"You're back, huh?"
When Itachi returned home, he found Kakashi already there.
Since Kakashi was in disguise, he didn't return to his own house but stayed with Itachi instead. It would've been a hassle if someone had discovered him.
Of course, Kakashi definitely wasn't freeloading just to watch matches every day. Definitely not.
Hearing the sound of the door, Kakashi opened it while speaking.
"Yeah. I didn't raise any suspicions, did I?"
Noticing Kakashi in nothing but his sleepwear, ready for bed, Itachi asked softly.
"Do you still not trust my work? It went smoothly. But I really hope you don't use Naruto's identity and unique circumstances to stir up trouble…"
Hearing Itachi's question, Kakashi first took the opportunity to boast a little before looking at Itachi seriously and speaking in a low voice.
If Itachi didn't agree, there wasn't much Kakashi could do, but regardless, he felt it necessary to say his piece.
"Don't worry, I have no ill intent toward him."
Itachi gave Kakashi a long, deep look, as if trying to read his heart. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, turned to look at the night sky, and spoke softly.
"Thank you, Itachi…"
Hearing Itachi's reassurance, Kakashi's tone and expression softened slightly. Though his handsome face was concealed behind a mask, the relaxed muscles and easygoing air revealed that his mood had improved considerably.
When Itachi showed no intention of continuing the conversation and instead resumed gazing deeply at the night sky, Kakashi reached for the door, ready to close it and head to bed.
Itachi could stare into space for hours without moving. Kakashi figured he might as well get some rest instead of watching Itachi zone out.
Just as the door was about to shut, Itachi stirred from his reverie.
"Wait…"
As the sliver of light streaming through the door narrowed to a thin line, Itachi called out.
"Is there something else?"
Reluctantly, Kakashi opened the door again. Not responding would've been a bit rude, especially since he was staying as a guest in Itachi's house.
Itachi didn't reply immediately. He simply walked past Kakashi toward his room, signaling for Kakashi to let go of the door.
Seeing Itachi's serious expression, Kakashi furrowed his brow in confusion, unsure of what was coming next.
Once Itachi entered the room, Kakashi closed the door.
Then he noticed something peculiar: a stack of documents, at least three feet tall, had magically appeared on his desk.
Kakashi was bewildered.
"This is the life story of Akazo. You might not get any sleep tonight. Use a shadow clone to help. You don't have to memorize it all, but at least make sure you're familiar with the details. Tomorrow, we're meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Itachi, struggling to suppress a smirk, maintained his stoic demeanor as he poured himself a cup of tea.
His sharp eyes caught the dumbfounded expression on Kakashi's face, and he found the scene incredibly amusing.
"This… this much? In one night?" Kakashi stammered, staring at the towering stack of papers in disbelief.
"Yes, in one night. Do your best not to mess this up. Don't let my efforts go to waste. Compared to all the planning and brainpower I've invested in this, you've got it easy—just read and familiarize yourself with the material."
Itachi's calm tone left no room for argument.
After all, it wasn't his sleepless night on the line.
Deep down, Itachi couldn't help but find it all hilarious.
"Alright… fine."
Kakashi resigned himself to the task, recalling how Itachi meticulously fabricated Akazo's entire life story step by step.
Creating a fictitious persona out of thin air required not only imagination but also a network of collaborators to corroborate the narrative. The time and energy involved were staggering.
"Good luck. I believe in you."
Itachi gave Kakashi an encouraging pat on the shoulder, his voice filled with mock sincerity.
"I'll do my best not to disappoint you."
Hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi forced himself to accept the challenge.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'm heading to bed now."
Satisfied, Itachi returned to his room, feeling triumphant. Tricking these younger comrades was far too easy.
Back in his own room, Itachi could hear the faint rustling of Kakashi burning the midnight oil. With a contented sigh, he drifted off to sleep.
Nothing builds character like a little suffering…
The next morning, Itachi woke early, fresh and well-rested. After a quick wash, he made his way to Kakashi's room.
"How did it go?"
Knocking on the door, Itachi was greeted by the sight of Kakashi, dark circles under his eyes and his face gaunt, as if he hadn't slept for days.
"Five years old… parents deceased… late wife, Yuriko… died seven years ago during childbirth… along with the unborn child…" Kakashi recited in a hollow voice, barely coherent.
---
Faced with Itachi's questioning, Kakashi muttered in a daze, almost as if he were reciting a textbook passage.
Hearing Kakashi's response, Itachi's expression turned strange.
The backstory Danzo fabricated for Kakashi was simply too tragic…
However, after thinking about it for a moment, Itachi decided it wasn't such a bad idea.
If the fake background included close family ties, there would be no real emotional connection between strangers. That could easily lead to issues.
A simpler background was much easier to gloss over.
…
"Alright, go freshen up. Just make sure it sounds familiar to you. Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't going to question you too deeply about it."
Patting the poor kid Kakashi on the shoulder, Itachi offered some comfort.
Whether or not he felt a bit smug about the situation, only Itachi himself would know…
From his perspective, if Kakashi managed to read through this whole thing, he'd lose his mind.
At most, Kakashi might flip through a couple of pages before giving up entirely.
"Ah? Oh… okay…"
Snapped out of his thoughts by Itachi's pat on the shoulder, Kakashi nodded and scratched his head in response.
…
"Hurry up. Don't be late, or you might cause unnecessary trouble," Itachi said softly as he watched the now somewhat absent-minded Kakashi, who kept zoning out for no apparent reason.
As for what was going through Kakashi's mind right now, Itachi could pretty much guess…
After all, Kakashi had been a terrible student back in the day.
Whenever teachers assigned tasks that required memorization, Kakashi's name was always on the list of those who had to stay behind until they'd finished.
And he was the type to stick around until the teachers ran out of patience and let him go.
Memorization was a matter of talent. Some people could read something a few times and remember it, while others… well, their struggles were hard to put into words.
No matter how hard they tried—reading something dozens of times—they still couldn't memorize it. And even if they finally managed to, they'd forget it in the blink of an eye. It was exasperating.
…
After the two finished breakfast together, Itachi left first.
Kakashi planned to sneak out of the house a bit later. Although there wasn't much going on originally, now that both of them had drawn Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention, it was best not to hang out together too much.
Danzo had even arranged a house nearby for Kakashi, but Kakashi refused to move in.
As for why, Itachi had no idea.
Still, the two lived close enough to each other that it wasn't much of an issue.
---