Briefly, Kakashi allowed himself to consider what it would be like to have a romantic partner. A moment later though, he saw Rin before his eyes, with his arm in her chest, chidori blazing, blood trickling out of her mouth and pouring from the gaping hole he had left in her chest, the light quickly going out of her eyes–and the jonin quickly shook his head. No. It was not a good idea to have a romantic partner. People that got close to him. People who loved him. They somehow ended up dead.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kakashi knew the conclusion he was making was not an entirely logical one. He knew that Rin was a unique situation, and that, furthermore, they hadn’t even been involved. That, and she had jumped in front of his chidori, and that had nothing to do with her love for him. But still, there was that risk of losing the loved one. Of him being the cause. And he just–he couldn’t risk it.
His eyes fell upon Naruto, who had cheerfully said something about being with him so he wasn’t lonely. The copy ninja chuckled, smiling at the young man in a relieved sort of way. You could always count on Naruto to lighten the mood. “That’s a great idea,” he said, draping an arm over his shoulder.
Kakashi watched him carefully, seeing the way the other avoided eye contact upon causing himself a nuisance. Well, he wouldn’t lie. Sighing, Kakashi stretched his back, arms stretching into the air. “Yeah, well, you all were,” he said. “You were hyperactive, Sasuke was moody and a pain, Sakura would lose her temper or just go crazy after Sasuke… but…” He shrugged, sitting up straight. “That doesn’t mean I don’t love you guys.”
A pause, and then he shrugged again. “Yeah, that’s him. Yeah, it’s cool.” That was all. He didn’t want to reveal too much. // @capteinoblivious
Cerulean orbs watched Kakashi’s expression. No, he didn’t understand his teacher. He couldn’t. Kakashi never talked about his past and Naruto wasn’t going to be a pest and ask about it, because he knew best himself: Kakashi’s life wasn’t his business. He was curious, but he was just going to wait and it it never happened, then Naruto supposed that it was supposed to be this way. Not knowing about his life didn’t make the blond completely oblivious though.
“There’s always the fear of losing someone close. That’s what this life is about, I guess. Aren’t you just thinking about that?” Not that he could read Kakashi’s thoughts, but that was the only reason he could think of and understand. He’d also be scared of losing Sakura, but the girl had chosen this life as well, so who was he to tell her to stop? Everyone should continue doing what they want to do.
The blond laughed quietly, feeling Kakashi’s arm around his shoulder. “I’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t I? I am not as tall as you, not even with your hair gone I’d be close, but I am growing up pretty quickly!” He’d even outgrown Sakura and maybe he could also tackle Iruka’s height and boast about it to the teacher. He’d love to see Iruka’s expression then. He hadn’t visited the man in quite some time.
Naruto chuckled slightly at Kakashi’s description of team 7. They really were such a pain back then, but now... now they were just incomplete and the world was slowly changing, changing to being even more dangerous, right? Cerulean orbs looked up at the silver haired man, lips still pulled upwards in a smile. “I love you, too... I mean, we all do.”
Hmm, he couldn’t ask more about the Fourth Hokage, but something told him that Kakashi was holding back on purpose. Maybe he could read something to find out more.