A ninja must see underneath the underneath.

Chapter 44: Home.

Several days, weeks and months passed, and soon enough, Naruto had gotten used to being Konoha’s seventh Hokage. Kakashi and he had found a stable rhythm in life, as both finally felt like everything had fallen into place. Naruto was able to uphold the promises he had made to the villagers and shinobi, and Kakashi had happily accepted his former position as one of Konoha’s Jonin.

It took Naruto quite some time, and a scolding from Kakashi, before he was brave enough to put his lover back onto S-ranked missions. But he was happy with the consensus they had agreed on. Naruto would allow Kakashi to do more dangerous missions, but only those which took a few days. The Nanadaime hated missing his lover after all. Kakashi had agreed to the proposition, with the additional request that he would be allowed to lead and train his very own team of Chunin or Jonin.

The arrangement suited them both pretty well. Kakashi would still have time to guide and advice the young Hokage if and when it was necessary, but he also had the time to train and travel around. Naruto on the other hand felt much more at ease knowing that Kakashi had his own hand-picked team with him at all times. His lover had managed to form a group which showed a lot of potential and great team work. So far, every mission they had executed had proven to be a great success.

Kakashi had recruited Yamato for his bravery, stable mind and excellent skills, Sakura for her strength, perseverance and healing skills and Sai for his tracking and sealing abilities. Kakashi was considering enlisting Konohamaru as well. The Sandaime’s grandson was still a little young, but he showed great potential and leadership skills which Kakashi simply couldn’t ignore. Naruto wasn’t so convinced about enlisting the young boy, but then again, the Hokage cared for the kid as if he was his own brother. Kakashi had to admit, they did share some similarities.

It was a harsh winter night, when Kakashi and his team walked back through the gates of Konoha. The only sound came from the snow creaking beneath their footsteps as they entered the sleeping village. Kakashi nodded at the two guards as a form of greeting. His team members shivered as a strong wind hit them in the back. Kakashi looked at the newly built Konoha, which shone in the light of the full moon.

Their mission had been a hard one. They had aided the Hidden Grass Village in retrieving a scroll which had been stolen from their shrine. The scroll held extremely important information, so it was crucial for the Grass Village that it would be retrieved unread by enemies or allied eyes. Trust had been of huge importance. As promised, Kakashi and his team had aided their allies in retrieving the scroll, without as much as a peek to what was written inside. The fight itself had been more savage than he had expected, but his team and he had managed to come out without any substantial or dangerous wounds. The same could not be said for their enemies, who had lost their lives due too having read the information on the piece of paper. Unfortunately, there had been a lot of them.

Kakashi halted at Hokage tower. “Alright team. As I said before, you all did great work on this mission. I expect you all to be back here tomorrow at mid-day as we report to the Hokage. You can rest assured that he will hear about your outstanding achievements. I will ask him to give us all a few days off, seeing how you all deserved it.”

Each member went their own way, except for Yamato, who’s apartment was in the same district as Kakashi’s. They chatted along the way until Kakashi had reached his home.

“See you tomorrow Senpai.” The wood-user said as he waved at his captain.

“Yup, see you later.” Kakashi said as he raised his hand and gave a friendly nod. He had always liked Yamato. He was friendly but kept his distance, and he was also very professional and skilled. A guy you could really count on. He was glad that Yamato had agreed to leave the ANBU to join his team.

Kakashi opened the door as quiet as possible, making sure not to wake anyone up. He struggled to take of his shoes and jacket as his fingers were ice-cold. He rubbed them together as he walked further into the warmth of his home. When Kakashi didn’t find Noodle onto the couch or in his sleeping basket, he rolled his eyes.

As he walked into their bedroom, he spotted the cat onto the bed, exactly as he anticipated. “So far for not letting the cat sleep on the bed…” He whispered to himself before sighing.

Kakashi quietly took off his wet uniform and tossed it over the back of a chair before slowly slipping into his side of the bed. He snuggled close to Naruto and Noodle, as both always felt so warm to him. Naruto stirred in his sleep as ice-cold fingers and arms were wrapped around his body, waking him up with a slight shiver.

“You’re back?” He asked sleep-drunk.

“Yes, and I’m fine. Just freezing.” Kakashi said as he knew the blond had worried about him.

“Mhm, you sure are. Come here.” Naruto replied as he snuggled in close next to his lover.

“Why is Noodle on the bed?” Kakashi whispered softly as he inhaled Naruto’s scent.

“I was lonely.” The blond answered as he rested his head against Kakashi’s cold cheek.

“I’ve missed you too.” Kakashi said as he kissed the blond hair tickling his face.

They both smiled as Noodle started spinning. Kakashi looked down onto both of them, and once again it hit him, how lucky he really was to have them in his life. He loved his little family, and he loved having a place that he could truly call home. Each time he would think back onto his decision to go onto a journey with the eccentric blond, he felt so happy and grateful for saying yes. Once again he realized, he would do anything for the young shinobi. He smiled happily as he closed his eyes.

The end.

Thank you for reading my story and sticking with me for no less than 44 (!) chapters

(199 Office Word pages and 102 000 words!).

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