Kakashi stared right back, grey meeting gold flatly, without an inch of guilt. If Kuromaru thought he could win remorse with just a look, he needed to try it on someone who hadn't committed Kakashi's sins. Injuring a stubborn familar's pride barely ranked.

Scars glowed livid pink where frantic claws had raked them. Kuromaru kept his head tilted slightly to the side, making sure to keep Kakashi squarely in his limited field of vision.

That was a hell of an obvious weakness. He wondered, briefly, what Tsume planned to do about it. Then swept the thought aside to deal with instinct alone.

He stepped forward, on Kuromaru's blind side.

"Back off."