Father Figure

Chapter 4: Invisible Lies

The disgruntled Rokudaime tapped his pen on the desk in a continuous, monotonous rhythm. It filled the otherwise silent room with a quiet echo and did little to ease Kakashi's disheartenment. He'd gone over every possible scenario in his head five times and sent countless teams to every area in and out of the Land of Fire. It rained just three days after the Nanadaime went missing so not even his ninken could follow his scent anymore. All trails led to nothing and after nearly two weeks, Kakashi was growing seriously weary.

Not only did he long to return to his easy lifestyle again, reading books and exploring hot springs with Guy, but he was beginning to feel some sort of heartache. Naruto was his student. His sensei's son. The boy he watched save the shinobi world and turn into a fine Hokage. Though Naruto was grown up, and far past being called a boy, Kakashi still couldn't help but feel a little like he'd lost a child in some strange sense.

Fatherhood was never on Kakashi's list of desires but after Minato and Kushina died, he did feel a sense of obligation to watch over Naruto. At first, it was a nuisance, constantly keeping tabs on the young troublemaker and ensuring his safety from the shadows... but being his teacher taught him that there was more to that boy than trouble. He was even kind of sweet sometimes.

And, he reminded Kakashi so much of Minato, which was never a bad thing in Kakashi's eyes.

Now that blue-eyed boy was missing and they had no more info about his disappearance than they did when they first found out. Naruto left no traces. Could it be possible this was his own doing? Kakashi couldn't see Naruto doing something like that... he loved the village with all his might... and, apart from all the loathsome paperwork, Naruto loved being Hokage. Disappearing with no trace, well, it didn't sit right with Kakashi.

A knock on the office doors snapped Kakashi out of his never-ending circle of tiresome thoughts.

"Come in," he called with a sigh.

The door creaked open and Sasuke entered, nearly stumbling. He caught the doorframe just as Kakashi poofed to his side.

"What the hell happened to you?" The silver-haired man muttered as he watched the dark-haired man try to catch his breath.

"I'm fine, just acute chakra exhaustion. I used the Rinnegan to get back to the village... probably not the greatest idea since I've been using it almost non-stop since Naruto disappeared," Sasuke said, sighing heavily as he leaned back against the doorframe, peering at the ceiling with one drained, onyx eye. "Any info?"

"No," Kakashi said, pacing the office. "I can't imagine... I mean, Naruto would never just disappear. And without a single trace."

"I searched everywhere with my Rinnegan. Every land, every village, every town..."

"It's like he fell off the face of the planet."

"You don't think he-" Sasuke stopped mid-sentence, taking careful note of the drained look in Kakashi's face.

"He's not dead, my ninken would've found him," the older one stated bluntly.

Both men found themselves at a loss for words, just the same as their loss for ideas and, though neither would admit it, lost hope. Kakashi made his way back to the desk and fell hard into the chair, running a hand through his plumped hair.

"Get some rest, Sasuke. You look terrible. I'll send for you if anything comes up."

"Yeah, yeah."

With that, Sasuke left the office and started home. He hadn't been home in over two weeks, he was sure Sakura and Sarada would be glad to see him. Still, it didn't feel right going home while Naruto was still missing.