happy halloween! maybe naruto if ur still into it? loved the kakairu dynamic u wrote in invincible summer 🧡🎃
set in godnonsensical verse and a continuation of 1
Once they get back from Wave and all his brats have settled back in their respective homes, he does what he should have done in the first place.
Gather tactical information on his opponents.
(Just because they’re his genin and he sort of likes them isn’t relevant information.)
Iruka Umino is still awake and grading when Kakashi jumps in through his window. He's not expecting the smoke bomb to the face that opening the window triggers and he ends up falling off the window sill and onto the ground three stories below. He cushions the impact with chakra so it doesn't hurt, but still.
Iruka leans out the window, blinking down at him blearily. "Hatake? Aren't you out of village?"
"You taught Naruto about pranking," he accuses, hands on his hips.
He scratches the scar on across his nose. "I taught Naruto basic ninja skills, just like the rest of my students. How he applies those skills is his own business."
"Can I come in?" Kakashi asks, not really wanting to continue this conversation where anyone could overhear them.
Iruka's eyes narrow but he shrugs and steps away from the window. Kakashi decides to take that as an invitation and jumps back up, slightly more cautious as he steps inside the apartment.
“Tea?” he asks, already moving towards the stove.
“Sure,” he says. “What can you tell me about my kids?”
Iruka doesn’t so much as blink. “What do you want to know?”
He wants to know how well these little schemers have been scamming the village. But he can’t say that, so he has to go after this a little sidewise. “Our C rank turned into an A rank. They faced the Demon Brothers and the Demon of the Mist.”
He’s expecting an explosion – Iruka is notoriously overprotective of his students, and fond of Naruto on top of that – but instead he just frowns. The silence stretches on until it’s interrupted by the kettle. Iruka pours the water into the teapot, finally saying, “That must have been quite a surprise.”
Annoyingly ambiguous. He has to be doing it on purpose. “You’re not concerned?”
“You’re back and you’re here. That wouldn’t be the case if any of them were dead,” he answers, which is true. Damn.
“Why didn’t Sasuke graduate early?” Kakashi asks. “He’s certainly capable of it.”
All of them are capable of it, but if Iruka doesn’t already know then Kakashi isn’t going to reveal the secrets that his kids have gone to so much effort to maintain.
Iruka holds out a cup of steaming tea to him. “Children should be able to set their own pace. If I have a child that does not want to graduate early, then what I have is a child who is not ready to graduate early.”
They could just be talking about Sasuke. “What about Naruto?” he asks. “You passed him even though he failed the exam.”
Iruka’s face darkens, which isn’t the reaction Kakashi had expected from mentioning his favorite student. “A failing of childhood, especially a ninja one, is the belief that they’re responsible for things adults are meant to handle. When a child acts in accordance to that belief, the behavior and accompanying consequences must be corrected.”
He knows. He must have figured out that Naruto failed on purpose to draw out Mizuki, which means he knows that Naruto was capable of graduating all along.
“Any tips?” Kakashi sighs, holding the tea cup between is hands so the warmth can sink into his skin.
Iruka smiles. He doesn’t think Iruka has ever smiled at him before. It’s kinda nice. “Despite appearances, they’re good kids. You’ll be fine.”
He’s not so sure, but he appreciated the sentiment.
