…Because how could I watch Kakashi Gaiden and not want to write something like this. It actually continues on from here, but I didn't like where it went, so I stopped it where I did. Oneshot. Enjoy. Because little Kakashi is so cute and too sad.

Minato knew something was wrong when Kakashi didn't show up for practice.

His most punctual little genin, always following every rule to the letter would never do something like be late for training- especially with all the harping on he did to Obito for the very same thing.

Rin seemed distracted and worried, always glancing over her shoulder for her teammate, nervously wringing her hands out occasionally, clearly thinking that something had happened. Obito, meanwhile, expressed his worry in his own special way- by asking Rin every few minutes if Kakashi was still so perfect now that he had shown he could have flaws like everybody else.

Minato just watched them uneasily. While he wouldn't go so far as to think someone had attacked Kakashi, as was clearly on Rin's mind, he knew something had to be wrong. It was almost sad to see someone as small and child-like in appearance as Kakashi so ultimately devoted to the harsh life of a shinobi and the rules that went along with it, but it was still an undeniable truth. He would never just not show up, even for training.

So he weaved the sign for a shadow replication while his students weren't watching, leaving the clone behind to oversee the training while he went in search of his missing genin.

"Well," Minato murmured to himself once he was a far distance away from his team, "might as well start with his father. See if he even left home." Minato slid his hands into his pockets and hid a smile. Sometimes, it was hard to remember his deadly students were still just children- very young children, at that. He had almost forgotten that the best way to find a five year old was to ask his parents first.

Minato lightly knocked on the White Fang of Konoha's door, a little harder when he heard nothing from within. "Hello?" he called cautiously. "It's Minato. Kakashi? Sakumo-san? Hello?"

No one answered after several long moments, providing him with a source of confusion. Kakashi not being home was normal, but Sakumo rarely went anywhere anymore. The disgrace from that dark event years ago still haunted him in angry looks and shaking heads and muttered curses, and it was odd that Sakumo wouldn't be home at this hour of the night. Minato cautiously tried the knob, growing even more concerned when he found the door unlocked.

"I'm coming in now," Minato announced, taking a step inside and closing the door behind him. The lights were all off and the front room was deserted- but someone was definitely home. He could hear something, and there was something very unsettling about the sound. He concentrated, closing his eyes for a brief moment and listening harder, then gasped silently.

It was the sound of someone crying.

Minato stepped lightly forward, going after the sound. "Kakashi? Sakumo-san?" he called again, a touch of urgency to his voice now. "Is there anyone here?"

Still, no one answered him. He walked forward lightly a few more paces- and then something caught his eye.

Through the doorway to the room up ahead, he could see drops of blood on the floor.

Minato tensed, drawing out a kunai and flattening his back to the wall. Kakashi had the skills of a chuunin and his father, disgraced or not, could still fight as well as any elite jounin. There were no signs of a fight or forced entry that he had found- if anyone had come to attack either Hatake and there was blood, that was a very, very bad sign.

He carefully moved forward, stepping into the room with the blood, weapon still raised-

And what he saw shocked him to his core.

Hatake Sakumo. On the floor. Dead.

The slash in his throat was deep and clearly what had killed him. Black blood stained his torso and the floor around him, his glassy eyes staring up onto the ceiling above him.

And, as any shinobi could, Minato recognized that the wound was self-inflicted.

Once upon a time, when Hatake Sakumo was still a hero, Minato would've assumed that the enemy had simply set it up to look like a suicide. But, as much as he wished to believe otherwise, that could not be the case here. They were at war- their enemies had fresh targets, not disgraced, retired ninja like Sakumo. There was no reason for someone to go to all the trouble of killing him and setting it up like a suicide.

Sakumo had killed himself.

And that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was the boy standing above Sakumo.

Kakashi was frozen above his father. His back was turned to Minato, so he couldn't see his expression, but he was absolutely still, black shirt and pants in sharp contrast with the pale moonlight and his hair. Minato's roving gaze froze on his left hand, which was clenched into a fist at his side.

What Minato recognized as Sakumo's trademark sword was clutched in his hand. Kakashi was holding it by the blade.

He couldn't tell if the black blood dripping off the metal was Kakashi's or Sakumo's.

Minato instantly slid his kunai back where it belonged and approached his student gingerly. The moment his foot touched the floor, Kakashi jumped. The ninja whirled around, the bloodied tanto in his hand sliding to be held in his mutilated, slick hand, his eyes wide and unfocused as he raised the blade up to defend himself.

His eyes were rimmed in red, with tears streaming down into the soaked fabric of his mask. It made him seem very, very small.

Minato instantly raised his hands, spreading his fingers, trying to show him he was unarmed and wasn't here to hurt him.

"Kakashi, it's just me. I'm not-"

"Get back!"

Minato stared in shock as Kakashi slipped into a crouch at his father's head, his grip on his weapon tightening, grey eyes narrowing to slits. His student's Chakra flared with a furious swell of both terror and, at the same time, protectiveness. The blood dripped from the blade and his hand to the floor, and then he was yelling again. "Get away from him!"

"Kakashi, I'm not going to hurt you. Just-"

"No!" Kakashi's scream was so loud it almost hurt his ears, and it was the sound of horrifying anguish, of denial, of cold-blooded terror… of emotions his student just shouldn't be feeling. It actually hurt to see Kakashi shake his head frantically and jab the tanto at him, trying to get him to back up. "I won't let you hurt him!"

Minato remained where he was, hoping that if just stayed still, Kakashi would calm down on his own. He watched carefully as another tear spilled over and rolled down his student's cheek and the two remained frozen, Kakashi still ready to pounce. His chest was heaving as if he was on the edge of a panic attack but his hands were steady, and Minato could feel him taking control of his Chakra as he were preparing to use a technique.

Alarmed, he spoke up again. "Relax. Relax, Kakashi. I'm-"

That was the wrong thing to do.

"I won't let you have him!"

Minato easily avoided the stab thrust as Kakashi's scream fell into a battle cry and caught him by the wrist, incapacitating him before he had time blink. In one swift, fluid movement, he grabbed the tanto by the blade, yanked it Kakashi's tight grip, and pulled his student close.

Kakashi stood stiffly in front of him, Minato's firm hand on his back not moving an inch as he stared down in concern, his heart in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, then realized he had no idea what to say.

He was shocked when Kakashi abruptly buried his head in his leg.

Perhaps it was the fact that his student wasn't even tall enough to reach his waist that made Minato have to bite his lip to stop it from trembling.

"Sensei…"

Kakashi's voice was muffled from his mouth being pressed into the fabric of both his make and his pants, but that didn't help disguise the fact that it was shaking.

"It's g-g-genjutsu. It has t-to be. But I t… tried to release it, and it wouldn't. And then I… his tanto… I tried to use pain, but… it's not releasing. It's not releasing, Sensei. Kai. Kai kai kai." One of Kakashi's arms reached up and wrapped around his leg tightly, his head burying into the cloth even further. "Why isn't it releasing, Sensei?! I'm trying but it won't… it won't…" Kakashi's voice broke, and he let out a small sob.

Minato stared, horrified.

And then he fell numbly to his knees, pressing Kakashi's head against his chest as his shoulders started to shake. "Kashi-kun…" He trailed off weakly, staring down at his trembling student, nonplussed. His fingers started to softly move through his shock of silver hair of their own accord, trying to make even an attempt at comforting the sheer mass of hurt before him. He slowly stroked his fingers up and down, lightly pushing a thick clump back off Kakashi's forehead.

His student burst into tears.

The sound made it feel like someone had just reached into his chest and grabbed at his heart.

It was only the feel of blood soaking through his vest that made him move.

All his years of training finally came to use as he silently slid the bloodied tanto into his belt to free up one of his hands, the other still attached to Kakashi. With a flurry of fingers, two clones appeared behind his student. They both turned and vanished into the night, both moving so stealthily that Kakashi didn't even hear them, and then Minato was wrapping his now unneeded arm around his trembling student as well, resting his head lightly on top of his.

"Hang on, Kashi-kun. It's okay. …I'll make it okay."

Minato didn't like lying, so he didn't know why he just had.