Chapter Text
“Happy birthday. Kakashi!” They all sang in incision as colorful confetti flew around the room of his apartment.
Kakashi raised a brow from the door, his hand still holding onto the handle, and took a look at the small crowd of intruders in cone hats.
His usually chaotic room was cleaned and tidied without his permission, most likely the work of Rin because none of the other guys except for Iruka were able to be organized.
Even though he wasn’t the messiest person, that title was for Izumo and Kotetsu, Kakashi preferred his room a bit untidied. This? Everything was perfectly organized and placed according to Rin’s but wrong for Kakashi.
The small dog figurine toys he bought were all placed on the shelf above his bed. Before, they were all hanging out in their own space in different spaces of the room.
All the manga he had gotten from Izumo were ordered chronically to each series volume… Including the ones with the fake covers to hide the Icha-Icha books. Great, he’ll have to sort them out later.
“Oi, he’s not even phased!” Genma pointed out disappointedly as Iruka elbowed him and a hasty ‘Shut up!’
“It’s my birthday?” At Kakashi’s question, everyone blanched in shock and some furious comments erupted from Obito.
“Of course, it’s your birthday! How can you be such a smart ass and forget about today?!” The ravenette fumed and he looked ridiculous with the party hat on, it was hard to take him seriously.
Guy was the only one who expected such a dumb question from him, he already looked ridiculous with or without the hat and burst out in laughter while Yamato only sighed.
He then took in the surrounding decorations, the obnoxious HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner with the letters bolded in different colors was a bit overkill as it took the majority of the space in his room. But the poorly done doodles that barely resemble a pug were ok.
He’s pretty sure it was added at the last minute by Obito judging by how bad it looked.
Overlooking the fact that there was glitter sprinkled all over his floor, creating a colorful mess. Although the cake looked good enough, it didn't seem to be bought from a store but instead homemade. They had Rin for that after all.
But whoever did the decorating wasn’t her because the icing was poorly done and the chocolate bits were barely sticking on the sides.
‘ Is it supposed to be a wolf?’ Kakashi doubted himself at the sight of the cake’s theme.
“C’mon, let’s all gather around!” Iruka broke him out of his thoughts when his eyes wandered to the presents. In the man’s hands were cans of beer and he could see Obito paled at the sight.
Kakashi shrugged as everyone hastily took a seat around the table in the center hosting the cake. “How did you guys even get in?” The door clicked behind him and he carelessly threw his messenger bag into a corner and sat down next to Obito.
“Iruka had your keys!” Rin laughed as Guy returned from his kitchen. The obnoxiously loud man was carrying a bowl of steaming miso soup with eggplant, his favorite, and he presented the dish in front of Kakashi.
Izumo and Kotetsu followed by giving each of the guests their bowls. Kakashi took a peek to see that his kitchen counter was covered in grocery bags and all of his kitchen equipment had been used.
It’s not every day you get to have a home-cooked meal. Let alone it is your favorite. Kakashi would have to force the twins to clean it up for him later.
“These are really weird dishes to eat for a birthday party.” He pointed out the many bowls of ramen except for Guy’s udon. “I expected something else sweeter…”
Obito, without care for the others, dug into his ramen bowl and nearly choked when trying to answer him. “You don’t even like sweets! We were wondering if we should’ve made the cake or not at all!”
“We’re already starving anyway.” Izumo sulked. “Senpai, you said you’re usually home by four… it’s nearly seven. We haven’t eaten anything since one!”
“That’s where you messed up, Izumo.” Kakashi clicked his tongue disapprovingly at his junior like a disappointed mentor. “Keyword, usually. I just happened to get lost on the path of life earlier.” He gave him a closed-eyed smile and a peace sign.
“It’s Kakashi, what do you expect? Can we eat now?! Obito’s nearly done with his bowl!” Genma screeched as he pointed to the idiotic ravenette.
They all laughed after that and everyone, except Obito, respectfully thanked them for the food before excusing themselves to their bowl.
Conversations became easier after that, with many chatters and arguments mainly fueled by Kakashi’s bad habit of eating with his mask on or Guy proposing small contests during dinner.
A food fight nearly broke out between Izumo and Kotetsu but then the two remembered they were in his room.
Rin’s cooking tasted delightful, the girl did in fact contribute most to groceries and the food while the guys were off on decoration duties. Although Kakashi was wrong about the tidiness of the room, the mastermind behind that was Iruka.
The bowls were barely cleaned as Genma excitedly opened up the beer cans, everyone cheered and forgot about the dishes in the meantime.
The happy birthday song was ridiculously loud, he was sure that the neighbors would be sending a noise complaint tomorrow morning. Guy was the loudest, accompanied by Obito’s drunk singing.
Who knew Uchihas were such lightweights? Even Rin lasted longer than him.
All the fans were opened and thrown across the room, Genma was already lost by the third can and was now slurring the lyrics of Happy Birthday along with Guy. Everyone else was laughing their asses off at the two idiots dancing on top of his bed with their usual duo being the loudest audience, cheering them on.
“Kakashi! Now that you’re twenty-two, do you plan on doing anything after university?” The girl asked him after she chugged down two glasses of beer, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol but she still seemed sober.
“Plans? When have I ever?” Kakashi shrugged as he drank through his mask. He might have a small insight on what to do, but it’s not determined if he’s ready or not.
“Asuma-Senpai said his dad was offering you a job.” Yamato politely inclined, he was barely halfway in his first can, trying to keep himself as awake as possible. “He would’ve come but Sarutobi-san held him back at the station.”
“Maa, that old man’s still trying to tempt me?” He sighed in annoyance.
Asuma was a great friend of theirs, with his dad being so involved in government matters, it was quite a pain whenever his old man kept on scolding them for being irresponsible or wasting their potential to contribute greatly to society.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen’s words got into Yamato’s head and the brunette was planning on joining Konoha’s police force. It wasn’t a bad thing, good for him, but Kakashi would personally refrain from entering such waters.
If it was just the police force Hiruzen was offering him, sure. Maybe he would’ve said yes last year and saved himself the trouble of finding a stable job in a week or so from now.
“Senpai, maybe you should consider?” Yamato tried, but his voice was hesitant which was why it wasn’t enough to persuade him. Kakashi waved him off, “You already know what the old guy wants me to do.” and both sides ended the conversation there.
“Bakashi!” Suddenly Obito dropped from the couch when he was done with a duet with Iruka. “You have to have a plan, somewhat. Right?!”
“Oh?” Kakashi scoffed. “Well then, tell me about yours then.” There was no way Obito could have a plan better than his non-existent one.
“Hah!” The ravenette laughed. He jerked a thumb to himself as he puffed his chest out proudly. “You see, I was finally allowed to join the family’s business! Amazing right?!”
Oh fuck, he did have a better plan than me.
“That’s great Obito!” Rin cheered and the man blushed at her praise which fed his ego. “You’ve been trying for years already! Did Fugaku-san give in?”
“T-Technically yeah.” He slurred, the alcohol was already messing with him as Obito lost his balance and fell forward onto the table. The glasses and bowls clattered at the force before settling down.
“Well, that’s that.” Kakashi looked at the dead body before turning back to Rin. “That idiot’s going to get fired within a month. How about you?”
The girl chuckled nervously but there was clear excitement in her eyes. She fidgeted with her fingers a bit before deciding to spill. “W-Well! I managed to get an apprenticeship with Shizune-san! She’s the doctor working directly under Tsunade-sama!”
Kakashi’s dull grey eyes widened enough to show his amusement and surprise. “Congrats.” He said rather plainly but Rin took it all the same. She smiled and thanked him. They all knew how talented she was and her admiration for Tsunade.
When his two friends had already talked about their stories, it would only seem fair if he told them about his thoughts. It wasn’t a plan because he was reluctant to go through with it but it would be sufficient so to say.
“Maybe I’ll take over my old man’s business.” He blurted out. Rin stared at him in shock before clasping her hands together with a grin.
“That’s great!” She said. “It’s already under your name, right?”
“Yeah… I’ll need to renovate the place a little…” He scratched the back of his neck, sounding less certain as he went on. “I haven’t touched the place… At all. Since I inherited it.”
Which would be four years ago. Hatake Sakumo died earlier than that and left everything to his son by the time the boy was old enough to claim them all.
It included the building he bought for the two of them and turned it into his small business area. Kakashi and him would live on the floor above the office and days would go by just like that.
But then Sakumo passed away and so Kakashi was legally forced to move away from the place to live with a newly assigned guardian. Fortunately, at the age of eight, Minato took him in to live with him. For six years he was under the man’s caring hands.
But luck never lasted long for him which was why he was living alone without any relatives in his life other than these friends he made.
“Kakashi, we’d be happy to help you out with it!” She cheered. Her eyes twinkled with excitement. “You don’t have to worry about anything! We’re friends and we’ll help each other no matter what!”
Kakashi chuckled. It was a naive belief but it was honest and genuine from her.
Although he wasn’t sure if he was fit to inherit the business from his father. The paperwork and renovation would take a week or so to finish and he’ll have to keep it running.
Would Sakumo want him to do this? Kakashi wasn’t sure. But it was better than joining Konoha’s special forces or becoming a teacher, as recommended by Iruka.
Whatever, he'll think about it tomorrow. Or maybe sometime later. Kakashi chugged down his glass before opening a new can to refill it. Rin started to ramble about how happy she was that he was finally taking something seriously while the rest were most likely passed out on his bed.
Kakashi laughed along with her rambling. He’ll forget about it for now, but what he won't be forgetting was the spilled beer and the mess on his floor. Gemma was definitely cleaning that up.
Turned out he did go through with the plan.
Kakashi dreaded the amount of paperwork he had to go through the week earlier. The bills for the electricity and water and the price for the renovation. The place was in worse condition than they had thought and so the time was longer than he originally calculated.
It was now entering the second week of October and Kakashi was saying goodbye to his cramped and old apartment and finished moving his things.
Thankfully, he didn't need to pack much other than his books and gifts from his friends. All his clothes fitted into two boxes just fine and so did his computer set in a separate one. Either way, Rin insisted they came over and helped him out.
‘They’ consisted of her, Obito, Asuma, and Iruka. Which was more than he needed but he loved wasting their time.
“Woah, this place is really nice.” Obito whistled as he looked at the bustling streets. Kakashi was internally regretting his decisions because of how busy the area was.
There were a lot of businesses occupying the area, from street food to small jobs like salons or a clothing store. People were crowding the area like flies.
Their car stopped in front of a narrow three-story building. The place wasn’t big just like how he remembered it. The dull color scheme was still there, painted in an old coat of dark navy blue almost black. He could see the blinds drawn closed through the windows and a large sign printed in bold glowing letters in the center of the second floor.
一匹狼代理店 . Lone Wolf Agency.
“Kakashi…” Iruka's sweat dropped at the name to which Kakashi could only tell him to leave it. He was regretting that too.
Maybe I should’ve kept it as White Fang Agency. But that name was for his father. Not him.
Asuma thought for a while before speaking up. “We’re at the right place? Doesn’t that say Ramen Ichiraku?”
“Right.” Kakashi started. “I’ll be sharing this place with Teuchi-san.”
Teuchi had always been there since he was living here years ago. The ground floor hosted banners printed with ラーメン一楽 in red and some guests were already enjoying their orders while Teuchi was behind the counter preparing another bowl.
He could see Ayame working with her father as well, it felt strange seeing them now after he left as a kid but it brought a sense of nostalgia. It’s the same scent that would greet him whenever Sakumo took him downstairs and prepared to go to school.
The place smelt like home but at the same time, it didn't.
At least not yet.
“Is that you, Kakashi-kun?” He blinked out of his daze when the owner called out to him. The older man beamed at him and it startled the younger man even further.
He recognized me. A part of him felt a bit appreciated. He recognized me?! Another was still surprised.
“H-Hey Teuchi-san.” Kakashi waved and gave him a crinkled-eyes smile.
“You’ve grown!” Teuchi walked from behind the counter and pulled him into a hug. It was one-sided as Kakashi remained stiff and unsure of what to do. “Welcome back! You’re still wearing that mask of yours!”
“Yep.” He nodded. “I’m moving upstairs, I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“Are these your friends?” Teuchi peeked from his shoulders and grinned. “Welcome! Hope you kids weren’t too troubled by him!”
“Not at all, sir.” It was Iruka who bowed slightly to show respect to the elder man. “Is it ok if we bring the boxes upstairs?”
“Oh, not at all!” With that, the guys were headed upstairs. Kakashi caught sight of Obito’s shit-eating grin and wanted to punch his face so badly.
The only entrance to his office was through Ichiraku Ramen. The stairs were beside the counter and out in the open. It had always been that way and Kakashi didn’t plan on changing it. Maybe on his lazy days, almost every day, he’ll easily be able to go and grab a bowl downstairs.
“I’m happy you’re back,” Teuchi said again, he sounded a bit saddened but it was a given. Kakashi left because of his father and the memories of this place. It could end badly or go surprisingly well for him if he’s moving back here.
“Thanks, Teuchi-san.” Kakashi patted him on the back, it was an awkward motion but it was the best he could give. Teuchi snorted and freed him from the emotional reunion and only then he realized all eyes were on him.
The customers were all looking at him with varying interests. Mostly the girls were blushing at him and taking photos. So he excused himself and followed the guys upstairs, away from the attention.
Rin followed behind him. “You had the mask on ever since you were a kid?! We met in primary school yet you had it way longer?!”
“It was a trend back then.” He lied and pushed the door open.
Iruka had his spare keys because he wouldn’t trust anyone else with those. The office wasn’t big but it was still spacious to host couches and a single table at the far corner opposite the door. On the left showed his newly bought work desk and chair with a window behind it. Other than a couple of empty bookshelves and cabinets, the room was still empty.
Kakashi took some time to admire the paintwork. The walls were in a nice white color with a bit of tinted blue, standing out from the dark flooring. The color schemes might be unattractive to his potential customers but dark flooring always covered the most stains. Especially coffee.
Obito and the guys set his boxes down near the couches where they lounged and rested. “Nice place you got!” Iruka complimented him with a smile and Kakashi shrugged. It was a nice place indeed. But this was just his office, he’d be living upstairs.
“You guys can leave now, thanks for helping me out.” Kakashi tried to dismiss them to which Rin protested hurriedly.
“We just got here! It’s fine, we can stay a little longer!” She insisted but Kakashi was persistent. Everyone saw him being stubborn like usual but only Obito understood that he’d prefer to unpack alone. It wasn’t that he didn't want to bother them, it was just that he needed to get used to living here alone eventually.
It would be better to confront his issues now than later.
“Fine, Bakashi.” Obito stretched his arms and stood up, gesturing to the rest to follow him. “It’s not like we wanted to see your Icha-Icha collection!” He flipped the grey-haired male off for good measure and exited out the door.
Rin seemed hesitant but Iruka walked her downstairs with a shake of his head. Asuma stayed back just a bit to look at him. “Dad said the offer still stands, you don't have to stay here .”
“Tell him I already did the paperwork. It would be a pain to back out now.” Kakashi told him off and the man sighed before heading out as well, closing the door with a resounding click behind him.
The absence of people helped him focus a bit more. Kakashi started to unpack straight away, starting with his computer. The electronics were set up on the desk and plugged into the outlet to charge for a bit as he moved on to rearrange his books on the shelves.
Soon enough, a neat row of his manga collections lay against the wall with the remaining empty shelves carrying small dog figurines as if they were being guarded. Kakashi made a note to buy some indoor plants to decorate the office with, it would look better to the guests.
The walls were too plain and empty as well. Kakashi considered printing advertisement posters on them tomorrow. A painting or two would be nice. It wasn't like Kakashi had any photos worth showing off to strangers.
“Ah, did I pack too little?” He didn’t. He packed enough of his personal belongings which were reserved for upstairs where he had his privacy. The man hadn’t considered what to bring to start and decorate his office with, that’s all.
It didn't take long to go through two boxes for this floor. Kakashi hung a sign at the door for visitors to read when he’d be open or closed for the day. So he then moved the remaining boxes upstairs and continued to finish unpacking.
Immediately, when he entered his room, the layout hadn’t changed, and he almost thought he was back home. But it was painfully empty of his memories except for the new furniture he bought the week prior. The walls were painted a dark navy blue with replaced flooring. Replaced. Not the old one that was stained with his father’s blood.
There was a kitchen connected to his living room, separated by the counter. Kakashi started by putting away his cooking equipment, utensils, and dishes in the cabinet. The fridge was empty and another list of groceries was added to his mental note.
He placed his Icha-Icha collection on the living room shelves, not expecting himself to invite anyone over other than the ones who had already known about his dedication to the series. A small picture frame stood on the table, a photo of him and everyone else partying on his graduation day. Next to it was a pug figurine, his personal favorite.
The bathroom was fairly small, he filled the medicine cabinet pretty quickly. The medicine bottle remained untouched ever since he bought it at the beginning of the month and went inside as well. The area was fairly clean, and the marble tiles were a nice design for the room itself.
The last few boxes went to the bedroom. It was pretty small, consisting of his wardrobe and his bed. Kakashi hung his clothes up and separated his work clothes from his casual ones. Filling the wardrobe with a dark color palette.
Kakashi then hung more photo frames on his walls and some on his drawers. The pictures varied from the oldest one where he was with Sakumo and the newest one was on his birthday.
His laptop came next, occupying a second drawer for itself as he charged it. Then, he plopped back onto the bed and stared at the lights on the ceiling to take a break.
Surprisingly, his mind hadn’t wandered off into unspoken territories. It sort of just… accepted that he moved on. Moved on from the times he spent in this place with Sakumo working downstairs.
This wasn’t the same bed he slept on years ago but it felt like it. He didn't feel sad or paranoid that the comparison was there because his mind found peace… Somewhat. Kakashi didn't even feel remorse or the same intensity of grief when he walked past the same place where Sakumo took his own life.
His blood still stained this place. It was still in the air.
Kakashi found himself uncaring about it at all. He was twenty-two, not eight. Of course he’d react differently. Maybe the short time he practiced under Hiruzen did affect him.
Now for the job… Sakumo briefly mentioned he did odd jobs for others. Kakashi knew this because he helped him find someone’s lost cat on multiple occasions. The request can range from babysitting a single mother’s kid or investigating the activities of someone’s jealous ex.
What a pain. The man considered doing something different but he didn't know what. If he doesn't show any progress in his business in a week or two, Hiruzen will show up again to force him into the special forces.
Kakashi then turned over to open his laptop, entered his login details, and waited for the screen to unlock. His mouse quickly hovered over to the internet and opened a saved web page.
The screen loaded as he opened the promotional website Yamato created for him. With the agency details in the center, address, and business contact information. Everything else seemed rather plain just like how he wanted it to be.
His eyes squinted at the subheading underneath the business name, the italic words of ‘Hatake Kakashi’ lay there.
And here he was hoping to keep his name unknown to others. Whatever, he shouldn’t be picky about the website when it was his junior who made it for him.
“A message?” Kakashi blinked when there was a red circle above his inbox.
The mouse hovered and clicked it and the notification was opened from his business email. The message was fairly recent, thirty-five minutes ago from when he was still unpacking downstairs.
Kakashi didn’t expect the ad to reach out to someone that quickly. He was growing fairly suspicious but then mentally scolded himself that he shouldn’t be that way so early on. It wouldn’t do him any good, growing paranoid about his customers and doing a background check on all of them would take too long.
Chiyo
Tomorrow, 4pm.
The message ended. How boring… Either way, he quickly responded with an affirmation for the scheduled appointment. Kakashi wasn’t sure if it would be wise to accept the job with so little information given but he’ll figure it out tomorrow.
H.K
Ok. I’ll be waiting.
He closed the laptop after that. Kakashi looked out the window to see the sunlight spilling into his room, it was still too early in the day. Maybe agreeing to let Rin drag him out of bed wasn’t ideal after all.
His eyes gradually relaxed and closed when the silence became comforting rather than suffocating. He sunk into the mattress and let himself rest just for a bit.
The place was filled with haunting memories that had long been buried. For him to dig it all back up was a mistake but he won’t let it stay that way.
This was his home. Sakumo’s home. His father’s home. This exact place was where he used to sleep soundly and grew up before the nights became too much. But those times were gone now and Kakashi had already learned to accept that.
He’ll let himself believe that he’d grown from it. That he’d accepted it. At least for now. The voices weren’t so bad this time around, he was presented with the opportunity to rest easy and he would take it.
The next time he opened his eyes, the skies were already dipped in sunset colors. An orange hue tinted his room as he stared at the sun descending on the horizon.
Kakashi yawned and he felt his stomach hurl in hunger. The man opened his laptop again, the device already fully charged, and wasn’t surprised to see no new requests had been sent.
The first one was most likely lucky. He shrugged and got up from his bed, pulling his coat back on. The sight of the fridge reminded him of the emptiness inside and Kakashi checked for his wallet before heading out.
He locked the door behind him and walked downstairs. He had a few seconds he had before he reached the ground floor to decide if he’d want ramen from Teuchi for old-time sake or get some groceries and cook something for himself.
The moment the scent of ramen reached his nose, he already knew his decision.
Kakashi lowered himself down a bit to walk through the doorway the moment he reached the ground floor. “Hey Teuchi-san.” He greeted him and was surprised to see barely any customers were sitting at the counter.
“Kakashi-kun!” The older man greeted him back with a smile. “Done unpacking? Would you like a bowl of ramen?” He asked. His daughter, Ayame, was blushing while she took a peek at Kakashi from behind her father.
“Yes, please.” Kakashi nodded politely as he took a seat at the counter. Teuchi grinned and started to get to work, Ayame took another second to admire him before helping her father out.
Besides him, there were obnoxious slurping sounds and hasty chewing to his right. Kakashi was growing disgusted at the remaining customer’s eating habits when he realized it was a kid sitting with him. And suddenly Kakashi felt like a jerk for expecting a kid to know better.
The boy wolfed down his ramen like he was starving, his face was practically shoved into the bowl and created a mess on his face. The surface rattled when he slammed the now-empty bowl on the counter.
“Ossan!” He yelled to Teuchi with a satisfied look on his face. “Another bowl please!”
“Alright, Naruto! Give me a second.” He returned the boy’s enthusiastic order with a laugh before presenting Kakashi with his ramen bowl and got back to making another one straight away.
Kakashi blinked. He wasn’t distracted by the delicious aroma of ramen right under his nose but rather by the customer next to him.
Naruto? He turned his head to the side to stare at the grinning face of said boy.
Spikey blonde hair and sky-blue eyes greeted him. The boy looked to be barely ten years old. Dirt and bruises covered his already scarred face but despite his beaten-up appearance, Naruto continued to smile brightly without a tint of sadness in those eyes.
Naruto? His fingers twitched as the voices that had been so quiet before started to wake him up again.
Maybe he stared for too long, Naruto glanced at him with a confused look and scowled at him. “Oi! Your ramen’s getting cold, Ojiisan!”
A snort escaped him before he could stop himself. Kakashi hid it behind a shocked gasp, before apologizing to the boy. “I’m sorry, thank you for reminding me.”
It seemed to please the boy, Naruto gave him a toothy smile and there were varying emotions in his eyes. Shock, and confusion, before joy envelops the skies in those eyes. “You’re welcome! Do you like Ichiraku Ramen?!”
“I do.” He decided to humor the kid a little. Seeing there was no harm in doing so. “I’ve been to different places before but nothing beats this place’s ramen.”
“Right?! It’s amazing, dattebayo!” Naruto giggled. At the same time, Teuchi came back with his second bowl, and the boy got distracted from the conversation with him. He ignored Kakashi entirely as he devoured his ramen.
“Glad to know you still love my ramen, Kakashi-kun.” Teuchi laughed and he chuckled.
Kakashi paid attention to his bowl which was growing cold, it took him no time to finish it in seconds. He practiced this many times, in order to avoid lowering his mask. Despite the small time he’d taken to eat his ramen, he enjoyed it til the last second. The ramen was the same as he remembered and loved.
“Are you going anywhere, Kakashi-kun?” Teuchi took his empty bowl and brought it to the sink for Ayame.
Kakashi hummed. “I’ll need to do the groceries. You know anywhere close by?”
“Of course!” The old man said before pointing to the alley on the opposite street from theirs. “There’s a good place back there, keep walking and then turn left. It’s a small place but it’s great!”
“That’s convenient.” He blinked and fished his wallet. “Thank you, Teuchi-san.”
“No no! It’s on me!” Teuchi laughed. “Consider it as a welcome-back gift!”
“Surely not…” Kakashi tried to reason with him but the man was taking none of it so he relented. “I’ll come back next time. Take care, Teuchi-san.”
“Alright! Goodbye, Kakashi-kun!” Teuchi waved back at him as the younger man crossed the streets. Then, he turned back to Naruto who was done eating. Leaving a mess on his face.
“Thank you, Ossan!” Naruto grinned as he presented his empty bowl to him.
Teuchi chuckled at him fondly. “Naruto-kun, you’re such a messy eater.” Ayame laughed and she gave him some tissues which he accepted gratefully.
The boy wiped his mouth, cleaning some of the dirt on his face as well. At this, the girl clicked her tongue and helped him clean his face. “Did you get into trouble again? You’re not hurt are you?”
“Nope, Ayame-nee-chan!” He smiled as she wiped at his scarred cheeks. “Some kids thought they could steal from me! So I fought back, dattebayo!”
“Naruto.” Ayame tried to scold him but knew she couldn’t. It wasn’t his fault that he was dropped in this part of Konoha where homeless kids and delinquents were roaming around. “Just try and be careful next time, alright?”
“Ok!” He nodded but they all knew that it wasn’t possible to keep that promise. Konoha was far from safe but at least they’re trying their best to keep their citizens safe.
“How about you stay with us for today?” Teuchi offered. He would’ve kept the boy with him but Naruto refused to stay longer than one night. It confused both of them but the kid was persistent. “Just one night.”
“Just one?” Naruto looked at him suspiciously but inside, he was overjoyed to have a place to sleep that wasn’t uncomfortable like the cardboard boxes or exposure to the wind during the night. “Hmph… Okay! Just one!”