Naruto: North and South

The so-called "retirement life" was waking up every morning and realizing there was nothing urgent to wake up for. No training in ninjutsu. No thinking about how to refine chakra faster in battle. No overly stubborn disciples knocking on your door at all hours asking questions. No worrying about a team screwing up a mission in some irreversible way. Just peace.

Today, what should I even do? Hatake Kakashi had recently found his thoughts drifting toward surprisingly trivial things. Should he bathe Pakkun together with the fat orange cat? Was the cat's snack supply running low? Should he buy more from the street? Was the cat sick, considering how it had recently had diarrhea in the litter box? And that toy he bought a few days ago, the cat loved it, but yesterday it had been bitten apart. Maybe he should go buy another one today. Yes. These were the problems of his life now.

He thought about all this while washing up. And after finishing, he looked at the orange cat rubbing itself against his feet, and immediately faced the hardest decision of the day. "Don't rub against me. Even if you do, I'm not taking you."

"Meow~" The plump orange cat purred softly, brushing its fur against his bare feet. The sensation was unbearably ticklish.

"Seriously, don't act cute like that. That's cheating, Kiki!"

"Meow~" The cat rolled onto its back, exposing a completely defenseless belly.

And in that moment, Kakashi lost.

Pakkun, who had just finished a comfortable nap, witnessed this tragic transformation of its owner from "dog person" to "cat slave." It expressed its disdain immediately. "You've fallen!!"

"Are you jealous, Pakkun?"

"Hmph. I don't know you, you disgrace." Pakkun turned away and settled back onto its cushion. Still, as a summoned ninja dog, it couldn't help but ask, "So, you're really just going to retire like this?"

Retirement life was honestly not bad. Kakashi didn't feel uncomfortable at all. And when he answered, there was clear ease in his voice. "Sorry about that." But honestly, there was no need to apologize.

To Pakkun, Kakashi had always been its owner. Since the days it was a small puppy, Kakashi had been there, a white-haired boy growing up alongside it. So seeing him like this now, it just felt a little empty-headed. "Whatever. I don't care about what that old man says."

"Old man? Me?" Kakashi looked genuinely shocked. He did not feel he had reached "old man" status yet.

But before he could argue, Pakkun asked something he did not really want to think about. "If those guys don't come back, what will you do?"

Kakashi paused. "Do you think they'll come back?"

"I don't know."

"Is that so." He smiled faintly. "I think they will." Because he said so. And if it was him, then it would be done. That thought alone was enough.

Kakashi lowered his gaze, gently stroking the orange cat in his arms. "You think so too, right, Kiki?"

The cat had no idea what was being discussed. It simply decided this human was acceptable. So it licked his finger with a rough little tongue.

"Ah!" Kakashi's voice instantly softened into something almost childish. "So cute, cats are always this cute?"

Pakkun's vein visibly popped. That was it. "Hatake Kakashi!! GET OUT!!!" A cushion flew through the air. Kakashi was expelled from his own house.

Being kicked out by your own summoned beast, what kind of experience was that? Kakashi could only sigh with complicated emotions. But it was fine. Pakkun could be appeased with one plate of crispy cartilage fried rice. Yes. Tonight's menu was decided. As for the cat, chicken liver and spinach would do.

The public library was bright, clean, and spacious. Kakashi's job was simple: returning books to their proper places when they were returned. At first, he thought it was all novels and academic texts. But later, he learned something surprising. This library also stored ninjutsu scrolls. From basic transformation techniques to forbidden S-rank techniques like Edo Tensei. Isn't this a bit too careless? he thought.

But then he understood. Amegakure operated differently from Konoha. There was no strict master-disciple system. Instead, knowledge was shared openly. If you wanted to learn ninjutsu, the library provided resources. If something was too difficult, you could consult staff instructors. They might not be the strongest, but they understood jutsu better than most.

Not bad, actually, Kakashi thought. It wouldn't raise everyone to elite level, but anyone willing to study would improve. And resources were never lacking.

He wasn't an instructor here. He was just a book mover. A simple worker with enough salary to live comfortably, and feed a very spoiled cat like royalty. No savings, but no poverty either.

Amegakure also had surprisingly generous benefits: housing allowance, food allowance, weather hardship bonus, two free hot spring tickets per month (family-inclusive), and even mission coupons. Though as an Akatsuki member, he was not sure if he qualified as having "family." The coupons suggested otherwise.

"Good morning, Kakashi-senpai!" A cheerful voice greeted him. It belonged to a boy named Fuyuto. Sixteen years old, a library intern. Graduated three years ago, worked briefly as a genin, then spent years trying to enter public service. He finally succeeded and was now an intern, expected to become a full staff member if he performed well within a year. Bright, energetic, but careless. Kakashi had seen him misplace books more than once.

Coincidentally, Kakashi had joined the library only a week earlier. But even a week made him a senior. "Morning, Fuyuto." Kakashi's visible eye curved gently.

His injured eye had been replaced with a biological prosthetic. His face was still masked. But unlike the others, he did not wear the standard Amegakure uniform. Just another quiet day in retirement.

……

The complete fanfic (Chapter 261) is already available on P@treon(.)com/Crimson_Lore

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