Mending The Past To A Better Future

Chp. 28 Two Truths {Part-2}

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Naruto quietly unlatched the window with a shaky chakra hand. Kakashi-sensei's breathing body didn't even twitch, and as she stepped closer, it was with fevered excitement that she noticed that his mask had been placed on his bedside table besides his books.

This could be her chance to finally see his face!

But before that, she crept over to the table and pocketed Icha Icha Paradise, the orange colored booo sticking out by the edge of her pouch. This was technically her mission - to get the book and get back out undetected.

But...

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

She tiptoed over to his slumbering form, her shadows casting in the ethereal moonlight that managed to filter in through Kakashi's window.

As she hovered over his blanketed form, her eyes widened in delight when she saw the bed sheets that covered his face had slipped down marginally, and his nose was as bare as she had ever seen.

Naruto leaned over him, and her finger tipped to the sheets. Her nail caught over the edge, and she gave it a slight tug, her eyes popping as she prepared herself for the reveal.

Oh gods, this was the moment she had been waiting for for nearly five years.

Just as she made a move to pull, a slender arm caught her wrist in a deadlock, and Naruto yelped. The man in the bed in front of her poofed away in a cloud of smoke, and Naruto cursed.

"Fuck," she muttered, turning slowly to the expected head of silver hair and gunmetal eye.

And he didn't disappoint. Standing in the moonlight, Kakashi looked as uninterested as she had ever seen - and she wouldn't have known any better if she hadn't seen the bright gleam in his still sleepy eye.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked, his eye boring into her. "Haven't you heard it's rude to break into other people's homes, Naruto?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto squeaked, attempting to fly back only for his grip on her wrist to stop her. "I - uh! I have a reason!"

"Tell me."

"I was looking for your help to train!"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "At 2 in the morning?"

"It was urgent," she blurted, the lies flying away at a mile a minute. "You see... uh.. I was... out in the woods and I happened to see someone. I didn't know who they were but... uh... well, I was afraid to fight them. So I thought, I could get your help and go face them."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before he said as drily as ever, "You could never work in espionage. That was the worst lie I've ever been told."

"I know, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said miserably, turning away as his hand fell away from hers.

Kakashi clambered back onto the bed knees first before snuggling up under the covers, his eyes blinking shut. "So why are you really here?"

"Well, I was hanging out with Sakura-chan and Sai and-"

"Well that explains it," he said without further explanation. "You and Sakura are the same as always. But that doesn't explain why you took my book."

"I don't even know why you care," Naruto grumbled plopping onto the bed next to him, her back to his face. "You have like, four different copies of that book, and yet you refuse to buy me ramen. It's unbelievable."

"All the copies I have are different versions," Kakashi informed her. "And I refuse to buy you ramen because you already inhale enough of that stuff as it is. Your blood pressure is going to rise if you continue to intake an abnormal amount of sodium like that. And you didn't answer my question."

"Sakura and Said didn't think I could, so I had to prove them wrong."

Kakashi snorted. "You sure showed them."

"Shut up, Sensei," Naruto whined. "I would have gotten away with it if I hadn't been trying to see your face, which, I think it's high time you show me. I am your favorite student, aren't I?"

"You would not have gotten away with it," Kakashi said. "I knew you were there the entire time. Also, no. Also, Naruto," he finally opened his eyes, and grabbed her hand. He stared straight in her eyes. "You are, and never will be, my favorite student. In fact, I barely tolerate you now." Then his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Now, please see yourself out. I'll see you tomorrow for training."

Naruto cursed him under breath as she ambled off the bed. Just as she turned to walk away, he tugged her back by the sleeve of her shirt. Twirling in surprise, she yelped when his hand deftly plucked open her weapons pouch and pulled out his beloved book.

"No more stealing," he said sternly, "or else I'll tell Tsunade-sama that you snuck into her liquor cabinet."

"But I didn't do that!" Naruto spluttered. "You did!"

"I know," he said drily. "Goodnight." Then he turned away and ducked under his covers, leaving her to crawl back out the window. Once she reached the gates, she saw that Sakura and Sai were still there.

"Well?" They asked, but she knew they already knew from the way they were both smiling.

"Fuck off," she said. Sakura and Sai both burst out into laughter as the trio walked back down the road.

From his bedroom, Kakashi smiled contentedly.

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"Hey!" A voice snapped Naruto out of her reverie. "Are you listening, kid?"

"What?" Naruto asked dumbly, jerking back. Shaking her head, she plowed on without waiting for a response. "I - I have a question. If you had a secret and it happened to affect your friends and your friends found out, and wanted more answers, what would you do?"

Jiraiya studied her, then he broke out into a smile. "Are you having boy problems?"

Naruto contemplated. "Something like that." Shisui and Kakashi were boys after all. And she did have a problem. So it fits, in broader terms.

"Well, I say just go for it," Jiraiya shrugged. "If they're already figuring out whatever you were hiding, then it would only dig a deeper hole for yourself if you tried to lie about it after the fact. At that stage, you would just come clean, right?"

"But... what if knowing would only put them in danger?"

"Doesn't matter. Don't lie about it. And besides, you shouldn't try to run from it because if he's waiting for you back home, then it's unavoidable. Better to have the conversation sooner than later."

"Right," Naruto nodded numbly, trying not to run through all the scenarios of Kakashi and Shisui abandoning her for her deceit. "Well, I have to go."

"What?" Jiraiya asked. "But you just got here!"

"I have to go," she said again. " We have to go to Ame."

"Amegakure?" Jiraiya said, leaning back. "Why?"

"It's... it's important!" Naruto said. "Vital to Rin-chan's training. We have to go. And we have to send out a letter to Shisui-kun to meet us there."

"Oh-ho!" Jiraiya cackled. "I guess Hatake-kun was right after all. Uchiha Shisui, huh? Not bad, kid! Not bad at all!"

Naruto turned away, ignoring the way her cheeks were blazing. She called over her shoulder, "We need to send a letter to Kakashi as well."

There was a silence behind her before Jiraiya broke out into a half laugh half squeal. "HATAKE-KUN, TOO?" He roared. "HOW? YOU HAVE TWO BOY TOYS, OH MY GOD!"

Naruto didn't say anything, her blush crawling up her face. She didn't have time for that. She had to start her letter back home as soon as possible.

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