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After having his life and future completely altered, Kakashi should probably not visit the ghosts of his past immediately after.
In his defense, the Memorial Stone was a constant in Kakashi’s life. It was the one thing that had remained through the countless changes that had wrecked his worthless existence of 25 years.
He was certain T&I would have glaring evidence to make his therapy visits mandatory if they heard this, but Kakashi felt Obito’s presence at the Stone.
It was absurd.
Obito was dead and Kakashi had made his peace in all these years. Not with his death, no, but with the fact that Kakashi's failure stole Obito's future.
And yet, he couldn’t shake how his heart settled and his mind quietened. Obito was gone, but Kakashi could pretend, couldn’t he?
[After all, he was a Shinobi. A deceit master by profession. A liar to survive.]
So here he was again, this time asking for Minato Sensei’s guidance. He didn’t know what possessed him to ask for all three of the brats, handling even one seemed impossible.
There was also the matter that Sakura had a family and her Mother needed to be consulted to draw a plan lest she take offence.
Never mind that, what momentary insanity took hold of him when he decided to become a Clan Head.
Clan Head, thought Kakashi deliriously, his father’s former position. And not just one, oh no, Kakashi was a Head of two clans. One of which had been his dead best friend’s.
Kakashi allowed himself an hour of lamenting and vague plan making, before he stood up to go to the training ground his team was waiting for him in.
His team which was soon to live in the house his father committed suicide in. What a joke.
_
His team was visibly upset about Kakashi arriving an hour late, but they surprisingly didn’t cause too much ruckus.
The reason for that became obvious a minute later, as Kakashi spotted Sakura and Naruto shooting curious glances to a silent Sasuke.
Kakashi snapped his Icha-Icha close and the three genin immediately paid attention.
“Maa, I’m sure you’re wondering what we’re doing today. It’s Chakra Concentration Training followed by water walking~ But I have an important announcement before that.”
Sasuke, who had witnessed Kakashi leave in the morning to talk to the Hokage, tensed up.
Sakura and Naruto’s curious gazes turned suspicious, Kakashi wasn’t sure if they noticed how they subconsciously shifted to cover up Sasuke’s figure from Kakashi.
He was relieved, maybe this team 7 wouldn’t end like his.
“Oh? Such hostility from my cute little Genin?”
The two flushed. Sasuke was the one to huff and step forward, “Don’t be idiots,” he snapped, “He went to talk to the Hokage, so he must have information.”
“Woah?? You talked to the Old Man, Sensei??”
Kakashi hummed, motioning for them to sit down. Now, how to drop the metaphorical bomb.
"Sasuke, how much would you like for them to know?”
Sasuke shifted uneasily as three pair of eyes snapped to him, “I’ll explain the law and other stuff to them later.”
[a feeling of unity. teamwork. trust. you've grown Sasuke.]
Kakashi smiled, “Good.”
“Wait wait wait, what stuff? Are you teaching teme something cool, Kakashi-Sensei??”
“Quiet, dobe.”
“YOU SHUT UP, TEME.”
Sakura, bless her heart, interrupted before it could turn into a fight, “What does this have to do with us, Sensei?”
“Well, I had to ask for Hokage-sama’s approval to take in Sasuke, didn't I?”
Three identical gaping faces looked at him. Naruto sputtered, “Sasuke teme is going to live with you??”
Sasuke didn’t even bother replying, too occupied with trying his best to look stone faced. How cute.
Kakashi answered, “Yes, I’m going to take in Sasuke as my ward.”
“Oh my,” Sakura whispered behind her hand, looking between Sasuke and Kakashi.
Naruto’s shoulder slumped, “Right. And you, um, talked to the Old Man about this? That Sasuke’s gonna have a dad?”
Kakashi coughed, and tried not to look at a very pale Sasuke, “I was thinking more along the lines of Guardian. But whatever suits Sasuke.”
“Oh,” muttered Naruto.
Sakura took to staring hard at Kakashi as if asking him to fix this. Kakashi marveled at how facing death together can bond people like nothing else.
“Naruto?”
“Yes, Kakashi-Sensei?”
“Naruto, look at me.”
Wet, blue eyes looked up at Kakashi, and he felt relief sink down deep into his very bones that he had made the decision that he had.
“I guess teme has to call you by some other name, hah! That’s so funny! Oi, teme, are you gonna call Kakashi Sensei your Sensei at home too?!”
Sasuke looked at Naruto’s fake cheer and red ears like he had never seen the boy before. Good, thought Kakashi, let him see he’s not alone in his loneliness and grief.
Kakashi will talk to Sasuke about his avenger-complex later though, right now it was time to take in Minato Sensei’s son like he had taken in Kakashi many years ago.
“Naruto, I asked Hokage-sama if you and Sakura could live with Sasuke and me. He said yes.”
“Live with you, Sensei?” whispered Sakura.
Kakashi took a moment to look at his three kids. To look at Sasuke who had a family now. At Naruto with his big hopeful eyes and wobbling lip. At Sakura who had gone still with surprise, small hands gripping her skirt.
“I adopted only Sasuke-kun. But I wanted us to live together as a team if you wished to. So, I opened up my old compound.”
No one spoke a word.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, “Ah, I get it if you don’t wish to, but I just wanted to give you that chance. You can even use it as a storage for—”
Kakashi didn’t get the chance to finish before a fast, yellow bundle crashed into him. His hand inched towards his kunai as he went down on the grass, but then the yellow bundle started sobbing.
“Naruto?” asked Kakashi.
Pink swam in his vision as he was smothered from the right side, “Sensei, I can be with everyone too?”
What was that supposed to mean?
“W-well, you are part of the team, aren’t you, Sakura?”
He didn’t know why there were suddenly two crying children in his arms.
He looked up at Sasuke with a baffled expression. Sasuke proved to be of no help as he crouched down on his left side, his hand gripping Kakashi’s flak jacket, his head bowed and hidden from sight.
“Sensei? ‘m gonna live with you Sensei? And with teme and Sakura-chan?”
Oh.
Kakashi’s arms came up to hold all three of his genin, “Yeah, we’re gonna live together.”
He looked up at a blue sky, his arms full of his kids, his pack. Fuck, they were just children, weren’t they? It was hard sometimes to remember when he had been a child soldier himself.
“You don’t have to be alone anymore, Naruto.”
The boy took a loud heaving sob. And Kakashi—
Kakashi simply pressed his wet eyes to Sakura’s shaking shoulders, holding his kids even tighter.