It was a testament to how rough the day had been that Kakashi reached his destination without ever noticing that he had a tail since he had gotten food. No one else bothered to follow him other than Airi, everyone else just assumed that things were normal with the masked nin, had they followed they would have easily learned that was not the case.

Kakashi was at the graveyard, not a place he was commonly seen. He had slowed to a walk once he passed through the archway that stood at the entrance; it had been a while since he had come here last, a few years in fact. He still knew where he was heading with ease however. In no time at all he found himself standing in front of an old grave. It was well maintained as all of the graves were, but it lacked any flowers from friends or family.

Rin Nohara

That was the name inscribed on the flat stone, a name that always took Kakashi back to his younger years. He let out a weary sigh as he slowly sat down. “Hey Rin, it’s been a while.” His voice was strangely open to those who knew Kakashi. He was a man of masks, always hiding things behind either a physical one or an emotional one. Now however the emotional mask was lowered, and he wasn’t bothering to project an image he was just being himself, and right now he was tired. 

“Sorry about that been busy. Got kicked out of Anbu, they have me as a jonin instructor right now if you can believe that.” He carefully opened his meal as he filled the air with a brief summary of what had happened to him recently the food was just the first thing on the menu that looked alright “Granted I’ve not been the kindest of instructors, considering that I was failing anyone that couldn’t pass the Bell test.” It was without ceremony that Kakashi started eating, but the thing was different was him eating like a normal person. His mask was down and he was eating at a sedated pace not causing his food to vanish from its container as he normally would. “Yeah I know just how difficult that is for fresh recruits to piece together, but that’s the point. Doesn’t matter anyway, I have a team that past. Team seven. Yeah, I’ve got the old team number and more than that I’ve got Sasuke Uchiha, last of his clan and he reminds me of me back when… I was still an idiot.” He grimaced at the apt comparison and for a moment Kakashi drifted off in to the past as the ‘What ifs’ sounding out in his mind as they always would. 

Eventually Kakashi would speak up again chuckling softly “All skill no heart, Obito would be ashamed.” but his smile would seem hollow “There isn’t much to say about Sakura Haruno, she is a Civilian, good mind but terrible application. Then there is Naruto Uzumaki” The was pain in his voice was just as clear on face as he brought up the blond genin of his team “He looks so much like his father and acts just like his mother that it hurts to be near him, but he will do great things one day of that I am sure. I just hope that I’ll be helpful in him getting there.”

He fell silent again for a bit as he picked at his meal before he gave a weak laugh “You would have been a better sensei. You would have become the mother the boys don’t have and the role model that Sakura needs, you would get close to your team. But they got stuck with me; A scarecrow that brings nothing but ruin.”

 He remained silent as he finished his meal, plagued by dark thoughts, ‘what ifs’ and old wounds that never truly healed. As he started to put away his trash he gave one last look at the headstone of one of his first friends “If you could do me a favor? Try and make sure I’m the one who dies next? I only have one good friend left and Airi would be fine after a bit, plus someone better would step in for my students”

A few moments later, Kakashi would be gone and there would be next to no trace that he had been there save for a single flower resting on the grave he had sat in front of.

[hr] [center]Later the next day[/center][hr]

“Relax Naruto, and focus on your breathing for a moment” Kakashi was currently helping his most rambunctious student when it came to tree climbing, his other two students had gone home already when Naruto had asked him to stay to help a bit more.

Naruto for his part was doing his best to follow along with Kakashi instructions, but was beginning to get more and more antsy; he was forgetting something but couldn’t quite tell what.

“Feel the flow of your chakra and try and match it with the ebb and flow of the tree” He instructed while he was currently standing at a ninety degree angle with the ground due to walking on said tree. “Try and-“

[color=yellow]“OH crap! I’m late!” Naruto nearly shouted as he turned and started sprinting back towards the village, he had remembered that he was going to be helping Airi out with her garden today. She was nice to him, so he didn’t want to be rude by just blowing her off.[/color]

The fact that he was blowing of Kakashi to help her didn’t register to the young ninja.

Kakashi just looked on at his fleeing student in curiosity, as far as he knew Naruto didn’t have any plans on this day, which meant that it was a new occurrence for the boy. The masked ninja didn’t have anything planned for the rest of the day so decided to follow after the orange missile to find out what the new thing would cause such a reaction from him.

His surprise at following Naruto to Delicious Delights was photography worthy, just a shame that no one was around to see it.