Chapter five
A caged bird
Pakkun leaped from branch to branch along with Bisuke. It was only just a few hours after sun rise. They have just accomplish their mission of finding another island nearby and now they’re on their way back to their summoner, Kakashi. They followed his scent, he smelled like liquid detergent and he had a faint smell of dog. Both ninken were really tired but they knew they should report to him immediately. They were both thankful that they’re almost there.
Meanwhile, Kakashi blew out a large fireball that severely burned everything that was in its path. He was demonstrating to Kana how large the great fireball jutsu is supposed to be. Kana gaped at how much destruction that jutsu caused and she was becoming more determined to learn this jutsu than before. “Now it’s your turn.” Kakashi said. Kana stood up and put two fingers above the other. She took a deep breath, trying to accumulate her chakra inside her stomach. She was ready to let it out. She quickly did the proper hand signs and blew it out.
There were only two bad and one good thing that happened as she blew out the fire. The first bad thing was the fireball wasn’t big enough, and the second was she almost turned Pakkun and Bisuke into dinner. The only good one is that from the owl-sized fireball, it was now turned into an eagle-sized one. Kana let out a sigh, disappointed in herself; she expected it to be a greater outcome. Pakkun and Bisuke stood there, frozen. They were still shocked at what happened.
“Sorry Pakkun, Bisuke. Did you find out anything?” Kakashi asked as he scratched the back of his head.
Pakkun, who already snapped back in the reality, nodded. “There’s an island nearby. It’s…” He glanced at Kana then at Kakashi. “The land of the hills.” Kana froze as she stared at the tiny pug in disbelief. Who could have known that the land they were supposed to go was just nearby? A wave of mixed feelings suddenly washed over her. She didn’t know what to feel. She didn’t know if she should be glad that they’re already getting out of this island or sadness because all the fun and adventure that she experienced here with Kakashi in this island will soon disappear. Kakashi glanced at Kana who was deep in thought. Kakashi let out a soft sigh and looked at Pakkun, urging him to continue.
“There is a barrier protecting that island and making it invisible to anybody except people who lived in that land. It was a good thing we were able to go through by following a blind old man riding a boat. They thought we were his dogs.” He informed in a serious tone before turning to look at Kana. She looked at him with sad, hopeless eyes. She knew this would happen soon. “Frankly, everybody is going crazy that the princess who is supposed to bring peace between your lands is missing and some fear that you and Kakashi are dead. They also think that if you are really dead, your death will cause more conflict between the lands. Both of you really need to get there soon to clear things out before things get out of hand.”
“How close is it?” Kakashi asked.
“5 kilometers north and 7 kilometers east.” He replied with ease as if he read it from a map. “I suggest you use a boat as transportation. I also heard that there will be a storm coming tonight.” He warned.
“Thanks for the help Pakkun, Bisuke. You may go home now.” Kakashi released the jutsu and with a puff of smoke, the both of them and the other ninken that Kakashi summoned were sent back to their home. Once they were alone, Kakashi turned to look at Kana who was staring up at the blue sky. “Come on, Kana-sama, cheer up. You’re improving in training exceptionally. By the time it’s your wedding, you have already mastered your jutsu.” He assured.
“But what if I can’t? What if I go back to who I was before? I’ll be the weak, cowardly princess again.” She said sadly. She doubted in her abilities…she doubted herself. She was just too afraid to lose the sweet taste of freedom that she fortunately has now. “How can I possibly rule the land of the mountains if I, myself, can’t climb and conquer the mountains that I face every day?” Her eyes fell to the ground. She watched as the grass swayed to the soft, warm breeze. The confidence that she once had went all down the drain. She was just too afraid. She was afraid that once she gets married, she’ll be like a caged bird again, the kind that wouldn’t be able to see the light of day. It was just like when she was in the land of the mountains.
Her insecurities were eating her up whole. She hated the fact that she could live up to her father and the people of her land's expectations but she could never meet her own. She thought she was nothing but a failure. And that thought gave a bitter taste to her tongue.
She suddenly felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Kakashi looking at her sympathetically. “I could never find the right words to say to you…but all you need to do is believe in yourself.” He said. He recalled his blonde student who always yells and charges first in the fight without second thought. The one who would never give up even if all hope was lost. It was no other than Uzumaki Naruto. “And when you do, you could do things no one can ever expect.” He continued, although Kana still looked troubled.
“Don’t worry; you’ll never be a caged bird again. I promise you that you’ll remain the carefree cloud the rest of your life.” He assured in a calm voice and he flashed an eye smile.
Before Kakashi knew it, Kana was embracing him tightly. He looked quite shocked at her sudden said action. They seemed to melt into each other, Kana closed her eyes and the noise in their surroundings stopped, she felt safe and comfortable like in a perfect dream. When she was with Kakashi, somehow, she didn’t have any worries or fears, just a calm feeling. Kakashi’s eyes softened as he felt the warm unexplainable feeling again. As if he was being controlled, he slowly hugged her back. “Thank you, Kakashi-san.” She whispered loud enough for both of them to hear.
They stayed in that position until Kana let go and looked up at him. She was too shy to admit it but he was the best thing that ever happened to her even if they only spent a few days together, he gave her light that helped her get away from the darkness she felt. He helped her to believe in herself and her dreams again. She learned to become strong and independent. Kakashi was her savior. “Now go look around the area for any sticks while I look for vines. We’ll meet again at the beach, okay?” He instructed as if nothing happened. He knew it was time to start building the boat; they shouldn’t be wasting precious time. Kana simply nodded in reply before the both of them quickly separated to do their assigned tasks.
Kana walked back to the beach carrying pikes of sticks of different shapes and sizes. Kakashi was waiting patiently for her while reading his perverted book. Vines longer than any ordinary rope lay beside him. Once Kakashi smelled her familiar scent, he put his book back in his bag. Kana lay down the sticks on the ground with a huff. “What can I do?” Kana asked as Kakashi started tying two sticks together with a part of a vine.
“Practice that jutsu.” He replied lazily. Kana nodded and stood at the shore line. She practiced the jutsu over and over until sunset. Kana was totally exhausted; she was panting and her legs were wobbly like they could collapse any moment. She overused her chakra and yet she still didn’t stop. “You know, you can faint from exhaustion. You’ve been at it the whole day.” He commented, he was still busy with building the boat.
“One more time, I know I can do this!” She muttered stubbornly. And she executed the jutsu once again. To their surprise, it finally came out like what Kakashi demonstrated…no, even larger. Kana leaped with joy, proud at her achievement. “I told you I can do it!” A triumphant smile formed Kana’s lips, but as fast as it came it quickly disappeared. Her face lost all expression; she seemed to be seeing something far away. The color drained from her face. Kakashi quickly caught her as she crumpled forward. That stubborn girl, I told her she would faint. He thought with a sigh.
“Congratulations, Kana-sama.” He muttered as he picked her up and carried her bridal style.
YOU ARE READING
stranded ➳ hatake kakashi | ✔️
Fanfiction"Kakashi-san..." She replied as tears were starting to form her eyes. "Is he alright?" She stared at him with a grave look on her face. She just really wanted to know. "He's...." He cleared his throat. Kana swallowed the lump in her throat; her hea...
