The Copy Ninja and the Blue Beast of Konoha (For Sinclair)

[MelloMelon]

A scattering of leaves danced and twisted in the air, caught in the gentle wind, soaring over the stony mountain faces of the greatest shinobi of the past, and then down through the bustling streets and crooked, boxy homes of the residents of the Village of Konoha as they went about their business in a seldom-lived peace.

Oden stalls, trinkets shops, florists, and fashion stores were doing a finer trade than they had years before, when shinobi hadn't the time or need for such frivolities. The bustle in the streets was a fond, as as equally awkward sight to the ninja who had grown up with less.

Like one such venerable shinobi, who was more comfortable in the Forest of Death than going for boba tea or group karaoke, was Hatake Kakashi.

The copy-ninja of Konoha sat high in a centuries old cedar, branches thick as its trunk wide, his gaze half-lidded as he grew more engrossed in his Icha Icha novel. It was an older volume, well-thumbed and loved, but the lackadaisical jounin never tired of it. Like a dog with a bone. A monkey to a banana. A pervert to his dirty magazines.

It was quiet in the forest in that late Konoha afternoon. The air was pleasantly warm, but balmy. Warblers chittered in the bushes below as they jerked their heads and tapped beaks to soil, and Kakashi regarded them as his one exposed eyelid grew more heavy. He hadn't any missions today, unless he was called for out of the blue through messenger sparrow, but that had been happening less these days as the youngsters began to pull their own weight, without his guiding hand. When had they grown? They weren't his cute, whining little genin anymore... they were his angry, whining little teenagers who had limitless energy and everything to prove.

Just like he had been years ago.

The silver-haired jounin sighed under his mask, and turned another page, knowing what he would read next but excited for it regardless. He nudged himself back to rest more comfortably against the broad cedar behind him, stretching his legs out and flexing his toes in his azure sandals. He felt like one of his pack, lounging in the sun after a walk and nothing to do but snooze until it was time to eat again. Heaven.

A few more pages in, and the venerable jounin looked out into the city and his home as he couldn't help but think something was missing from this brief moment of peace. Something he had overlooked. Something that might have slipped his mind... or he had outright avoided, as happened more often than not...

He gave a few slow blinks. Once. Twice. Thrice.

Oh well!

He then went back to reading his Icha Icha, thoroughly enjoying himself.

[Sinclair]

Kakashi would be quick to find out that this forgetful moment would be a pleasant downfall, at least for the one and only Mighty Guy, the eccentric and happy leader of team Guy… or, formerly. The peace gave Guy an excuse to finally slow down, especially with the injury to his leg that would hinder him for such a time he wasn’t expecting. Despite needing his wheelchair, that didn’t seem to hurt the man’s personality, and honestly nothing really changed for him, except the height he had to look to see someone… but honestly depending on who that someone was, that view from his height might be a pleasant one.

Looking forward, he could barely make out kakashi sitting in the tree and chuckled silently seeing his friend putting his guard down as he started to think to himself, and crossed his arms a bit with a smirk. “Slacking? That just won’t do~” he gave a small jab at the man’s ways as he could only imagine what he was reading up above, and started wheeling himself, rather quickly, towards his fellow man. The man’s speed, even wheelchair bound, was almost shocking, you could feel the wind when he passed by, and it showed he wasn’t going to let such a thing slow him down, especially when his sights were set on something. “Now… what shall I do to my slacking friend? Even in peaceful times, we gotta stay prepared after all.” He chuckled to himself before a little thought crossed his mind. “What was it that I had told him last time~?”

Guy never lost his playfulness, even as time went on, and kakashi was unfortunately the target of such playful jabs, and it was shining through right now. The last time they had spoken, guy had made the mischievous and playful remark. ‘Maybe i should spank you if you slack, huh Kakashi?’ No one knew if he was serious or not… was he? It didn’t matter. He’d be at the base of the tree quick and looked up to see if kakashi would see him

[MelloMelon]

Billowed clouds of dust were unleashed in the Blue Beast’s wake as he rode his chair at speed, and this was not missed by the last of the Hatake clan as his dark eyes peered over his Icha Icha book with only a small note of surprise. After all; Might Gai was the only person in Konoha to have been cautioned for wheelchair speeding. With this speed, the tanned jounin was soon staring up into the green bows of his rival’s chosen spot for shirking expectantly.

“Yo, Gai.” the copy-ninja called down, a finger-gloved hand raised in greeting. He eyed his dirty book, and reverently slipped it into the inner pocket of his flak-jacket, before standing up on his wooden perch. He then made his lethargic way down the broad cedar, walking down its trunk as though it were any pavement, to eventually stand before his rival turned dear friend.

Over the last couple of months, having passed the torch of fill-in Hokage to his fox-whiskered student, Gai had been getting pretty pushy about sparring, and although the masked man tried not to think on it too much, he still felt that he couldn’t fight with the cheerful shinobi in earnest. Kakashi’s dark eyes considered the bound-up leg resting on the wheelchair foothold, the pang of regret as uncomfortable as it always was when he thought of what he had almost lost in the Great War. Another name etched on the jagged black marble that he still visited every other day.

So… he’d avoided sparring with the hot-blooded man more than usual. Deterring, denying, tricking, and outright hiding. Of course, that might also have been his usually idle nature and lackadaisicalness, but…

Even so, he HAD picked back up his own training regime, to assure that he was still a Konoha asset. He hadn’t had time to train as frequently as Hokage, and.. he’d gotten a bit of a shock when Gai had managed a playful pinch of his hip one day whilst they walked (and wheeled?) together. There was an embarrassing little bit of firm softness there that had never been before. More embarrassing when the other guy had threatened him with a spanking like some mischievous genin brat. Kakashi had brushed it off as always and pretended that he’d not been listening – good tactic with Gai-kun~!

Sorted it, though. He rubbed a gloved hand over his trim stomach in Gai’s view, with a masked smugness, before he hopped down before his wheelchair-bound comrade. He tilted his head, pre-empting, and extended a gloved fist to the tanned man, “So… Rock, Paper, Scissors…?”

[Sinclair]

“Hello!” He had greeted back, and leaned back in his chair as it remained in the parked position, a brake in place for Gai to stop himself if he needed. He watched his companion in stride as the ninja worked his way down the tree. “And here I was thinking you were slacking, but you still got it apparently, Kakashi.” He lightly commented as he watched him descend the tree like it was nothing.

“I was starting to fear you were losing your touch with how often you hide or run away when I done to you for a spar. But I’m glad you’re still as good as ever.” He continued to praise, the man’s bombastic and boisterous personality still remained his most positive trait as his smile could light a room, but he was also clearly just waiting for Kakashi to be closer to him so he could actually make any advances. He raised an eye with a chuckle hearing his friend suggest such a childish game, and instead grabbed his hand and shook it.

“Not this time, my friend! I actually just happened to see you out here and wanted to come and say hello, and see what you were doing.” He explained, remaining optimistic with a gleam of mischief in his eye as he looked around at their surroundings. “Since you’re no longer acting Hokage, how’s you training and free time been? Not slacking I hope~?” He winked.

Some days gai was just eager to get to his point, and that wink said it all, he wondered if Kakashi remembered the threat, and if he didn’t that would remind him. If he did… this was about to be a very awkward conversation as Gai smiled brightly

[MelloMelon]

As both gloved and bare hands shook warmly, Kakashi blinked, and once the vigorous arm shaking ended, he reared back, and looked the other shinobi over. It was rare for Gai to reject any kind of challenge – even his half-assed lazy ones that he thought of on the fly for an easy life. It usually was an indication that the Blue Beast had something else in mind, or some rule he already was pursuing. The silver-haired man stared quietly, inwardly enjoying the company as the more brazen shinobi did the talking as he always did. That was, until the subject of slacking came up.

For some reason, that word set off a certain, distant feeling of unease in his gut. He narrowed his eyes a bit, like something hadn’t quite agreed with him. His shinobi senses were on red alert, but why?

“Mm hm~! I was… just…” he sweated a bit under his mask, nothing to do with the balmy temperatures, as his dark eyes glanced away from his best friend – a clear tell if he had been in the Konoha interrogation chamber. His skills as an ANBU were stellar and renowned across the Village and beyond, but in downtime and with his very few close comrades… beneath it all, he was a man like any other. A man who enjoyed the, uh, simpler things in life. Like reading dirty books, napping, eating convenience store meals when he was too lazy to cook for himself… He knew that wouldn’t sit well with Gai.

Despite the hot-blooded man taking a step back in his heated bravado these days, what with his injury and all, but he would still train each day, keep his body in top shape. Kakashi knew that the Blue Beast would be out and about and making his energetic rounds before the last Hatake had gotten through his morning miso soup and washed the sleep from his eyes, much to the distress of the cheerful shinobi’s neighbours.

He settled on raising a finger into the tree, where he was just lounging, and gestured, smiling with his eyes, hoping that the tanned jounin would take that as an answer without having to get into a prolonged but hearty lecture about it.

[Sinclair]

Guy kept his eyes locked onto his friend and smirked a little, giving Kakashi that all to familiar playfulness he was known for, he was the teacher of one of Konoha’s best teams for a reason after all. Listening to his stammering just amused the wheelchair bound ninja more as he crossed his arms a little and listened, before he glanced up when he saw the finger pointing. “Yes, your favorite tree, what does that have to do with anything?” He asked a bit as he got comfy and chuckled before exhaling a little. “Don’t forget, I remember some of your favorite pastimes Kakashi.” He smirked jovially as he spoke.

“You know what I’ve said about slacking off and not keeping up with what you need to do, right? This tree won’t get you fat if you remain hiding in it.” And this the lecture began as Kakashi has so hoped to avoid, but Guy was a man of his meaning, and was quick to do what he felt was a must. “How many days have you spent since the Hokage took over sitting in that tree reading your… steamy reading~?” He lightly teased him about his reading material, the man was no stranger to the unique choice he made.

“And you haven’t answered what I said about it either, Kakashi~ I’m waiting a response.” He lightly chided the man, keeping the playful manner but he was making it very clear and up front that he was refusing to stop this until he heard what he wanted to hear… did Kakashi have to verbally admit what Guy threatened? Oh the tension was like joy to the Mighty Guy as his eyes confidently stayed locked on Kakashi

[MelloMelon]

When the lecture started in sincerity, the silver-haired jounin's shoulders slumped, disappointed that he had not quite managed to avoid the inevitable after all. When Gai got going on one of his monologues it was difficult to interject or dissuade him from it until it was well and truly over (or the hot-blooded man had to pause for breath). Kakashi stared half-lidded at his comrade as he was scolded like some genin fresh out of the academy, feeling smaller and smaller, until he felt as though he was looking from under the Blue Beast's blue sandal and wheelchair, fearing being flattened.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, and sighed, raising a gloved hand every now and again to interject, "Now, Gai-", "Anou na-", "Hey-", but as always, when his rival was on his box, there was nothing to do but let him finish. Or tire himself out. Kakashi was already tired of it, so hopefully Gai would sense that and follow his lead – might even consider going for some dango or oden, or a couple of drinks with him~?

As the last Hatake stared back into Might's determined dark eyes, his shoulders slumped down further still. Probably not, though...

The unease in his gut was niggling him. The jounin in the mask hadn't felt this precise kind of awkward for years. He looked up into the overhanging trees as Gai went on, thinking back. When had he last felt this?

Was it THAT time?

Yeah... must've been that time he'd found those cigarettes lying around in the training grounds when he was at the academy. A bored young overachiever with few friends (barring one cute dropout who followed him around like a lost puppy when he wasn't trying his best to just barely get by), the Hatake brat had taken them home, confident his father wouldn't be back for another day or so. He'd lit one up, and almost died when his dad had cheerfully called him from the sliding front door– he smiled softly under his mask as he recalled how he'd frantically waved the smoke around in their living room uselessly, futilely – staring with bulging eyes at his dad's smiling turned gaping mouth, knowing he was done for. Knowing he hadn't a leg to stand on.

Knowing he was getting spanked.

The fond memory forced a flush from him that his mask couldn't quite hide, and he kneaded the back of his head. Gai wasn’t gonna let this go, huh? He narrowed his eyes and heaved a long-suffering sigh. He was used to the hot-blooded shinobi’s mind now as if it were his own, and therefore knew he was in hot water,

“Gai-kun…” he chided, raising a silver eyebrow, “we’re not kids anymore. Problems can’t be solved with… well, that.” If only. He couldn’t count on 50 shinobi fingers how many times he had wanted to solve a runaway shinobi or colleague discipline problem with a good spanking, but now that kind of swift comeuppance was pretty frowned upon.

He looked to his rival and his eyes smiled, trying again to wheedle the hot-blooded shinobi out of his current agenda in favour of his own, “How about I treat you to some dango?” he blinked when Gai just stared and smirked. He tried again, beginning to sweat under his mask, “Or when I’m on leave we’ll go to that nice hot spring we went to that time, remember?” the silver-haired man leaned down and placed his gloved palms on both of the wheelchair armrests, his dark eyes warm, and he almost purred, “It was fun, right?” he tilted his head, the Blue Beast’s personal space well and truly invaded, as Kakashi went on sultrily, “…Felt pretty good, right?”

He smiled again, under his mask. The Copy Ninja was an expert shinobi mimic, and didn’t need the Sharingan to employ the tactics of many a Konoha brat in avoiding a well-deserved (at least from Might’s perspective, anyways~) punishment.

[Sinclair]

On, and on, and on… AND ON, Gai rambled, the man’s lectures could put even the most studious and stoic men to sleep when Gai hit his proverbial soap box. He could see it in his friends eyes however that even with all that, the former Hokage couldn’t focus and would occasionally clear his throat with an “and another thing…” or “as you see…” before continuing after bringing him back to his senses. Regardless of age, Gai was one that believed in the old fashioned ways, regardless of how old or how mature one might be, it was one of the many reasons he was always taken so seriously, despite his rather out going and spontaneous reactions and behaviors. “And I feel…” he continued but stopped when he felt some cut off and realize Kakashi was really going to test the man’s patience, Mighty Gai having PLENTY, but even that well could run dry with the right push.

“Kakashi~” he have a small smirk, and a simple chide with his looks when his friend got sultry with him, but that wasn’t a smirk of acceptance… oh no, that was a smirk of ‘run while you still have a backend to sit on’, one Gai had mastered over the years. What was kakashi gonna say next, he wondered before continuing. “I have two questions for you, and I want an honest answer for each before I decide to bend you over right here.” The bandaid was RIPPED off, Gai was not shameless by any means…. But goodness he knew how to make a point.

“1) how many times have we discussed, and I’ve warned you about interrupting me when you know I’m right~?” He gently grinned and took hold of the man’s hands and pulled them so they were in front of Kakashi, as a means to force him to stare back at the man’s taunting looks. “And 2) what is one of my favorite sayings to the students who act like their age can save them~?” He remarked again, and gently pushed the man’s hands to his sides and off the wheelchair, as he gave a pat to kakashi’s butt as a quick little reminder to get things moving.

The saying Gai was heard saying a few times in his day… the dreaded ‘you’re never too old’. And… did he really mean that to Kakashi~ should the man keep pressing, he may just find out

[MelloMelon]

The threat of having to bend over was more than humiliating for any shinobi, particularly to the old man that Hatake Kakashi now felt these days, and he couldn’t stop the glare of annoyance from coming to his eyes. Once his hands were released, and his clothed backside patted meaningfully, his shifted back with a shinobi’s battle-readiness, gloved hands raised and ready. Noting this a moment later, he relaxed, but his dark eyes were narrowed as he scorned, “Guy!”

His heart had thudded in his chest briefly, and that pissed him off, too.

He needed to reign this in now, because he knew that if it got past a certain point and Guy hadn’t been derailed by him, there was going to be trouble. When they were kids, heck, only a decade or so ago he could pretty much lead Guy any way he wanted after the right amount of coaxing or teasing. But now… it was almost as if age and the injury had given the hot-blooded man’s, uh, hot blood a brasher temperature.

Staring his rival hotly in the eyes, Kakashi answered, trying to ease back into his usual chilled composure. He soon calmed, and heaved a sigh, and closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were grinning with his usual teasing, “Yes, yes… but that’s when I agree, Gai-kun. If you’re wrong, then, what can I do…?” He raised his gloved hands disarmingly at the Blue Beast in the wheelchair.

The second question was a bit more tricky for him, and he could feel the threat of sweat prickling under his silver hair, but he soldiered on with his token cool, “Hm… now was that ’YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD’! Or was it… ‘THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH BURNS BRIGHTEST!’?” His eyes grinned again, beginning to enjoy himself, feeling that he was back on form and his ass wasn’t on the line as it was, “Or was it ‘EVEN THE OLDEST OF SHINOBI SHOULD EAT THEIR BROCCOLI!’…?” The Copy Ninja jounin tilted his head, hands in his pockets and regarding his friend with playful gameness.

[Sinclair]

Mighty Gai was completely unaffected by his friends raised hands, smiling his way slyly the entire time as he anticipated such a response. He leaned forward a bit as if inviting him to do something, but that was clearly a trap for Gai to strike once Kakashi even tried to do something. Seeing he was trying to reign the situation in was such an amusing time for Gai as he had some flashbacks to when they were younger. Kakashi was always the favored student when they were kids, but that never stopped Gai from doing what he did best, and even outside of class he never had any ill will towards his best friend, and actually helped push him to be here.

Coming back to his present thoughts, Kakashi’s stares seemed to be ineffective at best, and just encouraging the man at worst, Gai was never one to feel intimidated or pushed back, especially by people he knew he had the upper hand in as he sat back and crossed his arms. Hearing the first comment, he gave a chuckle. “Disagreeing won’t mean it just goes away, Kakashi~ you and I both know it’s still very rude to cut someone off.” He smirked gently at him showing that just added to the list of things on Gai’s “to spank Kakashi for” list.

Gai smirked hearing the man continue to ramble off his many quotes, even in this situation something about that made him feel amused but he was somewhat glad to know Kakashi remembered the many, many… MANY… MANY lectures that Gai was known for. After he finished rambling them off, he nodded and gave a more serious look finally… oh crap.

“Good you remember. Now with that first one in mind, what do you have to say for yourself Kakashi?” He asked keeping the look