Just things from the Role Reversal AU. AKA the Protective Dad Kakashi AU.
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Sometimes, Sakumo thought his father had no idea what to do with him.
It's not that he doubted that Kakashi loved him, it was hard to doubt the man's feeling when he was constantly shadowed by a ninken with ANBU training and Kakashi's habit of visiting him first- before checking injuries at the hospital or even reporting to the Hokage, but there were times where his father was just…different from the other parents he saw.
Once, when he found out that he was the top ranked student of his year, Sakumo surprised his father with a hug in his excitement and Kakashi just froze, one hand darting into his weapon pouch before it registered that it was Sakumo and froze too. Kakashi had stood stiffly in his hug for a moment as he babbled about his achievement- Sakumo noted the reaction but didn't comment because his father always reacted badly whenever he acknowledged that his father nearly harmed him- before awkwardly patting his head in congratulations, casually pulling away with the excuse of leading the way to a celebratory meal.
Then there were the times that Kakashi was home when Sakumo was practicing or doing homework for the Academy, the man always hovered- but then when in the village, Kakashi always tended to hover like a mother bird around a chick flying for the first time- and watched him work but never approached, never offered to help. It wasn't that Kakashi was unwilling to help him but Sakumo got the impression that the man didn't know how to help; Hatake Kakashi was a genius and Sakumo, Sakumo wasn't.
Sakumo was smart and he worked hard to improve but he still struggled with the things he learnt, it wasn't instinctual like his father (sometimes the Academy teacher would look at him and sigh, mumbling about how different he was from his father and Sakumo- Sakumo wasn't a genius and he wished he could be himself without disappointing people, whished who he was was enough) and that was the problem. Kakashi, he thought, wanted very badly to help him and train with him but didn't know how to explain how he just knew what to do, didn't want to train with Sakumo because it would just emphasize the fact that Sakumo wasn't a genius.
It was, Sakumo would think whenever Kakashi would kind of hunch into himself when Sakumo glanced at him, as if Kakashi viewed this a personal failure- like there was something wrong with him just because he couldn't help his son with homework.
It made Sakumo think, along with the absolute absence of his mother, that Kakashi hadn't planned on having a child
Kakashi's jōnin-sensei was Uzumaki Mito, he's very good at making tea now, he's also friends with Orochimaru and takes an unholy amount of joy from trolling Jiraiya. He's in ANBU, is actually very high up in the ranks, and has been since he was a teenager but he does take missions as a regular jōnin- partially to maintain a reputation and partially because he just likes going on missions with the Sannin. Kakashi was on a team with Maito Dai (Gai's father) and Katō Dan (Tsunade's lover), Sakumo does take Kakashi's place on Team Minato.
Mito so takes Kakashi under her wing and teaches him sealing- teaches him more then what jōnin-sensei were expected to teach their students tbh- but, whenever anyone asks about what she taught/the greatest thing she taught him, Kakashi always tells people, "She taught me how to make a perfect cup of tea."
Sakumo wasn't planned, was the result of a one-night stand during a I can't believe we're still alive celebration, and Kakashi freaked the fuck out when he realized he was a father. Sakumo's baby days were a constant stream of oh fuck he's crying what did I do wrong? and Sensei hELp mE I have no idea what I'm doing! with him constantly checking on napping bb!Sakumo to make sure he was still breathing- Kakashi was just a giant ball of terror and anxiety because he was certain anything he did would hurt or kill his son.
Kakashi is overprotective, like he has a ninken with his son and calls in favors so that his ANBU teammates will play bodyguard over Sakumo when he has to go on a mission protective. He has a compulsive need to know where Sakumo is, who's with him and what he's doing. When Sakumo graduates and gets a Jōnin-sensei, their meeting is intense because Kakashi is just who are you to think you are good enough to teach my son? and if my son gets seriously injured while in your care you better fucking hope that you died trying to prevent it and the eventually the Hokage has to step in to keep him from traumatizing the poor jōnin.
Honestly, I see Dad!Kakashi as the kind of parent who'd meticulously hoard keepsakes/pictures of their kid and brings their kid up in conversation all the time. Like not even just in the "My child is amazing" kind of way but also "He's staying late to help a classmate and I'm worried his classmate will do something horrible like what if that hussy tries to hold his hand!?" kind of way.
First sleepover, if it's not something that's hosted at the Hatake home- because Kakashi might not want a bunch of children running around his house, he prefers it to letting his son stay the night at a stranger's house- then Kakashi just so happens to be part of the ANBU squad whose duty is to patrol the area the sleepover is taking place. All night.
bb!Sakumo is a cinnamon roll (who could actually kill you) and the ninken shadowing him are fully prepared to take down anyone who tries to "taint" him (various Uchiha may or may not have made deals with Inuzuka after seeing how good the ninken were with dealing with fangirls).
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"Sakumo-" he halted on his way out the house to look at his father, "Listen to me. You've graduated but you still have a test to complete before you're a genin, get to know your teammates during the lunch break and try to work out a few plans- focus on the main aspects of what it means to be a shinobi of Konohagakure- but mostly familiarize yourself with your teammates' capabilities. Take the time to be absolutely certain of what tools you have with you. And if your teammates touch you, I want you to make use of your teeth, go for the throat and don't let go until the body stops twitching- I'll take care of the corpse."
Sakumo, who'd been nodding along with his father's advice, startled. "Wait. What?"
—because Kakashi knows the perils of having a fan as a teammate and doesn't want anyone to tarnish his son's innocence.
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Kakashi shadows team activities and, every time Minato decides something, just gives a judgmental "Hmmm."
Sakumo is torn between embarrassment (because he's not going to DIE during training and why does his father have to be so RUDE to his sensei?) and excitement (because he's moving beyond the basics now and that means he can finally train with his father without it being an exercise in futility) but Minato is just this bewildered, flustered ball of mild hurt. Because Hatake Kakashi ("Just call me Kakashi.") used to be, maybe not in a conventional way, so nice and he doesn't know how he made the man hate him?
Orochimaru assists in the psychological warfare against the jōnin-sensei by simply watching the blond and, very calmly, drinking tea- Minato's developing a twitch that manifests whenever Orochimaru is so much as mentioned.
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Okay but imagine how difficult it is for Minato to assign Sakumo missions when Kakashi would just loom each time he tries and Kakashi ISN'T also assigned said mission.
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Rin totally has a crush on Kakashi, he's freaking out- not only internally but full on Orochimaru that baby genin has a crush on me! (Orochimaru is less then helpful with "She's likely not the only baby genin crushing on you." and "Would you rather she have a crush on Sakumo?")- but so is Sakumo. Because Rin, his teammate, is sighing over Kakashi like she forgets that Kakashi is his father- except not since she keeps asking about his father's habits at home.
There are so many other things Sakumo would rather be doing then sitting while his teammate interrogates him on his father's bathing habits. Help him.
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Sakumo and Obito are best friends from the moment that Sakumo notices that Obito stopped bringing lunches to school and after Sakumo's lunches just happened to have too much food would you mind helping me finish, Uchiha-kun?
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Obito thinks Kakashi is a complete asshole, sees how excited Sakumo always is when Kakashi shows up (interprets it as Kakashi never being around) and how Kakashi acts towards Minato-sensei (interprets it as Kakashi being cold and cruel) and concludes that Kakashi is a horrible- potentially abusive- father (not that he says anything because he can see how much Sakumo loves his dad, which really just makes it worse).
Then Kakashi defies the Shinobi Rules, defies the Hokage's orders just because he heard that Team Minato was being sent to the Front Lines and proceeds to systematically decimate the enemy in a protective rage (which actually earns Sakumo a spot in the Bingo Book that basically consists of a warning to engage at the peril of becoming a target for the Inugami) and realizes that no, Kakashi isn't a bad dad.
He's just has bad people skills and is very overprotective (and probably has some kind of son complex).
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Kakashi tries and that's enough for Sakumo (it's not like he wouldn't have gone to therapy anyways with being a ninja).
