A Ninja's Path (Kakashi X Reader)

Chapter Twenty Two

You nodded, smiling back at him as you realized what he was trying to say. "Yes, I've thought about that before, sometimes, it helps me get over my guilt for Haru, but... I always remember the feeling of my knife plunging into his stomach and me cradling him in my arms before-" You cut off, your voice beginning to quake.

Kakashi rubbed your back in comfort. "Honestly, you're not the only one with skeletons in their closet. When I was a kid, I had two teammates, a girl named Rin and and a boy named Obito." He sucked in a breath and you realized he was revealing some of his deepest secrets to you. "We were on a mission when things went terribly wrong. Obito and I abandoned the mission to save Rin, but we ended up getting ambushed. That's how I lost my eye."

You lifted his headband up to reveal the Sharingan underneath. You traced a thumb down the scar running from his brow to his cheek, right through his eyelid.

"We were stuck in a cave, the ninja who attacked us made the place collapse, we were trying to get out, but I almost got crushed by a massive rock." He closed both of his eyes, probably recalling the memory. "Obito pushed me out of the way, he took the fall for me, and ended up dying." A wave of sadness washed over his face, and you cupped his cheek. He smiled at you, continuing. "Right before he died, Obito had Rin transfer his left Sharingan into my eye socket, to replace the eye I had lost. Then we had to leave him- in a cave blind and alone before he was crushed to death."

You brushed a stray tear away from Kakashi's eye as you studied his Sharingan. It was a gift. It was thanks to Obito that Kakashi was the famous Copy Cat Ninja of the Leaf. "He sounds like he was a very noble person."

Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah he was. He cared a lot about others. You remind me of him sometimes." He smiled down at you. "Like when you convinced our team to go back and save Lady Akiko."

You laughed a little too. "Yeah, I remember that argument."

Kakashi seemed comforted by your smile, but his gaze quickly turned dark as he continued his story. "Some time after Obito's death, Rin was kidnapped and forced into becoming the Three Tailed Jinchūriki. The beast sealed inside of her was programmed to be released when she returned to Konoha as a means to destroy our village. She asked me to kill her, but I couldn't." Kakashi looked away from you, seemingly ashamed. "I formed a Chidori to take down a ninja I was fighting. But then Rin jumped in the way and-" He closed his eyes, a painful expression crossing his face. "I killed her, (Y/N). I killed my friend."

You wrapped him in a tight hug. "It wasn't your fault, Kakashi. For either of their deaths." You stared him dead in the eye, hands gripping his shoulders. "They both died for you- for the village. They sacrificed themselves for the things they cared about. I suppose Haru did the same thing." You gave the silver haired man a reassuring smile.

"We are survivors, Kakashi. Witnesses to horrors beyond comprehension. We both had to lay our friends to rest." You brushed another tear away from his eye. "They will always be with us, watching over us. It's because of them that we can become the strong individuals we are today, right?"

Kakashi nodded, wrapping you in a tight embrace. "Thank you, (Y/N). You are the first person who I've talked to about this since it happened. To finally say it-"

"You feel free, huh?" You finished the sentence for him. Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"I still feel guilty for what happened to them, but I also feel like they are the reason that I must go on. To protect the people I care about." He ran a hand over your cheek. "And (Y/N), although we are still getting to know each other," he leaned his forehead against yours. "You seem to know me better than anyone else in the world. I can't imagine a life without you I-"

He stopped again. But you knew what he was going to say.

"I love you too, Kakashi Hatake."

His eyes widened in surprise before being filled with a sad, but also joyous sort of emotion.

"See what I mean? You just know me, (Y/F/N)."

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. "And do you know what I want right now?"

The silver haired man's breath hitched. Then a smirk slid onto his face as his hands wrapped around you waist. "I think I know what we both want."

You giggled as he pushed you back onto the couch.

"Oh wait! I still need to ask Lady Tsunade for help to save my people."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, but also preoccupied. His eyes were roving up and down you, his intentions were clear. "We can talk to her about it in the morning. But for now..." He trailed off, but you didn't need him to finish the sentence. You already knew what he was going to say.

His hand trailed to the zipper on your shirt, hesitating as he looked you straight in the eyes. Straight through the shadows.

He was asking for permission, but this time you wouldn't refuse. This time you would let him.

"Be my guest." You smirked, wrapping your legs around his waist.

He smirked and you yelped in surprise as he pulled his mask right off.

"Damn. You really do have a sexy face." You traced a hand over his now bare cheek, over his lips and jaw.

"Glad to know you appreciate it."

"What's with the baby soft skin? And you do have a mole! Too small to be cancerous though..."

Kakashi smiled and it knocked the breath out of you. To see his entire expression, without the inhibition of his mask was... well, breathtaking.

He looked down at you curiously and you realized what he was wondering.

You put a hand protectively over your hood. "I-I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry." You looked down, embarrassed that Kakashi was the only one doing a face reveal. He shook his head, clearly unfazed.

"It's all good, I'm perfectly satisfied with your shocked expression when you saw my face."

You punched him lightly in the arm. "Well don't boast about it! And don't worry," you smirked this time. "You'll probably pass out when you see my face."

He leaned down, whispering in your ear. "I'm looking forward to it."

You felt the breath catch in your throat, your heart beating faster. "Kakashi..." You trailed off at the hungry expression in his eyes.

You had barely enough time to catch your breath before he dove in for a kiss.

A/N:
Yee yee yee, you know what the next chapter is😉

So this chapter had a lot of feels, now more has been revealed about your past.

Thank you so much for everyone who reads and supports this story, I am so grateful for all of you🥰 I'm really proud of how this story is turning out, and I can't wait to show you more!

~Lila💜