Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To be entering Konoha’s hospital of his own free will for an appointment he had made was a strange sensation for Kakashi. But this was something he wouldn’t hesitate attending to. Normally, the results of his blood analysis were communicated to him via hawk, a simple scroll indicating if his testosterone levels —among other things— were stable. Not this time. For whatever reason, Sakura wanted to talk to him personally. Which could not be good.

She had become his personal doctor after the War and he was rather pleased with the treatment so far. One year had passed since the world came to peace, so this was his second analysis with the Haruno. The first one’s results had been delivered to him also in a scroll, just as Tsunade used to do. Therefore, for Sakura to call him meant something was out of place. And, oh, he dreaded that possibility.

See, Kakashi had known he was trans from an early age, and thus he had already overcome several obstacles related to the fact. Getting his hormones once he was old enough. Undergoing a mastectomy with a doctor he didn’t fear would kill him during the procedure. In general feeling more and more comfortable with himself as years passed. And, at the moment, the Hatake could assure he was happy with his situation; a testosterone shot every three months was everything he needed to stay as he was. With a body he liked and enjoyed, his appearance masculine enough to satisfy him.

Everything was perfect, and the universe could do him a favor for once in his life and leave things as they were.

When he finally reached Sakura’s office, he knocked softly at the door and awaited until his student called for him to enter.

“Oh, Kakashi-sensei! You’re… On time” she said, looking at the clock over the entrance and then at him. “That’s weird.”

“Yeah, well, this is something I wouldn’t be late for” he stated, even if trying to appear nonchalant with the hands inside his pockets. “So?”

The Haruno offered him a small smile and signaled to the chair at the other side of her desk.

“Take a seat, sensei, please.”

He lifted an eyebrow at the serious tone, but did as indicated anyways while staring at her the whole time.

“Are my testosterone levels altered, or…?”

“No, Kakashi-sensei, they are fine” Sakura assured him, removing an incredible amount of weight from his shoulders. “However, while taking a look at the analysis I saw…” she took a deep breath and then spatted out: “You’re pregnant, sensei. About six weeks.”

The Hatake’s eyes opened wide as the information hit him. That was… How?! Gai and him were being safe! But of course the universe could not give him alone for one minute. Groaning, he bended forwards and hid his face in between his hands, eyes closed as he breathed.

“I, uh… I saw in your medical history that you already had two interventions before, sensei, so I’m pretty sure you know how it works, but…” his student kept talking, her tone slowly changing from one unsure to another more decisive. “You can get an abortion as soon as you’re ready. Nobody else has to know, not even Gai-sensei. This is your body and your decision, sensei.”

Gai.

Kami, he… Ugh.

The Haruno’s words were true; Kakashi had found himself in that situation twice before. The first time it hadn’t been Gai’s, and he had gone through the procedure alone, lying to the doctors about his support system. It wasn’t a pleasurable experience. The second one… Gai had been there for him through it all, however emotional and unpleasant it was. He would always thank him for that, especially knowing he wanted to be a father.

Ugh, too many thoughts in his mind.

“Sakura, can I get a minute?” he asked, face still hidden.

“Of course, sensei” his student said, standing up and carefully laying a hand over his shoulder. “I’ll go down for a coffee, I’ll be back in five minutes.”

He nodded, not feeling capable of lifting his head until he heard the door closing. The Hatake groaned one more time as he let his body fall against the back of the chair.

Pregnant.

Again.

It seemed stupid, knowing he could just avoid the whole thing by doing another surgery to eliminate the possibility once and for all. And, yet… He hadn’t done it. Thought about it? Several times, and still he always reached the same conclusion: it was not what he wanted.

You see, a year after he officially started dating Gai, they had talked about their prospects for the future. The taijutsu master wanted a family; one or two children, didn’t matter if biological or adopted. He just wished to offer his home and heart to someone to whom he could pass his Will of Fire. Besides of Lee, of course. Kakashi, on the other hand… He had been rather direct and clear with Gai; he wouldn’t become a father while there was the possibility of that child becoming an orphan because of their job. It wouldn’t be fair. So, that had settled the argument. No kids in their future.

Now, however, a new thought occupied the Hatake’s mind: the world was at peace. There was no War or super dangerous missions that threatened their lives almost every day. If they wanted, Gai and him could become fathers and be fairly sure that the child would always have them. They could make their family grow.

Deep down, Kakashi knew he was not horrified at the idea. Sure, being a dad was something he doubted he could excel at, but it didn’t mean he rejected the possibility. In fact… The world was at peace. And somehow… Somehow he was carrying his and Gai’s embryo. An early life that he might be able to hold, and protect, and teach, and… Ok, part of all that had to be the damn pregnancy’s hormones, right?

Which led him to the other issue —assuming he was fine with becoming a father, which he still needed to reflect more about—; being pregnant. As stablished before, the Hatake was rather happy with his body as it was; no dysphoria or anything of the kind. However, would that remain the same if he decided to follow through with the pregnancy? The idea of getting fat didn’t cause him any excitement, neither the fact that he would have to push a whole baby through his vagina. He liked it pretty much at the moment, he didn’t want to torture it like that… And the hormonal changes? He already stressed when it was time for the next testosterone shot, so… Oh, Kami-sama! There was no way he could keep taking testosterone with the fetus growing, right?

Kakashi hit his head against the desk and groaned one more time.

Ok, it was time to organize the facts he was sure about:

1. The world was at peace, so Gai and him could be parents without fearing an early death
2. The idea of carrying a baby scared him, but he was also curious and attracted to it
3. The whole thing would mess up with his hormone levels and what not, so there was a possibility of him regretting it when it was too late
4. At the moment, he didn’t find himself eager to get an abortion
5. He definitely wanted to talk with Gai about it

Taking a deep breath, the Hatake straightened back up in the chair just as Sakura entered the office one more time. He had made his decision.

Back at home, Kakashi managed to keep himself busy for about an hour before he moved on to pacing around the house while reading again Icha Icha, so his brain could stay focused on something different from the conversation he was waiting to have. Gai should be arriving at home soon enough, his afternoon free since the kids at the Academy were having study hours to prepare for their exams. Still, time moved on too slowly for the Hatake.

He sighed as his fingers flipped another page of the book. A part of him even considered going back to the office and take some paperwork to keep himself busier. But he had already informed Shizune that he would take the rest of the day off due to medical reasons, and his voice had been serious enough to not have her asking anything about it.

By the time the house’s door opened, Kakashi was doing his seventh lap around the place, currently at their storage room —or gym, depending on who you asked—, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest in anticipation.

“Rival! You’re home early” Gai called from the living room, his wheelchair making noise over the wooden floor. “Should I worry about Shizune coming to take you back to the office?”

“Ah, not really” he responded, coming out of the room and putting the book away in one pocket. “I took the rest of the day off due to medical reasons.”

That was enough to make his partner’s expression change, face suddenly serious and arms pushing his chair forwards until he was in front of him.

“Did something happen at the hospital? I know it’s not usual to have them calling you in after an analysis, but the note didn’t seem serious when it arrived, so I thought…”

“I’m pregnant.”

Those words caused another change in Gai’s face, his mouth closing as he frowned. In just a second so many emotions reflected on him that the Hatake had difficulties following all of them. There was surprise, of course, but also something that looked like… shame? As if it was an inconvenience for which he was to be blamed. And technically it was true, but Kakashi had collaborated —rather enthusiastically— as well.

“Oh” the taijutsu master said. “I-I’m sorry, I really thought we were being careful lately, but I suppose all methods can fail at some point… Did you, uh, already set a date for the abortion? Or it’s early enough to just take the pill? In any case, know I’ll be there if you want me to. And you should take off at least two days from work to rest, ok?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, Gai, I…”

“Oh, you already did it?” his voice sounded hurt, but he hid it quickly.

“No, Gai, I didn’t” he said, kind of exasperated at that point. “I wanted to talk to you first because I… Well, I’m not sure if I want an abortion this time.”

Gai’s eyes went wide.

“W-What?”

Not sure if the other man was asking for an explanation or just for him to repeat his last words, Kakashi kept silent for a few more seconds.

“B-But” the taijutsu master continued after a bit, “last time you said…”

“I said I didn’t want to bring a child to a world in which the probabilities of them becoming an orphan were high” the Hatake intervened when Gai’s voice started to fail, “and, right now, the world is at peace.”

“And, uh, what about… you?” his partner continued. “I mean, the pregnancy… Wouldn’t that be too much for you?”

Before answering that question, Kakashi took a couple of minutes to rethink what had been through his mind since the morning.

“I’ve been considering it for the last few hours” he admitted, “and I don’t believe I will like it, the overall experience, I mean. Still, all that feels compensated by the idea of having a child. I… I know it won’t be easy on me, but I wouldn’t be suggesting it if I didn’t think I could go through it.”

Something changed in Gai’s expression, although the emotions the Hatake had expected to come out seemed to be buried yet. It was only then that his brain brought up a new suggestion: what if Gai had changed his opinion about kids since the last time they talked? That had been before the War, and a lot of things had happened since then. That could explain his lack of euphoria now that Kakashi was finally agreeing to it.

A new fear crossed the Hatake’s mind: the possibility of having to choose. Because he loved Gai, he really did, but somehow the idea of having to give up on the expectations he had created about becoming a father was as strong as that love.

“I, uh, I understand if you don’t…” he started, a bit unsure. Then, he sighed and looked straight to his partner. “Gai, I don’t pretend for you to go along with it if your feelings about parenthood have changed. I would understand, really, so…”

The man in front of him blinked a couple of times before strongly shaking his head. Big hands came to cover Kakashi’s the next second.

“NO!” he all but shouted. “Wait, no, I mean… ‘No’ to the change in my feelings, yes to parenthood! Just… Are you sure? For real?”

Smiling now, the Hatake squatted in front of the wheelchair and took off the mask so Gai could clearly look at his bring grin.

“Yes, I’m sure” he said. “Although I expect you to be prepared. I’m going to be insufferable.”

The other man laughed loudly.

“Of course you will be, dear rival, but I’ll love you all the way through it.”

Kakashi just nodded, reaching for Gai’s face so they could finally kiss. About a second and a half later, the other man was grabbing his waist and bringing him up onto his lap as if he weighted nothing.

“I can’t believe we’re really doing this” the taijutsu master said as he rolled them to the bedroom.

“Mah… It feels a little bit weird to me, too” the Hatake admitted while letting Gai move him onto the mattress. A terrible image came to his mind then. “Oh Kami, I’m going to get fat.”

The other man had the audacity of chuckling at the comment.

“You won’t be fat, rival, just growing a new life inside of you” he smiled, climbing onto the bed as well. “And I’m sure you’ll be very handsome.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes, knowing he could wear a trash bag and Gai would still think he was the most attractive man on Earth. He was weird like that, for which the Hatake was extremely grateful since he didn’t give a damn about his appearance. Honestly, what bothered him more about the prospect of becoming fat was how annoying it would be to move around.

It was only when Gai’s arms were around his belly, one palm brushing carefully over the skin there, that Kakashi realized they were in bed in the middle of the afternoon just to laze around. And the other man had been the one dragging them there. Uh, there was a first for everything.

“You’re sure you don’t have some training or anything else to do?” he chuckled after a bit.

“Mm… Maybe later” Gai mumbled, smiling against his neck. “Right now I want to enjoy this, just the three of us.”

That sounded weird.

“You know at this point the embryo is just a bunch of deformed cells, right?” he commented, even when his own hand was covering Gai’s. “I’m just six weeks pregnant.”

Somehow, those words seemed to take the taijutsu master out of his own mind, body becoming stiff behind Kakashi.

“Pregnant” he carefully repeated. “We’re going to be fathers.”

“Uh… Yes, that’s what the whole thing implies.”

“KAKASHI!” Gai exclaimed, almost leaving him deaf as he incorporated in bed, his body warmth instantly being missed. “We’re not prepared at all! We need to baby-proof the house, and buy a crib, and a high-chair, and a stroller, and… and clothes! Babies use a lot of clothes and grow them fast!”

Uncapable of containing himself, the Hatake laughed against the pillow, observing the other man counting something with his fingers.

“Mah, Gai… We’re like seven months away of having to worry about any of that. You can relax.”

“True, that’s true… We have to worry first about you!” the taijutsu master redirected, fully focused on him once again. “What did Sakura say the next steps were? Do we need to go in for an appointment later this week? Are there any risks we have to consider? For sure it would be better to keep it silent during the first trimester, maybe even a bit after that, depending on how political tensions are…”

Yeah, Kakashi had to put a stop to all… That.

“Gai! Hey! GAI!” he called, cutting off his mumbling. “I’m fine. Sakura would’ve said something otherwise. We can go see her tomorrow and I’m sure she’ll explain everything we need to know and worry about, ok?”

The other man was still vibrating over the bed, but at least part of his anxiety seemed to be slipping away. The Hatake let out a sigh and patted the place next to him.

“Come on, let’s cuddle a bit more” he said. “I think all the hormones are making me needy.”

More tension left Gai’s body as he chuckled.

“You’re always needy, rival.”

“Well, then prepare yourself for having me clinging over for the next seven months. Just remember this is all your fault.”

“Only my fault?” Gai laughed as he laid down again, his arms pushing Kakashi’s back against his strong chest and hands coming to rest over his yet flat belly. “Because I don’t recall you complaining any of the times we’ve slept together. At least not bad complains…”

The Hatake rightfully stabbed him on the abdomen with his elbow.

The next half an hour was spent in silence, hands moving from one part of Kakashi’s body to another and fingers interlacing only from time to time. Gai would also leave small kisses on his neck, giving him goosebumps and relieving his body from all tension.

“How do you think they’ll look like?” the taijutsu master asked at one point.

“Mm… I don’t know” he admitted, thinking about it for a minute. “I know the Hatake’s genes are strong, though, which is a shame in my opinion.”

“Why?! I would love for our child to look like a small version of you, fangs and everything!”

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi turned around in Gai’s arms and bopped his nose with a finger.

“Well, for starters, I would like for them to have your beautiful eyes.”

That was enough to bring the other man to the verge of tears.

“I-I love you, rival” he sniffed.

“I know, I love you, too.”

Chapter Text

Kakashi was feeling bad for being so relaxed now that Gai was out of the village on a mission. It had taken some time to convince him to go —his partner arguing that he should stay in Konoha to take care of him—, but after some threats he had finally given up.

It was not that the Hatake didn’t want him around —in fact, hormones had made him more needy—, but Gai could be… overwhelming about his pregnancy. And, honestly, he thought a couple of days apart would be good for both of them.

He was now two months pregnant and everything was perfectly fine according to Sakura. She had welcomed the news of them keeping the baby with a big smile and a congratulation, also promising to keep the secret until they were ready to share it. As expected, Kakashi had had to make some changes in his routine and diet, but he was still perfectly capable of functioning and working without a babysitter, against what Gai seemed to think. Thankfully, a long discussion about the topic had helped them to solve most of their insecurities about the whole thing, and now the Hatake could relax for two whole days.

Well, he was pretty sure he would be missing Gai the moment he hit their bed and found himself alone, but he would blame the hormones for that.

At first, he was uncertain of what to do once he was back at home after a morning full of paperwork and meetings. He had a free afternoon —the first in weeks— and wasn’t very sure of what to do with the time. In fact, what did he usually do when he could relax? One obvious idea popped up in his mind the next second.

A drop of blood and a few seals after, his eight hounds appeared in the middle of the living room.

“Hello, boss!” they all greeted with a happy bark.

“Hi, guys” he answered, squatting down to start petting them. “How are you doing?”

“Hungry” Biscuit said, making him roll his eyes.

“Of course you are, but dinner is not until later.”

The ninken whined a bit at that, but tails kept wagging as his hands pet the soft furs. Soon enough, he was completely seated on the floor with eight dogs surrounding him.

“Gai is not here today?” Pakkun wondered after a bit.

“He’s out on a mission for the next couple of days” he explained with a shrug.

“Ah, so you called us just to keep your company because you miss him” the pug huffed.

“Of course not!” Kakashi protested with an offended tone. “I summoned you because it has been a while since we were together without anyone else. What do you think about having some fun in the forest?”

The ninken seemed happy at the suggestion, pushing him to stand up and go out. Pakkun, however, stopped half on the way to the back porch.

“Hey, boss, are you sure you’re alone?” he asked. “There is this smell… It’s different from Gai’s.”

Ah.

He hadn’t even thought about the fantastic nose of the hounds when summoning them.

“Yeah, no, I’m sure” the Hatake quickly said. “It’s probably something about the house, Gai was doing some cleaning and making space before leaving for the mission.”

“Space for what?” Uhei questioned, turning his head to one side.

For the baby, even if it would be months before they arrived. But of course his partner couldn’t stay put for so long.

“I’m not sure” he lied. “But you know Gai, it’s better not to question his actions sometimes.”

That answer seemed to satisfy the dogs, who almost shrugged and continued their way out to the back garden. They let go of the topic without any fuss, instead focusing on the games Kakashi suggested. Chasing, finding objects, running around… Hours passed quickly like that and sunset came upon them before the Hatake could realize. He should’ve gone inside to prepare dinner before the ninken finished the hard treats he had gotten them for cleaning their teeth, but a sudden movement coming from Pakkun stopped him on his feet.

The dog had stood up with a jump, looking at him with big eyes.

“I know what the smell is!” he barked, coming at him with a reprimand in his expression. “Again? Seriously? I thought you humans had methods to avoid these things from happening!”

The rest of the pack just looked at them a little bit confused, although some of them seemed to be picking up what the conversation was about.

“Well, we do have those methods, but they fail sometimes” Kakashi complained, crossing his arms over the chest.

Pakkun just rolled his eyes and the Hatake’s hormones made him want to strangle the pug a bit. He loved that dog. Probably more than any other alive thing in the world.

“So, did you tell Gai this time?” he continued asking. “And when are you getting it out?”

His words would’ve sounded aggressive if not because Pakkun had been with him through the other times he found himself in that position. Kakashi’s reaction to the discovery had not been good back then, his brain only able to focus on getting himself out of the situation as soon as possible and without anybody else knowing. Obviously, there was no reason for the ninken to suspect that time would be different.

Which made him wonder how they would react to the news.

“Gai knows about it” he said, putting his hands inside the pants’ pockets to rub the sweat away without them noticing. “And, uh, they’ll come out in about seven months, more or less.”

At that, the rest of the ninken stood up as well, exchanging looks with each other while their tails stayed incredibly high, almost brushing their backs. For a few moments, the garden was in complete silence.

“Wait, pup” Pakkun finally said, taking a few steps towards him. “You’re… keeping it?”

“Um, yeah.”

There was too much tension in the air, more than what the Hatake was comfortable with at the moment. He hadn’t stopped to think about how his pack would take the news, and he was starting to worry about it.

“Why?” Uhei added. “You always hated the idea of giving birth.”

Of course, he had talked about the topic with his hounds in several occasions, especially after the first time he got pregnant. They knew where he stood about everything, so they didn’t need to ask if he wanted to be a father, but rather if this way of becoming one was really what he wanted. They were worried about him.

“I still do, I think” he admitted, bringing one hand over his flat belly. “But the outcome compensates that, I want to believe. This will be Gai’s and mine baby, so even if the process is horrible it’ll be worth it at the end.”

“So” Pakkun said, “you’re happy about it?”

“Yeah, guys, I am.”

The tension was released next second, tails going down and starting to wail happily as the ninken left their bitters behind and came to meet him.

“That’s great, boss!” Shiba barked. “A new pup for the pack!”

“Yeah!” Guruko added, standing up on his two back legs to try and sniff him better. “We’ll teach them everything they need to know to be a good dog!”

“Pretty sure they’ll be human, but yeah, why not” Kakashi laughed. “So, you’re all ok with this?”

“As long as you’re happy with it, boss” Pakkun nodded, also coming closer and sniffing the air carefully. “I’m sure we’ll raise this one better than we did with you.”

“Hey! You did a great job with me!” he protested. “And besides, Gai and me will be the ones doing the raising, that’s the reason why we’re having it.”

“Sure, boss, keep telling yourself that.”

The words of the pug almost sounded as a threat, and for a second Kakashi thought about how plausible was having his pack kidnapping his newborn child. Knowing them, probabilities were high…

“But seven months is still too long” Uhei commented. “Why do you need so much time to grow just one pup? Ninken litters take way less time to be born and they have more puppies.”

“You’re welcome to ask that to Sakura, because if there is a way to make this shorter, I’m all in for it.”

“Wait” Biscuit added the next second. “Why is Gai out of the village if he knows?! He should be here, providing!”

Kakashi squinted straight ahead. Sometimes he forgot that his best friends were dogs and their… culture was different from the human one.

“I can provide for myself just fine” he pointed out. “And he’s out because he was eating my nerves with all the attention and feelings and…”

“You miss him” Akino accused.

“Yeah, I do.”

No point in denying the evident. But it had been his idea to send him away and now he would’ve to deal with the consequences. And the hormones. And the morning sickness. All by himself. For one whole more day. Awesome.

“Come on, pup, let’s go inside so you can prepare us dinner and keep yourself busy” Pakkun said.

Thanks Kami for having such considerate ninken.

Sometime later, while food boiled up in the kitchen and Kakashi was relaxing on the sofa with a book, Uhei came from the garden with his paws barely making any noise against the wooden floor. The rest of the ninken were still outside, biting their treats while waiting for dinner.

“Done with your biter?” he asked to the hound.

With a side-eye, Kakashi saw Uhei nodding and then approaching slowly to the sofa, his head resting shyly next to his leg. After a few seconds, it moved to the top of his lap, his nose bumping against the Hatake’s belly. The gesture surprised him, and when moving the book away he saw a silent question reflecting in Uhei’s expression. Not wanting to break the moment, he patted the spot on the sofa next to him and the ninken came up with a jump. The next second, his head was resting once again over his lap, face resting against Kakashi’s belly.

“I’ll protect this pup with my life, boss” he promised in a murmur.

Smiling, the Hatake rested one hand in between Uhei’s ears and started petting him.

“I know you will” he said. “You’re a good dog.”

Chapter Text

The excitement Gai had been experiencing during the past few weeks was higher than anything he had felt before. Kakashi was almost three months pregnant and a small bump had started to be noticed on his belly. He knew his partner was not particularly happy about it, but he could not avoid smiling every time his hand brushed over it when they were alone, and the expression on the Hatake’s face told him he was enjoying it equally, even if with mixed feelings.

Truth was, up until that day he had had no reason to feel anything that wasn’t joy about the pregnancy.

Gai was on his way back home after a whole day of teaching at the Academy and later training with his team. He was still not back to perfect shape, but he could keep up with Lee and Tenten quite well, and rehab helped a lot. However, that afternoon he was not able to focus on the good things that had happened to him. His brain was set on a discussion he had had with his class about respecting everybody even if their abilities were different.

It had been like a hit in the gut, seeing that the same experience that him, his papa and Lee —among many others that he knew— had suffered was still repeating itself at the Academy. And the worst thing was that, even if he tried to teach the children about respect, what they learned at home was equally —if not more— important to them. There was nothing assuring him that the same situation wouldn’t repeat itself the next morning.

Gai was not stupid; he knew well what other people said about him and his papa when he was a kid. Even after his death and he himself becoming a respectable jounin, having other people mocking at him was quite common. He had grown up and learned to ignore them, of course, but that didn’t erase the way he had felt about it as a child. Or the fact that Lee had gone through the same.

Or that their child might, too.

He didn’t beam as he entered through his and Kakashi’s house, knowing his partner would most likely be taking a nap after a whole day of working at the office. Once his shoes were off, he turned the corner to the living room just to find his rival laying down on the sofa, Pakkun curled on his chest with the snout over the small belly. They were both asleep, and Gai observed them for a few seconds to commit the image to memory. Then, he silently moved into the kitchen and closed the division between the two rooms so the noise and smell he would be producing as he cooked didn’t wake them up.

He was half-way to finish the meal when the door of the kitchen opened to reveal a sleepy Kakashi with crazy hair and his mask resting at the bottom of his neck.

“Had a good nap?” Gai asked with a smile.

“Yeah” the Hatake yawned, stretching the arms over his head.

“And Pakkun?”

“He went back, said something about a hunt with the rest of the pack.”

“Oh, then I’ll put his dinner in the freezer for another day.”

As he moved, Kakashi’s arms found their way around his upper body, hugging him while he rested his head over Gai’s shoulder. Their figures seemed to fit perfectly like pieces of a puzzle, which made sense since he was sure that his rival was also his man of destiny.

“How was work today?” he asked with a smile as he moved the food in the pan. “Not too tiring?”

“As fun as any other day” the Hatake huffed. “What about you?”

“Hmm, it was fine” he nodded, focusing on not burning their dinner. “Do you mind setting the table?”

Something in his voice must have betrayed him, because the next second Kakashi stepped back and he sensed his posture changing into an inquisitive one.

“What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing is wrong, rival!” he said, putting all the conviction he had in those words. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because you never answer with just an “it was fine” to a question about your day.”

He sighed.

“It’s nothing, rival, you don’t have to…”

“Gai.”

There was a threat in Kakashi’s tone, something that told him he would get his answer one way or another. He knew sincerity was preferable, though.

He sighed again.

“Aren’t you worried about me being the other father?”

For a second, nothing happened. Then, his rival’s face changed into one of utter confusion.

“I’m sorry, I must have heard wrong” he said. “Come again?”

“It’s just… well, the baby —our baby— is going to have your genes, which most likely will make them a genius, but they’ll also have mine so, maybe…”

“They will become a master in taijutsu capable of facing the power of a god?”

“Kakashi…” he sighed as he turned with the spatula in hand.

“What? Did I say a lie?”

“Well, technically no, but that’s not what I was referring to” Gai complained, avoiding the eyes of the other man. “If I… If our baby ends up having the same limitations my papa and I had, then… I don’t want them to go through the same experience, Kakashi. I know we’re shinobi and these things are not supposed to affect us, but if someone makes fun of our child because of something they got from me, then I…”

Kakashi didn’t understand from where all that was coming from, but it was evident a long conversation would be needed. Gai seemed to be full of fear for their child, which was nice at the same time as it was worrisome, because it showed how much the way he was treated as a kid truly affected him. Oh, how the Hatake wished to be able to go back in time and kick a few more mouths.

“Lower the fire and let’s sit, ok?” he said, taking the spatula from Gai’s hands and leaving it on the kitchen counter.

The other man did as instructed, their dinner left to slow-cook as they solved whatever was going on. A part of Kakashi —the hormoned one— wanted to grab Gai by the neck and shake him until some common sense came back to his brain, but the other side knew that topic required some more finesse. Also, the last thing he wanted to do was disregard his feelings.

“Ok, in first place” the Hatake started once they were both seated around the kitchen table, “I want to believe you know how genetics actually work. Yeah, sure, the kid is going to get both our genes, but that doesn’t mean their being and abilities are going to be a mix of ours. Truth is, we won’t know until a few years after they’re born and capable to show any kind of chakra control.”

“But, if they…”

“If for any reason they end up being uncapable of having good chakra control, then we’ll focus on their other abilities, Gai. You, your dad, Lee and so many other shinobi for which you all made a path have been able to triumph in life by using only taijutsu, so there is no reason to believe our child wouldn’t.”

Kakashi brought one arm over the table to grab Gai’s hand and interlace their fingers. The gesture normally led to a big smile appearing in the other man’s lips, but this time it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I just… Don’t want them to suffer, rival” his partner said in a low voice. “I know we would teach them everything they needed to know and ensure their safety, but… The rest of the world may not be so kind.”

The Hatake knew well what he was referring to. The village had turned its back on his own father for choosing his teammates over the mission and led him to suicide. It had mocked Dai for his limitations instead of congratulating him for his dedication. People had continued making fun of Gai until after the war, when they learnt how strong he actually was. He had had to die in order to be fully respected.

If Kakashi was being honest, the simple thought of someone trying to use their child as a joke made his blood boil.

“We won’t let that happen” he assured Gai, squeezing his hand. “Nobody will mess with our child, I promise you.”

“Rival…”

“I am the Hokage” he interrupted the other man. “If they didn’t want things to change, then they shouldn’t have let me take the position. We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that not only our child, but also any other that may find themselves in a situation like yours, don’t suffer as you did. I promise.”

When Gai finally met his eyes, there were tears coming down the taijutsu master’s cheeks. Kakashi hated them because they carried too many negative feelings. Gai really thought that if their child was different, it would be his fault. That he would be the one to blame if other people tried to mock their kid just for not fitting the norm. As if there was something wrong about that. As if Gai was not the best person Kakashi had ever met in his life.

“You’re going to be a fantastic parent” he declared in an exhale, cupping the other man’s face with his free hand and using the thumb to brush off some tears. “I could never worry about you being the other father of this child, Gai, because I know that, whatever happens, you’ll love and protect them with everything you have inside.”

This time, Gai squeezed his hand back and pulled him up and onto his lap, arms wrapping the Hatake’s waist in a tight hug.

“And, if after all, something happens?” the man muttered against his skin.

“Then I’ll start exiling people from the country” Kakashi responded, kissing his head. “Nobody messes with our child.”

Under any other circumstances, he knew Gai would have demanded a different and less dramatic solution, but that time he just nodded, as if agreeing with him.

The truth was, they couldn’t know how their child would be. Maybe they would have perfect chakra control, or maybe they would never be able to mold chakra. They may even want to lead a civilian life rather than a shinobi one! Whatever it was, Gai and him would face it together. And probably accompanied by an army of their students and summons, who would no doubt kick and bite some sense in anybody that dared to threaten their child’s happiness.

Chapter Text

Gai was prepared for war. Or that was what Kakashi had called it the night before while he packed both their bags. Of course, he didn’t agree with his partner’s definition; he was just being cautious, as they should be given the situation.

They had just entered the second trimester of the pregnancy without any kind of problem, which Sakura had said was a very good signal and most likely the remaining months would go smoothly. That was great, everything both Kakashi and him had wanted to hear. Still, it didn’t mean they were safe from external dangers, especially considering the Hatake occupied an important position and was about to travel for days to another country for a Kage summit.

When Gai had first heard of it, the egoistical and protective part of him had wanted to keep Kakashi inside the village, where both him and their child would be safe. That, however, was not a possibility and his partner had made it clear after a short discussion. He was the Hokage and thus had to attend the meeting just as the other Kages would do.

Evidently, Gai hadn’t opposed to it, but just set two conditions for the trip: first, he would accompany him, which made sense since he was his right hand and therefore his job could include attending the summit. And second, the guards coming with them would be informed about the situation. Kakashi had not be thrilled at the beginning, arguing that only Yamato and Genma would continue the trip with them once they left the Fire Country, but ended up accepting. After all, it was only logical that his guards would know about the pregnancy since it could —potentially— be something interfering with his fighting abilities, according to Sakura.

“I’m sure we have everything we need, Gai” Kakashi sighed as he finished drying their breakfast cups. “You have gone over those bags at least five times since yesterday night.”

“Snacks!” he exclaimed at the sudden realization. “I forgot to pack snacks!”

Thankfully, he had bought more than enough on his last trip to the supermarket, cupboards full of a little bit of everything. In just a few minutes, Gai had packed a couple of bags with healthy and pregnancy-friendly snacks.

“Why on earth would we need that many snacks, Gai?” the Hatake kept complaining, chasing after him. “We’ll be gone for a total of five days, not a month.”

Uncapable of stopping himself, the taijutsu master turned around to look at the other man with a knowing expression. Surely, he hadn’t forgotten about how three days ago he was forced to go buying snacks in the middle of the night because Kakashi was hungry and the sweets he wanted were finished. Yes, pregnancy was making the Hatake have a sweet tooth for the first time in his life.

“We’ll be on a mission!” his partner complained, probably with a pout under the mask. “I won’t behave like a bitch in the field just because I’m craving something. I could probably survive with food pills.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Gai accused with a finger. “You’re finally eating like a normal human being, rival, I’m not letting you mess it up.”

“Strange, I thought my diet would be something depending on me.”

“Well, you heard Sakura during the last appointment; it depends on her and me now.”

Kakashi sent him a hateful glare to which Gai responded with a big smile as he finished putting the snacks inside their bags. Now, he was sure everything they could need was inside.

“Yosh!” he exclaimed with a clap of his hands. “We’re ready to go.”

“Hm, ok, just… Bathroom break first.”

To that, Gai could not deny even if it would make them be late. As the other man did his last trip to the bathroom, he put one bag on the back of his wheelchair and another on his chest, prepared to leave.

“What are you doing?” Kakashi asked back by his side.

“Hm? Waiting for you, rival, of course!”

“No, I mean, why are you carrying both bags, Gai?”

“Well, surely in your state…”

Oh, oh, the glare was back, and it was not an amused one this time.

“I’m pregnant, Gai, not useless, so give me my damn bag before my patience runs out.”

Gai was not scared of many things. He had basically fought a god, almost died in the process and then came back to life with just a busted leg, after all. Kakashi’s mood changes during the last month, however? Yeah, those were something he was scared of. So, just as indicated, he removed the bag from his chest and offered it to the Hatake, who set it on his back without a problem. Thankfully, that gesture seemed to be enough to placate his anger, both leaving the house a minute later.

It was not as if Gai thought the Hatake was without use because he was carrying their child, but… Something had started to come out of him a little bit more every day since he discovered Kakashi was pregnant. It was a need to protect him, them, from anything and everything. To make sure nothing bad would ever happen.

Of course, he had always cared for his rival in that way, but the feeling was intensified now. His best guess was that some kind of instinct had awoken in him as a result of parenthood but, as they had yet to share the news, he was not able to talk about it with Kurenai who, among all their friends, was the only one with a child of her own.

“Are you ready to tell them?” Gai asked as they approached the village’s front doors.

They had agreed for the ANBU squad and the two guards to meet them there, instead that at the house they shared. The six figures —Yamato, Genma, Sai, Yugao and another two— were waiting already, the last four with their faces hidden behind porcelain masks.

“Only ten minutes late, senpai” the mokuton master commented with a smile. “It has to be a new record, I guess we have you to thank for that, Gai.”

After the War and the horrible experience their friend had to go through, he seemed to have decided to loosen up a bit, jokes like that done more often now, even if there were more people with them. Gai was glad for it, as he considered Yamato a close friend and wanted for him to be happy.

“Mah… I’m perfectly capable of being on time by myself, just so you know.”

Silence established itself in the small plaza for a second, interrupted only by Genma’s cough that no doubt tried to hide his laughter.

“Yeah, Hatake, sure.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“Keep joking and you won’t get paid this month” he threatened.

It was evident there was no truth in his words, but the team acquired a serious posture anyways, realizing it was probably time to leave. Gai sent a glance towards his partner. He was a step behind him, so there was no way Kakashi could’ve seen it, but years of teamwork had made eye contact unnecessary for them. It would be stupid calling it telepathy, but he guessed it was the closest any shinobi not being a Yamanaka could get to it.

“Before we go” the Hatake said in a low voice, even when the place was empty due to the early hours, “there is something you must know.”

The reaction of the six guards was immediate, all turning to look at him with a serious posture but waiting for Kakashi to keep talking instead of pressuring the matter. Which was good, because he seemed a little bit lost at words.

“Rival…” he started, brushing their hands together.

It was a small gesture, but it grounded the other man enough to cough and come back to reality.

“What I’m going to tell you now is sensible information, which means it won’t be discussed again until I make an official statement about it… or something similar. Understood?”

As expected, the six shinobi nodded silently. However, the lack of masks in Yamato’s and Genma’s faces made possible to see the emotions on them; worry and curiosity.

Kakashi took a deep breath.

“I am currently three months pregnant.”

Gai had guessed the reaction of the guards would be mostly like his the first time the Hatake gave him the news. Not this time, but a few years before, when he hadn’t been able to do more than widening his eyes and babbling some unintelligible words.

The surprise made Genma open his mouth enough for the senbon to fall from his lips, although he reacted in time to recuperate it before it hit the floor.

“Wow, that’s… Ok” he said, pointing then with the weapon from Kakashi to Gai while keeping a strange look. “Do I want to know what will come out of this combination?”

“We’re taking you off the babysitter list, Shiranui” Kakashi declared, rolling his eyes.

“Please, do.”

“Hey! Only perfection will result from this wonderful experience!” Gai intervened, offended on behalf of his unborn child.

“I must admit, senpai… I knew something had been off lately, but I didn’t expect… This.”

“You also want off the babysitter list?”

This time, it was Yamato’s turn to roll his eyes and shake his head.

“Don’t be stupid, senpai” he said. “I’m happy for you, and I will take care of that child whenever you need it.”

Gai could have cried at the kind words, but Kakashi interrupted him by turning to look at his student.

“What about you, Sai?”

“Oh, am I expected to offer my services as babysitter as well?” the young shinobi asked.

“No” the Hatake said, “well, yes, maybe, but that’s not… I mean what do you have to say about it.”

Sai seemed a little bit unsure of what to comment, a confused expression probably hidden under his porcelain mask.

“I guess a pregnancy would explain your sudden changes in behavior and improved diet, as well as more continuous and longer breaks during office hours” he said, only adding at the end: “But, since I can see these are welcomed news, I’m happy for you both.”

That stole a smile from Kakashi, visible even under the mask.

“Good” he said. “Now that it’s out, do you have any questions before we start this trip and don’t talk about the topic again?”

There was a certain strain in his voice, which Gai had learnt to interpretate as the weird feeling the Hatake would get whenever they talked too much about the pregnancy. After all, it was not something he liked to reminiscence a lot about.

“Just one thing, Hokage-sama” one of the ANBU guards, whose name Gai didn’t know, asked. “I understand the precautionary reason for telling us about your current state but, does it affect you in any way we should worry about?”

Of course! How unprofessional from them, to focus on their friends’ reactions rather than in the main reason for which they decided to share the news!

“My rival should restrain himself from excessive chakra use” Gai indicated, knowing the other man would try to downplay its importance. “The doctor gave an all-clear for work and training, but actual combat may be too high-risk.”

“I can still defend myself, though” Kakashi added at the end.

“As a last resort” Gai punctuated.

His rival glared at him again, but this time he ended up sighing and nodding.

“Understood” the ANBU guard said.

The rest of those present agreed as well, expressions and postures indicating that from then on they would remain in mission-mood, ready to protect their Hokage from any danger that could come up. Gai appreciated it, of course, but also knew he would be the first to jump and fight anybody that dared to come close to Kakashi and their child.

They relaxed too much on the trip back, trust high after a calm journey on the way to the summit and peaceful accords having been signed. In an ideal world, that adventure would have ended without any kind of problem, with Gai hugging Kakashi on their bed as night fell upon them, hands covering the small bump on his belly while a warm feeling filled the Hatake’s chest.

They didn’t live in an ideal world.

The enemies were intelligent enough to attack while they were still out of the Fire Country, so the ANBU team that would normally accompany the Hokage was out of reach. That was something all the Kages had agreed in order to increase trust; only one advisor and two guards would be allowed during the summits, ANBU and any other kind of extra reinforcement not allowed to tail them. And it was something that shouldn’t have given them any problem, if not for the delicacy of their situation.

Of course, they were not stupid or easy to fool; the four of them had picked up the track of the enemies some time ago, silently deciding to keep moving as long as they were not attacked. The idea was, first, to avoid a confrontation while still out of their country and, second, to only entering a battle if extremely necessary. That would most likely not happen if they got close enough to the Fire Country, since the ANBU team would be ready to kill the enemies as soon as they were within reach.

Turned out the enemies were not stupid, either.

When the first kunai was thrown in their direction, one quick senbon from Genma intercepted it in a blink of an eye. After that, hell got loose. Rogue shinobi appeared from all around the forest they were travelling through. Honestly, their level was close to mediocre according to Kakashi’s scale, not even  one of them using a jutsu. If they thought taijutsu would be enough to get rid of a Kage, they were seriously delusional. Especially with Gai there.

Under other circumstances, the Hatake would’ve been ready to jump into combat with a kunai in hand and not a second thought in his mind but to get rid of the threat. This time, however, he had to factor the life he was currently carrying within in the equation. And, evidently, pregnancy hormones mixed with his Clan’s instincts made his brain focus only in one thing: to protect his child.

Even with the mask on, he felt his lips coming up to show sharp fangs underneath as his hands moved to take one kunai each, ready to kill anybody that came too close. He was, however, capable of resisting the urge to launch into an attack, staying inside the circle Gai, Yamato and Genma had formed around him. Their attacks were brutal, enemies falling to the ground every time he blinked. Only in a couple of occasions did Kakashi need to use his own weapons to redirect a kunai or a shuriken that managed to overpass such defense.

Unfortunately, all their senses were too focused on the rogues fighting them face to face. They might not be very intelligent, but their numbers were annoyingly high, so it was almost impossible to detect the chakra signature moving underground until it was too late and the enemy appeared just a step in front of Kakashi.

His reflexes were as fast as always, kunai turning in between his fingers and ready to draw a cross on the man’s neck before he had the chance to blink. That, however, was not necessary.

Gai had been fighting a group of shinobi by the Hatake’s back, kicks and fists sending them unconscious the moment they got too close. For any normal shinobi, it would’ve been impossible to move so fast. And, considering Gai’s condition after the War, the achievement was also surprising from him. His big, strong hand was around the enemy’s neck before any of them had time to react, the man’s face pressed against the ground until it left an indentation there. Kakashi was fairly sure he had heard the skull’s bones breaking.

There was green smoke coming out from Gai’s figure and an expression on his features that the Hatake had never seen before. He had fought by that man’s side for more than twenty years, so he was no strange to his reaction whenever one of the people he loved were in danger. This was different. The emotion on his face was completely raw, a mix of bloodthirst and protection desire. Something that, just by letting go of the enemy dead at his feet and turning his head back, made the rest of them stop. By the time his body completely turned to cover Kakashi’s —as if he was two meters higher instead of a few centimeters—, a retreat order had been screamed and all the shinobi scattered into the forest.

Gai, as expected, didn’t relax immediately, just as Yamato and Genma, both of them sending a couple of clones in each direction for surveillance. Still surprised by his partner’s reaction, the Hatake put the kunai back in his pouch and extended a hand over Gai’s shoulder. The green smoke dissipated in a second as he turned around, a worried expression in his eyes.

“Are you ok?” the taijutsu master all but pleaded in a low voice. “Both of you… Did he touch you?”

He didn’t extend a hand to rest on Kakashi’s belly, but his fingers’ movement made clear he wanted to. Better not, however, in case the enemies were still close enough to catch up such sensible information.

“You killed him before he could even come completely out of the ground, Gai” he smiled, showing the man there was not scratch on him. “What about you? Any pain?”

There was a pang on annoyance running through Kakashi’s body as the taijutsu master ignored his questions to inspect him, as if not believing his words about his own —and the baby’s— well-being.

“We’re ok” he mouthed to the other man.

“Good” Gai muttered back. “I’m fine as well.”

“You sure? No pain from using the Gates or fighting with your right leg?”

The taijutsu master shook his head, although reaching for his wheelchair to sit again. The orthosis attached to his injured leg allowed him to fight and walk almost normally, but for his own health it was better if he avoided using it too much. The same went for the Gates; the fact that his chakra channels were not completely burnt was a miracle and, even if it seemed like he could use his technique without gaining any major setbacks, Kakashi still worried. Intensely.

“I’m fine, rival” Gai assured with a full smile. “I will feel better once we’re back in the Fire Country, though.”

“Gai is right” Yamato intervened. “We were lucky they ran away for now, so we better continue moving before they change their mind.”

“I agree” Genma added with a much more relaxed posture. “Although I doubt they’ll try to come back, I’m pretty sure some of them shitted their pants with Gai’s reaction.”

The other men chuckled.

“You’re exaggerating, dear friend” the taijutsu master pouted, crossing his arms over the chest. “I was simply doing my job.”

“Sure, just as the rest of us, but your method was way more efficient” the other man continued teasing him. “No complains, though. Just… Remind me to never say anything against your family, I like my face as it is.”

Yeah, the shinobi plastered against the ground a few meters away from them would agree with that. Gai, however, kept pouting until Kakashi put a hand over his shoulder and sent him a reassuring look. It was ok, he wished to say, to want to protect their child so fiercely even when they hadn’t be born yet. He felt exactly the same. And, honestly, some kind of inside need had been satisfied upon seeing the other man so angry. So ready to kill anybody that attempted to hurt his family. Because, sure, Kakashi knew he would be able to give birth and raise that child alone. But he didn’t have to. Not as long as he had Gai by his side. And, after how long it took them to reach that point, he doubted nothing could separate them again.

Chapter Text

There was a time, around the fifth month of pregnancy, when they broke apart. It was not for a stupid reason, but in fact for the only one in which they could never agree. Kakashi always thought that he would choose Gai over everybody else. Then he realized there was a new life growing inside of him that would occupy the front of his mind for as many years as he had left.

“What did you say?” he asked, not believing what he had just heard.

They were at home that afternoon, office hours reduced to only the morning due to Sakura’s orders. Even though both him and the baby seemed to be doing fine, she advised reducing any activity that could cause stress or disrupt his routine too much. Being Hokage, that was pretty much half of his work, so Tsunade had been called back to help him keeping up with his duties without threatening the pregnancy. She had not been especially happy about it, but the Sanin had always had a soft spot for him. Even if sometimes it looked like she enjoyed torturing the Hatake.

Up until that moment, Kakashi had been sitting on the sofa, one book opened in front of him and feet up the coffee table. In the kitchen, Gai was preparing dinner for that night and lunch for the next day, since he would be leaving for a day long mission in the morning. He had not been very glad about being away from the village, but the fastest man in Konoha was needed for this and even in his wheelchair he still kept that title, Lee closer to steal it every day.

“Sorry, maybe the extractor was too high for you to hear me, dear rival” it wasn’t, Kakashi just couldn’t believe what he had said. “I was talking about how glorious it will be once our kid is old enough to start training to use The Gates. Lee and I have been developing some new routines and…”

“Gai” he cut him, dead serious and not trying to hide the anger in his expression. “Our child is not learning to open The Gates.”

“Uh?” the other man said, moving closer to the door with confusion in his features. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m not letting you teach them the technique.”

Gai was intelligent enough to not respond straight ahead with the first thing that came up in his mind, possibly some commentary about how it was a youthful and legendary jutsu.

“Rival” he called instead, turning away just a moment to lower the intensity of the fire. “I’m aware of your thoughts on The Gates, but this is my father’s legacy, my legacy, so I think I should have a say in…”

“You don’t!” Kakashi cut him again, not holding his voice back. The book had fallen from his belly to the ground as he stood up. “This is not something up to discussion, Gai. You won’t teach our child that technique.”

There was a threat hidden in between those words.

A promise.

Kakashi loved him. He loved him so much that sometimes it hurt. But he loved their kid more.

“Kakashi, try to relax, you know what Sakura said about the stress, so…”

“Don’t talk about my stress as if you and your stupid idea are not the cause of it!” he complained, feeling the fury running through his body.

“Well, then maybe we should leave this conversation for later, once the baby is old enough to decide?”

“Are you even listening to me, Gai?!” there was movement in his belly, the discussion obviously not annoying only him. “We’re not going to have this conversation again because there is nothing to talk about. You can teach this child as much taijutsu as you want, but never The Gates.”

“Kakashi…”

“NO!” he screamed, loud and aggressively enough to make his pack come inside from the garden, fur bristly and teeth out. “I love you, Gai, but I’m not going to let you be near my child if you intend to teach them a suicidal technique.”

“They’ll also be my child, Kakashi!”

“AND I WON’T LET YOU KILL THEM!”

The ninken might have been surprised at the origin of their summoner’s distress, but they were loyal enough to not even think twice before turning their threats towards Gai. Now, growls filled the living room and a furry physical barrier separated the two shinobi.

“I think it’ll be better if you leave now, Gai” Pakkun advised.

The Hatake had positioned one hand over his belly on instinct, as if that simple gesture could protect them from the future their other father wanted to set them on. There was hurt in Gai’s eyes, but also worry, probably for how the whole thing could end up affecting the baby.

“I’ll leave” he said, barely audible. “Just… Can we talk? When I’m back?”

He wished to say yes, because there was no way he wanted to leave things as they were, but something held him back. What was Gai going to do if they talked? Try and convince him that it was ok to teach their child a technique that cost him his leg, his life? There was no argument there. That would never happen.

“Take care in the mission” he muttered, turning around and sitting back on the sofa.

Even if he was not looking at him anymore, he knew the expression on the other man’s face was not a satisfied one by far. Still, Gai didn’t say anything else as he moved back into the kitchen to turn off the fire and quickly pass through their room to take his mission bag, before getting to the entrance.

“Dinner and lunch are almost done, just set them at middle fire for ten more minutes” he said as he opened the door. “Don’t work too much tomorrow, please.”

For a moment, Kakashi wasn’t capable of saying anything, not sure of what would come out if he opened his mouth. That was all Gai needed to leave the house, taking with him not only his presence, but also a part of the Hatake.

He started his breathing exercises as soon as the ‘click’ of the door was heard, knowing he needed to ride down that wave of anxiety as soon as possible. However, his brain was not focused on relaxing. What would Gai do for that night? Did he have a place to stay? Surely, he could go to Kurenai’s or Genma’s, but… He had kicked him out, hadn’t him? And what if something happened to him in the mission? Kakashi knew that was a permanent risk in their lives, but this time the last thing they would’ve done together would be screaming at each other. What if he died, and years later their child asked him what happened that afternoon? What would he say?

“Pup” Pakkun called, jumping onto the sofa and reaching up to lick his face. “Breathe. Come on, I know you can.”

He focused his sight enough to look for Uhei, who just with that gesture understood what he needed, getting on the sofa as well and laying down with his head on Kakashi’s lap. His body was warm against the Hatake’s skin, and by petting it he was able to count his breaths as he moved the hand in a soothing gesture. It took him almost seven minutes, but he was finally able to recover a normal breathing rhythm.

“Good” Pakkun praised, brushing his head against Kakashi’s side. “You’re safe, boss, we’re here for you.”

“I know” he managed to get out. “Thank you. I just… Gai…”

“It’s ok” Uhei intervened, licking the tears that had started to roll down his cheeks. “You don’t have to tell us if you can’t, boss.”

He nodded, although he would end up telling them later that night, anyways. He knew what would happen, because his ninken were loyal and shared his point of view in relation to The Gates. There was a chance that, unless ordered the opposite, they would stay close to him for the next few days, not allowing Gai to get near enough to talk. Even if still stressed, he could find comfort in that.

Next morning, Kakashi ditched work. She sent Akino with a message to his office saying he was not feeling well and would be at Kurenai’s house and also accompanied by his dogs, so there was no need to fuss about it. Of course, he knew at least Yamato would insist on staying close.

When calling at the door of his friend’s house in the Sarutobi district, he was faced with a knowingly look and a sigh. So, that was where Gai had stayed the night.

“I suspected you would come” she said, opening the door fully for him to enter. “Come on in, Mirai is sleeping, so it’s the perfect time.”

“We’ll stay guard in the garden, boss” Pakkun indicated.

He nodded, knowing the answer would’ve been completely different if Mirai was awake, the dogs uncapable of doing something else than wagging their tails around her. They were high on the babysitter list thanks to that, among other things.

“Coffee?” Kurenai asked as they entered the living room.

“I already had my cup today” the Hatake responded, half-absent.

“Tea, then?”

“Do you have oolong?”

“Sure, although I must admit it’s strange for you to want to drink tea.”

“Well, you know pregnancy makes you crave strange things.”

His friend offered a soft smile, nodding before disappearing into the kitchen. While he waited, Kakashi took a look around the room. There were baby clothes and items all over the place, which he assumed was quite normal when you had a one year old and were raising her alone. He was, however, uncapable of finding any physical trace of the past presence of Gai there.

He was still angry and frustrated at his partner, but he couldn’t avoid missing him, either. And so, the Hatake removed the tip of his mask to sniff around, catching up the disappearing essence of the other man. The sensation brought some comfort to him, anxiety calming going down just a notch.

“So” Kurenai said once she was back with the tea, “are you going to tell me why I had to have Gai sleeping on my sofa yesterday?”

“He didn’t say?”

The kunoichi shook her head as she served the tea in two green cups and then offered him one.

“No, the only thing I got out of him was that you two had argued and he needed a place to stay before his mission today.”

Thinking, Kakashi took a sip of his drink.

“He said he wanted to teach our child to open The Gates.”

“Ah.”

One second of silence, and then the Hatake was unable to contain his thoughts anymore.

“I just… Why would he say that?” he started. “I understand the technique is important to him, but the consequences… How can he want that for our child?”

Kurenai didn’t respond immediately, clearly looking for the correct words.

“You know Gai” she said. “Legacy is very important to him, but… I must agree with you on this, Kakashi. The Gates are a forbidden technique, one that should only be taught under certain circumstances, and the pain it brings to the person using it… It’s understandable you got angry at the suggestion.”

“So, I’m not crazy? Or disrespecting Gai’s opinion on this?”

“No, you’re just a worried father who wants to protect his child from any kind of suffering” his friend assured, one of her hands coming to rest on his knee. “As for Gai’s opinion… He is a father as well, but he should think a bit more about his child welfare than his own legacy.”

The Hatake took another sip of his tea, playing with his fingers around the cup.

“I… Accused him of wanting to kill our kid.”

He felt Kurenai’s eyes opening wide even when he was not looking at her.

“Ok, that’s… Maybe a bit too much, Kakashi.”

“I know” he sighed. “I was… Am, angry.”

“Understandable, but some accusations are too big to be done.”

He nodded.

“When is Gai coming back from his mission?”

“Tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning, depending on his travelling time.”

Admittedly, the Hatake didn’t know if he was looking forward or not to that moment. What would Gai do once he was back? Go to their house as if nothing happened? Maintain his distance? They had an appointment the next day with Sakura, so…

“Hey” Kurenai called, squeezing his knee. “You’ll talk about it and reach an agreement, I’m sure. In the meantime, why don’t you spend the day here? You can feed and change Mirai for practice.”

A small chuckle left Kakashi’s lips.

“You would ask a tired, pregnant guy to babysit your kid? That sounds cruel.”

“Yeah, well, it would be crueler to leave you believing the worst part is the pregnancy.”

The Hatake rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure, having a crazy sleeping schedule and be all the time supervising a tiny human was tiring, but being a member of ANBU included that and some other things. He had no doubt he could handle it. The pregnancy, however… Never again.

Still, he didn’t refuse the invitation, knowing it would be better to be accompanied by someone else than his ninken. Also, the dogs would be happy to know they would get to play with Mirai, after all.

Gai came back that night. Even though Kakashi didn’t see him, he felt his presence near at some point close to midnight, his partner no doubt wanting to know he was safe after their first day apart in a long time. He stayed close until the moment the Hatake decided to go to bed, the other man’s chakra signature disappearing then. Kakashi wasn’t sure if feeling disappointed or glad that they got to postpone their conversation, but he was too tired to think about it once his head hit the pillow.

By next morning, there was a mission report on his desk as well as two tupperware with a nutritional lunch and dinner inside, but still not Gai in sight. The gesture could have been interpreted in many ways, but Kakashi went for frustration. Somehow his partner was trying to keep him and their child healthy at the same time as he fantasied about teaching that same child a suicidal technique. If it wouldn’t be because Gai was uncapable of something like that, he would say the other man was being condescending.

His ninken had accompanied him to the office, deciding to act as his personal guard for as long as he allowed it. Needless to say that morning was slow and barely productive for Kakashi, who spent more time checking for his partner’s chakra signature than signing papers. At some point, Pakkun even asked if he wanted for him to bring Gai so they could talk.

The Hatake refused.

He was not trying to make a point, just… It didn’t feel right. He wanted his best friend close and far at the same time. If they could just forget about the whole thing and go back to what things were like before… But that was impossible, wasn’t it? And that conversation had to take place at some point, didn’t matter how uncomfortable it was.

For a moment during the afternoon, Kakashi really thought Gai would finally make a physical appearance. Work was over and it was time for his appointment with Sakura, something his partner hadn’t missed ever before. That time, however, he only felt his chakra near the hospital, and once inside there were too many people uncapable to maintain their chakra control to perceive well Gai’s. Inside his belly, their child moved around as if frustrated about the situation as well.

“Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei” his student greeted with a big smile. “It’s just you today? That’s weird.”

“Yeah, Gai is unavailable” he dismissed.

His reaction might have been too fast, the Haruno sending him a weird look. Thankfully, she didn’t press the matter and instead indicated him to lay down on the medical bed so they could start the exam.

“I’m going to start first with a physical examination and then we’ll move on to the echography, ok?” Sakura explained as she put a pair of gloves on. “How are you feeling?”

“A little bit more tired, I guess.”

Moving up his black t-shirt was easy enough, since the month prior wearing the jounin vest had stopped being an option. Now, Kakashi had to wear loose clothing to dissimulate the pregnancy and be more comfortable. It was horrible.

He remained very still while Sakura moved her hands over his belly, green ninjutsu covering them. That kind of examination was almost imperceptible if not for the warm feeling of chakra next to his skin. Normally, Gai would be holding his hand to reduce any uncomfortable sensation.

“Uh… How is your workload, sensei?” his student asked. “You’re not exceeding yourself?”

“No, and I’m following all your other advices as well” he assured. “Why? Is there something wrong?”

The Haruno shook her head, but there was some clear doubt in her eyes.

“No, sensei, not really, but… I was able to feel some symptoms on the baby usually derived from the bearer’s stress” she explained. “If the work is not the problem, then maybe… The pregnancy itself? You know Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san and me have been developing different plans to appease any uncomfortable sensation you may have, Kakashi-sensei.”

“I appreciate it, Sakura, but it’s none of that” he said, even though it was possible the next month his answer would be another. “I’ve been stressing for a couple of days over a personal matter that I intend to resolve soon.”

The kunoichi squinted at him, evidently wanting to know what all the secrecy was about, but he drew a line in sharing relationship problems with his students. He would never hear the end of it otherwise.

“Well, you better do, sensei” she said after a bit. “Stress is not good for you or the baby, ok?”

“Hai, hai…”

It was not as if he found pleasure in the situation, either.

Kakashi observed as Sakura unhanged the cables necessary to do the echography. There were three of those machines in the hospital; one there, another in the emergency room and the last one in the obstetrician’s floor. All of them very expensive and very heavy, but definitely worth it. The development was quite new; only about a year old, and it meant that they got to see and learn about any problem the baby could have in advance. Back at home, Gai and him had the first two pictures —basically a black, white and grey blur— hanging from the fridge’s door. The other man had gotten incredibly happy at the discovery that they could take the photos as a memory, and a small part of Kakashi felt bad for him missing it this time.

“Ok, sensei, here we go” his student said. “Remember, the gel is quite cold.”

He nodded, but still the sensation was uncomfortable and only got worse as the transducer pressed against his belly. The feeling, however, drowned away as soon as he was capable of hearing a strong heartbeat.

“Is that…?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, Kakashi-sensei, your child has quite a strong heart already” the Haruno nodded with a smile. “Let’s check the rest.”

With his head turned towards the small monitor, Kakashi was able to follow his student’s indications as she passed the transductor from one point to another, the movement of it fully ignored in order to commit to memory each and one of Sakura’s words.

“Well, everything seems to be in order” the kunoichi said after about fifteen minutes. “Organs are developing correctly and no anomalies could be seen, so it’s as good as we could ask for. I will take a couple of pictures now, ok?”

He nodded, remaining still even if the difference otherwise would be small. Just a moment later, the machine repeated the same noise he had heard for the first time a few months ago, indicating the pictures were processing. In the meantime, Sakura offered him a towel for cleaning and he was able to sit back up and readjust his clothes.

“Ok, sensei, I know Gai-sensei loves to read all those books about pregnancy, but I have to tell you this anyways” the Haruno continued speaking as the photos printed. “Now that you’re in your fifth month of pregnancy, it’s possible you’ll experience stomach ardor, constipation and changes in your heart rate, among other things. If any of those become even slightly annoying, come to the hospital to see how we can help, understood?”

Kakashi gave another nod, not really looking forward to any of that.

“What about the baby? Anything I… We should pay attention to?”

“Well, they’re going to grow faster, and also start moving more” she pointed out. “Oh! And considering the development I saw in the echography, it’s possible they’re able to hear you already, so I would recommend playing some music, or simply talking to them whenever you feel them moving.”

Did that mean the baby had heard Gai and him arguing the day before? Great, they were traumatizing them even before being born. Or maybe the Hatake was just being a tiny bit overdramatic due to the hormones. Who knew?

“Thank you, Sakura” he said, smiling softly under the mask. “And when should we have the next appointment?”

“I’m going to write you down for five weeks from now, I’ll send the exact date and time to your office later” she indicated. “But, if you need anything…”

“I’ll come straight here, Sakura, I promise” he pouted, hiding the pang of frustration at being treated like a child.

“Good.”

Kami, nobody could have doubts about she becoming the next director of Konoha’s health system. She was terrifying when she wanted, just like her predecessor.

“And solve your stress problem as soon as possible, sensei” she continued, adding with a smile after: “If you need any advice…”

“Oh, look!” the Hatake interrupted, pointing to the ultrasound, “the photos are done already, great! And just in time because I really need to leave.”

His student rolled her eyes but handled him the pictures, knowing there was no way she was going to get more information out of him. It was good to see that his students still respected him a bit.

“See you in five weeks!” he said as he walked out of Sakura’s office, one hand up to say goodbye.

“Bye, sensei!”

Truth was, they would probably see each other in two days, assuming Gai and him had fixed their problems and the usual teams dinner was held at their house. In the past, the same activity would have developed in any of Konoha’s restaurants, but as soon as his pregnancy started to be more noticeable Kakashi had started to avoid being out in the public as much as possible. Which, mind you, was not easy when one was Hokage.

Pakkun and the rest of the pack were waiting for him outside of the hospital, not liking being inside due to all the strange and artificial smells one could find. The Hatake was not a fan either, but he was wearing a mask to help with it. And he didn’t have other option, anyways.

“How did it go?” Uhei asked as they walked slowly, tail wagging. “Is the new pup ok?”

“Yeah, very healthy” he nodded. “Strong heartbeat and apparently developing ears, so you can start speaking to them so they learn to recognize your voices.”

“Really?!” Biscuit exclaimed with a small jump. “That’s great! We’ll take turns telling them stories.”

Oh great, now he was going to have eight dogs fighting for a place next to him and talking non-stop. How was it possible to love and hate them so much at the same time? Probably hormones, that was his default answer nowadays.

At home, Kakashi moved around for a bit while searching for something to do. He didn’t want to sit again so soon, knowing once he did it there was a possibility of him staying on the sofa until the next morning. But dinner was done thanks to Gai, and his dogs had their rations also prepared in the freezer. Just as he was starting to contemplate the idea of going for a walk in the forest behind the house, he felt a chakra signature coming close to the door. A moment later, a soft knock broke the silence.

“We’ll tell him to leave” Urushi said, already walking to the door.

“Yeah, we can chase him all the way out of the village, boss” Guruko added.

The Hatake sighed.

“No need, guys” he indicated, dismissing them with a hand. “I… We need to talk at some point.”

“Are you sure, boss?” Pakkun carefully asked. “The other day… Well, I don’t remember seeing you that angry in quite some time, and for a good reason.”

The ninken was right, of course, but the fact that he didn’t want to leave the things as they were still remained.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine” he said, even if he was not able to convince anyone. “You can stay close if you want, but don’t attack unless I order it, ok?”

He would never do so, of course; the idea of hurting Gai like that on purpose making his stomach revolve. Still, all the dogs nodded with a serious look.

When he opened the door, Gai was standing at the other side with a doubtful expression that lighted up just slightly upon seeing him.

“Hi, Kakashi” he said, the lack of the word ‘rival’ in the greeting causing the Hatake some unease. “I, uh… I’m sorry for coming without sending a message before. I just… I wanted to know how you were.”

“I’m fine” he said, even if it was partially a lie.

The Hatake’s body occupied the whole door, acting as a barrier to prevent Gai from entering. Sure, the house was technically also his, but Kakashi was not ready to let him in again without being sure something had changed since the other night. As seconds passed, he started to think that would not happen.

“I wanted to apologize” Gai said, voice low, after a bit. “About what I said. I, um, talked to some of our friends and… Do you think we can talk inside?”

He doubted for a moment, but guessed the other man had made an effort in apologizing, and that was at least a start.

“Yeah” Kakashi said, moving away. “Come on in.”

The pack followed Gai with attentive eyes, and it was impossible to not notice how they strategically positioned themselves in between the two men, each one in a sofa with the dogs in the middle.

“Well, I’m… I am sorry for what I said the other day, Kakashi” he declared after a minute of silence. “As I’ve said, I talked to some friends and came to the realization that it was not fair. In first place, because it should be a decision made by our child, not me, and also… I know what it is to lose somebody you care about to The Gates, and the pain they bring to their bearer.”

Not sure if Gai wanted his participation or not, the Hatake just nodded at the words, so far in accordance with them. He wondered who the other man had talked to, apart from Kurenai. Genma, maybe? Or even Yamato…

“I understand that the risks of the technique are high, and ultimately fatal, but I also think about it as my legacy. I passed The Gates onto Lee, and the idea of teaching them to our child as well filled me… No, it still fills me with happiness, Kakashi, I don’t think that will ever change.”

His heart missed a beat at that and Urushi’s low growl made echo against the walls for a few seconds.

“However, as I said before, it’s not my decision to make and considering its consequences and the fact that this is our child, I would want to promise you that I won’t teach them to open The Gates.”

A chill ran down Kakashi’s spine.

“Why do I feel like there is a ‘but’ hidden in there?”

“Because you shouldn’t be making that decision from our kid, either” Gai stated, looking straight at him with a serious expression.

“I’m just trying to protect them!”

Not like you, were the unspoken words that hanged in the air.

“I… I know, Kakashi” his partner conceded with a sigh. “But, consider this: our child will grow up in a world of heroes, listening to our stories and making questions once they grow up. What will we do, when they ask about my fight with Madara? Lie to them? Will you make a decree, just as Sandaime-sama did with Naruto’s origins, to avoid them from knowing the truth?”

“No, of course not, I would never…”

“Then, they’ll learn about the technique one day, either you want it or not” Gai continued. “I’m not asking for your permission to teach them to open The Gates, Kakashi. I just want to be sure that, if one day they ask questions, I’ll be able to respond them with the truth and, should they take the decision to learn how to do it, you’ll be fine with me teaching them a safe way to use the technique.”

The Hatake closed his fists, trying to compose himself. He knew he couldn’t leave the hormones dictate his feelings for that conversation, so he made his best effort to take a breath and think. Objectively speaking, Gai was right. Their child would undoubtedly learn about The Gates one day and, if they were just a tiny bit like their papa, they would want to follow his steps. If that happened, Gai was the best shinobi there could be to teach them to do so safely. The technique was forbidden for a good reason; too many people had lost their lives by opening The Gates without enough training, body consumed by the effort and pain becoming a constant in their bodies, assuming they survived the experience.

So, it was evident that Gai’s analysis was correct and adequate.

And, still… He sighed. With some luck, that day would never come. Their child would learn other jutsus and techniques, realizing they didn’t need The Gates to become a great shinobi. Maybe they wouldn’t even be a ninja. Or they would try to open them and fail. A lot of things could happen.

“Ok” he muttered after a while. “You’re right.”

“Really?” the other man babbled, clearly not expecting that answer. “I… Kakashi, if you’re not truly convinced…”

“I’m not. Or rather I am, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it” the Hatake explained. “You’re right in wanting to tell them the truth once they’re old enough, and be there in case they want to learn the technique. It’s the most intelligent option.”

He knew his voice still sounded stiff and slightly frustrated, if not angry. Tired, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. There was nothing else he could do about the whole thing; they had finally talked and solved the fight, so everything should be fine. Eventually.

“Do you want to know how the revision with Sakura went?” he said, looking to change the topic. “I have a couple of new photos you may like to see.”

Gai’s face illuminated in a second, an energetic nod making his head move like crazy. Almost vibrating, he pointed to the space in the sofa next to Kakashi.

“Can I…?”

His permission was enough for the ninken to move slightly away, even if they still remained in the living room. The air was not that heavy anymore, but it was evident there was still some tension in between him and Gai.

Thankfully, as they talked Kakashi was able to feel more and more relaxed. He repeated to the other man everything Sakura had told him that afternoon, pointing out each detail in the echography photos just to have Gai kissing them and running to put them on the fridge next to the others.

“And now you also have an excuse to talk to them more often” he said as the taijutsu master came back. “Sakura said they are probably capable of hearing our voices, so if you talk to them, they’ll be able to know you’re their papa once they’re born.”

There were tears shining in Gai’s eyes, an expression quite common when referring to their child.

“Can I tell them our story?” he asked in an incredible low voice as one hand covered the Hatake’s belly. “I want them to know how much I love you, and how much they’ll be loved once they’re here with us.”

Kakashi chuckled, fairly sure that ‘their story’ was not exactly rated for any child, but he guessed they were several years away from the baby understanding anything of what they said.

“Go ahead, just ignore me if I fall asleep.”

Moving into a more comfortable position on the sofa —his back resting against Gai’s chest and butt settled in between his legs—, he relaxed almost completely as the other man’s arms surrounded his lower body. They were not entirely back to the happy point they were at a few days ago, but Kakashi didn’t think they would ever be. And that was ok, because The Gates would always exist and they had to learn and live with them, whatever their believes were. As long as they were both looking out for their child’s health and happiness, he could tolerate it.

A few years later, however, he would realize that neither Gai’s or his opinion mattered, as their child managed to open the First Gate by themselves at fourteen years old.

Chapter Text

That was the first and only baby Kakashi would be giving birth to. He was sure of it. Yeah, the beginning hadn’t been too bad, but the last couple of months in which he had started to have problems to control his chakra and his equilibrium was that of a duck on drugs, were being too much for him. And that was without talking about the new hobby the kid seemed to have developed during the last few days: kicking his kidneys. It felt like they were trying to practice the Konoha Senpu even before being born.

So, if Gai and him wanted another child at some point, they would have to adopt.

For the Hatake, it was not only the annoyance of the pregnancy itself —whoever said it was a ‘wonderful’ experience had surely not been pregnant—, but also the unease it brought to him. He was long passed the phase in which he could dissimulate the state with clothes, his belly big and round. Looking at himself in front of the mirror was too hard most of the times, the figure greeting him back almost unrecognizable. It didn’t matter how often Gai said he was handsome and perfect, the dysphoria would always be there. Which, of course, only got worse once he entered the third trimester and his hormones became even more crazy. Oh, the joy.

At some point, he had decided to isolate himself from the outer world, not leaving the house unless it was to pick up some papers from the office, visit the hospital or escape to the forest for a walk with his pack whenever he managed to escape Gai’s overprotection.

That didn’t mean he had ceased interacting with other people, most of them just coming to their house instead. His and Gai’s teams were frequent visitors, as well as Kurenai and some of their other friends. That day, however, the visitor he was sharing his time with was not there for pleasure.

Naruto was receiving an ‘immersive class’ about the Hokage position. Which basically meant that he was helping Kakashi to read and catalogue documents.

“Maah… Sensei, this is too boring, dattebayo” the blonde mumbled, face against the table. “My brain cannot take it anymore.”

“Well, this is what awaits you once you become Hokage” he pointed out with a sigh. “And you should be glad I’m helping you on the way there, most Kages just get thrown in the position and have to figure it out by themselves.”

He was not thinking about Tsunade. Not at all.

“But we’ve been looking at these papers all morning! There has to be something else we can do, dattebayo!”

“Mmm… Not really, being at peace means more documents than war, who would’ve guessed…”

Fine, there was a small possibility he was mocking Naruto just for the fun of it, but he could not avoid a chuckle as his student slid down the chair until he was lying flat on the floor, dramatic tears rolling over his cheeks.

Truth was, as Hokage there were a lot of things he had to do —physical matters, not paperwork—, but his current state meant he had to focus on decreasing the pile of documents that occupied his office. With any luck, by the end of the pregnancy the amount would have reduced to at least half of it.

The smile on his lips changed into a grimace as the baby decided to kick his left kidney again. He brought a hand to the spot and tried to telepathically ask them to fall asleep again. As the nuisance continued, he realized that was probably not going to happen, the kid seemingly starting a whole Gai’s routine. When the feeling morphed into pain, he was uncapable of holding a gasp.

“Give it a rest” he mumbled.

“Uh? You’re saying we can take a break, sensei, really?!” the Uzumaki happily exclaimed, jumping back up.

“No, I was talking to the demon inside of me” he grunted. “We still have a lot to do.”

Resigning to the situation, the Hatake got up to take another folder from the end of the table, and by doing so a stabbing pain punctured his abdomen. Well, that had definitely not been a kick. His hands let go of the folder and instead grabbed the edge of the desk to avoid falling as a nauseating feeling went through his body.

“Kakashi-sensei?”

“Something is wrong” he panted, one hand moving to his belly.

He had a weird sensation in between his legs, as if he was… Well, either bleeding or peeing, and he was quite sure he could still control his bladder. Another wave of abdominal pain forced him to hold for dear life to the table, knuckles white due to the effort and mask becoming moist due to the hard breathing.

In a blink, Naruto was by his side, helping him to stay up.

“I’m taking you to the hospital, Kakashi-sensei” he said, dead-serious. “Sakura-chan will be able to help you.”

“Wait” he panted. “Just… One second.”

The Hatake brought a hand to the edge of his mask to pull it down. The Uzumaki, who in the past would’ve been ready with a camera to record that moment, moved his head to the opposite side, offering him all the intimacy he could. As soon as his lips were free, Kakashi used his fingers to produce a low but potent whistle. By the time he had put the mask back up, eight dogs had entered the house from the back door.

“We’re here, boss!” Shiba barked. “What do you need?”

“Naruto is taking me to the hospital” he explained, taking short breaths to control the pain. “Uhei, I need you to find Gai and tell him to come. I think something is wrong with the baby.”

Those words sank heavily on the ninken, who whined before nodding slowly. Uhei didn’t waist more time, running outside once again and disappearing in the forest. Being the fastest and knowing Gai’s scent by heart, he would find him in no time, for sure. The taijutsu master had gone training with his team close the village’s border and was supposed to be back by then, but it was not exactly strange for him to stay overtime. He would surely feel guilty later, even when it had been Kakashi who insisted on him going out more often, since his decision to stay at home didn’t have to extend to the other man as well. The Hatake still enjoyed his alone time.

“Ready, sensei?”

“Yes.”

As undignified as it felt, he allowed Naruto to pass a hand under his knees and another behind his back to lift him up, bridal style. Thank Kami for the blonde’s new arm, or otherwise the trip to the hospital would’ve been a less-fun one. Instead, with his four extremities intact and incredible speed, they found themselves in front of the main doors in just seven seconds. Luckily, his dogs would be able to find them by using their nose even inside of the hospital.

His student didn’t bother with the door —which may be something Kakashi had passed onto him—, instead he jumped directly to the windowsill of Sakura’s office, attached to it just with the chakra accumulated at the tip of his sandals. The Hatake really hoped they didn’t fall or the situation would become way worse.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, uncapable to move his hands to knock at the window. “Open up, it’s an emergency!”

The young kunoichi turned her head towards them with a confused look, but the worried expression on the blonde was enough for her to run and give them access inside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Abdominal pain” Kakashi panted. “Very intense, in waves, just like… UGH! Like that.”

The Haruno’s eyes opened wide, probably because she knew Kakashi was not the kind of shinobi that would complain for a little pain.

“Put him on the bed, Naruto” she indicated as a scratch sound hit the office’s door. “And tell whoever is outside that I’m occupied.”

“It’s my pack” the Hatake grunted as his back hit the hard mattress. “Let them in.”

As the pink-haired moved to help him uncovering his upper body, Naruto opened the door and almost fell to the ground as the dogs at the other side ran to get to Kakashi’s side. They were a bunch of good boys.

“How are you doing, boss?” Pakkun asked.

“Peachy” he mumbled with a groan. “Sakura, tell me what’s wrong.”

His student had started to feel his distended belly without using ninjutsu, which was not a nice feeling, if he was being honest.

“I’m not sure yet” she admitted. “I’m going to use medical ninjutsu and then the echograph, ok?”

He nodded because another wave of pain made it too difficult to talk. The green chakra didn’t make it worse, but neither better. And he didn’t like the way in which Sakura’s eyebrow turned inwards. That was never a good signal.

“What is it?” he groaned. “Is the baby ok?”

“I… I don’t know. I need to use the echograph and check if really…”

“What, Sakura-chan?” the blonde pressured. “Are Kakashi-sensei and the baby going to be ok?”

She hesitated and something took out the air from the Hatake’s lungs. No. That could not happen, not when they were so close to meeting their child.

“I don’t care if we’re not married, he’s my rival!” an angry voice exclaimed from the corridor. “KAKASHI!”

“GAI!” another voice, this one feminine and stronger, interrupted the other man’s complains. “Stop screaming inside my hospital, there is people here trying to work! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Naruto” Sakura commanded with one word.

In a second, the Uzumaki was out of the office. Another one, and him, together with Tsunade, Gai and Uhei, were back.

“Rival!” the taijutsu master called as he approached the hospital bed. “Uhei told me something was wrong. What is it?!”

“That’s what we’re trying to check, Gai-sensei” Sakura indicated, looking then at her mentor. “I still have to use the echograph to confirm it, Tsunade-sama, but I think… I think is a placental abruption.”

The second frown from the Godaime did nothing to calm Kakashi’s nerves.

“What does that mean?” he demanded.

“Calm down, Kakashi, let’s figure this out first and then we’ll explain.”

As Tsunade moved to help Sakura with the echography, Uhei and Naruto took a step back to join the rest of the pack, giving them the necessary space to work. Gai changed his position as well to be by the Hatake’s side, hands holding one of his while he looked at him with a serious expression. They didn’t need words to understand each other.

I’m here. Whatever happens, I’ll always be here. We’ll get through this together.

The transducer’s pressure was almost painful against his belly, and when it reached the lower part he had to bite the inside of his cheek to contain a complaint.

“That’s liquid, possibly blood, too” the Sannin pointed out, signaling a grey and black spot in the little screen of the apparatus. “You were right, Sakura.”

The girl didn’t seem happy to hear that.

“What does that mean, Tsunade-sama?” Gai asked, voice trembling. “Are they going to be ok?”

The Godaime turned to look at them with a grave expression.

“We cannot be sure, this is a delicate situation” she explained. “The placenta seems to have suffered an abruption, which is what is causing you pain, Kakashi. If you were closer to your due date, we would recommend early labor to decrease any risk, but that is not a possibility right now.”

“But” the Hatake said, “doesn’t the baby gets all the food and that from the placenta? What will happen to them?”

Tsunade and Sakura exchanged a quick glance.

“You’ll have to remain in bedrest to avoid further damage, sensei” the pink haired said, “and take supplements to help the baby keep developing. With luck, that, together with weekly checks, will be enough to get you close to the due date.”

“There is something more we could do” the Sannin added once she finished.

“Tsunade-sama?”

“I have only done the intervention twice before, and only succeeded once” she declared. “If we use medical ninjutsu, we can potentially repair the abruption and help the pregnancy to reach term in a way that is safer for both you and the baby. Rest and supplements may avoid the situation getting worse, but the risks at delivery would remain, mainly blood loss that will endanger both of you.”

The hold of Gai’s hands around Kakashi’s increased to an almost painful level. It was evident he was struggling even more than the Hatake with the news. He was pretty sure that the reason behind it was the indecision of what to choose. Luckily for him, Kakashi had a very clear idea.

“When can you do the intervention?” he asked.

“Kakashi, wait a moment, we need…” the other man tried to add.

“We’re both in danger either way, Gai” he cut him. “This way, at least we have a chance to reach full term without any more risks.”

“But with what Tsunade-sama said, the chances of me losing you both are fifty-fifty!”

“You trusted her with Lee” the Hatake pointed out, squeezing his hands. “Trust her with this, as well.”

When he turned his eyes towards the older woman, she nodded with conviction. Behind her, Sakura didn’t seem so sure, and it was evident that his pack and Naruto wanted to add something, but new better than to try.

“I can schedule it for tomorrow morning” she proposed. “Shizune and Sakura will assist me to help if something goes wrong. This is the best option, Gai.”

Kakashi looked back at his partner, who was no doubt clenching his teeth with enough strength to break them. Then, he inhaled deeply and let out a long breath.

“Ok” he said, moving up to kiss the Hatake’s forehead. “Ok.”

There was a heavy load on Gai’s shoulders that he had only felt once before in his life, five years ago. He had been pacing around those same corridors —well, not exactly because the hospital had been rebuilt since then—, wondering if he would see again the person who entered the surgery room.

“Gai-sensei, what about a sparring match to kill the nerves?” Lee suggested behind him. “Tsunade-sama said the procedure would take at least five hours, so…”

“I appreciate the intention, Lee, but I never left the hospital when it was you in that room, and surely I won’t do it now, either.”

Only two hours had passed since Kakashi had been taken into surgery and Sakura assured him they wouldn’t be able to say anything until they were close to the end, but he still didn’t want to leave the waiting room. The simple thought of it made him sick, as if he would be abandoning both his partner and their child. It would be wrong.

“They’ll be fine” Biscuit said, jumping to his chest and forcing the taijutsu master to catch him. “Have faith, Gai.”

Petting soft fur calmed him, which he suspected the ninken knew, but he still kept pacing around the room. Lee, the dogs and him were not the only ones there, of course. Tenten was out on a mission and not many people had been told of the situation, but Kurenai, Naruto, Sai, Genma and Yamato were there as well, though the last two ones were hidden in the shadows, still on duty even when Kakashi was in surgery.

It felt like an eternity —a slow, horrible one— until the moment Sakura came through the corridor’s doors with a tired expression. Thankfully Gai was not holding a ninken anymore, or it would’ve ended on the floor. They still hadn’t reached the fourth hour mark, so the medic nin shouldn’t be out there yet. A cold chill ran down his spine as his mind tried to prepare for a dozen of painful scenarios.

Then, Sakura smiled.

“Everything went well” she said. “The abruption was smaller than we thought and easy to repair by Tsunade-sama. We also had time to check the overall situation of the baby, and no further damage seemed to have happened, so everything should be fine now.”

Gai felt tears filling up his eyes. He quickly blinked them away in favor of approaching Sakura and pick her hands.

“Thank you” he babbled. “When can I see them?”

“Well, Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san are finishing up and then he’ll be sent to a private room, so I guess you can wait for him there” she indicated, turning then towards the others. “Only him, though, the rest of you may be able to pop up for a second once he’s awake.”

Gai expected some protests, but not even Naruto complained against Sakura’s orders as she directed him to the room were the Hatake would be taken. He barely had to wait a few minutes in the empty space before Shizune and Tsunade entered pushing the bed in which Kakashi was currently asleep. His gaze didn’t move from his rival from the moment he caught an eye on him, too busy checking that he was really breathing and his belly was still there. Making sure his family was safe.

“He should wake within the next hour” the Godaime said in a soft voice. “We’ll do a second check then, to be sure the pain is truly gone, but otherwise everything indicates the pregnancy will be carried to term safely for both of them. You can breathe now, Gai.”

Hearing it didn’t make it more possible, as his lungs seemed to have chosen that moment to forget how to put air in. That was, until his brain sent a panic signal and he basically gasped for oxygen.

“Thank you” he let out with a trembling voice.

The three women looked at him with kind smiles, as they were probably used to that kind of reaction whenever they saved a life. As if their work was not the closest thing to magic any person could think of.

“You should rest as well now, sensei” Sakura advised. “Someone will have to take care of Kakashi-sensei’s incisions for the next week, so…”

“I won’t leave his side, I promise.”

The Sannin chuckled.

“Oh, I can imagine Kakashi protesting against that.”

Gai couldn’t care less. He didn’t even think himself capable of stepping out of the room in which the Hatake was.

“We’ll leave you alone now, sensei” the youngest kunoichi said. “Just be sure to call us shortly after he awakes, ok?”

He nodded, his eyes still focused on Kakashi, and they stayed that way as the women left through the door. Only when he found himself alone did he manage to transfer to the chair next to the bed, fingers coming up to softly brush against the Hatake’s.

Thirty seven minutes.

That was the amount of time that Kakashi needed to wake up once they were left alone in the room. His eyelids were the first thing to move, blinking a couple of times before his eyes found Gai’s. Then, his mouth shifted under the surgical mask he was wearing, expression a mix of confusion and worry.

“How…?” he started with a raspy voice.

“It went well” Gai quickly reassured, his fingers interlacing with Kakashi’s and body bending closer to the other man. “You’re both fine. The abruption was smaller than they thought and were able to fix it easily so you can reach full term. How is the pain?”

“Good” the Hatake responded, grimacing a bit. “Your kid is currently using my kidney as a punching bag, though.”

Gai chuckled loudly, just so damn happy of hearing his rival talk so naturally.

“They’ll become a master in taijutsu, I just know it.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes, but his general expression said he was smiling under the mask. Gai’s free hand came up to rest on his round belly, careful to not rest it on top of the incision. Even if medical ninjutsu had been used, he didn’t want to risk causing him more pain by accident. His fingers spread over the medical gown the other man had on, and the Hatake’s other hand didn’t take long before joining his.

“They are truly very active, rival” Gai smiled upon feeling another kick.

Instead of answering, Kakashi just nodded and closed his eyes again, probably looking to take in that moment and finally relax. Gai let him, of course, happy with just observing his rival while smiling, one hand holding the most important person in his life and the other feeling the result of their love moving without rest.

His little perfect family.

Chapter Text

Gai was very anxious to meet their child, but he had to admit his rival’s feelings about it were stronger. Not because he was not as excited, of course! But rather because Kakashi wanted both to meet the kid and to get rid of the extra weight he had to carry around.

At some point, Gai had tried to reassure him saying he was just as handsome as before the pregnancy, but the Hatake had glared at him aggressively and he had ended up sleeping on the sofa that night. Sakura had assured him that response was most likely due to the hormones, so he shouldn’t worry about having said something wrong. The next day, Kakashi had challenged him to wear a vest that imitated the pregnancy during the whole day, and Gai had then understood why his partner complained so much and so often.

Sure, he was a taijutsu master and carrying extra weight around was kind of his thing, but that was… Something else. The position was uncomfortable, pulling at your muscles and getting in the way of almost every movement you did. After the agreed twenty-four hours of challenge, he had been glad to throw the vest away, although he had been polite enough to say that if it made the Hatake feel better, he would keep wearing it. Kakashi had then started crying and demanded cuddles, so he guessed at least that time the hormones were playing in his favor.

Surprisingly, the day —or rather night— in which his rival’s water broke, he was completely calm and composed. At least at the beginning.

It was almost midnight and they were preparing for going to bed. This meant a whole ordeal in their household at the moment, the pillow and blankets needing to be arranged in an exact position to not bother Kakashi. It also implied cleaning the path from his side of the bed to the bathroom, leaving the doors open for the several moments of the night when the Hatake would undoubtedly wake up needing to pee. Most of the time, Gai would awake as well or one of the dogs would accompany him in case something happened.

“Gai” Kakashi called from the bathroom, “can you…?”

He was there before the other man could finish the sentence, his wheels drifting on the wooden floors.

“What is it? What do you need?”

“A hospital, preferably” the Hatake said as he put his mask slowly up.

“WHY?! Did you fall?! I told you to ask for help if…”

“Gai” his rival cut him with a pointy look. “Just look at the floor for a moment.”

There was a small puddle over the bathroom’s tiles, not very big but still dangerous.

“Did you slip with the water?!”

“No, Gai” Kakashi sighed, his tone annoyed. “I stained the floor with my amniotic fluids when my water broke.”

So, he hadn’t fallen. Everything was alright, then…

Wait.

Oh.

Oh.

“REALLY?!”

His scream was enough to alert the dogs scattered around the house, their paws hitting loudly the ground as they ran to the bathroom.

“What is it?” Akino asked, looking around as if expecting an enemy. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong” the Hatake sighed again. “My water broke, so I’m ready to give birth. Now, why don’t we get to the hospital so I can go through this with the support of some competent people?”

“Right. RIGHT!” Gai exclaimed, adrenaline running through his body as he turned towards the ninken. “Bull, take the emergency bag that it’s packed in the wardrobe. Uhei, Pakkun and Biscuit, go looking for Tsunade-sama, Shizune and Sakura and make sure they are available at the hospital. The rest of you, come with us.”

The dogs moved quickly under his commands, Urushi, Guruko, Shiba and Akino following them as Gai accompanied Kakashi to the bedroom so he could change his pants and underwear. He needed his assistance for it, but they were done quickly and as soon as Bull had the baby bag hanging from the mouth, they left for the hospital.

Barely a second after Gai wheeled himself down the ramp with Kakashi on his lap, two ANBU figures appeared at his side.

“Is it time?” Yamato asked.

“Yup, I’m ready to push this baby finally out of me” the Hatake joyfully said. “Let’s go!”

Was it weird that his rival sounded more happy in that moment than during the last month? Gai thought back on the pregnancy vest and shuddered. Yes, that tracked.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to carry him, Gai?” Yugao intervened. “We could…”

“I’m perfectly capable of getting my rival to the hospital, thank you very much” he complained. “Unless he wants it otherwise.”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Happy with the answer, Gai made sure Kakashi was perfectly safe on his lap before start wheeling himself forward with as much strength as he was. In under thirty seconds they had left the outer part of the village —where they lived— and entered the city center. A minute and a half, and they were at the hospital’s doors. Ha, as if Yugao or Yamato were able to keep up with his speed even if he was on a wheelchair.

The five ninken that had left the house with them were at their side just a moment later, as well as the ANBU guards who would undoubtedly protect Kakashi from the shadows as he gave birth. On the other hand, Uhei, Pakkun and Biscuit waited inside of the hospital together with the three medic-nin that would make sure the whole process went smoothly.

“Ready to meet your brat, brat?” Tsunade asked with a smile.

“Hey, my kid will only be half a brat” the Hatake reclaimed with a huff. “Don’t forget who is the other father.”

“Well, I would appreciate if nobody called our kid a brat before they’re even born” Gai pouted.

The others chuckled at the comment, Shizune and Sakura helping Kakashi to get up and transfer onto the gurney they had brought to the entrance. Being so late at night, the place was empty except for the couple of administrative at the front desk, which Gai guessed made his rival more comfortable. From there, they moved to a big individual room were the whole procedure was planned to take place.

“Ok, guys, I know you like Kakashi and all that, but there are too many of us in here at the moment” Tsunade said, looking at the ninken, “so, I must ask you to leave.”

“But he’s our summoner!” Uhei complained.

“Yeah, and his pup will be our pup to raise!” Pakkun added.

“I’m pretty sure Gai and me are the ones supposed to do the raising” his rival commented.

“Sure, you will help.”

Gai was starting to seriously suspect a kidnapping coming from the ninken.

“Well, you can do all the baby raising you want once they are actually here” the Sanin pushed. “Now, off you go.”

She shooed them out of the room with her hands, to which the dogs responded with glares and whines. However, as Kakashi didn’t say anything to oppose Tsunade’s declaration, they followed the instructions. And by that Gai meant that they sat at the other side of the room, their breaths still audible from the inside.

“Ok, we can start now” the Godaime indicated, turning to the Hatake once again. “First, how long ago did your water break? And how are you feeling?”

“It happened about five or seven minutes ago, and so far I’m good, pain manageable.”

“Well, it won’t stay that way much longer.”

Gai was not sure if that was the kind of encouragement Tsunade should be offering, but he was not the medical expert in there, so he remained silent.

“Tsunade-sama…” Shizune complained.

“I’m just stating the truth, and you know it as much as me” the Sanin said as she put on some gloves. “Now, I need to examine you. Do you want us to help you to change, or just Gai?”

“Just him” the Hatake quickly answered.

Nodding, Tsunade offered Gai a medical gown and then started to close the curtain around the bed to give them some privacy. They had previously talked about the whole arrangement and they made a great team, so even with Kakashi’s difficulties to move around, they were able to undress him rather fast, gown in place just a minute later.

“Are you ready to meet our kid?” Gai asked in a low voice.

“Yeah, but that I remember we may be a few hours away from that, and before I have to suffer quite a bit.”

Gai grimaced, knowing the delivery would be one of the most unpleasant experiences for Kakashi due to several reasons. Even if he knew it wouldn’t change much, he kissed him softly on the forehead.

“I love you.”

The Hatake nodded, smiling with his eyes and giving after a signal to indicate he was ready to continue. Gai moved then to open the curtains, revealing the three women again.

“Everything set? Good” the Godaime said. “We’ll start with an examination to see how far dilated you are, ok?”

Another nod and she made some movements to shift Kakashi’s legs in the correct position. Gai stayed by his side, taking the Hatake’s right hand in his when he saw him grabbing the sheets as if he was about to be tortured. As previously accorded, Sakura and Shizune stayed back but ready to intervene if necessary.

“I’m going to start now” Tsunade indicated with a calm smile.

Gai knew the exact moment in which her hands made contact with Kakashi’s body, as his rival stiffened and increased the strength of his grip to an almost painful level. Still, his eyes didn’t move away from the Sanin even for a second, which allowed him to detect the sudden tension on her shoulders.

“W-What is it?” Kakashi asked in an uncomfortable tone.

“It feels like the baby shifted positions in the last three days” she said, not sugarcoating anything. “I need to check your belly with medical ninjutsu to be sure, but I believe the baby is breech.”

Through all the pregnancy, Gai had read enough books to know what that meant.

“So, their feet are coming first? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It will be if I don’t take a decision quick enough.”

“Then, hurry” the Hatake barked, fangs probably showing after the surgical mask.

“Believe it or not, brat, I know how to do my job” Tsunade responded as she removed the gloves and stood up to position herself by Kakashi’s left side. “I will do all I can to ensure both yours and the baby’s health.”

Unmaking the knots Gai had done in the side of the medical gown, she lifted it carefully to reveal as little skin as possible before moving her hands under it and over the Hatake’s belly. A soft, green glow came out a moment after and his rival face changed again into an uncomfortable expression. Thankfully, Tsunade just needed a couple of seconds to do the examination.

“The baby is definitely breech” she said, turning then to Sakura and Shizune. “We need to prepare for an emergency c-section.”

The other two kunoichis nodded and began moving with precision, removing some items and bringing others from the back of the room. Barely a couple of minutes after, the whole setup had changed.

“Ok, do you remember what the plan for this was?” Tsunade asked while looking at them.

Gai nodded, his brain going over all the explanations they had gotten, as well as everything he had learnt from the books. There was a part of him screaming that it was not time for questions and wanting to panic, but he shut it up.

“You’ll put the lower part of his body to sleep, and set up a few tubes for meds” he said. “Then a couple of incisions and the baby will be born.”

“That summarizes it up quite well, yes” the Godaime smiled, her hands moving to receive the line Shizune was offering. “Are you ready, Kakashi?”

Taking a glance back at his rival, Gai was able to recognize the signals normally indicating that his anxiety was firing up. They were subtle, but still there, and he was about to intervene when the Hatake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he came back, he nodded with a decisive look in his face.

“Yes, I am.”

There was a small squeeze on Gai’ hand, to which he responded with one of his own. They were ready.

The next moment, Tsunade put the line in Kakashi’s left arm and Shizune pushed in some medication. Afterwards came the catheter and the anesthesia, as well as the cleaning of the abdomen. Once everything was ready and it was clear his rival’s lower body was asleep, the Sanin took the scalpel.

There was no visual barrier between them and the kunoichis, that being one of the Hatake’s conditions for the intervention. He trusted all of them, of course, but the thought of a knife cutting his body while he was awake and lacking control over it activated too many of his shinobi alarms. If the down part of that situation was having to see his own body being cut and blood coming out, he was fine with it. Gai, even if he was not particularly enthusiastic about it, knew that at the end it was Kakashi’s decision and, since it wouldn’t affect his or the baby’s health, he agreed with it.

Seeing the scalpel cutting his skin and feeling nothing more than a brushing sensation was weird, Kakashi decided. Also a little bit disturbing. If being honest, the first second after Tsunade had said a c-section was necessary, he almost let out a “thank Kami-sama”. As stated before, he was rather attached to his genitals, but that didn’t mean he felt comfortable with someone else besides Gai looking at them, let alone feel the deformation they would suffer during birth.

Of course, all that had gone through his mind in under a second and then the rest of the information had slapped him. The baby was at risk. That was everything he needed to know to agree with whatever Tsunade thought it was best.

As the Sanin worked with the support of the other two kunoichis, Kakashi kept an eye on her, not even capable of looking at Gai. He didn’t need it, either. The other man’s presence was noticeable from his peripheral vision, and his hold was strong against the Hatake’s hand. Even if Gai was strangely silent, he knew he was there for him.

Time moved slowly and it felt like an eternity until the next words came out from Tsunade’s mouth.

“I’m taking the baby out now.”

A mix of nausea and excitement filled Kakashi as he saw his skin separating enough to let a head come out, quickly followed by the rest of the body. There was no pitch-high cry as he expected, but instead Sakura approached quickly with a clean blanket that was covered in blood and other liquids in no time.

“W-What…?”

“I’m going to clear their airway, sensei, it’ll be just a second.”

Kakashi almost jumped out of the bed upon seeing his student turning away with his baby, but she stopped next to Tsunade, one hand holding them while the other took the utensils given by Shizune. Her movements were fast and precise, working on the baby’s mouth and nose while the umbilical cord was still hanging. A moment later, a cry echoed in the walls, strong and beautiful.

“There you go!” Sakura smiled. “I know from who you got those lungs, baby.”

“Gai, do you want to cut the umbilical cord?” Tsunade asked, hands still working with green ninjutsu on Kakashi’s belly.

“Y-Yeah.”

The taijutsu master moved almost mechanically, eyes not leaving the baby until the distance between him and the Hatake forced him to let of his hand. His sight fell then on Kakashi, as if doubting of releasing the hold. He decided to do him a favor, retreating his fingers and nodding with an exhausted smile.

“Take the scissors and cut in between here” Shizune indicated, handing him the utensil. “That’s it, perfect.”

As soon as the umbilical cord was cut, the world seemed to start moving faster. Sakura stepped a meter away with the baby to let them over a small table where she started the first examination. As much as Kakashi knew all that was necessary, he could not avoid feel anxious. Tsunade’s green chakra became more intense as she worked on him with Shizune’s assistance, but the Hatake still kept his eyes on the baby.

When Sakura finally approached with them still in the dirty blanket and just a hat on their head, he felt tears filling his eyes and his heart beating so fast he thought it would come out of his chest.

“Here you go, sensei, meet your child.”

Yep, he was definitely crying and, judging by the soft noises coming from his side, Gai was as well.

The baby was simply perfect. Very pink and wrinkled and dirty, but perfect. As soon as Gai reacted and helped him to remove the upper part of his medical gown, their child was pressed against his chest as he hold them, the crying stopping soon after.

It was as if the world had stopped. It didn’t matter that Sakura was looking over them like a hawk, ready to intervene at the sight of the smallest problem. Or that Shizune and Tsunade were still working on him. The only thing that mattered was the new life currently on his arms.

Gai’s and his child.

“You… They…” the other man sobbed. “You’re both perfect.”

Kakashi nodded, feeling completed as Gai’s body moved closer to his, leaving the wheelchair and sitting at the end of the mattress with one arm falling over his shoulders and the other resting over the baby’s head, covering it completely. A new feeling appeared wild and strong in the Hatake’s chest, almost like a natural instinct. The desire… No. The need of protecting them. His family. His world.

Gai was overjoyed. And ecstatic. And energized! There was so much energy inside of him that he didn’t even know how he was capable of staying put. Or rather he knew, but didn’t understand. It felt as if, didn’t matter what happened outside of that room, he would never leave as long as his family was there. Not to train, not to fight, not to talk to his students. And he loved his students! But that new feeling was… was something else.

At the moment, the room was empty except for them, the medic nin agreeing they were capacitated enough to detect and call in case any dangerous change appeared. Kakashi had been closed up soon after the birth, recovery set to be fast and without complications if they followed the indicated recommendations. Considering he was a shinobi and he had had the three best medical nin of the country taking care of him, he could choose to go back to work in under a week. Of course, Gai would strongly push against it, as well as Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura had. And, considering one of those women was the assistant of the Hokage, she had promised to make sure he had at least one month of full paternity leave.

So, it was only them and their baby. Their baby.

“What are you thinking about?” his rival asked, shifting slightly.

It was the first time he heard him talking since the birth, before just nodding or shaking his head whenever one of the kunoichis asked him something, as if scared of taking his eyes away from the baby. Now that they were alone, that fear seemed to have minimized.

“I love you” the words escaped Gai’s mouth, his body still pressed against his rival’s. “I love you and I’m so proud of you for this.”

Kakashi chuckled.

“You’re talking as if what I did was a miracle.”

“It is for me.”

From the moment they were left alone in the room, his rival had removed his surgical mask, so it was easy for him to see the soft smile on his lips. Even if the Hatake’s expression was tired, he seemed incredibly satisfied. Just as he should.

“You didn’t panic, and I know you were scared” he continued. “Even after having all our plans broken, you composed yourself and did magnificent, rival. You will make a perfect dad.”

“I would say that’s taking it a little bit to the extreme, Gai” Kakashi softly laughed. “We’re shinobi, so panic doesn’t control us easily. You reacted even ahead of me.”

“Well, yes, but… You were the one going through it, rival, I was just looking. What you did… I believe it’s nothing short of a miracle.”

Instead of trying to refute his words, the Hatake just nodded and moved his eyes back to the baby on his chest. They had been alone for almost an hour, so they had had time to feed them with the donated milk they would be using, but the child refused to fall asleep yet. Their big, black eyes were fixed on Kakashi, as if wanting to remember that face they would probably see more than any other person in the world.

“You know, at the end I had it my way” his rival said, one finger brushing over the baby’s chest. “They have your eyes.”

This time, it was Gai who laughed.

“Yes, but the hair looks like a mix of both of us. Maybe their eyebrows will grow as well.”

The Hatake rolled his eyes at the comment, but he was smiling. Gai moved one hand to accommodate their child’s hat, not wanting them to lose any heat. Underneath it, soft baby hair was mostly grey on top and dark black in the lower part of the head. It seemed smooth at the moment, but he would love to see it growing and become a mane as impossible to tame as his rival’s.

“We still haven’t decided on a name” Kakashi pointed out. “What do you think?”

“Well, of all the names we discussed, I like Keiki and Rei, but if you have other preferences…”

His rival laughed happily and freely, making Gai fall in love with him all over again.

“I can’t believe we have reached an agreement without even talking much about it” he said, adding after seeing his confused face: “I like Rei as well.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed, separating his body just slightly to better look at his rival. “So, we… Uh, have a name for them?”

“Yeah, I believe we do” Kakashi declared, looking down at their child. “Welcome to our lives, Rei.”

Babies did not smile. At least not so soon. Their muscles were simply just not developed enough for it. And still, Gai believed this one did. A prodigy from the beginning.

“Why don’t you hold them for a while?” the Hatake suggested a moment after.

“I would love to! But, uh, are you sure? Sakura said that skin to skin contact was very important for the both of you, so…”

“She said you can do it as well, just remove the upper part of your jumpsuit, Gai” the other man reminded him. “I’m feeling well enough, but my arms are a bit tired and I know you want to hold them, too.”

Of course he did. Jealousy was not usual on Gai, but he had to admit feeling it for the last hour. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate a moment more and stood up —his left leg almost failing him after so long sitting in an awkward position— to start removing his jumpsuit. When the upper part was rolled down over his hips, he sat back on his wheelchair and extended his arms at Kakashi to transfer the baby safely.

Something ignited inside him the second the new weight made pressure against his skin. Rei reacted as well, mumbling a bit before settling again and focus their eyes on Gai.

“Hi” he said, voice slightly trembling. “I’m your papa.”

Rei made a gurgling sound and his heart melted a bit. It was strange, to be so excited that you could do ten thousand push-ups in one go, and still feel uncapable of moving.

As he hummed quietly, he noticed their newborn slowly falling asleep against his chest and Gai felt at peace then. His family was there, safe and protected. Their students and friends would surely come soon to meet Rei, and he gave top another hour before their summons broke into the room, demanding to meet the baby.

He hadn’t had it easy after waking up from opening the Eight Gate. In a couple of occasions, he had even asked for his suffering to end. Now, he was glad they didn’t listen to his words, instead pushing him towards recovery. If that was what it took to be with Kakashi and Rei, he would do it as many times as necessary.

Chapter Text

Home

The first night they spent back at their house —two days later, when Kakashi’s incisions were good enough to leave the hospital—, Gai and him didn’t sleep. Saying they were not tired would be a lie, but as shinobi they could stay awake for days. This was not precisely a mission, but neither of them felt capable of moving their eyes away from Rei for more than a couple of minutes.

“Are they still breathing?” Gai asked over his shoulder.

“Yeah, even breaths at good rhythm” he informed, holding himself to avoid touching the baby while they were asleep. “You should try to sleep.”

“I’m good, rival.”

A low huff caught their attention, both looking at the open door of the bedroom. There, eight ninken were waiting to enter.

“You told us to check the perimeter because you wanted to feel safe while sleeping, boss” Pakkun said. “If what you want is to make sure Rei is safe, we’ll take turns to watch them while you sleep.”

The dogs spread around the room, Bull letting himself fall next to the crib. For such a big animal, he barely made a noise when his body collapsed against the floor.

“B-But” Gai started to mumble, “we like watching them.”

“We all do, but you two need to sleep.”

Kakashi moved his eyes from his child to the summon and took in the conviction on the ninken’s expression. He had been telling the truth, when accusing him of just wanting to make sure Rei was safe. If being honest, the Hatake was fairly sure shinobi made the most paranoid parents. He was simply terrified of all the things that could happen to them as they slept. And still, he nodded at Pakkun’s suggestion.

There were eight pairs of eyes shining in the darkness of the room, completely alert and ready to launch themselves at any intruder crazy enough to appear. Whenever he had been scared as a child, he knew his ninken would protect him against anything. And they had done so. More times that anybody else, not even Gai. As long as they were there, no harm would come to his family.

“Let’s try to rest, Gai” he said, pushing the other man down to the mattress. “We’re going to need the energy if the child is just a bit like you.”

With a complaining whine, the taijutsu master let himself fall on the bed and they quickly arranged a comfortable position for both of them. Medical ninjutsu was rather useful when you had a c-section, your body able to go back to what it was before the pregnancy in about a week, but only if care was done correctly. Therefore, Gai’s hands held him meticulously, a relaxing feeling running down Kakashi’s body as he felt their skin come into contact.

There, with Gai hugging him and his eyes set on Rei sleeping in the crib next to their bed, he closed his eyes to rest.

Meeting Sasuke

Kakashi was having difficulties to concentrate that morning. It might have been because his child was looking at him with doe-eyes from behind the fences of the baby park he had at the office. He didn’t bring them in a lot, normally some of Gai’s and his friends and students available for babysitting, but that day he didn’t have a choice. Not that he was complaining.

“Da!”

“I know, I’m bored too, Rei.”

He had been checking documents for an hour while the six months baby entertained themselves with some harmless toys in the park, but his focus had run away once Rei started to ask for attention. He was a sucker for his kid.

“What do you say about helping me?” he said, getting up to approach the baby park. “It’ll be just as fun as with papa at the Academy.”

He was lying, of course, as he was sure the baby would prefer bouncing attached to Gai’s chest over any kind of amusement he could offer in that office, but he decided to ignore it. At the moment, Gai was on a short mission with his team, so their child would have to conform with him.

As expected, Rei giggled as he lifted them up from the baby park, holding them with care before removing his mask to kiss the baby’s forehead. Then, the fabric slipped back up and he went back to his desk.

“You’re gonna help dada with these very important documents” he stated, offering Rei a stamp to hold. “Here, hold it like… This.”

Putting the stamp in the right position, he guided his child’s hands to the ink to wet it and then to the first paper, pressing down on it and then lifting up.

“See?” he said, pointing at the new symbol on the document. “You’re a natural. Next one!”

Rei had motor skills advanced for a baby of under a year —which was rather normal in shinobi kids—, so they were able to lift the stamp, wet it and put it on each folder Kakashi offered without making a mess. Sure, there were some stains here and there from time to time, but the kid was laughing and doing his job for him so the Hatake was not going to complain.

Sometime later, there was a change in the atmosphere. The arm holding Rei around their chest and belly pressed them against Kakashi’s body, the other one bringing up a kunai in less than a second. Under the mask his mouth was slightly open, fangs showing out of instinct.

The spiral of the Kamui appeared about five steps away from his desk, and even though he knew only one person could use such a jutsu at the moment, he threw the kunai anyways. Of course, Sasuke’s hand caught it with ease as he stepped out of the portal, expression unchanged.

“You know doors exists, right?”

“I never saw you using one.”

Touché.

Kakashi was about to respond with another sarcastic comment, but then Sasuke’s eyes focused on Rei and he frowned.

“There is a baby on your lap” the Uchiha pointed out.

Said baby giggled as they put a second and then a third stamp on the same document. Oh, well, nobody said the damn papers couldn’t have more than one. As long as they were readable…

“Very perceptive.”

“Why?”

“Well, Gai is out on a mission and…” only then Kakashi realized. Chuckling, he changed the sentence for a presentation: “Sasuke, this is mine and Gai’s child. Their name is Rei.”

“Dei!”

Kakashi smiled at the loud participation.

“Yes, that’s your name, very well!”

As expected, Sasuke’s expression went over several stages of confusion before coming back to his neutral face.

“Congratulations” he said.

“Thank you.”

He was about to say something else when another chakra signatures caught his attention.

“KAKASHI-SENSEI!” a well-known blonde screamed as he almost kicked down the door. “What is this new mission you needed Team…? UH?! SASUKE?!”

Behind Naruto, Sakura and Sai came in at a more normal pace, although they were equally surprised by the presence of the other member of their team.

“Nice, you’re all here now” he said with a smile, looking down at the paper his baby was filling with stamps. “And Rei had given to your mission instructions enough approval, so everything is ready.”

Animal Family

When Rei was three four years old, she had to explain to another kid why her ‘close family’ was more than dad and papa. After she finished her very long discourse with a proud expression at how well she had talked, the boy laughed at her and then Shiba and Akino chased him through the park. She just shrugged, knowing she didn’t have to care about what other kids thought of her.

Still, Rei remained frustrated the rest of the day.

“What is it?” Dad asked after picking her up once he came from work.

“Nothing” she pouted.

Her dad rolled his eyes, pocking her in between thick, grey eyebrows.

“Do I have to torture the truth out of you?”

“No torturing before dinner!” Papa screamed from the kitchen.

Rei giggled.

“A boy at the park laughed at me when I tried to explain why your dogs and papa’s tortoises are my family, too” she said, trying to not show her true annoyance. “Shiba and Akino chased him after.”

All the ninken lived with them, so it was not strange for her to see her dad look for the mentioned dogs with his eyes. When he found them, she was able to notice the smile under his mask.

“Good dogs” he simply said, making them wag their tails.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Why people don’t understand that they’re our family as well?”

“Because people are difficult to deal with.”

“Dad!” she pouted, grabbing his mask and pulling it down. “That’s not an answer!”

When her dad smiled, the four long fangs normally hidden under his lips came out, sharp and shiny. Sakura had said she would most likely develop them, too, but right now she had normal puppy teeth, just a tiny bit sharper than other kids’. Enough to draw blood if she bit them during a fight.

“Well, Rei, not everybody in the village has summons, or live with them if they have” his dad said, squatting to let her on the ground. “For that people, they may be just animals, or weapons for a combat, so they cannot understand what you, papa and I feel about them.”

She tried to think about it, not having dogs or tortoises around the house, or accompanying her wherever she went. Only seeing them if she had to kick some kid at the park. It simply didn’t make sense.

“I don’t understand” she mumbled.

Her dad chuckled and shuffled her grey and wild hair.

“That’s ok” he said. “You don’t need to.”

“Ok.”

Shrugging, she turned away and ran towards Akino and Shiba to hug them. Soon, the other ninken were coming closer as well to receive some pets and, as the tortoises were not as fast, she moved around the house to scratch all of them on the neck just as they liked. If her dad said she didn’t need to understand, then she didn’t need to worry about it. She would just keep telling the truth to whoever asked her about it.

She was Maito-Hatake Rei and her family was big, with a lot of uncles and aunts. However, those closer to her would always be dad, papa and their summons. They were the ones she remembered having by her side from the beginning. Deep black eyes looking at her during the night, always watching. Big, hard bodies offering a surface and a shadow to rest. They were in her memories just as much as her dads and she loved them just as much.

Extended Family

Dad and papa had always made clear she had a big family. It was first her, and them and their dogs and tortoises. But her dads also had friends and students that were all Rei’s uncles and aunts, and their children were her cousins. At five years old, she had a clear conception of each one of them.

She liked Tenten the best, because she let her run around with real kunai and shuriken without keeping an eye on her. And not only that, but she also never said ‘no’ whenever Rei asked her about training or playing together.

Lee was almost like a big brother. She remembered him staying over for lunch and dinner when she was younger, but not so much after he got his own baby. Still, Lee was always there to practice taijutsu or tell her amazing stories about his papa.

With Naruto, Rei got to break all the rules papa and dad set for her. Whenever he came to visit or take care of her, they would play with the sharp weapons, eat lots of ramen and stay up late watching the TV or —if she convinced him— reading animal books. They were rarely caught, but the last time it happened dad had the whole pack chasing after Naruto for an hour as a punishment. Rei laughed a lot.

She didn’t remember a lot about Sakura or Sasuke, his dad saying it was because they left for a trip when she was too young. They came back eventually, but by then they had their own baby and so they didn’t babysit Rei a lot. However, she would sometimes visit their home or even been dropped there so Sasuke could take care of her while Sakura and her dad and papa worked. It was fun, then, because Sasuke let her play different games and never complained if she did something wrong. With Sakura, it was more complicated. Rei liked her because she was nice to her all the time and she was also very strong, but at the same time she was her doctor and that sometimes meant she put injections on her or gave her awful medicine if she was sick.

Sai was also somebody Rei enjoyed spending time with. He would follow her anywhere without saying much, even if she ran deep into the forest. Of course, eventually he picked her up and brought her home, but then they would paint together for hours. There were even days in which, if Rei asked nicely, Sai would bring their draws to life and she got to play with them for hours.

Papa and dad’s oldest friends —her uncles and aunts— were also fun, even if sometimes Rei didn’t understand their jokes or why they were laughing. Kurenai was nice but strict, teaching her about genjutsu whenever she asked. Genma once gifted her a box of senbon for her to practice, but dad took it away as soon as he found out, although at least Rei got to see how they worked as he threw them back at Genma. And she had so much entertainment with Yamato! He was possibly her favorite adult because, even if at the beginning he would refuse to fulfil her wishes, whenever Rei put puppy eyes he ended up doing it. That was how he got a tree house. And a big dog house for herself in the back-yard. And a tortoise-shaped bed. And… Well, if being honest, she didn’t remember all the things he had gotten from Yamato, but she knew they were a lot.

Finally, Rei’s third favorite person in the world —after papa and dad, clearly—, was Mirai. She was a year and a half older than her, but they still got to play and train a lot together. Lately, their parents had even allowed them to go out without supervision because Mirai was already at the Academy and they trusted her. Evidently, they still broke a lot of rules. Naruto said it was fine as long as they didn’t get caught, so…

There were more people in Rei’s life, but those were the closest to her at the moment. She loved them all. They made her feel safe and free at the same time, their presences accompany her as she grew up, offering a hand if she fell and a push if she was unsure of continuing forward.

At five years old, Rei knew she had a big and unconventional family, but she wouldn’t change it even for her own ninken.

Academy

“Papa” Rei called while setting the table.

“Yeah, honey?”

“Do you think we can look at the stars together after dinner?” she asked.

“Uh? Are you sure, Rei? You start the Academy tomorrow, and you have inherited the difficulty to get up from bed from your dad…”

At seven years old, she had perfectioned his father’s technique of rolling her eyes in annoyance.

“I’m sure you’ll wake me up on time, papa.”

The man laughed, showing all his white teeth to her.

“You’re right, Rei! Let’s see what dad says about it, ok?”

“Yay, thanks!”

She had finished setting the table as they talked so, happy with the response she got, the girl ran towards the sofa of the living room to hug Biscuit, who was resting there. Gai found funny the fact that, whereas the tolerance of the dogs to other people had reduced during the last few years, they still let Rei do almost anything with them. Including squishing their bodies as if they were fluffy toys.

Glad to see her peacefully entertaining herself with the ninken, Gai continued checking on the dinner every few minutes. He had picked up Rei from Kurenai’s house about two hours ago once he finished working at the Academy, and surprisingly Kakashi was still at the office.

Just as he was thinking about sending one of the dogs to check on the man, he heard the front door opening. The reaction was immediate, eight dogs barking and running towards it at the same time as a couple of naked feet hit the floor.

“DAD!”

Rei jumped over Kakashi without more warning than the scream, but he was too used to her antics and caught her on time with one arm. Once she was safely held underneath it as a sack, he bent down to pet his dogs.

“Daaaad!” their daughter complained with a laugh. “Let me go!”

Moving up again, the Hatake grabbed Rei from the back of her t-shirt —as if she was a dog being held by the scruff— and looked at her with a lifted eyebrow.

“And why would I do that, pup?” he said. “You’re the one that assaulted me at the door so I would pick you up.”

Groaning, Rei started to kick her legs, trying futilely to reach the man. No doubt smiling under his mask, Kakashi used the index finger of his free hand to boop her nose. A second after, the girl moved her head and bit said finger.

“Ow!” the Hatake complained, letting go of her. “Damn you and your puppy teeth, Rei.”

Laughing, their daughter showed him all her teeth, a few places already empty.

“I got them from you, dad.”

“Yeah, yeah… Somehow all you do always ends up being my fault.”

“Well, she inherited a lot of your traits, rival” Gai interceded, rolling his wheelchair to the entrance.

“As if the crazy amount of energy doesn’t come from you” the Hatake accused, bending anyways to kiss him while removing the mask. “We’re both at blame.”

“Hm… ok” he answered, smiling against his lips.

“Ugh! Stop it, dads!”

In a nice display of her character, Rei climbed over the wheelchair to put herself in between them, forcing their bodies to separate. Apparently, she had reached that wonderful part of childhood in which seeing her parents kissing was disgusting. Unfortunately for her, Gai didn’t think that was enough reason to stop, and Kakashi just ignored her.

“Do you need help with anything?” the Hatake asked, looking around the house.

“No, rival, dinner is done and Rei settled the table, so we’re ready to eat.”

Nodding, Kakashi turned to finally get rid of his shoes and robe, letting out a tired sigh while Gai led their daughter to the table before bringing the food. They ate while sharing stories about what they had done that day, Rei giving a lot of details about how she had being training target shooting with Tenten in the morning and genjutsu with Kurenai in the afternoon. She put in her words the same emotion Gai did whenever he talked about his students at the Academy, which always brought a smile to his face.

Once they finished, Kakashi helped to clean the table and then left the girl rinsing the plates while he went back to the living room and Gai. Now that the child was out of sight, he didn’t have to worry about anybody complaining of his behavior, so the Hatake sat on his lap and bent forwards to properly kiss him. Gai responded in an instant, smiling and enjoying the quiet moment. Since having Rei, they had become very comfortable with displaying affection, although Kakashi still refrained in public.

“What do you think?” his rival asked once their lips separated. “Will Rei go to bed early so we can enjoy some time for ourselves?”

“Ah… I don’t think so, my love” Gai said, remembering the conversation before dinner. “I think something worries her… She wants to look at the stars with us once she’s done.”

“Oh? Did she say anything else?”

“No, but… Tomorrow is her first day at the Academy so, maybe…”

The words hung in the air for a bit. Rei was not a ‘genius’ as Kakashi had been called when he was her age, nor did she show any especial capability towards taijutsu as Gai. Yes, she could use some low level of ninjutsu and genjutsu, and she was decent at using taijutsu, but… Well, that was it.

They couldn’t care less, of course. If their daughter would have chosen to be a baker instead of a kunoichi, they would have supported her anyways, but… They worried. Because they had heard the comments coming from other people —especially adults— about the expectations set on her as the child of two notorious war heroes. Kakashi and Gai would crush anybody that tried to diminish her self-confidence, but they were not naïve enough to think some of those comments wouldn’t reach her.

Moreover, even if peace was still in perfect place after so many years, nothing lasted forever. A part of them was scared of sending their daughter out in the world with mediocre abilities, because in their time those were the first ones to die. It was difficult, trying to raise Rei without putting too much pressure on her, at the same time as they panicked about the idea of losing their only child.

“She will be fine” Kakashi said, even if his voice didn’t sound completely convinced. “She’s our daughter, after all. And if somebody tries to bully her… I promised you: exile.”

Gai chuckled. He doubted that would happen, at least coming from her classmates. She had made several friends that would join the Academy that same year, and Mirai would no doubt take care of her younger cousin. Besides, Rei was too wild to let other kids bully her. Maybe it was because of how they had raised her; to always be proud of who she was and know that she would have the family’s support whatever happened. It was probably related to her own character as well.

But even high confidence could be broken if enough effort was put on it, and that was when their job as parents and adult figures started.

“Ugh, dads!”

And… She was done rinsing the plates.

“I told you to stop being all lovely-dovely at home!”

“Mm…” Kakashi hummed, looking at her from Gai’s lap. “Nope. This is my house and my man, pup, so your suggestion will be rejected.”

To emphasize his words, the Hatake kissed him again, his body moving to reciprocate without thinking.

“Papa! You promised me we would look at the starts together!”

His daughter’s frustrated tone was enough to separate him just a bit from Kakashi, although the other man refused to let go of his hold around Gai’s neck.

“That’s true, Rei! Come up, then, and I’ll take us to the garden.”

Smiling, the girl jumped over the Hatake and placed herself comfortably on the spot, his father sliding one arm down to hold her as Gai rolled them out. Eight pair of paws followed the wheelchair as well, the whole pack leaving for an evening stroll as they enjoyed the warm weather.

It was not until about twenty minutes later, when Kakashi and him were sitting on the grass with Rei in between them, that the taijutsu master made the question he had been thinking about since before dinner.

“Rei” he called, “are you nervous about tomorrow?”

Surprisingly, their daughter didn’t answer right away, instead shrugging and looking up to the stars in the sky.

“Not really” she said. “I know I don’t have the same level as my friends, but I don’t care. I’m going to become a kunoichi as strong as dad and papa.”

Smiling, she turned to look at them.

“That’s my self-rule!”

Kakashi chuckled. Gai started crying. They really had the best daughter.

Some years later, they would attend Rei’s graduation with tears in the eyes, her hard work having paid off and making her one of the best shinobi that year. Tenten would become her sensei then and her adventures as a Konohan kunoichi would take fly, the world unprepared for what Maito-Hatake Rei was bringing to it.

First Mission Out

Rei was pacing around her room, stopping to check the bag she would be taken for the next day mission every five minutes. Did she have everything she needed? She had initially refused her parents help because she was old enough to prepare alone, but…

Sighing, she dropped over top of the bed, making Pakkun bounce on it.

“You’ll be fine” the ninken yawned, closing his eyes again.

“Will I, though?” Rei asked, turning on her belly to look at her dad’s summon. “I’m still behind my teammates’ level and Tenten-sensei has to help me most of the time.”

As if wanting to check the severity of her complaint, Pakkun opened only one eye to look at her before sighing and sitting up.

“Look, kid, you’re doing your best, and even if you’re not strong alone, you are with your team” he said. “Think of them as a pack. Just take me as an example; I could not take a big enemy all by myself but, with the others? We could tare almost anybody apart.”

Taking a few minutes to think about his words, Rei ended up nodding. She knew Pakkun wouldn’t lie to her, and she knew her teamwork was excellent.

“You’re right, thank you.”

“Of course I am, you’re the second pup I raise, I know how to deal with all this already.”

Just to annoy him, Rei took the ninken in her arms and hugged him as strong as he could until Pakkun bit her arm. She bit his ear in exchange.

Papa and her had dinner by themselves that night, since her dad had a late meeting to attend too. It was not something usual, but whenever deals were being made across the countries he always came home late.

“Do you have everything ready for tomorrow, Rei?”

“Yeah, papa, my bag is packed.”

“Perfect! Then you should go to bed” he said as they finished washing the plates. “It’s important to have a good rest before such an important mission as this one!”

“It’s a C-rank mission, papa, you go around doing A and S-ranks every few weeks.”

Instead of adding another happy or supporting comment, her papa left the last plate on the cupboard and then bent down on his knees as well as he could with his orthosis. That way, their heads were almost at the same height, but the size difference was still gigantic. While her papa was bulky, she seemed to have inherited the body distribution of her dad.

“Listen to me, Rei, it doesn’t matter if it’s a C-rank or S-rank, once you leave this village the danger increases tenfold” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Remember what Kakashi told you about the first mission he had with his team out of Konoha. Any mission can change ranks, so you have to be cautious, understand?”

It still felt strange sometimes, to see such serious expression on her papa’s face. It made her forget about his usual light mood at the same time as it brought up a warm feeling from inside. As if he was changing so much because she was the most important thing in the world to him.

“I understand” she nodded.

Just then, the front door opened and Rei immediately turned her body towards it. Truth was, she had wanted to wait until her dad was back before going to bed. There was something she meant to ask him and, in case he said ‘no’, then she wanted to be able to properly say goodbye before leaving.

“Dad!” she exclaimed, running to meet him.

She didn’t jump as she used to do years ago, deciding she was too old to do that. Instead, Rei awaited at the entrance while her dad got rid of his shoes, left the robe hanging and greeted the ninken that had come running upon hearing the door.

“Hello, Rei” he said, messing her wild black and gray hair as he passed her. “Shouldn’t you be in bed? You have an important mission tomorrow.”

“I was waiting for you, I… I have something to ask.”

Her voice trembled a bit at the end, but she shook her head and looked up at her dad when he turned with an intriguing expression.

“Well, that sound magnanimous” he commented, bringing down his mask. He was able to read her dad’s expressions without a problem even with it on, but since she was young Rei didn’t remember seeing her dad covering his face at home. “What is it?”

She breathed in and out. No matter what the answer was, she would take it as the kunoichi she was, feelings aside.

“I know you’re the Hokage and you cannot show preferences” Rei started, looking straight at him. “However, papa will come with me tomorrow to the village’s doors to bid me goodbye, and I would like for you to be there as well. Of course, I’ll understand if you have more important duties to attend to, or…”

Before she could finish, Rei found herself trapped in a hug. If it was strange for her papa to be serious, it was even stranger for her dad to display such an affection gesture out of the blue. When he finally let go, he separated their bodies but kept his hands on her shoulders, looking at Rei with eyes full of love and loyalty.

“You’re the most important duty I could ever have, Rei” he declared, smiling. “I know other Hokages showed less impartiality in these cases, but when you were born I promised myself I would not follow their steps. Even if there was a Kage summit tomorrow, I would still go saying goodbye to you.”

Rei was a big girl. A teenager, they have started to call her. She was a kunoichi. A weapon of Konoha.

Rei had also been raised with love. She had been taught to not hide her feelings.

She jumped to hang from her dad’s neck while tears fell down her cheeks. The strong hold around her, which was soon joined by her papa as well, told her she would always be the first priority to at least two people in that world.

Gai was holding back the waterfall threatening to come out of his eyes while he waved goodbye to Rei, as she walked out of the village with Tenten and the rest of her team. He knew she would be safe; the mission was simple and short, just to get and bring back an expensive object from a near village. She would be gone for only two nights. Still, deep down he was terrified. Out there, anything could happen, even if they were at peace. They could potentially lose her.

A slim hand slipped around his and Kakashi’s fingers interlaced with his without further thinking. It was a natural gesture for them at that point of their lives. Even if his rival was still not a fan of public displays of affection, he would take his hand from time to time if he felt like it. Obviously, this occasion was a good enough reason.

“Are we sure she packed everything?” the Hatake asked as Rei and her team became small dots in the background.

“Pakkun helped her, and I went over it while she settled the table” Gai nodded. “I’m sure you did as well.”

“Yeah, once she fell asleep” his rival sighed. “I still think I should let one of my ninken tag after them. Just in case.”

“We promised not to” the taijutsu master reminded him. “We have to trust her, rival. Besides, Tenten will protect them with her life.”

“You almost don’t sound worried.”

“Oh, I am terrified, my love, have no doubt of it” Gai nervously laughed. “But Rei is a good kunoichi and our daughter. She will be fine.”

“Yeah” Kakashi said, even if his anxiety was yet evident. “I kind of wish she would have chosen to be a baker, still.”

This time, Gai’s laugh was real. Tugging at the other man, he managed to move him enough for them to turn around and start their way to the Hokage’s office. Their daughter and them were walking in opposite directions that day, but they had to have faith they would end up meeting at the same place.

Chapter Text

The Gates

Kakashi was peacefully enjoying an afternoon under the sun in his garden, mask down and ninken spread around him as they took a nap. Retirement was great. Since passing the hat to Naruto, the Hatake had decided to sign himself only for especial missions, which meant that he got to spend a great deal of time at home.

Years ago, he would have considered that impossible; one thing was him wanting to decrease the amount of work on his shoulders, another to basically stop being a shinobi and instead live a quiet life. But he loved it. He got to cook for his family, train with his daughter and see his dogs relaxing.

That day, Gai was working at the Academy while Rei trained with her teammates, making the place silent and perfect. That was, until the front door opened. Even from outside, Kakashi was able to hear and recognize the essence of his daughter. Part of his pack —those who still conserved most of their hearing— lifted their heads up as well, Guruko even leaving to greet her.

“Hi, dad” Rei said as she stepped out into the garden.

“Hello, pup” he responded, noticing the no-very-enthusiastic tone of the teenager. “How was training?”

“Good, I guess” she shrugged, moving to stand in front of him. “I saw Metal on my way back.”

“Oh? How is he?”

The change in the posture, eyes looking slightly to the left… The Hatake knew whatever he was going to hear next, would be problematic. His body moved to sit up.

“He told me papa and Lee-san are training him to open The Gates.”

Oh.

Kakashi was sure that even with his mask on he wouldn’t have been able to hide his expression from Rei. Even the ninken were suddenly alert.

“I thought it was a Forbidden Technique and that was why only high skilled shinobi are allowed to learn it” his daughter continued, her tone a mix of insecurity and bitterness. “Is that the reason why papa hasn’t… Is it because of my… limitations?”

There it was. The face Rei rarely let anybody see, not even her own parents. One of vulnerability and lack of confidence. Even if people didn’t go after her as they did with Dai, Gai and Lee, she still was clever enough to recognize her level was lower than other kids her age. She was not bad. She just… Needed more time to learn and improve than the others. Of course, knowing that didn’t erase the frustration she evidently felt.

“No” he quickly stated. “I promise you, Rei, it’s not that.”

“Then, why?!” she angrily protested. “He’s training Metal, and he’s almost two years younger than me! If it’s not that, then…”

“Rei” Kakashi warned, using his parental tone to shut her up. “I understand you have questions, but this is not the way to ask. I promised Gai we would talk about The Gates together, so you’ll have to wait until he’s back from the Academy.”

“Fine” she basically barked, walking towards the forest. “Bye.”

She was gone in a second, scent mixing with that coming from the trees and fresh grass. Sending a glance towards his pack, Shiba and Urushi got up to run after her. Old as they were, Rei could probably left them behind, but she never did, having huge respect for the dogs. Kakashi knew they would keep her safe in case she tried to do something stupid.

Sighing, he let himself fall backwards against the grass. Kurenai was not lying when she said the teenager years would be the worst.

A couple of hours later the Hatake had the dinner ready and only the table was left to be set. Gai came throw the front door then, wheelchair stopping at the entrance to remove his sandals and clean the wheels before entering the living room.

“Rival, Rei, I’m home!” he beamed with a laugh. “It smells delicious!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not your curry, but I’m sure you’ll like it” Kakashi commented as he approached the other man and bent down for a kiss. “We need to talk.”

“Uh… Which kind of talk, rival?”

“Not about us” he clarified, noticing Gai’s body immeditely relaxing. As if the Hatake was going to let him go after so long. “It’s Rei. She knows you’re training Metal to open The Gates.”

“Well, we were not trying to keep it a secret, so…”

“She thinks you’re not teaching her the technique because you don’t believe she’s ready.”

“WHAT?! Rival, that’s preposterous! I would never…”

“I know, Gai” he sighed, “but clearly she is in that phase in which she prefers to believe whatever her brain tells her over what we have taught her over the last fourteen years.”

“But, that is…” the other man closed his fists, sighing a moment later. “What are we going to do?”

“Talk with her, I guess, just as we decided.”

“Are you sure, Kakashi? I mean, not about talking, but in case she decides…”

“Hell, no” the Hatake sarcastically laughed. “I’m not sure nor ready, and I’ll never be but, just as you said then, it’s not my decision to make.”

At least Gai brought up a hand to grab his and offer some comfort. If it wouldn’t be for his medication and years of learning how to cope with his anxiety, Kakashi would be freaking out even more.

“Ok, then” his partner said. “Where is Rei?”

“She left dramatically to the forest a few hours ago, Urushi and Shiba are with her.”

“We’ll talk during dinner, then?”

“Yeah.”

Sent by Kakashi, Biscuit left the house to look for their daughter a moment after as they set the table and brought the food over. It took them almost fifteen minutes to come back, Rei almost completely covered in mud and with her hair wild. In case nobody had doubts of her being a Hatake.

She seemed to have intentions of sitting as she was, but the teenage stopped dead in her tracks at the lifted eyebrow of Kakashi and the disappointed look on Gai’s face.

“Absolutely no, Rei” the taijutsu master protested. “Go to the bathroom, clean yourself and then you can join for dinner.”

“Ugh.”

Yeah, living with a teenager was an amazing experience. In Kakashi’s scale of joy, it was in between fighting Kaguya and having to fill again paperwork as a Hokage. Thankfully, Rei was not the kind of girl that cared much about her looks, and she barely took teen minutes to wash herself over and put some comfortable clothes on.

“So” Gai started once they were all eating, “how was training today?”

“Great” their daughter answered with a shrug.

The Hatake sent a warning look towards his partner, just so he could be ready in case the situation became dramatic.

“Kakashi told me you spoke with Metal on your way back” he continued. “Lee and I are teaching him to open The Gates. Or, well, rather to control the opening, since he managed the first one by himself.”

“He’s a taijutsu genius as well, then” Rei sarcastically commented. “Good for him.”

Kakashi was having flashbacks of his own teenage years. Had he been that petulant? Probably yes. He had been through that phase with Gai and the other man was surely not to be blamed.

“Rei, I understand you may be frustrated because I’m training him and not you, but that doesn’t give you a right the depreciate Metal” Gai warned.

Those words made their daughter flinch, her head bowing down slightly. At least some good reaction.

“I’m sorry” she muttered. “It’s just… Why not me? Am I not good enough?”

His partner sent a look towards Kakashi, and he could not take it anymore.

“No, Rei” he said. “I’m the reason why Gai hasn’t taught you The Gates.”

At that, the girl lifted her head back up and turned it towards him in confusion.

“You, dad?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to learn how to open them.”

“What?”

Before she could continue with the hundred questions that no doubt would follow that one, Gai cut in the conversation.

“Tell me what you remember about the technique from the Academy, Rei.”

Her eyes moved back to the taijutsu master then, frowning for a moment before start speaking.

“It’s a high-level forbidden technique” she recited. “It consists on opening the eight internal gates that control the chakra’s pathways of our bodies. By doing so, a shinobi can increase their physical abilities exponentially, but in exchange it takes a great tool from their body.”

“That’s good” Gai nodded. “What else?”

“Well, not a lot of people in the world can use it, only Lee-san and you seem to have the ability to open over the Fifth Gate. It’s difficult to learn and control, and wrongly used can cause an incredible amount of damage on whoever uses it. Still, it’s very powerful and therefore respected all over the world. The Gates are what allowed you to face Uchiha Madara in the last war, papa, and the reason why you’re considered a hero.”

“Not without a cost, though” the man punctuated.

Rei’s eyes redirected to Gai’s right leg, which was wrapped around by his orthosis in case he wanted to get up from the chair, but was mostly useless by itself.

“I know” she nodded. “You won’t be able to walk normally ever again, and the pain… I know it’s bad.”

She didn’t know. And Kakashi was glad for it. If they were lucky, she would never experience any kind of pain similar to what Gai suffered somedays in which he could barely move from bed.

“That’s not all of it, Rei” the taijutsu master said, looking at Kakashi for a second for confirmation. He nodded, flashbacks of a burning body coming to his mind. “I died during my battle with Madara. That’s what happens when you open the Eight Gate.”

Their daughter’s eyes opened wide. A moment after, confusion came to her expression, thick eyebrows frowning.

“B-But… You’re alive.”

“Yes, but only because Naruto was there to stop the process” the Hatake finally intervened. “Once your father opened the Eight Gate, his body started to consume itself, and he would have died and his body become dust if not because of Naruto’s powers.”

“Exactly” his partner nodded. “So, now you know, Rei, why the technique truly is forbidden. At the Academy you learn the basics of it but, since it is too high-level for most genin, details are not provided. As for why we didn’t tell you sooner… Well, we wanted to wait until you could understand.”

“You… You died?” Rei repeated, as if not able to move on from that piece of information. “Because of The Gates?”

“Well, technically my heart didn’t stop or otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now, since Naruto cannot bring people back from death, but… If he wouldn’t have had his powers, then I would be dead, yes.”

“So, that’s… That’s why you don’t want me to learn it?” she continued, this time looking at Kakashi.

He sighed. The Hatake could lie. Make up an excuse. But Rei was fourteen years old and mature enough to understand his worries and point of view.

“Yes” he declared. “I hate the technique because of the pain it brings to its user and how risky it is. I almost lost your father to it, and I fear the same will happen to you.”

Rei seemed to dwell in those words for a bit, eyes looking down at the food. After a couple of minutes, her sight set on Gai.

“Would I be able to use it?” she asked. “With my current level?”

As expected, the taijutsu master sent a glance back at Kakashi before shaking his head.

“Maybe one day, if you keep training” he said. “Look, Rei, we talked about this before you were even born, so… If you want to, I’ll train you to learn how to open and control The Gates. It won’t be easy, though.”

They knew that wouldn’t be a problem with her. Rei was a hard trainer. The perfect mix of Gai and Kakashi. She woke up every morning to train with the first, then went to bed afterwards unless she had a mission and then trained with the Hatake or her teammates. She put all her efforts on improving every day. Her dedication was something most of the children of her generation didn’t have just because they were naturally ‘better’.

“No” she declared, her answer surprising both Gai and him. “I don’t want to learn a technique with such a high sacrifice. I’ll keep training my taijutsu, but I don’t want to open any Gate.”

Kakashi could almost feel tears of relief coming to his eyes, but he was perfectly capable of hiding them. His partner, however, couldn’t erase the shock on his face.

“Oh, well, that’s… Completely respectable, Rei” he said after a bit. “I will do my best to improve the rest of your taijutsu, then.”

“Thanks, papa” she responded with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We start tomorrow?”

“Of course! An hour before dawn!”

“If you wake me up that early, even by accident, I’ll kill you” the Hatake threatened.

Rei chuckled at that, and Kakashi was glad to feel part of the tension leave the room.

“Maybe an hour after dawn, papa?” she suggested. “You know dad is a pain in the ass if he doesn’t sleep ten hours a day at least.”

“Hey! Show some respect for your elders!” he complained. “Besides, let’s see how you behave when you reach my age.”

As expected, the conversation transformed into a bickering between the two of them, with Gai positioning with one or another depending on the accusation. A typical dinner in the Maito-Hatake household.

Blooming

Six months after the talk, Kakashi and Gai were enjoying some quality time together at home when Rei opened the front door with a grunt. The taijutsu master threw his partner down from his lap in an instant.

“Oi!” the Hatake complained from the floor.

“Hello, Rei!” Gai greeted, trying to ignore the blush on his face. “How was the mission?”

Shorter than expected, that for sure. She was supposed to be out of the village for at least one more day, thus the reason why Kakashi and him had decided to… Well, move their activities out of the bedroom for a change. Thei daughter had been lucky to not appear ten minutes later.

“Fine” she said, not even looking in their direction as she removed her sandals. “I’m tired, so I’ll be resting in my bedroom.”

The tone and behavior were suspicious enough for Gai to send a look towards Kakashi, who was also looking at the teenager with a raised eyebrow.

“Wait, Rei…” Gai attempted without use.

Barely a minute later, their daughter had locked herself in her room.

“Should we go to…?”

“No unless you want to be screamed at” Kakashi shrugged. “That’s the reaction she has whenever something doesn’t go according to her plans, so most likely something happened during the mission that frustrated her. Let’s give her some time.”

As Rei seemed to be behaving similar to the Hatake during his teenage years, Gai decided to believe him. Besides, the other occasions in which he attempted to talk with Rei when she was frustrated… He understood now why Kurenai warned them about teenage years once Mirai entered them.

The house stayed silent for a few more minutes, both men following Rei’s movements as she used her window to get out of the house without having to face them. This time, Kakashi didn’t even have to give an indication to his ninken before Uhei got up and ran after her.

“How open are you to go back to where we were?” the Hatake suggested, coming closer again.

“Rival! Rei could come back at any moment!”

“Well, I doubt she will, and we can also go to the bedroom, so…”

Before Kakashi could try to convince him —and Gai would have given up, because he was just human—, there was a knock in their front door, a chakra signature the taijutsu master knew as well as his own. He got up almost in a jump, orthosis moving with him as he had put it on in preparation for… Uh, their activities.

“Tenten!” he beamed as he gave her access inside. “If you’re coming for Rei, she just left to the forest. We still don’t know what happened in the mission to frustrate her that much, but I’m confident she will talk to us at her own time!”

“Hi, Gai-sensei” his student said with a nervous smile. “Actually, I came for Kakashi-sensei and you. There is something you should know about the mission.”

Those words were enough to make Kakashi get up from the sofa —mask back up— and meet them at the entrance. His expression was not playful anymore, but serious and almost threatening, as every time something related to Rei came up.

“What is it? Was she harmed?”

She didn’t look like it when she entered. His rival and him were very good at detecting injuries, and if she would have been bleeding, the smell would’ve been caught by one of the ninken.

“No. Well, in a way she was, but…” Tenten hesitated, something that Gai hadn’t seen her doing for a long time. “She opened the first three Gates. We don’t know how; she was protecting her teammates against a high-skilled rogue and… Sincerely, Gai-sensei, it was amazing.”

Gai needed a minute to process that information. It shouldn’t be possible. Sure, a shinobi could open maybe the First or the Second Gate without realizing it, but only if they were very good at taijutsu, as had happened with Metal. Rei, however… She was good in taijutsu, but knew nothing about how to open The Gates, so for her to open up to the Third one by chance…

“How bad was the aftershock?” Kakashi quickly asked as Gai tried to recover his voice. “Will she be needing a medic?”

“I don’t think so, Kakashi-sensei, she recovered quite quickly, to be honest” Tenten explained. “I was busy dealing with other rogues, but I was able to keep an eye on her as she fought and… It’s like nothing we have seen from her before, senseis. She was completely attuned with her body and skills, to the point in which she was able to defeat her enemy and come to help me.”

“B-But…” Gai finally managed to get out. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Tenten, but it surely sounds unlikely and… Why would she be angry, then, if she fought so well?”

“Because she regrets it” his student rapidly responded. “She didn’t understand what had happened at first, and when I told her she seemed disgusted with herself. She refused to talk to me during the trip back here, and disappeared as soon as we left the Hokage’s office.”

Gai’s eyes caught up with Kakashi’s.

“Thank you, Tenten, we’ll take it from here” the Hatake said. “I have an idea of what may be going on.”

The kunoichi seemed to doubt for a minute —Rei was her student, after all—, but finally nodded and said her goodbyes.

“It’s my fault” Kakashi sighed.

“Rival…”

“Don’t try to deny it, Gai. I was too harsh the last time we talked about this” the other man continued. “I should have known this would be her reaction if something happened, and…”

Gai took his hands.

“Hey” he called. “You can’t see the future, Kakashi, so there is no way you could have predicted this. And even if you could, it would be our fault. I’m her father, too.”

It took his rival a moment to look back at him and nod slightly. Squeezing his hands, Gai started to pull him towards the back door.

“Let’s find our daughter.”

Rei was sitting on top of Kakashi’s stone face, quite far from home. Uhei sat next to her in silence, one of the teen’s hands over his back as she pet him.

“Tenten-sensei told you” their daughter said when the Hatake and Gai were close enough. “Right?”

“Yes” Kakashi nodded, coming to sit at her side. “How are you feeling?”

As expected, Rei simply shrugged. Uhei decided to leave then, giving Gai the opportunity to occupy his space so the teenager could be in between her fathers.

“I’m sorry” she muttered after a few minutes of silence. “I didn’t want to… I don’t know what…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Rei” the Hatake assured, bringing one hand to her shoulder. “You should be proud.”

Their daughter’s eyes opened wide as she turned her head to look at him in surprise.

“Proud? But how can I…” she babbled. “Aren’t you angry?”

Kakashi sighed. He hadn’t been wrong when assuming Rei’s reaction had been partially his fault.

“I will never get angry at you for using your abilities to save your teammates, pup” he stated, smiling under the mask. “Even if it’s with The Gates.”

“But, back then, you said…”

“I said that I don’t like the technique or the consequences it carries, and that hasn’t changed” the Hatake explained. “Look, Rei, there will be times in life in which you won’t agree with what your father or I want for you. And that’s ok. You are free to take your own decisions, and we will support you as much as possible.”

Doubtful, the teen glanced back down to the hands curling over her lap. Kakashi’s own moved from her shoulder to her hair to mesh with it a bit.

“For you to open the Third Gate without any especial training… That’s amazing for a shinobi, pup” he smiled. “I could not be more proud, even if it also terrifies me.”

“I won’t use them again if… I promise, dad, I won’t.”

The Hatake looked at Gai then, but his partner didn’t seem interested in interrupting the conversation. That part belonged to Kakashi alone, as it was him who had more problems with The Gates. Gai’s turn would come later.

“Don’t make me that promise, Rei” he said in a more serious tone. “You’re a shinobi, and therefore should be free to use all your abilities without restrictions. What I want you to promise me, instead, is to follow your father’s training and take care of yourself.”

When Rei’s eyes searched for his again, there was a glow of hope in them. Kakashi felt incredibly guilty for had been holding her back because of his own fears.

“I… I promise” she nodded, turning then to Gai. “I’ll follow all your rules, papa, I won’t disappoint you!”

“Oh, Rei, you could never disappoint me!” the taijutsu master exclaimed, pulling her in for a strong hug. “You’re my biggest pride.”

“Pa…pa… Need… Air—”

Gai let go of their daughter immediately, the teen needing to take several breaths before fully recovering.

“But, um… I still don’t know how it happened” she admitted after a bit. “I just remember being angry and scared, wanting to protect my team and then… I was moving faster than ever before.”

It was, indeed, a mystery. Kakashi and Gai knew their daughter good enough to recognize her limits, and opening The Gates shouldn’t be possible for her yet. And, still, it happened. If being honest, it did felt as if something had changed in her, the Hatake realized.

“Well, we will make sense of it together!” the taijutsu master declared with a smile. “However, you must promise me, here and now, that you’ll follow the most important rule of The Gates, Rei: you won’t use them unless there is no other option!”

Fully determined, their daughter changed into a serious expression and nodded.

“Of course, papa!”

Kakashi would lie if saying he was not scared. A lot of things could go wrong when using The Gates, from pulling muscles to breaking a bone so badly that it couldn’t be healed even with medical ninjutsu. Potentially, Rei could use the technique one day to sacrifice herself for others, no body left behind.

The biggest fear in any parent’s life.

But it was not his decision to make. Their daughter was old enough to create her own path. Kakashi and Gai just had to be there and support her.

Family

The Maito-Hatake family became something to fear across the nations. Both Gai and Kakashi were known well enough to have a reputation already, but their daughter didn’t stay behind.

At seventeen years old, Rei was a member of two especial divisions as a jounin: tracking and close combat. After opening The Gates for the first time, her body and mind seemed to lose the limitations holding her back before.

The young woman was wild as any other Hatake would be, with a pair of guard dogs by her side almost as big as Bull. Their enemies would run away every time she showed her sharp fangs before launching forwards, the ninken teeth in display as well. Furthermore, she had inherited her dad’s lighting nature and he had proudly taught her everything he knew.

Rei’s behavior, however, was closer to her papa’s: excited and energetic almost always. She was unable to stay put for long times and spent an incredible amount of hours training. It was no surprise that she had learned to open up to the Sixth Gate by then, and therefore inherited Gai’s title as Konoha’s Beast.

Just as they talked long ago, she had become the perfect mix of them. She was still her own person, of course, and for that Kakashi and Gai were incredibly happy and proud.

And still —even after all the fights and the gossip—, there were people that didn’t recognize them, thinking they were just a defenseless family on the road. That was how the trio found themselves fighting against a group of bandits while laughing and joking. It might have been a strange way to start a family’s vacation, but none of them complained as the men and women fell unconscious to their feet. For them, it was the perfect way to strengthen their bond.