This is pure, self-indulgent fluff. It makes me smile and I hope it makes others smile too, but don't expect plot, logical progression, or high quality.

I do not own Naruto.

There was no excuse, really. No justification for why he had left the baby in someone else's care.

He knew the things that could happen to orphans in Konoha.

Particularly orphans the villagers had reason to dislike.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

Maybe he could claim it was because of the fox.

It wasn't. He didn't care about the fox.

Maybe he could claim it was because the boy looked so much like his father.

It wasn't. He would have liked a reminder of the man who was practically his father, too.

Maybe he could claim it was because he was a coward.

It wasn't. He was a coward, but this wasn't a thing that scared him.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

No, he had just been hurting. If his heart had been carved out of his chest, that would have been kinder.

He had abandoned the baby because he had abandoned everything. Everything that made him 'Kakashi' had to be scrubbed away, had to be forgotten and left behind.

Like his father had left him behind (his fault).

Like Obito had left him behind (his fault).

Like Rin had left him behind (his fault).

Like Minato had left him behind (his fault).

He joined the ANBU as Dog. No one could hurt Dog. No one could leave Dog behind.

Dog didn't need a heart. Dog didn't need to remember. Dog only needed to serve the Hokage.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

Three years later, Dog scented toddler in the Hokage's office. Dog ignored it.