Night draped over Konoha like a velvet cloak.
Inside Kimoto Tōichi's modest home, the air was still — until a quiet ripple of chakra brushed past the window.
A shadow appeared on the balcony.
Tōichi sighed the moment he saw him.
"Kakashi… my house does have a front door, you know."
Kakashi didn't even flinch at the jab.
He stepped forward, leaning lazily against the railing, his single visible eye reflecting the moonlight.
"Seems you're pretty fond of that kid," he said softly. "You even went to dinner with your students. I've never seen you do that before."
Tōichi joined him on the balcony, crossing his arms.
"And it seems you're paying an awful lot of attention to him."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"Just remember — he's my student."
Kakashi chuckled under his mask.
"Relax. You act like I'm about to steal him away."
Tōichi frowned. "Considering how exceptional he is, I might worry about that."
Then, his eyes narrowed. "You were in the forest today, weren't you?"
Kakashi didn't deny it.
Tōichi snorted.
"Using shadow clones to teach your own team while you spy on mine… If they found out, they'd probably be heartbroken. Especially that blond one."
Kakashi tilted his head, amused.
"You've changed. The old you would've reported me for that."
Tōichi smiled faintly. "That kid's teaching me a few things. Makes me feel like I can't afford to half-do anything anymore. If I don't train him right… I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
That honest confession made Kakashi pause.
He had never expected such blunt sincerity from the stoic ex-Anbu interrogator.
And the truth was, Kakashi understood it.
The memory of Arata standing beneath that roaring waterfall — fearless, unshaken — still replayed in his mind.
Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. "That kid's talent… it's honestly terrifying. He might even surpass me someday."
Coming from Hatake Kakashi, that wasn't casual praise.
Tōichi shook his head.
"He's still just a genin. When you were his age, you were already a jōnin."
Kakashi laughed softly. "Yeah, but I also had the best teacher alive and every resource Konoha could offer. He didn't. The Academy wasted six years of his life."
He looked out at the moonlit village.
"But hiding his talent that well… even I couldn't have done it. To have no ego at that age — that's something special."
Tōichi nodded silently. He had thought the same thing.
"So," Kakashi asked finally, "what do you plan to teach him next? Going to start him on real ninjutsu?"
Tōichi hesitated.
"I… haven't decided. Most of what I know isn't suited for combat. My techniques are built for interrogation, not battle. The rest are low-ranked elemental jutsu."
He sighed quietly. "Honestly, I'm worried I'll run out of things to teach him."
Kakashi was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
"If you want… I can help with that."
Tōichi blinked.
"You'd help me?"
"Sure," Kakashi said simply. "If the Hokage asks, we just won't tell him."
Tōichi frowned. "You realize the Third entrusted you with the Uchiha kid and the Jinchūriki. If you start training Arata too, he won't be pleased."
Kakashi waved it off.
"He won't find out. For now, we'll both be in the village anyway. And with that kid's potential, I could probably bring him to jōnin-level proficiency before he ever leaves the village."
Tōichi's eyes widened slightly.
Even for Kakashi, that was a bold claim.
"I have to ask," Tōichi said quietly. "What's your condition?"
Kakashi turned to face him, his expression unreadable.
"Simple. When I need him for certain missions, you let me borrow him."
Tōichi froze. "You're joking. You want to take him on your missions?"
Kakashi nodded calmly.
"You know as well as I do — real growth only comes from real danger. You can't raise a warrior in a greenhouse."
Tōichi's voice rose.
"He's twelve! You were trained for that life from the start. He wasn't!"
Kakashi didn't flinch. "When I was twelve, I was already on the front lines. The Fourth trusted me then — you should trust him now."
"That's different!" Tōichi snapped. "You had experience. You had a team. The missions you take could kill even an elite jōnin!"
Kakashi's tone stayed calm. "Then it's time he learns what fear means — before it kills him later. Better under supervision than alone in the field."
Tōichi clenched his fists. "No. Not yet."
Kakashi's single eye narrowed.
"You'd rather let his potential rot in routine missions? You'll turn a prodigy into a background character."
"I'd rather have him alive," Tōichi barked. "Even if it means he's ordinary."
Silence fell between them.
Two veterans — one shaped by loss, the other by guilt — stood under the silver moon, their beliefs clashing quietly.
Both wanted to protect the boy.
They just disagreed on what protection meant.
Kakashi sighed, finally looking away.
"Maybe you're right… or maybe you're just scared of losing another one."
Tōichi didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
The pain flickering in his eyes said enough.
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