The Frailty of Genius (A Naruto Fan Fiction)

Chapter Thirteen ~ Drawbacks

The bridge had finally been finished, and we were almost home.

In my opinion, it could have been done at least two days earlier with better management, but Kakashi wouldn't let me take over. Irritating old man. Speaking of irritating, he kept giving me that same look: a mix of sadness, loss, sympathy, fear, shock, and pity. Pity, for me!

I didn't understand it, despite the fact that I had confronted him at the graves of Zabuza and Haku. He had tried to explain himself; it just made no logical sense.

***

The team and I stood before two graves, Zabuza's sword adorning one of them. I shifted my weight, hiding my impatience. Why were we bothering to bury two enemies? Finally, the team turned to leave, and I breathed a sigh of relief and attempted to follow.

"Cashile."

I paused, growling under my breath. What could Kakashi possibly want to talk about now? The team continued on, leaving Kakashi and I behind.

"I trusted you on that bridge," Kakashi began, "I decided to work as a team with you."

"And it payed off, didn't it?" I smirked, seeing the pieces snap into place.

"Yeah," Kakashi admitted with a slight grimace, "And it concerns me."

I stopped short. Concerned him? Shouldn't he be glad? I did exactly as he said, supported him, let him support me. I'd helped the team. What had I done wrong to make him concerned about my actions? "I did exactly what you would have done," I said slowly, trying to figure out where he was coming from without revealing my ignorance.

"Exactly," Kakashi sighed. "You... Cashile, you killed that boy."

"Your point is?" I asked. "He was a threat to our mission. I did what any ninja would have done."

"My point—Cashile! You killed him! You killed him and felt nothing afterward. You felt nothing when even Zabuza was shedding tears. And you're just a child—"

"Kakashi."

Kakashi stopped short and stared as I turned my back to him. "I am a ninja. This is what we do. Why are you upset with me for doing my duty?" I asked the question as though laying out a fact, as though pointing out a flaw, not like a child who didn't understand why an adult was upset with them.

"No, Cashile. No, I'm not upset at you," Kakashi shook his head, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "It's just...Cashile, do you care about anything?"

The question stopped me short. What a strange thing to ask; what answer could he possibly be searching for?. "I care about my life, surviving," I answered, turning back to him slightly, hiding my furrowed brows.

"But... Do you care about anything else?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" I asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"No. I want you to answer the question truthfully. Do you, Cashile, care about anything? Anything at all?"

"I understand your question, you can quit being repetitive," I bit out, irritated, before cutting myself off. Irritation and impatience were one of the thousands of factors which could perhaps lead to an outcome unfavorable to me. Finally, I answered, "Yes, I do care about some things."

"Like what?"

Now I could give him the truth, or I could make up a sob story to soften his heart toward me and give me the advantage. I smiled slightly and told him what he wanted to hear. "Team Seven."

"Bullshit," he snapped, just as I predicted. If he knew that I'd lie to protect myself, then I had to pretend that he caught me and got the truth out of me after breaking my facade.