Chapter Text
It was a cool, sunny Tuesday afternoon when Kakashi’s dad decided to take him out for training.
To any five-year-old, this would seem to be a beautiful father-son day. Kakashi begged to differ.
“Dad, can’t you just teach me some new jutsu? I already know this stuff,”
He whined as Sakumo made him reluctantly practice tai-jutsu.
“Now now, Kakashi. Taijutsu is one of the three main styles. I know you want to do the ‘cool’ stuff, but you have to work on the basics.”
He huffed at that. Who was he to go around, making him sound so impatient? So childish? All he wanted to do was learn something new for once. The academy didn’t offer that wide a range of jutsu, so what’s the deal? Can’t a kid learn?
“I know that. I just want to do something else. We already do tai-jutsu training a bunch at the academy. I can beat everyone when sparring. It’s boring,” he says, almost whining, punching the post with more force than necessary. “... please?”
Sakumo chuckled from the bench. Hmph. What is he laughing about?
“What?” Kakashi grumbled. This guy…
“Sakumo! Fancy seeing you here.“ Well, speak of the devil…
Kakashi pauses his repetitive training, glancing at the new arrival in green. Maito Dai, was it? Dad had always stopped to talk to him out on the street. They chattered whenever they saw each other. And every single time, Kakashi is forced to wait idly by his father’s side. Accompanying Dai was usually his son, a boy named Gai.
Gai was around Kakashi’s age, but never quite in his league. He was mediocre at chakra control. He also lacked in terms of academic intelligence. His only redeeming quality might be his potential in tai-jutsu and his unwavering determination. But Kakashi could always beat him anyway. Always going around in bright green, being loud and obnoxious, trying to embody his dad, a pathetic excuse for a shinobi. Well, just look at their attire. But Dad had always told him otherwise for some reason.
That’s besides the point. The point is, Gai didn’t have talent or much potential, unlike Kakashi. It was Kakashi’s truth. It was the truth.
“What are you doing here?” Kakashi asked, not really caring for the answer.
“Kakashi! You’re here too? That settles it then! Kakashi,” Gai posed dramatically, pointing a finger at the other, “I came to train, and I challenge you to a spar!”
“A spar?” Kakashi repeated, amused. “Tch. Don’t make me laugh. Why? Just so I’d beat you?”
“Don’t underestimate me! I promise I’m strong!” Gai retorts. There’s no way he’s backing down! He came all this way for this moment! He’ll show Kakashi just how strong he’s gotten! He’ll show him that even Maito Gai can triumph in battle against the prodigy, Hatake Kakashi-!
“Hard pass.” Kakashi sighed lazily, returning to his previous training. Beating people in spars, like all things in the universe, just loses its fun when you do it too much, too often. He almost feels bad for the kid.
“Come on!” Gai exclaimed, getting into a fighting position, “Don’t tell me you’re too much of a coward!”
Coward?
“Coward?” Kakashi’s gaze darkens, “If that’s how you want to play, then bring it on!”
He shifts into a fighting stance, mirroring the other boy’s. He’ll show him cowardly. He’ll make that obnoxious bastard eat his words.
“Ready? On the count of three, Kakashi!”
Right-
“One!” Their gazes lock onto each other, taking in the boy who stands before them. Already dreaming about the ‘clear’ victor.Which was themselves in their eyes.
“Two!” They bend their knees, anticipating the moment when they must jump; hoping to land the first hit and achieve the upper hand.
“Three!”
They lunge at each other, Kakashi’s irritation and Gai’s determination fueling their moves. Gai shot jabs which Kakashi dodged with practised ease. He’d kick, block, and weave in response to Gai’s endless barrage of attacks, something he’d worked on for hours at a time. He made half-hearted attempts at landing a strike on Gai, which of course ended in a counter.
Shot after shot, jab after jab, Kakashi found himself having fun as he retaliated. Perhaps he had thought wrongly of him. The two hadn’t exactly sparred often or at all, for that matter, so seeing someone who had worked tirelessly in tai-jutsu was refreshing for the boy. “ This might be fun, ” he thought, getting into the spirit of things.
Gai swung his leg high. He has to prove to Kakashi how strong he is. Because today, he’s decided he’ll be his rival for eternity! Kakashi is so amazing. If he could just be his rival, then they’d both get a whole lot stronger, and they’d be friends! Just like pa and Sakumo! “ Just imagine! ” he thought, excitement coursing through him. They’d be unstoppable, just like their fathers! If only he’d agree.
Time passed, thick with enjoyment rarely seen around the stoic Kakashi. But like all things, the fight grew repetitive with Gai being the main fighter. Eventually, Kakashi grew bored of the back and forth. He could see that Gai was also running out of steam. He’d better end this quickly, so as not to wound his ego by winning with time. As the other boy slid back, going in for another hit. Kakashi lunged forward as well, running past the boy in haste to end the spar, and landed a blow to his gut.
Gai fell back, his breath leaving him in a sharp exhale. Exhaustion quickly caught up to him from the fight that dragged on far too long. Sweat dripped from his body while trying to triumph over the prodigy standing before him. It became clear to Gai, however, that he still had a long way to go in terms of training and all else.
“Done already?” Kakashi tried to insert his usual cocky attitude into his words, but he was also evidently tired from the exchange. Doing nothing but testing the waters was new to him. Kakashi knew he’d have to spar with Gai again, whether he wanted to or not. He nods his head, reassuring himself that this would be a good investment.
“Not- even… close…!” Gai managed to huff, his hand clutching where the other boy had dug his fist into. Damn it, that hurt! But it’s to be expected from Kakashi! He thought back to the spar that had just happened. Kakashi had done nothing but counter! And yet he had still somehow managed to win! At least Gai had a good idea of how well Kakashi could retaliate. He nods, “Good to know,” he managed to think, wincing slightly at the ache, “I’ll win for sure next time with this knowledge!”
Sakumo walked over to the two boys, bottles of water in hand for each of them. “Well, well, well,~” he smiled, handing them each a bottle, “that was an interesting fight. I didn’t expect such mercy from you, Kakashi.”
“Mercy? Was that how it looked?” Kakashi wondered. Mercy? He wasn’t one to take such pity on others! “I was studying his moveset, not mercying him,” he blurted, chugging the water.
“So he was studying me!” Gai thought fiercely, taking the bottle from Sakumo with a grateful nod, ”stunning play, Kakashi. I should’ve expected as much from you.”
He turned to his father, who was watching the spar from the comfort of the bench with Kakashi’s dad. “Pa! Did you see me there? I want to train even harder!” He turns to Kakashi, who had just pulled his mask up after finishing the drink, “Don’t worry, Kakashi! I’ll beat you next time! Just you wait! I’ll get so strong, you’ll have to accept me as your rival!”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ll win next time for sure. Not,” he said smugly, not being able to help the smirk threatening to show on his lips, “Suck it up, Gai. You can’t even use ninjutsu. How can you expect to ever rival me?”
“Gah-! I’ll make you take those words back! Just watch, I’ll be a splendid ninja, then you’ll have to accept me as your rival!”
“Don’t press your luck,” he rolls his eyes. When will he learn? “C’mon Dad, let’s go. I’ve had enough training today.” Sakumo sighs at his son’s blunt words. “I suppose I’ll see you around then, Dai.”
“Same for you, Sakumo!” The two in green smile and wave as Kakashi steps out of the field, “Goodbye Kakashi!”
--<-<-<@
Bonus:
“Kakashi,” Sakumo said as they walked home leisurely, “remember what I told you when you first got into the academy? How you shouldn’t underestimate Gai?”
He thought back to a few months ago, at the end of summer, when he first got accepted, whereas Gai hadn’t. “Yeah?”
“Well… I’m starting to believe I was right. He’s training hard. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice that when you sparred.”
He huffs, “I did. He’s still a bit sloppy.”
Sakumo chuckled, “He’ll get better with time. Especially with Dai always training him.”
Hm… “Hey, Dad… could you spar with me when we get back?”
“Oh?”
“I just want to get better. I won’t fall behind someone like him.”
He sighs, a hint of amusement seeping through, “Sure, we can spar later.”
“You two would make good friends.”
Kakashi bristles at that. Friends? With Gai? “Tch. Don’t bet on it.”