"I'm home."
Pushing open the door, Kakashi set the assortment of bags—big and small—onto the shoe cabinet and bent to swap his footwear.
"Welcome back."
A bright voice rang out as a figure darted from one of the inner rooms, padding barefoot across the floor.
"What yummy stuff did you bring me?"
"Did you get the newest volume?"
"Why were you gone so long this time?"
"If you'd stayed out any longer, I'd have starved to death."
"Next time you head out, it won't take nearly as long, right?"
She made a straight line for the bags Kakashi had hauled in, a rapid-fire barrage of questions spilling from her lips like rounds from a gatling gun.
"I shouldn't be leaving the village for the next few days..."
"Also, even at home, you ought to watch yourself a little."
Kakashi let out a faint sigh, glancing back at the whirlwind who'd just blown in.
Hair like a midnight cascade, features carved with impossible perfection, skin so fine it looked ready to bruise at the lightest touch, cheeks still carrying a trace of baby fat, and a figure already hinting at the curves to come.
From any angle, the girl in front of him could have strolled into the Uchiha compound—famed for its beauties—and claimed a spot near the very top.
But… maybe because this was home, her outfit left absolutely nothing to restraint.
A black crop top bared her midriff, loose shorts barely covered the essentials, and long, pale legs swung freely in Kakashi's line of sight.
"Huh?"
"Watch myself at home?"
She cocked her head at his words, then a sly grin spread across her face, like she'd just remembered the punchline to a private joke.
She stretched out one bare, porcelain foot and nudged the back of the young man crouched on the floor, still changing shoes.
"You~"
"Don't tell me you're getting all worked up over little old me?"
"A single guy and girl under one roof—perfectly natural if a teenager can't quite rein in those raging hormones."
"I just never figured you'd have the hots for a five-hundred-year-old fossil like yours truly~"
The black-haired girl leaned down, breath brushing Kakashi's ear, every syllable dripping with playful mockery.
Three years of cohabitation had stripped away any pretense of formality between them.
Ever since she'd started devouring every romance novel and manga she could get her hands on, her head had been stuffed with the strangest notions.
"Cut back on the romance novels."
"Is dinner ready?"
Kakashi flicked a glance at the girl draped over his back, then straightened.
"Ow!"
She'd leaned in too close; when Kakashi rose, the back of his head clipped her chin. A sharp yelp escaped her.
"You absolute blockhead!"
"If you want food, cook it yourself. Fridge is stocked."
Rubbing the sore spot, she shot him a pouty glare, scooped up the pile of goodies he'd brought, and scurried back to her room.
"This guy..."
Kakashi stared at the closed door, then headed straight for the kitchen. He yanked open the refrigerator and found a fully prepped meal sealed under plastic wrap.
"Talks a big game, but..."
...The next day
Night
Ichiraku Ramen
"Big Brother Kakashi, I want that one!"
Inside the cozy glow of the ramen shop, Naruto—barely four years old—tugged on Kakashi's finger and pointed at the super deluxe seafood ramen pictured on the wall.
"You little glutton, no mercy at all."
Kakashi ruffled the boy's hair, eyes drifting to the 500-ryō price tag on the poster.
"Heh heh heh—Big Brother Kakashi hasn't hung out with me in forever, so he's gotta pay the penalty!"
Naruto flashed a cheeky grin.
"For Naruto? Eighty percent off~~"
The girl in the white chef's coat laughed lightly from behind the counter.
Her words were for Naruto, but those sparkling eyes kept sneaking glances at Kakashi's face.
[Ayame's emotional fluctuation +1]
[Chakra +1%]
"Hey, hey, Big Brother Kakashi!"
At Naruto's pleading stare, Kakashi smiled and turned to Ayame.
"Three bowls of the deluxe seafood ramen, please."
"And one to go."
Ayame nodded briskly.
"Woo-hoo!"
"Big Brother Kakashi rocks!"
The second the order left Kakashi's mouth, Naruto whooped in victory.
"Kakashi-kun really dotes on Naruto, huh?"
"That's rare."
"Naruto, treat Kakashi-kun like the big brother he is from now on."
Teuchi, the ramen master behind the counter, beamed at his two favorite customers.
"Heh heh!"
"When I grow up, I'm gonna take care of Big Brother Kakashi in his old age!"
"Ramen every single day!"
Before Kakashi could get a word in, Naruto threw both hands in the air and hollered.
"Now that's the spirit. Extra drumstick for Naruto and Kakashi-kun!"
Watching the pair, Kakashi's lips curved into a quiet smile.
"Uncle Teuchi is the coolest!"
Naruto's cheers rang out as night settled deeper, the shop's warm lights spilling golden ribbons into the darkness through the canvas flaps.
Meal finished, Naruto clutched Kakashi's hand and prattled nonstop about his latest adventures.
Catching fish by the river and finding a rabbit that had knocked itself out cold against a post. Picking mushrooms in the woods and running into someone who'd managed to get lost with the path literally right beside them.
After he'd pointed the way, the grateful stranger had pressed five free Ichiraku coupons into his hand.
Little stories like that.
Kakashi listened, a soft warmth in his eyes.
Naruto never quite grasped how to budget his allowance—he'd blow it all on random junk—so by mid-month he was usually broke.
Whenever that happened, some bizarre stroke of luck always bailed him out.
No prizes for guessing the Third Hokage's hand in it.
Maybe that was part of why Naruto, surrounded by shadows, never let them swallow him whole.
The thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi stirred a complicated knot in Kakashi's chest.
A complicated man.
Especially in his later years.
As Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Hiruzen had been exemplary through the early and middle stretches.
After Senju Tobirama's death, he'd steadied the village in record time, nurtured the Three Sannin, led them to victory in the Second Great Ninja War, then steered Konoha through triumph in the Third.
But… four years ago, he'd let Orochimaru—already branded a missing-nin—slip through his fingers.
The younger Hiruzen would have crushed the threat the instant Orochimaru's crimes came to light, no hesitation.
Kakashi counted the handling of the Uchiha on the night of the Nine-Tails attack among the old man's worst blunders.
Suspicion was one thing; shoving an entire clan into a neglected corner of the village was another.
The more you distrust someone, the more you pretend to trust them.
Open hostility like that was practically begging for rebellion.
And then there was the current situation...