Chapter Text
Kakashi would describe his relationship with the Hyūga clan as dicey. He’s civil with a handful of the Main House and neatly avoids the rest. The Branch House is, for the most part, a solid bunch of unlucky sods, and they tend to ignore his existence rather than exhibit any outright hostility. Kakashi is fine with that. He’s not much of a people-person to begin with, and half of the village doesn’t consider those of the Branch House ‘people’ anyway. So, win-win.
Unfortunately, Kakashi’s life has a terrible habit of sticking its nose into things. He'd rather not have anything to do with the Hyūga clan, but he rarely has a choice about it.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know who else to go to,” Kurenai says for the dozenth time since cornering Kakashi at the hospital. He’s woefully easy to locate with a passing knowledge of his shift patterns, and these days, he should expect somebody to pounce on him the moment he scrubs-out. According to the Emergency reception team, Kurenai had been pacing for half an hour before he appeared at quarter-past midnight like a raccoon. The only reason that Kakashi didn’t body-flicker away on the spot is the extra-large cup of coffee Kurenai had as a peace-offering. That, and the fact that she was halfway to tears.
“It’s fine,” Kakashi says, slurping said coffee. Most of the village is asleep at this hour, so he has pulled his mask down to drink. It helps that it’s fuck-dark out and he’s running on a sandwich Gai insisted he eat over nine hours ago. He needs this coffee. Kurenai can't see his face through her crying, anyway. “I might have better advice to offer in the morning, though.”
“Asuma’s on an escort to the Land of Steam in the morning,” Kurenai says apologetically. Everything she’s said on the way to the Sarutobi House has been apologetic, except for the part where she swore in three different languages at the Hyūga clan and everything they stand for, which, fair. Kakashi respects that. “I didn’t want to discuss this without him.”
Kakashi hums. That’s both sweet and ominous. Asuma’s a bit thick on the communication aspect of dating, so it’s just as well that Kurenai’s whip-smart enough for the both of them. Everything about her is wonderful and mildly terrifying, and she’s the most put-together person Kakashi knows. Which makes it concerning that she’s reaching out to him for help. “When are you guys getting married again?”
She blushes and pushes him into the house. He just about manages to slip out of his shoes before tumbling into the dimly-lit hall. There aren’t many Sarutobis left, these days, given that Lord Third died a few months ago. Asuma hasn’t been much of a presence around the village since then, but Kakashi finds him now in the front room, looking about as devastated as Kakashi feels being ripped away from his bed. He’s immediately on his feet to offer Kurenai the armchair, which feels a bit redundant until Kakashi notices Hinata snoozing on the couch.
“Oh,” Kakashi says. “This kind of Hyūga trouble. Great. What’s Hiashi done now?”
They explain in whispers. Apparently, Hiashi has disowned his eldest daughter and stripped her of any right to the Hyūga name or succession, and told her to get lost. The details are fuzzy given that Hinata turned up at Kurenai’s doorstep in a flood of tears, but Kakashi is well-acquainted with Hiashi’s flavour of cruelty and can fill in the blanks. Hiashi’s disapproval of Hinata is about as subtle as a dog licking its balls. Kakashi’s only surprised it’s taken this long for something to blow.
“Did he brand her?”
Kurenai is quick to reassure him, no, with a horrified quietness in her voice. Hinata’s forehead does appear blissfully free of the cursed seal in the low light, but who knows, Hiashi could’ve marked her anywhere. Kakashi is relieved that Hinata’s spared that pain, but the fact that Hiashi won’t brand his own daughter but is content to brand everybody else’s kids leaves a sour taste in his mouth.
“It’s basically as good as,” Asuma grumbles.
“You think?” Kakashi says. “Sure, she’s disowned, but at least she can’t be tortured to death.”
Asuma winches. Kurenai swoops in before he can fudge an apology:
“Do you think the Branch House will take her in?”
Kakashi laughs. “Are you kidding? They’ll be glad there’s one less of the House for them to die for. And if you think I can twist a few arms, then I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“What do we do, then?” Asuma asks.
“I think you know what to do,” Kakashi says, because it’s been obvious to him ever since Kurenai took Hinata under her wing, and it’s only more obvious now. Hinata’s parents kicked her out and she immediately came here. “And I don’t need to be here for that conversation, so.”
He doesn’t immediately make a move to leave, though, which grants him full view of Asuma and Kurenai’s desperate conversation across the room with their eyes. Asuma’s a little slow on the uptake as usual, but eventually his face cycles through varying degrees of shock before settling with an open-mouthed gasp:
“Us? Kurenai, honey, this isn’t quite what I meant when I asked if we could talk about kids -”
Kakashi smirks around the last of his coffee and body-flickers out before he has to third-wheel that conversation. He lets himself into Gai’s apartment rather than his own without really thinking about it. He showers and changes, and tries not to wake Gai. It’s late, but there’s rice in the cooker and the remains of a stew on the stove. One of Gai’s tortoises meeps at him from the counter, watching with very tiny eyes. Kakashi can’t remember its name but he gives it a pat. Then he ladles a bowl of the stew, glad to find it still warm. He eats it standing against the fridge. Gai will be awake in a few hours. Kakashi will be lucky to get much more sleep than that. That’s the life of a medic dating a man who exercises at dawn, he supposes.
Kakashi can’t say he expected his life to turn out like this. Naturally, he blames Obito.
He crawls into bed next to Gai. As predicted, he doesn’t get much in the way of sleep. He wakes briefly to Gai leaving for his morning run, and then is woken a short while later to a knock at the door. The flat is welcoming with sounds of Gai cooking but Kakashi’s futon is warmer, and he groans into the sunlight spilling in through the balcony door. Gai must have cracked it open to water the plants. Further into the flat, there is the sound of the front door opening and closing, and Gai enthusiastically greeting their unexpected guest.
“Ah, Neji! Come in, you’re just in time for breakfast. What was that? Kakashi? I believe he’s still asleep, but I can certainly check for you!”
Kakashi groans again, sure that the news of Hinata’s fate has spread. Not such an unexpected guest, then.
The bedroom door slides open a moment later. Kakashi meets Gai’s grin with a glare.
“Ka-ka-shi, one of my most wondrous students is asking after you!”
“I’m busy.”
“Wonderful!” Gai cries, ducking back into the hall. “I’ll tell him you’ll be up and ready in ten minutes. I’ll make you a coffee!”
The promise of fresh coffee drags Kakashi out of bed. He washes his face and throws on something comfy. Neji doesn’t need to see him in boxers - or without his headband. And his mask. It’s a sunny autumn morning, so he procrastinates by hanging both of the futons outside. Gai's blooming herb garden fills most of the balcony, but Kakashi tiptoes through. When he's sure at least twenty minutes have passed, he shuffles back inside to face the Hyūga clan drama. Neji is one of the few Hyūga that Kakashi has any fondness for, but he's still a teenager, and teenagers shouldn't be burdened with their clan's heinous crimes.
Somebody probably should've told Kakashi that ten years ago.
"Morning, love!" Gai greets, pressing a cup of coffee into Kakashi's hands. "Breakfast? You were home late last night, was everything okay on your shift?"
"Hmm. Kurenai was waiting for me."
"Kurenai? Was something the matter? If she is unwell, we should purchase some flowers to express our hope that she gets better soon!"
"She's fine," Kakashi says, accepting a small bowl of miso soup. He only ate dinner five hours ago. "Hinata's been kicked out of the clan."
Gai drops his chopsticks into the cooking pot. "I-I'm sorry?"
"She's at the Sarutobis'. Guess Asuma and Kurenai are parents now, isn't that cute?" Kakashi presses on, ignoring Gai's sputtering. He smiles at Neji. "How's the House this morning?"
"Lady Hanabi's training was scheduled as usual," Neji says. He looks as dispassionate as ever, but the tension eased from his shoulders as soon as Kakashi relayed Hinata's whereabouts. "I spoke with Unohana in the Branches, but she couldn't tell me where Lady Hinata was."
"You can drop the formalities here," Kakashi encourages, and not for the first time. "Hinata has nothing to her name, now."
"Does she have her eyes?" Neji asks. Right to the point as always. Gai makes a choking sound as he wipes the chopsticks with a tea towel.
"Yep. No cursed mark, either. Lucky, lucky."
"That's… good." Neji sounds conflicted.
Kakashi doesn't blame him in the slightest. Gai looks like he has something to add, though, but he sucks in his lips at the last second. Probably for the best. He means well, Gai, but the Hyūga clan is complex and proud, and its horrors are only truly understood by those who live them. Neji has every right to feel cheated. Being a member of the Main House is a privilege. A fortune. A lottery of birth.
That Hinata doesn't have a cursed seal is a privilege. It's not her fault, of course. She's twelve. She's been clinging to a shadow of her family's love for years. Poor sod. She'll be better off with the Sarutobi clan. Kurenai already loves her like a daughter and despite Asuma's warbling last night, he has a soft spot for kids. They'll be a good family for her.
"Did your mother have anything to say?" Kakashi asks, and Neji shakes his head. "Ah, oh well."
Just as well, he would say if Neji wasn't present. Izumo's a cow. Kakashi and Gai will most likely be having a much ruder version of this conversation later, where Gai can reveal his anger far away from the kids. Kakashi's almost looking forward to it. Their united distaste for the Hyūga clan is a wonderful opportunity for bonding - and cuddling, and also destroying stuff with kunai.
Kakashi can't say many good things have come out of his involvement with the Hyūga, but at least he has Gai.
They finish breakfast. Kakashi washes the dishes while Gai and Neji discuss the day's training. His late shift doesn't start until three, and he has nowhere to be before then. He doesn't have a genin team of his own. Some days, he joins Gai's team out in the forest. But today feels like a day to avoid pseudo-teacher responsibilities. Hiashi's dick move has left Kakashi feeling uneasy. It's a specific type of unease that he only suffers with the Hyūga clan: like too many hands pressing into his skin.
To the memorial stone, then. Minato-sensei always knows what to do.
Kakashi avoids the matter for a few days. Hinata is not his problem and Neji is not his student. He keeps himself busy with work, sleep, and the occasional spar with Gai. It's a monotonous life. He likes the routine and the predictability of it all, but sometimes he misses long missions in the field. Sometimes, he considers requesting a transfer and filling in that precious medic role in outbound teams, but Kakashi knows where he's most useful. And it's not in the field. He's average. Just another jack of all trades, master of none. His taijutsu is above average, but his genjutsu is lacking. He has a passing knowledge of fuinjutsu thanks to Minato-sensei and Kushina, but he's no seals master. And his ninjutsu would be described as excellent if he had the chakra reserves to use it consistently, which he doesn't, thanks to the obvious drain on his chakra. The one stuck in his left eye-socket. The byakugan. It hinders him far more than it helps. Sure, now he's a semi-decent medic who can diagnose every chakra-system injury under the sun, but any Hyūga could do that. And they'd have two eyes.
Despite everything, Kakashi tries to be a good shinobi. And good shinobi go where they're told. Which is fortunate, as one of the few chakra-pathway specialists in the hospital, Kakashi spends most of his shift being paged to all corners of the building. He'd hazard a guess and say he spends sixty-percent of his time split between Paediatrics and Emergency, which is all kinds of fun. He's seen all sorts of pathway complications and chakra abnormalities in children, and no-one is as prone to chakra exhaustion as cocky teenage boys. In Emergency, ANBU are his most frequent type of patient. Kakashi is numb to most kinds of wounds now, but a fast bleep into a trauma bay to deal with an indignant ANBU still gets his blood pumping.
Rin would understand. She’s part of the reason Kakashi’s a medic now, after all.
Kakashi’s first patient on Friday afternoon is a transfer from the Academy. The paediatric team give him the rundown: nothing serious, just an eight-year-old with suspected chakra-point blockage. The kid’s wailing. To no-one’s surprise, there’s a grumpy-looking Hyūga girl in the bay next to him, and both of them have bloody noses. Iruka hovers by the privacy curtain with a furious aura. The parents aren’t here yet - thankfully. Kakashi doesn’t know the crying kid, but Hyūga Una belongs to the Branch House. She probably doesn’t recognise him, but her parents definitely will.
“Well, this looks fun,” Kakashi says. Blocked chakra-points are a classic symptom of an angry Hyūga. Adults can usually reverse the effects of the gentle fist, of course. Una’s only eight, so she probably isn’t as good at unblocking as she is at blocking. She doesn’t look like she gives much of a damn, but her poor victim is in a flood of tears. Ah, children.
Kakashi pushes up his headband to reveal his byakugan. As expected, half of the chakra-points in the boy’s arm are blocked, and there’s a handful of partial blocks in his chest. Ouch. None of them are too close to his heart, but the bruising is bad. It’s no wonder Paediatrics called him over.
“Sorry to trouble you with this,” Iruka says. “Hiyuu’s not on duty today.”
Hyūga Hiyuu is another teacher at the school. Branch House. Also Una's uncle. It would've been much easier if he had been around.
“Maa, no problem,” Kakashi says, although it is a bit of a problem. He’s been trying so hard to avoid the Hyūga clan this week and now one’s just walked into the ward. He gestures for the crying boy to lay down. “Easy enough to fix, kid. Lucky for you, eh?”
The boy sniffs a bit. Una does too, noticeably angry.
“What were you arguing about?” Kakashi says conversationally. He doesn’t care either way, but chatting tends to help calm the younger kids. Let it be said that Kakashi can have a decent bedside manner when he wants to.
It also distracts his patients from Kakashi’s struggles with the gentle fist - a technique he is definitely not supposed to know.
The boy says nothing. Kakashi rubs his thumb into one of the chakra-points, carefully prying it open. An actual Hyūga could do this easily. Kakashi is not an actual Hyūga, which the clan likes to remind him of on a regular basis.
“He called me a servant,” Una says.
That’s a good reason to punch someone. Kakashi’s not allowed to take sides in the hospital, but his mouth twitches approvingly behind his mask. He knows Iruka catches it. His byakugan may be mostly useless, but it can tell a pleased chakra aura from a disappointed one.
The kid lives. Kakashi sets his nose and sends him on his way with Iruka. He’d like to send Una away too, but her parents are actually in the village right now, so no dice. She has to stick around until one of them arrives. Despite the punching, she’s a well-behaved child, and she watches him jump between patients in the paediatric ward without a complaint. She has the same quiet anger that all of the Branch House has. Nobody wants to look at the caged bird seal on her forehead. In time, she'll probably cover it with a headband. But for now it's on full display.
“Mum says I shouldn’t talk to you,” she says.
Kakashi throws her a snack from the break room. “Well, I can see you’re very good at doing the right thing, aren’t you?”
Una smiles a little at the sarcasm.
“But you should listen to your mum,” Kakashi adds. It doesn’t even hurt him to say. Hiyuna and her husband are not on the list of Hyūga that he’s civil with, and he already knows exactly what they think of him. “She’s looking out for you.”
Una looks uncertain, but she shoves half of the chocolate bar into her mouth instead of answering.
Hiyuna turns up eventually. Kakashi hides behind a curtain despite her byakugan knowing exactly where he is. They don’t say anything to each other. It’s better that way.
"Thanks mister," Una calls, so that's something of a win.
One of Kakashi's colleagues eventually gives him the all clear. He side-steps out of the bay like a crab.
"You've got issues," says a nurse.
Kakashi is well aware of that. He breaks another bar of chocolate into his mouth and gets back to work.
The truth is, Kakashi would be better off without Obito’s “gift.” Minato-sensei knew it: it's why he tried to dissuade Kakashi from keeping it despite Obito's last wishes. But Kakashi had been stubborn. Nine years old and in way over his head, he hadn't fully understood what it meant to shove himself into the Hyūga legacy. It's why Minato-sensei fought a losing battle against the Hyūga elders. There was no way they were going to let Kakashi bear their byakugan scot-free. And now it's far more trouble than it's worth. But the Kakashi of then had been adamant, and clueless, and probably a depressed little shit - and the Kakashi of now is much the same.
Despite everything, Obito's byakugan was a gift.
He stands by that.
But sometimes gifts suck.
"Maa, I know that look on your face, kohai. Whatever it is, I don't want to know and I don't want it," Kakashi says into the pages of his book, sensing Yamato un-merge from the tree that he's sitting against. Kakashi's time off from the hospital is limited, and he was hoping for some undisturbed quiet time with his books. Naturally, he should've expected someone to bother him.
Kurenai, Neji, Yamato. Why can't Kakashi shake these people?
"You're not even looking at me," Yamato says.
"Which one of us has a byakugan?"
"You've got it covered."
"My headband could be an illusion."
Yamato scoffs. "You wouldn't risk it. And your genjutsu isn't that good."
Kakashi's mouth twitches. Slowly, he lowers his book to look up at Yamato, standing over him. As always, Yamato looks like they'd rather be anywhere else. Disgruntlement is a perpetual part of Yamato's existence, especially since they were bullied into taking on a genin team. Teaching a bunch of twelve year olds isn't quite the ANBU work they're used to. But Kakashi's not supposed to know about that.
He was nearly ANBU, once. But that's not his cup of tea. The whole "supposed to destroy yourself instead of being captured" thing is just hilarious. Bet there aren't many Branch House Hyūga in ANBU.
"What does my little kohai need help with, then?" Kakashi asks.
Yamato stuffs their hands into their pockets. They always stand so defensively, even in the village. Kakashi's never been sure if that's a result of ten years in ANBU or Yamato's time before ANBU that they never talk about. He doesn't know exactly what Yamato was up to as a tween, but given their extended stays in the hospital and sketchy avoidance of any questions about it, it was nothing good.
"Hmm, I really don't like the look on your face," Kakashi says. "I hope I don't owe you a favour right now?"
“You don’t,” Yamato says, because they’re honest like that. A good ANBU would’ve lied. “But I’m going to ask for one anyway. It’s about my students.”
Ah, yes. The terrible trio. Hiruzen went senile the day he thought Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura would make a good team. He did slightly redeem himself by assigning Yamato as their jōnin instructor though, which Kakashi is still laughing about. Truly, the only person who would’ve been a worse choice was Kakashi himself.
“Sasuke’s seal is a little beyond me,” he says. “He’ll be safe and sound in the hospital until Tsunade arrives.”
Yamato’s mouth squishes together. “Not Sasuke.”
“Naruto’s a lost cause.”
“Well. Not Naruto.”
Kakashi snaps his book shut. “Absolutely not.”
“She’ll make a phenomenal medic,” Yamato tries. It’s sweet of them to sound so earnest. It’s annoying that Kakashi’s glare doesn’t immediately make them tuck in their tail and run. “Her chakra control is excellent. She has the drive. She approached me about it, in fact. Insisted."
Kakashi can believe that. He doesn’t know Yamato’s students that well, although he makes an effort to check-in with Naruto from time-to-time. But he exists on their periphery as the grouchy, overworked medic with the cute dogs; Yamato’s friend; that weird guy with the byakugan that we’re not supposed to ask about but my name’s Uzumaki Naruto so I definitely will. That guy. He’s only recently come to know Sasuke better following the Orochimaru fiasco in the chūnin exams. The kid’s half out of his mind in the hospital right now, so maybe it doesn't count. Sakura is the student he knows the least. She has a sensible head on her shoulders and he can’t deny she has potential. Her actions in the chūnin exams proved it.
“Sure, she’s a good candidate,” Kakashi agrees. “But why me?”
Yamato blushes. It shaves years from their face. Kakashi immediately knows what they're going to say and he curses himself for having such sneaky friends:
“You’re the only medic I trust, senpai."
Goddamnit. It's the senpai that seals it.
"I hate you," Kakashi grumbles.
Yamato's face lights up. On the inside, they're still that thirteen-year-old who Kakashi slipped snacks to in the hospital, hiding from the rest of the nurses. Kakashi's got such a big, bleeding heart that he just can't take it.
"I'll owe you a favour," Yamato says - which is nice, but completely not the point.
Kakashi kicks them in the shin. "Fine. But I’ll have to talk to my team lead about my shifts first. When’s a good time to meet-up with pinkie?”
They discuss a schedule. Despite himself, Kakashi goes immediately to the hospital to run it by his team. Knowing Sakura, she'll turn up at his doorstep regardless of whether he's prepared, so it's best to get this over and done with. Fortunately (or unfortunately), students shadowing at the hospital is nothing new (Kakashi did it himself, after all), so it's not much of an issue to shuffle his schedule around. Sakura will have to hit the ground running, but he's pretty sure she can handle it. She is Yamato's student.
Kakashi's colleagues laugh when he tells them.
Gai cries.
"My Esteemed Rival is finally embracing his Passion for teaching! This is most Youthful of you, love! I knew this day would come!"
"You're the only person who thinks I have any interest in teaching," Kakashi groans into Gai's bear-hug.
“That is not true! Yamato believes in you!”
“Yamato knows how to manipulate me.”
“But they also believe in you,” Gai says, gripping Kakashi’s shoulders. They stand together like that for a moment, about a foot apart, held in place by Gai’s ferocious stare, and then Gai slaps both of Kakashi’s shoulders at once. The sound is like a crack of lightning. The other people waiting for their takeout orders all take a step back in fear. It’s just as well, because Gai’s victorious pose takes up about half of the shop. “This is a new and inspirational chapter for you, My Cool and Hip and -!”
“Too many adjectives,” Kakashi says, side-stepping past to collect their order. He gives the cashier a tip for not immediately throwing them out and then body-flickers Gai back to the apartment.
Gai’s apartment, of course. Kakashi’s fuinjutsu expertise starts and ends with sound-proofing, and he’s sound-proofed Gai’s apartment to the moon and back. Gai’s known for his particular brand of loud enthusiasm - especially with three students, Kakashi, and eight dogs thrown into the mix. It’s a tight squeeze for all of them on team nights. Luckily, Kakashi’s dogs can de-spawn at will - and so can Kakashi. The perk of being a shinobi is the ability to escape any social situation at any time.
This is especially important around the Hyūga manor. Kakashi tends to avoid the Main House like the plague, but occasionally there’s reason to risk the Hyūga wrath. One reason, in fact.
“Mind if I drop in, Granny?”
Nobiko looks over from the stove as Kakashi slides the door shut behind him. She’s a little woman with a little bob of grey hair, but her smile is huge. She’s all bundled up in her favourite purple cardigan today, and Kakashi feels the need to apologise as the draught follows him in.
“Kakashi, dear! What have I always said about your apologising?”
Kakashi shuffles over to join her at the stove. Nobiko is easily half a foot shorter and fifty years older than him, so he has to bend down to accept the peck on his cheek. She pinches his other cheek for good measure, still one of the few people in the world who can touch his face without immediately being knifed.
“Sorry Granny, I must be getting forgetful in my old age. Is that tea for me?”
Nobiko laughs. It’s an enormous sound for someone so tiny. Obito had the biggest laughs too. “Of course it is! I saw you coming.” She winks and presses the mug into Kakashi’s hands. It could be poisoned and he’d probably still drink it. She’s just too sweet to refuse.
“Maa, nothing gets by you,” Kakashi says. Nobiko’s hair is almost as white as her byakugan, and he presses the quickest of kisses into it. “What’s the gossip?”
There’s always gossip. Something about cute old ladies inspires people to drop their guard, and Nobiko’s eyes are some of the sharpest in the clan. Her hearing isn’t quite up to par these days - or at least, that’s what she tells the people she’s eavesdropping on. Kakashi is naturally suspicious of anybody with silver eyes, but he knows from experience that Nobiko isn’t above telling a few white lies. He’ll never tattle on her though. The bi-monthly gossip from the black dove herself is too good to pass up.
Kakashi’s slightly-elevated hearing makes up for it. He’s no Inuzuka, but the Hatake clan has a few tricks up its sleeve. The fangs, the lightning-style, the knack for pissing people off. Kakashi’s got all three. Which is why he jumps up from the floor about an hour later at the sound of rapidly marching footsteps through the manor, scattering the crumbs of their lunch and downing the last of his tea. Nobiko lifts her cup just in time to save it. Kakashi shoves another teacake into his mouth before dashing over to his shoes.
“Sorry Granny, gotta run. You know how it is.”
A door smashes open down the hall. Nobiko covers her mouth in a mock-gasp.
“Oh dear. Is it that time already?” she says. “You best be off, then. You will let me know when you hear from Rin, won't you? And bring your Mister Gai next time.”
Kakashi laughs. “Granny, if I brought Gai here, someone would end up dead."
The front door CRACKS! open. Kakashi spins around in the entranceway with one shoe dangling from his toes. The middle-aged woman now blocking the obvious exit is a familiar gate-crasher, and Kakashi wags his fingers in greeting.
“Maa, fancy seeing you here Ori. I was just -”
“Leaving,” the ever kind and generous and wonderful Hyūga Orihime snaps.
Obito’s mother: truly, one of the most beautiful and gentle people Kakashi knows. He flashes an S.O.S hand-sign at Nobiko behind his back. It’s futile trying to hide anything from a Hyūga, of course, but that’s beside the point. Ori’s face reddens as fast as Obito’s. It’s so easy to rile this family up. It’s fun, too, although it’s decidedly more dangerous angering Ori than it ever was annoying Obito.
“How many times have I told you to stop harassing my mother?” Ori cries.
“We have very different definitions of ‘harass’,” Kakashi says. “If anything, I’m the one -”
“Get out.” The veins bulging around Ori’s eyes are a clear warning. She’s yet to actually attack him despite their grievances, but today could be the day Kakashi pushes her too far. And he would really rather not have to injure Obito’s mother.
“Yep, definitely going. Bye Granny, thanks for the tea.”
“Come back soon sweetheart,” Nobiko says, because she’s fucking crazy.
Ori’s flabbergast cry of ‘mum!’ echoes in Kakashi’s ears as he body-flickers away.
“Your byakugan,” Sakura starts, which isn’t a question or much of anything, really, and Kakashi looks up from his report with his eyebrows raised. She has her mouth pressed closed like a mischievous dog, like she’s waiting for him to shut down her curiosity. He would very much like to, but he learned long ago that there are some games you just can’t win. And dissuading a nagging pre-teen is one of them. “It’s real, isn’t it?”
That’s an interesting place to start the inquisition. Kakashi hums. “Sure is.”
“We didn’t think so, not really. Naruto thought it was an illusion - but we tried dispelling it and it didn’t work.”
It’s cute that three genin think they’re strong enough to dispel any of Kakashi’s illusions, but he doesn’t comment on that. Anything Naruto thinks is best taken with a grain of salt, although it was good of them to test the theory. Shinobi should doubt everything they see.
“You always keep it covered so we thought maybe it didn’t work, if it was real,” Sakura goes on. “But you use it all the time here, I’ve seen you.”
That much is true. Kakashi has little reason to use his byakugan outside of the hospital. Especially after a shift, when he’s near chakra-exhausted. Actual Hyūga must have a genetic advantage to withstanding the strain of using the byakugan, because Kakashi certainly didn’t acquire one in the transplant. Actual Hyūga also don’t have trouble turning their eyes on and off. The number of times he’s accidentally blinded himself by staring at a fire-style jutsu halfway across the village is embarrassing. PTSD and an eye that can see across a small town in a blink are not a happy combination.
“So, what’s the verdict?” he asks, flipping disinterestedly through the report. He brings a book with him every day to read on his lunchbreak, but there’s always more work in his pager. How a nine-hour shift isn’t enough time to get stuff done is beyond him.
Sakura swivels back-and-forth on her chair. She’ll take out a nurse at the knees at this rate. That’ll be funny. “No one in your family’s a Hyūga?”
“Nope.” Thank god. He imagines the carnage.
“Birth defect? I mean, a congenital disorder? One of those malfor - mal - um -”
“Malformation, and no. Props for the big words though. Maybe you’re asking the wrong questions.”
Sakura’s face scrunches. She’s a bright spark. Yamato was right: her drive for knowledge is admirable. Even if she’s twelve and liable to hit the mark as much as she misses. “Is your dad really your dad?”
Kakashi laughs. He's never heard that one before.
Then his pager beeps, signalling the end of his break. A steady voice from the trauma team summons him downstairs. “Ah. Gotta go.” He holds up his hand to stop Sakura from joining him. “Finish your sandwich. There’s no need to rush. I can’t let you in on ANBU cases, anyway.”
She stuffs the other half of her sandwich into her mouth. “ANBU?”
“Black-ops. Hushy-hushy. Finish reading that chapter and I’ll come get you when I’m done.”
Sakura pouts. “Can’t you talk like a normal person?”
Kakashi laughs again. He doesn’t bother leaving her with instructions to behave, sit still, or anything like that, because he knows she will. She’s not Naruto - or Lee, or Gai. But Sakura’s been shadowing him for a few weeks now, and he thinks he knows what makes her tick. The grumbling and the quips don’t bother him - Kakashi was much worse as a teen. In fact, they’re quite endearing. He has to resist the urge to ruffle her hair.
He’s not growing attached. And he doesn’t enjoy teaching. He made it quite clear during their introductory lesson that there is only so much he can teach her. Sakura’s aspirations are in field medicine. He can provide her with the theory, but a quick mind and an instinct for survival are up to Yamato to train. Out on a mission, she’ll probably be the only medic, and she’ll have no-one to rely on for healing but herself. If she can hold her own in a fight too, then she’ll be a dangerous addition to any team. Those aren’t skills Kakashi uses in his day-to-day life. He’s a trauma medic, specialising in chakra-pathways. He works in a team - in a hospital, on shifts. The decisions he has to make are different. The tools he has at his disposal are plenty. In the middle of nowhere, Sakura won’t have the luxury of specialised equipment, colleagues, a ward, or even a bed. Sterilising jutsu and a quarantine ward might be all she has.
Rin would’ve been a better choice. She's actually a field medic - with experience. Konoha's best. But she's out in the Land of Tea trying to heal a country from civil war. She'll set her eyes on Whirlpool next. Maybe Wave. And then the world. And then maybe she'll turn her sights on Fire again and look upon this country without tears in her eyes.
It's funny. Of the two of them, Kakashi's eyes are the ones that look closer to home - and he's the one with the byakugan.
And can’t even teach Sakura that.
He's in way over his head.
"I know that feeling," Asuma says.
“Just be thankful you’re only dealing with the aftermath,” Kakashi says that evening after his shift, tipping his flask towards him. He’s on the night shift again. Midnight outside of Accident and Emergency seems to be ‘the place’ to find him these days. He sent Sakura home hours ago, of course. Someone should have sent him the same memo.
“Is that supposed to inspire me with confidence?” Asuma asks, lighting up a cigarette. The hit doesn’t fix the frown on his face. Few things probably will when there are Hyūga involved.
Or, ex-Hyūga, Kakashi supposes. Asuma’s a lucky dog who missed most of the initial fallout of Hinata’s exile while away on his escort mission, but now he’s back to deal with an effectively-orphaned pre-teen with daddy issues the size of the Hokage Rock. Sucks to be him. Of course, Hinata’s too courtly to ever refer to her complex relationship with her father as “daddy issues,” but Kakashi’s going to call a spade a spade.
“You could be dealing with Hiashi,” he says.
Asuma groans. “You know, I think I’d like to. What sort of asshole just kicks his daughter out onto the street?”
Kakashi shrugs. “Don’t forgot about the slavery.”
"The -"
"And the segregation and torture."
“Fuck. That clan’s fucked up."
Kakashi laughs. He screws the lid of his flask back on and drops it into the deep pocket of his scrubs. It’s too cold to be wearing hospital whites. It’s too late in the evening to be discussing clan bullshit, but this seems to be the only time his friends will corner him about it. Maybe that’s because they know he’s too dog-tired after his shift to care.
Asuma takes a long drag of his cigarette. The spot of flame at the end is like a tiny eye. “Obito was Main House, wasn’t he?”
“Mhm.”
“Pretty distant?” He taps the ashes onto the ground, glancing over at Kakashi’s silence. “To Hiashi, I mean.”
“Second cousins or so.”
“Huh,” Asuma says. It sounds like that surprised him, but it’s hard to tell why. He gives Kakashi a considering look, dark eyebrows pinched down to his nose. Kurenai has always said that Asuma’s frown is ‘cute’, but Kakashi doesn’t think there’s anything cute about this line of questioning. “But you’re not Main House?”
“I’m not anything. I’m not a Hyūga.”
The steel in Kakashi’s voice sends Asuma floundering. “Right, right, I know that. I’m not accusing you of anything -”
“Accusing?”
“Fuck, no.” He nearly swallows his cigarette. “I didn’t mean to say that. I just - I’m making a big mess of this. Kurenai would know what to say.”
“Kurenai would know to keep her mouth shut,” Kakashi snaps.
“Well, yeah -” Asuma says with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He risks another glance at Kakashi, more wary this time. Then the cloud of smoke from his laughter blows across his face, obscuring his view. He coughs and bats it away. “God, she - warned me actually. About talking to you about this crap.”
Kakashi sighs. He doesn’t have it in him to be angry tonight. He just wants to go home, eat whatever Gai has left for dinner, and lie under a pile of dogs.
“That’s because she knew you’d put your foot in it. Give me that.”
“Yeah, yeah you’re probably right,” Asuma says, handing over his cigarette. He looks on guiltily as Kakashi tosses it into the trash. “Sorry man.”
“Forget it. I can swing by tomorrow and check-in on the kid, since I figure that’s what you’re really asking. You’re awfully blunt for someone who never gets to the point.”
“Ouch. Can't argue with that though."
Kakashi’s mouth twitches. “Naturally. Good night, Asuma. Go home.”