Kakashi crossed his arms and sighed, staring down his nose at the little girl sitting across from him on the couch. Between them, an old, tattered scroll lay unrolled across the coffee table, his name and his father's standing out on the faded, yellow parchment. Not for the first time, he actively questioned his decision to take in the kid. Giving her a home and feeding her weren't a problem, but giving her his name? Adding her to the scroll?
Sometimes, he found himself regretting bringing an end to his self-imposed solitude. There was only so much socializing he could do before it wore him down to the quick and he had to lock himself away to recharge. Luckily, his kid was the same way, and they had no issues avoiding each other even in his little apartment.
The fact that Pakkun knew her better than he did stung a little, but he couldn't help his workload. The kid never complained, though, and she was far from the only one in the village to have a parent away on missions.
His eyes refocused on her unmasked face. As flattering as her mimicry had been, he couldn't understand why she'd want to hide her face. It was obvious she'd be gorgeous one day, just like her mother, and he knew the academy's kunoichi classes cultivated physical awareness in their students. One day, a sensei or a mission would force her to remove it, and he hoped she wasn't too attached to it when it happened.
Her dark eyes met his and he realized he'd zoned out.
"Ah, sorry," he leaned forward onto his knees, running a gloved hand through his hair. "I'm still a bit out of it, I guess."
She offered him a small smile. "It's ok. I know you're probably tired." She glanced down at the scroll before looking back up at him, concerned. "Are you sure about this?"
No. He wasn't. Pakkun had insisted, though, and Kakashi valued the pug's opinion more than most humans'. As little time as he'd spent with her over the past year, he felt like he knew her pretty well from the little dog's anecdotes. He also knew that having a ninken companion could mean a world of difference for a lonely kid with an intellect beyond their peers'. Maybe he was just trying to assuage the festering guilt the thought of her alone inspired, but he could honestly say that it would do her good.
"Why?" He asked in return. "Don't kids like dogs?"
She leveled a withering glare on him, rolling her black eyes with a scoff. "These aren't normal dogs, dad." The warmth welling in his chest froze over with her next question. "It's just...don't you want to save this for your real kids?"
Oof.
He laughed awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck as he tried to salvage the situation. "Mah, well, you know...You look pretty real to me, kiddo."
Nailed it.
"Besides," he continued over her incredulous snort. "I already jumped through all the hoops to make you my official heir. As far as the village is concerned, you've always been a Hatake, and you'll always be a Hatake until you decide otherwise." He gestured at the scroll. "This is a perk of the job."
She bit her lip. "You won't regret it?"
"No." And he meant it. As many things as he regretted, taking in a child and giving her a life worth living would never be one of them.
Hanako sighed, slumping in her seat. "If you're sure."
"Great! So, here's what you do," he guided her in writing her name in blood—her grimace made him laugh—and showed her the summoning jutsu's hand signs. "Give it a try. It's fine if you don't get it the first time, I know you haven't had much practice with chakra, yet."
She nodded, her slender fingers going through the motions slowly. "How much chakra do I need?"
He shrugged. "As much as you think feels right. We'll tweak it from there."
With a heavy exhale, she performed the jutsu in earnest, placing her palm on the apartment floor with a stern scowl of concentration. To Kakashi's surprise, smoke billowed up and around her hand, signaling a success. Her report card had indicated less than stellar chakra control, so he'd expected at least one failure, first. He was allowed to be proud of being wrong, right? That was normal, right?
The smoke cleared, revealing a small, white dog with long fur and a tan mask marking across its eyes and ears. Brown eyes looked up at a smiling Hanako.
"A Papillon!"
What.
Noticing his confusion, she gestured to the dog. "This breed is called a Papillon. It means butterfly, see?"
Kakashi supposed the markings on the dog's head could be interpreted as a butterfly, if he squinted.
"They're a luxury breed," his kid continued, eyes bright with excitement. "Like Pomeranians and Samoyeds."
The dog cocked its head and let out a small, yappy bark. Hanako looked delighted and began praising it and its breed, but Kakashi was privately concerned. Pakkun had already known how to speak when he'd first summoned him. Maybe this was due to the difference in their chakra levels? Kakashi had been a well-rounded genius, unlike his oddly specialized kid. Could something like that make a difference?
Oh well, the pup would learn eventually. There was one small issue, though.
"You got a name, pup?"
The dog yapped.
Ugh.
Hanako, bless her, had much more patience than he did. Honestly, sometimes he felt like the kid in their relationship.
After a boring, drawn out game of twenty questions, Hanako established that the dog was female—or preferred female pronouns—was just about one year old and had a name starting with 'mo'.
"Momo?"
The dog shook her head.
"Moko?"
No.
"Momiji?"
Ah, she'd found it.
Kakashi watched with a smile as his kid bonded with her ninken. He could remember his own excitement from summoning Pakkun for the first time, the joy of finally having someone else in his life.
"Well, kiddo," he said, standing. "I believe this calls for a celebration." With a flourish, he summoned Pakkun, the pug looking tired and put upon until he noticed Momiji.
"Well, now," he said with a fond expression. "Looks like you finally took my advice."
Kakashi didn't dignify that with a response. "Come on, you two, we're getting barbeque."
Even Pakkun joined in the happy cheering that inspired.
The pug jumped up and settled on Kakashi's shoulders as they left the apartment. "They're a good match," he said in his human's ear. "The little one is a bit behind her littermates, but she excels at puzzle solving."
Just like his pup, then.
Pakkun laughed as if sensing his thoughts. "Your pup is catching up just fine, Kakashi. She just needs some time."
"Hn."
"KAKASHI~!"
Oh no.
Kakashi carefully schooled his features into a bored expression, raising his hand in greeting to the man who'd forced his way into his life like rockslide. "Yo, Guy."
Might Guy stood in the middle of the road with his hands on his hips, a wide smile on his masculine face. His customary green jumpsuit stood out against the bleary autumn setting, catching the eye of civilians and shinobi alike.
"My friend and rival," he began exuberantly. "How long it has been since we last met!"
"Ah."
"You have been taking on many missions, as of late! What a treat it is to see you at home!"
"Ah."
"Let us take this opportunity to settle our score! I propose a race—!"
"Daddy?"
Guy froze, fist raised above his head comically. His eyes darted down to Hanako where she stood with Momiji in her arms, her face covered by a mask just like Kakashi's. Guy leapt back, eyes bugging out of his skull.
"What is this? My friend, you have a child!?"
"Ah."
His kid laughed at Guy's expression, bowing as she introduced herself. "Hello! My name is Hanako Hatake, and this is Momiji. I summoned her all by myself!"
The childish display of pride had Kakashi smiling beneath his own mask. Guy's over the top expression of awe was likely heartfelt, and it pleased him to see his kid receiving genuine praise.
"Truly!? You are an asset to your clan, young Hanako!"
She giggled happily. "You're funny! I like you! Daddy, I like him!"
Kakashi snorted. "Ah."
"We're going to get barbeque, wanna come?"
Guy sent a questioning glance at Kakashi, who shrugged.
"It's her party, she can invite who she wants."
"Yay!" She dashed off down the street toward the restaurant, leaving the two jonin behind.
"My friend," Guy said seriously. "I did not know you had a child."
Kakashi shrugged. "Until a year ago, I didn't." At his friend's sharp glance, he sighed. "I'll tell you about it over drinks, sometime. Come on, she's waiting."