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Kakashi wasn't sure what he'd expected when he opened the door. The cheering and yelling he could hear from outside were normal for them, but Guy loudly, dramatically fake-dying dead while Metal cheerfully raced around him, swinging his fists triumphantly.
“I’m a beast!” He roared, arms thrown in the air, shadowboxing as he raced around the fallen Guy. “The strongest beast!”
Kakashi sighed, and smiled, and lingered in the doorway a little while longer. “Maa… You guys are being awfully noisy in here…”
Metal almost tripped from how fast he stopped in his excited running when he heard his other grandpa’s voice from above. Looking up, he smiled widely and waved up at him.
“Ka! Ka! Shi! Sensei!” He exclaimed, enunciating just like Guy. The real Guy sat up and greeted him with a grin and a wink, mouthing “I’m fine, worrywart,” just in case Kakashi was going to fuss over him again. Kakashi scoffed and turned his attention back to Metal, whose eyes were dazzling with pride. “Good timing! Play with me!”
“Hmm?” Kakashi hummed, squatting down low to look Metal in the eyes, staring at the boy with a curious cock of his head to one side. He waited until Metal mirrored the tilt and curiously gawked backed before Kakashi patted his head and ruffled his hair. “What exactly are we playing?”
Metal giggled and hopped out of reach to fix his hair. It didn’t fall into place as naturally as Lee’s or Guy’s. “Let’s play the arm game thingy!” Metal held out an open hand.
“Arm game?” Kakashi’s hand reflexively balled into a fist, a condition reflex. “Rock-paper-scissors?”
Guy snickered in the background and Metal shook his head and plopped down at the table, grinning even wider now, all eagerness and giddiness and youthfulness. He planted one elbow on the table and wiggled his fingers. “No! Not that! The arm game! That you have to be really strong for!”
Kakashi glanced between the table and Guy, who held his own hand and did a simple gesture to explain Metal’s request. Kakashi raised his eyebrows and turned back to Metal. “…Oh. You mean arm wrestling.”
“Yeah, that!”
“He watched Temari and Tenten arm wrestle the other day, apparently!” Guy explained. “He’s been excited about it ever since!”
“Hm… Alright. I’m a little scared to try to measure up against someone as tough as Metal, but… I’ll take you on.” Kakashi sat down at the table opposite Metal with a heavy thump. The small table rocked slightly under Kakashi’s weight, and Metal bounced with excitement.
“I’ll take you on!” Metal echoed.
Kakashi’s fingers drummed against the edge of the table. “Guy, wanna referee for us?”
“Of course!” Guy rubbed Metal’s shoulders like he was readying a boxer. “I’ll be watching closely as my dear Metal kicks your butt!”
Kakashi just barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, Kakashi rolled his sleeves up and playfully winked at Guy. “Alright, then. Hope you enjoy the show.”
And it would be a show. “An act” was more like it. As strong as Lee was, Kakashi sincerely doubted his toddler was going to overpower the current hokage. It was just Guy’s plan to pump up the little guy’s morale and pride in himself, and Kakashi was simply there to support him. That much was obvious when Guy threw a look in Kakashi’s direction. He could read the brief, pointed warning in it. Kakashi could tell what was being asked of him. Kakashi was being forced to play nice in all these exhausting meetings with diplomats and advisors. He could play nice.
Kakashi straightened his shoulder and offered his hand. “Give me your best shot, Metal.”
Metal was quick to grab the offered hand, his smile wide as he promised, “I— I will!” If his hand wasn’t preoccupied, Kakashi suspected it might have been a pinky promise instead.
Metal’s palm was snug against Kakashi’s. Tiny fingers wrapped around Kakashi’s hand as far as they could go, which wasn’t very far. To make up the difference, Metal reached out his second hand and clasped it against the back of Kakashi’s hand.
One day, these hands would be wrapped in bandages, tough and calloused and trained, but right now, they were the soft hands of a little kid who really was a kid, a kid who didn’t know war and maybe never would.
Which was good. Metal was prone to anxiety at times. He wouldn’t fare well, Kakashi thought. He shouldn’t have to. At least for a while.
“Don’t hurt him, alright, Metal? Kakashi is old and feeble now! He’s not even half as youthful as you!” Guy’s voice cut in, and Kakashi focused on the match at hand when he heard his taunts. Guy wrapped his hands around both of theirs, holding Kakashi and Metal’s hands centered as he counted down from ten.
Metal nodded and squeezed, warm and reassuring, his gaze steady and serious. He was still a kid in most respects, but those eyes of his were already sharper than Lee’s.
“Ready, set…” The enveloping warmth of Guy’s hands disappeared, and Guy raised a hand into the air dramatically, like this was a race rather than an arm-wrestling match. “—Go!”
Metal let out a fierce battle cry, and Kakashi’s grip automatically tightened, expecting to feel some force to resist.
There was nothing.
Both of Metal’s hands gripped tightly around Kakashi’s, and he stood up, leaning his entire body weight into his push to try for some small amount of leverage he could garner with that tiny body. At the press and press and press of Metal’s arm, Kakashi’s only thought was that Metal’s face, screwed tight in concentration, was very adorable. It wasn’t quite like a young Guy’s had been, like Kakashi had expected it to be. It was less desperate to prove himself, more impish and subtly anxious. He wasn’t even trying to force a smile like Guy would at his age.
Although Metal’s effort was undeniable, Kakashi could barely feel anything at all. Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder… Were Kakashi and Guy ever that tiny and weak? It was hard to imagine. He didn’t think they ever got the chance to be.
He’d been facing off against Guy for years. Few people were a challenge in this sort of thing when Kakashi practiced against one of Konoha’s strongest men. In the back of his mind, Kakashi wondered if it would really be alright to win against someone so little, who was trying so hard. Kakashi prolonged the spectacle while he mulled it over, partly to annoy Guy and partly to make Metal think he was putting up a good fight; he squinted his eyes and grunted and trembled his arm to pretend he was struggling just as hard as Metal was. He obligingly inched his arm back to give Metal the feeling of progress.
“First… place… will me mine!” Metal mumbled determinedly, already-rosy cheeks turning redder.
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow curiously and slowed down his descent. “’First’ place?”
“Ah,” Guy clarified, raising a hand and rubbing at what he was pretending was a sore bicep. “Metal and I were having a match right before you came in. The little guy managed to overpower me. It was my loss!”
“So, if I can beat Grandpa Kakashi, I’ll be the strongest one in the whole house!” Metal gritted out. “Maybe the whole world!”
“…Oh. This is a tournament.” A mischievous glint appeared in Kakashi’s eyes, crinkled unevenly in the hint of a smirk. Suddenly, the match seemed to reach a stalemate. Metal was too preoccupied trying to remake his progress to notice the look on Kakashi’s face. Guy wasn’t. “So, you managed to beat Guy, huh… That’s impressive. Guy’s no pushover.”
“Yep! But I pushed his hand over!” Metal grinned. He seemed more than proud, with that cheesy boast and that equally cheesy grin.
“So, you rank ahead of Guy in upper body strength…” Kakashi continued. “You’re already beating most of the world, then. My rival’s pretty strong, after all…”
“—Yes, because my Metal is just so strong! He can even overpower elite jonin such as ourselves!” Guy reminded Kakashi, implicitly shouting at him not to do anything to undermine the child’s budding confidence in his slowly developing strength.
Guy had grown a little softer in his own age. Or maybe it was because he was a sappy old grandpa now? Throwing a match wasn’t like him. Kakashi didn’t get a golden opportunity like this often.
Kakashi froze. Metal gritted his teeth, still pushing futilely against Kakashi’s suddenly immovable arm.
Winning such a one-sided fight… Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. It wouldn’t even be the cruelest thing he’d done to a weak little kid. Metal might be the littlest of those kids, and the kid Kakashi was fondest of, but that was hardly a deterrent in a fight as bloodless as this. Not when Guy was looking at Kakashi like that.
Without exerting much real effort beyond a tightening of his grip, Kakashi flexed a bicep and started pushing Metal’s arms back.
Kakashi didn’t concern himself with the expressions and huffs Metal made as he tried and tried to get back his lead and achieve an exciting underdog turnabout victory. He was watching something even more interesting: the expression on Guy’s face when Kakashi started slowly regaining ground in the match, passing the halfway point and approaching victory.
“Don’t—” Guy started, in what was originally going to be a reprimand aimed at Kakashi, but he couldn’t without giving the secret away to Metal. Instead, he gave Metal the most passive-aggressive cheers Kakashi had ever heard, “Don’t give up, Metal! You’ve got this! You’re so strong! Kakashi Hatake, a grown man and the hokage of this village, will accept his loss with grace, because we both know you’re unbeatable!”
Kakashi had to try very hard not to laugh. His free hand shot up to muffle himself.
Metal shifted and shoved to try to get back the upper hand, but the match kept inching against him. And moments later, it was over when their arms touched down on the table. Metal’s hand lightly tapped down against the wood of the table. The quiet sound rang loud in the sudden silence.
Both Metal and Guy looked flabbergasted.
Metal eased his hand free and frowned, passionate tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. “I…! I will try even harder and get even stronger—” he began.
Kakashi’s rested his arms on the table and collapsed with a dramatic, labored sigh. “Phew! That was a tough fight.” He announced, looking dramatic and weary enough to give Metal pause. “Looks like I won somehow…! I was worried! You almost overpowered me, Metal! How strong you are! Just like your papa! It’s so good I got lucky at the end, because otherwise, I know I would’ve lost for sure! I’m inspired by you! I have to work harder so I can hope to be as strong as you are one day!”
Metal perked up at that, head rising and eyes brightening. Just like that, his confidence was restored. He fidgeted bashfully from all the praise, hands tugging at the orange muffler around his neck. “Y—Yeah! I am really strong! I’m a beast!” he bragged, cheeks turning red again. “You’re so strong, too, Kakashi-sensei! So, that means Kakashi-sensei is first, I’m second… and Guy-sensei is third! That must mean Kakashi-sensei is way, WAY more stronger than Guy-sensei is!” Metal chimed, speaking quickly and bouncing up and down. “That’s so cool! I thought Guy-sensei was the strongest in the WORLD besides maybe my papa, but you’re even strongester!”
Kakashi grinned. His eyes slid back to Guy. He hadn’t moved from his seat, but his face was darkening, like a thundercloud, as his eyes burned into Kakashi’s.
Guy wore a look of utmost shock, mouth agape. He couldn’t vocally complain without admitting to Metal that he’d thrown the game for him, and there was no way Guy would be willing to wound Metal’s pride or rain on his parade like that after Kakashi had just averted that crisis.
“Guy-sensei, did you see? I’m second! It was really, really close, I almost beat him!” Metal chirped, running over to Guy and jumping in his arms for a hug. Guy grinned, which looked more like a grimace, even as he tried his best to look nothing less than ecstatic for Metal coming in a very respectable second.
“O-Of course! Just what I’d expect from my dear Metal! You’re a master in the making! So powerful!”
“I’m a beast!” Metal cheered again, slipping out of Guy’s arms and bouncing up and down again. “And Kakashi-sensei is super, duper strong! Even stronger than a beast!”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far—”
Kakashi crinkled his eyes up in a sly smile, ignoring the lurch of aggravation he could sense from Guy. “Yeah, I guess I must be.” Kakashi gently grabbed Metal by the shoulders and made him stand as still as he could. The toddler still vibrated with excitement.
“Is that why you’re Hokage? ‘Cause you’re the strongest man in the world?!”
“Heh, maybe…” A gleefully smug grin alighted Kakashi’s face. He nudged Guy’s shoulder. “What do you think, Guy? I rank a bit above Metal, and Metal ranks above you, so that has to put me at the top of the world, right?”
The little one’s eyes widened, an excited gasp sounding as he bounced on his feet. Guy just pouted stubbornly like a child.
“Since the two of us are soooo strong,” Kakashi said, ruffling Metal’s hair again. “We’re the only people in the village stronger than Guy. That means it’s up to the two of us to protect Guy, no matter what. Right, Metal?”
“Right!” Metal chimed. He hugged Guy again. “It’s okay, Guy-sensei! We love you, even if you’re not as strong as us! In fact, me and Kakashi will protect you, since we’re stronger! And you’re still the coolest guy in the whole world!”
“Exactly.” Kakashi took Guy’s hand in his. It was rougher and bigger, but it fit perfectly in Kakashi’s. Kakashi hadn’t beaten Guy in arm wrestling in quite a while, and probably couldn’t do it right now, but this was the next best thing. “Don’t let it get to you. Third place isn’t too bad, hm? And you have two stronger shinobi right here who will protect you from anything and everything. Aren’t you lucky, Guy? No need to thank me.”
Guy pulled away from Kakashi, put his head in his hands and groaned.