Colliding Constellations

Chapter 4: A Mentor

Kakashi would like to have said he knew what the kid was thinking.

I mean, he was a shinobi, a war veteran, and a Hokage, for god sake. But this kid was a hard one to crack. In fact, much of her personality was like Kakashi himself at a younger age; stoic, calm, and doing everything with just enough efficiency and effort. But unlike Kakashi, Kara didn't display unrefined arrogance, and it was in this way she resembled Itachi to a scary degree as if resemblance in her features wasn't enough.

If the Uchiha had been alive to see this kid born, I could only imagine.

How Sakura spawned too miniature Uchiha, Kakashi had no idea. Both were scarily akin to Sasuke in their looks and seemed to beat the odds of genetic similarity.

At the end of the day, Kakashi had a problem, I mean a serious problem, and it was the kid right in front of him.

"Slowly concentrate on the chakra inside of you until you can accurately draw out a diagram of your chakra system."

Sometimes he played things out in purely a humorous way to test perseverance and endurance when it came to skills that were hard to master, yet-

"I'm done."

It was like nothing seemed to faze the child.

Contrary to popular belief, Kakashi had nothing against children. He thought they were cute, but strictly from a distance. Kakashi had been a prodigy from day one; it could be said that his understanding of a child's lack of comprehension was a little hindered. He couldn't wrap his head around the need to ask so many damn questions. Yes, his hair was silver, no, he wasn't an old man.

But this kid hit a new cord, Kakashi had tutored several prodigies, yet none of them seemed, so, so-

"I've finished my laps, readings, and diagrams, and whatever else is on the list. Isn't there something else to do?"

Aggravating.

Kakashi sighed deeply; apparently, this is what people had felt when they had tried teaching him at a young age. At least Itachi had been a polite kid, and Sasuke certainly had been a handful, but his one-minded ambition was easy to filter into the teachings.

But Kara. Kara was a different breed. Beneath her overwhelming cuteness was a laid-back overachieving hellion, that did everything asked of her, yet with a mirthfulness that could not be described. Kara stumbled only when she wanted, she rose only when she wanted to, and she playfully took along whoever in her ride of ups and downs.

Kakashi hated to admit it, but he'd have to put some serious effort into this one if he didn't want this backfiring.

Like other times.

Kakashi wouldn't admit it.

He wouldn't.

There was no way he felt stilted that his young student loved his dog more than him.

"Boss, you ok?" Pakkun was being subjected under the attention of Kara, who was dutifully rubbing his paws in extreme happiness.

Kakashi gave him a side glare, his eyes narrowing at the picture before him.

"Kakashi-sama!" Kakashi looked down. It took two weeks to get her to stop saying Rokudaime-sama, so he supposed this was a step up.

She then bowed her back, and Kakashi jumped in surprise at the rather un-Kara-like action, "Can you please hand over Pakkun when I become a shinobi??"

It's a little more complicated than that.

"Maa, Kara-chan, Pakkun will be too old for shinobi duties. He needs time to retire," Kakashi began.

Suddenly he jolted as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Pakkun's going to die?"

That day Kakashi had his work cut out for him.

"All that I'm saying, Sakura-chan," Kakashi tried to ease into their conversation, "I don't think Kara-chan likes me all that much."

Sakura turned to look at Kakashi in disbelief.

"You don't know?!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as Sakura lifted her head to the sky and bellowed out laughter.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're her hero," Sakura giggled, and disbelief washed onto Kakashi's features, "I cannot believe it wasn't obvious. You should hear her, Kakashi-sama this, and Kakashi-sama that, Sarada told me yesterday she was ready to silence Kara's praise for you eternally."

"Kara praises me?!" He was still in shock.

Sakura laughed.