A Hero All Along (A Kakashi Story)

Chapter 7.

"Wait...are you Yuuki Himitsu? The blacksmith, right? I've heard people talking about the weapons you make-they're renowned for how well their made."

Yuuki's gaze continued to stay on the floor, embarrassment washing over her as well as feeling flattered at the compliment. But what stopped her from being overwhelmed at his words was the slight sadness that countered it. She didn't want to be known for making them-she wanted to be known for using them; but everyone saw her as the blacksmith. Hearing it from Kakashi only seemed to cement that fact, and she couldn't bring herself to properly say anything in return, merely nodding as a sign of thanks. Kakashi caught sight of it, and remembered her tears only a second earlier; turning away and going over to the weapons, picking some of them up from where they were stuck in the targets, saying casually as he looked them over,

"It's a complicated process in order to make them; almost an art, really."

Although Yuuki felt upset at how things had gone, the feeling suddenly lifted at hearing Kakashi's words. She had heard so many stories of things he had done as a ninja, and to know he was talking with her like this now; it cancelled out all she had been feeling before, causing her to twist her gaze towards him and question curiously,

"You know how it's done?"

"Well, sort of; it sort of comes with the knowledge of how they're used," Kakashi dismissed, and Yuuki hid a smirk at his modesty, picking up a katana from the side and holding it out in front of Kakashi, explaining simply,

"Yeah; that's how things start off. You have to know what you're looking for in a weapon before you can truly make it to the best of your ability. Like this katana; the measurements are all calculated to the nth degree and the metal is wrought into the perfect shape in order to make the perfect weapon-though I try to also take individual differences into account."

Coming back over to her, Kakashi reached out towards the sword, flicking his eyes upwards to hers to ask silently whether he could take it; and nodding in agreement, he gently grasped the hilt and pulled it closer to him, instantly blinking in surprise at what he found as he did so. He ran his fingers down the flat of the blade, examining it carefully, and Yuuki couldn't help but smile once more and how gently he handled it-like he didn't want to break it in any way. Observing him as he looked the sword over, she turned away quickly as he looked back up, abruptly feeling as if she had been watching him a little too closely as he said in admiration,

"It's incredibly light for a katana."

"It's easier to handle that way; not so cumbersome. But I still make sure that the metal is just as strong-that it's able to cut and slice with the same strength as another," Yuuki automatically shot back with a shrug; but Kakashi knew better, smiling at her humility towards her talents, and replied simply that her words were instant proof of how well she knew her trade. But still her attitude didn't change, and Kakashi hesitated as he noticed that fact, watching her with a frown as she brushed it off, responding dismissively,

"I've done it as long as I can remember. But...how do you know my name?"

Unsure whether to laugh or shake his head in disbelief at how Yuuki saw her talent, Kakashi persisted, pointing out once more her skill at forging weapons. The method she used was different to other blacksmiths, and it was that reason that meant they were so much better-why people wanted hers more than others. But pausing, Kakashi turned and looked around the clearing; at the targets scattered around from place to place and the weapons stacked to the side of the area; weapons of all kinds, and added,

"I'm guessing you're testing them out at the moment, though."

"Well, kinda. I mean, I-"

"I can see you've got a talent for that, as well. Are you trying out in the sparring sessions tomorrow?"

Kakashi cut in, causing Yuuki to freeze in place. A surge of happiness exploded in the pit of her stomach at the idea someone was suggesting it to her, let alone Kakashi himself, but at the same time she forced herself to think otherwise. Things had never worked out before; why would they now? So she merely shook her head, blurting out hurriedly,

"What? No! I'm not a ninja!"

"Maybe not now-but if you trained; learned jutsus..." But at that, Yuuki calmed down completely, all emotion draining from her face and her eyes, and Kakashi frowned in confusion as she merely snorted bitterly, before she shot back bluntly,

"I've tried that, Kakashi-sama. Handsigns don't seem to work for me; everything just blows up in my face-literally. I think I'll just stick to making weapons."

For a moment afterwards Kakashi remained silent, the katana lying in his palms as Yuuki began collecting up the rest of the weapons. He didn't understand-but he wanted to. Yuuki had an amazing talent for making weapons; people came from all over to buy some off of her. And from that talent, she knew how weapons worked; she knew just how to use them, what angles to throw them at, how much strength to put behind each blow and the perfect way to use them to the best of what they could do. He'd seen her training with them earlier, and he'd seen for himself that she had real talent. Without even having been trained by a ninja she had that kind of ability-that flexibility and strength...and yet she seemed to dismiss it. Like she didn't care-that it didn't matter in her life.

Though somehow he'd managed to connect with her. Something about her he felt he could understand-or at least he wanted to comprehend. Even when he'd just watched her training, he could sense Yuuki was different. Then when he'd seen her just now...known she was crying...he felt concerned about what was wrong. He didn't want her to feel like that, and it was why he had approached her. Leaving her like this felt wrong, and he tried once more, this time quieter and softer in his tone of voice,

"Why don't you just try for it? You've got talent there, Yuuki. Why do you want to just stick to making weapons?"

At this point Yuuki had her back facing Kakashi, and froze in place, bending down to pick up a weapon, and to begin with said nothing in return. She wanted to believe him; she wanted to agree with him and accept the idea that she could and would try out at the sparring sessions tomorrow-to have the chance of being trained by a sensei here in Konoha. But she couldn't. All her life she had been isolated from so many around her. It had been through becoming a blacksmith and learning how to forge weapons that she had been allowed to continue on life as normal. Though she wasn't accepted in the village-not that she ever would be-she could slip into the background and avoid people constantly glaring at her. If she tried out tomorrow, then she would be in the limelight and what had been happening her entire life would only repeat itself- and she didn't know if she had the mental strength to deal with that. Instead she stood up, gripping onto the weapons in her hands as she turned round slowly, stating sadly as she looked back into Kakashi's eyes,

"Because it's the only thing I fit in with. Goodnight Kakashi-sama."

With that she turned and headed into the building, leaving Kakashi standing behind. For a moment he remained, taking a step forward as if to follow her-but eventually he stopped himself, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. He merely left the katana on the ground, throwing one last sad glance at Yuuki before he sighed, wishing he could find out more, and turned, leaving the clearing and heading back home. He wanted to help her-her eyes; the beauty of her face had left an imprint on his thoughts, and to know she was sad affected him more than he could comprehend.

His mind never left her for the rest of the night.