✔️Heal My Heart {Kakashi Hatake}

30 | new recruit

ANBU Itachi! Does anyone else think his mask makes him look weirdly adorable?

I slammed my foot into the dummy, and it bent backwards from the force. As it sprung back up, I slashed with Hokori and a fresh tear appeared right on the throat. I then did a swift backwards handspring.

Inspecting my knuckles, I discovered that my training had been fruitful; having a sword in my hand no longer hindered any sort of movement, and I was capable enough of fighting with only one blade.

"Not bad."

I glanced over my shoulder, then relaxed to see Kakashi, dressed in ANBU uniform. He somehow found pockets to stuff his hands in; I didn't have a clue how he did it.

"I've been practicing one-handed, just in case something happens."

"Well, I hate to cut you off, but we have to be down at the lockers. Itachi's starting today, and the team's been assigned a mission."

"Give me a second." I sheathed Hokori and picked up Yorokobi from where it rested against a nearby oak tree. The rest of my gear I kept in my locker at the ANBU headquarters, so I followed Kakashi as I was.

"I did knock, but you didn't answer, so I just came in," Kakashi said as I locked the door behind me.

"No duh." I smirked. "By the way, do you always walk this slowly?"

"I'm not in a hurry."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, prepare to be educated in the ways of swift movement." I reached out to the trees, and two branches reached down and curled around mine and Kakashi'a waists.

"Wait, hold on-"

"Good idea, this will be pretty fast!" I laughed, and the branches shot forward, taking the two of us with them.

Trees do not have infinite reach, not even with a little help from me. There were a couple of changeover points where we were flung by the last tree and then snatched out of the air by the next. I whooped and cheered the whole way, but Kakashi seemed a little startled by the changeovers. He was a little more stable when he was held securely; I could tell he was trying to balance himself and gain a little control over where he was going.

"Just go limp and relax!" I called to him. "I've got you! Don't you trust me?"

"That's not the problem!" Kakashi responded. I smiled, remembering the night of Obito's remembrance party, when he'd said the same thing.

"Don't you trust us?" I raised an eyebrow.

"That's not the problem."

"Then why don't you at least come down from there?"

"I said that wasn't the problem, not that I trusted you." Kakashi scowled.

"Oh, good, because I don't trust you either." I jabbed the tree sharply with my chakra, and Kakashi fell out with a crash.

"So do you trust me or not?" I yelled, launching us at yet another changeover.

"Yes! But this-"

He broke off suddenly as I dropped us on the ground. We had reached the ANBU headquarters. I landed neatly, bending my knees like we were taught in the Academy, but Kakashi crashed rather unceremoniously onto the floor.

"That was fun!" I grinned. "What were you saying?"

"I do trust you." Kakashi dragged himself onto his feel and brushed the dirt from his hair. "That was unexpected, and uncalled for. Why did you drop us on the floor like that?"

"I expected you to land on your feet. Most ninja do." I smirked.

I heard Kakashi sigh behind me as I placed my hand on the chakra scanner. There was a beep, a click, then the doors swung open to admit us.

The corridor that was revealed was poorly lit, and rather unappealing. The black stone was damp to the touch, and the white lamps that were buried in the rock every few feet didn't do much to make it any brighter. A couple of patrolling ANBU nodded to us in recognition as they walked past, but besides that we were mostly ignored.

Kakashi stopped by the locker room.

"Gear up quickly. Itachi's waiting down at uniform collection, we're supposed to escort him up here."

"I'll only be a second." I opened my locker and threw on my gear, not bothering to pick up my ninja pack. I quickly zipped up my jacket and secured my mask.

We hurried down to uniform collection after Kakashi decided to inform me that we were half an hour late.

"You said you weren't in a hurry!" I hissed to him. "You were already late!"

"He wasn't going anywhere," Kakashi responded.

I skidded to a halt in the waiting room, a good few paces ahead of Kakashi. Itachi looked up and smiled a little when he saw us.

"Hi." I tried to smile reassuringly. "Sorry we're late. Kakashi takes full responsibility."

"I do?" Kakashi glanced at me in alarm.

"Yes, Kakashi." I rolled my eyes behind my mask. "When something is your fault, the courteous thing to do is take responsibility."

"Are you two very close?" Itachi interrupted. When we looked at him, he ducked his head, remembering that he was talking to his superiors. "Sorry. I just noticed it last time we met."

"It's okay." I was intrigued. "What did you notice?"

"Just that you seem very familiar with each other. The way you talk is like banter between old friends. I just wondered..." Itachi trailed off. "Never mind."

I glanced at Kakashi, who simply shrugged. He didn't know what was going on either. I could somewhat see where Itachi was coming from; I did have a tendency to treat Kakashi like a child, and he had endured more of my sarcasm that anyone else.

"Well, you were right." I ruffled Itachi's dark hair with a smile he couldn't see. "We've known each other since we were kids."

"We should go. I told the others to assemble out on the training grounds," Kakashi cut in.

"Oh, really? And when did they arrive there?"

"If they were all on time... about an hour ago."

I sighed. "Of course. Itachi, how quickly can you change?"

"I can be quick, if I need to." The boy responded.

"The locker room is this way." Kakashi motioned for Itachi to follow.

We headed up to the locker room, which felt a lot bigger when it was empty. Itachi chose one of the vacated lockers and put on his gear, fixing his mask last. It was a little unnerving seeing him wear it; the final confirmation that Lord Third was allowing a child to join the ANBU. I made a resolution then to keep an eye on him, and keep him away from the dark stuff as much as possible. I wanted him to have a childhood, not just to skip from the Academy to assassination.

"I'm ready," Itachi said. I looked at him for a moment, closed my eyes briefly and had already turned towards the door before I responded.

"Let's go."