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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

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Gai's Birthday Bingo 2023

Prompt: Mask

Words: 3,760

Character: Maito Gai, Yamato, Hatake Kakashi

Notes: Post- Chunin Exams

“A month?” Tenzo just about choked on his tea when he heard the timeline his Senpai had given him for Sasuke’s training. He’d known that Kakashi had plans to focus on his student’s training in preparation for his next chunin exam fight, but to be told that he’d be out of contact for a month seemed a little extreme. In all of the years they’d known each other he’d never known Kakashi to take even a day away from training, but now here he was telling him that he’d be taking an entire month. “What if there’s a mission? Or an attack?”

“I’ll be just outside the village,” Kakashi dismissed his questions with swift answers while stirring the minuscule remains of his tea. “If anyone needs to contact me they’ll be able to. Whether I answer or not will be determined by how important I think the issue is.”

“But-”

“There are no buts,” his Senpai continued over him. “Sasuke’s being pitted against that Gaara kid from Suna. Not only did that kid break Itachi’s record for finishing the forest of death, but he just about killed Lee in their battle. If Gai hadn’t stepped in…” his words drifted off, but the weight of what he refused to say still lingered over them.

If Gai hadn’t stepped in, Lee would have died.

Tenzo hadn’t been there to see the fights himself, but he’d heard all about them from Asuma when they met up for drinks shortly after. Every detail had been spilled over Sake, from Asuma’s disappointment over Choji and Ino’s loss’ to his surprise at Naruto’s win.

The fight that he’d talked about, though, was Rock Lee’s. Not a single detail had been spared and by the end of the night, Tenzo could feel the concern that radiated off of Asuma. He’d even expressed some fear about Shikamaru’s upcoming fight against the Suna girl, Temari, but it was nothing compared to his concern about his student facing off against Gaara.

That was the fear of a sensei who didn’t have his student going up against Gaara, though. For his Senpai, the reality was very different. Not only was Sasuke set up to face Gaara in his next match, but according to Kakashi, he was woefully unprepared.

“I have to make sure he does alright,” Kakashi whispered, his eyes focused on the swirling tea in his cup. “I put them into this exam. I need to help them survive, no matter what. Even if it means I ignore missions for a little while.”

Tenzo understood his Senpai’s concerns. Every shinobi in Konoha faced the chunin exams, but it seemed that the risks in these exams were far more than when Kakashi had anticipated. Not only was there the threat that the Gaara kid posed but there was also Orochimaru.

A sannin seeking to steal Sasuke, one of Kakashi’s precious students, and use for their own gain.

The world was stacking the odds against Kakashi and all he could do was try his best to protect his students.

“What about the others?” Tenzo asked, his mind wandering to the other two students Kakashi had taken on. Whenever he spoke of them Kakashi seemed to have nothing but praise. Although he’d been forced into the job, it seemed to Tenzo that he’d taken to it quite well.

His students were his pride and joy and he made sure to remind Tenzo of that fact every time they saw each other.

“Naruto needs to work on his chakra control,” Kakashi answered with ease. “I’ve spoken to Ebisu about training him while I’m helping Sasuke. If he can improve in that area I’m sure he’ll do well in his next match. He is Konoha’s number one unpredictable ninja, after all. No one expected him to make it this far, but here he is.”

Tenzo couldn’t help but laugh at the terrible nickname his Senpai had given Naruto. “Isn’t he going against one of Gai-san’s students? Hyuga Neji, correct?” Kakashi nodded. “I’ve heard a bit about him. Seems like he could pose a bit of a problem to Naruto.”

“He can,” Kakashi confirmed. “But there’s not much I can do for Naruto until he improves his chakra control, and Ebisu’s a better teacher in that regard than I am. Besides, as dangerous as Neji is he’s not going to kill Naruto.”

“Are you sure about that?” Another story he’d heard from Asuma was about Neji’s fight against Hyuga Hinata, and that was a story that said the exact opposite of what his Senpai was telling him.

“Neji is hard, but not that bad,” Kakashi confirmed. “He’s also Gai’s student. I trust that if things get out of hand, Gai will step in if I’m not there too.”

“True,” There was no one who knew Kakashi’s struggles better than Gai. Even Tenzo didn’t know the true extent of what his Senpai had suffered in his life, but he had learned enough over the years to know that he’d do everything in his power to protect Kakashi from more pain. There was no doubt in his mind that Gai felt the same way. “So Naruto will be trained by Ebisu and Sakura?”

“A month without training won’t kill her,” Kakashi sighed. “She’ll have to take care of her training for the time, but I’ll make it up to them all when the exams are done and everything has settled. Once I can breathe then I’ll kick into gear.”

Tenzo cringed at the saying. During his time in team Ro with Kakashi he’d come to understand that ‘Kick into gear’ really meant ‘drive them into the ground until they can’t move, and then do it again’.

Sakura was going to need the month-long break to prepare for what was coming her way.

“So a month,” he sighed, circling back to the beginning of the conversation. “That’s going to be a pretty boring month for me. Though, I guess I can focus a bit more on missions while you’re occupied.”

“Actually,” straightening up, Kakashi locked eyes with Tenzo. “I have a request.”

Gai’s apartment was easy to locate. Not only did Tenzo have the apartment number that his Senpai had written down on a small piece of paper for him, three-zero-five written in giant blocky letters so that he wouldn’t misread any of the numbers, but there was also a sign hanging on the front of the door that announced who was living there with pride.

A simple wooden sign that Tenzo recalled making himself just a few years ago for Gai’s birthday. He hadn’t known what to get for the overly energetic Jonin until his Senpai had shown him a picture of his tortoise summon that he’d snuck during one of his outings as ‘Sukea’. Now here it was, staring back at Tenzo after a year. Telling him exactly what he needed to know.

He was in the right place.

Now all he had to do was knock.

“Come on,” he lifted his right hand and took a deep breath, but nothing happened. His hand refused to move. “You can do it, Tenzo. It’s just a quick check-up. Poke your head in, make sure he’s alive and functioning, and go. That’s all. It’s easy.”

He took another deep, slow breath, but still nothing happened.

His hand just hovered there in front of the door, neither lowering nor reaching out to knock. Stuck in a limbo of inactivity that Tenzo couldn’t seem to force it out of.

“Just one knock,” he whispered, cringing when his hand refused to move. “Come on. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Gai was a good man. Stranger and perhaps a little too much for Tenzo to handle most days, but a good man. Short of harming Kakashi, which he would never think of doing, or one of his students, there was nothing Tenzo could think of that he could do to upset Gai.

Even if there was, Checking up on him certainly wasn’t on the list.

“Just go,” he insisted. “One knock and-”

Before he could finish that train of thought the door swung open and he found himself face to face with Maito Gai.

Smiley, energetic, always pleasant Maito Gai.

Except, none of those descriptors seemed to fit the man that he was staring at today. Not because Gai wasn’t trying to portray himself as the exact same person he always with, with a smile that spread across his entire face, but because that smile didn’t match at all with the tired, defeated look in his eyes.

“You look…”

“Great?” Gai cheered, though his voice sounded a little flatter than usual. “Wonderful? Ready to jump out and greet the day with the full power of my youth?”

Tenzo shook his head. “Awful.”

As soon as the word left his mouth the smile dropped off of Gai’s face and his shoulders slumped. “You’re learning from Kakashi, aren’t you?” he sighed, all of his usual energy missing from his voice. “

“I am a trained Anbu operative,” Tenzo argued, just a little insulted by the implication that he would need his Senpai to tell him what to look out for when he approached Gai. His Senpai had, of course, given him a few hints of what to keep an eye out for, but that didn’t matter. He was trained to read people’s emotions and body language. To look deeper and see all of the subtle signals that they were trying to hide from him.

“Ah,” waving off his protests, Gai leaned forward and peered down the hallway. “He’s not with you, is he?”

Tenzo could only sigh. “He’s out training Sasuke for his next match,” he assured the green-clad dork that his Senpai called ‘rival’. “That’s why I’m here.”

“To check up on me?” jutting his bottom lip out, Gai huffed. “I’m fine. I don’t need someone to pop in and make sure everything is alright. I’m not-”

He stopped himself, but Tenzo knew exactly what he wanted to say.

I’m not Kakashi.

A low blow, but a rather deserved one. In the twenty years that he’d known his Senpai one undeniable fact that Tenzo had learned was that his Senpai didn’t handle loss or disaster well. He would always put on a front, masking his emotions behind an aloof attitude, but deep down he was spiraling.

Tenzo didn’t think Gai would have the same reaction. His experiences with pain, as far as Tenzo knew, were different than Kakashi’s and his personality was almost the complete opposite.

That didn’t stop him from worrying, though. Everyone had a breaking point and although he hadn’t met any of Gai’s students, he’d heard enough about them to know just how much Gai cared about Lee.

If there was someone out there in the world whose death would cause Gai to crumble, it was either Kakashi or Lee. Kakashi because of their long-standing friendship and rivalry, and Lee because of how much Gai had come to care about him in such a short amount of time.

Tenzo wasn’t keen to find out which one it was anytime soon. The energy that Gai brought to the village was strange but comforting. The world needed more of the bright, youthful energy and less destroyed, irreparable spirits.

“I see,” shoving those thoughts to the side for the moment, he leaned to the right just enough to get a view into the room behind Gai. The layout was the same as every other Jonin apartment in the building but with a few weights laying out on the floor and a workout mat half haphazardly thrown into the corner beside Gai’s desk. On the desk, there was a bit more of a mess, with dishes piling up on the back near the wall and three books of various sizes spread open along the desk. “And what is it you’re reading about?”

“Uh, well,” glancing back over his shoulder, Gai cringed. “I was just looking up some information. It’s important to keep up to date with our knowledge.”

There it was again. That wide, toothy grin that Gai always wore on his face.

A grin that Tenzo had once viewed with caution, but which he’d come to enjoy over the years.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Gai blinked, the smile dropping away for just a split second, only to return as soon as Gai realized it was gone. “Stop reading?”

“Smiling.” Tenzo huffed, hating the words that were coming out of his mouth. As much as he liked to complain about Gai’s seemingly endless amounts of energy, he had genuinely come to love his smile.

It was one of the brightest, most genuine smiles he had ever seen in his life, and whenever Gai turned it toward him he felt a strange warmth spreading in his chest. Kakashi had laughed at him the first time he talked about it and told him that everyone felt that way about Gai’s smile, but he hadn’t believed him.

Now, though, that warmth was missing. He couldn’t look at Gai’s smile and feel happy to see it because deep down he knew it was a lie. A mask that Gai was using to hide away the pain he was experiencing.

“I don’t-”

Deciding to make a daring move, Tenzo pushed past Gai into his apartment and headed straight for the desk. His goal was the pile of dishes that sat at the back of the desk, but as he reached out for them he couldn’t help but gaze down at the books.

Medical books, all turned to pages with detailed pictures of leg muscles or leg bones.

Kakashi had been right to ask him to check in on Gai.

“You’re worried,” he noted, focusing his attention back on the dishes and slowly starting to move them from the desk into a small space between his left arm and chest.. “You’re overthinking Lee’s condition and trying to make up for your lack of knowledge on the subject by studying as much as you can.”

“What are you, an interrogator?” Gai huffed.

“No,’ That line of work had been a part of Tenzo’s job once, a long time ago, but it was rare for him to take on that role in Anbu. “I’m a friend,” placing the last dish on the pile that now teetered in his arm, he maneuvered his right arm around it for a bit more support and turned toward the kitchen. “A friend who has specifically been sent by another friend to check in on you.”

“Always straight to the point,” Gai sighed as he followed Tenzo toward the kitchen, dragging his feet along the floor. “And what are you doing with my dishes?”

“Cleaning them, obviously,” coming to a stop in front of the sink, he leaned down and carefully placed the dishes down so they didn’t topple over. The last thing he wanted to do today was go shopping for a new set of dishes after destroying all of the ones Gai had. “Since you’re too focused on improving your knowledge pool someone has to make sure you’re going to be eating off of clean plates.”

“I can-” turning his head, he glared straight at Gai. “N-never mind.”

“That’s what I thought,” with that argument sufficiently killed he focused back on the daunting task he’d taken on. “Well, I’m doing the dishes maybe you can make some tea?”

“Tea?”

“Yes,” Tezno confirmed. “You do still remember what tea is, right?”

Gai sputtered, tripping over his words a few times before finally taking a deep breath. “Green tea?” His voice came out strained, but the question was quickly followed by the sound of feet shuffling and cupboards being pulled open.

“Green tea is fine,” Tenzo confirmed. Turning on the tap he watched as water flowed into the sink. The pile he’d collected was taller than anything he’d ever tackled before, but he was certain that it was a task he could finish in under ten minutes. Just enough time for Gai to make them some tea. Once the dishes were clean and the two of them were seated with their drink, then he would start asking the questions that were already swirling around in his mind.

How long has it been since you went outside?

When was the last time you got yourself some dango?

How is he doing?

Those were questions that would have to wait till later, though. Things he would ask when the two of them were sitting face to face with their hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea.

Until then, they would continue swirling around in his mind demanding an answer to the nagging concerns that came with each one of them.

“You don’t have to worry, you know,” Gai spoke as he stepped up to Tenzo’s side and held out his kettle to him. Taking the kettle, Tenzo popped it open and placed it under the tap. Once it was about halfway full he pulled it back and returned it to Gai. “I’m fine.”

“Fine,” he couldn’t help but laugh. Every moment he’d heard Kakashi say that exact line to him came rushing back to him. Bombarding him with memories of exhausted, haunted eyes staring through him as if he wasn’t even there. “Your student is in the hospital.”

“I know that.” Snatching the kettle back, Gai turned away with a huff. Instead of making his way toward the stove, though, he just stood there. His back facing Tenzo and his kettle clutched in his hand. “I know that…”

At that moment, Tenzo regretted agreeing to his Senpai’s request.

If he’d been smart he would have insisted Kakashi come instead. He would have pressured his Senpai to put off Sasuke’s training for just a few hours to check in on his friend. It was Kakashi, not Tenzo, who knew how best to support Gai.

He hadn’t, though.

Instead, he’d promised to take care of it. Assured his Senpai that he would make sure Gai was taken care of when he couldn’t be there for him. Now he was stuck with a pile of dishes higher than he’d ever seen, with no idea what to say next.

Well, there was one thing he could say. Something that he was certain he would never dare to utter in front of anyone else, even under threat of torture, but which seemed fitting in this moment.

“If it was Kakashi-Senpai, I’d be a mess.”

Gai spun round, an expression of utter horror on his face as he stared at Tenzo. “What?”

Grabbing the first dish from the pile he took a deep breath and started cleaning. “If it was Kakashi-Senpai in the hospital,” he continued. “I would be a mess. Or even Yugao, or you.”

It was difficult for him to admit, but all of his years of being trained to cut himself off from others and deny himself any emotional bonds had failed. Part of it was because of his Senpai’s insistence on friendship, which had rubbed off on him over the years, but there was also a piece of him that knew he never would have been able to succeed.

His friends were important to him. No matter how much he wanted to cut himself off from them, he couldn’t. It’s exactly the weakness that Kakashi had exploited when he found out about Tenzo’s mission to kill him, and what had led to him going against Danzo’s orders for the first time in his life.

If any of his friends were stuck in the hospital with an injury that might never be healed, he would throw himself into his work much like Kakashi always did. There wouldn’t be a pile of dishes growing on his desk or open medical textbooks, but his mental health would take a turn for the worst.

And if or when that happened, he knew two things for certain.

Kakashi would show up at his door dragging him outside for some fresh air insisting that he can’t give up, and Gai would be right behind him with that brilliant smile and promises of dango and spars to cheer him up.

“All I’m saying is…” finishing with the first bowl he placed it under the tap to wash away the leftover soap and placed it into the small drying rack beside the sink. “I get it. You don’t have to pretend to be alright for me, Gai.”

For a second the two of them just stood there. Gai holding onto his kettle full of water, and Tenzo washing dishes. The only sound that echoed in the small apartment was running water and the light clink of dishes as Tenzo added them to the drying rack.

Then, without any warning, Gai set the kettle down on the counter, threw his arms around Tenzo’s shoulders, and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

“Gai-” Tenzo croaked out as his bones cried out in pain. Immediately the Jonin loosened his hold, though he still kept Tenzo pinned against his body as he buried his face into his right shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into Tenzo’s shirt. “No apologies,” placing his hand on Gai’s arm, he ignored the water dripping from his fingers. There wasn’t much for him to say at the moment. Comforting other people wasn’t something he was good at, and he wasn’t about to pretend to be.

Comfort wasn’t what Gai needed, though. Kind words wouldn’t wash away the reality of the situation his student was in. They wouldn’t rid him of the memories of Lee’s battle, or the sight of his student laying in a hospital bed lucky that he had survived but with little hope for a continued life as a shinobi.

Kind words would do nothing for Gai during this time, so Tenzo didn’t bother to try and come up with any. Instead, he simply stood there and let Gai hide his face in his shoulder while he hugged him.

‘Just be there for him,’ Kakashi had told him when he’d asked why he wanted him to go check in on his best friend. ‘He needs someone right now. Usually, I would go, but I only have a month to prepare Sasuke for this next fight. So go in my place, please.’

So, that’s what Tenzo resolved to do.

Be there for Gai.

Ask him questions, check in on his well-being, and just listen.

There was nothing he could say to make the situation better, but if Kakashi was right he wouldn’t need to. All Gai needed was company, and that was something Tenzo could provide in spades.

#GaiBirthdayBingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023 #Maito Gai #Yamato #Tenzo #Hatake Kakashi #Fic #A focus on Gai and Yamato's friendship for a change #let them have a moment <3 #Even if it is because Kakashi asked Yamato to check in on Gai #It's still their moment

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

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With both hands on his hips and an angry expression plastered on his face, Gai loomed over Obito. “Apologize,”

“No,” crossing his arms over his chest Obito turned his head away. “Not a chance.”

“Apologize,” Gai insisted, stretching his tiny body out so that he seemed just a little bit taller. A little more intimidating.

“No!” Obito snapped back at him. “And you can’t make me!”

“Give it up Gai,” Kakashi called out, his attention focused completely on Ebisu and the burn he’d received across his arm He’s just going to dig his heels in. Besides, Ebisu should have been paying attention.”

“I was reading!”

“And what were you reading exactly?” Bending down, Kakashi picked up the discardged magazine and turned it over “oh, gross.”

“It’s not gross!”

“Not gross,” Rin agreed when Kakashi turned the magazine toward her “but i’m feeling less inclined to heal you knowing you look at stuff like that.”

“It’s not- It’s normal!”

“Normal for who?” Chucking the magazine over his shoulder, Kakashi sighed when Ebisu charged forward to catch it without any regard for Rin who he promptly knocked over on the way.

“Ow!”

“Rin!?” Obito’s attention snapped back to the ground and his face grew dark when he saw Rin gathering herself from the ground while Ebisu retrieved his precious magazine.

“And here we go,” reaching out, Kakashi grabbed hold of Gai’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Time to go.”

“But-“

“No,” he insisted as he reached out a hand to help Rin up. “He made the mistake, he can live with the consequences.”

“But-“

“Should we go out for some Dango?” Gai’s ears perked up, and without a second thought he turned his back to Obito and Ebisu and beamed.

“Dango?”

“Of course that would win him over,” Rin giggled. “Genma, wanna come?”

“Nah,” Genma waved them away, his eyes locked on the two squabbling shinobi. “Someone has to drag Ebisu to the hospital when Obito’s done with him.”

#Gaibirthdaybingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023 #Maito Gai #Uchiha Obito #ficlet #this just came to me and it’s so stupid #so i’m sorry XD #Nohara Rin #Hatake Kakashi #Ebisu #Genma #Team Choza #Team Minato

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

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How To Celebrate: Maito Style

Prompt: Dango & Legacy

Characters: Maito Gai, Maito Dai, Genma, Hatake Kakashi, Asuma, Anko, Ebisu

Words: 4,914

All day Gai had been training. Doing laps around the village, working himself as hard as he could until his Papa finished his missions for the day. He hadn’t bothered to keep track of time, but when he looked up to see the sun setting behind the Hokage’s monument he knew it was time to call it a day.

His bones ached, and he was struggling a little to breathe, but he felt better than he had all weak. For the first time in weeks, he felt like all of his training was taking him somewhere. That it meant something.

The days of training to prove himself were now behind him. He’d officially been accepted into the Acadamy, meaning that he’d succeeded in showing everyone that he was just as capable of being a shinobi as all of the other kids his age who had already been accepted.

That didn’t mean he could stop training, though. There was still a long way to go to become the strongest shinobi in all of Konoha and he had a lot of competition for the title. That’s why he’d gone to the training field as soon as he’d gotten the news.

Well, not right away. First, he’d stopped at the mission desk in search of his Papa. Having left a letter for him with Lord Third, though, he’d decided to head straight for the training field closest to their home next.

That’s where he’d spent the rest of his day. Doing push-ups, kicks, sit-ups, and other exercises to improve himself.

“Rest is just as important as training.” he reminded himself, repeating the words his Papa had spoken to him every time he found him laying face first in the dirt in whatever training field he’d chosen to use for the day.

“It is,” his Papa’s voice reached his ears, and without hesitation, Gai jumped to his feet and spun round to face the older man. With a smile so wide it hurt his cheeks, he stared up at his Papa and waited.

For what, he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t help but wait.

“I heard-”

“I made it!” He screamed in joy and threw his arms up into the air.

His Papa stared at him for a second, stunned by his sudden declaration, and then laughed. “You made it,” he confirmed and held a hand out toward Gai. “Let’s celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Gai blinked. “How?”

“With Dango, of course,” his Papa laughed.

Gai’s eyes lit up. It had been weeks since he’d had dango. “Really?”

“Of course,” turning his hand, his Papa lifted his thumb and grinned. “Getting into the academy is a huge accomplishment. We have to celebrate.”

“But-” eyes darting down to his Papa’s pocket, he cringed. He didn’t always understand why his Papa counted the Ryo in his pocket, but he could remember the times that he’d watched him put away groceries or order one less stick of dango before handing his change over to the seller. “Can we?”

His Papa dropped down into a kneel and placed his hand on Gai’s shoulder. “I want to,” he insisted. Glancing back up at him, Gai couldn’t help but smile when he saw the way his Papa stared at him. There was so much pride in his eyes. Pride that was focused solely on Gai. “Besides, this is a big accomplishment. You trained hard and kept working, and because of all of the effort you put in the principal changed her mind and allowed you into the academy.”

Pride swelled in Gai’s chest.

He’d changed their minds

All of his work had been worth it in the end.

“Do you think-” he stopped himself, not wanting to get too far ahead of himself. As it stood he was still the least likely to graduate from the Acadamy, but that was only for now. If he kept training he could become the best in his class.

Maybe he’d even become stronger than his Eternal Rival.

“I think that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” his Papa grinned and patted his shoulder before standing up. “But you can worry about that later. For now, let’s celebrate.” Once again he held out his hand, but this time Gai didn’t hesitate before taking it.

“Celebrate!” he cheered, throwing his arms up into the air and laughing when his Papa’s hand went up with them. “I want the biggest stick of Dango! No, two sticks of dango!” Oh, and then we can go for a run around the village after!”

Not wanting to waste a second he began running down the street in the direction of the market. Behind him his father jogged along, following him without question while still holding onto his hand.

Gai knew that two sticks of dango were out of the question. He was lucky that his Papa was offering to buy him one stick, and he wasn’t about to get greedy with that luck, but he couldn’t help but vocalize his excitement.

He’d been accepted into the Acadamy and his Papa was getting him Dango.

This was the best day ever.

Excitement coursed through Gai’s veins.

Pride beams through his bright, blinding smile as he makes his way through the village. Today Gai holds himself even higher than usual. He smiles brighter than he ever has, and carries himself with such pride that he could almost feel himself floating in the air. The world around him felt almost surreal. As if he was wandering around in a dream, oblivious to his situation.

It wasn’t a dream, though. He’d checked.

He’d asked every single one of his friends to pinch him just to make sure he wasn’t sleeping and even accepted a punch to the arm from Obito for extra insurance. However, it had felt less like a punch and more like a light tap against his arm.

It wasn’t a dream.

Today was real and it was the best day of Gai’s life. Better even than his last birthday when Kakashi, Rin, Asuma, and Kurenai had spent the entire day training with him, and his Papa had taken him and all of his friends out for a curry dinner.

How his Papa had been able to afford such an expensive meal he wasn’t sure, but he’d been too happy to ask any questions. A day full of excitement with his friends was more than he had ever dared to ask for before.

Now, all he wanted to do was find his Papa and give him the good news. To do that, though, he had to find him. A task that was easier said than done. Every day his Papa would end up running around the village doing multiple missions and where Gai might run into him would always change depending on the mission he was trying to complete.

“Where could he be?” He grumbled to himself as his eyes scanned over the area. There was a couple beside the ramen shop huddled close together, and two children a few years younger than him weaving between people while they screamed with joy. No matter where he looked, though, his Papa was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey there,” a hand came down into his hair, calling his attention upward to the familiar tender smile of the Dango shop owner, Emi-San. “Looking for your old man?”

Gai nodded, his smile growing even wider as the excitement of his news spilled over. “I have to find him right away!” He confirmed. “We did our graduation exam yesterday and today we got the results. I-”

“Ah,” Emi-San ruffled his hair a little before pulling back her hand. “Save your news. He’s waiting for you at the shop.”

“The shop?” Gai blinked. “But, Papa rarely goes for Dango without me.”

“He wanted to get a jump on things today,” motioning for him to follow her, she began making her way through the crowd. For a second Gai just stood there watching her, his feet glued to the ground, but when she turned back to smile at him he felt himself beginning to move.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked without thought, smiling when Emi-San simply laughed at his question.

“I can leave the shop once in a while,” stepping to the side, she smiled at a passing gentleman. “I don’t live in the dango shop. I just work there.”

“You also sort of live there,” Springing forward a few steps he spun around and grinned up at her. “I’ve never seen you outside of the shop before.”

“That’s because I need to make sure I’m always there for you,” she chuckled. “If I wasn’t there to give you your dango you would complain.”

Thinking about it, Gai nodded. “I would,” he confirmed. “You make the best dango in all of Konoha, no, all of the world!” Tossing his arms up into the air he giggled when Emi-San rolled her eyes. “I can’t eat dango made by anyone else. It’s just not the same.”

“It’s nice to know that I’ll have a lifelong customer at my little shop.” reaching out she placed her hand on his shoulder and gently shoved him to the left. He was about to ask what she was doing, but just as he opened his mouth a young woman stepped past him and said a gentle ‘thank you’ to Emi-san before continuing on her way.

After that, Gai turned himself around and focused on the road ahead of him. Excitement was still burning its way through his entire body, but he did his best to hold it all in. The moment when he saw his Papa was when he’d explode. He’d rattle off to him about all the things his Sensei had said about his exam, and how he’d just barely passed but still made it.

He was officially a shinobi. A genin of Konoha just like his Papa.

It was one step closer to becoming the strongest shinobi in the entire village.

Emi-san tapped on his head, a kind smile greeting him when he looked back at her. “You’re about to walk right past the dango shop,” she warned as she pointed to their left. Following her finger, he grinned when he saw the little shop sitting there with its beautiful yellow Noren blowing in the wind.

Behind the Noren, he could see a familiar figure sitting at one of the tables. A figure which he had been searching through the entire village for, and which he’d never have found without Emi-San’s aid.

Turning back to the shopkeeper, he grinned. “Thank you for leading me to him, Emi-San.”

“Of course,” her smile was soft and genuine. The type of smile he found rare in a sea of stressed, annoyed faces that flooded the streets of Konoha every day. “Now get going. I’m sure you have a lot to tell your Papa about today.”

Surging forward, Gai wrapped his arms around Emi-San’s waist and hugged her tight. It was a gesture he’d learned wasn’t always welcome, but rather than pushing him away like so many people, or begrudgingly accepting his hug like Kakashi always did, Emi-San placed a hand against his back and gave him a small, reassuring pat.

After a few moments, he took a step back and grinned up at her. “You’re the best, Emi-San,” turning around, he locked his eyes on his Papa and rushed forward. There was dango sitting on the table in front of his Papa, and a smile greeting him as he screeched to a halt in front of him. Most importantly, though, there was a tender look in his eyes.

A look that spoke volumes.

His Papa already knew.

“Papa, I-”

Patting the bench beside him, his Papa’s smile softened. “Tell me everything,” he insisted. “I want to hear all about it.”

Jump.

Guard.

Left.

Each step ran through Gai’s mind before he did it. With every punch Genma through, Gai avoided it almost perfectly.

The problem was that his reaction was too slow. He took too long.

“Gai!” Genma called out as he threw another punch, this time hitting Gai’s left arm when he lifted it in front of his face to block the attack. “You’re slow today. What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” Pushing his friend back he watched as he stumbled. That didn’t stop Genma, though. Even as he tried to regain his footing he used the opening Gai had given him to spit his Senbon toward him.

The small projectile came hurling toward his face at high speeds.

Block.

Lifting his right arm, he knocked the Senbon away just before it struck his nose.

“You’re slow today,” Genma teased with a playful smile. “I thought Chunin’s were supposed to be strong.”

“We’re both Chunin’s,” Gai reminded his friend while trying not to let his words sting.

“Ya, but you’re the best of the latest batch of graduates,” Genma fired back, shaking his head when Gai drew in a sharp breath. “Don’t act so surprised. You beat everyone in the exams. It’s pretty obvious that you’re the strongest.”

The strongest.

“I’m not, though,” he sighed, wishing he could just enjoy the words for a few seconds. “Kakashi wasn’t in the exams this round. If he was there-”

“Then you’d still have won,” Genma asserted. “Or at the least, you’d be the only one to land a punch on him, which is an impressive feat of its own.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Gai’s lips. “You think so?”

“You hit him all the time in your spars,” Making his way toward him, Genma swooped down and snatched his fallen senbon off the ground and plopped it back into his mouth. “I’ve seen the two of you go at it. I know for a fact you’d at the very least have left him with a few bruises, which is a huge improvement from the last time we took the Chunin exams.”

Memories of the last chunin exam came flying back to Gai and he instantly regretted it. Although most of his fights had gone off without a hitch, leading him straight to the finals, he’d ultimately lost.

He hadn’t even just lost. He’d been beaten badly by Kakashi. The whole fight had felt like a joke at the end of the day.

Rather than getting down about his loss, though, he’d picked himself up and continued training just as he always did, and that training had paid off. This time he’d swept through his opponents and come out on top.

He’d been the best fighter in the exams, and although he wasn’t the only one who’d been promoted he did have the honor of being the strongest shinobi in the exams this round.

Even if Kakashi wasn’t there for him to face, it was still an accomplishment. One he should be proud of.

“Have you told your dad yet?”

Gai cringed. Not only had he forgotten to tell his Papa about his new promotion, but he’d failed to rush home with his new chunin vest in hand to show it off.

“No…”

“Well,” leaning a little to the left, Genma snorted. “I don’t think that will be such a problem anyway.”

Before he could ask what his friend meant a hand came down on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he smiled when he saw his Papa standing there with one hand on his shoulder and the other hand hovering in front of his face with two sticks of dango in it.

“Papa-”

“Lord Third gave me the news when I went to get my next mission,” there was so much pride in his eyes that it engulfed Gai. It felt like he was being wrapped up in a tight hug and crushed under the weight of his father’s pride. “I figured when you didn’t come running to me with the news yourself that you’d gotten caught up in training.”

“I’ll just leave you two to this,” looking back at his friend, Gai watched as he turned his back. “See you tomorrow at training?”

Not wasting a moment, Gai stretched his arm out in front of him and gave his friend an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Of course! I’ll be there bright and early as always.”

“As always,” Genma repeated with a sigh. “See you then.”

With that his friend was off, leaving Gai standing there in the middle of the training field with his Papa.

“Papa, I-”

“No need to apologize,” Extending his hand out, he offered the dango up to Gai. “We have a chance to celebrate now. That’s what matters.”

A chance to celebrate. An opportunity to sit down and let his promotion sink in for the first time since he’d received his vest from Lord Third.

The excitement surged through Gai, and for the first time since he’d first taken hold of the vest, he cheered. Threw his arms up into the air and screamed with unrestrained joy while tears ran down his face.

“I made it!” He cried out, choking back a sob as reality started to set in. “I made it, Papa!”

All of his hard work had paid off. Not only was he a shinobi, but he was a chunin now. A shinobi who’d officially been recognized by the village for their skills and who would be able to go on even more difficult missions now.

His father’s smile grew, stretching across his face in a giant, proud grin. “You made it,” he confirmed, wiggling his hand with the dango in it. “And once we’re done eating these we’re going to go celebrate with some curry from that little place on the edge of the village that you like.”

Curry and dango. Two of his favorite foods in one day. There was nothing that could beat that.

“Oh,” his Papa waved the dango in front of his face. “And after dinner, we’re going to have a spar. I want to see for myself just how much stronger you have gotten.”

Gai just about exploded with excitement when he heard that. “Promise?” he asked with round, bright eyes focused on his Papa’s face.”

“I promise.”

Squealing with excitement, he snatched one of the sticks of dango out of his Papa’s hand and promptly took a bite out of it. Today was going to go down in memory as the best day of his life, there was no doubt about it.

Jonin.

An Elite shinobi of Konoha capable of taking on A and possibly even S-ranked missions. Recognized by the higher-ups of his village as a capable, skilled Shinobi who can not only hold his own in a battle but can lead others as well.

That was how Choza-Sensei had explained the rank to Gai years ago when he’d asked him about it. There had been such pride in his voice as he explained it, and even more pride in his eyes today when he presented Gai with the official record declaring his promotion to Jonin.

The first thing he’d done was throw his arms around his Sensei’s neck and hug him, thanking him profusely for all of his training and support throughout the years.

The second thing he’d done was run off to tell Kakashi, who he’d found standing in front of the memorial stone. A habit his eternal rival had gotten into since Obito’s death and which often led him to be late to plans even though he’d once held himself up high for always being on time.

Once he’d passed on the news to Kakashi and received a soft ‘congratulations’ he said his goodbyes and ran off to his third destination.

His Papa’s grave.

It wasn’t far from where he’d found Kakashi. A small gravestone located amongst the rows of lost shinobi, but with no body buried under it. The next three hours were spent in front of that gravestone. Gai had told his Papa everything.

All of the things he’d accomplished since the day he watched that flaming red chakra surround his Papa’s body. The dreams he still wanted to achieve in the future. He’d even made sure to update his Papa on his training regime, gushing to that cold grey gravestone about the four-hundred and fifty-five laps he’d done around the village just that morning.

“Well,” climbing to his feet, he lifted his eyes towards the sky which was beginning to turn a brilliant shade of purple with hints of orange and pink mixed in. “I should get home. I want to be up early for training, and then I have to meet up with Kakashi. He promised me a spar to celebrate my new promotion. After that-”

A hand settled on his shoulder, calling his attention away from his Papa’s gravestone to the area directly behind him.

There he saw his friends standing. Not just one of two of his friends either, but all of them.

Genma and Ebisu were at the front of the crowd. Behind them was Asuma, Kurenai, Raido, Ibiki, and Anko. All of them were holding a stick of dango, and every single one of them lifted their dango when Gai's eyes scanned over with them. A small gesture that he knew they had taken from him.

He could recall almost every instance when he’d made the same gesture to them. Whether they were passing him by, or joining him in the dango shop for a sweet treat.

In front of everything, with his hand on Gai’s shoulder, stood Kakashi. The only one Gai had told about his promotion, and who was now extending his right hand out toward Gai with two sticks of dango in it.

“Kakashi told us,” Anko explained as she bumped an elbow against Ibiki’s arm. “We would have been here sooner, but someone didn’t want to leave training early.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive the extra five minutes I made you wait for your dango,” Ibiki retorted with a grunt while shoving her arm away from him. “Besides, I’m here now. That’s what matters.”

“You-” focusing his eyes on Kakashi, he couldn’t help but smile when he noticed his eternal rival had suddenly decided he didn’t want to look his way anymore. “You told them?”

“Well, you celebrated when I got my promotion,” Kakashi grumbled. “It seems only fair.”

“He’s being modest,” stepping past Genma and Ebisu, Kurenai prodded Kakashi lightly in the side. “He even splurged for everyone’s dango. It must be an important celebration to have if Kakashi ‘con his friends into paying for lunch every day’ Hatake is willing to splurge for dango.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Cut it out.”

“Not a chance,” Kurenai snickered. “Come on, Gai. Take your dango so we can celebrate properly.”

Staring at the offering in Kakashi’s hand, Gai felt a familiar warmth blooming in his chest. It wasn’t the same as that loving, comfortable warmth that had always surrounded him whenever he shared a stick of Dango with his Papa, but it was similar.

A feeling of being loved that he had thought disappeared when he first glimpsed that burning red chakra that engulfed his Papa when he opened the eighth gate of death in a last-ditch bid to protect Gai and his teammates.

“Kakashi…” tears began to well up in his eyes, threatening to spill over as he scanned his eyes over the small group of friends standing in front of him. “All of you. I- I don’t know what to say.”

“Say thank you,” Kakashi insisted as he shoved the hand with dango in it closer to Gai. “and then wipe away those tears.”

“Right,” lifting his left arm he quickly used it to dry away the tears. “Sorry. I’m a Jonin now. I shouldn’t be so emotional.”

His rival was always saying it.

He shouldn’t cry so much. His emotions shouldn’t control him, no matter how strong they were.

“You’re a Jonin now,” Kakashi confirmed. “Which means you need to stop listening to anything I say.”

“What!?” Anko jumped up in her spot, a hand coming down hard on Asuma’s shoulders.

“Ow!”

“Did he just say that?” Gemma whispered to Ebisu, his eyes locked on Kakashi’s back with a skeptical expression. “I’m not losing my mind, right? He said that?”

Ebisu nodded, his mouth agape with shock. “He did in fact say that.”

Shaking his head, Gai snatched a stick of Dango out of Kakashi’s hand and immediately chomped down on it. “No,” he spoke, laughing when Kakahsi scrunched up his face in disgust. “I don’t think I will stop listening to you, Rival.”

“If you say so,” Kakashi sighed. “But we’re the same rank now, Gai. You don’t have to listen to me.”

“Does that mean-” a hand slammed against his mouth, silencing the rest of his sentence.

“Don’t speak with a full mouth.”

A smile crept over his face, and behind Kakashi, he could see all of his other friends covering their mouths in a poor attempt to stifle their laughter. Swallowing his food, he lifted his free hand and gently brushed Kakashi’s hand away. “Alright,” he grinned even wider when Kakashi rolled his eyes. “As you say, Rival.”

“Gai, I told you-”

“I may be a Jonin now,” taking another bite he smiled as the sweet flavor coated his tongue. Once he’d chewed it enough he swallowed and continued speaking. “But that just means I have more control over what I do, right?”

“That’s right,” Kakashi confirmed. “Leading your own missions, coming up with tactical plans-”

It was Gai’s turn to grimace.

“No,” he sighed. “I mean, I could if I have to,” he was pretty good at coming up with plans in the heat of the moment and Choza-Sensei had always said he was the best on his team at coming up with an attack plan. Still, as good as he was there was one person who was better than him, for now at least. “But I think for now I’ll continue listening to you, Rival. You are the smartest in the group after all.”

“Well, that doesn’t take much,” Kakashi sighed. “When my competition includes Ebisu and Anko it’s pretty easy to be the smartest.”

Anko surged forward, but before she could get close Ibiki had wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back, leaving her to struggle against his hold as she tried to get her hands on Kakashi. “What was that, Hatake!?”

“You heard me.” Kakashi fired back with a carefree glance back at her.

“Hey,” Genma glanced back at Ebisu, who was now conveniently standing behind him. “No words for the guy insulting you?”

“That guy?” Ebisu pointed at Kakashi. “The strongest one in our group? The guy who can kick my ass without breaking a sweat? No. No, I think I’ll keep my mouth shut, thanks.”

“Smart move.” Genma snorted. Turning his attention back to Gai, he lifted his stick of dango once again. “Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!” The others cheered in unison, each of them promptly taking a bite out of their dango.

Feelings of love swelled inside of his heart as he watched his friends. All of them had taken time out of their day to find him. They’d all chosen to celebrate his promotion with him, even though he knew every single one of them had their things to do.

Looking back at his Rival, he grinned. “Rival,”

“Hmm?”

Throwing his arms out to the sides, he draped their around his Rival’s neck and pulled him into a tight hug. A move that was immediately rewarded with the sound of Kakashi gasping for air, and a single well-placed jab to his side that caused him to yelp and jump back a good foot away from his friend.

“Hugs are for appreciation,” Kakashi reminded him, his breath short and raspy. “Not for murdering.”

“Oh,” staring at his friend for a moment, he couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “I- I’m sorry. I just-”

“Aww come on, Kakashi,” Anko teased. “The smart boy can’t handle a little hug? Was it too much for you?” Glancing her way, Gai only laughed harder when he saw her sticking her tongue out at Kakashi.

“I can handle a hug,” his Rival grumbled. “But if you think it’s no big deal, why don’t you let Gai hug you? He has so much appreciation to show, after all.”

As soon as the suggestion left his Rival’s mouth the smile dropped off of Anko’s face, and for the first time since their arrival she took a step back and straightened herself up. “I’m good, thanks,” she insisted with a nervous chuckle. “I like breathing.”

Gai crumbled into himself, the laughter ripping up from his throat while his friends watched him.

“Great,” Asuma groaned while Kakashi stepped up behind Kakashi and began gently patting his back. “He just got promoted and we already killed him.”

“It’s ok,” Kurenai insisted. “If he dies by laughter that’s a good thing, right?”

Leaning down, Kakashi tapped a finger against Gai’s ear until his friend turned to look at him while still laughing so hard his ribs were beginning to ache. “If you die and leave me with these idiots, I will never forgive you.”

An attempt to get him to stop laughing, no doubt, but it backfired.

Instead of calming down, Gai only laughed harder at his friend's words.

A newly promoted Jonin. An Elite shinobi of Konoha capable of taking on all sorts of dangerous missions, and here he was. Dying from laughter because his friends couldn’t stop being ridiculous for two seconds.

#Maito Gai #Maito Dai #Hatake Kakashi #Genma #Gaibirthdaybingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023 #Is this techniclly two prompts?#yes #and i'm proud of myself for that #cuz it worked out :)#And there's no rules against smooshing two prompts into one fic lol

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

Text

Pokemon Au

Gai never expected to start collecting Turtle/Tortoise Pokemon. He knows he loves fighting type Pokemon and doesn’t think of anything else.

Sure he has his squirtle, but that’s just one lil Pokemon right? One tiny extra that he adores.

And then the most amazing thing happens to him.

On a journey through the Johto region Gai stumbles into a nice cave looking for some new fighting type Pokemon. As he’s searching among the rocks for any aign of a fighting Pokemon, he’s suddenly hit with a blast of water directly in his face.

Once he’s able to open his eyes again he glares at the attack and finds a cute little shuckle

A turtle Pokemon.

An adorable turtle Pokemon that he must have right now this minute, but which disappears at speeds far too great for a turtle Pokemon.

Gai spends the rest of the day running all through the cave searching for that shuckle, and when he finally emerges at 9pm to a pitch black sky and his three travel companions (Kakashi, Rin and Yamato) waiting patiently for him, he has a new Pokemon

A beautiful, brilliant, sneaky fast new Pokemon that he’s excited to show them.

None of them are prepared cor the moment when he chucks his Pokeball into the air and a Turtle Comes out.

#Pokemon au #Maito Gai #Might Guy #GaiBirthdayBingo #GaiBirthdayBingo2023

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

Text

Green Or Red?

Prompt: Green and Red

Characters: Maito Gai, Genma, Ebisu, Hatake Kakashi, Auma, Kurenai

Words: 1,888

Pouring out another round of Sake, Kakashi listened to his friends chatting. The conversations they were having were varied and more random than he’d ever experienced before. One moment they were talking about Ibiki’s latest round of training with Inoichi-San, and the next they had moved on to the issues Kurenai faced on her latest mission.

Random, but still not unexpected conversations. These were simply the things that Shinobi talked about in their downtime.

“Hey, isn’t Gai’s birthday coming up?” Asuma spoke up, interrupting the detailed explanation Ebisu was giving about his latest fixation on Onsen’s and their healing properties.

“It is,” Kakashi confirmed without looking up from the glasses he was trying to fill. “In two days to be exact.”

“Two days?” Slapping his hands over his face, Asuma groaned. “I have two days to get a present?”

“I think the problem has less to do with how much time you have to get a present, and more to do with how you forgot one of your friend's birthdays,” Genma pointed out, earning himself a glare from Asuma. “It’s the easiest birthday to remember out of all of us.”

“That’s true,” Ebisu confirmed. “New Year's Day, Gai’s birthday. They happen on the same day. How could you forget?”

“I’ve been busy!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kurenai interrupted, her hand coming down on Asuma’s shoulder and squeezing. A comforting gesture meant to calm Asuma before he got into an argument with Genma and Ebisu. “Two days is a lot of time. I’m sure you can think of something to get him.”

“Dango?” Genma suggested, snickering when everyone turned their attention to him. “What? He likes dango.”

“He also gets a free stick of dango on his birthday from Emi-san every year,” Kakashi reminded them. “So probably not the most thoughtful gift to get him.”

“Oh, how about a scarf!” Ebisu called out. “A nice green scarf would go over well with him.”

Kakashi scrunched up his nose. “Green?”

“Well, Ya,” Ebisu nodded. “It’s his favorite colour.”

Glancing at all of the others, Kakashi felt comforted when he noticed the same confusion he was feeling etched on Genma’s face.

“Green is not Gai’s favorite colour.”

“You’re his teammate, Genma,” Asuma scolded the older man. “You should know better than anyone that Green is his favorite colour. He’s always wearing it.”

“But-”

“Kakashi,” finishing with the last drink, Kakashi gave his full attention to Asuma. “Tell Genma he’s wrong. You’d know better than any of us what Gai’s favorite colour is, and I’m certain you’ll agree with me and Ebisu.”

Tilting his head, Kakashi blinked. “Green is not, in fact, Gai’s favorite colour.”

Silence fell over the room. Ebisu, Asuma, and Kurenai stared at him as if he’d just said something earth-shattering while Genma pumped a fist into the air and let out a small, restrained cheer.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Ebisu argued.

“Kakashi, the man wears green,” Kurenai stated as if Kakashi could never forget the gaudy green jumpsuit that Gai was so proud of. “The only other colour he wears is orange, but I’m pretty sure that’s not his favorite colour.”

‘It’s not,” Kakashi confirmed, earning a sigh of relief from three of the four friends sitting around him. “Red is his favorite colour.”

“Red!?” Asuma threw his arms up into the air and groaned. “Red!? Have you ever even seen him in something red!?”

“Well, yes,” Kakashi confirmed.

“His old scarf,” Genma added before anyone else could argue. “It was his favorite. He wore it until the thing fell apart on one of our missions. Remember, Ebisu?”

Tapping his forefinger against his chin, Ebisu frowned. “I think I do,” he whispered. “He cried for a good three hours when that thing fell apart. I always thought it was just because it was a gift from his Papa and…well, you know.”

Shaking his head, Kakashi began redistributing the now full cups of sake. “It was a gift from his Papa, and that’s probably why he cried. Gai is a bit of a sap like that.”

“Sap,” Asuma snorted, reaching out to take his glass from Kakashi. “Last I checked you still have your old man’s old tanto displayed in your apartment, and that this is shattered.”

Retracting the glass, Kakashi narrowed his eyes. “There is nothing wrong with keeping an item of sentimental value.”

“Nothing at all,” holding his hands up in surrender, Asuma chuckled when Kakashi’s eyes narrowed. “I’m just saying. You’re just as much a sap as Gai is, you just show it differently.” Contemplating those words, Kakashi sighed and relinquished the drink to Asuma. It wasn’t incorrect, he just hated admitting it.

“Still, the reason his Papa got him that scarf is because it was his favorite colour,” Kakashi continued. “When we were kids he just liked the colour, but these days he says it reminds him of Ningame. You know, his favorite animal.”

Picking up her cup, Kurenai shot back the sake and promptly set the glass back down in front of Kakashi. “If red reminds him of Ningame,” she argued. “Green must remind him of his Papa. I mean, he got that stupid-”

“Don’t let him hear you say that!” Ebisu panicked, suddenly looking around the room for the one friend who still hadn’t shown up to their little hangout. “He’ll give us a lecture about the importance of ‘youth’ if he hears you say that. I can’t handle sitting through another one of those.”

“Sorry. He got that wonderful, beautiful jumpsuit from his Papa. So Green would be his favorite colour because it reminds him of someone important that he lost.”

“That’s…not how it works,” Kakashi sighed. “Yellow, orange, purple, and red are all colours I associate with people that I have lost. People I cared about, but none of them are my favorite colour.”

“Oh?” Genma sat up suddenly. “Do tell us, oh secretive one. If none of those are your favorite colour, what is?”

Kakashi refrained from rolling his eyes at his friend’s jab. “If you must know,” he sighed, hating that Genma had jumped at the opportunity to grill him for personal information. “Though, if you were a good friend you would already know-”

“I am a great friend!” Genma insisted. “So good, in fact, that I’m the only one other than you that knows Red is Gai’s favorite colour!”

“A good friend to Gai, but not me,” watching as Asuma and Ebisu both shot back their cups of Sake, he finally reached out to pick his up off of the table. “Anyways, my favorite colour is green. Which is one of many reasons Gai’s favorite colour isn’t green.”

“Because…”

Asuma began to snicker when Kakashi averted his eyes. “You don’t want to share your favorite colour with Gai, do you?”

“That’s not it.”

“It is!” Kurenai squealed. “Omg, Kakashi is being possessive, over a colour.”

“I am not.”

“You are,” throwing his head back, Genma laughed louder than any of them had heard before, causing all four of them to look his way. “This is brilliant. Hatake Kakashi, the genius of our generation, doesn’t want to share a favorite colour with his best friend.”

Sick of the conversation already, Kakashi prepared to drink his sake when a hand came down hard against his back, causing some of his sake to spill all over his hand. “Great,” he grumbled, glaring back at his attacker only to find Gai standing there grinning at all of them. “My gloves are going to smell like sake for a month now because of you. You know that, right?”

“Ah, sorry Rival,” taking the cup from Kakashi’s hand, he shot it back and smacked his lips. “Delicious.”

“That…that was mine.”

“Can’t share a favorite colour or a drink,” Asuma shook his head disapprovingly. “How sad.”

“A favorite colour?” Raising an eyebrow, Gai draped his arm around Kakashi’s shoulder and leaned in close. “Rival, what is he talking about?”

Sensing no escape from this conversation, Kakashi sighed. “Just, put these three,” he waved toward Ebisu, Kurenai, and Asuma. “Out of their misery and tell them that green is not your favorite colour, please.”

Gai stared at him for a moment. No expression on his face, just a tender gaze directed solely at Kakashi. “My favorite colour?”

“Ya,” Kakashi nodded. “They’re trying to argue that your favorite colour is green. They won’t listen to Genma and me when we tell them that it’s red.”

“Because it’s not,” Kurenai continued to argue. “Look at him, Kakashi. He’s covered head to toe in green.”

Looking at his friend, Kakashi grinned. “Actually,” he pointed toward Gai’s head. “I don’t see any green there.”

“Terrible,” Genma grumbled under his breath. “Absolutely revolting. Leaving the jokes to me, Kakashi, for everyone’s sanity.”

Preparing to argue, Kakashi huffed when Gai pulled him tighter into his side. A silent signal for him to keep whatever he was about to say to himself, which was probably a good idea considering what he wanted to say wasn’t exactly nice.

“Green is not my favorite colour,” Gai stated as calmly as he could, causing Asuma and Ebisu to throw their arms into the air and Kurenai to begin arguing before he held up a hand to silence her. “And neither is red.”

“No!” Genma object. “Not fair!”

“It’s not yellow,” Kakashi grumbled. “Or Pink, or anything else. It has to be red.”

“Actually,” the smile returned to his face, his teeth sparking just a little when the light hit them. “none of those are my favorite colour.”

“You…what?” Asuma, Ebisu, Kurenai, and Genma all narrowed their eyes, each of them looking like they were reading to jump out at him.

“Then what is?” Asuma asked. “What colour does the great green beast of Konoha like?” Gai’s smile only grew with his friend's frustration, and suddenly Kakashi realized his mistake.

“Nothing,” he sighed in defeat, grunting when Gai tightened his hold on him. “That’s the answer, isn’t it?”

“Not quite,” reaching out with his free hand, Gai buried it into Kakashi’s spiky silver hair. “Silver.”

“S-Silver!?” throwing a hand over the left side of his chest, Genma gasped. “This must be what betrayal feels like.”

“So dramatic,” Gai laughed as he ruffled Kakashi’s hair. “I will admit, red used to be my favorite colour when I was younger. It’s vibrant and beautiful, just like I always wanted to be. But growing up I’ve come to appreciate the reserved beauty of silver.”

Each of them reacted differently to this news.

Genma threw himself towards his drink, finally consuming it while muttering curses under his breath.

Asuma threw his head back and filled the room with the sound of his laughter.

Ebisu simply shook his head, choosing to keep quiet on the topic.

Kurenai smiled mischievously at Kakashi, her eyes telling him of years of teasing ahead of him.

Kakashi, though, simply leaned into Gai’s side and closed his eyes. “Silver,” he whispered, enjoying the feeling of Gai’s fingers rubbing against his scalp. If he were a dog he’d be thumping his foot against the ground, but since he was a human and a shinobi he refrained. “you sure are something, Maito Gai.”

“Something wonderful?” Gai asked with a hopeful tone.

“Something,” Kakashi confirmed, chuckling when Gai pressed a kiss against the top of his head.

#Gaibirthdaybingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023 #Maito Gai #Hatake Kakashi #Genma #Asuma #Kurenai #Ebisu #Slight Kakagai

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

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I think just like Guy has trouble remembering names to go with faces he has trouble remembering flower names. One of Ino's favorite things is to explain the names and meanings of the flowers in her family's shop because he reacts the same every time, with awe and excitement, and she doesn't get to share this particular joy of hers often.

Awww that’s such a cute headcanon!

He loves flower’s but it’s really hard for him to remember them so every-time he wants to get a bouquet or a nice potted plant he has to ask Ino all about the plants all over again

And Ino loves it because he’s just so passionate and sweet, listening to every word she has to say and even repeating it back to her to ensure he’s understanding.

Is he going to remember as soon as he steps outside of the store? No. Does that make it any less important for him to listen? Not at all. He wants to know everything about these flower’s so that he can make the perfect choice.

He comes in one day asking about what type of flower to get for a specific person, and without missing a beat Ino turns around and collects some of her best forget-me-nots. When gai comments on the pretty blue colours Ino agree’s and adds that the meaning behind them are ‘true love’ and ‘faithfulness’ which perfectly suit the person Gai wants to get them for.

He paya for those flower’s without hesitation. They’re perfect

#Maito Gai #headcannons #Gaibirthdaybingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023

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depressedhatakekakashi · 4 months

Text

Mistakes Were Made

Characters: Tenten, Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi

Words: 2,997

Note: Thank you to @celestialmudd for reading this through and helping me improve it <3

Slugs were the superior summoning animals. That much Tenten knew without a shadow of a doubt. Lady Katsuyu’s healing powers were second to none with her ability to split into hundreds of forms of herself and heal multiple people at a time. More importantly, she was Tsunade-sama’s summon. Tsunade, who was known across all of the lands for her incredible chakra control, the Byakugou seal that allowed her to store up her chakra until she required a huge burst for a tough battle, and her medical ninjutsu.

There was no better Medical ninja in the world, and Tenten had always looked up to her. Becoming a shinobi like Tsunade-sama was a dream of hers, and to do that she needed all of the same skills.

That included having the same incredible summon.

Not a single summoning animal could compare, no matter how cute it may be or how powerful it was. Tenten’s eyes were set on signing a summoning contract with Lady Katsuyu and only Lady Katsuyu.

There was no chance she was going to budge on that, especially when the only other option she’d been given was that grumpy old tortoise Ningame. She was certain that there was no summoning animal she liked less than her Sensei’s.

It was just awful.

“I can’t believe you would suggest this,” she waved toward the Tortoise that her Sensei had summoned up with such pride. “This is what you think I should summon? What does it even do?”

The tortoise just stood there staring at her. Not a single word left its mouth for a whole minute, which seemed odd since all the books she’d read about summons said they could speak.

The silence didn’t last, though. Just as Tenten was about to continue her complaints and demand an explanation from her Sensei, the tortoise opened its mouth.

“What I do, child, is fight,” it answered her question. “Like any animal summon.”

Tenten could hardly contain her disbelief. Rolling her eyes, she lifted a finger and poked the tortoise right on the nose. “Fight? You?” She laughed. “Tortoises are slow. How could you provide any help in a fight?”

‘Stupid’ she scolded herself as soon as the words left her mouth. ‘ Slugs are slow and Lady Katsuyu is still amazing.’

It was hard for her to believe the same for her Sensei’s tortoise. Lady Katsuyu was a healer so speed wasn’t a real necessity. It would make no sense for her Sensei to have a summon that healed when he didn’t have the skill set to heal himself.

Everything she’d read said summoning animals was supposed to compliment their summoner. Since her Sensei was a fighter, with Taijutsu being his main style, it only made sense that his summon would also be a fighter.

Tortoises weren’t fighters though. Their speed would impede them from being truly effective in a battle.

“I am not slow!” The tortoise snapped back at her.

“Hmm,” examining the animal for a second, she sighed. “No, I don't see it. This type of Summon can’t be useful to me, Sensei.”

“Useful to you!?” If the tortoise had fur she was sure it would be standing up on end right now. “Why you brat! Gai!” It turns to her Sensei with fiery eyes. “Why did you summon me if I'm going to be insulted like this!?”

“Sorry, Ningame,” he sighed before turning a sharp gaze to Tenten. Apologise,” Gai-Sensei insisted, earning himself a defiant grumble from Tenten. “Apologise or you’re doing five hundred laps around the village.”

The dread that fell over her with Sensei’s threat almost caused her to crack. Five hundred laps was a lot and she’d already suffered through a grueling morning of push-ups and sparing.

“I-” she shivered, the words refusing to leave her mouth even when she tried screaming them. Even the threat of laps around the village couldn’t make her take back her insults.

“Tenten…”

“I can’t!” She huffed, lowering her eyes when her Sensei leveled her with the same disappointed glare that he always used when she’d done something he didn’t agree with. It was a look that had worked many times in the past, including the one time she’d been forced to apologize to Kakashi-Sensei for suggesting there were better books out in the world than Icha-Icha Violence, even though she knew she was right.

She refused to budge this time. It didn’t matter if she had to do five hundred laps or five thousand, she would never apologize for speaking the truth again. Ningame was grumpy, slow, rude, and not even the smallest bit cute.

There was nothing about that crummy Tortoise that made her want to sign a contract with it.

Sighing, her Sensei dropped his shoulders and turned to Ningame. “Go home,” he instructed while reaching out to pat his head. “I’ll have a chat with her.”

“You’d better,” Ningame huffed, earning himself a swift glare from Tenten. “Even the Hatake brat wasn’t this bad.”

A shiver ran down Tenten’s spine. The ‘Hatake brat’ could only be one person, and the fact that she was being forced to hear someone call her worse than Kakashi-Sensei, the man who read a porn book in public, was downright insulting.

She could never be that bad. It simply wasn’t possible. She had standards and class.

Something Kakashi-Sensei would never understand with his poor sense of humor and terrible taste in books.

Smoke exploded from Ningame’s spot, signaling the Tortoise’s exit and Tenten’s freedom. For the first time since her Sensei had summoned the thing she breathed a sigh of relief.

The relief didn’t last long, though. As soon as she let down her guard a hand came down on her head, parting the long strands of black hair that she’d spent so much of her morning organizing into two perfect buns.

“Now,” glancing up, she cringed when she saw her Sensei smiling down at her. “I believe I said five hundred laps, did I not?”

“No way,” she balked. “Why do I have to apologize? It’s not my fault that your summon is a grumpy old tortoise!”

It didn’t even make sense. As weird as her Sensei was, he was also energetic and lively. The complete opposite of a Tortoise. If she’d ever given it a thought before she would have imagined him with a tiger summon, or maybe a leopard.

An animal that matched his personality much better than a Tortoise.

“Ningame is not grumpy,” Gai-Sensei sighed. “He can be…difficult, but that’s just part of being a tortoise. A hard outer shell and an even harder personality.”

“Exactly!” Throwing her hands up into the air, she smacked his hand away from her and fell back against the ground with a low grunt. “You’re not like that at all. You’re bright and friendly and-” She stopped herself. Insulting Ningame was exactly what had gotten her into this situation, and she had no doubt her Sensei would add more laps to her punishment if she used a descriptor that he deemed insulting. “It makes no sense, Sensei.”

Leaning forward, Gai-Sensei placed his hands on his hips and frowned down at her. “What makes no sense?”

Tenten threw her arms up into the air and flailed them around. “You! Him!” she tried, but failed, to explain. “What even are you doing with a summon like that,” Sensei’s frown only deepened with each word she said. Realizing that her words weren’t making any sense, she dropped her hands at her sides and stared up at the ceiling above her.

For a second her Sensei just stood there staring at her, confusion etched into his face. Then, as if he’d been struck by realization suddenly, his eyes widened. “Oh!” A smile tugged at his lips, and then slowly it began to stretch until it reached right across his face. “You’re confused how someone as youthful and energetic as me could have a summon that is more relaxed?”

‘Relaxed’ was not the word that came to mind when she thought about that grumpy only tortoise, but she didn’t want to cause any more insult. If she did that her Sensei was sure to add more laps to her punishment.

“Well,” he continued, unhindered by her silence. “The Tortoise summons were not what I was expecting for myself either if I’m being honest. When I first learned about summons I would imagine myself with tigers, or perhaps wolves.”

“Wolves?” she snorted at the mental image of a wolf standing on her Sensei’s flank. If there was any animal that made even less sense to him than a Tortoise, it was wolves. They were too aggressive for her cheerful, happy-go-lucky Sensei.

“Well,” she watched as her Sensei cupped his chin between his left forefinger and thumb and stared ahead with a thoughtful expression. “I was thinking about what kind of Summon would be able to keep up with my Eternal rival's hounds and a wolf seemed like the perfect answer.”

Hounds.

She tried to imagine Kakashi-Sensei surrounded by dogs, or even with one dog standing at his side, but it didn’t work. There was no doubt in her mind that the man liked dogs, she’d seen him petting a dog in the street before and he seemed to be enjoying the interaction, but as a partner animal, it just didn’t fit.

If there was anyone who fit with a tortoise summon, it was Kakashi-Sensei. He was cool, and calculated, but also lethargic. Every Time she saw him he looked exhausted and did everything with such slow, careful movements that she sometimes forgot he was an elite shinobi capable of sneaking up behind her.

At least, she forgot until the next time he appeared directly behind her with such speed that she hadn’t even seen him move at all, resulting in her almost crawling right out of her skin from panic.

She hadn’t seen him in a fight, but personality-wise a tortoise seemed like the perfect fit for him. Hounds would go better with Gai-Sensei. Even if he was more powerful and straightforward, like a tiger, he was also energetic and all over the place at times. Only dogs could match his personality.

“Oh my…” realization struck suddenly, and without a thought, Tenten jumped to her feet and turned toward her Sensei. “You got yourself a Kakashi-Sensei summon!”

“I-” her Sensei stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. “I don’t understand.”

“You,” she jammed a finger into her Sensei’s chest. “Got a Kakashi-Sensei summon. He’s just as rude, just as straightforward, and even more grumpy. You got a summon that reminds you of your boyfriend!”

Confusion melted away almost instantly, and what replaced it was a panicked embarrassment. For the first time since she’d met him, her Sensei refused to meet her gaze. In fact, he actively avoided it.

Every time she tried to initiate eye contact he would look the opposite way.

“Ha,” leaning back, she flashed a triumphant smile. “I knew it. No one is that close to their ‘eternal rival’”

“We- we’re just rivals!” Her Sensei insisted in a panicked voice. “Eternal rivals, but just rivals!”

“Right,” rolling her eyes, she turned her back to him. “And I’m the greatest medical ninja in the world.” there was so much she was learning today. Her Sensei had a boring old Tortoise as a summon, Kakashi-Sensei had dog summons, and her Sensei was without a doubt dating his eternal rival.

It was a lot to process, but she had no doubt she was taking it like a champ. At the very least she was certain that her Sensei had no idea just how much she was freaking out on the inside.

‘Neji and Lee are never going to believe me when I tell them’

“Oh,” glancing back at her Sensei, she grinned. “He’s still not as cool as Lady Katsuyu.”

Gai-Sensei stared at her with a dumbfounded expression for a second, only shaking it off when she stuck her tongue out at him. “That- you realize you called Ningame slow, right!?” he argued. “And you’re going to tell me that a SLUG is better?”

Tenten simply shrugged her shoulders.”Slugs may be slow, but at least they’re not ugly.”

Ugly.

Of all the things she’d chosen to say, why had it been that one? She didn’t even think Ningame was particularly ugly, he just wasn’t as beautiful as Lady Katsuyu looked in all of the pictures Tenten had seen of her.

It wasn’t the Tortoise's fault that her standards were high, but rather than thinking things through and choosing her words carefully, she’d just blurted out the first insult that came to mind.

“U-Ugly!?” In an instant, the area around her seemed to turn bright red. It was as if her Sensei had opened one of the gates and his chakra was now surrounding the area, but that wasn’t the case. Tenten knew that he wouldn’t waste the gates on her. This was something different.

This was unrelenting rage.

“Six-Hundred!”

Tenten slunk back a bit. “No, Sensei I-”

“Now!” He pointed forward, directing her to the door. “Six hundred laps, now!”

Over the last five months, Tenten had convinced herself that her Sensei had no breaking point. That no matter what she said he would never become truly angry with her. Disappointment was likely, and annoyance was possible, but anger was something she simply believed her Sensei didn’t experience.

Now she was faced with the reality of just how wrong she could be.

Today was going to be the day Tenten died and it was all because she dared to call a Tortoise ‘ugly’.

“Yo!” Turning her head, she stared at the man sitting so calmly on the railing behind her. With a cheerful expression and a small wave of his hand, Kakashi-Sensei greeted her as if she wasn’t about to be run into the ground by her own Sensei. “Am I interrupting?”

Seeing her opportunity, Tenten rushed forward and grabbed hold of Kakahsi’s arms. “Get him to calm down!” She pleaded with a panicked voice.

“Whoe,” turning his attention to her Sensei, he tilted his head. “What has you so heated, Gai?”

Seeing her Sensei take a step forward, Tenten moved back against the railing. There was nothing in the world she would admit to being afraid of before today, but with death staring down at her she found herself cowering.

“Gai,” Kakashi-Sensei stepped off of the railing and landed just in front of Tenten, his body placed perfectly in front of her. “Talk to me.”

“She,” Gai-Sensei lifted his left arm and pointed directly at her. “Called Ningame ugly!”

For a second the three of them just stood there in silence. Red flames of anger radiated off of her Sensei, Tenten continued to cower behind her Sensei’s boyfriend, and Kakashi-Sensei just stood there staring at Gai-Sensei.

Then, without warning, Kakashi-Sensei started to laugh.

It wasn’t a great, boisterous laugh, but it was laughter nonetheless.

Tenten was about to die, and Kakashi-Sensei was laughing. She’d never felt so insulted in her life.

“You’re upset over that?” he asked after a moment, his voice full of cheer even as he faced down the human equivalent of a fireball jutsu.

“Ningame is not-”

“Who cares if he is or isn’t?” Kakashi interrupted with a shrug. “Ningame certainly doesn’t. If he heard her say that he’d just call her a brat and go home.”

“I am not a brat,” Tenten grumbled under her breath, earning herself a rather unimpressed look from Kakashi-Sensei.

“Would you like me to step aside-”

“No!” Planting her hands on his back, she shoved him toward her Sensei. The last thing she wanted to do was face her Sensei on her own. Clearly, that was not working out in her favor.

“Well then,” turning his attention back to the issue, Kakashi-Sensei reached out and pulled Gai-Sensei into his side. As soon as his hand touched Gai-Sensei’s shoulder the anger seemed to dissipate.

There was no longer a fiery aura burning around her Sensei, or a feeling of impending doom weighing down on her shoulders. With one small touch, Tenten was saved. She was being granted another beautiful day of life.

“I was thinking we could go out for lunch,” Kakashi-Sensei continued as if nothing had happened. “Some Sushi maybe? And then a challenge?”

Gai-Sensei’s shoulders relaxed. “A challenge?” He asked with a hopeful tone.

“If you want.” Kakashi-Sensei agreed, his free hand moving behind him and waving Tenten away.

Seeing her opportunity, Tenten made a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn and immediately jumped off of the balcony. There was nothing in the world that could have kept her there for any longer. Not even her curiosity to see just what Kakashi-Sensei had planned would convince her to stay.

One close call with her Sensei’s temper was enough for her.

“Still,” she whispered as her feet touched down on the ground. Glancing back up at the balcony, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. “It could be a date.”

As soon as the thought struck her she was assaulted with the memory of that angry red aura. The way the air around her had burned with her Sensei’s emotions, and how she’d even cowered behind Kakashi-Sensei for safety.

“No,” she shook her head. “I think one close call is enough for today.”

In the future, she would have to be more careful. Ningame might be the farthest thing from ‘cool’ that she could think of, but it was obvious that he was important to her Sensei. Insulting him was no longer an option if she wanted to continue living. She would simply have to focus all of her insults on Kakashi-Sensei. As long as she kept it basic, her Sensei would continue to allow her to speak her mind without hindrance.

Boyfriends fell somewhere under summons on Maito Gai’s ‘willing to kill for’ list. An interesting thing for Tenten to learn, though she would have rather learned it without risking her own life.

#Maito Gai #Tenten #Hatake Kakashi #Hinted Kakagai #but that's not the focus #Tenten bonding/arguing with her Sensei is XD #GaibirthdayBingo #Gaibirthdaybingo2023

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