What the Crows Left Behind | Kakashi x OC

Part XI : The Power of Patience

Time jump : 1 year.

Asuka, age 9 – Chunin Exams, Final Trial

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The arena was buzzing with chakra and tension.

Asuka stood at the edge of the field, hands folded neatly behind her back, her small frame motionless under the weight of hundreds of eyes. The sun hung high, casting long shadows across the training grounds, and the dry wind carried the crackle of lightning from across the field.

Her opponent was older. Taller. Louder.

Twelve-year-old Rei from the Hidden Cloud bounced on the balls of his feet, brimming with energy and arrogance. Sparks flickered between his fingers as he flashed a cocky grin her way.

"Hey, princess," he called, loud enough for the audience to hear. "Did your mom pack you a lunch? You're gonna need the energy."

Asuka didn't blink.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes half-lidded, taking him in. Broad shoulders, favored his right foot, lightning release—judging by the static buildup in his forearms and the twitch of chakra around his knuckles.

He was fast. And predictable.

He's overcompensating, she thought calmly. Which means he's already nervous.

She didn't respond. She didn't need to.

Up in the stands, Sayomi had both hands clamped around Kakashi's arm like a vice.

"She's just... standing there," she whispered, voice panicked. "Why is she just standing there?!"

"She's analyzing," Kakashi replied tightly, his visible eye narrowed. "Like I taught her."

Sayomi shot him a look. "Did you also teach her how to get electrocuted by a twelve-year-old with a superiority complex?"

Kakashi said nothing, his grip on the armrest intensifying. He was still as stone, but his chakra was fluctuating just slightly, betraying the chaos brewing beneath his calm exterior.

Don't rush. Don't blink. You've got this, kid.

Back in the arena, Rei moved first.

He shot forward like a bolt, the ground cracking beneath his sandals as he gathered chakra mid-run. His hands flashed through the familiar signs—tiger, boar, snake—then forward-thrust, lightning exploding from his palm.

Asuka didn't flinch.

She stepped sideways at the last moment, just enough for the jutsu to scrape past her shoulder and detonate against the dirt behind her. A shallow crater bloomed at her back. Dust rose. The crowd gasped.

Rei growled. "Lucky."

She simply watched him.

Not luck. Pattern.

He came again, faster now, with less control. His chakra surged, raw and untempered. She threw a single shuriken—not at him, but past him.

He laughed. "You missed—"

Then stumbled.

She was already moving.

In the instant his weight shifted forward to correct, she flickered out of his vision and reappeared behind him. He turned—too late.

Her fingers pressed behind his knee. A precise chakra burst. His leg buckled. Her kunai touched the edge of his throat.

He froze.

Her voice, when it came, was quiet and firm.
"Fight's over."

Up in the stands, Sayomi surged to her feet.

"Yes!" she shouted, nearly flinging her sandal into the next row. "That's my girl!"

Kakashi finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding for nearly three minutes. He collapsed back into the bench like a dying man.

Shikamaru, two rows up, leaned over with a whistle. "Damn. She's scary."

Sayomi was already grabbing her bag. "We're buying her cake. Maybe two."

Kakashi sat up again, stunned. "She used Genjutsu. When did she master that?"

Sayomi smirked. "She's ours. Of course she's sneaky."

The walk home was quiet.

Asuka walked slightly ahead of them, her newly awarded Chunin vest folded neatly over one arm, as if it were no more significant than a jacket. Her footsteps were light. Unhurried. Her silence not from nerves—but thought. Always thinking.

Sayomi and Kakashi trailed behind her like ghosts.

They reached the house just as the sky turned pink. Asuka slid the door open, stepped inside, and calmly removed her sandals like she hadn't just scared every jonin in the village. Then she disappeared into her room without a word.

Sayomi and Kakashi walked out to the back garden.

The wind shifted through the herbs Sayomi had planted last spring. Lavender. Rosemary. Mint. Kakashi crouched beside the low stone bench. Sayomi stood over him, arms crossed tight against her chest.

"She's a Chunin," she said again. "At nine."

"I know."

"She's already stronger than half the squad leaders. Maybe even stronger than—"

"Don't say it."

Sayomi gave him a look. "You're thinking it too."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's almost stronger than Itachi was. That's... something."

They both fell quiet.

Sayomi sat beside him and buried her face in her hands. "Where did the time go?"

"I don't know," Kakashi murmured. "One day she was chewing on kunai wrappers. Now she's out-genjutsuing Lightning-style brutes and quoting the Uchiha code of honor."

Sayomi peeked through her fingers. "Do you think we're good parents?"

Kakashi didn't hesitate. "Yes. That's the problem."

They sat there a while in the breeze, watching the sky darken. Then, quietly, Sayomi leaned toward him.

"We have to follow her."

Kakashi blinked. "What?"

"On missions. We can't just let her go out alone. She's a child."

"She's a Chunin."

"She's our child."

Kakashi considered. "I could pull some strings. Maybe go back to ANBU. Or fake a reassignment."

Sayomi tapped her lip. "What if I re-certify as a medic and get put on rotation? I could 'coincidentally' be placed on her squad..."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "We go full infiltration."

Sayomi looked serious. "For her safety."

He leaned in, deadpan. "For her safety."

From the open window behind them, Asuka's voice drifted out:

"You both need help."

They froze.

Sayomi turned slowly toward the house. "She heard us."

Kakashi didn't move. "She always hears us."

Sayomi exhaled. "She's definitely Itachi's daughter."