Chapter 4: Chapter 4: bug spray
When the first snow falls, Kakashi is outside Toshiro's door.
"Huh." He says, the frigid air slipping into his freshly heated home. "Hello, Kakashi-san. Would you like to come in?"
The man is dressed in all dark clothes, heavy and made for the winter. Snow dusts his shoulders, and Toshiro wonders exactly how long the man has been wandering out in the cold after spotting how red Kakashi's ears are. The other man doesn't look well. Tired, actually, like he's been working long hours. Or just returned from an exhausting mission.
"Thank you." The ANBU member murmurs, and steps past Toshiro into the much warmer indoors.
Toshiro isn't embarrassed about his living conditions. He has plenty of money, at any moment he could move out to one of the pricier apartments in a nicer district. But this apartment serves its purpose. It was a place to sleep, a place to keep his things, and a place to lounge around on his day off. Clean and well-kept, all facilities working (aside from that leaky faucet, but that's almost comforting at this point) and the heating unit recently repaired. His money would be better spent somewhere else, like on the orphanages.
Still, there's an odd glimmer of nervousness in his gut when Kakashi enters. Toshiro runs his eyes around the room, checking for anything out of place. His home is pretty average, mostly filled with plants and shelves of books and scrolls. The entrance leads into the living room, which also houses an open kitchen. It's not entirely updated, but all the appliances work, he's even got a dishwasher.
Kakashi's steel-dark eye glances over the plush couch covered in numerous throw blankets, the coffee table heavy with half open scrolls; then flickers to the kitchen, where the sink window is busy with plants and two pots simmer on the stove to the left.
"Have you eaten?" Toshiro asks, resuming his shoddy cooking. It's nothing fancy, he's just reheating a meal from the Akimichi.
Kakashi stands awkwardly in the middle of the living room. "You don't — "
"That's a no, then." He interrupts, throwing a smirk over his shoulder. "Sit down. It's just miso and udon noodles. You like savory foods, right?"
The off-duty ANBU exhales sharply through his nose.
"What?" Toshiro murmurs, humor in his voice, "Did you think I forgot? It's a very belated birthday gift, but I hope you'll accept it since you caught me off guard tonight."
"Has it been a year already?" Kakashi drawls, walking unhurriedly to one of the stools by the kitchen island. There's something heavy in his voice, like he can't believe he's even lasted so long.
Toshiro sighs, "Tell me about it."
They're quiet while he finishes heating up the food. It's not a suffocating silence, nor is it an awkward one. If anything, it's contemplative. Toshiro isn't sure what drove Kakashi to show up at his door and he's not entirely sure he should ask — or rather, if he'll need to.
He fills two hearty bowls with udon, then two smaller ones with the miso soup. It's actually something of a coincidence that he was cooking food that suited Kakashi's taste. He'd been this close to heating up the fried tempura, but a sudden craving for noodles had swayed him at the last second.
After serving the food and handing Kakashi a pair of chopsticks, Toshiro joins the other man at the counter, sliding onto the remaining stool. They clap their palms together at the same time, both muttering a soft itadakimasu under their breath.
Toshiro begins to eat first, resolutely not looking in Kakashi's direction. Nothing is ever said, but a man doesn't cover most of his face in public for years for no reason. He's sure Kakashi would feel uncomfortable with any attempt at peeking.
After a moment, he hears Kakashi begin to eat as well, though his pace is far quicker.
"I haven't seen you for… over a year, actually." The last time he had was a week after Kakashi's previous birthday, just before Toshiro finalized the deal with the Yamanaka.
"Mission." Kakashi replies, and by the tone of his voice it's not one he's allowed to talk about.
"Well...welcome home."
There's a pause.
Toshiro wonders if he's said something wrong.
"Ah," Kakashi finally replies, clearing his throat. "I'm home."
"Change is coming. You said that, the last time we talked. Or something like it." An hour later, Kakashi is lounging on Toshiro's couch, sunken into the blanket pile until only an arm and his head — with his ridiculous silver hair sticking straight up — can be seen. They'd washed the dishes quickly and quietly, and split a few slices of sweet mango as a desert.
Toshiro knocks a hand against Kakashi's knees and the older man tucks them up to create space on the couch. He sits, elbow pressed to Kakashi's shins and the man's blanket covered toes brushing his thigh.
"I remember. I'd just sealed the deal with the Yamanaka. Technically. We had to finalize some details after, but that night was...the start." He replies, tilting his head back to slump against the couch cushions.
Kakashi hums, "A lot has changed."
"Oh, you noticed?"
A sharp laugh, still a little odd and uncomfortable sounding. "Hard to miss. The entire hospital is...different. And I'm pretty sure the Uchiha have never been so friendly in all their lives."
"Bad experiences?" Toshiro turns his head a little to look at the other, meeting a single dark eye.
Kakashi blinks slowly. "Well, they're not fond of me being in possession of an eye they see as belonging to them."
"Hm, the one under your hitai-ate, right?" It's a rhetorical question. Toshiro knows exactly what's under there, it's all over Kakashi's medical paperwork. Eye transplant in the field. The way this world works still amazes him sometimes. Chakra attaching an activated dojutsu into the eye socket of a host that didn't possess the genetics for it? The idea of dojutsu theft was not new, but Kakashi was the only documented person in known existence to ever successfully receive a sharingan while not being an Uchiha. "I suppose I understand their worries. But a gift is a gift, and you don't seem the type to make it easy for your enemies. There are few others that dojutsu would be safer with."
Kakashi breaks eye contact, looking off to the side like he's never been less interested in the conversation. "Maa, sensei, you'll give me a big head."
"We wouldn't want that."
"Tell me about what you've done." The ANBU member requests, settling further into the blankets. He doesn't look like he'll be moving any time soon.
Toshiro speaks well into the night.
In the morning he wakes up in his bed, with nothing but the sight of long-dried bowls by the sink to tell him that it hadn't been a dream.
"Legally, you can't enforce a contract when the other party is under financial duress. Otherwise it's not an agreement, it's blackmail. On another note, a contract can become null and void if certain information comes to light that relates to the subject matter and was not agreed upon." Uchiha Fuyumi explains. Her long hair is tied in a pretty braid, a shade of navy so dark it's almost black. Her eyes are equally dark, but without the hints of blue (he doesn't think there's a single Uchiha in possession of eyes any other shade but black) and sharp with enough intelligence to rival a Nara. She's a member of the Uchiha Police Force and skilled in the art of law.
She's also been helping him learn the ins and outs. It's mind-numbing work, and this is from someone who reads biology books for fun.
"Undisclosed relevant information cancels the validity of a contract." She continues, and his hand is cramping at the speed in which he takes notes.
It's all useful information, after all. He's certainly going to need it. The Clans he'd dealt with really had been kind, showing him how to write up contracts and not screwing him over even when they could have, with his lacking knowledge on all the legal issues and concepts.
Uchiha Fugaku had swiftly decided that no ally of his would be caught out in a battle of law. The sound of Shikaku cackling in the background during that conversation wasn't inspiring in the slightest.
"If I ever get in trouble with the law, you'll save me, right?" He flutters his lashes prettily, brain hurting from all the legalese being tossed around.
Fuyumi scoffs, brushing a stray hair away from her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."
He's pretty sure she'd rescue him.
"Sensei!" A little voice exclaims, stopping him in his tracks on his way out of the Uchiha Compound. Sunset hues spill across the sky, tinging his ash-blond locks with pinks and gold. Air condenses before him with every exhale, last week's snow still heavy on the ground.
Toshiro turns to see Sasuke approach, looking like he's just finished up with a training session. There's a clump of mud in his hair and dirt on his nose, a tear in his shirt and what looks like ash on his sleeves. His cherubic face is flush red with the cold, ears pink and skin so pale it reflects the scattered rays of a sinking sun. There's no sign of blood, however, which is a relief. Kids really push themselves too hard these days.
"Sasuke-kun," he smiles, reaching out to brush the solidifying mud from the mop of dark navy hair. "You look like you've been working hard."
Sasuke pouts bashfully, swiping a hand through his hair like he's concerned about more mud. "I've been working on my Katon Jutsus!"
"Playing with fire, huh? That's pretty impressive for someone your age." It is, or it should be. The kids during peacetime should be allowed to take their time, it would certainly be better on their bodies — too much training could be damaging for their development. Konoha hadn't cared before, when the war had been raging and kids were made to learn jutsu at four, burning out their coils and resulting in a lot of chakra-related deaths. It's why Toshiro didn't like people brushing off chakra exhaustion while in the hospital.
"Nii-san learned it way before I did…" Sasuke toes the ground, though he does look a little happy at the compliment.
Toshiro purses his lips. "Is it hard? Learning it?"
Sasuke shrugs, "A little. But I'm getting better at it! I can do the Gyokyaku no Jutsu!"
"Wow, that is impressive! That's a C rank jutsu!" He kneels a little, so he's more at Sasuke's height, uncaring of the slush. "You know, you shouldn't worry so much about what your brother did at your age. You wanna know a secret? It's okay to take it slow. It's okay to be Sasuke, and learn what works best for you."
"But I have to be strong, like him." Sasuke murmurs, the grim expression out of place among his baby fat. "I'm an Uchiha."
Toshiro squeezes Sasuke's nose. The boy smacks his hand away, whining in protest and cheeks flushing a shade darker. "Don't be strong like him, be strong like Sasuke."
Sasuke rubs his nose. "I don't get it."
"Think about it, your brother loves you. He loves Sasuke." Toshiro smiles, brushing a strand of errant hair away from Sasuke's forehead. "He wants you to be you, whoever that ends up being. I know it feels like you need to listen to everyone else, or maybe it feels like you need to be the person they tell you to be….but then you're not really being Sasuke, now are you?"
"I guess…." The boy says, still frowning. "You say confusing things sometimes."
Toshiro laughs and ruffles Sasuke's hair, much to the boy's ire. "You'll do the same when you're an old man like me!"
( An entire team is slaughtered on a mission. The two Uchiha present have their eyes ripped from their sockets. )
"Don't freeze. Laugh like I've said something funny." Kakashi appears beside him while he's walking from the hospital after his twenty-four hour Tuesday to Wednesday shift. The morning sun hurts his eyes, but he doesn't feel super awful. He's stayed up for days on end before, this is nothing. (Nor is that really something to brag about.)
Toshiro tilts his head and smiles winningly, hair spilling across his cheek as he laughs. He leans in until he's almost flush against Kakashi's side, mouth hidden by the taller man's arm.
"Do you have somewhere safe to stay for a bit? Preferably with multiple defense systems." Kakashi asks, lone eye crinkling into a half-moon shape, even though his tone is the farthest thing from smiley.
"Pick a Clan, any Clan." Toshiro mutters, pretending to eye the stalls around them. He feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up and it takes every bit of will he possesses not to peer around in suspicion. "But let's go with the Nara."
Kakashi puts an arm around Toshiro's shoulders, the movement so swift he almost stumbles in surprise. Before he can protest, the taller man pulls him close — and they disappear.
"There's been an unknown operative tailing Toshiro for a few days now."
The Nara compound is gorgeous, traditional japanese homes made with tanned wood, surrounded by thick trees and patches of towering grass. Every house is compact, with a fenced-in yard, the Main House has a beautiful zen garden with smooth stones of various sizes and a small river, a gate at the end leading into the woods. They're more isolated than other clans. It's harder to spy on them. This is exactly why Toshiro chose them — that, and he trusted Nara Shikaku and his Clan. (Not to say he didn't trust the others, because he did.)
They're in the living room, sitting comfortably at a low table. Kakashi is slouched, one arm propped on a knee but a look of steel in his eye. Toshiro sits beside him, arms on the table and legs crossed beneath him. Across the two of them sits Nara Shikaku and his wife, Yoshino.
"Why not inform me when you first noticed?" Toshiro asks, keeping his voice light. He's not mad, just curious.
Kakashi's brow still furrows like he's been reprimanded. "I couldn't be sure that it wasn't a detail ordered by the Hokage...or…"
"You were gathering information." Shikaku says, "It's what every ninja does. What happened to make you react like this?"
After a deep breath, Kakashi straightens out a little. "I have reason to believe that the operative is not a member of ANBU, but in fact part of a faction known as Root."
Toshiro has never heard of such an organization.
"The Hokage disbanded Root years ago." Shikaku stresses, and the air grows tense. "Are you aware of what you're saying, Kakashi?"
Yoshino flickers her eyes between her husband and Kakashi, lips pressed in a hard line. She moves to get up, pressing a hand to Shikaku's shoulder. "I'm going to make some tea. I have a feeling we'll be here for a while."
"Thank you, Nara-sama." Toshiro says, relaxing his hands from the fists he'd unconsciously curled them into.
She waves away his thanks, pressing a hand to her cheek, "Oh, you're so polite, Aikawa-sensei!" A venomous look is shot at her husband. Shikaku shrinks in on himself a little.
"I realize exactly what I'm saying." Kakashi whispers, though both remaining listeners hear him. "Danzo-sama has been utilizing Root forces behind Hokage-sama's back. It was never disbanded, it only went underground."
Shikaku presses a hand to his head, looking pained. "Well, this is a mess."
"How...do you know this?" Toshiro asks Kakashi weakly, eying the two of them. It feels like a lot of information is going a little over his head. He's not as involved in the heavy politics of Konoha, as much as he wants to change it — he'd rather change the people in charge, make them want to be better — so while the seriousness of the situation is understood, it feels like he's missing some context.
"Root was a branch of Black Ops that went beyond ANBU. The operatives were ruthless, devastating and...inhuman. You can imagine the kind of missions they were required to do, I suppose, if you consider that not even ANBU would take them." Shikaku's gaze was heavy, the lines by his eyes looking deeper than they were a minute ago. "During the war they felt...necessary. Not everyone agreed. After, the Hokage abolished the group...or he claimed to do so. If you're saying it's still around, and this information is to be trusted...that means...oh, Kakashi..."
Kakashi seems to wither, though his gaze does not waver. "I was part of Root. Briefly." He halts, the words hard and forced from his mouth with obvious struggle. "After...After. When Sandaime-sama was reinstated, Danzo-sama was able to slip back in the cracks that had only been sealed by Minato-sensei. I was…"
Toshiro puts a hand on Kakashi's arm. "You don't have to explain if you're not ready for it. We get the gist."
Kakashi sags like his strings have been cut.
"I did some awful things," he finally whispers. "Things I'm not proud of. That was years ago, but Root still exists, I guarantee it."
"Danzo-sama is a member of the council." Toshiro knows that much, though he's never personally met the man. He knows Aoyama-sensei complains about him sometimes, his ornery nature is apparently considerably unpleasant.
"That he is." Shikaku mutters slowly, "He was also on Sandaime-sama's genin team."
Toshiro quirks a brow. "They have history."
Kakashi huffs, bitter and not at all amused, "Hokage-sama certainly treasures it."
At that moment, Yoshino returns with a tray of tea. They fall silent, though Shikaku gives Kakashi a searching, narrow-eyed look, one that Toshiro can't make sense of. Yoshiro places a cup before each of them, then carefully pours the boiling tea. The scent of mint fills the air. Toshiro inhales deeply, finding the scent relaxing.
He wishes he could sleep.
"It seems to me that you will need a place to stay, Aikawa-sensei." Yoshino announces once she's finished. She seats herself back beside her husband, delicately sipping her cup of tea.
Toshiro warms his hands around his own, "I….suppose? I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, to be honest."
"Danzo-sama has done more than a few...questionable actions in recent years. Nothing overtly suspicious, but I suppose stacking them all up doesn't exactly paint the prettiest picture." It's Shikaku who speaks, face carved from stone. Toshiro realizes quite suddenly that what they're all speaking of very likely borders on treason. He eyes the walls before he can stop himself.
Yoshina answers his silent query. "Don't worry, I've activated every privacy seal we have."
"Hokage-sama lets too many misdeeds slide out of compassion." Kakashi states abruptly.
"Kakashi," Shikaku begins warily.
"No," Toshiro interrupts, "He's right."
The table is silent.
He clears his throat. "I have a lot of respect for Hokage-sama. I don't doubt that he's a good man, but I do know he is ruled by his heart. That is fact, not an accusation. You need only look at his students to know it to be true."
Shikaku pulls a face, looking like he swallowed a lemon. The tension in the room seems to go up a notch before he finally sighs, shoulders slumping. "I know."
"The fact that Danzo-sama has ordered a Root operative to tail you means he considers you one of two things. A threat, or a potential asset." Kakashi cups his tea with two hands, bare fingertips brushing the hot ceramic surface. He doesn't move to drink it, fabric mask still solidly in place. "If Danzo-sama ordered you dead, you would be so."
"That's treasonous," Shikaku warns, though he doesn't look particularly bothered.
"It's the truth."
Toshiro hums and presses two fingers to the bridge of his nose. "You're telling me that this man is so obsessed with power, with a vision of his own, that he rejects any change or mutual agreement by the majority of Konoha because he thinks that his own decisions somehow hold more weight? And he would kill to do so? He'd murder people in their own homes for having contrasting opinions? He'd murder me for building a new hospital? For lessening Clan tensions?"
Kakashi looks down. Shikaku looks contemplative. Yoshino takes another sip of tea.
Toshiro meets Shikaku's eyes, voice stern. "What kind of man is that?"
"You really think he'd do such a thing?" Shikaku holds eye contact, but the question is directed at Kakashi.
"Absolutely." The silver-haired man replies without hesitation. "Toshiro has made a lot of waves recently. We see it as a good thing — and it is — but if it doesn't match Danzo-sama's vision, then he'll kill Toshiro without pause."
Shikaku looks around the table, meeting everyone's eyes. (Or eye, in Kakashi's case.) With a gusty sigh, he leans his head back and stares balefully at the ceiling. "What a pain."
The Nara Main House is huge. There's multiple bedrooms, presumably for families with more than one child. It's an inherited home, passed down to each Clan Head. Shikaku and Yoshino only have one son, Shikamaru. He's a cute little kid, with pudgy cheeks and thick, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, his sharp eyes the color of spring bark.
Toshiro will be staying with them. For how long, he isn't sure. It depends on how things go. There's a lot of planning to be done. What they'd spoken about was mostly speculation — though Kakashi as an eyewitness and participant in Root was certainly evidence that held weight. What they needed now was more evidence. Danzo was already committing a crime by running a secret operation under the Hokage's nose, but the more dirt they had, the better. Especially since the Sandaime always seemed so eager to let his loved ones off with just a slap of the wrist.
That didn't fly. Not now, when it affected Konoha as a whole. Not when his life hung in the balance for something as simple as helping others. Was that presumptuous? Toshiro didn't think so. There was literally nothing bad about wanting to improve their utilities to better help everyone. At least, not in his eyes. And apparently not in most others, either.
It was a collaborative effort, too! It was never about him! It was never about trying to hold on to any power he gained, even if he'd known he'd need quite a bit of it before anything could be done. It was the only way anyone would listen.
"We have wards around the house." Shikaku explains after they finish their tea, Kakashi somehow managed to empty his cup in the blink of an eye. "Tripled after the attempted kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata. They won't get to you here, not without alerting the whole Compound."
"So I won't be able to leave?" Toshiro asks, features twisted in distaste. He has work. There's still so much to be done!
"Actually…"
They turn to look at Kakashi, who taps a finger against his chin. "I have a solution for that."
Toshiro leans in, "Care to share?"
"Me."
Shikaku hums, "Not a bad idea. Though you'll have to be taken off active duty until this is all settled."
"I have a few vacation days saved up." The Copy Nin says, dry as a desert.
"Are you saying you'll...what?" He squints, feeling the beginnings of an oncoming headache. "Be my bodyguard?"
Kakashi directs his gaze upward, as if he's considering an offer that Toshiro himself has put forward, "Sure, why not?"
So now he sits, a little dazed at both the heavy conversation and the sudden upheaval of his current life. The sliding doors are open to expose the serene garden at the back, another set of doors revealing a grassy nook that showcases both trees and other homes that lay nearby. The sun is high enough in the sky to fill the home with natural light, and a soft breeze ruffles his clothes. He's still dressed in his hospital grays, white lab coat and all. He's got his hair tied up in a high ponytail, though it's certainly not thick enough to replicate the Nara's spiky shape. Instead it falls soft and loose, brushing the back of his neck. The usual soft pink headband keeps stray strands from brushing his eyes while he works.
"Toshiro, I'm going to grab some of your stuff. You should rest, I know you had a long shift." Kakashi stands near him, peering out at the garden with a bland expression. He's got his hands in his pockets, lithe body in a familiar casual slouch.
Toshiro peers up, his shoulder brushing Kakashi's leg. "My plants!"
The man sighs, knocking the closest of Toshiro's shoulders with his knee. "That Yamanaka friend of yours can handle 'em."
"I suppose…" he murmurs, morose.
"Anything you want in particular?"
Toshiro wracks his brain. "Assuming my apartment isn't going to be destroyed or anything, I guess you can leave all the scrolls. They're mostly just informational texts, anyway. My kimonos would be preferable, and then any other clothing you can grab. Bathroom stuff. The blanket with the roses on it. And, uh, I have some anmitsu in the fridge." He flushes at Kakashi's incredulous stare. "I don't care about the other food, there isn't much left...but I've been looking forward to that anmitsu since the start of my shift!"
The man sighs, like he's been tasked with something monumental. "Hai, Hai."
"Oh," Toshiro says, stopping Kakashi as he's half-way out the door.
"What? Forget something to add to the list?"
"No," he laughs, lips curling into an indulgent smile. "It's just...you dropped the sensei."
Kakashi's silvery brow dips low, "What?"
"Sensei." Toshiro repeats. "You haven't used it. You've just been calling me Toshiro."
The Copy Nin turns to stone, muscles locking tight — then relaxes, so quick the whole reaction felt imagined. "Ah…"
"I don't mind." For a while, Toshiro had swelled with pride at the sound of sensei attached to his name. He'd worked for it, had suffered at every turn to be taken seriously while so young. Now? He feels like a whole new man. He was respected, he was listened to, he had allies who knew both him and his skills.
He smiles, cherry red earrings glinting, "Hurry back, Kakashi."
A dark eye curves, breath escaping masked lips with a whoosh. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi disappears. In his place is a swirl of curling leaves.
"That man!" Yoshino curses, appearing by Toshiro's side. She eyes the innocuous piles of leaves with disdain. "Right in the doorway! Who does he think has to pick up after him?"
Toshiro tilts his head back and laughs, lighter than he ever has before. Yoshino looks at him in faint surprise, before her own countenance shifts from annoyed to soft, a grin tugging at her mouth. She looks younger.
"Come now, Aikawa-sensei. Let me show you to the room you'll be staying in. Then I'll introduce you to my son!" She presses a comforting hand to his arm. "I'm sure you've seen him around. Oh, I bet he's still sleeping...just like his father, that one." She shakes her head.
Toshiro lets her lead him further into the house, chest tingling. It feels like there's a ball of electricity in his gut. He thinks of the emptiness of his own apartment.
He listens to Yoshino's exuberant talking, gets a wave from a sympathetic looking Shikaku and —
Wonders.
He'd forgotten the sounds of a home.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone