Blood In The Water: A Tenten Fan Fiction (#3 In Shifting Series)

Why Do You Still Fight And Kill

Reno lazily cast a line into the water, his nephews were sitting a few feet away from them also casting lines.  Kakashi was kneeling as he rebait his line.  Curiosity was getting the better of him since it was almost a week from the day that he had left the weapons shop.  It was the first time he had been around Kakashi and since the boys were occupied, he was going to ask.

"Hey Kakashi, you know a girl named Tenten?"

Kakashi glanced over at him and raised the only brow that could be seen.  The other was covered as he was wearing his mask and headband down over his left eye.  "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well, I ran into her when I was getting supplies to make more bullets and she was quite the little fireball of feminism," Reno responded.

Kakashi chuckled softly, "Yes, that would be Tenten.  She was one of Might Guy's students."

"Is she any good at all with that Shinobi stuff?"

"You're beating up the wrong tree if you're thinking about trying to romance her," Kakashi said before finally casting his line into the water.  "She's not been the same since Neji died in the war."

Reno snapped his fingers, "Damn, now I know who she is!  I remember her on the show.  She wasn't in a whole lot of it but I remember thinking, that girl has a definite fetish for weapons."

"That's an understatement," Kakashi stated in a tone that was borderline bored.  "You will never find another person that knows as much about weapons as Tenten."

"Hmm," Reno responded.

Kakashi glanced over at him, "You're not going to try to..."

Reno laughed at the bit of color on the other man's cheeks.  He then grinned, "Well she is absolutely gorgeous.  Nah... We might be able to hit the sheets but I'd want to kill her the minute she started ranting about women's rights.  I don't need that kind of headache in my life."

Kakashi shook his head, chuckling softly.  "Oh and that is how it starts sometimes..."

Reno lazily pulled his line in and scowled as he saw that yet another fish had stolen his bait.  "These fish are smarter than our fish."  He replaced the bait before casting the line back into the water.  "So... my sister thought I should talk to you.  She said you had been fighting in wars since you were just a little older than the boys."

Kakashi pulled his line in then set his rod to the side.  He turned so that he could put his attention on the other man.  "That's correct.  Something I have worked hard on keeping my boys from having to go through.  It's no way to have a childhood."

"She doesn't understand why I don't want to even learn any Shinobi tricks."  Reno said quietly, his eyes on the water for a moment.  "I went into the service when I was seventeen and they recognized that I had the ability to learn a wide variety of fighting techniques.  I was also a dead shot over very long distances."

Kakashi nodded his head, "I love your sister but yes... she doesn't fully understand what violence does to our minds when we kill so many that the faces are no longer clear in our mind of our prey.  We hate ourselves for that because we have a conscience but we do what we do for the betterment of our people."

"How do you still do it, Kakashi?  After all these years... how do you still keep fighting and killing?"  Reno asked softly.  "I'm skilled, I know I could become a Shinobi if I wanted to but... I'm so weary of death."

"I can't answer for you that question," Kakashi responded softly.  "For myself, I keep doing it for the same reason I did in the beginning.  It is who I am.  I am a killer, a defender, and a protector.  I do it to protect the Leaf and my family.  When I kill, I take no joy in it as some do.  I kill and try to forget the kill while moving on to the next.  There is only one death that haunts me and will always haunt me and it was not a death I meant to give."

"You're talking about Rin," Reno said with a nod.

"Yes," Kakashi said with a long sigh.  "I found peace with her death during the Fourth War when she arrived to help Obito and I to stand and protect Naruto and Sasuke.  Knowing that Obito is with her now... He loved her, you know.  I loved her as a sister and friend but he genuinely loved her with all of his heart.  It made me feel... better knowing he was with her now."

Reno turned away from him and stared back at the water.  Killer.  Defender. Protector. Those were words he could understand.  As he shifted his gaze to his nephews, he knew if something was to happen he would fight to protect them.  The same for his sister and mother.  Yes, even Kakashi and Teuchi.  Family.  That was a valid reason to fight and kill, even to die if necessary.

A long silence stretched between them as he mulled over Kakashi's words.  He had learned more about the peace of the Leaf.  Yes, it was peaceful for the most part but there was still evil in the world.  Evil that would rear it's head.  The village had been pummeled not that many years back in fact by a new group that had wanted to destroy it.  He sighed heavily and lowered his head.

"I understand what you're saying, Kakashi," he spoke softly.  "And I agree... If something happened and I wasn't able to put forth everything I had to save those I love... That would be worse than fighting and killing." Kakashi's eye was narrowed in what Reno interpreted as a smile.  "Care to have another student... Sensei?"

Kakashi laughed at the term, "Only if you never call me that again."

Reno grinned at him, "My sister was right to love you.  You're a good man, Kakashi.  I don't have to worry about her at all because I know, you'll never let anything happen to her."