"Naruto?"
Kakashi glanced back in mild surprise at the small blond boy tugging on the hem of his flak jacket. His expression softened almost instantly. He crouched down, ruffled the spiky golden hair, and asked gently, "What's wrong?"
"You look kinda down, big brother Kakashi…"
Even though running into Naruto on the street wasn't exactly rare, the kid in front of him today was nothing like his usual ball of sunshine. Whenever Naruto was with Kakashi, he was normally bouncing off the walls.
"Big brother Kakashi…"
The little blond boy stared up at him, sniffled once, and opened his mouth like he wanted to say something—only to clamp it shut again, shoulders slumping.
Kakashi gave a quiet chuckle and tapped Naruto's forehead with two fingers. "What, is it something you can't tell me?"
Naruto looked at the silver-haired jōnin who'd been dropping by ever since he could remember. His face scrunched up in a bitter little pout, eyes growing glassy. He looked two seconds away from bursting into tears.
Kakashi's heart gave an uncomfortable twist. In one smooth motion he scooped the boy into his arms and body-flickered away.
If Naruto started bawling in the middle of the street, the villagers would probably think Kakashi was the one making him cry.
When they reappeared, they were on a quiet rooftop a few blocks away, far from prying eyes.
Naruto, who'd been right on the verge of tears, blinked in confusion at the sudden change of scenery. He glanced around, still a little dizzy from the teleport.
"What's going on?" Kakashi asked, voice low and steady. "Did someone bully you? Just point me at them—I'll take care of it."
The familiar voice came from right beside him. Naruto turned, stared at Kakashi for a second, then scrubbed at his damp eyes with his sleeve and puffed out his cheeks.
"If somebody bullies me, I'll just bully them back twice as hard!"
Kakashi couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped him. Still smiling, he hoisted the little blond higher—then, before Naruto could react, pressed him gently but firmly against the rooftop railing, half-dangling him over the edge.
"W-Waaaah—!"
Naruto flailed for a moment, trying to grab anything solid, until a strong hand clamped around his forearm. That grip became his lifeline, the only thing keeping him from a five-story drop.
Only then did he risk a cautious peek downward.
…Yeah, definitely five or six stories.
Kakashi plopped down cross-legged beside him, still holding on tight, and pointed toward the main street glowing warmly in the distance.
"Naruto, look over there."
Naruto followed the line of his finger.
The deep night sky melted into the soft orange lamplight below. Faint sounds of laughter and evening chatter drifted up—Konoha's night market in full swing. Rows of houses turned their backs to the darkness, framing the bright, lively road like a picture.
It was the first time Naruto had ever seen the village from this high up, from this angle.
"Pretty cool, right?"
The cool evening breeze ruffled his hair. Without thinking, Naruto scooted closer to Kakashi's warmth, but he still nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! It's super pretty!"
Kakashi ran a hand through the blond spikes again, voice softening.
"You can only see a view like this from up here. If you were by yourself, you'd have to get a lot stronger before you could stand in a place like this without being scared."
"But since I'm here, you don't have to worry about falling."
"So… you trust me, don't you?"
Naruto nodded immediately. "Mhm!"
"Big brother Kakashi is big brother Kakashi. When you're old and gray I'm gonna give you the best funeral ever!"
…
…Wait.
Didn't this kid say he was going to take care of Kakashi in his old age like two months ago?
How did it escalate to planning the funeral already?
Thanks, kid. Really feeling the love.
Kakashi exhaled through his mask, deciding to let that one slide.
"Anyway, you can tell me anything, okay? No matter what it is, I would never hurt you."
He offered a helpless, eye-crinkling smile.
Naruto's gaze dropped to his own swinging feet. The spark that had started to return dimmed again.
"…Big brother Kakashi."
"If you really don't want to talk about it, that's fine too," Kakashi added quickly. "Everybody's got secrets. Even I do."
Naruto shook his head. He looked back up at the man who'd always been there, ever since his very first memories.
"Who exactly are my mom and dad?"
"Today, when I was playing with Fat Tiger and the others… they said I don't have a mom or a dad…"
Kakashi's expression didn't change, but the ANBU operative watching from the shadows suddenly tensed.
Was Hatake Kakashi really about to—?
"Naruto's mom and dad…" Kakashi began, voice perfectly calm and gentle. "I knew them. We were pretty close, actually."
Naruto's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"They were incredible shinobi—really strong. But because they were so strong, they made a lot of enemies too. That's why I can't tell you who they are just yet. If the wrong people found out you were their son, they might come after you."
Naruto's shoulders slumped again. He kicked sulkily at the air.
"It's the same thing the old man always says… Nobody ever tells me anything."
"They all say I can trust you completely, but it's still a secret…"
Kakashi ruffled his hair again. "How about a promise, then? The day your strength is good enough that even I have to admit it—on that day, I'll tell you everything. The whole truth."
He held out his pinky.
Naruto stared at the outstretched finger, nose wrinkling.
"Eww, you're already so old and you're still doing pinky promises?"
Despite the complaint, he hooked his much smaller pinky around Kakashi's without hesitation.
Their fingers locked. A sly glint flashed through Naruto's cerulean eyes.
"Okay! I told you my secret, so now you have to tell me yours!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, then reached over and lightly pinched the boy's cheek.
"You really don't let anyone get away with anything, do you?"
"Fine. I'll tell you. I'm actually a visitor from outer space."
"I'm not from this world at all."
"Pretty cool, huh?"
Naruto's jaw dropped. Then he scowled.
"You're totally lying to a kid!"
"If you're gonna make something up, at least make it believable!"
Kakashi just laughed, holding the squirming kid in place, eye curving into that familiar crescent moon.
"Well… that depends on how you look at it~~"
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished a long meeting with the council. He leaned back in his chair, gazing into the crystal ball on his desk, a knowing smile tugging at his weathered face.
Who would have thought the Copy Ninja—so cold and unyielding with adults—could be this impossibly gentle with a child?
A visitor from outer space, huh…
He really will say anything to keep that boy smiling.
————
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