became a jonin sensei and head of the Inuzuka clan, and Shino had been a teacher at the Academy and part-time entomologist. Shikamaru had been a jonin sensei, teaching Asuma's daughter like he promised he would, and became one of Naruto's advisors. Ino and Choji had become the heads of their respective clans, married, and raised two children, both of whom were close friends with Naruto's children. Finally, Lee and TenTen married and had two kids as well after spending time as jonin sensei themselves.

And here he was, eating dinner with two of his cherished students and the man he loved more than life itself. Kakashi watched as Iruka chatted with Sakura and laughed at something she had told him. The way Iruka threw his head back and laughed so wholeheartedly almost made Kakashi tear up. At one time, there had been so much pain and misunderstanding between them, but that seemed like a lifetime ago, as though it had never happened. Kakashi was glad that things had changed. So many things.

When Iruka caught Kakashi staring at him, he placed his hand on Kakashi's.

"Are you alright?" the chunin asked with a smile. "You've barely touched your food."

Kakashi chuckled and grasped Iruka's hand in return. "Yeah, I'm good. Just lost in thought. I'd better get to this before it gets cold."

He let go of Iruka's hand to take hold of his chopsticks. His bowl of ramen was still steaming after all this time and smelled delicious. Normally, this would be the moment that Kakashi would scarf his meal down, removing and replacing his mask so quickly that no one could see his face. Yet this time, he tugged his mask down, and he left it bundled below his chin. He leaned back, ate leisurely, and enjoyed himself. Meanwhile, everyone around him went completely silent and gaped at him in total disbelief. Iruka merely blushed and smiled knowingly. Kakashi blinked in surprise.

"What?"

A/N: Oh my good golly gosh, that was incredible to write. I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did (because I enjoyed it SO MUCH)! Anyway, leave your thoughts, good and bad, in a review, and I'll see you next time. Take care!