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Kakashi looked up and was greeted by green eyes, covered by deep purple tape and make-up, their head having fluffy brown hair. He fakes a smile and stares into the mirror for a few minutes until it feels natural. He clears his throat just to make sure he can pull off that soft civilian choice.
Kakashi is no more, he hasn't been for years.
His face no longer on the bingo book, no longer considered a threat.
All that's left is his face, wandering aimlessly throughout the lands. Though he would've liked it if he wasn't considered a legend, more instances where he can get recognised is not favourable for his mental health.
Gai and companions kept the Kakashi name echoing throughout the world. Who knows where he got the extra help from, maybe from his kouhai's.
Kakashi puts on a thick green coat, hiding his toned body from looking too out of place for a photographer.
He double checks the seams of his wig from looking fake, it doesn't.
He sighs, there's been a rouge-nin with a lightning affinity. And people have been theorising that it IS the Cold-Blooded Kakashi.
But whyyyy… He whines internally. His life has been so- kinda- really peaceful since he announced his death to the world. No one noticed him and he was able to go on a normal walk! Walks where he helps grandma's lost cats, getting groceries and going to the book store without his reputation sullied.
He puts on his scarf, the only saving grace for his mask, hiding some of the lower half of his face and a bit of the overwhelming scent coming from the open window.
Grabbing his bag and handheld camera, he exits the small apartment to the small village he lives in.
Inaho village, an unremarkable village on the outskirts of Konoha; the village of rice. The inhabitants are mostly farmers and merchants, friendly people who don't shy away from visitors or newcomers. It usually gets overlooked by shinobi – or a better word – ninja; the perfect place for hiding-nin.
“Good morning Sukea-san! It's a good harvest today.” Ren greets Sukea with a smile. A smile he wouldn't have gotten otherwise as his counterpart.
“Great, can't wait to get some fresh wheat and herbs for my store!” He replies, his voice smooth and higher than his original voice.
A photographer that owns a café, kind of odd but if he sells it hard enough it makes sense. Sukea is retired from travelling the world, though he still does it sometimes, he enjoys his time at the cafe.
Kakashi can control the scent around him, so it doesn’t affect his nose as much and it fit with his ‘wanting to capture how peaceful the world is’.
He grabs the farmer’s harvest, wheat and berries. Smiling a thank you towards the kind man.
Sukea heads to his cafe in the corner of the village, the only vacant spot for him to open up shop in this bustling place. The walls are littered in photos of small things, rocks, flowers, animals, the sun. He pre-heats the oven with a common fire seal that gets sold in bulk — though he did make them himself for a discount. Entering the colder room to see the fermenting dough on racks of wood, the smell is kind to his nose, he checks each individual dough to see if they are ready or not. Some are ready for baking so he puts the on a smaller rack he can carry into the kitchen.
Sukea notices that his jam and coffee beans are running out, so he decides to pre-make them before the opening of his store.
His movements are autonomous, yet they are relaxed and flowing. He isn’t sure if that is due to his own feelings or because he has moulded into his civilian disguise.
Due to the village being on the border of the Land of Fire, it’s a hot spot for (low-ranked) resting shinobi that have missions on the lands outside.
Kakashi was overhearing 2 gossiping customers whispering about just the information he needed to hear. The nearby civilian customers couldn’t hear, yet Kakashi could still listen due to his more sharp senses.
“Hey, have you heard?” Ninja 1 said, sitting down and moving closer to his partner.
”About what?”
”Huuhh, No way! Cold-Blooded Kakashi sightings have been seen throughout Konoha. The man! The myth!”
“Eh… I don’t believe it. Many people have tried to pretend to be Kakashi, and after they got caught it was pretty disappointing. I don’t wanna… y’know get too excited to see him.”
Sukea came in with tea and red bean dorayaki, carefulling placing them down on the shinobi’s table, hearing thank you’s from both of them.
The second shinobi was smart. It wasn’t him. If he really still wanted to go back to being a shinobi, he certainly wouldn’t use his electric nature.
Which is exactly what he’s doing. But he doesn’t want to focus on that.
What was it that the farmers called me, oh right. ‘Spirit of the Harvest’.
Maah, it doesn’t sound very badass, Kakashi thought.
“Woah! Senpai look, a dango store! Oh what better way to relax from our duties for a bit!!” A masked man chaired and dramatically pointed at a nearby store.
They were walking in a village in the Land of Waves. The pair was sent to search for the supposed ‘Kakashi’. Deidara has his doubts, but Itachi and Koran thought otherwise. They had said that no way that guy would die in an undisclosed way — it was true — Kakashi's death was covered up as soon as it was discovered. But, he did hear about those fakers, Deidara just can’t believe it could actually be him.
Just how unpredictable can this guy be when two of the smartest people in the Akatsuki have a ‘maybe’ near his name. Itachi even knew him personally.
But whose to say that he isn’t curious, Kakashi, the Cold Blooded Kakashi. The one who took down high ranking shinobi day after day, without break. The legend, I mean, who wouldn't be kinda excited to meet ‘em.
“Oh! Tobi can smell amazing smell of mutarashi sauce swirling above the flame~”
He responded to his partner with a guttural groan, along with his hand sliding down his whole face in a show of tiredness.
“Please!! Senpai, Pleaseee! Tobi won't be long, just something for Tobi to gain some lost energy!”
“Lost energy?! You! No way!” He yells in Tobi’s direction.
“Just for a little bit!”
”Ughhhh!!”
And just like that, he let Tobi drag him all the way to the small dango store, with the scent of syrup wafting to them.
“Sukea?!” Surprised Deidara from his dazed state of being done with his shit. Sukea. He repeated the name in his head, trying to remember if they knew anyone from their travels and missions.
He doesn't seem to remember anyone by such a boring name, but if there wasn't anyone he knew then who the hell knew Tobi? It was insane that Tobi could actually hold a companionship throughout the lands without absolutely annoying the shit out of them. But he thinks it’s even more insane for someone — anyone — to willingly interact and speak with him.
Deidara looks up to take a look at the man sitting down across from the shop owner. He was taller than the average male, but when he tried to feel the chakra of this ‘friend’ of a terrorist it was just civilian reserves. He was holding a handheld camera strapped onto his neck. A fucking attention seeking photographer.
He now turns to his partner beside him, and his reaction was different. Deidara was even more surprised by the man’s reaction.
His partner was shocked.
Tobi.
Infuriating Tobi.
I'm going to troll you until you explode and take down everyone and yourself Tobi.
Even though his face was covered completely by the orange mask, he wasn’t doing any of his exaggerating actions with waving arms and moving legs.
To be completely honest, Deidara felt kind of proud being able to see his usual troll of a partner actually frantic in front of a person.
“Oh! Tobi-san, a surprise seeing you here!” The brunette says, eyes widening. He outstretched his hand with dango towards the masked man, “Do you want some dango? I got these for free.”
Deidara could see the hesitation in his Tobi before his disgusting joyful act. “Wahhh! Sukea, you’d really give me this amazing snack! Really?!” Tobi quickly grabbed the dango in the other man’s hand, and started biting down.
After chewing for a few seconds, he questioned the civilian, “Ne, Sukea what are you doing here?”
Sukea was tapping his pointer finger on his chin before answering, “Hmmm, I opened up at a bakery nearby. So I decided to use my fame from journalism to get a recipe on dango.” Sukea’s eyes crinkled to form a small smile, playing with empty sticks, slowly looking into the dark hold of Tobi’s mask. “Something that might remind me of you everyday. And who knows! Maybe you can drop by to say hello more.”
”Ah- I…You- You can’t expect Tobi to come by everyday!” He pouts, swinging his arms to a cross along his chest.
Deidara just keeps watching this whole interaction play out. He’s thinking about it with more depth. He watches the civilian tap on the seat right next to himself, signaling Tobi to sit right next to him.
Definitely a dumb civilian.
Any other suspicions went right away, or a missing S-nin that isn’t on the Akatsuki’s radar, which is very unlikely, especially with one of the members knowing them personally. So 100% harmless.
The other thing he focuses on is how flustered his partner is.
“Ah, Tobi. Can you finish my dango for me? I need to take more photos, please?” Sukea asks, bringing his dango with a bite mark closer to Tobi’s mouth.
“Uhhh… Yeah! Of- Uh course! Tobi can be a- A good boy!!”
Deidara’s face goes pale at this interaction. The imaginary puzzle pieces finally falling in place in his head.
“No way right?” The words just slip out of his mouth. Not seeing the way the tall male looked at the blond and smirked.
Tobi has game? No way right.
No way. No fucking way. He repeats like a mantra in his head.
“Tobi, who was that guy?” Deidara asked Tobi in the Akatsuki hole.
“That was Tobi’s bestest friend!”
“Uhh, okay… How’d you guys meet?”
“Tobi got lost a while back, but Tobi’s friend found him before it was too late.”
“Too late?” He questioned the words that his partner used, yet he decided it was just ‘Tobi being Tobi’, “Y’know what, nevermind.”
That conversation wasn’t confusing as hell. He thought as he clicked his tongue. The blonde walked away from the nutcase and went down the hallways.
“That was the worst thing in my life.. My man, you could not believe what happened!” He sighed, slumping down next to a red-headed man with wood for skin.
“Was the mission bad?”
“It was a total dud, ‘Kakashi’ wasn't there. It was just like… How do I say this… Disappointing.”
“Hmm, I don’t even think ‘Kakashi’ is real. I think it’s just a myth Konoha made for the other villages to be scared of.” Satori said, muttering some profanities about The White Fang afterward.
“That could actually be true. Who knew you were actually smart for once!” Deidara barks, slapping Sasori’s back.
“Anyways, do you know anyone outside the Akatsuki? Like, personally” He finally asks.
“No.” The red-haired man answers.
“Well, Tobi does,” He finally spits out,
“Wha-“
“And I think that… I don’t know… Tobi was acting flustered!”
“Huh-“
“And like! My man you should’ve seen it! Tobi understands that his ‘bestest friend’ is FLIRTING with him!”
“Wai-“
“No way right?! Tobi! The kid he is. Do you think they’re actually together? No way righ-“
“Stop! Stop… talking.” The puppet finally breaks, “What on earth are you talking about?”
Deidara thinks for a bit before answering, “Tobi has a cr— No. Tobi has a boyfriend.”
“Sukea-chan! What were you doing?” Tobi screamed, they’re both in the comfort of Kamui. Obito just couldn’t believe that Sukea was somewhere in the vicinity of missing-nin.
He knew that he could defend himself with his scrolls, yet it was still distressing.
”Ahh, didn’t I tell you? I just wanted some dango recipes from the best!” Sukea chirped, playing with flowers in his hand, looking at the magazine in his other hand. He now looks up at Tobi, feigning ignorance.
“No! Sukea made Tobi seem like a damsel in distress!”
“Did I?” Sukea’s face changed into something of guilt, “But I just acted like I normally would. Is that bad?”
Obito knew he was getting guilt tripped, yet he’ll allow it with his pretty face.
“Tobi will send Sukea-chan back home, okay?” He said, seeing Sukea’s normally soft eyes shoot up for a second before quickly settling back down
“Okay.. Are you gonna come?”
“I’ll think about it.”