From Time to Time

Chapter 8: Spar

This chapter is kinda cute and kinda weird. It didn't go how I originally planned it but I like it because obviously Kaeru has to be everything Naruto isn't. As in, almost everyone takes an instant liking to him after they meet and end up with some kind of a crush on him (particularly the kids because it's cute when kids get crushes on adults). How did we end up here? Who knows? Not me! 

My sister was being particularly distracting while I was writing so I apologize if things don't make sense in some places or if there are weird continuity errors (just let me know and I'll fix them).

Side note for those who care: I got a pocket knife a few days ago and (being the idiot that I am) wasn't paying attention and sliced my finger, which bled a lot. Then I reopened the cut yesterday. So now I'm writing with a plaster that doesn't let me bend my finger. Moral of the story: either don't play with knives or pay attention to what you're doing if you do 😂

Anyway...

Onto the Chapter!

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Chapter Eight: Spar

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It had been over a decade since he'd seen Konohamaru's face, and while he'd been able to move past his death (and the deaths of Moegi and Udon) in that time, he'd had significantly less time to adjust to him being not dead. He'd felt his chakra multiple times since entering Konoha, small and uncontrolled, but the first sign of life from him had taken weeks to see and he hadn't been expecting it.

The distinct chakra of Konohamaru and his teammates (or future teammates) was not-so-well hidden beneath a fake rock. A very square fake rock (how many times did he have to tell that kid that rocks didn't look that way the first time?).

It sent him back to the days where he'd been twelve and barely able to beat anyone other than civilian kids in a fight. When he'd met with the Third over his registration photo and the little twerp barged in and accused him of setting a trap for him (he should've). Kaeru remembered beating Ebisu with his Sexy Jutsu and being declared his rival... Despite saying so, Konohamaru still looked up to him as a pseudo teacher and a role model. It had been the closest thing he'd ever had to a younger sibling, even before he decided to teach the kid Rasengan.

If his counterpart had recruited them to spy on him, then it was likely he couldn't find anyone else to help him (most likely, since people had hated him back then). If Naruto didn't, it meant they caught wind of what was going on and decided to interfere or they were onto him (kids always seemed to figure things like that out faster than adults so it was a possibility).

Kaeru didn't let them know he knew they were there and allowed them to follow. Kakashi either didn't notice them or didn't care since they were obviously still academy students. The silver haired jounin continued walking beside Kaeru, visible eye glued to his book. The redheaded jounin was just curious about what they would do (and whether Gai's team would notice).

Being unused to Gai and his team's schedule pre-Pain, it was hard to determine exactly what they would be doing or where they would be--of course, he could sense them if he wanted to, but that required eliminating many other chakra signatures. Luckily, he didn't need to since they were at a training ground not far from the bridge where Team 7 met (Gai's voice carried and made it very easy to find them). The Sandaime's grandson and his friends followed, staying behind a tree as they watched from a distance.

Lee and Gai, ever in sync, seemed to notice Kaeru and Kakashi immediately.

"Kaeru-san! Kakashi-san!"