Shadow (Naruto)

Chapter Four

~Kakashi's POV~

Age 14

Over the next few months, I watched over Kushina and Mira during the daytime until Minato-sensei would return home from his duties as Hokage. In the evenings Mira would beg me to play games with her or help her train. She hadn't even entered into the academy and was more skilled than any genin, her chakra control was at jonin level and she had huge reserves of stamina, she was a constant exuberant ball of energy. On my days off I'd visit the graves of my friends and talk to them telling them about what was going on in my life. Because of Mira, I was interacting more with my colleagues, Asuma, Kurenai and even the obnoxious Guy.

Mira was like a bright burning flame of light and life and everyone else were like moths, drawn to her. She was strong and perceptive beyond her years. Many believed she'd make a great future Hokage even at the tender age of six.

"Kakashi-nii, I found you." Her cherubic laughter sounded from behind me.

I turned to find the youth, donning a cute pale mint green dress littered with red pandas, grinning from ear to ear. It hadn't even been twenty minutes and she'd found everyone. Asuma, Kurenai and Guy were standing behind her smiling sheepishly, she'd bested them all so quickly.

"Let's have a fishing contest!" Guy, the young man my age wearing a dark green bodysuit with a red bandana around his neck, exclaimed with gusto.

Mira tilted her head to the side, "Fishing contest?"

"I'll beat you Kakashi." Guy vowed with determination.

"Come on Mira-chan we can get dango and watch Guy make a fool of himself." Kurenai laughed as she swung little Mira onto her back. Asuma shrugged and followed after the girls as I reluctantly followed Guy to the river to find a decent fishing spot for the ridiculous fishing contest.

We found a small patch of river just outside of the village concealed in a clearing of trees. Guy was busy explaining the rules of the contest and how it was going to determine who was the best. Kurenai returned with Mira clinging to her back holding a few sticks with sugary tri-colored dango. Asuma wasn't too far behind with two giant baskets for the fish we caught.

Guy hopped atop the water's surface declaring that we had to catch all the fish by hand. Reluctantly, I followed suit.

"Go Kakashi-nii!" Mira cheered happily causing Guy to groan.

"Cheer for me too Mira-chan." Guy cried causing Kurenai and Asuma to laugh.

There was no contest, it was a crippling defeat for Guy after only an hour I had thirty fish in my basket to fifteen measly fish in his. I felt a sense of panic when I didn't hear Mira cheering from behind me. When I turned to Kurenai and Asuma they were looking around worried. Mira was gone.

"She was here just a second ago, playing with some rabbits." Kurenai paled, "Mira-chan?!"

"Split up." I ordered and we all took off in different directions in the surrounding forest. It was sunset, it would be dark soon. Mira was afraid of the dark.

"MIRA?!" I called her name, I could hear the others yelling for her off in the distance.

My heart dropped as I heard her scream, it was a terrifying blood curdling scream.

"MIRA!!" I ran as fast as I could in the direction I'd heard her scream praying she was alright. Breaking through a clearing of trees where I'd heard her scream, I saw her frail form lying in the grass, curled into a ball, a large man was standing over her and without thinking I charged up an immense amount of chakra into my hand. It flashed and sparked like lighting in my hand, crackling as I ran toward the man with a roar of rage. "Get away from her!"

The man turned to me and caught my wrist in his hand deflecting my attack with ease, the energy from Chidori blasted a few nearby trees reducing them to splinters.

"Kakashi!" Guy and the others ran to my aid but paused as realization dawned on all of us as we looked to the large man with the messy white hair, the hermit sage, one of the legendary sannin, Master Jiraiya. What was he doing here? What had he done to Mira? I'd never seen her so scared.

He turned to Mira with a goofy grin, "It's okay Mira-chan that scary frog is gone now, I saved you."

Mira scrambled to her feet with tears in her cerulean blue eyes and ran to me, "Kakashi-nii!" She leapt into my arms, running past Jiraiya who still had that goofy grin and his arms open as if expecting her to run to him, his eyes widened as she clung to me.

"Ah! Mira-chan! What about oji-chan who saved you." Master Jiraiya sniffled, but I noticed a hint of a smile as he met my gaze, he'd commented before about how I'd become somber and distant from others.

Oji-chan? I noticed the others beginning to work out what I had worked out, Jiraiya's summoning contract was with frogs, he'd probably summoned one to frighten her to play the hero so she'd run to him. What a twisted pervy old man, he was.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what are you doing here?" I asked him curiously as I held Mira close, she was still upset. I had no idea she was this terrified of frogs.

"My precious little Mira-chan was in trouble." Jiraiya shrugged.

Kurenai shook her head at this but thought better than to comment on it, "Mira-chan, I need to get going, try not to run off like that anymore." She waved.

"Sorry Kurenai-nee." Mira mumbled into my shoulder still clinging to me like her life depended on it.

Kurenai smiled at me, "You really like Kakashi, don't you Mira-chan?"

Mira nodded, still refusing to release me from her spider monkey like grip. I felt a small sense of astonishment at this, I had no idea what I had done to make the child like me so much, yet she always clung to me and followed me around like a little lost puppy. She'd pout whenever I'd perch too high, or when I tried to tell her I had to work and watch over her and Kushina. She didn't like it when I couldn't walk with them when they ran errands and had to stay concealed. Before, this sort of behavior would have annoyed me, but I liked having her around.

Kurenai left and Asuma followed suit shortly after. Jiraiya-sensei walked with Guy and I back to our fishing spot and the baskets filled with fish. He looked thoughtful as he followed along behind us.

"What should we do with all the fish?" Guy pondered aloud as we looked at the baskets. As usual he hadn't really thought our little contest through and now we were stuck with nearly fifty fish.

Mira turned her head to look at the baskets of fish, "You caught so many!" She giggled. "Did you win Kakashi-nii?"

"No faith in me whatsoever." Guy said with mock tears.

I ruffled her hair glad that she seemed to no longer be upset, "Of course I won, you were cheering for me."

Her smile was heartwarming, "Really?"

"Mhmm."

"Then, I'll always cheer for you." Mira beamed.

"Eh? Mira-chan then I'll never win!" Guy feigned a broken heart.

"I have an idea." Mira completely ignored Guy's comment causing him to collapse dramatically in defeat, "Onii-san said a lot of farmers were having trouble with their crops because it hasn't been raining very much, they're giving out food rations to families in need, we could give them the fish you caught."

"That's a great idea, Mira-chan, but it's getting late, I should get you home first-."

"You two take the fish, I'll take Mira-chan." Jiraiya-sensei smiled, "Minato asked me to come by anyway."

So that was his real reason for being back. I reluctantly agreed and Mira scrambled to Jiraiya's side and took his hand.