The Anachronism

Chapter 25

Several weeks passed since that touching morning, over the course of that, word had been spread about Tatsu's confrontation with the Raikage. Not many could face a kage alone and not only walk away with their lives but also claim to have won the battle. This attention was new to him, he'd never been openly outcasted, but that doesn't mean he was used to praising and newfound admiration. 

He'd been requested for specific treatments in the hospital a lot more recently and often times it was just minor issues, but it still made him feel happy while knowing people wanted him specifically. Even though all of that was great, the only thing that mattered to him was always waiting for him when he'd return home. Aside from the fact that they haven't slept in the bed since the situation, the two had become a lot closer, or would more intimate be a better way of phrasing it?

Kakashi was never the affectionate type, but Tatsu was. When they'd walk around the village, Tatsu would occasionally slip his hand into the other's, intertwining them in a fashion you'd usually see a couple do. He paid more attention to the things the older male would do, as a way to get a better view of where they stood. 

There'd been times where Kakashi took the initiative, sometimes he'd just randomly wrap his arms around the younger's waist placing his head on his shoulder in the process. Times where he'd sit a little too close to Tatsu where it simply couldn't be ignored, and then there were the times where he'd just flat out cuddle with the younger. To Tatsu, it was out of character for his "friend" to be acting like this, that's not stopping him from enjoying it, but it had to be said. 

"Welcome home." Kakashi greeted the brunette the same as usual. 

"Hey, Kakashi, I have some time off, so I was thinking maybe we could go to a hot spring or something?" Tatsu proposed as he removed his sandals. 

"A hot spring resort or a natural hot spring?"

"A resort could be nice, but if we went to a natural one we most likely would have it to ourselves."

"The two of us in a hot spring alone eh?"

"You don't want to we don't have to-"

"Let's do it." 

His words caught the younger by surprise. 

"Kakashi, I thought we would wait a little longer before that, but if you want to we could." The brunette trailed on, his mind succumbing to the thought of him and Kakashi. 

"I meant the tip, the two of us in a hot spring alone that is."

"Oh."

"But you were right, we should wait a little longer."

--- 

That simple conversation sparked a series of annual trips to the same hot spring for the next three years. The two lived a simple life, well as simple as being a shinobi would allow. Tatsu had held up his end of the deal with Hiashi, he took Hinata under his wing, not in the same fashion that Kurenai did, but in his own form. 

He was part of the reason she was able to pass the Chūnin Exams on her second try. Currently, he was headed back to the village with Kakashi, their recent trip to the hot spring had justd concluded. 

As they continued on the path, Tatsu could sense a large chakra signature, then a shockwave. An impact of sorts sent a large gust of winding their direction. Then it hit him like a pile of bricks, Pain's attack. 

"Kakashi, grab on to me," Tatsu commanded. 

The silver-haired man listened and grabbed onto his roommate's arm. In an instant, they were outside of the village. Tatsu wasted no time making his way on top of the wall to access the damage. 

"What the hell happened?" Kakashi questioned as he landed beside Tatsu. 

"Go find Minato-sensei, get an accurate report of the situation and keep an eye out for Kushina-sama and Naruto."

"What about you?"

"You finally get to see my seal in action."

At those words, the seal was released, the brunette wasted no time nipping his thumb in order to perform the summoning Jutsu. As Kakashi moved away from the man, a large puff of smoke could be seen behind him before it dispelled leaving behind a large slug. Soon the slug split apart into smaller slugs that moved into the decimated village. 

If he'd remembered how this went in the original timeline correctly, spreading his chakra thin like this could potentially put him in a coma just like it did Tsunade. Even with that knowledge, he didn't care as he started funneling his charka into holding the chakra expensive jutsu together. 

"Katsuyu, a report please." Tatsu requested as started feeling the strain of the jutsu. 

He could see the ongoing battle and some of the results of his jutsu, but he wanted to know whether he should shift his focus. 

"Majority of the village is destroyed as you can see, many are dead so I'm prioritizing the living."

"What is the status of Minato-sensei and Kushina-sama?"

"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki are fine, I'm tending to them, Hinata Hyuga was injured by the invading enemy, which seems to have triggered something with Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."

"Relay a message to Minato-sensei for me," Tatsu said as he closed his eyes in frustration.

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A/N: Fun times right? Anyway, I don't have much to say today so just tell me what you think and leave a suggestion.