13

Chapter 13: twelve: dog days are overSummary:

Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to take two forward.

Notes:

For those of you who have been left confused and wondering after last chapter, I strongly recommend you go check up on Kakashi's version of things over at Spring Day's chapter 3 before you keep on reading. If you've already read that and are still confused, everything will be explained in this chapter.

Someone asked me how Chiyuki is seven and Shisui is three. I don't remember what sort of crazy math I did, but I do know I based myself on Itachi and Sasuke's ages and just kinda went from there. I'm aware it might not be accurate, but then again I didn't want them to have too much of an age gap.

I do not own Naruto.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Becoming a Hokage 101

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Section Three

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Chapter Twelve

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Despite all the crazy shit that's prone to happen in the Admin building, Sasakibe-oji has always managed to keep calm and in control of the situation. No matter what sort of crazy clan guy or uptight merchant that comes in here, the middle-aged man has always calmed down everyone's nerves with a slow but steady flow of his constant chakra flow, a fluid and smooth thing that soothes nerves and makes everything easier.

It's not much different this time around.

Like the children caught red-handed that we are, all five of us are sent straight to my father's office, but the man himself is nowhere nearby, to my immense relief.

Sasakibe-oji sits us down in the small couches in the corner of the room and sits right next to me, so I'm between himself and Kakashi. The other three boys sit across from us, Obito and Gai the furthest away.

Silence ticks by, but the atmosphere gets lighter with each second. Instead of being an oppressing one, the silence that the older man imposes makes everyone take a deep breath and relax. I feel myself relaxing into the couch, Kakashi's shoulders soon touching mine. His iron hums at a normal pace once again, but his chakra still spasms every so often.

'And what the hell had he been doing? Was he seriously growling? Is that something people outside the Inuzuka clan can do?'

'-eyes and ears-'

'Oh my sweet gods The Mask is in place shut up-'

"I'm glad we've all calmed down. Things were getting a little hectic out there, hm?"

I sheepishly look at the white-haired man out of the corner of my eye, but he's not upset. Instead, amusement dances in his eyes, and I feel relieved all over again.

'At least, when my parents hear about this, we'll have someone on our side.'

Gai and Obito both have the decency to look embarrassed, and Genma just looks like he wants to go home and actively not be a part of this. Kakashi is still worryingly without reaction to anything.

"Now, I believe we need to talk about what happened. To understand what happened and prevent any other incidents, we must communicate effectively with one another, do you agree?" Multiple nods are his answer. "Who wants to go first?"

"Don't tell my uncle!" Is blurted at the same time as "Can I leave?" does. All pairs of eyes turn to look at Obito and Genma with varying degrees of amusement, though I have the feeling this is the most fun Sasakibe-oji has had in weeks.

"You don't have to worry about your uncle, Obito-kun. I'm sure we can all solve this through conversation. And I'm afraid not, Genma-kun. You are an important witness in this case."

One sits back down, exasperated, while the other looks ready to cry from joy and relief.

'Watch out for the uncle with red eyes.'

"Well then, Gai-kun? Would you like to start?" Said boy doesn't look particularly guilty, only confused as to why he's in this sort of situation, but he's used to taking everything in stride (bless his heart).

"I will then start this youthful tale! I had challenged most youthful Obito to a hand-walking race-"

"No, you challenged Kakashi, who roped Obito in doing it."

'For someone who wanted to leave, Genma is oddly making sure we get our facts straight.' I think amusedly before all eyes inevitably shift to Kakashi, who doesn't even react aside from a shrug. I bump his shoulder with mine and he looks disgruntled, but speaks.

"I didn't want to do it, but it was starting to get troublesome so I got Obito to do it."

A tense second follows his statement until Obito gets red-faced and stands up to point a finger at his teammate, and his iron hums unpleasantly, stopping and going in odd intervals.

"Huh?! You listen here you little-"

"Obito, sit back down."

Thankfully, Genma grabs the back of the Uchiha's shirt and pulls him back down swiftly. Throughout all this Sasakibe-oji has the same pleasant but placid look on his face, as if he's just mediating this whole process and not the adult in control.

"The matter of fact is that Gai-kun and Obito-kun engaged in a hand-walking race, yes? After that, can you tell me what happened, Genma-kun?"

The older boy almost rolls his eyes, but remembers this is a figure of respect he's not familiar with, and stops himself. The middle-aged man seems to figure it out anyway, though.

"They had one lap around this floor, and when they were nearly finished Obito tripped and was going to land on Chiyuki. Then…"

All eyes turn once again to Kakashi, who again doesn't seem to care very much.

'Okay. I'm starting to get really worried. Just what the fuck is going on?'

"Kakashi-kun?" Sasakibe-oji prompts gently, and I nudge the boy with my shoulder.

"He was going to hit Chiyuki." He says bluntly, as if it explains everything. I'm about to open my mouth, a million things at the tip of my tongue, but then the man next to me makes a very complicated face and lays a hand on my shoulder.

He makes quick work of making everyone apologize to one another, assuring Obito he doesn't have to worry about his uncle, then rushes everyone out of the room but me and Kakashi.

"Alright, children. This is an area I'm not overly familiar with, so I'll introduce you to someone who's much more knowledgeable in this than I am."

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In all of ninja history, few clans have a strong animal affinity like the Inuzuka do.

Of course, many clans have summoning scrolls that are passed down throughout generations, but not many have a bond like the Inuzuka have with their dogs. The Nara clan is another one, but that is in part because none of the other clans that came to Konoha managed to earn the deers' trust as they did.

It just shows how really alike humans and animals can be. Inuzuka are loud and energetic, yes, but they are also extremely perceptive and sensitive to emotions. Their nose is also a big advantage in search parties, although it can be just as much of a disadvantage in places with overwhelming scents.

Oh, let's not forget the eyes and fangs, too. It makes for a terrifying sight.

"-and so you growled at the little Uchiha, mhm? Even though he's your teammate."

Inuzuka Mayu is a tall brunette that demands respect the second you see her. She's a tad thinner than most Inuzuka women, though it makes her no less scary. Aside from the customary red tattoos on her face, the Inuzuka matriarch's fangs are slightly longer than normal.

Kakashi just nods, still in that limbo of emotions. He's been like this for a few days now, and I'm a hair's breath away from snapping. Seeing him like this makes me all sorts of anxious and why can't I fix this why why ojisan I'm sorry-

A cold, wet nose butts my own, startling me. Mayu's partner, a huge dog with dark grey fur and beautiful golden eyes named Haruki, licks my nose a couple of times before rumbling softly at me.

"Let's go for a walk, pup." He says, already going for the door. It's clearly not an invitation but an order, and although the logic part of me knows we're safe in Inuzuka lands, the other part of me still is reluctant in leaving Kakashi's side.

"You stay, Hatake." I turn to stare at my friend as soon as the iron in his blood starts to churn, just as hesitant to leave me as I do him - if not more. "Chill, pup. You're practically home. Nothing's gonna happen to you - or our future hokage."

Even though I can tell she's just teasing me, I feel my face go hot from embarrassment.

'Curse the Konoha Gossip Mill.'

'Eyes and ears-'

'Shut up! This is not a secret! Everyone and their mother knows I wanna be hokage!'

I want to reach out and squeeze Kakashi's hand, but I know he's way too strung up for any sort of physical contact, especially in front of people we just met, so I refrain from doing it. Instead, I lock eyes with him for a moment and hope I can convey my feelings through that.

'It's alright. We won't be far.'

It seems to work, and the boy relaxes the slightest bit. Haruki, who'd been waiting for me at the door, finally exits the house expecting me to follow.

We don't go terribly far. It's a quiet walk through the edge of Inuzuka lands, a nice and clear patch of land without too many trees or bushes, just enough to rest under on a hot day. I take the time to breathe in and out slowly, trying to relax at the same time I spread out my senses.

Members of the Inuzuka clan, whether they are shinobi or not, are all similar to their dog counterparts. The iron in their blood flows a tad faster than your average human's, and as a result, their heart beats faster. Even though many clansmen are outgoing and energetic, their iron hums to me in a swift way, quick and steady, showing that no matter how excited they are, their bodies don't allow their heart to beat too fast.

'It's an interesting but confusing mechanism. Aren't there times in battle when you need a bigger, faster flow of blood? If it's more or less constant all the time, how do they manage with jutsu?'

"Don't you ever not think?" Haruki's grumble sounds from my right, and I shake my head sheepishly.

"No. I think all the time. Kakashi says I think too loud."

"That's not very healthy."

"I know. But I can't really stop it."

"You can, but that isn't why I took you out here."

We're still inside Inuzuka lands, but on the very edge of it. From here I can still sense Kakashi's iron screech and buzz in odd intervals. It makes me anxious, but it doesn't look like he's in pain or anything, so I try to focus on the ninken with the too intelligent eyes.

"You two pups have been together for a while." It's not a question, and he doesn't need an answer. "I'm surprised it took this long for things to get to this way."

There are a million things in my head, but I know this isn't the time to talk. Haruki sits down and I'm quick to follow him, having to crane my head up to keep looking into his eyes.

"Be aware that this is not common knowledge. This is part of who we are, as Inuzuka, as well as humans and dogs who live together. You will learn of this because of the bonds you have made, and who you can become because of them."

I nod, a bit confused by it all. Understandably, any sort of clan business is a delicate thing. What happens in a clan kind of stays in a clan, especially if we're talking about the ins and hows of things. The ninken stares at me for a moment, probably gauging whether I understand the importance of it or not, before he huffs and continues.

"The Inuzuka and the Hatake are cousin clans, so to speak. Humans from those clans have always had a bond with canines, though they aren't actually related by blood or anything. In that sense, a lot of customs and traditions are similar between the two clans, as well as some kinds of behavior."

Well… that kind of makes sense. I stay in silence while more questions pop up in my head.

"Hatake Sakumo died before he could properly pass that down to his pup, and even though Mayu'd wanted to reach out to him earlier, that wasn't possible." Haruki looks at me in this particular way that makes me think it was my family that prevented that, although neither of us mentions anything. "Regardless, you two are finally here, and it's time you learn about canine dynamic."

Suddenly, I feel Kakashi's iron churn in a painful way, as if he's actually hurting. My first instinct is to get up and prepare to run all the way back, but a set of very sharp teeth grabs the back of my shorts and holds me in place.

"The Hatake is fine. Mayu is explaining the same things to him, but he needs to sort that out on his own."

I sit back down reluctantly, still feeling Kakashi's iron speed and slow in an uneven pattern.

'I know he needs to sort shit out on his own. I know that.'

"Seeing as you're just as bad as he is, I'll go straight to the point: Hatake Sakumo was the alpha of the clan. Upon his death, the pup's instincts told him to latch on to the next prominent person in his life - you."

'Wait. What?'

"I'm imagining the Hatake pup made you a member of his pack before his alpha died. When that happened, his instincts told him to make you his alpha."

There's lead in my mouth and ice in my veins.

"You became his guide. His emotions became even more finely attuned to yours, so that he could always feel what his alpha felt and react accordingly."

'This is a bad dream. It can't be real.'

"As an alpha, your emotions and your decisions affect the entire pack. On top of that, I'm assuming you're his closest friend and his source of comfort. It all makes for a recipe of a walking bomb just waiting for a trigger."

'The thing with Obito. He thought I was in danger - no. It was before that. Kakashi started acting weird around-'

"Breathe, Chiyuki. You're safe."

'In, out. In, out.'

Even the paranoid part of me is silent even as The Mask cracks, but does not break.

'It's alright. It's alright. It's not an ideal situation, but now I finally know what's going on. We're gonna be okay.'

I breathe in and out slowly for several minutes. Kakashi's calmed down as well, and all I feel from him is exhaustion - his iron hums almost lazily, sluggishly, as if it refuses to cooperate. Haruki remains silent, patiently waiting until I process everything.

'We'll get through this.'

I fix The Mask.

'It does make sense, in a way.'

I finally look at the giant ninken in front of me, his eyes wise and patient.

'Let's fix shit, Sarutobi.'

"What can I do?"

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Cryptography isn't as interesting as it sounds like.

Sure, it has all the elements of mystery and the unknown to it, but as genin we don't have access to any of the codes aside from the standard ones.

What the newly appointed genin teams do here is basically learn the base code every Konoha ninja should know, keep the paperwork organized, and come up with our own team code. The first and second tasks aren't really that difficult, and I do understand they're only trying to help us in the long run, but creating an entirely new code from scratch is like creating an alphabet for a new language - not impossible, but pretty damn difficult.

"Man, how are we even supposed to do this?" As Genma complains about our predicament for the nth time, my hands pick up another thick file with hundreds of papers to be sorted out. Once you learn the standard code it's easy enough to organize stuff, but if you spend too many hours on this, everything starts to look the same.

'Maybe that's why so many people in Cryptography wear glasses.'

"It's not like we have to do it now, and it doesn't have to be anything super complicated either." I say in a neutral tone, hands already sorting out the files according to date, place, and department. It's not like I don't understand where Genma is coming from, but whining about it will only get you so far.

"Our most youthful Chiyuki is right! We must power through with the power of our Springtime of Youth!" I chuckle at Gai, grateful for his cheerfulness. I'm sure that if it were only Genma and I here organizing papers in a small room without any windows, we'd have gone at each other's necks a long time ago.

While Genma mumbles something unintelligible under his breath, which is ignored by both me and Gai, I come across an old, tattered slip of paper almost hidden between the files I'm taking care of. It doesn't look like there's anything written in it, and I'm about to disregard it when I look at the other side and see erased writing.

Squinting my eyes, I can make vague words and letters, which together make no sense whatsoever. Something nigs at me, as if this is familiar, as if I've seen this before-

'Tobirama's diary.'

It hits me in the face like a brick would. The handwriting on the slip of paper isn't Tobirama's, but the codes written in it do appear on the second half of the Nidaime's diary, the one my father had given me access to. I'd stopped looking at it because, at some point in his early twenties, Tobirama came up with his own code and used it to continue writing on his diary, and after spending two weeks trying to solve it without any success, I'd put it aside to deal with it later.

'Seems that later is now, huh.'

'-eyes and ears-'

'I know.'

This time, I can't disregard the boiling monster as simply being paranoid. Why is this here, in a place like this? Who wrote this? Did they leave it here on purpose, because they knew I'd be here? Is this connected to the person I'm supposed to be cautious of?

I quickly stuff the offending piece of paper inside my kimono, smoothly going back to sorting out papers as if nothing's happened. If my teammates notice anything amiss, they don't mention it.

'Should I use this to try to read the diary again? It's extremely suspicious how conveniently this was placed here, but it's an opportunity I can't let pass.'

I think about asking my father whether the contents on the paper are valid or not, but that would open a can of worms I'm definitely not in the mood to deal with. Asking mother is out of the question as well. Kakashi has his own shit to deal with, Gai and Genma will find it too suspicious-

A name pops up in my head, along with a gentle smile and an outstretched hand. In my mind, I take it.

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Constructive criticism is more than welcome, but if you're gonna be an asshole about it, then just don't bother.