Chapter Text
In a rare occurrence of grace, you found yourself with an extra half an hour for a midday-rest, which was needed especially today. The weekly combat training at 0600 that you were forced to endure was made no more palatable than it normally was by the fact that Genma was your assigned sparring partner. Ever the charmer, Genma had roped you into a bet on who would fall flat on their back first. Although yes, you had taken him down in three of the five matches set, in all three you had flipped him (or he had managed to flip himself midair) onto his stomach. Therefore, when in the final match, your exhaustion from him baiting you into attacking made you forget about the stupid bet, you had allowed him a cheap shot to end things. You practically assisted him in pinning you down. You did not remember the terms of your agreement until he, straddling your hips, let his senbon (annoyingly, he had been able to keep it between his teeth the entire time) fall and pierce the mat to the left of your head before muttering, “Thanks for lunch.”
Kakashi had only spared you a sigh and a sad laugh when you told him the tale after he asked why you were handing Genma lunch money as if he had just bullied it out of you. His pitiful consolation gift to you was a promise that he would somehow get a woman to publicly slap Genma across the face. You praised his kindness but didn’t think of it as more than a joke, and before you asked him to confirm whether or not he was serious, Genma was impatiently beckoning the both of you over to a shaded bench. You and Kakashi reluctantly took a seat on either side of him, uncovering the lunches you had both brought from home.
“So, I overheard in the halls that Jiraiya is back.” Genma pocketed his senbon momentarily so he could take a bite of his freshly-made-and-bought (with your money) dango without inhibition. He chewed with his mouth slightly open, and the sticky-gooey sounds that followed made Kakashi turn his head with a glare. “With Naruto in tow, I’m sure.”
“Is that right?” Kakashi stared at the remaining three balls on the wooden stick pinched between his fingers, dreading the sounds that each would bring. He wasn’t even really listening to what Genma was saying. The chewing was drowning it out.
“Remind me who that is,” You leaned forward resting your hands on your knees and met Kakashi’s eyes. Not to see him better, but to get your ear as far away from Genma’s mouth as possible. “I can’t picture a face that fits the name ‘Jiraiya.’”
That must have snapped Kakashi out of it, because he stood from the bench and moved from sitting on Genma’s left to your right, shoving the two of you over with little more than a ‘Hey!’ in protest. Now he was the furthest from the chewing.
“Jiraiya trained Captain Minato,” You nodded as Kakashi spoke, it was starting to sound familiar. “He’s one of the Sannin, like Tsunade and Orochimaru. He usually just does long-term intelligence and reconnaissance missions. He doesn’t come back much.” The Sannin, that name, rang a bell. Some sort of special-ops-ultra-squad that used to take the brunt of all of Konoha’s highest-risk missions.
“Yeah,” Genma sputtered through the second ball of dango. “Everyone dreads when he does. The man is a fucking menace.” He swallowed thickly and reclined, stretching an arm around your back so that it rested on the back of the bench. He pinched Kakashi’s shoulder, who promptly swatted it away, minding your presence.
“A menace to who? When I think of recon shinobi, I usually think of the kinds who keep to themselves. You know, those really serious ones like they have in T&I. But with, like, more tactical training.” You pointedly ignored Genma, looking at Kakashi while speaking and shoving away any of Genma’s prodding hands, even offering a kick to his shin.
He could never just let the three of you have a relaxing break. He always had to ruin it with his chewing or his touching. Kakashi ignored your question, but continued talking about Jiraiya.
“I guess you never really saw much of him, especially since you weren’t with Captain Minato’s team much. He’s an impressive shinobi, obviously. He’s on permanent contracts with lords in Mount Myoboku, and all that. Now he’s mostly doing diplomatic outreach, which, should you ever grace his presence, may come to you as a surprise. But he’s actually quite tactful...”
“And an impressive story-teller!” Genma interjected, as if he was shocked that Kakashi could leave that bit out.
“...He’s a character. But when he’s back, he’ll train with us if he has time.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow, like he was planning out the next few days in his head.
“Time between drowning himself in—” Genma was leaning over you, getting so in Kakashi’s face that you had to press your back against the bench to avoid his shoulder.
“He can usually convince Danzo to take me—sorry—us off the schedule for a day or two for ‘private training.’” Kakashi wanted to whack the remaining dango out of Genma’s hand, but spared him.
“Oh, so you guys are good friends now it sounds like?” You cocked your head at Kakashi. The thought of Danzo bending to anyone, let alone to give some of his best ANBU a day off, seemed implausible.
“Yeah, well…I don’t know. Since he and Captain Minato were close, and since we kind of knew each other through him, I let him stay at my place when he’s in town. I guess I should have told you sooner.”
Genma, seemingly crazed, began laughing. A barking, howling laughter. You and Kakashi both hoped he would choke on his dango.
You shook your head dismissively. “I don’t mind! You didn’t know he was coming back. Plus, if he gets me a day off I’ll have to owe him,” Genma wheezed, and you smacked his back hard enough to dislodge any potentially stuck balls from his throat before continuing. “I trust you, so I trust him. Plus, the guy seems to have a reputation. Surely I can at least get some good conversation out of him.” You shot a glare at Genma, only just recovering.
—
Outside the training facility that evening, you waited with Genma impatiently for Kakashi to finish up his shower. The sun was setting, and you had all been awake since dawn. Most days in ANBU were for training— preparing for any and every situation you might be put in as a special operative. Sometimes it was logic games or interrogations (the collaborations with the T&I recruits were always hit or miss, as some of the newer workers hadn’t yet the spine to break down a shinobi, let alone an ANBU), and others it was weapons accuracy and chakra training.
Genma had his duffel bag strapped across his body, the weight of his vest and mask and extra gear that needed polishing was visible through the canvas. Yours was slung over your shoulder as you paced languidly, letting the evening breeze dry your arms and stomach of any water remaining from the shower you rushed through in the locker rooms. You much preferred the one at home. The metallic snapping of Genma fidgeting his senbon between his teeth brought you back to the dango incident from lunchtime, and to your question unanswered.
“Genma, what did you mean earlier, when you said Jiraiya’s a menace?” You kicked a rock at him.
He barked out a laugh again, just like he had earlier, practically singing your name out in a more patronizing tone than you had ever heard from him, “I meant that he’s a total—”
“Ready to go?” The metal door slamming shut and locking cut off Genma before he could finish. Kakashi didn’t wait for you, walking in the direction of your apartment before anyone could protest.
You only sighed and followed, suddenly looking much more forward to being home than talking with Genma any longer, even if it was about the mysterious Jiraiya.
“Bye, Genma!” You turned and waved as you caught up to Kakashi.
“Aki’s tonight, losers!?” He yelled after the two of you. You and Kakashi shared a glance and a shrug, and both of you knew that in a few hours that’s exactly where you’d be. “See you la—ter—!” Was the last you heard before the gravel path crunching beneath your boots drowned him out.
You and Kakashi began sharing an apartment after a silent agreement that neither of you wanted to live alone any longer. ANBU was far too lonely, and after Kakashi had taken up mentoring Team 7, he didn’t want to go back to a life of being alone both at work and at home. Living with a friend so agreeable as you were was perfect. There was company when wanted and silence when needed. You shared meals and kept tactful conversation. You knew each other well, and sometimes you would begin to call him your best friend, but that was something you could never be sure of. It was just so difficult of a thing: to assume that someone else held your camaraderie in such high regard as you did theirs.
But being friends was separate from being ANBU. While you were there to help petition for Kakashi to mentor the genin, you weren’t there when Naruto and Sasuke left, and so you hadn’t met Jiraiya when he had come to take Naruto. You supposed when Jiraiya was visiting then, Kakashi slyly let Jiraiya sleep on your bed, thinking you would never know.
You turned the corner and approached the beginning of the ANBU housing block where yours and Kakashi’s apartment was. “You must be looking forward to seeing Naruto again.” You smiled at him, and you knew he wouldn’t have much of a reply if he had any at all. But you knew from his past concern that he really cared for those kids. You thought it was sweet.
“It’ll be nice…if not incredibly loud and obnoxious.” He sighed and shook his head, and you could tell he was especially tired from the slump in his shoulders.
You were one of the few in the village who never had any real reservations towards Naruto. The few times you had interacted with him were through Kakashi, and although you couldn’t speak from experience, he felt like a little brother to you. Plus, watching Kakashi navigate his antics was unendingly entertaining.
You pulled the key to your apartment out of your pocket and unlocked the door, letting Kakashi in ahead of you. The ANBU block was filled with one and two bedroom apartments that were newly built and assigned based on seniority. You and Kakashi had been given a spacious apartment, though the space mostly went unused, but it meant ample shared space and a luxurious bathtub that your chunin and jonin quarters could never compare to.
Kakashi hummed and kicked something aside at his feet, sending it under the shoe rack. “I’ll start the bath if you get dinner going.” You shook off your shoes as you yelled to Kakashi down the hall.
“Deal,” he responded from his room. You heard the rustle of clothing, and a stroll past his open door to see him shirtless hunched over his dresser confirmed that he was changing clothes. “Extra hot, please.”
“Way ahead of you,” after tossing your duffel into your room you made your way to the bathroom door. The door was shut and the light was on— you could see it leaking through the crack below, which was odd. You were sure you turned the light off this morning, and normally you and Kakashi kept the door open if it was unoccupied.
You opened the door to find a large, glistening, white-haired man lounging in your bathtub. Not sensing any immediate danger, you yelled down the hall.
“Kakashi,” the man in the tub gave you a once over before smiling at you and sinking deeper into the water.
“Yes?” You heard his footsteps approach behind you. “Oh.”
You turned to look at him inquisitively. “There’s a man in our bathtub.”
“I suppose that’s why there were extra shoes at the door.” Kakashi sighed and averted his gaze, so as not to accidentally catch a glimpse of more than he ever wanted to know. “Good evening, Master Jiraiya.” You took note of the sudden change in honorifics.
“Kakashi, you dog,” the man laughed. “Keeping such a lovely…capable ANBU agent all to yourself.” You figured his pause was due to noticing your tattoo as you turned.
“The famous Master Jiraiya, I assume.” You introduced yourself and were met with a polite nod. “I’m Kakashi’s roommate.”
He cast a glance filled will assumption towards Kakashi. “I know how it is in ANBU, you can be honest with me.” He barked a laugh.
Kakashi leaned against the doorframe opposite you. “Keep it for the books. We just live together. No funny business, as much as I’m sure you’d love to hear the details if there was any.” Kakashi, like he was used to dealing with Naruto, seemed to navigate this man’s leering expressions expertly. He turned to you before walking back down the hallway towards the kitchen. “I’ll start dinner.”
“Make some extra, will you kid?” Jiraiya called after Kakashi before once again meeting your gaze. “I’ll just finish up here.”
“Reheat the water when you’re done.” You shut the door and went to your room to change, remembering to close the door behind you.
When you pictured this ‘Master Jiraiya’ you didn’t picture someone so…magnetic. Firstly, you could tell just from how close he held his knees to his chest in the tub that he could dwarf Kakashi. His figure was more powerful than you had expected, even just his forearms seemed to hold more muscle than your whole body (and you could rival Kakashi in that regard). Secondly, you could not help but admit that the man was ruggedly handsome. And the way he seemed to pick you apart with a single up-and-down had you on edge, but not in the way you had expected. It was unfamiliar but made you…curious?
You changed into loose pants and a tank top, tying your hair up and taking a seat at the kitchen counter to observe Kakashi make dinner. He had become such a good cook in his time living alone that watching him at work was like watching a master swordsmith forge a blade. He was so intense yet precise, and gentle when needed. He was broiling fish and stewing squash, you could see. And he had put rice in two different pots: one to make it the way he liked it, and the other to make a porridge of it, the way you did. You noticed he put extra in his, and so you assumed Jiraiya liked his rice as a not-porridge. Kakashi handed you a cup of barley tea before turning back to the broiling drawer.
“Just a heads up: if we end up going to Aki’s I’m sure the old man is gonna want to tag along.” He began taking out bowls and plates (luckily the apartment came with four place settings worth) from the cupboard and set them on the counter in front of you.
“Can his liver handle it?” You huffed a laugh and took a sip of the tea.
“You would be shocked at what his liver can handle.” If Genma was here, Kakashi thought, he would make a comment about what other resilient organs Jiraiya so infamously possessed. He seemed to pause and think about his next words carefully. “Not that I think you need the warning, but I’ll just tell you so you’re on the same page as everyone else.” You raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, making sure to glance down the hall to check if the bathroom door was still closed before lowering your voice.
“Go on?”
“Jiraiya is a man of many passionate conquests. Really, no woman in his presence is exempt from that.” He looked up at you with a serious gaze, one much more serious than you had been expecting. This warning you thought would be some kind of joke, but clearly it was coming from a place of genuine concern. Protectiveness, maybe?
“I’m more than just a woman, Kakashi.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head almost dismissively, but you didn’t want to totally ignore his sentiment.
“I know that, and I know he took note of it too. But an ANBU woman might excite him more than just any kunoichi.” Kakashi said it as if he hadn't really thought of it that way himself before. “But again, I know you can handle yourself, I just thought you deserved a fair playing field.”
“Then, I appreciate it. Thank you.” You sipped again on your tea, allowing a smile at Kakashi’s sweetness.
The bathroom door unlatched and from down the hall Jiraiya sauntered into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel (you were pretty sure it was your towel) around his hips. He paused at the edge of the counter as if he expected some grand reaction. He was smiling and looking between you and Kakashi, who at this point had paused his movements to stare at Jiraiya, almost daring him to make another move.
“I think that's my towel.” You swallowed and your brows knit for a moment before you looked Jiraiya in the eyes.
“Well, if you need it I’m happy to—” He shrugged and his hands began to move towards the tight fold that held the towel in place at his hips.
“No, no no! That won’t be necessary.” Kakashi jumped in front of Jiraiya before he could completely disrobe in the kitchen. “Master Jiraiya. I’m sure I have some spare clothes in my room. The one on the left of the hall.”
“And what to do with the towel? Seeing as it isn’t yours.”
“Leave it on the bed, I’ll take care of it.” You replied with a sigh and got up from the stool you sat on, heading towards the plates and bowls that Kakashi had taken out so you could set the table. “Anything to drink, Master Jiraiya?” You called after him down the hall.
“I’ll have what you’re having!” He shut the door to Kakashi’s room and upon its impact against the doorframe, Kakashi relented.
“I’m definitely going to be needing a drink tonight.”