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Ever since the war had ended, the tension between the other hidden villages and the Hidden Leaf has caused it to become a bit unstable. With most of the other villages, and even Konoha citizens themselves, not agreeing with their decision to pardon four of their war criminals. One of which was also the one who caused the war in the first place. Safe to say, the paperwork has been abysmal– to Kakashi's demise.
His stance on Sasuke and Obito’s pardon is admittedly, very emotionally-driven. As a shinobi, he’s ashamed. But as a teacher and a friend, he doesn't regret his decision one bit. If being selfish means that he'll be able to see his precious student and friend again, then so be it. Kakashi has always been very selfish after all. At least, that's what he thinks.
After their release from prison, Sasuke immediately knew what he wanted to do. He told them that he wanted to distance himself from the village for a while so he can atone for his sins and reflect on his past actions. Obito, on the other hand, said that he wanted to stay in the village so he could regain his long lost love and loyalty to his home town. Kakashi would probably never be able to say it to the other man, but he's glad that he decided to stay.
At first, Kakashi offered Obito his old apartment, a place where he barely got to go anymore since he took on the role of the Hokage. Obito was reluctant at first, insisting that he can just sleep on the streets while he looks for a job. But with enough scolding from Kakashi about his self deprecation, he relented. Obito lived there for a few months, before being granted a residence on the Uchiha Compound by Sasuke.
This was also something Kakashi had noticed. When Sasuke had returned to Konoha for the first time, he came straight to the Hokage office, where Obito hangs out most of the time, and said that the reason he had returned was that he wanted to talk to Obito. Kakashi was admittedly nervous. His student wasn't exactly known to be the most rational one out of the three of them, especially with his megalomaniac tendencies that seem to run deep on the Uchiha bloodline.
Fortunately, Kakashi's doubts were immediately dissipated when Obito came back with a warm smile on his face and an overall good aura surrounding him. It turns out that Sasuke told him that he's in the process of forgiving him (it seems like Kakashi wasn't the only one who noticed Obito's heavy guilt for his involvement in the massacre), and that he'd like to know Obito's thoughts and what led him to his decision. Obito hadn't really expected their first proper conversation to be about that. But, per Sasuke's request, he told him everything with no filter.
And that was undeniably what became the catalyst of the change in their relationship. Sasuke had started to make an effort to come back to the village more often, coming back every few months rather than once a year. Whilst Obito started taking care of the compound when Sasuke wasn't there to do it. He started cleaning the houses weekly with the help of a very insistent Naruto, and even started to recover some of their books. He started to make an effort to reconcile with his family– the same family that had labelled him as a black sheep a long time ago, and it made Kakashi happy to see both precious people in his life healing each other. Which all the more gave him conviction that the decision he made was the correct one, no matter what other people may think.
It was currently mid-autumn in Konoha, shown by the quiet rustling of the leaves as the cool wind breezes through them. Kakashi was currently perched over at his desk, signing some paperwork and he can't help but wonder why Naruto wanted to be a Hokage so much. On a normal day, he probably would've left his office long ago and left his paperwork for his future self (or Shikamaru) to deal with. But today's not like any other day, because today Sasuke’s coming back. He had sent Kakashi a message beforehand, informing him that he'll be back in the village.
Kakashi feels his muscles tense instinctively as a familiar chakra signature approaches his office at high speeds; and then, not even a second later, he sees a familiar head of black hair standing right in front of him through his peripheral vision. Kakashi relaxes, looking up to the man in front of him. “Sasuke.” he says, his eyes forming a familiar crescent shape.
“Kakashi.” His student replies, bowing slightly to show his respect. Which was kind of ironic, now that Kakashi thinks about it, when he hasn't even heard the man call him sensei before. It made Kakashi’s stomach bubble up in amusement.
“Obito's at the compound.” He says, knowing that Sasuke probably only came here because he thought that Obito was here. Sasuke gives him a nod before disappearing with a cloud of smoke, leaving falling leaves in his wake. Kakashi sighs at the bed of leaves that he has to clean up now. The Uchiha and their knack for dramatics will be the death of him someday.
⋆˚꩜｡
Since autumn started, the normally vibrant green grass outside of Obito's house became littered with dry leaves varying in shades between red and brown, covering his yard in a beautiful gradient. Ever since he and Sasuke’s conversation a few years ago, some of the guilt in Obito’s heart has simmered down. With Sasuke reassuring him that he was in the process of forgiving him and that he wanted to understand his reasoning behind it. Obito told him everything from start to finish, his thought process behind it and why he did it. It was clear at that time that Sasuke didn't find his reasoning good enough and Obito understood that. The fact that Sasuke was even considering reconciliation between them was good enough for him.
Ever since that day, he started to visit the compound more frequently. From going on walks to holding memorials, he did it all. When he talked to Sasuke that day, he kind of saw his old self in him, when Obito was still a naive little boy that was desperate for his clan’s attention, the same clan which he had unwavering loyalty to, and wore their symbol proudly at his back. Although he knew he'll never be the same again, it made him want to bring that boy back. Sasuke seemed to have noticed his willingness to change, and as the clan head, he gave Obito permission to use one of the houses in the compound.
It overwhelmed Obito at first– their forgiveness. Kakashi's, Naruto's, and eventually Sasuke’s. Back then, one of the reasons why he never came back to the village was because of the overlying, immense guilt he felt for causing the Kyuubi attack on Konoha and indirectly causing the death of the Fourth Hokage (his teacher) and his wife. He didn't feel it back then due to Madara’s seal, but it was probably the reason why he became so overwhelmed with emotions when Kakashi destroyed the seal in his heart.
But, as Kakashi keeps telling him– there's no use in dwelling on the past, all he can do now is look forward to the future ahead of him (which was kind of hypocritical for him to say when he spent a good chunk of his life brooding over his past mistakes, but Obito appreciates the kind words). Which is why he's sitting right now on the tatami mat of his living room, playing Shogi with Naruto.
Obito stares at the board, planning and strategizing on which piece to move and how that will affect the game, after a while, he moves a piece. Naruto puts a hand on his chin, looking intently at the board before he gives a comically long sigh, “I don't want to play anymore.” he says, leaning back on the tatami mat to lie down on the floor, showing his disinterest.
Obito just gives him an unimpressed look, “You're the one who wanted to play in the first place.” he says, before grabbing the pieces to clean them up.
Naruto grunts in response, “I wanted to see why Shikamaru and Idiot Sasuke liked it so much, turns out it was just another boring mind game.” Obito chuckles at him, the words ‘Idiot Sasuke’ replaying over and over in his mind as he was reminded by his old nickname to Kakashi.
After Obito puts aside the board, he looks over at Naruto who is now sitting back again staring at Obito. Obito gives him a confused look, raising one of his eyebrows. Naruto seems to get the hint and sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. “Hey Obito, when do you think Sasuke will come back?” He says, and Obito's eyebrows perk up at this. It seems like Kakashi didn't tell him that he and Sasuke had planned to talk about something over tea.
Before Obito could speak up, a cloud of smoke appeared just outside his house, as a familiar chakra signature made its presence known. Naruto's eyes visibly light up at the feeling, turning his head at the space outside, and as expected, Sasuke was standing there. His neutral expression quickly changes to surprise and back to neutral again. “What are you doing here, Naruto?” he asks, making his way inside the familiar abode.
Naruto scoffs at him, “I should be asking you that! You didn't even tell me you're coming back.” he pouts, crossing his arm vigorously. Sasuke just gives him an unimpressed look as he sits down with them at the small coffee table in the middle of the room. Obito gives them a small chuckle before standing up to go prepare tea, with Sasuke giving him a knowing nod.
The reason why Sasuke came here was because Obito had sent him a letter a few weeks ago telling him that he wanted to deliver some news to him personally over tea. Kakashi had told him a month ago that he'll be going on a three day long diplomatic mission with him on the Land of Hot Waters as his ‘personal bodyguard’, which Obito wholeheartedly accepted. He appreciated Kakashi’s continuous insistence to have Obito join him on some of his missions just to get him outside of Konoha (with him telling Obito that he should take advantage of the fact that not a lot of people knew what he looked like).
Kakashi was the first one to show his effort to helping Obito heal, and he appreciated that. Obito smiles fondly at the memory of his friend as he touches the tea pot lightly to check if it was the right temperature. After a while, he finally pours the tea into little cups and puts them on a small tray as he makes his way back to the small table where Sasuke and Naruto were talking.
“What did you want to tell me?” asked Sasuke. Getting straight to the point as he takes a small sip from the teacup. Naruto does the same, whilst Obito stays idle for a while, thinking over what he should say. He wants to ask Sasuke for a favor, but he doesn't want to seem too demanding. Even though he and Sasuke are on speaking terms now, they're still far from being close, per se.
Sasuke seems to have noticed his inner turmoil as he scoffs, “Just spit it out.” he says, the characteristic venom in his voice absent, instead replaced by an unusual display of impatience.
“I wanted to ask you for a favor.” Obito reluctantly replies, taking a small sip from his warm teacup in order to distract himself. Although, it seems like that still wasn't enough as he sees Sasuke raise one of his eyebrows in question.
“Me and…” It's on the tip of his tongue, ‘Kakashi’. But he can't fight off that strange sense of pride he feels when he calls Kakashi– “Lord Sixth, are going on a three day long diplomatic mission in the Land of Hot Waters with me as his personal bodyguard.” he explains, not missing the surprised looks the two give him. Right, they didn't know about him and Kakashi's whole ‘bodyguard’ thing.
“I was wondering if you're up to watching the compound until then?” He winces, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. Sasuke gives him a reluctant look, which is completely understandable. The boy never really liked staying that long in Konoha, much less the Uchiha Compound itself. Obito was the same after all, with his first few nights in his new house being filled with guilt-ridden grief, and nightmares from the past coming back to haunt him. He has no doubt that the same will probably happen with Sasuke, it's simply unavoidable. But, slowly, he's come to accept that there's no use in pondering about what could've been, and all he can do now is ask for their forgiveness through actions.
“Why can't Naruto do it?” He retorts, gesturing at the man beside him who looks back at Obito expectantly. Obito knows that look, Naruto wants to do it, and he can't have that. Not after he did all the work of recovering all of the Uchiha’s books after they were destroyed by time and weather.
“Hear me out.” He says, preparing himself for what he's about to say. “I started recovering some of the Uchiha's books a while ago, and…I read some that I think you'll really like.” he winces at how vulnerable his voice sounds, but if that's what it takes for Sasuke to accept his proposal, then so be it. Him showing his appreciation to Sasuke has been long overdue.
“Plus…” a small blush forms. “I–I think it'll be good for you.” He says, the blush on his neck getting deeper. Back then, this would've been no brainer for him. But now that he has been closed off, he's had trouble showing his care for someone. Sasuke, who was looking at him, looks away. Instead opting to stare ahead of him at nothing in particular.
“Fine.” Sasuke grunts, and Obito can't help the small smile that tugs his lips. Naruto seemed happy that he and Sasuke were getting along, and Obito's happy too. “Thank you, Sasuke.” he says, not bothering to hide the fondness behind his voice.
Naruto, ever the talkative type, immediately fills in the silence that started to envelop them. “I want to come too! Obito, can I come here tomorrow too?” he excitedly asks, practically bouncing on his feet, and Obito chuckles.
“I don't know Naruto, I'll have to ask my clan head about that.” He says, voice filled with mirth as he puts a hand on his chin. Sasuke glares daggers at him which quickly turns to exasperation as Naruto looks at him excitedly. It seems like his soft spot for Naruto still hasn't diminished.
“Do whatever you want.” He says, and in Sasuke's language this is basically the equivalent of a ‘yes’ so Naruto shouts out a “Hooray!” as he finishes his cup of tea in one full sip.
Obito can't help but think if this is what healing feels like. Warm, welcoming, and so unbelievably human that no dream could ever replicate it.
ᯓ★
Sasuke was woken up by a faint chakra signature making its way into his house before suddenly disappearing again. After years of being a wandering shinobi, Sasuke has trained himself to always be on alert at all times. Life on the road is not very forgiving, and he learned that the hard way.
He rubs his eyes as the warmth of the early morning sunlight hits his face in an unforgiving manner, grunting at the sudden assault of sunlight as his eyes take time to readjust. After a while, he finally sits up. A little surprised by how relaxed his muscles felt. This is probably the most proper sleep he's had in months.
Shaking his grogginess away, Sasuke makes his way to the living room. Obito had offered to let him sleep in his house. Knowing him, he probably noticed how tense Sasuke always is when they pass his old residence during one of their walks. He quietly thanks Obito for it. He insisted that Sasuke sleep in one of the rooms instead of the living room (which was Sasuke's first option).
As he goes down the stairs, he sees an unfamiliar bento box lying on the kitchen table with a neon pink sticky note attached to it. He instinctively raises an eyebrow in confusion as he grabs the obnoxiously bright paper to see its contents.
“Here's leftover breakfast from earlier, Sasuke-kun. Obito told me that you can't cook and that you like tomatoes. Don't tell him I told you that though.”
If the snarky sarcasm and the sappy use of the “-kun” honorific for his name wasn't a dead giveaway, then the small henohenomoheji at the end of the letter surely was. This letter is from Kakashi. Back then, he probably would've thrown it away the second he saw the bright pink paper, but he's learned to appreciate small things like these over time. Plus, even he can't deny that the other man was an excellent cook.
He quietly thanks him and curses Obito for telling him that. Shaking away his building animosity, he sits down on a chair as he grabs the chopsticks and opens the bento. His nose was immediately greeted by the savory smell of the sauce that was drizzled on top of the sliced tomatoes. Sasuke reluctantly puts a piece on his mouth and almost melts. After years of eating flavorless Onigiri and bitter food pills, foods like these seem like a treasure trove of flavor.
Sasuke finishes embarrassingly quickly, he looks at the now empty bento and goes to the sink to quickly wash it. After he accepted Obito's offer yesterday, Naruto insisted that he should come too and that they should invite Sakura and hang out as a team again; Sasuke doesn't blame him one bit for taking this chance. He barely comes back to Konoha after all, and when he does, it's just for a few hours before he comes back on the road again. Plus, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't miss them too.
Naruto told him that they'll be meeting him just outside the compound where Sasuke will lead the way. Obito made sure that his schedule was jam-packed. First, he has to organize and sign some papers as the official clan head and then he has to go sign the books Obito recovered. Safe to say his schedule is busy. It's not an inherently bad thing though, it's enough of a distraction.
After he finishes, he immediately puts on his signature black robe as he leaves the house. He was immediately met by the feeling of the cool autumn wind breezing through him. Obito's house was near the gate, so as soon as he steps out, he immediately hears his teammate's obnoxiously loud calls.
“Sasuke! We're here!” Naruto shouts, waving both of his hands at Sasuke. People passing by the street immediately give him a concerned look and Sasuke swallows down his overwhelming urge to scold Naruto for attracting unwanted attention. Sakura seems to have noticed his discomfort though, as he lightly slaps Naruto's hands down and begins to drag him to Sasuke's location.
Sasuke was close enough that he could slightly make out what Sakura was saying, “You idiot! Don't shout so loud.” she scolds, and Sasuke silently thanks her. Naruto gives them both a sheepish smile as Sakura finally lets go of his arm.
He looks at Naruto and then at Sakura. Both of them seem to be wearing their winter clothes, with Sakura replacing her go-to sleeveless shirts with a full on pink cardigan whilst Naruto was wearing a sweater instead of a t-shirt below his usual jacket.
“Welcome back, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura warmly says, giving Sasuke a small smile. Sasuke nods in response as he begins to walk, urging the other two to follow him.
“Hey Sasuke, what are we even going to do?” Naruto asks, putting both of his hands behind his head as he walks. Sasuke sighs, “It's a bunch of paperwork. Obito wanted me to check them out first. I understand if the two of you want to leave–” and before he could continue, they cut him off.
“No, we'll stay.” Naruto and Sakura both say in unison that it surprises them both. The three of them look at each other before Sakura gives him a miffed sigh. “Don’t be stupid Sasuke-kun. Of course we'll spend time with you.” she says. Naruto immediately speaks up too. “Yeah, she's right Sasuke! Even though I hate paperwork…” he says, dejected.
Sasuke can't help the fond look that spreads to his face. “I'll be doing the paperwork, idiot. If you two insist on going with me, you can help me organize.” he says, offering them something to do instead of making them wait. The two of them wholeheartedly agree and Sasuke can't help the fond smile that tugs his lips.
After a while, they arrive at the supposed house where Obito put all the paperwork in. Naruto was the one to open the door as he does nothing to hide his excitement. If earlier he was dejected that he has to sit in front of papers all day, now he was excited. Partly because Sakura told him that he should consider this practice for being the Hokage. Which wasn't inherently wrong for that matter, Sasuke has seen the overwhelmingly large piles of papers at Kakashi's desk that never seem to go away and if the deep bags under his eyes are anything to go off of, he can just assume that it is not pleasant.
The three of them immediately make their way inside the house and Sasuke takes note of the surprisingly clean surfaces despite the house being uninhabited. It has the same layout as Obito's house, like all Uchiha houses do. As soon as they entered, they were instantly met by the living room, which was connected to the small kitchen, and at the side is a staircase leading to the upper floor. Sasuke's eyes scan the house and see that in the middle of the small coffee table lies a bunch of piles of paperwork. Sakura seemed unaffected, maybe even excited. She's probably used to it because of her job as a nurse at the hospital, Naruto, on the other hand, visibly slumps.
Sasuke pays it no mind as he makes his way to the living room to sit on the floor with Naruto and Sakura following him. They both grab their respective piles as they begin their work. Naruto was the one to tell Sakura what the contents of the paper was and Sakura was the one who organised it. Sasuke, on the other hand, was assigned to sign some paperwork. Most of them are irrelevant, a few letters asking him permission for the transfer of unused objects at the compound, and things like that.
The three of them stay like that for a while, with Naruto mostly the one speaking and Sakura replying to him with a hum as Sasuke stays completely silent as he mechanically signs the papers. It wasn't awkward or anything though, if anything, it's comforting. Doing menial tasks like this with people he holds dear to him there by his side. The comforting silence was immediately cut off by the sound of Sakura's sharp gasp, making the two look at her in concern.
“What's the matter, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asks, leaning over her shoulder to see what surprised her so much. Naruto's eyebrows just furrow further, “What's that?” he asks, pointing at the paper Sakura was holding in her hands.
Sakura gulps, “This–this is a Marriage Certificate…” she says. A Marriage Certificate doesn't sound too out of the ordinary, as a well-known and respectable clan, of course the Uchiha will keep track of who their members marry.
“A Marriage Certificate?” Naruto repeats, “With Kakashi-sensei and Obito's name written on it?” he says, as if digesting what that implies. Now that got Sasuke's attention, as he abruptly stops signing his papers. He looks at Sakura who looks back at him, still shocked. She hands Sasuke the paper and sure enough, it was a Marriage Certificate with Kakashi and Obito's name written on it.
Like all the Marriage Certificates he has seen, it has all the necessary information on it. The name of the newlyweds, when and where they got married, and who officiated for them. Sasuke can see at the lower left side of the certificate was the signature of his father that still stayed strong. But what caught Sasuke's attention was how they got married. Right there in the upper middle of the paper was written “Married via Eye Exchange”. Sasuke knew that the Sharingan Kakashi had was given to him by Obito. But what he didn't know was that, that somehow equates to a proposal.
He remembers, he's read this somewhere before where it states that the only way someone from the clan can marry an outsider is if they gouge their eye out and give the other person the eye. It's a very old tale and was often used to scare children away, he didn't know that it was still being followed.
“Does…does that mean that Kakashi-sensei and Obito are married…?” Naruto asks, not bothering to hide the incredulity behind his voice. None of them judge him for it when they're as shocked as he is. The mere idea that their sensei is somehow married to Obito feels both natural and unnatural.
Sasuke clears his throat, “I guess so.” he says, trying to hide the surprise behind faux nonchalance. Sakura seemed to pull herself together as she urged Naruto to continue with the paperwork. Both he and Sakura silently agree to never bring it up again, but Naruto has other ideas.
“Does that mean that we have to give them wedding gifts now?” He questions and Sasuke can almost see Sakura plant her palm to her face.
“Naruto, it's been more than twenty years. If you can't tell, we're pretty late.” She replies, organizing the paperwork exasperatedly. Naruto just gives her an unconvinced hum. “I mean, yeah. But, we just found out about it today! I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Plus, I have a plan.” Naruto says, and the way he chuckled mischievously reminded Sasuke of when he roped him and Sakura into a series of plans to get Kakashi to take off his mask. It seems like old habits die hard, after all.
Sakura seemed to consider it, it seems like she was curious too. “I guess…” she hesitantly says, looking at the marriage certificate that Sasuke put aside. Him and Sakura exchange a quick glance before Sasuke sets his eyes on the piece of paper too.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious too. The logical and more rational part of him says that he should just let it go. But the more curious and prying part of him is basically screaming at him to consider going with Naruto's plan. But with Sakura practically considering it too, his decision was already set in stone.
“Fine.” He scoffs with no particular malice behind it. Naruto seemed satisfied with his response as he shows his enthusiasm by pumping his fist in the air, the same goes for Sakura, with her grinning at Naruto as they bump their fists with each other.
The three of them huddle closer as Naruto begins to explain his plan.
જ⁀➴
The plan was pretty simple. Wait for Obito and Kakashi-sensei to come back from the mission, surprise them with gifts, and then corner them by asking a bunch of questions. With them being stressed and tired from the mission, they'll be sure to answer everything Naruto throws at them, believe it!
After Team Seven finished their hangout, Naruto immediately excused himself. He is in a bit of a rush since he has to get his gift now, or else he can't get a gift on time. Since for the next two days, he'll be practising teaching in the academy. For someone who made a bet with Sakura and Sasuke, he was awfully unprepared.
He sighs to himself, staring at Gama-chan’s half-full stomach. Normally, she'd be full…but Naruto just can't resist the alluring urge to eat Ichiraku's. Anyways, there's no use pondering about that now. He has to come up with an amazing gift to give his sensei and Obito. He's not one to lose, especially with Sasuke.
Naruto wanders around the Village for a while. Looking at the displays of different shops. He considered just buying everything he sees and have sensei and Obito pick the best one, but he can't do that to himself because that's basically self sabotage and he knows it. Knowing Sakura-chan she'll probably do something completely personalized. Although she still doesn't trust Obito, all of them know how fond she is of their teacher.
Sasuke on the other hand…Naruto actually doesn't know. The guy is still as emotionally constipated as ever. Naruto hadn't even expected him to agree in the first place! He just thought that he'd tell them how stupid it was and go on with his day, but Naruto's not complaining if it means that one more person gets to treat him to ramen if he wins.
He considers everything. Icha Icha is an unfortunate no since a wedding gift has to be for both of the partners and not just for one (Kakashi-sensei). Flowers are also a no since it seemed too simple. Instant Ramen is also an unfortunate no, which is a shame. Naruto is practically running out of ideas at this point.
And then, he comes up with the most brilliant idea ever that he almost surprises himself. He vaguely remembered Kakashi-sensei showing him Obito's old forehead protector that he had secretly kept with him over the years, and with Kakashi-sensei wearing his Hokage robe most of the time, he's rarely ever seen wearing his own forehead protector now. Naruto knows where the two of them are kept, so he quickly changes his route, mischievously chuckling to himself as he praises his genius.
⋆˚✿˖°
To be completely honest, Sakura is still in shock about what she saw during their hangout. Kakashi-sensei and Obito's Marriage Certificate, with Sasuke's Father's signature and all! All of this time she had just assumed that her teacher was not really that interested in romance despite reading those smutty books in public. But as it turns out, she was dead wrong. Kakashi-sensei has been married for more than twenty years. That's longer than Sakura's age!
But still, she's happy that Kakashi-sensei’s happy and finally healing, even though it leaves a bit of a salty taste in her mouth that the reason for that is Obito. Unlike Naruto and sensei who were quick to forgive the man, Sakura was the exact opposite. It's probably because she has no personal connection to him whatsoever unlike Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto who was the one to talk him out of his plan. Her and Obito's conversations just consist of painfully awkward small talk when they happen to meet at the Hokage’s office.
It's not like Sakura hates him or anything, that's too strong of a word. She just…doesn't care about him just as much. Sure she'll accept his presence, but she will not actively go out of her way to make a deep emotional bond with him. It's like having a mutual friend.
Plus, he instantly became more tolerable when Sakura found out about their whole marriage. Was he the reason why Kakashi-sensei looks so content most of the time? Anyways, all of that aside, she can't wait for her shift to be over so she can start on her gift. Ever since Naruto offered that bet, she has already known what she wanted to give them.
Sakura has always found Obito's gesture to give his eye away to Kakashi-sensei while he's on the verge of death quite romantic. There's just something about it that's so…full of love, adoration and trust. Giving your eye to your teammate as a gift and telling them that they should see the world with your eyes. It sounds like something straight out of a Greek Tragedy novel where the main protagonist is a grieving wife.
Sakura also knew how important that shared eye was to them, as it shows the trust and link between the two of them. Sakura even found out later that they can see through each other’s eyes! If that isn't romance then she doesn't know what is.
Sakura is snapped out of her hopeful reverie as she hears one of the nurses call out to her to tell her that their shift is over. She internally cheers as she makes her way out of the hospital and back into her house.
⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚
Sasuke honestly doesn't know what to get the two of them. He's never really been the best gift-giver and the sentimental type, so he's not sure why he even agreed to a bet that only allows you to win if you're one of those things. He's always been pretty impulsive, he'll give himself that, and when Naruto challenged him to a (gift-giving) competition, his competitive nature didn't allow him to back down.
He's never really been that close to Kakashi, and he never got the chance to since…well, since everything. Obito on the other hand…Sasuke's not sure when they'll get there, but he's trying, and he can see Obito's trying too. If Naruto taught him something over the years it's that if you want to live a good and fulfilling life, don't let past grudges and grievances hold you down. Always remember to have a positive outlook on life, and it's surprisingly working.
Ever since he decided to heal, he's been looking forward to even the most minuscule of things. Waking up, eating, meeting with Naruto and Sakura, everything that life has to offer, Sasuke has learned to appreciate them. Thanks to the people who never gave up on him. Sasuke knows that one of those people is Kakashi, and perhaps his appreciation has been long overdue, but he still doesn't know how to show it. He knows he appreciates Kakashi, he just doesn't know how to show it.
Sasuke somberly sighs to himself as he stares at the infinite cosmos above him. He's currently perched on the veranda at Obito's house, thinking about what he should get him and Kakashi. Sasuke back then probably would've berated him for thinking about something so disgustingly sappy and sentimental, but Sasuke's just glad that his heart has learned to open up enough to let other people in.
Sasuke then tilts his head, now staring at the road in front of him, and then, he remembers something. During one of his and Obito's walks, Obito had opened up to him about his past with the Uchihas. How they didn't consider him a part of their clan and how they labeled him as a Black Sheep for his loud and rambunctious personality. They considered him a disgrace and Sasuke can't help but feel for him too. He has a very similar friend that was just like that after all.
As Sasuke thinks about Obito and Naruto's shared pain, he suddenly gets an idea. Maybe he wasn't the worst gift-giver after all.
𐙚⋆°.⋆♡
Kakashi didn't know what to expect when he got home, but he definitely didn't expect this. The Hokage office was decorated with various white colored decorations, varying from balloons, strings and flowers. But what surprised him was who was inside the room. His students, three of his students (yes, also Sasuke), standing in the middle of the room holding a banner that says–
“Happy Wedding Anniversary, Kakashi-sensei!” The three of them (mostly Naruto and Sakura) shout, with Sasuke looking at the side bashfully, and Kakashi can't help but send them a look of incredulity. Obito, who was escorting him back, sports the same expression.
“What–What’s this about?” Kakashi asks, walking closer to his students who look back at him excitedly. But before they could answer, Obito spoke up.
“Kakashi…y–you’re married?” He says, voice filled with disbelief and Kakashi can't even blame him when he's feeling the exact same thing. Obito's response to their small surprise seems to catch his students’ attention, and Naruto speaks up, “Obito what are you talking about? You're married to Kakashi-sensei aren't you?” He says it like it's the most natural thing on Earth and Kakashi chokes on his spit.
“Naruto, what?” Kakashi says almost instinctively, startled at the words that slipped out of Naruto's mouth. Him? Married to Obito? Yeah, the world has to end before that’ll happen.
The aspect of being married to Obito doesn't even sound bad to him, honest to god, he'd be happy to, delighted even. He's been pining over him for what? More than twenty years now? But ever since he and Obito started reconciling, he's been afraid to do something that'll potentially ruin their relationship, so, he kept silent. Although it seems like the heavens themselves got tired of him, as they sent his students to do his job for him.
“I–I’m not married to him, Naruto. Where did you even get that from?” Obito says, and it was evident from his voice that he was rattled by what they were saying and Kakashi's heart stings just a little.
“Ehh? Sasuke, show them the paper we saw three days ago!” He says, pointing at Sasuke who just sighs exasperatedly; and then, he pulls out a frame with blue borders and when Kakashi looks, there was a piece of paper inside of it.
“What's that? That's not the one we saw.”
“I had it framed, idiot. It was supposed to be a part of my gift but it seems like there has been a misunderstanding.”
Sasuke gives him and Obito a curt look before handing it to Kakashi. He accepts it, immediately reading what the contents were. Obito does the same as he peeks from behind Kakashi's shoulder.
“This…is a Marriage Certificate.” Kakashi says as he stares at the picture frame with pure incredulity.
“Our Marriage Certificate…” Obito continues, as he and Obito stare at each other in shock.
Kakashi stares at his students through narrowed eyes, they seem to be waiting for him to reply. He sighs as he tries to articulate his words. “Maa, I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. Sorry, everyone.” he says, trying to shake off the remaining shock behind his voice. He glances at Obito who was still intently staring at the piece of paper and Kakashi concludes that he'll probably not be contributing anything useful to this conversation any time soon.
“I think that was the official paperwork that Fugaku did so I can keep my eye.” He explains, looking at his students who now look slightly dejected, and then, he remembers Obito's reaction.
“I–is there any way you can…undo it?” He looks at Sasuke, and then before he knows it, it slips out of his mouth. “My partner here doesn't seem too happy with it.” he chuckles, trying to ignore the sting in his heart as he utters those words.
Obito's head snapped in his direction, “Wha–” he sounded astonished, before switching to a more angry tone. “What the hell are you talking about, Bakashi?” Obito says, and Kakashi can't help the small twist his stomach does at the sound of the old nickname being uttered.
Sakura seems to have noticed the building tension, bless her. “We–we’ll go get something sensei, you guys talk it out. We'll come back later.” she says, taking both Naruto and Sasuke’s arms to drag them outside. Now, it's just him and Obito.
Kakashi doesn't really know what Obito's so mad about, Kakashi was doing him a favor. He doesn't have to be married to Kakashi and Kakashi doesn't have to give himself false hope, so it's a win-win.
“Stop that. Whatever you're thinking right now. Stop.” Obito says, bringing his hand to his face as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Who are you to decide what I want? When did I tell you that I want our…our marriage to be revoked?” He says, exasperated. Kakashi takes note of the small flush that appeared on his cheeks.
Kakashi briefly looks away, before staring back at Obito in the eyes, glaring at him. “Obito. I don't know if you know this but marriages are usually for people who love each other.” he says, voice dripping with venom. But Obito just stares back at him, unaffected.
“Who said that I don't love you?” He says like it's the most natural thing in the world that Kakashi almost breaks down on the spot. Obito might say that, but Kakashi knows. He knows that if Obito did love him, it's not the same and will never be.
He bitterly chuckles, “Not in the way that I love you though.” He says, biting back a choked sob that threatened to come out of his mouth. He averts his gaze and looks to the side, and suddenly, the pain in his heart becomes unbearable anymore, as the tears that were threatening to spill out of his eyes finally roll down in a steady stream.
Obito stays silent for a while, making sure to show no reaction at all. No concern, no anger, no disgust. Nothing, and it made Kakashi want to bury himself six-feet underground.
“And who told you that?” He says, crossing his arms. “Kakashi, I'm tired of you dictating me on what I feel.” he comes closer as he becomes face-to-face with the younger man. “Look at me.” he says, grabbing Kakashi’s arms. Kakashi takes a deep breath before doing what he says, Obito has this stern but fond look on his face and it makes Kakashi's heart fill with warmth.
“I love you, Kakashi, and I'll tell it to you over and over until you believe it yourself.” He says, and Kakashi can't stop the pained sob that leaves him.
“And no. I don't mean it platonically, familially, or brotherly, or whatever you're thinking of. I mean it romantically.” Obito continues as he rubs smoothing circles at Kakashi's hand. “I want to be with you. To wake up next to you, to hold you, to–” Obito pauses as a shaky breath leaves his throat, “kiss you and to be there for you.” and then, he looks straight at Kakashi's eyes as their Sharingan reflects off of each other. “I want you, Kakashi.” He says with so much conviction that it made more tears spill out of Kakashi's eyes.
But no, he can't fool himself yet. He knows that he wasn't the first one on Obito's heart, that would be Rin. His first true love and the glue between him and Obito. The only one keeping them together.
Obito looks at him for a while before grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug, and Kakashi's knees buckle as the adrenaline finally leaves his body to be replaced with the fatigue from the mission.
“I loved Rin too, of course. But my love for her was purely innocent. Call it puppy love if you may. I put her on a pedestal and used her as a role model and a motivation for everyday life. But you Kakashi…I wanted to ruin you, to let you know the pain I felt back then. But even I knew, deep down, that I don't blame you for what happened, and I hated myself for that. I knew that the Kakashi I know would never do that, would never kill his comrades for no reason at all. That's what my heart was and is telling me.” He takes a deep breath.
“You became my only constant when Rin died. Everyone may have left, but you stayed. Even when I was at my lowest, you offered to help me, and even if I had called you trash, you still stayed.” He says, hugging Kakashi tighter.
“You came to my grave every single day. You offered me dango every single day.” He continues, as Kakashi sobs deeper to his shirt. “And I think it made me angry back then, what you were doing. Because all it did to me was prove that you were not a fake, and if you were not a fake then the whole world isn't.”
Obito takes another deep breath as he pulls back from Kakashi, he grabs Kakashi's shoulders and looks him right in the eyes. “I love you, Kakashi Hatake. And I would like to…” he pauses, as he looks at the side awkwardly, “...keep our marriage? Is that the right thing to say? I don't know–” and before Obito can continue his ramble, Kakashi cuts him off as he pulls down his mask and smashes his lips with Obito’s.
Obito makes a shocked noise as he slightly stumbles back before relaxing into the kiss with a sigh, Kakashi does the same. They stay like that for a while, before the younger man pulls back as he takes a deep breath.
“When did you get so sappy, Ahobito?” He says, resting his head on the taller man's shoulder.
Obito replies with a chuckle, putting a hand on Kakashi's hip. “It seems like we have a lot to unravel, husband.” He says, and he doesn't miss the way his own body tenses at the pet name.
Kakashi pulls back after a while and sighs, he grabs Obito's arm, urging him to follow him and sit down on the couch. As soon as they're seated, Kakashi sighs. “You guys can come in now.” he says, making sure his voice was loud enough so his students outside could hear him.
They hesitantly open the door, before welcoming themselves as they see that the situation has been handled. They were now carrying bags of varying sizes and it made Kakashi and Obito share a look.
“What's that?” Obito asks, pointing at the medium-sized bag Naruto was carrying and the blonde gives him a mischievous smirk. “It’s my wedding gift for you and Kakashi-sensei!” he proudly exclaims, extending his arm to hand him and Obito the bag. They both exchange a look again before taking the bag from Naruto.
Inside was a black rectangular box, Obito grabs it with both of his hands as the bag drops unceremoniously to the floor. Kakashi opens the box and there it lies were two Konoha forehead protectors placed elegantly parallel to each other. Kakashi inspects the two and–
“Are these our forehead protectors?” He asks, looking at Naruto who eagerly nods at him. Sasuke and Sakura exchange a look, it seems like they're as confused as he is.
“Look behind it, sensei!” He says, practically bouncing at his feet, and Kakashi does what he says.
First, he takes his forehead protector, turning it to see what Naruto was talking about, and then he sees it– behind his forehead protector was something carved.
“In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.”
Kakashi's eyes light up at the familiar words.
“This is…” Obito says, staring at the words carved behind Kakashi's forehead protector.
“It's your nindó, Obito.” Kakashi smiles, grabbing Obito's old forehead protector that he had also kept over the years. Sure enough in its back, the very same words were carved there too.
Kakashi can see Obito's eyes soften. That very same nindó was the catalyst for their relationship and Kakashi took it to heart as soon as he heard it come out of Obito's mouth. Back then, when everyone scorned his father for choosing his comrades over the mission, Obito was the only one to tell him that his father did make the right decision and that it wasn't his fault. His father was merely a victim of circumstance and Obito made him believe that.
“Thank you, Naruto. We love it.” He says, smiling at his student who gives him an ear to ear grin.
The second to give their gift was Sakura, stepping forward as soon as Obito finished putting Naruto's gift away. Sakura looks at them both before smiling softly and handing them a small bag. It's about the size of a small jewelry bag and Kakashi happily takes it from Sakura's hands.
He nudges the bag open, only to reveal a small red box inside. It rattles slightly as Kakashi lifts it up, he gently opens it and sees that inside were two dog tags. He looks closer and sees that right there, in the middle of it, was the familiar pinwheel of their Mangekyou Sharingan and below it were the texts ‘Uchiha-Hatake’. Kakashi can feel his heart swell with warmth as he reads those words, he's married to Uchiha Obito and he wants to stay married to him. Somehow that's still hard to believe.
“I carved it myself, you know.” Sakura says, looking at the two men in front of her with a fond look in her eyes. “I think that it's a great symbol of your love, your Sharingan, I mean.” She chuckles sheepishly, “I think it shows Obito's respect and great trust in you, Kakashi-sensei.” She looks at Kakashi, and then at Obito. “And I think it shows Kakashi-sensei’s deep love for you, Obito.” She gives him a smile, an actual smile that rendered both of them speechless. Kakashi can't believe that Sakura managed to put exactly what he was thinking into words.
“I–I…” Obito manages to stutter out, and Sakura just gives them both a playful grin before stepping back. Naruto looks at them and to Sakura, “Hey that's not fair Sakura-chan! I want to explain my gift too!’ he exclaims and Sakura gives him a light punch at the shoulder. “There's no need for that, idiot. I'm sure they already know what it means.” She says. Her and Naruto bicker for what seems like a while and Sasuke takes it as his cue to step forward.
Both Kakashi and Obito stare at him, surprised. “Oh? You got us a gift too, Sasuke-kun?” Kakashi says, flashing him his iconic eye smile. Sasuke just stares at him, unimpressed, before handing out a bag to the both of them. At this point, Naruto and Sakura had already stopped fighting, looking curiously and intently at the bag that Obito was holding.
Obito peeks inside the bag and Kakashi can see his eyes widen slightly in shock. “This is…” He says before grabbing the two items inside the bag and pulling it out. Kakashi can see it, Obito was holding two pieces of clothing. One was a robe, similar to the one Obito wore during the war. Though instead of purple, this one's color is a deep navy blue. Below it is a green colored haori. The two pieces of clothing were folded to emphasize the large red and white uchiwa fan embedded in the middle.
“They don't sell these anymore though...Where did you get it?” Obito says, looking at the pieces of clothing back and forth before he looks at Sasuke.
Sasuke scoffs and Kakashi takes note of the small blush that creeps up on his face, “I sewed them myself.” he says. “The two of you are a part of the clan now whether you like it or not, and it is my duty as the clan head to formally welcome you.” He continues, and Obito doesn't even bother to hide the shocked look on his face.
Sasuke takes a deep breath before looking both of them in the eyes, “So I, Sasuke Uchiha, formally welcome you, Kakashi Hatake, to the Uchiha clan.” he says, looking at Kakashi and nodding. “And as the rightful clan heir, I welcome you back too, Obito Uchiha.” He continues, now looking at Obito who looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“Please take care of him.” Sasuke says, averting his gaze away from Obito shyly, opting to look at Kakashi instead. Kakashi gives him a reassuring nod and looks back at Obito who sniffles loudly, looking back at him, before looking at Sasuke.
“Thank you Sasuke, I really appreciate it.” He says, flashing Sasuke a grin. The boy just hums in response as he nervously fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
Kakashi gives his students a smile, they really never fail to surprise him. “Thank you for the gifts everyone, they're amazing.” He says, looking at all the gifts fondly. All of them nod in approval, until Naruto speaks up.
“Ok, but which is the most amazing though?” Naruto suddenly asks and all of his students perk up at the question.
“All of them are amazing, Naruto.”
“Ehh, but there's gotta be one gift that you guys favor right?”
“Not really.” Now, Kakashi's chuckling. Did his students really make a bet on who could give them the best gift?
“I'm serious, you know. All of them felt extremely personal and I can tell you guys put a lot of thought into them.” He says, looking at Obito for approval. Obito gives them a reassuring nod. “He's right. No need to compete for who's best when Bakashi’s right here, he can treat you guys.” He says, patting Kakashi in the back. It seems like he noticed their bet too.
“Eh? I didn't agree to that–”
“Really? You'll treat us to ramen Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto says excitedly with that hopeful look in his eyes that Kakashi just can't seem to resist.
“Fine.” Kakashi sighs, as he stands up and grabs his wallet.
“The two of you are coming too, you know.” He says, looking at Obito and Sasuke.
He gets responses that vary from “Of course, I am. You're paying after all.” to “Hmph fine.” and Kakashi can feel another wrinkle form on his face. The Uchihas’ knack for dramatics will be the death of him someday, he can feel it.