"Agggh. Great, waking up with a fucking headache."
The one who spoke freezes at the unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time, voice before memories and associated memories slam into his mind all at once. Memories of a life as a silver-haired boy, memories of a hellish world. War, suffering, and loss slammed into his mind with unrelenting force.
Staggering to his feet, the figure navigated the house with apparent clarity, finding himself in the bathroom and gazing into the mirror in shock. Staring back at him confirmed that he wasn't going crazy, or at least was still in an odd dream.
Twisting the right sink knob, he put his head under the ice-cold water and sighed in relief as it helped ease his throbbing head, if only a little.
Letting the water cool him off, he chuckles at the absurdity of his situation.
"I'm Kakashi Hatake....."
Twisting the knob back into place, Kakashi stood up straight, hair matted down and heavy with water, as everything played in his now much faster mind.
"Father, Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina, Naruto"
Each name that spilled from his mask-covered lips carried a newfound emotion that was previously merely foundness for their characters.
*Ding*
Welcome, Kakashi Hatake.
Looking up, he saw a floating blue screen and began to read it.
As a transmigrator, you're likely expecting some help; guess you're lucky that I am a magnanimous R.O.B, but don't get too excited. I'll not be giving you anything ridiculous like a bloodline system or other such nonsense. No, I want entertainment, Boruto just isn't my thing, so I thought, 'Why not change the story of Naruto?' That's why you're here. What I'm giving you is a sort of plot-changing rewards-based system. You'll have an inventory, but no status window, no imposed mission, or anything of the sort. Change the plot and get rewards based on the significance of the change. You don't have to worry about me getting upset if I find the changes boring; I already did this with a few others in anime like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Bleach, and My Hero Academia. So, enjoy your life as 'Mr. World-Wide.'
Oh, and just think 'starter pack' to get you going. That's all from me, for real this time.
'starter pack'
*Ding*
You have received a seal for your Sharingan eye and the sensing talent of Tobiama Senju.
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh a little at that, the first reward being a seal to cover an eye, and the sensory talent of Tobirama... Is this R.O.B a fan of the younger Senju brother?
placing the seal over his eye, Kakashi watched as it seeped into his eyelid and became transparent, the three tomoe eye fading to black. Pushing chakra where he could feel the seal, Kakashi watched as the eye flashed red once more.
'This seal isn't anything like what I can recall in my memories.'
Kakashi thought to himself, trying to recall all the times Kushina or Minato-sensei discussed or studied seals. His own knowledge of seals was intermediate at best, nowhere near the level of a sealing master like them.
'The other reward was Tobirama's talent in sensing, not his knowledge or ability itself, so I'll have to develop it on my own. It's a good thing I'm Kakashi and not some no-name chunin or something, I should be able to get the material to learn easily enough.'
Taking a quick shower, Kakashi dressed in standard Jonin attire and stepped out of his house, strolling through the village and waving back at some civilians and ninja who noticed him.
Kakashi stopped in his tracks, an enticing aroma catching his heightened sense of smell, turning and walking into a small open-front restaurant with only flaps hanging off the top.
"Ahh, Kakashi, been a while. What will you be having?"
A Kind middle-aged man greeted with a smile, the wrinkles around his perpetually closed eyes giving the impression that this man smiles a lot.
"Yes, I have been a bit busy lately. What about you?"
Kakashi asked as he pointed to the Miso with chasu pork and eggs.
"Can't complain, it's been quiet. Wouldn't mind more business, but what can you do?"
Teuchi sighed and shrugged helplessly.
Kakashi listened and concluded almost immediately.
'Naruto. The villagers must avoid this place like the plague. The food, while great, isn't healthy for a ninja to eat regularly, leaving only civilians who would rather stay clear to avoid the blonde.'
Kakashi felt a sting of pain in his heart as he thought of the hyperactive knucklehead.
'I failed you before, Sensei, but no more. I promise it won't be like before.'
Having taken over as Kakashi, he already analyzed and dealt with the emotional burdens that came with being the cycloptic jonin.
Obito? He's not my concern as of right now; besides, it's not like I can fight what I can't hit. Naruto, Naruto is alive, alive and lonely despite the fake grin he likes to show everyone else.
"Here you go, one miso with chasu pork and eggs."
Blinking back the thoughts, Kakashi thanks Teuchi and gazes down at his ramen, smiling under his mask as Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, pokes her head around a ramen station, stares a hole into his masked face.
"Yoo."
Kakashi waves before he glances over her shoulder at a pot of boiling water about to spill over.
"You might want to take care of that pot behind you."
He casually remarked.
In the short time that Ayame removed the pot and turned around, Kakashi was already done with his food and was smiling at her knowingly.
Handing the money to a chuckling Teuchi, Kakashi prepares to leave.
"Wait! This is too much, let me get your change."
Teuchi calls out.
Kakashi just smiles, hearing a familiar young voice chanting 'ramen, ramen, ramen.' The sound is getting closer with each chant.
Looking back at the ramen chef, Kakashi just shakes his head.
"Use it for that blonde, tell him it's a gift from you."
Kakashi exits the little ramen restaurant as soon as the blonde walks in, going unnoticed due to the latter's obsession and hunger.
Jumping to the rooftops, Kakashi made it to the Hokage's building in a few chakra-powered leaps. Walking in and speaking to the receptionist before she left, coming back, and leading him into the Hokage's office a few moments later.
After the reception closed the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back into his chair, a ring of smoke billowing from his pipe as he studied one of his most gifted Jonin in front of him.
"What can I do for you, Kakashi?"
"I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of sensory techniques?"
Kakashi got straight to the point, not really up for beating around the bush.
Hiruzen's hand, which was subconsciously denying a ridiculous request from the civilian council, paused.
"Why?"
Hiruzen asked, not denying the request, merely curious about the reason why his Ninjutsu specialist Elite Jonin would want to try his hand at an art that some considered more obscure than fuinjutsu, because not just anyone could make it far in that particular ninja path.
"I've relied too much on this Sharingan."
Kakashi puts his hand over his covered eye before continuing.
"I thought about it for a while now, and I decided to expand my arsenal a bit. I know over a thousand jutsu; my best friend is the foremost taijutsu specialist, I have those fields covered and can improve on them alone, but I want to improve again."
Hiruzen expertly masked his glee under a neutral mask as he loaded his pipe with more tobacco, having smoked through the last bit in a few inhales due to the shock of this unexpected turnaround.
"What brought this on, Kakashi? Not that I'm not pleased, but you have to admit that this is sudden."
Kakashi sighs and looks over at the picture of his sensei on the wall, his youthful face staring back at him, those piercing blue eyes that made enemy ninja run on sight, even if they never got far.
"Naruto. He's all I have left, and I've neglected him all this time. Protected him from the shadows as his anbu guard, but that's the bare minimum. Lady Kushina would pummel me if she were here right now."
Hiruzen sighed, looking every bit his age as he too gazed at the portrait of Minato.
"I suspect she'd have a few words with both of us... And perhaps the entire village as well."
He agreed, smiling fondly as he recalled the young couple. The well-mannered blonde genius and the fiery red-haired girl who captured his heart.
"Using an old man's heart against him."
Hiruzen mock grumbled as he stood, walking over to the portraits of the first and second Hokage.
Sliding the portrait of the second aside, Hiruzen pulled out a dusty scroll from a hidden place behind it. Swiping the dust off it, Hiruzen handed it to Kakashi and gestured to the couch by the door.
"I'm interested to see if you're talented in this art as well."
Hiruzen went back to his desk to sit, happy to see Kakashi motivated once more, and having an excuse to ignore his worst enemy, paperwork.
-Chapter end-