The reason Kakashi is always late
Disclamer: I do not own Naruto
Very few people know the reason that Hatake Kakashi is late to every thing that isn't life threatening. Of those few none will tell a soul, for it is Kakashi's secret to tell. People also wonder why it is always 3 hours that he is late no more no less.
The answer is very simple and complicated at the same time. He visits the hero's memorial apologizing to his genin team for letting them die. Even though there was nothing he could do he can not accept this for he was supposed to be a prodigy amongst prodigies. He can not accept that he couldn't do any thing to save his best friend during his first A ranked mission. He can't accept that he let his sensei who he considered his second father face the strongest of the Biju knowing that he would die. He can't accept that he let his last teammate leave Konoha and most likely died. 3 hours he stares at the stone, 1 hour for each of the comrades he believes he has failed.
He has locked himself behind a "mask" of being a lazy apathetic shinobi while he is crying and dieing slowly on the inside. He knows that no one can save him again from his darkness like his teamed did before so he continues to drown in his self hatred and sorrow but he cannot cry for he has already lost the ability to do so. Crying over the loss of his father Hatake Sakumo, his best friend and brother Uchiha Obito, his sensei and second father Namikaze Minato, and finally his last teammate who he let slip away Rin. So he continues to cry on the inside because he can't do so on the outside, slowly drowning.
Drowning…Drowning…Drown-
YOU'RE LATE!!
He looks up to see his team glaring at him. He smiles sheepishly at them and tells them his excuse. Sakura and Naruto just shout that he is lying and Sasuke just glares harder at him.
"It well never happen again". He thinks to himself "This time I will not fail my new precious people".
And he sticks to his vow till the day they fulfill their dreams and he is long gone he will not let them die on his watch.
I swear it on my word as Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copy-Ninja