Ficlet: Tobirama/Kakashi
Summary: The Hatake made a bargain when they first joined Konoha and now Kakashi is bound to serve the Hokage and his family. He finds an unexpected friend there, however, as he struggles to come to terms with his new life. Meanwhile, the ninja world is in turmoil with the rise of new ninja villages.
Notes: This is just an AU ficlet at the moment. I don't know if I'll give wings to this bunny yet. Tobirama and Kakashi are stupidly fun to write, but I'm not sure how far I want to take this.
Disclaimer: Naruto (c) Kishimoto and probably some other companies whose names I don't know. I am making no material profit out of writing this.
Once, when Kakashi had been so young that his front teeth had been missing, his father had grabbed his little hand and taken him away from his favourite miniature fort into a musty room full of mustier people. The elderly visitors had talked to his father for hours on matters that went beyond little Kakashi's comprehension and so he had distracted himself from the discomfort of kneeling by trying to tell if there were indeed eyes beneath the heavy folds of their guests' wrinkled faces.
In the end, his efforts had been unsuccessful, but the attention he had been giving them had saved him from the embarrassment of not acting as a proper host. He had risen as his father rose and bowed as his father bowed. Even as he had watched the strangers shuffling their way out of the Hatake house, though, his restless mind had already erased the dull encounter from his memory and gone back to the mock battle he had been previously staging in his bamboo fort.
It would not be until years later that the youngest Hatake would think back to the events of that afternoon, or realise how his entire future had been determined then.
* * *
Tobirama Senju was wandering through his family's greenhouse, trying to hide from his duties after skipping out on the month's periodical council meeting. He did not particularly enjoy the solitude, but he felt in dire need of some uncomplicated activity - with absolutely unimportant consequences - to indulge himself in.
No matter what his fellow council members said about his wasted genius, being the Hokage's lazy brother was a position that suited him just fine. He got enough trouble and responsibility on his hands, even with the privilege of picking and choosing what projects he wanted to work on. His brother Hashirama could keep all the fame and glory of leading the village, as far as he was concerned.
A bush sprinkled with tiny blue flowers (his favourite colour) caught his attention and invited him to come over and spend an hour or two trimming out the excess branches. He even found a pair of shears and a stool already sitting by it as he approached, and jokingly decided that it had to be fate. No sooner had he touched the metal of the tools, however, that he heard the first shout.
He recognised the voice at once as that of his niece, Tsunade, and quickly ducked behind the tall shrub. The twenty-something-year-old loved his brother's only daughter as if she were his own, but getting involved in one of Tsunade's crazy schemes was a sure recipe for a headache. Even on his best days, his bachelor's temperament could only deal with the fiery girl one small dose at a time.
Unfortunately for him, there was only one way in or out of the greenhouse and the bleary shapes that he could make out through the opaque glass were coming ever closer to the door. The windows also only opened so much that nothing bigger than a small bird could come and go, which left him with only one option if he wanted to avoid being seen. Tobirama Senju, however, unlike his big brother who was always the first to volunteer when there was work to be done, prefered not to have to travel the extra mile if it could be helped and expending chakra on a teleportation technique just to avoid his beloved niece seemed like too much of a hassle to him.
With a mighty sigh intended to expell all his past, present and future pains in advance, he got up from his hiding spot and bid his bush goodbye. Instead, he continued on his roundabout stroll until he was standing next to the commotion.
"Good afternoon!... I hope?" he asked, slinging an arm around Tsunade's shoulders and giving her a friendly shake. Her pout was fierce and her gaze murderous, so he looked for an answer from the rest of her company instead.
Three others were with her: his sister-in-law, Mito - a lovely lady from a foreign land with an exceptional mind and an exotic look who Tobirama could see himself envying Hashirama for marrying had he been a lesser man; one of his brother's Anbu - probably assigned to protect the Hokage's family; and a jounin whom he vaguely recognised from the few times he had been forced to work at the mission distribution department.
"Uncle," Tsunade spoke in a harsh tone that was clearly intended for the others. He was one of her favourite relatives. "Tell them that I do not need, or want, a useless shadow to trip over everywhere I go!"
"Eh?"
"Dear, that's not..." Mito sighed, wearily shaking her head.
"I'm afraid we must insist, Princess!" the jounin exclaimed. "This is what your father desires. It goes far beyond your whims! You cannot contest his decisions!"
Bad choice, Tobirama thought. He could see why his niece's top was blown if those were the poor ninja's best arguments and, from the look on her face, so could her mother.
"I don't care!" And like a typical teenager, Tsunade punctuated her statement with a shriek that pierced through his sensitive ear-drums, standing right next to her as he was.
"Tsunade! You are no longer a child," her mother scolded. "As an accomplished ninja, you should understand your father's concern. Act your age, please."
For a moment, his niece seemed ashamed and she lowered her head to her chest. She was a lot calmer when she spoke again.
"Uncle, please! Tell them!"
"I'm not sure about what's going on, my dear, nor do I think I want to. However, I do know that your father only wants what's best for you, so you should listen to them."
Tobirama wrapped it up with a kiss to the top of her head and decided to high-tail it out of there while the quiet lasted. It also wouldn't do to stay long enough that the jounin might mention his presence to the Hokage when he went back to report so, with a quick wink at Mito and a nod at the others, he took his leave.
"And where do you think you are going!?"
His good mood dissipated at the shout and Tobirama, the nice guy, felt his blood boil and his back straighten as he turned to contemplate the little low-life of a jounin who dared to address him in such a disrespectful manner.
Then he realised that the call was not intended for him at all. Someone had been trying to take advantage of his exit to slink out unnoticed as well.
Tobirama was surprised, impressed and aggravated at the same time that he had neither seen nor felt a fifth person's presence sooner, but as soon as he saw the colour of the hair on the young man's head, a full portrait formed in his head of how that could have happened and of what it was that his brother had planned that was so infuriating Tsunade.
"White hair... that's pretty rare for someone so young," slipped from his lips before he could help himself.
"You would know." The young man who looked to be his junior by just a few years waved at Tobirama's own head before the other ninja interrupted again.
"Hatake, you heard me! Get back here. This is your duty now!"
Hearing the name, Tobirama's guesses were confirmed and, as the two stared at each other in the eye, he thought the Hatake was looking mildly upset. His true expression was obscured by the mask that covered the lower half of his face, but it would not have mattered if it had been visible anyway. Members of that clan were notorious for their extreme self-control.
"Uncle!" Tsunade remembered to pipe in again, "take him back, please! Tell father I don't need anyone to follow me around. I can take care of myself just fine and..." - she paused, stealing a wary glance at her mother - "...you know."
Tobirama lifted his hands and shook them before him as he made his retreat.
"Oh no, little Princess. I'm not taking any part in this. You sort it out with your father."
And so Tobirama Senju and Kakashi Hatake had met for the first, but not the last, time.
Continue...
Notes: This is just an AU ficlet at the moment. I don't know if I'll give wings to this bunny yet. Tobirama and Kakashi are stupidly fun to write, but I'm not sure how far I want to take this.
Disclaimer: Naruto (c) Kishimoto and probably some other companies whose names I don't know. I am making no material profit out of writing this.
Once, when Kakashi had been so young that his front teeth had been missing, his father had grabbed his little hand and taken him away from his favourite miniature fort into a musty room full of mustier people. The elderly visitors had talked to his father for hours on matters that went beyond little Kakashi's comprehension and so he had distracted himself from the discomfort of kneeling by trying to tell if there were indeed eyes beneath the heavy folds of their guests' wrinkled faces.
In the end, his efforts had been unsuccessful, but the attention he had been giving them had saved him from the embarrassment of not acting as a proper host. He had risen as his father rose and bowed as his father bowed. Even as he had watched the strangers shuffling their way out of the Hatake house, though, his restless mind had already erased the dull encounter from his memory and gone back to the mock battle he had been previously staging in his bamboo fort.
It would not be until years later that the youngest Hatake would think back to the events of that afternoon, or realise how his entire future had been determined then.
* * *
Tobirama Senju was wandering through his family's greenhouse, trying to hide from his duties after skipping out on the month's periodical council meeting. He did not particularly enjoy the solitude, but he felt in dire need of some uncomplicated activity - with absolutely unimportant consequences - to indulge himself in.
No matter what his fellow council members said about his wasted genius, being the Hokage's lazy brother was a position that suited him just fine. He got enough trouble and responsibility on his hands, even with the privilege of picking and choosing what projects he wanted to work on. His brother Hashirama could keep all the fame and glory of leading the village, as far as he was concerned.
A bush sprinkled with tiny blue flowers (his favourite colour) caught his attention and invited him to come over and spend an hour or two trimming out the excess branches. He even found a pair of shears and a stool already sitting by it as he approached, and jokingly decided that it had to be fate. No sooner had he touched the metal of the tools, however, that he heard the first shout.
He recognised the voice at once as that of his niece, Tsunade, and quickly ducked behind the tall shrub. The twenty-something-year-old loved his brother's only daughter as if she were his own, but getting involved in one of Tsunade's crazy schemes was a sure recipe for a headache. Even on his best days, his bachelor's temperament could only deal with the fiery girl one small dose at a time.
Unfortunately for him, there was only one way in or out of the greenhouse and the bleary shapes that he could make out through the opaque glass were coming ever closer to the door. The windows also only opened so much that nothing bigger than a small bird could come and go, which left him with only one option if he wanted to avoid being seen. Tobirama Senju, however, unlike his big brother who was always the first to volunteer when there was work to be done, prefered not to have to travel the extra mile if it could be helped and expending chakra on a teleportation technique just to avoid his beloved niece seemed like too much of a hassle to him.
With a mighty sigh intended to expell all his past, present and future pains in advance, he got up from his hiding spot and bid his bush goodbye. Instead, he continued on his roundabout stroll until he was standing next to the commotion.
"Good afternoon!... I hope?" he asked, slinging an arm around Tsunade's shoulders and giving her a friendly shake. Her pout was fierce and her gaze murderous, so he looked for an answer from the rest of her company instead.
Three others were with her: his sister-in-law, Mito - a lovely lady from a foreign land with an exceptional mind and an exotic look who Tobirama could see himself envying Hashirama for marrying had he been a lesser man; one of his brother's Anbu - probably assigned to protect the Hokage's family; and a jounin whom he vaguely recognised from the few times he had been forced to work at the mission distribution department.
"Uncle," Tsunade spoke in a harsh tone that was clearly intended for the others. He was one of her favourite relatives. "Tell them that I do not need, or want, a useless shadow to trip over everywhere I go!"
"Eh?"
"Dear, that's not..." Mito sighed, wearily shaking her head.
"I'm afraid we must insist, Princess!" the jounin exclaimed. "This is what your father desires. It goes far beyond your whims! You cannot contest his decisions!"
Bad choice, Tobirama thought. He could see why his niece's top was blown if those were the poor ninja's best arguments and, from the look on her face, so could her mother.
"I don't care!" And like a typical teenager, Tsunade punctuated her statement with a shriek that pierced through his sensitive ear-drums, standing right next to her as he was.
"Tsunade! You are no longer a child," her mother scolded. "As an accomplished ninja, you should understand your father's concern. Act your age, please."
For a moment, his niece seemed ashamed and she lowered her head to her chest. She was a lot calmer when she spoke again.
"Uncle, please! Tell them!"
"I'm not sure about what's going on, my dear, nor do I think I want to. However, I do know that your father only wants what's best for you, so you should listen to them."
Tobirama wrapped it up with a kiss to the top of her head and decided to high-tail it out of there while the quiet lasted. It also wouldn't do to stay long enough that the jounin might mention his presence to the Hokage when he went back to report so, with a quick wink at Mito and a nod at the others, he took his leave.
"And where do you think you are going!?"
His good mood dissipated at the shout and Tobirama, the nice guy, felt his blood boil and his back straighten as he turned to contemplate the little low-life of a jounin who dared to address him in such a disrespectful manner.
Then he realised that the call was not intended for him at all. Someone had been trying to take advantage of his exit to slink out unnoticed as well.
Tobirama was surprised, impressed and aggravated at the same time that he had neither seen nor felt a fifth person's presence sooner, but as soon as he saw the colour of the hair on the young man's head, a full portrait formed in his head of how that could have happened and of what it was that his brother had planned that was so infuriating Tsunade.
"White hair... that's pretty rare for someone so young," slipped from his lips before he could help himself.
"You would know." The young man who looked to be his junior by just a few years waved at Tobirama's own head before the other ninja interrupted again.
"Hatake, you heard me! Get back here. This is your duty now!"
Hearing the name, Tobirama's guesses were confirmed and, as the two stared at each other in the eye, he thought the Hatake was looking mildly upset. His true expression was obscured by the mask that covered the lower half of his face, but it would not have mattered if it had been visible anyway. Members of that clan were notorious for their extreme self-control.
"Uncle!" Tsunade remembered to pipe in again, "take him back, please! Tell father I don't need anyone to follow me around. I can take care of myself just fine and..." - she paused, stealing a wary glance at her mother - "...you know."
Tobirama lifted his hands and shook them before him as he made his retreat.
"Oh no, little Princess. I'm not taking any part in this. You sort it out with your father."
And so Tobirama Senju and Kakashi Hatake had met for the first, but not the last, time.
Continue...