#like how they made hinata a little bit of an obsesser and stalker w/re naruto in filler. but the manga doesnt even imply this

[mokutone]

okay bc the last post was a art post without naruto this is a naruto post without art ive been sitting on this topic for MONTHS so im just gonna share it, lets get ready to do a mild dive into The Yamato Pays For Lunch Scene!!!

this scene is funny and yamato being flattered and flustered is endearing, and kakashi is funny in this but a lot of the time this scene is used to characterize the bulk of kakashi and yamato's interactions in a way which kinda reduces yamato largely to just...kakashi's fool, Just A Moron Who Does What Kakashi Says Because He's Starstruck Stupid/ In Love/ A Sucker

and I'm not gonna lie, while that's a...possible...reading of the source material and all, it's not my favorite since it's. really entirely at the expense of Yamato's character, so I'm gonna try and provide a counter reading based on things I notice in the scene from the manga: warning. this is a very long post bc i am NOT good at being succinct

first i'd like to point this little bit out:

u can notice here that in that first panel in the top right, Kishimoto makes a point of including yamato in the shot in the background, not just eating his own noodles and minding his business but clearly paying attention to what Kakashi and Naruto are talking about, and Kakashi, in dialogue, pretty clearly states his intention to sweet talk Somebody. Additionally, In the anime if I remember correctly, Kakashi adds in something after the sweet talk line like "I promise, it'll be interesting," which clearly designates Naruto as Not being the one who is going to get the sweet-talk, since he will be Observing the Interesting Thing. This is important because Naruto, at first, thinks that Kakashi is referring to more Ninja Training, but this line makes it clear that he's Not talking about that. Anyway, put a pin in this whole thing.

then the funny little incident itself:

goofy and endearing. that's all i have to say. ANYWAY.

the most interesting part of this interaction is what happens afterward in my opinion; they go back to the training ground and kakashi gives naruto a little pep talk about how if Anyone can master this jutsu it is GOING to be naruto, because naruto has what it takes and will surpass the fourth hokage etc etc etc, which leads to this interaction,

this is really interesting to me because the "you really Are a sweet talker," first of all indicates that he heard and understood that kakashi intended to sweet-talk him, but it ALSO implies that there was doubt about kakashis ability to sweet talk at all by emphasizing the "are," which could lead to some interesting interpretations!

Scenario One: Yamato was Generally Aware of what Kakashi was doing, and actively and intentionally decided to play along.

This is the one I play with the most—I think Yamato is probably pretty good at reading Kakashi, and is aware that Kakashi is goading him into paying for the meal, especially since afterwards he turns Kakashi's words right back at him, essentially saying that he suspects the pep talk he gave Naruto is just as calculated (and possibly untrue) as the one Kakashi gave him at the ramen place, but a much better performance.

This also kind of accounts for the funny look he gives Kakashi right after Kakashi denies the accusation in the bottom right of the image above. The last time they worked together closely, Kakashi was trying to deaden himself emotionally, so seeing genuine and open expressions of pride and belief in other people's abilities probably represents a huge change from the Kakashi he knew, to the Kakashi he stands beside now. At once very much the same, and also a stranger, and I think that's a fun texture to play with in their relationship as they try to figure each other out again after a multi-year-gap of not interacting.

I like this reading the most for a couple reasons; I like that it shows a very cynical and suspicious side of Yamato's character, one which he has no reason to display around the kids. Making a crack at your teammate for being Very Fake to his wide eyed and genuine students is NOT a productive or useful behavior that you want to pass on, but a couple side comments to the Other dark and cynical dude who u went thru anbu with about how fake he is is surely fine TWO: Since it implies Kakashi was insincere and being performative, it also implies Yamato himself was doing the same in the ramen bar—essentially that Kakashi suggested a little game that would amuse their student, and Yamato didn't mind playing along—the only hitch in this reading is, why would either of them play this game? What Kakashi would get out of it is easy; a free meal and to show off a bit. What Yamato would get out of this is a little more opaque, however—

Obviously there's the reading that, being cynicism + misery poisoned repressed people, the only way they can express a feeling is thru at least 3 layers of insincere/sincere performance but. we'll get to that eventually. not what im interested in rn bc I'd personally lean more towards the idea that this is an opportunity for him to soften his image a little bit in general (Yamato is, after all, the disguise of a Just Some Guy Jōnin) but also, specifically in front of Naruto, to seem a little goofier and a little more fallible and affectionate, after all, Team Kakashi has only really seen him in Captain Mode, where he has said shit like "Kakashi might promise he'd never let you come to harm, but I can't, and I won't." and "Coddling is not compassion," etc etc, he's often got a very serious demeanor and this whole situation puts a funny little hitch in it. Why yes Captain Yamato is a Very serious man who is Very upfront about the possibility and in some ways the inevitability of death, but will let his dear friend goad him into paying the bill with a couple kind words.

and. also kind of a callback to him paying for the meal and inn, where team seven was like "wow this rocks! can you actually just replace kakashi??" but in a scenario where he's not just trying to put a tracker on sai—a performance to indicate there's truth within another performance, good god the complicated lives these ex-anbu lead.

Scenario Two: Yamato Does Not Generally Believe Kakashi Is So Honey-Tongued, But Has A Soft Spot For Him Anyway.

Pretty straight forward! The majority of the above analysis applies, but rather than Kakashi and Yamato seeing this as a game they are both playing, Kakashi and Yamato both know that Yamato's got a soft spot for some kind words from his senpai, even though he knows Kakashi is teasing him. In this reading the "Man, Kakashi. You really Are a sweet-talker," is still critical of Kakashi's ability to affect others, but with the admission that Yamato is a lost cause here, he's just self aware about it.

I think people who are going into readings of their relationship with a shipping angle generally prefer takes more along this line, because the idea of people having "exceptions" or "the only person i do this with" is generally considered romantic in a fashion.

This reading is fine and valid, as all readings of this scenario are, but it still plays into the kind of "I'm a fool, but just for you" trope which I worry kinda disrespects Yamato's character a bit! like, again, it's fine! just not the flavor of reading that i enjoy

That said, this all focuses mostly on Yamato's experience and point of view because he's my favorite and I love him, but there's also interesting stuff to be observed here about Kakashi—the whole chapter is called "Honey Tongued" or sweet-talking, so the two instances of Kakashi complimenting Yamato and Naruto are meant to be the focus, and meant to be compared!

Kakashi is very clear and very firm that the delivery and the sentiment behind the pep talk he gave Naruto was genuine.

Naruto does not enjoy nor does he have an easy time with Kakashi playing mind-games around him, and having taught Naruto at his greenest genin phase, Kakashi would know this. Hypothetically here if we wanna talk Kakashi character growth, for him this scene is more about settling into the role of teacher genuinely, how he's changed and adapted in the three years of missing his "adorable" students, and that he's willing to open up more and express more heartfelt and therefore more vulnerable feelings to the kids. That said, because of the chapter title and content, as well as because Yamato directly asks us to compare the scenarios, this point is in contrast with his complimenting Yamato, and there's two ways I can think of to read that:

1) Unlike the scene with Naruto, his complimenting was manipulative, either wholly or partially unmeant. I don't think many people would agree with this one! U can see based on their interactions in combat or other serious scenarios that Kakashi trusts and respects Yamato, and relies on his skill and intuition frequently, and even after years apart, they're very much still in sync with each other, which Kishimoto makes a point to show us (them saying words at the same time, communicating non-verbally or with a minimum of words).

2) The delivery was ironic, but much like the pep talk for Naruto, the sentiment was genuine. I typed up a whole thing about like, how repressed people who are scared of being vulnerable sarcastically express love for their friends, and how this situation could be considered in that vein, but essentially:

What I mean is; Kakashi is famous for his inability to open up. When he first meets the kids, he says he has no interests, no goals, and doesn't like to talk about himself. This whole scenario with the pep talk shows that he's making strides in being direct and complimentary (this feels like the wrong word. what i mean is that he's like...he's engaging with the people around him in a more genuine way, interacting with his students as people, letting them know that he sees how they've grown because he seems to better understand he can also have a positive impact on them, not just a neutral or negative impact) since then—but Yamato doesn't necessarily know that, and to Kakashi, Yamato could represent a kind of bridge between the person he was back in anbu, and the person he is now, delivering a cheesy description of their previous relationship to each other in a way that Yamato was meant to understand as fake or putting-him-on, while actually being more or less a direct and genuine acknowledgement of the importance of their previous friendship + working relationship...it's a way to ease the two very different versions of himself together.

god i think this post might be incomprehensible actually. when they call it brain rot theyre not kidding around.