So the idea for this story developed after I found out that Kakashi and Madara/Nyanko-sensei share a voice actor. Once I got over how hilarious that was, I realized that the two characters do have some similarities. Among other things, they're both extremely powerful though it may not seem like it at first glance, they both have very apparent vices (porn for one, drinking and food for the other), both are a bit ineffectual as teachers, and they both end up looking after misunderstood blond boys.

Story/chapter titles based on lines from the poem "Rough Country" by Dana Gioia.

Almost everyone in the shinobi world knows of Kakashi Hatake.

And those who do can typically rattle off a few key facts about the silver-haired man.

He's a jōnin of Konoha, a prodigy, the Hatake clan heir, the son of Konoha's White Fang, and an exceptionally skilled shinobi to boot.

But what if none of that were actually true? What if the one who calls himself Kakashi Hatake is only pretending to be?

And that happens to be the case at hand here. Because Kakashi Hatake's true name is Madara, and it's a name he's carried eons before the village of Konoha was even thought of. So it's quite inaccurate to refer to him as a prodigy despite how talented and powerful he may be. It just doesn't seem quite fair to call him that when he's older than everyone else in the village combined.

As for his supposed status as a shinobi, he's just playing a role for his own amusement. He's a colossal wolf youkai of incredible power, there's no being in the world that Madara truly answers to. And in regard to being considered a Hatake, it's only an allowance to fulfill his end of the deal.

At least Madara tells himself that he doesn't care about any of those things, and that's what he'd say if anybody asked. Although if anyone knew the full story of how he came to be in this situation, they would certainly beg to differ.

Point aside, it all began decades and decades ago during the Warring States Period…

Madara generally steers clear of the shinobi as most of the other youkai do the same. Not that a youkai has anything to fear from the belligerent little creatures, especially not an entity as powerful as he is. In fact, the overwhelming majority of shinobi are helpless against youkai.

As beings of spiritual energy, youkai are generally invisible to the human eye. Every now and then, one will come along with enough spiritual power to see, hear, or even seal away youkai. While such individuals are highly rare among the general population, they are fundamentally unheard of in shinobi. This is due to the fact that their overreliance on chakra tends to leave their reserves of spiritual energy grossly underdeveloped. And even if shinobi could see youkai, all their weapons and jutsus would be completely ineffective anyway. Without a significant base of spiritual power, physical attacks are rendered useless against youkai while any chakra-based techniques would dissipate harmlessly upon contact. A youkai's spiritual energy and a shinobi's charka are incompatible in the way that water would douse a flame.

All in all, the unofficial consensus was that shinobi were hardly worth bothering about. They had a reputation for being an irksome bunch and weren't particularly tasty to eat anyway.

Because of those aforementioned reasons, Madara had hardly intended to veer so close to the shinobi's encampment. Still, the noises he did hear drew him in. A youkai's existence could be quite dull indeed. Because of that, it was often preferable to pursue any form of entertainment you could find.

So against his better judgment, the massive wolf spirit slinks ever closer to their settlement.

Madara discovers that many of these shinobi are silver-haired and dark-eyed, with lean and agile builds. They appear to be sparring, fighting amongst each other without the intention to injure or kill. Some swing swords and others flow through various motions, electricity crackling and arcing across their bodies. This piques his interest given that Madara has a similar ability as well. He's adept at summoning lightning strikes from the sky, though he usually prefers to direct them at those who have displeased him. Still, there's a finesse to the shinobi's movements, an element of grace and precision that is backed by undeniable power. If only he could perform such feats as well. Imagine how much more powerful he could be then...

Maybe he should take a closer look.

Although no one would even know he was there, Madara still prefers to watch from a less occupied area. He sees a girl, silver hair curling just past her shoulders, take a practiced stance in the center of a fairly secluded clearing. Madara settles in comfortably across from her, only to see her suddenly startle back in surprise as she lays eyes on him.

She could see him.

The girl immediately lets out a cry, but it wasn't one of fear. She had already shifted into a defensive position, her eyes hardening in determination. The high, piercing noise she made was evidently a signal for reinforcements as her clansmen suddenly flood the area with their weapons at the ready.

"Kanako!" several of them call out in alarm as they rush forward. But upon surrounding the clearing, they ultimately found her paying them no heed. Instead, Kanako had chosen to study Madara intently. Now that the shock had worn off, she must've realized that he'd made no move to harm her.

Her voice cuts through the confused queries and the cries of concern from her kinsman.

"What are you?"

The rest of the clan whispers uneasily at that, but not in the way Madara had expected. Because from their perspective, the situation should've appeared very odd indeed. Not only was there no discernable threat to be found, but the girl who raised the alarm had then addressed a question to the empty air. Yet, the clan's hushed murmurs were not the sounds of a group who feared that one of its own was hallucinating. No, their mannerisms seem far too wary for that. Maybe…

The girl obviously possesses an uncommon amount of spiritual power for a shinobi. Perhaps her kinsmen may have a little of their own given that it does tend to run through families. To test his theory, Madara slowly stands up from where he had initially settled down on the ground. He takes care to make as much noise as possible as he stretches to his full height, his paws hitting the ground with deliberate thuds. At once, a significant proportion of the assembled shinobi react. A few whip their heads in Madara's direction, some shift around nervously, and others tilt their heads toward him with a hand cupped around their ear.

How unexpected.

While Kanako appears to be the only one capable of seeing him outright, it seems as though many of these shinobi are able to sense his presence in some shape or form. They can tell that something is there.

This could be very interesting indeed.

So Madara finally answers in a deep, rumbling voice. "A youkai, simply passing through."

Kanako relays his answer back to the rest of the shinobi, and Madara sees alarm, disbelief, and confusion spread over their faces. They begin muttering, hissing, and arguing at once, the volume of their voices already beginning to grow.

A brief look of annoyance flits over Kanako's face at this. Looking back over her shoulder at her clansmen, she gathers chakra to cast what Madara would later learn was called a genjutsu, a technique for creating illusions. Kanako had used it then to show her fellow clan members the image she sees. That is, a white wolf at least fifteen feet in height towering over them all. A beast with golden eyes and scarlet markings on its face, a creature with jaws large enough to snap closed around a grown man.

There were more than a few audible gasps and startled cries in response. A tall, stern-faced man who also sports the silver hair that many of these shinobi seem to share is the first to recover.

"Okami, why have you come here?"

The man speaks with an air of inherent authority, and the hum of voices dies down immediately at his words. It seems as though this man is one of their leaders. And with this thought, Madara is hit with an absurd yet intriguing idea. The more rational part of his mind immediately tries to shoot the urge down.

Why even bother?

It's foolish, pointless really. But the impulse has already taken hold.

But why not?

It's not like Madara has anything to lose from trying.

"My apologies, I did not intend to intrude upon your clan. However, I couldn't help but be fascinated by your abilities."

Hopefully, he's not laying the flattery on too thick because he's really pushing it here. But Madara's counting on the shinobi being far too thrown off by the presence of a youkai to even realize.

He continues.

"I would be interested in learning your skills should you be willing to teach. But, I would hardly expect you to do this and gain nothing in return. You live in dangerous times after all, I could compensate your clan by providing you all with my protection. You would have a powerful spirit on your side."

Kanako barely lets her surprise show as she once again passes his words along to the others. To their credit, the other shinobi refrain from whispering and muttering amongst themselves as well. The tall man, who is most definitely their leader, fixes his eyes in Madara's direction while his face creases in thought.

Even if these shinobi are willing to teach him, Madara doesn't know if he'll be able to use any of it. But, this is without a doubt the most intriguing prospect he's come across in the past twenty years. He'll be damned if he lets an opportunity like this slip by.

The tall man is still pondering his proposal. Meanwhile, a range of expressions manifests across the others' faces including worry, shock, doubt, and curiosity. But they nor Madara has to wait long for an answer.

"Very well, Okami," the man responds. "We have an agreement."

At this, the clearing erupts into a din of voices. But Madara simply bares his teeth in a grin.

Yes, this was going to be very interesting indeed.

Next, Madara's time spent amongst the shinobi.