Promises Remembered

Part 2 Chapter 11

Part 2 Chapter 11

Kakashi

Day three-thousand seventy-four without her

Kakashi was exhausted. He was going to war... again. This time, he'd somehow managed to get himself named commander of an entire division of allied forces.

Worse, after one particularly frustrating war council meeting, Tsunade had mentioned naming him her successor after the war was over. That was still apparently a thing. He didn't want that. At least not until... Not until his son had graduated the Academy. Surely she could be put off that long.

It wasn't the first time his name had been floated for Hokage, so he wasn't surprised that he was Tsunade's first choice. He had been ready to accept the last time, but if there was no immediate need, Kakashi was in no hurry.

For all of his faults and baggage, Kakashi knew he was—unfortunately—qualified. He was an extremely intelligent, competent, skilled shinobi. He may have had a temporary crisis of confidence when Kazuki was a baby, but eventually he'd remembered what he was capable of.

Kakashi did not like to think about the man—or the shinobi—he would be if he hadn't had his son to give him purpose. He had been his reason for living, for pushing himself and training when he otherwise might not have seen the point. He'd made Kakashi a better shinobi, a better man.

But none of that meant he wanted to be Hokage. All he wanted was to live with his son, and, in a little more than three years, get his wife back. Maybe have a few more kids if she was up for it. Being Hokage sounded like more work than he wanted to deal with.

For now though, he had a war to survive. He didn't think he would be getting another second chance like he had when Pain brought him back to life.

Letting himself into their apartment, Kakashi called out for his son. "I'm home."

Kazuki, along with several of his ninken, burst through the door to the main room and into the hall. "Dad! You're back!" He ran down the hall, bowling into him. "Hatsue-san sent me home with dinner. Are you hungry?"

Sighing, Kakashi tugged down his mask and smiled at his son. "Sure am." He ruffled his spiky pink hair and let him tug him back to the kitchen. "What did you do today?"

Kazuki launched into a retelling of his day. His class had spent the day organizing medical supplies for the upcoming war effort. Sakura had been there, giving orders and double checking everything. Somehow, as busy as she was, she had found the time to make rakugan for the students that were helping. He wondered if she was sleeping. With everything that was going on, and the ever lingering worry about Sasuke, he wouldn't be surprised if she was lying awake at night as much as he was.

Kazuki excitedly offered Kakashi one of the sweets that she had sent home for him. He looked down at the delicate sugar crane with the same nostalgic smile they always elicited. He really didn't like them, but they always took him right back to some of his favorite memories.

"Everyone in my class is so jealous that Sakura-chan is my Onee-chan and that she makes me sweets all the time." Kazuki dug into the food containers as he carried on. "And she's almost as good a healer as the Hokage, and scary strong. She said when I graduate she'll teach me how she does that! Isn't that great, Dad?"

Kakashi hummed his approval around a mouth full of sugar. Sometimes he wondered what Kazuki would think if he knew Sakura was his mother. He had often imagined her teaching their son the powerful jutsu she had learned from Tsunade. If she came back to them, he had no doubt that she would. "You'll surpass me before long, son."