When Kakashi met Shanks
Stumbling through the bar entrance, Kakashi manages not to fall flat on his face as Luffy lets go to enthusiastically wave to a red-haired man over at the bar.
The small Hatake instantly dubbed him an Uzumaki. With the red hair, cheery face, and an obsession over some kind of food - or in this case, drink, considering the bottles behind him on the counter - he checked off all the crieteria. Not one to make a bad first impression, Kakashi gives the man a brief, two-fingered salute and makes his way to the bar, taking his seat in a subtle higher-than-normal leap.
"Yo. Hatake Kakashi."
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Shanks blinks at the little boy sitting to his left on the countertop. He easily smiles back and returns the greeting.
"You new around here?" The captain asks bluntly. "I haven't seen you around before. I would know if I have. You don't look like one to be lost in a crowd."
"I have my ways." The boy—Kakashi—responds vaguely. "And I'm not new, actually. I remember an orphanage long ago...the service was quite unpleasant so I left to live in the forest over there." Kakashi gestured to where the forest would be.
Shanks mulled over the information, nursing his drink as Ben chatted with Luffy, keeping the boy distracted for now. An apparent orphan who ran away due to terrible living conditions. The kid seemed normal enough... except for the deceptively lazy stance and the strange way he worded things.
"All alone?"
A nod. Shanks arched a brow, impressed and mildly incredulous.
"That's pretty impressive!" He chuckled. "You look pretty clean for a kid living in the woods though...how do you get money for clothes like that? They look custom-made."
Kakashi smiles at him cheerfully at the inquiry. "I decided to live up to my name." He says jokingly. Shanks catches the pun and laughs. "Oh? How so?"
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"The folks who live at the edge of Windmill village pay enough." Kakashi supplies. "I work for a few hours a day for some of them. They were a little iffy at first because of my age, but they let me through in the end." Kakashi noted the disbelieving gaze from the red-haired man and sighs, adding, "Maa...not to mention the fat wallets waiting in the kingdom." He reveals a bit reluctantly. Shanks rolls his eyes and ruffles the kids hair. Kakashi lets him, seeing as his hair wouldn't be getting any neater.
"No need to put up an honest, hardworking image for yourself, kid, I'm a pirate, after all! Pirates aren't known for noble deeds and selfless acts."
'Neither are shinobi.' Kakashi thinks idly. For a moment he allows himself to reminisce of days long ago, meeting Kushina for the first time, her red hair eye-catching and her personality even more so.
It was a minute afterwards that he realized Shanks was repeating his name.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
I will make little side stories as I go. Between chapters.
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Scarecrow: Defender, Impostor...Littlest Brother
FanfictionSometimes Kakashi doesn't know where he really is. That's fine. It doesn't stop him from defending his three new precious people in this diverse, chaotic world he finds himself in. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy aren't /perfect/, no, not at all. But they fill...
