Naruto had originally planned to use Instantaneous Movement to return directly to the farm, but something made him pause.
He sensed a presence at the farm's entrance—someone standing there, waiting.
The Ki and blood signature was unmistakably familiar: Kakashi.
The pattern was weaker than it should have been for a man in his prime, diluted by years of reading Icha Icha Paradise. But Naruto noticed something interesting. After days without access to those books—thanks to broken fingers—Kakashi's life force had actually strengthened.
The medical texts were right, Naruto thought. Ten drops of blood equal one drop of essence.
Abstinence had been good for Kakashi's health, even if it had been involuntary.
Naruto knew exactly why his sensei was waiting. During the Land of Waves mission, Sasuke had revealed too much—Flying Thunder God, the Rasengan. Kakashi had clearly put the pieces together and come looking for answers.
If he's finally ready to stop hiding, then so am I.
Naruto glanced at Hinata, then slowed his pace to a walk. "Let's take the path instead of rushing. It's a nice evening."
The sun was setting, painting everything in soft, hazy gold. The light blurred the edges of the world, making it feel like they'd stepped into a watercolor painting.
Naruto realized belatedly that he was still holding both girls' hands—Hanabi on his left, Hinata on his right. He'd forgotten to let go.
Hinata kept her head down, her face burning. Is Naruto-kun... is this his way of confessing? With actions instead of words?
Her heart felt like it might burst from her chest.
They drew closer to where Kakashi stood.
At ten meters, both men spotted each other clearly. Kakashi's visible eye found Naruto. Neither spoke immediately. Both were preparing themselves, gathering the right words, building up the emotional courage for what needed to be said.
"Kakashi-sensei—"
"Hey, listen—ow!"
They spoke at exactly the same moment, their carefully prepared speeches colliding in midair.
Both were interrupted by a yelp from Hinata.
She'd been so distracted by the feeling of Naruto's hand around hers that she hadn't watched where she was stepping. Her foot caught on a stone, and she stumbled forward, barely catching herself before hitting the ground.
Both Naruto and Kakashi turned to stare at her with identical expressions of frustration.
All that emotional buildup, wasted.
"Are you okay, Hinata?" Naruto pulled her upright, genuine concern replacing his irritation.
"I'm fine, Naruto-kun." Hinata's face had gone from pink to crimson. She wanted to disappear into the earth. "I'm so sorry, I—"
"Nee-san, hold still. I'll help." Hanabi brushed dust from Hinata's kimono with businesslike efficiency.
Once the sisters had composed themselves, Naruto gestured toward the farm. "Go ahead. I need to talk to Kakashi-sensei for a moment."
"Of course." Hinata bowed slightly, then took Hanabi's hand and walked past Kakashi with a polite greeting before continuing up the path.
Naruto watched them go until they'd rounded the bend and disappeared from sight.
Kakashi moved to stand beside him, also watching the retreating figures. He sighed softly. "What good girls."
The subtext was clear: Hinata is a good girl. Don't let this opportunity slip away.
It was the sort of advice an elder gives to someone younger—attention mixed with expectation, hope wrapped in gentle pressure.
Naruto glanced at Kakashi's bandaged hands, still suspended in their slings, and couldn't resist. "Kakashi-sensei, you really do have good hands."
The comment landed like a kunai between the ribs.
Kakashi's visible eye twitched. His expression darkened. Did you really just say that to your sensei?
But looking at Naruto's face—handsome and clean, but with that stubborn set to his jaw—Kakashi felt his heart twist. This kid still holds it against me. Still resents that I didn't come forward sooner.
And he has every right to.
"Naruto." Kakashi's voice was quiet but steady. "I know you blame me for not acknowledging you earlier. You're right to. It was my fault."
He took a breath, gathering himself. This needed to be said properly.
"When I first saw you I felt two things at once. Joy and pain." His eye found Naruto's face and held it. "Joy because you'd grown up. You look like your father. You have his presence, his strength. I was proud to see that."
"But also pain. Because looking at you meant thinking about sensei. About how I failed him." Kakashi's voice dropped even quieter. "I watched your father and mother die during the Nine-Tails attack, Naruto. I was supposed to protect Kushina while she was in labor. I was right there. And I couldn't do anything to save either of them."
The confession hung heavy in the evening air.
"I've never been brave, Naruto. When I was young, I was cruel and cold because of what happened to my father. It was my friends—my teammates—who saved me from that darkness. They taught me what it meant to care about people."
His fists clenched despite the pain in his broken fingers. "But then Obito died. And I fell into darkness again. Your father tried to help by putting me in ANBU, hoping I could work through my trauma. I was starting to come out of it when—"
He stopped, swallowed hard. "When your parents died. That sent me right back down. Deeper than before. And in my grief, I made so many mistakes. The worst was ignoring you."
Kakashi's eye shone with unshed tears. "Ever since the Uchiha massacre, I've been watching over you from a distance. But I was a coward. I should have understood everything when you made that comment at the Summer Festival, but I was too afraid to face the truth."
"It wasn't until Sasuke used your father's techniques in the Land of Waves that I finally couldn't ignore it anymore."
He looked directly at Naruto, vulnerable in a way he'd never been before. "Naruto, are you willing to forgive your sensei?"
The question trembled between them.
Naruto studied Kakashi's face—the exhaustion, the guilt, the desperate hope. He's been carrying this weight for years. Just like me. We've both been hurting, alone, when we should have been helping each other.
Hinata's words from months ago echoed in his memory: Maybe he had his reasons. Maybe he was suffering too.
She'd been right.
Naruto had actually stopped resenting Kakashi after that conversation with Hinata. But he'd been waiting—waiting for Kakashi to make the first move, to come forward and say what needed to be said.
And now he had.
Naruto's face split into a bright, genuine smile. He opened his arms wide. "Welcome back, Kakashi-sensei!"
Relief crashed over Kakashi like a wave. The weight he'd been carrying for years seemed to lift all at once. His visible eye crinkled with a rare, genuine smile as he opened his own arms and stepped forward.
They embraced.
Immediately, Kakashi felt his ribs compress. Air left his lungs in a rush. Naruto's arms were like iron bands, squeezing tighter than a boa constrictor.
Can't... breathe...
But Kakashi didn't complain. He endured it silently, recognizing this for what it was—Naruto venting a little bit of lingering frustration in the only way he knew how. Through overwhelming physical affection.
If this is the price of forgiveness, Kakashi thought as spots appeared in his vision, I'll pay it gladly.
Naruto felt Kakashi's complete acceptance of the crushing hug and felt something warm spread through his chest. He really does care about me. He's willing to endure this without complaint.
He loosened his grip, stepping back before permanent damage occurred.
"My father told me something about you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. "He said you've always been a very strong person, deep down. Stronger than you give yourself credit for."
Kakashi's eye widened slightly. Praise from Minato, even delivered secondhand after death, still hit him right in the heart. "Did sensei... did he say anything else? Anything specific for me?"
Naruto tilted his head, thinking. The chakra construct of Minato had said quite a bit, but there was one piece of advice that seemed particularly relevant given Kakashi's current situation.
"Yes, actually." Naruto's smile turned slightly mischievous. "He said some."
Kakashi leaned forward slightly, eager to hear his sensei's final wisdom.
"Free your hands," Naruto recited seriously, "and you'll be stronger."
Silence.
Kakashi stared at him. His broken fingers throbbed. His bandaged hands hung uselessly in their slings. His Icha Icha Paradise books sat locked away at home, taunting him with their inaccessibility.
"Are you..." Kakashi's voice was strangled. "Are you serious right now?"
"Those were his exact words!" Naruto's expression remained completely innocent. "I'm just the messenger, sensei."
Kakashi opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
Then, despite everything—despite the pain in his hands, despite the emotional weight of the last few minutes, despite knowing Naruto was absolutely messing with him—he started to laugh.
It began as a chuckle, then grew into genuine, full-bodied laughter that echoed across the darkening hillside.
Naruto joined in, and for the first time in either of their lives, sensei and student laughed together under the setting sun, the weight of their shared grief finally beginning to ease.
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