Another path

The first ring

< Hi everyone! Currently re-reading all my chapters to rid them of typos ! It's a bit tedious, sometimes I fail to realize how goddamn long this story is.
But anyway, I don't own Naruto, I do own my ocs and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter ! >
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Triggers: none.
Topic : character introspection / action.
Warning ⚠️ : mentions of abuse (light/suggested).

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No one in the room dared say a word. They just stood there, stupor on their face. Even Kurama seemed taken aback by this sudden development - but just as quickly as the expression had appeared on her features, it was replaced by a serious one.

And all at once, all the Uzushio shinobi tensed. Like a knee jerk reaction, the ones from Konoha rose their guard as well. It looked like a fight was about to start when a laughter erupted in the crowd.
An annoyed, almost disappointed laughter.

*36 hours earlier*

Kakashi dropped unceremoniously on his bed under the amused gaze of his students. A snarky reminder that out of the team, his stamina was the lowest. As Higure would put it, "everyone must have a flaw, it wouldn't be fair if you were the only exception."
It surprised him how highly the young man seemed to think of him. Then again, all three of his students were jōnin so technically not students per se anymore. But they stuck to calling him sensei - even Suzu did whenever they were in a professional situation. He found it quite endearing.

If he allowed himself to reminisce, he could see himself refusing team after team, traumatized after the fate that had befallen his former one. At this time, his ability to make social connections was even more jarred than Sasuke's. It was only when he first saw "Naru" playing on her own in a shabby orphanage that he felt that maybe he could do something with his life. It was only when he saw villagers corner her in a dark alley with torches and pitchforks that he knew he had to do something with his life.

From then on, it had become a battle to adopt, the council refusing for obscure reasons (which he was sure was Danzō wanting to be able to control both Kurama and her daughter by keeping Suzuka isolated) and the Hokage was unable to help. It came as a relief when she was adopted, he knew for a fact that both Shishui and Uzume would take good care of her and Jun'ichirō wouldn't let harm come her way.
It was around this time he came to meet Higure. The boy had noticed him hanging out with Shisui as ANBU. To be fair, his silver hair was quite unique so it wasn't that hard to link Inu and Kakashi. Higure had been such a joyful child, with bright and open facial expressions that he wondered if he was an Uchiha.

They were supposed to be on his team. Three days before graduation, it had happened. One child missing, the other one dropping out. That year, Kakashi didn't get a team either but he refused no one. The next year, the Sandaime didn't propose him one. Kakashi had thought it was because the elder man had given up.
He hadn't guessed that it was so he would be available for the next year's team seven.

It was both a curse and a joy to have Suzuka on his team. He could spend time with her yet he could never tell her how much he wished they'd live together so he wouldn't have to know she went home every day to a shabby flat with no one to greet her. He wanted to do much more for her, be the older brother his sensei had hoped he'd enjoy being. Regardless of what people said, Suzuka and Minato shared many traits : the ingeniousness, the righteousness, the caring nature, the determination... While those traits were also present in Kurama-dono, they showed differently. Kakashi suspected the Bijū thought so as well whenever she'd watch Suzuka's antics with a fond yet melancholic smile.