#rengonemad

[lifeafterartsch00l]

The answer is yes, yes they have plz see below~

✨MY FAVE KAKAIRU FICS✨

A change of pace this week from the usual sasunaru programming to celebrate Naruto’s gay dads, feat. my terrible memes

As per usual, I’ll try and find the authors to tag them, if you know who they are on tumblr, plz tag them in the comments! 💖

He ships it

Worship by decaf_kitty

Careful it’s hot 🥵

Beloved decaf kitty, may your coffee never be bitter, may your pillow be the perfect temperature, and you never get writer’s block ❤️ amen! Please read this one shot it’s AMAZING

“Additional Tags: Slow Build, Romance, Resolved Sexual Tension, Explicit Sexual Content, Begging, Inappropriate Use of the Sharingan

Summary: Late at night, Kakashi and Iruka randomly meet at a ramen stand... One little conversation later, they're in Kakashi's bedroom, with Iruka on his knees, and a blushing Kakashi staring down at the sensei between his bare thighs”

Kintsugi by The_Rivers_Dark

She ships it

I excitedly followed each new chapter release of this fic 💕 most incredible descriptions of intimacy, a fantastic writer 💕 also Tsunade tries to meddle and it’s just terrific (read it to find out if it works tehe) 💕 so wonderful, a comforting fic like a warm hug (but also really sexy idk man I’m not a writer clearly haha).

“Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, less hurt more comfort, Comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort erotica, comfort erotica, Erotica, mutual pining to mutual love, Love, Romance, Smut, Shameless Smut, Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, come for the erotica stay for the comfort, come for the comfort stay for the erotica, if it’s broken fix it and never let it out of your sight again, painting with muted colours never suited my literary palette, Tsunade as a cockblock device and a meddler, plot arc what plot arc, pacing what pacing, Whirlwind Romance, we’re all about the comfort here, Roommates, And then they were roommates, Eventual marriage, Marriage, they get married at the end, Getting Together, Sweet/Hot, Happy Ending, for all you Kakashi-level perverts out there sexy tags include but are not limited to, Frotting, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Hair-pulling, Nipple Play, 69 (Sex Position), Spanking, Fingerfucking, Blindfolds, it doesn’t count as a threesome if one of them is a shadow clone, Sweet, Spicy, sweet and spicy, Rimming, Snippet beta we die like Akatsuki villains only to be resurrected again, Domestic, Cuddling & Snuggling, Idiots in Love, Light Bondage, versatile lovers, Top Hatake Kakashi, Top Umino Iruka, Belonging

Summary:

Kintsugi: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of an object's history, rather than something to disguise.

(Iruka gets heavily injured in a mission gone wrong. Problem is, Tsunade knows he won't stay in the hospital long enough to recuperate. Kakashi finds himself volunteering to be his carer. As they get closer, the tension between them reaches a boiling point. Complete.)”

Unspoken by RenGoneMad

Incredible canon-compliant rewrite where Kakashi and Iruka meet much earlier (kind of, you’ll see). And Kakashi has a long time cruuuuuuush 😜 the banter/flirting is really cute. The pacing and development of the relationship is so so good! The way the author gets into their heads is just great. Both 🔥 & heartwarming! ❤️

“Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Fluff and Angst, Hatake Kakashi-centric, POV Hatake Kakashi, Secret Identity, Canon Compliant, Canon - Manga, Complete, Kissing, Sexual Tension, Obsession, But not unhealthy or creepy, Pining, Stalking, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Suicide, (as complies with canon)

Summary: The memorial stone should be a place to mourn the dead, a place to remember the many sins and failures that haunt Hatake Kakashi.

To Iruka, it's a place to speak to his parents, and the mysterious ANBU who listens.

Follows Kakashi from ages 14 to 29, and the many ways Iruka changes his life”

The Outcasted by yeou_bi

Sensual, erotic, all without anything explicit (yet?). They way they’re falling in love is so cute 😭 Just lovely ❤️ I hope the author writes more chapters! 😊🤞🏽

“Chapters: 3/?

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Additional Tags: Hospitalization, Illnesses, References to Illness, Loneliness, POV Alternating, Present Tense, Skin diseases, Slow Burn, Denial of Feelings, Nausea, Touch-Starved, Touching, Hurt/Comfort, Pandemics, Dysfunctional Relationships, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Bullying, Discrimination

Summary: During the outbreak of a mysterious disease, Kakashi finds himself sharing a clinic room with Iruka.

What begins as simple moments of sharing the same burden slowly turns confusing. When physical touch could mean an infection, it also becomes a commodity that's hard to come by for those who are recovering”

Thank you to all the talented authors! 💕

[heartbreak-human]

Chapters: 17/17 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Maito Gai | Might Guy, Mitarashi Anko, Yamato | Tenzou Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Fluff and Angst, Hatake Kakashi-centric, POV Hatake Kakashi, Secret Identity, Canon Compliant, Canon - Manga, Complete, Kissing, Sexual Tension, Obsession, But not unhealthy or creepy, Pining, Stalking, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Suicide, (as complies with canon) Series: Part 1 of Un/Spoken Summary:

The memorial stone should be a place to mourn the dead, a place to remember the many sins and failures that haunt Hatake Kakashi.

To Iruka, it's a place to speak to his parents, and the mysterious ANBU who listens.

Follows Kakashi from ages 14 to 29, and the many ways Iruka changes his life.

Some ickies with ither parties but overall faithful

[bewitchingrat]

I read Unspoken by rengonemad and I've never felt Less normal about kakashi in my life..

[rengonemad]

Selfish Thanks

New fic! This is for the @tenzoscabin Theme of the Month Event for April: Celebrating Traditions! :3

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi & Yamato | Tenzou Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Hatake Kakashi is Bad at Feelings, Canon Compliant, Getting Together, First Kiss, 5+1 Things, Developing Relationship, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Eventual Happy Ending Word Count: 8,640

Summary:

June 24th.

There was nothing objectively special about that date. It wasn’t a holiday or a birthday (at least not Kakashi’s or Tenzō’s). It wasn’t the anniversary of any large battle, nor was it precisely the summer solstice.

But it was, unquestionably, the day that Kakashi had chosen to thank Tenzō, year after year.

(Or: Kakashi thanks Tenzō in increasingly flustering ways, plus one time that Tenzō thanks Kakashi.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30931889/chapters/76387715

[the-creative-lounge-blog]

Chapters: 3/4 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi & Yamato | Tenzou Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Yamato | Tenzou, Yugao, Shizune (Naruto) Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Hatake Kakashi is Bad at Feelings, Canon Compliant, Getting Together, First Kiss, 5+1 Things, Developing Relationship, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Eventual Happy Ending Summary:

June 24th.

There was nothing objectively special about that date. It wasn’t a holiday or a birthday (at least not Kakashi’s or Tenzō’s). It wasn’t the anniversary of any large battle, nor was it precisely the summer solstice.

But it was, unquestionably, the day that Kakashi had chosen to thank Tenzō, year after year.

  (Or: Kakashi thanks Tenzō in increasingly flustering ways, plus one time that Tenzō thanks Kakashi.)

[tenzoyamato]

Had a brainchild moment hit me with the image of what a Modern AU Forest Ranger Tenzō would look like. Then with the most amazing contributions from @nki-stories and @rengonemad on the @tenzoscabin Discord server, this AU has came to life with a name and some delicous meaty bits to it!

Your Turn To Stay

What we have so far is:

Tenzō the Forest Ranger, he enjoys befriending the wildlife and protecting the forest, helping out visitors, saving the stranded as well as [but not limited to] informing adults and children about the different ecosystems, flora, and fauna.

Shapeshifters come into the mix one day when Tenzō’s out in the forest taking in the scenery on his lunch break. Turns out the wildlife he was befriending and enjoying are mostly shapeshifters.

It’s a happy accident because they all show Tenzō their appreciation for him protecting the forest and their habitat.

This is when Tenzō meets Kakashi the wolf shapeshifter, and leader of the Hatake pack. [The Hatake pack is made up of various shapeshifters, not just wolves.]

Naruto is a fox cub shapeshifter who was adopted by the Hatake pack. [Feel free to send in additional suggestions for other Naruto characters as shapeshifters and members of the Hatake pack!]

Kiba is also a wolf, but he’s of the Inuzuka pack. [Which is mostly made up of his family of shapeshifters, but they also take in a few strays as well.]

Next we have the Akatsuki Hunters. Their goal is to hunt down and steal the souls of the shapeshifters. It’s believed that when you drink the soul of a shapeshifter it gives you unbridled strength/powers, preserves your youth, and you gain an amazing healing factor.

Kakuzu’s only goal is to collect their pelts because money. 🤣

By now it’s been two years and Tenzō has spent so much time with his new shapeshifting friends that he’s fallen in love with the leader of the Hatake pack, Kakashi.

One day, somewhere not too far away from the Hatake pack’s land [which is also part of the forest in which Tenzō patrols], the Akatsuki Hunters manage to get their hands on a Inuzuka shapeshifter who was trying to save a young boy [Sai] from drowning. They managed to pull him from the river, but they ultimately they were knocked out and captured when they were caught off guard. The unconscious boy is found later that evening by another Inuzuka pack member who went out searching for their brother and brought the boy back to the den to be cared for. Unfortunately, Sai is sick with hypothermia and they’re not sure he’ll last the night so they turn him into a shapeshifter to save his life. 

The next day, before Tenzō leaves the station for his patrol, he is informed that poachers [the Akatsuki Hunters] have been spotted in the area. Tenzō tries to get to Kakashi and his pack as fast as he can to warn them, but he runs into trouble. Right when Tenzō is far enough into the woods, he is ambushed by Kakuzu and Jūzō. They don’t want any witnesses to their business, and the only reason Sai was left alive was because Hidan didn’t realize what the Inuzuka shapeshifter was doing. He simply thought they were getting a drink of water from the river.

Tenzō is stabbed in the back and stomach then left for dead [or so he thinks], but Kakazu and Jūzō know that shapeshifters are cautious when it comes to the scent of blood and that they’ll investigate it. 

Kakashi gets a whiff of coppery scent first, then the familiar scent of Tenzō and he tells his pack to run and hide while he goes off to investigate. Of course Kakashi is panicking because he’s in love with Tenzō too [but they just haven’t admitted it to each other yet]. When Kakashi gets there, Tenzō is already unconscious and he’s ambushed by Kakuzu and Jūzō. 

Shapeshifter Kakashi is a forced to be reckoned with and the pair sent out to this area can’t keep up with his attacks. It isn’t until Kakuzu realizes that Kakashi is protecting the Forest Ranger, he see an opportunity to save their own skins as well as some prized pelts. Clearly, the shapeshifter has softspot for this person to which he can use to their advantage. He tells Jūzō to stop fighting, but he doesn’t listen and Kakuzu can’t stand it. He tells him two more times, but by the third time he strikes Jūzō down, killing him. That’s when Kakashi stops, shocked that the Akatsuki Hunter would turn on their own partner and now that Kakuzu has Kakashi’s attention he quickly grabs Tenzō and tells Kakashi that if he wants the Ranger to live, he best come quietly without fighting him. Kakashi doesn’t see any other recourse so he begrudgingly agrees.

Once they make it back to the Akatsuki Hunter’s hideout, Tenzō and Kakashi are placed in a cell together. Unfortunately, Tenzō isn’t going to wake up because he’s lost too much blood and the only thing Kakashi can think to do is turn him into a shapeshifter [I have am still mulling over if shapeshifters become the same animal as the person that turned them, or if they shapeshift into the animal they’re more akin to].

Tenzō’s life is saved and he wakes back up finally, but when he does, he’s no longer human [Either he turns into a wolf, bear, or a big cat? I welcome thoughts, suggestions, and speculation on this! Halp!]. He can’t turn back into a human yet, not until he’s healed up some, and even then he doesn’t know how.

Kakuzu comes in with Kisame and Itachi to show them his catch and he’s satisfied that his impromptu plan paid off. Now they have two shapeshifters for the price of one, which means another pelt for him and another soul for the Akatsuki Hunters [I totally imagine the Akatsuki Hunters being an occult now. Lmfao! 🤣] 

That’s all we’ve got for now! If you wish to ask any questions, want to add to this, make suggestions, or comments, please feel free to send them in! 💜🌱🙆‍♂️

@superbacongirl @hades-bitch @tenzosnewleaf

[kalira]

I am super curious about your WIP "Sai, Sparklepuppy, and Sketches" xD

This one came about from discussion in my writing server! (As . . . many of my plans do or at least are affected by. >.>) I love my Dog-sensei & Sparklepuppy theme, as is no surprise I am sure, and it has been something of a plan in discussion for a while to add in Inkpuppy Sai - I have plans for this directly and have written a little with him inexplicably roped in with Kakashi-sensei and Sakura. Inkpuppy trying so very hard to learn how to be a Good Puppy and watching Sakura and Kakashi (and maybe winding up rather more animalistic than one might expect for someone with no blood link like the Hatake, Inuzuka, Yashagoro, etc.) and bonding with them.

This thread, however, worked off the idea that Sai sketches people around him with mysterious perceptiveness, among other things . . . and also that he was not entirely aware he was being adopted into a pack until long after it had happened. (Of course; poor silly Inkpuppy.)

A little snippet!

“Is that . . . us?” Sakura asked, and Kakashi glanced over to where she was stretching beneath the wide branches of an oak, Sai beside her with his tools. “Me and Kakashi-sensei?”

“Yes. Is it . . . bad?” Sai asked, looking at his paper.

“No, of course not!” Sakura assured him, smiling brightly.

 Kakashi’s perspective/observation of said drawing:

The larger figure was a large wolf lying in a loose curl near the trunk of a tree represented more by sketchy lines than directly drawn, a book with a restricted symbol lying open over his muzzle. Kakashi’s lips twitched. Near himself was a much smaller canine - a puppy - the lines of her body softer, crouched over a rather thick book lying open between her paws. There was a stack of more of the same just visible past her shoulders.

There may be more drawings featured in this, including getting Sai included. Honestly this WIP is a handful of very tiny scenebits and some rough notes mostly in my head, thus far.

Art as representation of both people (inside and out) and feelings/bonds!

(Check out my WIP list and ask me about anything interesting!)

[rengonemad]

We did a thing!

The Carpenter

Created by: @rengonemad and @nki-stories for @the-umino-hours 1-year anniversary event! =)

Summary:  “It’s my birthday.” 

The chūnin’s eyes widened. He looked out over the graveyard. Tenzō could see the incredulous thought as it formed: “And you’re spending it here?”

It never came to fruition; the man’s features slackened and his lips pressed together tight. When he turned back around, Tenzō fantasized that he could see more understanding than pity in the man’s gaze. 

The question he actually asked was soft, and not incredulous at all. “Do you want to be alone?”

Tenzō had never been asked that question before. His exhausted brain churned sluggishly, searching for an honest answer. He wasn’t very surprised when he found it. “Not really.”

Chapters: ½ Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen and up Audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Relationships: Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi & Yamato | Tenzou Characters: Umino Iruka,  Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Angst and Romance, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Infinite Tsukuyomi, Secret Identity, Secret Admirer, Character Study, Canon Compliant, POV alternating, Yamato | Tenzou’s POV, POV Umino Iruka, Love Confessions, Discord: Umino Hours, Angst with a Happy Ending, Yamato | Tenzou is lonely and needs a hug, Collaboration — Writer and Artist

[butter--peanut]

Some KakaYama recs

I’ve been getting into KakaYama recently (thanks mainly to @wind-becomes-lightning), so here’s a few of the stories I read and really liked! Definitely not comprehensive, there’s still many many I haven’t read. Send me your favourites and I will nom them like a sweet cookie.

One shots

Break My Baby by Lutelyre (E; 3967 words) — Gorgeous. Nothing more needs to be said.

Good With You by RenGoneMad (E, 3323 words) — There’s so much sexual tension here just alskdjaflkdj delicious.

Amity by RenGoneMad (M, 8107 words) — Bodyswap trope my beloved.

And all mine by earlier_sunsets (E; 1898 words) — Kakashi is a jealous guy. This is dark and mean-dom Kakashi, very hot.

There is a Person at Your Front Door by @itsemilyofc (T, 5451 words) — Modern AU. Tenzo needs his weird neighbour to help with his technology problems. Cute!

Once a Mistake, Twice a Decision by ricochet (E, 11859 words) — the summary puts it perfectly: Idiots in Love do Friends with Benefits. Badly.

Age of Coming Reason by keepyourpantsongohan (G, 4033 words) — really sweet.

Say it With Flowers by keepyourpantsongohan (G, 4088 words) — Tenzo is sprouting around Kakashi. So cute!

+ Bonus Yamato/Obito b/c the ship is so small it wouldn’t have it’s own rec list but I love them so:

Mutual Destruction (Through Compliments) by Kikuneesama (@wind-becomes-lightning) (M, 5562 words) — this was written for me and I love it. Jonin!Obito AU, Obito and Tenzo train together on Kakashi’s suggestion. Praise be for praise kink! 

Multichapters

Taichou by @itsemilyofc (E, 31675 words) — Kakashi’s copes by following orders. Tenzo provides — and guiltily realises that he likes it. This fic has so much of my catnip (praise kink), it’s glorious.

What Binds Us (M, 34745 words) by RenGoneMad — Kakashi’s shaky mental health + bondage-as-coping, but it’s Tenzo’s PoV so Kakashi’s intentions are somewhat mysterious throughout. He’s like a detective trying to figure it out. Very cool (and hot, b/c Mokuton bondage trope!)

a long time, maybe the wrong time by emlof (T, 13382 words) — Soulmate AU + idiots in love <3 

[kakairu-rocks]

We are excited to introduce our next shining star for the Creator Spotlight... @akumu-jubokko​​!

This is a member’s only activity where we reach out to one of the talented people in our community each month to find out all about them and their kakairu creations, and then show them off to the world!

We hope you enjoy learning about Laz & their creations as much as we did. Please give them some love ❤️  

Pronouns: They/Them/Any

Type of Creator: Writer& Artist

Where to find them:

Tumblr

AO3

Read the exciting interview below the cut, or on the forum!

If you would like a chance to be in the spotlight too, the only thing you have to do is be a member of the kakairu rocks forum, and be a creator; and we will contact you, ourselves!

1. How long have you been creating KakaIru fanworks?

I have been doing kkir writing/arts for over two years now!

2. What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m working on a long bodyguard AU!! It’s a lot of political shinobi drama and all that fun stuff! It’s a long fic, pushing at least 45-50k right now (at its halfway mark).

3. What is your favourite trope to create for?

ANGST! Hands down! Also I love monsters and creating horror art!

4. Which of your creations is your favourite, and why?

I really love the fic “Snowfall, Fairy Lights, and a Ring”. This fic came out of memories I had as a childhood of warm fireplaces and fairy lights, mixed with the romantic, comfortable spaces of a dance floor. It just makes me smile and feel all warm inside when I picture that space.

5. Do you have any WIPs you’re excited about?

Hmmm… I’d say the bodyguard AU, and that’s mainly because of how much behind the scenes drama and shinobi clan politics are going into it!

6. Do you have any original characters? If so, tell us about them!

As a matter of fact, I do! (Spoilers). I have a character called Lord Hiashi (still working on the name, may or may not change, haha) who is all up and involved in the dynamics of Konoha’s political leadership. He’s adopted a way of permanently sustaining a henge to hide the scars on his face from a horrid accident early in his life (battle). He’s a grumpy old man with a steel will and heart of gold. Lowkey was inspired by old Bruce Wayne from Batman Beyond.

7. What was your hardest piece to create, and why?

There’s an exchange fic that I did called “What is Love if Not a Distraction?” and it was extraordinarily difficult to fit the trope of soulmates into a timed fic exchange. The result was a huge amount of time thinking how to connect lines that needed to be said and then the most frantic keysmashing imaginable for a straight hour.

8. Do you have any favourite scenes from something you’ve created?

I do! The scene of Iruka talking down Danzo in “Power Play” just feels so good. I love the thought of Iruka standing his ground against clan leaders that are so much more powerful than him, and that’s one of those moments.

9. Where does your inspiration come from?

Mostly walking outdoors, I get a lot of creative vibes from walking through forests and fields.

10. Which of your creations is the most meaningful to you, and why?

I have a very violent, graphic historical AU kkir called “A Promise”, which was written at a very low point in my mental state. That fic, graphic as it may be, felt very cathartic to write and put together, and to have the absolutely wonderful RenGoneMad beta and encourage me through the process was inspiring. Plus, I’m a sucker for happy endings coming out of truly dark fics—and this is one of those.

[happymonger]

Made another gift for @rengonemad

Prompt: Modern AU

For the @tenzoscabin discord server event.

Assassin and the spy (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[heartbreak-human]

Chapters: 8/8 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Maito Gai | Might Guy Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates, Pining, Mutual Pining, POV Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Misunderstandings, Developing Relationship, Character Study, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, As canon compliant as it can realistically be, Hatake Kakashi is Bad at Feelings Summary:

The first time the Prism marred Kakashi’s pale skin, he was four years old, and he thought it was a bruise. It was dark blue and purple, cupping his cheek, running down his bicep and ribs to settle on his abdomen. If it weren’t for the way the colors undulated and swirled, migrating across his body in long swathes, Kakashi would have dismissed it as another complication of training.

That was the day his father gave him the mask.

It's not infidelity but can be interepreted that way. Based on soulmate stuff and it made me sad 😞. When one holds back and the other doesnt kinda thing.

[enchantedpendant]

To Kakashi, the ending had always been tragic. A plea for penance, but a recognition that it could never be fulfilled. The conclusion wasn’t so much a conclusion at all, but a gaping hole that petered out into a single note on the cello, leaving hollow gaps where the piano had once been. Where Rin had once been. Gaps that could never be filled.

Tenzō’s ending was different.

The Path of Life by @rengonemad

for @the-kakashi-lounge-blog doodles/drabbles exchange

[rengonemad]

5 Scars, 1 Decision to Heal

This is a gift for Dami over at the KakaGai Hell Discord! I hope you enjoy! >.<  Rating: General Pairing: Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai (can be read platonic or as the prelude to romance) Warnings: None, Read More is just for length Word Count: 2k

5 Times Gai made Kakashi consider Scars, and 1 Time Kakashi Understood

1. 

The first time Kakashi heard hushed respect in his father’s voice, they were in the presence of Sarutobi Hiruzen. That made sense, Kakashi thought: he was a man famed as the Sandaime, the Professor, the strongest shinobi in Konoha, and the student of both the First and Second Hokages. If there was anyone that the legendary White Fang would respect, it would be Sarutobi Hiruzen. 

The second time Kakashi heard hushed respect in his father’s voice, it was quite different. He was about to start at the Academy and a bruised and scarred kid in a green bodysuit was thanking Kakashi for an insult. 

“At this rate, this kid could become even stronger than you.” Sakumo said quietly, his palm a heavy weight on Kakashi’s head. 

Kakashi didn’t understand. The kid was weak. Not only had he been rejected from the Academy even though he looked a little older than Kakashi, but he was covered in dirt and abrasions. That meant he was weak enough to get hurt, and stupid enough not to hide it.

Kakashi asked for the kid’s name anyway. If his father respected these people, then Kakashi could do that much. 

It didn’t make sense, but Kakashi trusted his father. 

He trusted his father when he suggested Kakashi make Gai his rival. He trusted his father when he said that Sarutobi Hiruzen was a great man. He trusted his father when he said that Kakashi shouldn’t worry about him—that Sakumo was fine, even if it looked like he hadn’t left his bed since Kakashi left for his mission five days earlier. Even if the dishes were molding and Kakashi heard whispers about the White Fang, about his fall from grace—

Kakashi trusted his father. 

He did, until there was no more father to trust. 

Maito Dai and Maito Gai were the only people who attended Hatake Sakumo’s funeral. 

They cried more than Kakashi did.

Two weeks later, Kakashi moved out of Hatake Estate and into a chūnin barrack. It was a cramped, one-room affair, but that meant it was easier to clean. 

Most importantly, it didn’t have blood-stained tatami. 

It didn’t have any scars.

2.

The first time Kakashi got a scar that couldn’t be hidden by clothes, he got a sharingan and ninety-eight pounds of guilt to go with it. 

They were all signs of his weakness. Signs of his failures. 

But that didn’t mean he was willing to get rid of them. 

The Uchiha petitioned for the removal of Kakashi’s sharingan. There was no proof it had been given willingly, Fugaku said. (Disregarding the fact that not only was Rin a witness, but that the Yamanakas could have proven it from both of their memories if necessary.) It was sacrilege for a kekkei genkai to be wielded by someone outside of the clan. (The entire notion of shinobi having honor was questionable, in Kakashi’s humble opinion.) Keeping a kekkei genkai without a matching bloodline would kill the host by chakra drain—

—that part actually had some validity. Kakashi nearly died of chakra drains three times in that first year, before he finally figured out exactly how far he could push himself, how to recognize the warning signs when the sharingan began to consume more than Kakashi had to give. Effectively losing an eye meant an imbalance in depth perception and narrowed field of vision, both of which were easily deadly for a shinobi. Reading gave him a skull-splitting headache for the first two months, and his handwriting suddenly went from precise to nearly illegible and always slanted at an angle no matter how he turned his head. 

Rin looked at him differently, too. Even with one eye, Kakashi could tell. Her smiles were brittle. They shattered the moment she looked away. 

She often looked away. 

The scar was a sign of his weakness. The sharingan, a mark of his greatest mistake. 

It was a mark he deserved to bear. 

3.

Gai wouldn’t leave Kakashi alone.

Part of that was probably Kakashi’s fault; Maito Dai didn’t leave a body behind, but Gai held a private funeral for him anyway. Kakashi was the only one to attend. 

Over the next few years, Gai kept accumulating scars—some of them drawn by Kakashi’s own hand. They never tried to seriously injure each other—if weapons were involved, they fought until one part was disarmed or forced to concede. If taijutsu was the arena, then a successful pin for five seconds constituted a win. Kakashi never used fatal ninjutsu techniques. 

But accidents happened. Sometimes Gai didn’t dodge as quickly as Kakashi thought he would. Not hurting Gai in those instances became part of Kakashi’s practice, although not one he ever told his “Eternal Rival”. Gai’s ego wasn’t as untarnishable as he claimed it to be.

Gai’s scars steadily grew in number, overtaking his body with rough lines and calloused flesh. Kakashi’s own scars were fewer in number, but they, too, accumulated as the years passed. 

Their scars were different. Gai’s were a show of his dedication, the effort he put into perfecting something that no one thought possible of him. 

Kakashi’s laced his skin with memories that couldn’t be shut out. 

4.

When they were seventeen, Gai got rejected. He had brought her dozens of bouquets, composed entire sonnets, exclaimed about her to Kakashi every rare chance he got. Apparently, she said he was too much for her. Kakashi could see her point, but Gai really didn’t deserve the daffodils thrown back in his face. 

Gai only mourned for one day before he got up again, the same as at the end of any fight, and poured his sweat and tears into taijutsu. He used that motivation to master the fifth gate. 

Two months later, he was interested in another girl. He courted her with exactly the same amount of gusto as he had the first time around. This girl accepted. When she broke up with him politely two months later, Gai was still certain that true love existed, and absolutely willing to have his heart broken a million times over in order to find it.

Kakashi pretended to read while listening to his rants. He pretended to read while Gai sobbed in passion or mourning. He pretended to read while watching how the accumulating scars on tanned skin never reached Gai’s humongous, tender heart. 

Kakashi pretended that he didn’t think Gai was just as cool as he was ridiculous. 

5.

The first time Kakashi saw Gai truly affected by a scar, it wasn’t his own. 

Rock Lee was probably the first person in the world (other than Hatakes) who truly respected Gai. Unfortunately, while Lee and Gai’s ostentatious personalities, bullheaded stubbornness, large hearts, and bushy eyebrows all gave them obvious similarities, there were important points in which the two differed.

Those points led to Lee’s self-destruction.

While Lee had grown up in peacetime, with romantic dreams of shinobi and what it meant to be one, Gai had been faced with the stark reality of it from the earliest time he could remember. 

Gai understood consequences, and he understood how to judge an acceptable loss—at least, most of the time. Gai had known death firsthand before even leaving the Academy, and had seen his own father make the ultimate sacrifice of the eighth gate. He understood risks, and he had the ability to weigh them, whether most people realized that or not. 

Yet, Gai gave such tremendous power as the gates to a child who was full of more idealism than reason, more impulse than temperance. He gave that power to a boy who certainly would one day become a fine shinobi, but who had never seen death or destruction or the scars shinobi so often didn’t survive. Gai gave that power to a child who had never had anything more precious on the line than his own pride—and Lee suffered a powerful price for it. 

Kakashi couldn’t be beside Gai for those early days after Lee’s injury, because Gai wasn’t the only one who had make a mistake. Instead, Kakashi spent weeks sleeping for mere minutes at a time on a sheer rock face, training himself and his own childish student—one who had seen far more than many full-grown shinobi ever did—in the vain hope that they would both survive whatever Orochimaru would bring them next.

He thought that Sasuke’s past would teach him how to use his power well. Naively, Kakashi thought he had chosen better than Gai, that Sasuke wouldn’t suffer the same consequences.

He was wrong.

Kakashi and Gai had both failed their students—but Gai’s was an error of judgement, one in which he had placed his own history and capabilities onto a kid that wasn’t quite ready.

It took less than two months for Kakashi to realize his own error had been far worse. His own error had been one of the heart: specifically, of neglecting Sasuke’s. 

By then, it was too late.

The most painful scars, Kakashi knew by that point, were the ones he could only see, and do nothing to heal.

+1

Four years later, scars mottled the Earth itself. Konoha carried more than her share of them. Even months after Pein’s attack, rubble stood in half the districts and gouges were still being filled in with dirt and cement. Tenzō had long since erected temporary and permanent structures for the village’s basic needs, but post-war, there were too many necessities and not enough resources to allocate to them. One of the only projects completed during the first few months of the Rokudaime’s tenure was an additional ward to the hospital, designated for rehabilitating physically debilitated shinobi. 

No one had come out of the Fourth Shinobi War without a scar. Some of them were simply more noticeable than others.

“Doesn’t the Hokage—” Gai wheezed as he struggled to pull himself into an upright position in the hospital bed. Kakashi remained by the window, listening to the sound of hammers banging in the distance. He knew better than to offer help for something Gai could do himself—no matter how much time, and pain, it could cost him. “Have better things to waste his time on than—visiting an old rival?”

“I’m hiding,” Kakashi shrugged. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gai’s expression. “Maa, no need to look so disapproving. It’s only until I make a decision.” He held a palm up in pacification. “I promise I’m not shirking my duties.”

“Ah.” Gai nodded wisely, but his voice was breathy, hoarse despite the water bottle he had already half-drained. “I have—every faith you’ll make the best choice!”

With entirely burnt chakra pathways, Kakashi could only imagine the pain and fatigue Gai was going through—at least a dozen-fold what Kakashi himself had ever experienced with the sharingan. It was a miracle he was talking at all. 

Well—not a miracle. Gai’s strength wasn’t the gift of any God. 

It was something he had formed himself.

“You still have faith, Gai?” Kakashi murmured. “Even after all this?”

Gai’s bushy brows descended towards the center, the corners of his lips tugging down as well to form a frown. He was always sharper than people knew.

Tanned and scarred fingers clenched around his bottle of water. Plastic crinkled beneath the grip that had lost decades of strength in a single, life-changing moment.

With Gai, Kakashi knew: it was strength that could be gained again.

“In you, Kakashi, I always have faith.”

Kakashi turned back to face the window. His fingernails dug into the meat of his palm, hidden within his pocket. The other hand rose. He brushed fingerprints against the scar that bisected where the sharingan had once sat—a constant reminder still of Kakashi’s biggest failures. 

But that scar no longer stole Kakashi’s sight.

That scar no longer stole Kakashi’s chakra.

That scar no longer blinded Kakashi to the changes he could make in the world, and in those around him. 

It had taken over twenty-five years for Kakashi to understand why Gai could be who he was—why he could accumulate scars that were only surface-deep, why he could take even worse ones in stride and use them to drive himself forward: 

Gai didn’t define himself by his scars.

Perhaps it was time that Kakashi learned how to do that, too.

(I, uh, also made this edit. xD I dunno why.)

[the-creative-lounge-blog]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Mild Gore, Horror, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Tengu, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Tragic Romance, is it a happy ending?, i think so, But it's up to you to decide, Discord: Kakashi Lounge, 30 Minute Fic, Seduction to the Dark Side, Halloween Challenge Summary:

"My father, the first time I asked about you—he told me that Tengu were portents of war." Kakashi murmured. “I didn’t believe him.”

Iruka’s dark hair fluttered, breaking into the outline of the full moon. "Do you believe it now?"

[mytsukkishine]

kakashi x iruka | tooth-rotting fluff | surprises | my winter bingo fic for @rengonemad <3 | @the-umino-hours

Sighing, he adjusts his posture and the scrolls he's holding. Iruka glances up at the clock hanging from the wall in front of him, taking note that in a few minutes, his shift will end, and in the next few hours, Iruka is probably at his apartment, alone, while his boyfriend is probably on his way to his unexpected mission.

It’s unfair, Iruka thinks. Some other shinobis are qualified for that 'B-rank' mission but they still chose Kakashi. They always choose him. Can’t they let the man have some rest? Iruka knows he can’t really complain though, it’s mission first before anything else. He’s aware of that, he’s a shinobi.

But it still saddens him.