Chapter Text
CHAPTER ZERO: Aloe
(Affection, also, Grief)
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, boss? It’s a big step.” Pakkun quietly asked as Kakashi paced his small ANBU apartment, checking for anything he might have missed in the haze of packing.
There were about six big cardboard boxes sitting around the room, and Kakashi was walking around them in loops; carefully opening the tops, checking what was inside, closing them, and then two minutes later coming back to check them again.
While Kakashi knew exactly what each box contained down to a T, he couldn’t help but check, and re-check time and time again.
It wasn’t like he owned much, just his uniform, books, the stuff for his dog pack, a box of his fathers things, and his weapons, which filled only half a box, and only barely. But it wasn’t his things he was worried about; it was the other boxes. They were important, they were sacred. They had to be perfect.
Overkill? Maybe. But Kakashi found that when confronted with the unknown of the future, overkill was better than walking in blind and unprepared.
“I have to be ready.” Kakashi found himself saying, carefully sitting on the now stripped and washed bed. His hand fell to the small child clinging to his chest, and he finally came out of his haze to realise how cold the room was. Kakashi grabbed box number four and dragged it over, opening it and pulling out a soft orange baby blanket. He wrapped it around the boy and flipped the edge of the blanket up and over the soft tuft of blonde hair on the pups head. “He needs me.”
Pakkun exhaled quietly against Kakashi’s shin before his ears fell flat against his small head. The others of the pack were quietly waiting outside the door of Kakashi’s apartment, silent sentries against anyone who would want to disturb them despite the late hour, so Kakashi only had Pakkun’s silent strength to remind him of his own.
Finally, resolutely, Kakashi stood and quickly sealed the boxes in a scroll he had made earlier in the day, which he then tucked in his belt.
Suddenly, the room felt so much emptier, so much more…. Soulless.
It made Kakashi realise that this apartment had been just that, an apartment. It wasn’t a home like how Minato-Sensei’s and Kushina-Sensei’s home was a home. It was a box with blank walls and dull wooden floors that he sometimes wouldn’t walk for months at a time with no desire to come back too.
But, Kakashi had faith that the Hatake Estate could be all of that and more. It could be something of a safe haven even, but to be that it needed to be a home first. It needed to be warm, and open, and… and guarded.
It needed to be impenetrable.
As Kakashi exited the apartment, he whistled softly to his pack who fell in around him. Some took to the rooftops and others ran ahead, clearing the streets, clearing the darkness of any monsters that may be lurking in the rubble of this haunted village. But Paukkun kept close on his heels the whole walk, head held high despite the dark that seemed to creep in around them.
Carefully, Kakashi pulled his jacket around the small bundle that was Naruto, and calmly stepped out into the rain, walking down the uneven street and into the darkness with no fear.
--❀--
Kakashi had known for a long time he was disillusioned from Konoha. After the deaths of Rin, Obito, and his Father, the only thing that had tied him to his home village was Minato-Sensei and Kushina, and after it was revealed, their son, soft, small, little Naruto.
While he never said it aloud, Kakashi was ecstatic to have a little brother. He had never put much thought into it before then, but once the idea was in his head, Kakashi was overjoyed. His pack was growing! His pack had a pup now! Finally, there was a reason to throw himself back into missions, to make the world a better place for his pack even if it was patrolling the village in the pouring rain, or running all the way to Kiri and back for something as simple as delivering a message. There was meaning in Kakashi's life, his disillusionment settled in the back of his mind, and slowly, it began to recede.
Then.... that night. Almost a week ago now.
Kushina. Minato. Half the damn village.
All gone.
And then the disillusionment came back, and what had really sealed it in Kakashi's mind that his loyalties no longer quite lay with Konoha, came the moment he knew what had happened to his beloved sensei's son after he had been taken from Kakashi's arms.
Leaving the infant son of the beloved Fourth Hokage in a dilapidated, damaged, run down orphanage that was full of people who hated the child already just because of the fox, was unforgiveable. Anything was better than that hell hole. And Kakashi knew, he knew that several clan heads had stepped forward to embrace the beloved son of their beloved Hokage and his beloved wife. He also knew that the Hokage had turned each of their warm, welcoming, wanting homes down, in favour of an orphanage.
An Orphanage.
Kakashi's final pack member abandoned in a horrible place with no light, no love, no warmth.
Hound had spend hours standing out in the rain, watching as Naruto was ignored, waiting for someone to come- waiting for anyone to notice.
No one did. Or, more accurately, they did. They simply didn’t care.
They let him starve and cry, forgotten in a storage room, boxed in between old cribs and stacks of unused towels, with a broken window right above the crib that let all the rain in. That same window was also the one Kakashi used to sneak in to feed him and rock him to sleep since no one else would. Those few days had Hound clawing at his cage, biting the bars, and then, finally, he snapped once he saw the matron of the orphanage take Naruto's only blanket to give it to another child. Her hands less than kind.
In this kind of weather, where the temperatures drop to the negatives in the evening, and don't rise until the early afternoon most days, it was a death sentence. Especially for a child.
Kakashi didn't have to think. He slipped off his ANBU coat and quietly wrapped it around the sobbing infant, cradling him to his chest while he held back violent tremors. This time, he didn't hide himself from the Matron's eyes. He stood there in full view, and watched as her face slipped into disapointment. Disapointment that a child wouldn't die. A child in her 'care'.
Oh how he raged.
Kakashi could only vaguely remember entering his ANBU apartment that night; throwing his cups at the walls and smashing his plates, ripping the drawers of his dresser and throwing those around too, he even vaguely remembers throwing his ANBU mask across the room where, when he came to, it lay broken: split cleanly in three large chunks. He had stared at it, before stomping back into the kitchen and downing a bottle or two of sake he had been saving for new years. He had then cried himself to sleep for the first time since the attack, feeling completely and utterly alone and so full of rage and hurt and grief.
He fell asleep that night to the sound of his own tears.
The next morning, Kakashi dragged himself out of bed, and fixed his apartment the best he could; shoving the sake bottles, the broken cups and plates, and anything else he broke in his rage, into a trash bag to take out later. He put the drawers back in place, fixed the walls he had scuffed, and made his bed as neat as possible before he went to get dressed for the day.
Thats when he accidentally found the small box of his father's things, which he had shoved in the back of his dresser all those years ago in another moment of hurt, and then, here in the present, he was breaking down into big, ugly, heaving sobs all over again. The box was the size of a shoebox, but it held so many memories; his fathers old tanto, (blood on tatami mats, thunder in the distance), his father's favourite book (an old book on poetry that Kakashi remembered being read to him at night), his favourite grey haori, a small pack of white lavender seeds (both his mother and father's favourite flower), and finally, a photo of him and Kakashi's mother, whose face he realised he had forgotten, and that realisation made him break down all over again.
Through his tears, Kakashi found the old cypher-key for the Hatake estate hidden in the bottom of the box.
It was old and worn at the edges, the paper frayed and water damaged in the corners. But just being able to hold it in his hands again, had Kakashi's heart soaring. He had memories of his father helping him read it, and walking him around the border of the Hatake estate so they could point out each interlocking seal to each other. It was like playing a massive game of eye-spy, and just the memory of it had Kakashi wanting to cry again. (How many memories had he lost out on? How many games had he and his father could've played? How many? How many?)
Taking slow deep breathes in a desperate attempt to sooth himself and stop himself from crying at the injustice of it all, Kakashi placed the key back into the box. He reached out with trembling hands to put the other items back in the box, and accidentally smelt the white lavender that lingered on his father's haori collar.
(Rough, calloused hands guiding Kakashi's hands into the dirt. 'Those are the roots,' A voice reminds him, 'We must be careful of those.' Kakashi remembers. He remembers. He remembers- He wants to remember--)
Another shuddering breath, and Kakashi found himself slipping his father's haori over his slender shoulders, over the short sleeves of his shirt. His eyes droop as he breathes in the smell of white lavender, and the tears come back again.
It isn't fair.
Naruto was supposed to be welcomed to the wards of both his parent's home and the Hatake estate. He was supposed to be welcomed by the chakra of past and present; loved, wanted, adored by souls current and past. Given everything he's ever wanted and wanted for nothing. Kakashi was supposed to be a big brother. Kushina was supposed to be a mother-- she had wanted so desperately to be a mother, he knows because she told him so. Minato-Sensei would have been the best father, Kakashi just knows it, so why- why, why, why, why was it all taken away?
It wasn't fair.
Instead, Kushina and Minato are dead, buried in the cemetery, side by side, Naruto is banished to the orphanage, and Kakashi... Kakashi is all alone. Again.
And to think everything went to hell in the span of an evening.
--❀--
It had been three weeks after the attack, life was just barely getting back to normal, and Kakashi had dragged himself out of his apartment to get groceries when he had run into Guy.
Something had untensed in Kakashi's shoulders as he saw that Guy was still his loud, enthusiastic, all out there self. At least something in his life was a constant, and while his past self would have been horrified at this turn of events, Kakashi is so glad that it's Guy.
There was no 'I'm sorry for your loss' or 'if you need anything just call me'. Guy, in typical fashion, had thrown himself out from behind one of the few trees that had survived the attack and ensuing inferno's, blocking the path, and had loudly challenged Kakashi to a race. Kakashi had pretended to think about it, asking where too (the markets), and what he'd get if he won ("Anything you want!" Guy had cheerfully told him), before lightly smacking Guy in the arm (tag, you're it), and promptly throwing himself over the railing; free falling down into the village below, followed closely by the Green Beast of Konoha's triumphant cries.
For a moment, he allowed himself to slip into a familiar persona; the laid back, uninterested rival who was exasperated by Guy and his infinite energy, and when he won, he allowed Guy to accompany him to the markets. He told himself, (and his rival), that it was only so Guy could carry his shopping bags, ("Of course, my youthful rival! I accept!"), but he knew it was because he didn't want to be alone. He was so tired of being alone.
They had been walking through the few shops and stalls that were open in the wake of the attack, and while Guy was distracted by another stall, Kakashi spied a bright orange blanket for sale. There was something about it that had Kakashi walking closer, and upon closer inspection, Kakashi realised that it was a baby blanket, (the colours a perfect mix of Kushina's red and Minato's yellow), and suddenly the only thing stopping him from crying was the fact he was in public. If he had been back at his apartment, Kakashi knew he would have broken down in sobs.
Naruto.
Without thinking, Kakashi gently ran his fingers over the edge of the blanket, feeling how soft it was. He was reminded of the night that the matron had taken the blanket from Naruto's crib, leaving him to freeze, and he didn't need to think twice about buying it. He silently dropped the coins into the young woman's open hand and had carefully picked the blanket up in trembling hands.
"For your little one?" Kakashi lifted his head to see the smiling young woman. She looked tired, but Kakashi supposed everyone in town was tired, and he didn't recognise her. Then again, Kakashi barely recognised anyone nowadays. His mind had been in a haze since that night everything changed.
"Ah, yes," Kakashi cleared his throat and stood a little taller. "It- He gets cold at night."
The young woman cocked her head, still smiling. Her nametag simply listed her name as 'Suzume', and her stall was a basic set up, with three tables displaying the basic necessities, (blankets, futons, sheets, pillows), she was selling for half the price, most likely to help out her community in the wake of the carnage while also being able to keep herself and her theoretical family afloat. "Does he kick off his blankets? My little cousin used to do that all the time, it drove my auntie mad with worry during winter."
"...Something like that."
Suzume cocked her head to the other side and Kakashi blinked as he realised she was assessing him; "How old?"
Warily, Kakashi murmured; "Not very."
Suzume offered a sympathetic pat to his hand which was still sitting on the counter, "Having a little one, especially during this time, must be really hard. How are you and your partner holding up?"
"Oh, no, it's just... me. His parents-" Kakashi awkwardly trailed off, not quite sure how much he was allowed to say, let alone what he wanted to say.
Her eyes widened slightly before her expression softened, and Kakashi was suddenly, violently, reminded of Rin. "Don't worry. You are going to be amazing."
There was something about her absolute faith in him that had Kakashi blinking back tears. He blamed it on the stressful past few weeks and nodded quietly as the slightly older teen patted his hand again, "Here, let's get you set up, alright? We'll make it as seamless as possible."
Which was how Kakashi roped Guy into carrying a bag of baby clothes, blankets, and a plush rabbit whose wonky button eyes made Kakashi smile for the first time in a long while. He also left with Suzume's number and a promise that he'd call if he needed anything else.
And Guy, bless his heart, hadn't even questioned it. He had silently held out another bag for Kakashi to put the new items in, before swinging them over his back and challenging Kakashi to another race. Kakashi had accepted, waving to Suzume as he took off after his rival, his heart warm and a new sense of purpose beating in his chest.
--❀--
Five weeks after the attack, Weasel quietly slunk into the locker room, wearing his hood and mask, still dripping with rain water. He had been put on the night shift, poor bastard, so Hound had lent him his spare coat (even though it hung off Weasel's lean form), despite knowing that Uchiha- Weasel, ran hot. He was still so young, and Hound wanted to take care of him the best he could, knowing what it was like since he was once in the same position. "Hound."
The ANBU in question quietly turned to Weasel and tilted his head forward slightly, indicating for him to continue while he pulled on his own jacket and slid his tanto into his sheath.
The quiet of the locker room was disturbed by the shifting of Weasel's clothes, something he could have hidden but chose not too, as he reached out and carefully handed the small, torn up rabbit plush back into Hound's gloved hands.
The silence was stifling.
"Thank you, Weasel." Hound softly said, letting his fingers dig into the rabbit's midsection, his shoulders slumping just slightly.
Weasel nodded slightly before taking a single step back, shrugging off the heavy coat and hanging it up in the 'wet' area - a small section of the locker room with grates built into the floor so wet clothing could drip dry without disturbing the rest of the neatly organised room. "The matron wasn't in a good mood."
'The matron tore up Naruto's toy because she hates him. He isn't safe. I'm sorry I can't do more.'
Hound quietly placed the ripped up rabbit into his locker, stroking a thumb quietly over one of the lopsided button eyes, and felt the familiar burning of rage begin to stir behind his ribs.
'I'm sorry too.'
--❀--
"There's a storm coming tonight," Tenzou off-handily mentioned one night as they walked back down the newly refurnished streets. It had been a month and three weeks since the attack, and only some of the major streets had been fully repaired. "You might want to..." He trailed off, glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, trying to dull his normal bluntness as he Kakashi had been trying to teach him before continuing, "Secure Lord Fourth's home as you are the only one with the access to the wards."
Kakashi's steps didn't falter. "Kushina-Sama's seals can withstand storm damage."
They walked in silence for a moment before Tenzou quietly said; "Kakashi-Senpai, I ask you try."
"..." Each of the words he wanted to say died on Kakashi's tongue, and he closed his eyes tiredly, already able to smell the storm on the air despite it being hours away. The day's warnings were bouncing around his head, and the familiar stirrings of anger were beginning to rise within him again, only to be extinguished by sheer exhaustion.
Earlier that morning, Kakashi had been called into a meeting with the living 'relatives' of Minato-Sensei and Kushina-Sensei, alongside all the current clan heads, and had been told in so many words that he was effectively barred from seeing, speaking, or interacting with Naruto Uzumaki. He still remembers the complete and utter defeat on everyone's faces when it became apparent they had been, effectively, placed under a gag order. Even the two Hyuuga twins had an uncharacteristic look of grief in their dull white eyes, despite their father's carefully blank face.
Poor Mikoto had buried her head in her hands, and said nothing. Her body language read grief, while Fugaku's read anger and betrayal.
Kakashi had simply bowed his head, unable to speak through the sudden tears in his eyes, and he had slipped out with a quiet shunshin when it became clear the Hokage did not care about their grief. He had simply informed them of his order, then he had left the room with no further words, placing his hat on his head and pipe between his lips.
He had wandered aimlessly for a while before running into Tenzou, which is how Kakashi had found himself on his kohai's couch, head buried in the pillows, feeling hollowed out and numb.
Suddenly the box of blankets and child items back at his apartment felt like a distant dream and Kakashi felt like crying again.
After about an hour of awkward back pats and stilted 'there there'-s, Tenzou dragged Kakashi of the couch and they went for a walk around the streets since their usual roof run's were off limits due to, well, the lack of roofs.
"I'll think about it." Kakashi said slowly, brought back to the present as he needed to adjust his collar as the temperature dropped another few degrees; a cold wind whistling through the almost empty streets. Only civilians were walking around today, and aside from a few guards and Uchiha Officers, who were all noticeably subdued with no banter or greetings, all the shinobi clan members had been called home to grieve for the remainder of the day.
Tenzou nodded wisely before quietly murmuring, "That's all I ask."
Kakashi found himself weakly smiling. Since when did his kohai get so wise?
--❀--
The familiar smell of Kushina's perfume was the first smell that hit Kakashi's nose as he slipped into his sensei's house through the kitchen window; the soft hints of floral scents made Kakashi smile, and he pulled down his mask to take another deep breath. He closed the window behind him, shivering as the wind kicked up outside, telling him the storm was drawing closer.
Kakashi didn't have long, and while he told himself he was here just to check the wards, he knew deep down that wasn't quite the truth, so he slipped off the kitchen counter, and walked up the stairs onto the second floor.
Poking through his sensei's bedroom felt weird, so Kakashi avoided all their drawers, jewellery boxes, and cabinet, and beelined it to the closet, which he began to riffle through, finding Kushina's favourite kimono and Minato's favourite jacket, which he carefully folded up and placed in a storage seal. He also found Kushina's perfume which he also placed in the seal alongside Minato's spare Hokage coat, and his favourite haori, which unlike Sakumo's, was bright blue. Before he left, Kakashi also carefully placed Kushina's jewellery box into the seal, worried that someone would by-pass the seals and steal them. While, realistically, the likely-hood of that was quite literally zero, Kakashi didn't want to chance it, especially because he knew that some of the necklaces and rings were from Uzushio before it fell, and were Kushina's last reminder of her home.
Next, Kakashi slipped into the nursery, thinking that maybe one day he would be able to give Naruto some of the things his parent's set aside for him; he hoped it would let the boy know just how loved he was.
He gently placed Kushina's empty photo-album to the side, along with some of the toys Minato had brought on a whim, as well as the blankets the pair had picked out for their son. (Kakashi found he needed to blink away tears as he found the small wolf plush he had brought and not-so-secretly placed it on the shelf above the crib, only to find it inside the crib the next time he visited). He carefully sealed all those items and quickly left before he burst into tears again.
Kakashi was so tired of crying.
Finally, Minato's office.
The seals on the door glowed blue before letting Kakashi step inside, the familiar brush of chakra made the silver-haired teen's knees go weak and he quickly gripped a nearby file cabinet to balance himself. He exhaled softly before straightening up and wander over to his sensei's desk. Kakashi had already decided he would seal the photographs on Minato's desk; the familiar sight of Rin and Obito made Kakashi smile as he placed it in the seal alongside the photo of Minato's Genin team, who Kakashi never got to meet. The final photo was of Minato and Kushina at dinner with Fugaku, Mikoto, and the Ino–Shika–Chō team at the Ramen restaurant Kushina loved; they were all smiling, even Fugaku.
Kakashi found himself smiling as he sealed the frames as carefully as possible, not wanting to damage them in anyway.
Just as he was turning to leave, the wind outside picked up and a tree branch smacked into the window, pushing it open and sending a strong breeze into the room.
Surprised, Kakashi raced over to close it, locking it tightly and checking the seals on the window, exhaling in relief as he saw them glow blue and activate. He released the lock and turned away, only to step on a piece of paper that had gotten knocked loose from the wind. He crouched to pick it up, briefly reading the headline, before returning it to Minato's desk.
He was halfway to the door before his brain kicked in and he realised what the paper had said.
Snatching it back up, Kakashi began to read; shoving his headband up so his sharingan can remember the document word for word.
Holy shit. Holy shit.Holy Shit.
Breathlessly, Kakashi whispered to the empty room; "Holy shit."
This changed everything.
--❀--
"Guy," Kakashi murmured, quietly landing on the window ledge of his rival's small apartment. "You awake?"
After a moment, Guy met him at the window, looking surprised to see Kakashi awake this late: "Kakashi? What are you doing out this late? You should be sleeping, rival?" He paused and lightly tugged on Kakashi's sleeve, looking curious at seeing his friend wearing something so out of his ordinary. "Is that a new haori? It suits you."
Unable to stop himself, Kakashi smiled. "It's not new, but it is to me."
Guy flashed a sleepy grin and leaned on the window ledge, as he did so, noticing the Hatake clan symbol standing out against the unassuming grey of the haori. It he recognised it as Kakashi's father, he didn't say anything, and for that, Kakashi was infinitely grateful. Today had been a roller coaster of emotions, and he was relieved that Guy remained a constant; able to recognise Kakashi's emotions and meet him at his level. It was Guy's excellence emotional intelligence that made him one of Kakashi's closest friends, not that he would ever admit it, not wanting to let Guy get close to his heart lest he be torn away along with whatever remained of Kakashi's soul and heart.
"What's happening rival?" The Green Beast asked in a quiet voice, yawning into his palm. "You look tense."
Kakashi wondered how much he wanted to tell Guy, before he realised it didn't matter; "I'm probably about to do something dumb."
"Let me get my coat then, rival!" A bright grin that made Kakashi smile sadly behind his mask.
"No, Guy," Kakashi murmured. "This is something I need to do myself," and then, in a moment of rare vulnerability, he pulled his mask down and kissed Guy's hair. "But, thank you anyway."
For a moment, neither of them moved before Guy reached up and gently kissed Kakashi's palm, knowing he wasn't comfortable with anything further; "Of course, my rival, anything you need-"
Before he could ask Guy to come with him, Kakashi bit his lip and pulled his mask back up; resting their foreheads together for a moment before reluctantly pulling away. "Thank you, Guy. You've always been kind."
As Kakashi swung his legs out the window, he heard Guy murmur: "You deserve it, rival."
--❀--
When Kakashi arrived at the estate, the Hokage and his council were already there.
The road leading up to them was lined with ANBU; they perched in the trees and stood in the bushes, not even bothering to hide themselves. They stared as Kakashi and his pack from behind blank porcelain masks as he calmly strode up to the Hokage with no fear, no trepidation, confidant in the paper he had tucked in his vest. The wet grass squeaked under his boots, but the sound was drowned out by the pitter-patter of the rain on the wide brim of the Hokage's hat and the distant rumble of thunder.
“Kakashi Hatake,” The Hokage said with a tired voice, looking his age for the first time in a long time. “What are you doing with the Jinchūriki of Konoha?”
For a moment there was nothing. No movement. No words. Nothing.
Then a nearby ANBU shifted ever so slightly, and the spell of silence was broken.
“Speak, Hatake, or risk being jailed for treason.” Danzou harshly spoke from beside the Hokage, his eyes as dark and hateful as always. The rainwater dripping from the ends of his hair were rolling down his scarred face, over the bandages which were already soaked through with water. The other council members nodded their assent, they eyes like needles on the silver-haired teen's skin, or maybe it was just the rain, unsure.
The Hokage absently held his hand up to stop his advisor from speaking; eyes fixed on Kakashi, waiting him to speak, move, or do something, anything.
And so Kakashi obliged.
Silently, he removed a piece of paper from his vest pocket, and held it out towards the Hokage, uncaring of the rain as it fell. It was only a copy and he had hundreds more, given to every single clan head he trusted, Fugaku and his wife Mikoto, Inoichi, Choza, Shikaku and his wife, Tenzou, and finally, Guy. All the others were spread in lock boxes and with the other Jonin he trusted enough with the lives of himself and his charges life.
One was even in the possession of Ibiki. Probably not Kakashi’s smartest decision, but Ibiki was relentless and despite his rough personality, he had a soft spot for Kushina, and by extension, Minato and their son.
Of course, Kakashi had the letters on timers to arrive at the clan heads doorsteps come tomorrow morning, it would be unwise to let them know of his plans before he initiated them.
As the old man took it, Kakashi finally spoke, with each word he forced his voice to be steady and not to shake; “By the power invested in me through the Fouth Hokage’s last will and testament, I lay claim to the boy I hold in my arms, as I am his last caretaker. And as the head of the noble clan of Hatake, I lay claim to him in blood, chakra, and soul. This oath will only ever be undone in the death of myself and the death of my clan, the death of himself, and my hidden companion in spirit and soul.”
Theatrical? Perhaps. But needed.
Each word had been rehearsed in Kakashi’s head all day, even as he packed boxes and scavenged through his meagre belongings to find the only remaining cypher-key to the wards on the Hatake estate, which he then had burnt. The only person who could come and go now, was Kakashi himself, and his pack.
Danzo’s face twisted and Kakashi forced himself to stand taller against the other man's rage.
“… I see.” The Hokage said slowly, brow furrowed as he read the contract signed by Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi himself. It had originally listed Jiriya, but the Sannin had worried his numerous, powerful enemies would try something, and that had prompted Minato to change the wording on the document, listing Kakashi instead. “This is most enlightening.”
In that moment, Kakashi was violently aware of the ANBU surrounding them; decked out in weaponry while Kakashi only had his tanto hanging over his shoulder, and, he supposed, the little boy currently clutched to his chest of whom had a massive fox demon currently sealed in his stomach. That too. But Kakashi refused to think of an infant as a weapon, especially not Minato-Sensei and Kushina-Sensei’s child.
Danzou went to speak, probably to say something hateful, but the Hokage spoke before he could.
“Is this perhaps why the Hatake estate has been reinforced?” He asked quietly, glancing ever so slightly towards the large glowing blue wards currently humming with power, sensing Kakashi’s rising emotions. “Those seals aren't standard Konoha defence seals." He sounded ever so slightly impressed under all his exhaustion.
Some small part of Kakashi preened at the praise, but he violently shoved that small part back down under his boot; stomping it repeatedly until it was unrecognisable.
He would never have love for the Hokage after what he put Naruto through. Never again. Not until hell freezes over and even then, he wouldn’t.
Speaking of, Kakashi carefully wrapped his fathers haori carefully around the boy and cupped the back of the little-pup's head; and if he showed off his Hatake ring while doing so, well, that was between him and himself.
"They are from the Hatake Cypher-Key, Hokage-Sama," Kakashi said in an even voice, keeping his tone as level as he could. "Which has now been destroyed."
In other words, 'eat shit and die', well, at least that's how Kakashi wanted it to come across, and judging by the aghast looks on elder Homura and Koharu respectively, his point was clear.
"I see," The Hokage cleared his throat, passing the paper over his shoulder for his council to read while he stared down the final Hatake, who did not bend under the weight of his gaze. "Kakashi, I urge you to reconsider-"
"With all due respect, Hokage-Sama, I plan to go through with the Fourth Hokage's last will and testament, and I do not particularly care what you or your council have to say about it," His single grey eye narrowed slightly as he pulled up the last of his defiance, and reiterated: "And as the last of the Hatake bloodline, I have claimed him as my own, and, frankly, the Hokage is not permitted to interfere on clan politics."
It was a bit of a trump card, and one Kakashi was hoping would force the Hokage into backing away for a while and let Kakashi get his feet under him.
If the Hokage were to but in on Hatake clan issues, it would raise the issue of why the Hokage had not stepped in before regarding other, more powerful clans and their affairs, like, say, the Hyuuga, or the Uchiha. It set a dangerous precedent and Kakashi was hoping that due to the nine-tails attack, Sarutobi wouldn't be willing to pick at that particular wound. He also hoped it would get the Hokage of his back permanently.
The silence lingered briefly before the Hokage sighed: "I will allow this-" he held up a finger before any of his council could object, "So long as you come for a meeting once the storm clears."
Kakashi nodded warily, shoulders wrought with tension. "Yes, Hokage-Sama."
"And, Hatake-"
"Yes, Hokage-Sama?"
"Don't be late."
And with that, Sarutobi snapped his fingers, and the ANBU vanished into the darkness. He then stood and watched as Kakashi walked up the winding path to the Hatake estate, stepping through the wards with a resolute straightness to his back.
The wards glowed blue, Kakashi let his shoulders slump in relief, and his pack raised their wet heads to the stormy skies, and howled.