no need for thanks

chap 5

Kakashi's pov: as hokage

I sat at the desk going through paperwork, it was late in the day and the sun was setting. I felt tired but there was plenty more paperwork to be done and I wouldn't feel satisfied if i didn't finish before going home. I was also expecting Naruto back from a solo mission I had sent him on. It was a simple one but I usually always waited for him to come back before going home if he was expected back on that day. I sighed leaning back in my chair stretching my joints from sitting down for so long.

It has been a slow day and i always hated when it was slow because then there wasn't any drama or something interesting going on, I admit I sometimes miss doing field work. I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt a presence coming into the window. I opened my eyes to see Naruto coming to stand in front of my desk. "Hey Kakashi-sensei!" he said waving. I smiled under my mask, "hello, how was the mission?" he gave huff "next time give me a harder mission it was so boring there wasn't even any fighting". I chuckled, "I wouldn't want to send you off on a dangerous mission when your wedding is just around the corner" I said in a matter-of-fact tone and he grumbled. "Yeah yeah, anyway here's my report" he said handing me a paper. I sat it on the pile of paperwork that still needs to be done and sighed. "So Naruto, when do you think you're going to take up the Hokage title?" I already knew when but I admittedly didn't want him to leave yet.

Just like the 3rd and 5th Hokage he came here to calm down and I came the one he would talk to but he hasn't come in a while and I will begrudgingly admit I missed the knucklehead. "Come one Kakashi-sensei you already know when, why are you asking anyway" I gave a chuckle, "well I was just a seat warmer for you and to be honest I didn't want you to leave yet" I said mumbling the last part out. I scoffed, "what's this talk about you being a seat warmer for, you haven't talked like this before, and I don't think that" he said and I gave a bitter laugh. "That's what some people think but I'm ok with that as long as your the next Hokage, then again I haven't really done anything for this village as the Hokage I did a better job when I was a jounin doing field work" I said and he just scrunched up his face. "I don't believe that, sure you haven't done anything really flashy for the village thus far but you've kept the village intact better then most hokage in my opinion no offense to jiji or granny Tsunade". I stared at him wide eyed but he continued before I could say anything. "And yes you were on the front lines protecting the village while you were jounin and when you were wolf, that just shows that you deserve the Hokage title just as much as the next person". I titled my head "I never told you I was wolf" I said surprised and Naruto chuckled. "It wasn't hard to see that when you showed up wolf disappeared and anytime you were with me the villagers just so happened to cower away from us like the plague, and don't get me wrong your good at hiding but when your angry it's easy to pick you out on a roof or in an alleyway glaring at the villagers that were going to hurt me" he said and it made both of us laugh.

"You never broke your promise!" he finished and held out his pinky finger. I was stunned for a second but held mine out as well. "I never broke our promise" I chuckled. 

Kakashi's pov: after/during wedding

I'm standing here next to iruka and it still hasn't sunk in yet, Naruto had asked not only Iruka but me as well to stand in as his parent figures. It was after Naruto had figured out that I and Iruka were in a relationship, he wouldn't take no for an answer and I had almost cried while Iruka let the tears fall. I was bubbling with excitement but kept my face neutral not wanting to break my usual kind of attitude in front of so many people, one of the times I was grateful for my mask as I had the biggest crooked smile on my face while we waited for Hinata to walk down the aisle.

During the whole ceremony it took all my strength not to rock back and forth with the excitement I had. I'm pretty sure Iruka cried more than once throughout the whole wedding and I had to keep myself from jumping with childish joy.

After the wedding me and Iruka went back to the Hokages office since I was still the Hokage and i had left a lot of paperwork sitting there. It was very late at night and I could tell Iruka was tired from the day so I told him to go home and get some sleep, I only had a few more things to do. He kissed me goodnight and left the tower to go home. The silence felt crushing and I couldn't bring myself to do any paperwork. I started thinking about everything that's happened and smiled, I really feel like I don't deserve anything I have today. I thought smiling to myself.

If i didn't have team seven or Iruka and might guy i don't know how I would have turned out. I felt the tears that I've been holding in start to spill over, it wasn't out of sadness but out of gratitude for the people that stayed by my side this whole time. I was sad that Obito, Rin, or Minato-sensei weren't here but I knew they would be proud of both me and Naruto.

I raised my head from where I was staring when I heard the door open. I watched as Naruto entered the room and closed the door behind him. He had a smile on his face as he walked over to me, he came behind the desk and sat down behind it on the floor leaning up against the drawers. The crushing silence lifted and was replaced with a peaceful sensation as Naruto didn't need to say any words for me to know what he was thinking, it was written on his teary face. Even though I knew what he was going to say he said it anyway "thank you, for everything...I probably don't need to say this but...heh thank you" he said.

I gave a hum and a soft chuckle, I ruffled his hair. "No need to thank me kid, just be the best you can be" I said in a soft voice. We shared a soft laugh before the room was filled with more comfortable silence. The rest of the time I was there we sat in silence, but nothing needed to be said. When I was done we both got up and walked down the tower together. When we were at the bottom splitting ways I finally broke the silence. "Thank you...for saving me from myself" I said slowly. He looked a little surprised for a second but smiled and said "no need to thank me, you saved me from a dark path as well...wolf" he said leaving me stunned from using my anbu name. He simply put his arms above his head and walked away with me staring at his back with fresh tears and a smile under my mask.

I gave a strained but happy laugh as I walked home to a sleeping Iruka, happy to not have to be in an empty house alone anymore.

word count: 1,326