Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Summary: Ah, my first Naruto fanfic. I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be writing this. Been putting it off for the longest time....

Anyway, there aren't very many Kakashi fics out there, which as every Kakashi fan knows is a shame. He's such a cool, interesting character; it seems like a waste that he should be so neglected. Not to mention the fact that Kishmoto-sensei has been quite mysterious about his past... -- sigh

So, I decided to create my own take on Kakashi's childhood: his relationship with his teammates, how he got his views on life, and where he got that scar.

It's a story of friendship, radishes, and the terrible price of revenge. It's also my first fanfic, so please bear with me. ;;;

"Rivalry is an odd thing." –Kakashi

Ch. 1

A breeze, crisp with the newness of morning, drifted through Central Konoha, bearing the occasional leaf for which the city was named. Autumn was approaching, and many citizens were sleeping in to enjoy the cool air.

This did not hold true, however, for a certain group of noisy children and their sensei.

Koma observed the bright faces before her, beaming at each of them fondly. This was unusual behavior for her, though the children were too busy chattering to notice. No, most days Koma was sullen, notorious for her frequent sighing.

But today was different.

Today would be special.

Koma raised her clipboard to hide her now rather smug smile. Twenty years; it had been a full twenty years since something like this had happened.

True, it was not unheard of for kids to graduate from the Academy early. Many of the older families even expected their children to do so. But those kids were ten, maybe nine. Occasionally you got an eight year old, and that was rare. But five...

Koma's smile now bordered on a smirk. She alone had done this. Koma Negawa had taken those dirt-encrusted rocks, and laboriously polished them into the diamonds they were meant to be. And three of them, no less. Yes, no longer would her colleagues laugh about her dead-end job as an Academy instructor. When they heard about this, their jaws would drop with a 'clunk' to the ground, and SHE would have the last laugh for a change! And then it was off to the Jounin Exams, where she would unflinchingly ace every gut-wrenching trial they threw her way. And after that, who knows... Maybe she could be... Hokage, even? Yes, Koma the Fourth. It had a nice ring to it.

'Now now,' she chided herself, chuckling, 'let's not get too carried away, old girl. One step at a time, one step at a time.'

Still grinning and not entirely aware of her surroundings, Koma glanced down at the clipboard to call out the first name. Her eyes ran over it casually, then promptly executed a double-take. The grin that had sat smugly on her lips began to slowly grow dimmer and dimmer until at last it had transformed itself into a full-blown scowl.

'Man,' she commented dejectedly, 'reality bites.'

Koma tried for several frantic moments to recall an incident in which a student had been passed without taking the final exam, but was eventually forced to abandon her search. This was just something she would have to deal with. Her dreams, nay, her vary success in life depended on it! Still... 'I know I'm going to regret this...'

With one of her trademark sighs, she called out the name in a monotone voice:

"Atsukau Obito."

Kakashi leaned forward in his seat, eyes focused on some far-distant object. The sea of children surrounding him continued to talk, taking no notice of the fact that he was practically staring a hole in the wall. This suited Kakashi just fine. He enjoyed solitude and privacy more than any other self-respecting five year old had a right to, and it only annoyed him when the older kids tried talking to him. He was different from them, and if today went as planned, he always would be.

Kakashi tore his eyes from their frozen position and turned to the front of the class, where the testing would be held momentarily. The eyes narrowed slightly, the only outward sign of his self-satisfaction.

This would be an unprecedented step up for his family's reputation. The Hatakes were a well-to-do clan; not weak by any means, but not exactly powerful, either. Most members ended up as chuunins, with the odd low-ranking jounin or two. Not at all like a certain other clan that Kakashi knew only too well. A certain other clan with a certain annoying brat...

Frowning, he turned his thoughts away from the dangerous subject. It would not do him any good, getting frustrated before the exam. He had a job to do, and it was top priority that it was done well. The young Nin bunched his fist together beneath the table-top. He had come this far, sacrificing so many things, hurting himself until the scars he had gathered were etched past the point of healing. He watched the other children laughing and screeching, just taking delight in the simple pleasure of being with each other.

Not all scars are physical, he told himself quietly.

A voice echoed dimly through the room, shattering Kakashi's thoughts.

"Atsukau Obito."

Before Kakashi could react, a pair of hands came crashing down against his unruly hair, shoving his face violently against the desk. A shadow passed overhead, then halted to land on the desk in front of him. The shadow turned, revealing itself to be a boy dressed completely in black, goggles worn impudently over sneering eyes.

"Wish me luck, ugly mug."

"You!!" Kakashi stood violently, knocking his chair over in the process. He raised an index finger to point at the boy accusingly. "Just try that again, womanizer, and see if I don't shove those goggles up your arrogant behind!"

The boy winked, tilting his head to the side. "Sounds like a challenge. But it would be SO embarrassing if you were to fail a test, AND get the crud beaten out of you in one day. It'll just have to wait until next time," He sighed melodramatically, hopping from the desk to the floor in front of the teacher, "I'm such a nice guy."

Koma, who had been watching Kakashi make strangling motions with his hands, looked down then at the other boy in front of her. He smiled charmingly at her, placing a hand on the wall to prop himself up casually against it. "Well hello there, Teach. Have I told you how positively ravishing you look today?"

Koma's eye twitched, as she regarded the five-year old with a look of utter distaste. 'Only ten more minutes, just focus on that. Ten more minutes.'

"Just... just perform the Jutsu, okay, Obito?"

He winked once more, much to Koma's revulsion. "Whatever you say, babe."

Obito sauntered over to the middle of the room. He folded his hands in preparation for spell-casting, then paused to grin shamelessly at the crowd of girls in the desks above. They shuddered, and whispered amongst themselves.

"Ewww, did he just look at me?"

"Nasty little perv."

"Gross, man!"

"HOW old is he, again??"

Obito either ignored their comments, or had exceptionally bad hearing. He continued to smile, concentrating as chakra swirled through his innards; mixing. His hands blurred, seals being formed too fast to follow. Suddenly six Obitos materialized beside him, heralded by a puff of gray smoke and looking very pleased indeed.

Koma temporarily forgot her mortification with the boy, and shuffled closer to inspect the apparitions.

"Amazing...," she breathed, "These aren't your ordinary bunshins." She poked the nearest Obito's forehead cautiously, "They're real Kage bunshins; every last one!"

Obito grinned warmly at his teacher, unmoved by her shock.

"But that's a jounin technique!" Koma protested, running a distracted hand through her hair, "For you to have mastered it, and at such an age..."

Koma trailed off, gaze raised ardently towards the ceiling, her mouth silently sounding out something that looked suspiciously like 'Thank you.'

"Um," the nearest student inquired from their desk, "Are you all right, sensei?"

Beaming tearfully, Koma nodded. "I... I'm... yes, I'm fine. I'm better than fine. Oh, my boy," she turned to Obito, "My dear, dear boy." Completely lost in the moment, Koma gleefully swept him into a bone-crushing hug. After a moment, a muffled voice called out from somewhere around her stomach, "Heh heh. They just can't resist me, can they?"

Koma hastily let go. "Ahem... Well, that will be enough, Obito-kun," she coughed, "Please take your seat."

Obito bowed, raised two fingers in a casual salute, and strolled back up the steps to his desk.

"Well, glad that's over," Koma whispered. A trace of her erstwhile cheerfulness returned when she bent her head over the clipboard to call out the next name.

"Next up.... Inuzuka Masaki."

Kakashi glared viciously at Obito, who was currently leaning back in his chair, calmly watching an attractive young girl with fangs descend the steps to the front of the class. Obito looked over at him and returned his stare with a smirk. "What are you looking so anxious about, ugly? Surely you can live up to that performance easily. Or did the big, horrible jutsu scare poor widdle Karin-chan?" He leaned over to poke Kakashi's forehead, sniggering.

Kakashi shoved the hand away, glaring unrepentantly, "You stole my technique."

"Did I, now?" Obito replied in a vague tone. "Well, no big deal. It's not like you own it, or anything."

"Why, I oughta-"

"Oy!" the girl with fangs called out from below, "Keep it down!"

"Better listen to the lady, ugly mug," Obito whispered patronizingly, "And if it's a fight you're looking for, I already told you, it'll have to wait," He turned his attention back to the girl, who was in the middle of forming seals, "I have better things to do than embarrass weaklings."

Koma was interrupted in the middle of her current exam by a loud explosion, followed by the appearance of ten Kakashi bunshins in the surrounding desks.

A befuddled "Um..." was all she could manage, as she listened open-mouthed to the loud bickering that suddenly filled her classroom.

"How's that for a weakling?"

"Nothing I can't do better!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Now," Koma tried to intervene, "Let's not lose our tempers, children. Just sit back down, and-"

Before she could finish, ten Obito clones materialized next to the Kakashis, frowning.

"There. No big deal." the Obitos answered.

"You think you're so cool, don't you?!" the Kakashis fired back.

"Yeah," the Obitos said, glowering, "actually I do."

Koma laughed uneasily. "My, such enthusiasm. But you really do need to get back to your desks. So..."

Kakashi ignored her, every last ounce of his attention reserved for his rival. "If you want to prove it, then c'mon. I suppose his wonderful highness, the heir of the Sorrowful clan isn't afraid of some no-name genin?"

"As long as Mr. Anger-management prodigy isn't afraid of someone with half as much chakra."

"So fight."

"I told you no once, ugly. Don't make me say it again."

"Yeah?" Kakashi said, grabbing him by the shirt-collar, "Well I wasn't asking. I was telling."

The other students, who had been watching the two boys argue with rapt attention, shrieked and scrambled to get out of the way as the bunshins rolled across the floor, locked in fierce combat. Koma could only watch the chaos that enveloped the classroom, until an aggravated sigh pulled her out of her daze.

"There they go again," the girl with fangs muttered, slapping a hand to her forehead, "Morons. And how exactly am I supposed to take the test with those two losers causin' a scene?"

Before Koma could blink, the girl was gone. She reappeared seconds later alongside a pair of clones. Deftly she stuck out a clawed hand and grabbed each boy by the ear, halting them in mid-battle.

"What the- Masaki?!"

"Hey, let go!"

Masaki continued as though she had not heard them. "Now," she intoned sweetly, "Some of us are trying to pass the exam, and that's kind of hard to do with all of the yelling and fighting going on. So please, would you two be so kind as to SHUT THE HECK UP!"

Masaki bellowed the last phrase into their ears, and was rewarded with two agonized shrieks. She dropped them roughly to the floor, and jerked a thumb towards the exit, "I know how much you enjoy maiming each other, but the next time you want to rumble, take it outside!"

Then wiping her hands as if that settled the matter, she stomped through the thoroughly wrecked classroom, over toppled desks and unconscious students, until she was standing before the gaping Koma. "Now....," she chimed politely, "Where were we, Sensei?"

'Just five more minutes... five more minutes...'

Kakashi stood at the edge of the clearing outside the Academy. A forehead protector glinted on his brow, and he allowed himself a small smile. Still, something was keeping him from fully enjoying this moment, like a slightly bitter after-taste after you've drunk a cup of sweet tea. He idly observed his fellow graduates standing several yards away.

Obito was surrounded by a group of black-haired ninjas. The females smothered him in hugs while the males gave him brotherly pats on the back. Obito took it all in with a sheepish grin until a cluster of hyperactive cousins knocked him to the ground.

For a group nicknamed the Sorrowful clan, the Atsukaus were oddly cheerful and prosperous.

A few feet off was Masaki, standing next to two adults in lab coats, looking rather self-conscious. Kakashi was able to identify the man as Hige Inuzuka, the black sheep of his clan. He had turned away from the idea of being a ninja and became a doctor instead; the village's most renowned doctor, to be sure, but his choice of profession had never really sat well with the Inuzukas.

He caused much whispering and staring at the clan meetings and reunions, appearing always in a tidy white lab coat and polished black shoes. Though Kakashi couldn't blame them; that sort of attire did tend to stand out amid fur-fringed hoods and tattooed faces.

His daughter, however, was a true Inuzuka in every way. Twin purple tattoos ran down her cheeks, framing a mouth from which two fangs glinted. She grinned up at her father with a look of patient endurance. Kakashi's small smile widened faintly. 'How she ever came from the descent of that guy, I'll never know.'

"Quite the babe, eh?"

Kakashi jumped, then whipped around to glare at his rival. Obito was leaning against a tree several yards away, having somehow escaped the clutches of his hyper younger cousins. He winked knowingly at Kakashi, who in turn frowned in disgust.

"Yep," Obito continued, "that's a real looker, right there; except for the fangs. Though those are kind of appealing, in a way."

"Of course a womanizer like you would think of something like that."

"Don't tell me you don't agree."

"No; I don't." Kakashi growled.

Obito shrugged. "Suit yourself. Though I must say I find it odd for you to say that, especially when I caught you right in the middle of staring at her."

Before Kakashi could give him his reply (which consisted of several carefully chosen swearwords), something grabbed him from behind.

"Kashi-chan!!"

"Oh, uh..." Kakashi turned around, "Hi, Mom."

End Chapter 1

Karin-chan: A typical nickname that Japanese high-school girls give themselves.

Notes: So, what do you think? Kind of short for a chapter, but the next ones will be longer. Hopefully....

Now, I know I made Kakashi seem like a bit of a brat in this chapter, but in truth he's only like that around Obito. Normally he's reserved and sensible, but you know how Naruto gets when Sasuke's being a jerk, or how Sasuke gets when Naruto starts pestering him.... It's like that.