Chapter Text
Kakashi was being so sneaky. Putting all his hard-won shinobi skills to use; his little body ducked, crouched, and hid behind market stalls, signposts, and even a person or two.
He also did a spectacular job ignoring the increasingly pointed glares and the soft insults directed his way. Those weren't made very stealthily and to acknowledge them would break the illusion.
The target turned around in obvious annoyance and Kakashi moved out of the direct line of sight of those golden eyes. As a newly made genin, Kakashi didn't have a lot of shinobi skills in his repertoire, but this- stalking a target, hunting and capturing prey- he was more than good at. He had learned from the best his Tou-san and the canines had trained him to to step lightly and sniff quietly.
That's not what was happening now; his footsteps were heavy and his tracking eyes entirely conspicuous. But he was doing this intentionally, he wanted his target to know he was being followed with no malicious intent.
One way to get what you want was simply to ask for it, but Kakashi wasn't very good at that yet and to be quite honest the possibility of hearing a no, made him want to delay the asking part for as long as possible.
The target moved on no doubt in an attempt to ignore what was happening behind them, but Kakashi was just as stubborn and this was important.
Holding a box in front of his face Kakashi tried to 'blend in' with a fence, in his mind big Kakashi-other Kakashi sent exasperated emotions. Other Kakashi couldn't really speak to normal Kakashi, but he understood the feelings being projected onto him, amusement, confusion, anxiety. So if little Kakashi was being so bad at sneaking to make his other self, who was much too serious, have some good emotions that was his decision. And he was also helping himself as they both were anxious about the answer to the question they needed to ask, if not more preoccupied with the person they needed an answer from.
Orochimaru: the Snake Sannin, and fellow genius.
When the two Kakashi's had made this plan together, speaking through their picture-emotions, big Kakashi or the future time traveler Rokudaime, had been strongly alarmed by little Kakashi's suggestion of approaching the pale man for help. But little Kakashi had set out his reasons: the snake sannin was powerful, respected and thus less likely to be questioned, more likely to be curious and thus more likely to listen to a too young, genius genin.
After little Kakashi's- or Kakashi as he shall now to known-, picture-words explaination, big Kakashi- or as he shall known be known Rokudaime- sent back the feeling of dread, of dark spaces with little light, of the smell-taste of poison and damp.
So Kakashi was only slightly nervous about the danger of a future kidnapper, because Rokudaime did admit that he could not date exactly when Orochimaru had begun to smell permanently like stale blood. And well, Orochimaru did not smell like that now, so Kakashi had to take the chance of asking and hope the answer was yes.
The target, now known as Orochimaru, took a turn away from the market street hawkers desperately trying to sell the last of their quality wares, before the oncoming war slashed supplies. The noise of gathered people lowered as Kakashi made that similar turn on his tiptoes; before stumbling back, head tilted up to stare at the face shadowed by the sun.
It seems the snake sannin got tired of being followed.
Kakashi was studied by silted golden eyes, his hunched posture to draw the least amount of attention, scuffed shoes one size too small, and the black mask -that hid micro expressions from civilians could not hide the fright from a shinobi.
"The young Hatake?," the tone was factual and flat, and had alarm bells ringing in Kakashi head sent from Rokudaime. "Why are you tailing me, child? What do you want?"
Rokudaime was telling him to abandon mission; they would find another person, any person-the Hokage maybe.
The preternaturally still hands of the sannin, and unblinking eyes of a predator all pointed to bad things happening, even in this semi-public space. Kakashi was braver than the Rokudaime and he managed to blurt out, "I have a question to ask, a-a favor more like."
Orochimaru's head tilted and some life sparked in his eyes.
"You seem too young to be asking favors of shinobi above your pay-grade. How do you plan on paying me back?"
Kakashi truly didn't understand why Rokudaime was behaving as though the world was ending, especially because he came from a future where the world did end. And it's not as though Kakashi is doing this of his own volition, they both agreed that Orochimaru was the best choice and he had no other well-positioned choices to ask.
"We-I mean, I was hoping you would help me enter the restricted Konoha archives. The clerk won't let me in on my own and you have been in there many times."
Orochimaru shifted pulling himself out of the sun and calming the intimidating stature he had previously made.
"What worth could you find in some boring travel manuscripts."
"I want to find more Hatake. The ones who stayed behind when Konoha was formed." Kakashi bowed at the waist, lungs empty; and Rokudaime also held still in anticipation of their shared answer. "Please, would you help me reunite my clan?"