Early in the morning, Kakashi was summoned to the Hokage's office. He yawned so hard it almost dislocated his jaw as he walked lazily through the streets of Konoha, dreading every step.
Menma had kept him up until 3 a.m.
That meant Kakashi had less than three hours of sleep. He already knew: today was going to suck.
After knocking on the door and entering the office, Kakashi noticed another Anbu member already inside. She wore a Spearow mask—one he didn't recognize. Curious, but too tired to care deeply, Kakashi stepped forward and greeted the Third.
"Lord Third, I'm at your service."
Hiruzen, already rummaging through a pile of scrolls, handed one over without looking up.
"Well, Kakashi, you're a little late. I won't ask about the 'lost cat' you helped at the corner of the street last night."
Kakashi blinked.
The Hokage continued, unfazed.
"Congratulations. You've been promoted from 'caretaker' to kindergarten co-teacher. Your new colleague is Miss Yoruusagi—codename Night Rabbit—an experienced Jōnin now part of Anbu. She'll be leading Menma's education from today. You're to assist her while continuing to 'watch over' him."
"As for the teaching curriculum? That's up to her. I've already informed her of Menma's status and what to be cautious of. Good luck—and try not to lose your mind."
He waved them out like a veteran shooing interns out of his war room.
---
Once outside, Kakashi motioned to a nearby rooftop. The masked woman gave a silent nod and followed.
Up top, Kakashi opened the scroll and began scanning the details carefully. After a pause, he glanced over and asked:
"Miss Yoruusagi, what's your plan for teaching Konoha's Jinchūriki?"
Yoruusagi calmly removed her mask.
And Kakashi almost dropped the scroll.
Red eyes. Sharingan.
An Uchiha?! WHAT was the Third thinking?!
Not just any Uchiha—one with three tomoe.
Kakashi was stunned. Then Yoruusagi spoke.
"Kakashi Hatake. From now on, you won't interfere with my teaching. Nor will you question me. I'm responsible for his development, and I don't need directions from someone who can't even manage their own time. Take me to Menma Uzumaki. After that, do whatever you like."
Kakashi didn't flinch. Without a word, he held up the scroll and pointed to a line—written neatly in Hiruzen's script:
"Both operatives are to work together and decide on the curriculum cooperatively. Avoid overstimulating or emotionally damaging the Jinchūriki at all costs."
He didn't even blink as he stared her down with full dead-fish-eye energy.
Yoruusagi clenched her fists but managed to hold her tongue. She inhaled deeply, let it go, and began outlining her plans:
"I'll teach him reading, writing, basic math, world structure, threat awareness, chakra meditation, hand seals, and basic physical training. I'll also train his flexibility and critical thinking. If he surpasses expectations, I'll increase the difficulty."
Kakashi nodded quietly—mourning Menma's chubby belly in advance.
While he turned around and rushed to Menma's resident, Yoruusagi remembered what had happened in the past, far and near.
Yoruusagi still remembered the battlefield that changed everything.
It was during the Third Great Ninja War.
She was very young. Her squad was ambushed by a Mist Hunter-Nin team—twenty of them, fully armed. Their intel had been wrong. The Mist didn't retreat; they lured them in.
Her mother died shielding her from a water dragon jutsu. Her father went into a rage, activating the Mangekyō in a blaze of fury, wiping out most of the enemy—but the cost was heavy. Bloodied and unconscious, he collapsed in her arms.
She had no chakra left. No backup. No escape.
She thought she would die there too, kneeling between the bodies of her family, clinging to a kunai too heavy for her to lift.
And then, he appeared.
A flash of yellow. A wall of fire.
The enemies vanished. Her parents' bodies were retrieved.
And she remembered collapsing into his arms, sobbing and crying hard.
Minato Namikaze. The Yellow Flash. The man who turned nightmares into safety in seconds.
She owed him her life—and her sanity.
When the Nine Tails attacked the village, she was one of the few Uchiha on duty who didn't pass out from chakra exhaustion after their gen-jutsu trap was lifted by nine tails. She witnessed it—the Fourth Hokage teleporting the beast away. The very man who once saved her, saving the entire village.
And then, he died. Along with his wife. A tragedy that shook the Uchiha clan—and Yoruusagi herself—to the core as they all had high hopes.
Weeks later, she was quietly reassigned from the Police Force to join the Anbu by the clan. No explanation. Just a scroll, stamped with the Hokage's seal delivered by a trusted member of the family.
She didn't question it. She accepted, thinking it was for recon or internal cleanup work, decided by clan elders. After months of training she was ready to accept any possible mission.
But her first mission… was to teach a child.
Not just any child.
The jinchūriki.
The container of the Nine Tails.
The child of the very man who had saved her.
Conflicted, she visited the Uchiha Patriarch to ask for guidance—and unexpectedly, was invited into the inner house, served tea by the matriarch herself. When she revealed who the child was, the woman dropped the tray and looked up in shock that she shouldn't have.
The Patriarch looked at her long and hard, then simply ordered him while looking at his wife.
"If it is him… protect him. Teach him well. You may use Uchiha techniques if necessary. This child may carry our future—or our retribution."
Yoruusagi didn't understand all of what he meant, but she felt the weight of the trust. That day, she swore privately that she would protect and guide Menma—not because of politics, not because of orders, but because she owed it to Minato.
---
They made their way to Menma's residence. As they arrived at the gate, Yoruusagi paused, staring silently at the compound's old stone walls.
"The Land of the Senju... Is it tradition to keep all Jinchūriki here?"
Kakashi turned toward the dusty gates and answered quietly.
"Before Mito Uzumaki left the village, she engraved powerful seals throughout this block—barriers to help contain and suppress the Nine Tails if it ever leaked out of the Jinchūriki. Lady Biwako was the only one who knew about it for years. When it came time to place Menma, she suggested this location. It's the safest place in Konoha for him."
Yoruusagi stayed silent, finally stepping through the gates.
---
Meanwhile, Menma had just finished breakfast and was leaning back in his chair, letting his overfed belly rest in peace. He was deep in thought about the "Yellow Flash" story from the night before. Now that he knew his birthday—he also knew when his parents had died. All he needed now was his last name. Once he had that, he could start tracing his identity.
Suddenly, he sensed two familiar And unfamiliar chakra signatures approaching.
One was Kakashi.
The other… new.
When the door opened, he was excited to see his "Brother Dog" without his ugly mask—for once! True, the man still had his lower face and eye covered, but at least he looked less like a burglar and more like a half-model.
Ignoring everything else, Menma climbed down and waddled straight to Kakashi, hands raised in the universal signal for "hug me now."
Instead of scooping him up, Kakashi knelt down.
So Menma did the next best thing: grabbed his face with both hands and studied it like a plastic surgeon evaluating a client.
(Handsome. Defined jawline. But those dead eyes… yeah, we'll need a little cosmetic help. Maybe a plastic surgery would do. I wish I was working in Korea, the surgeons there were the best in this field.)
After letting him go with a mental checklist of surgical edits, Menma finally noticed the new person.
He stiffly turned his head and blinked at her.
"Um... Hel… Hello?"
Kakashi smiled dryly behind his mask and gestured toward her.
"Menma, this is Yoruusagi Uchiha. She's going to be your new teacher starting today. She's strict, but she's good. So behave—and maybe she'll go easy on you."
Yoruusagi crouched to meet Menma's eye level. He finally got a good look at her.
She had a soft, round face, dark eyes, and delicate eyeliner that accentuated long lashes. Her lips were cherry red, her skin smooth and pale, and her nose was adorably petite. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, cascading almost to the floor, with a polished silver ornament at the end.
She was exactly his type.
(Forget teacher-student boundaries. I'm emotionally mature enough… I can handle a complicated relationship.)
Yoruusagi smiled lightly and introduced herself with a gentle voice.
"I'm Yoruusagi Uchiha, your new teacher. I hope we'll have a happy student–teacher relationship. You may call me 'Teacher' from now on."
Her tone then shifted like a ninja trap.
"Our first priority will be trimming that belly of yours. So—say goodbye to your tummy, little Menma."
She extended her perfect, beautifully carved fingers and poked Menma's belly. Not just once. Several times. She even did it with joyful satisfaction.
Menma: "..."
He stood there, stunned, wondering what just happened to his human rights.
Kakashi, wisely taking a step to the side, avoided being seen by Menma's sharp eyes.
(If she keeps this up, maybe he'll forget I exist...)
Menma, meanwhile, made a mental note in his black note book, containing important names:
Third Hokage: Old fox.
Kakashi: Dishonorably pardoned fish-eye traitor.
Yoruusagi: Goddess-faced demon, certified belly slayer.
Nurse-san: a mean old virgin
He narrowed his eyes and glared down at his round stomach.
(You've had a good run, buddy… but it's going to be over...)
---