When Hatake Kakashi was summoned to the Hokage's Office by a chuunin at seven in the morning, he knew it would not end well.

Ka-kakashi-kun, Rin has not been accounted for

He had just returned from an A-Rank mission two nights before and had two more before he would be applicable for another one. Konoha was in peace, and so did not need to overburden her best ninja with constant missions.

He had left ANBU five years previous-honourably discharged. The official reason was "becoming too well known", which was probably true to some extent, but the real reason was that the Sandaime thought he was slowly losing his humanity. Which meant the summons wasn't because he was being reinstated.

All other reasons- punishment, demotion, promotion-were equally unlikely. He never did anything illegal, he was too good to be demoted, and was already a jounin.

That left one option: he was being called to take a genin team. The mere thought of one made him want to destroy something. Every year for the past five he had been given a genin team. Every one of those failed.

However, those children had been civilian's sons and daughters with the occasional unimportant clan member. They were children that he was allowed to fail-and in some cases, actually encouraged, by mollycoddling parents.

But this years' team would have students that he simply couldn't send back. He vaguely recalled that Uchiha Sasuke was of graduation age now. Somebody would eventually have to teach him the ways of his Kekkai Genkai, when he got it. And that person would, of course, be Sharingan no Kakashi.

You killed my son!

Kakashi shuddered to think what Sasuke would be like. Insufferably smart, no doubt, and with extreme dislike of his less-competent teammates. In other words, almost exactly like he himself was at thirteen. One would think it would be easier to teach someone like oneself, but Kakashi hated being reminded what he was like he when he was young.

Everyone thinks I'm just like you, sempai

The other two students were less set in stone, but one was probable: Uzumaki Naruto. He'd tried to avoid the boy, but seeing him occasionally was inevitable. Nobody knew what his parentage was, but it was rather obvious if you had only seen the Yondaime once. Kakashi had seen him a great deal more than that, having been his student. His son had the same unmistakable bright blond hair and blue eyes. Nobody else had hair or eyes like that. The Yamanaka's were close, but their colouration was more subdued, more sedate.

And Kakashi knew that he would not be able to help comparing Naruto to his father, would not be able to help thinking if only he'd never been born Minato-sensei might still be alive.

The chuunin academy teachers wouldn't know any of this, of course, but the Hokage had to agree on all the teams before they were finalised.

I know they're only genin, but you should be around children of your

Then there was the third student. It would be a girl, that much he knew: teams were nearly always two males and one female, but other than that, not a clue. Probably a civilian's daughter, graduated on her written marks and not her practical skills, most civilian-born ninja were like that (Rin's parents were merchants, remember? echoed a voice in his head that sounded oh so familiar but he could not place, in a horrible, mocking tone.)

Suddenly a voice rang out, disrupting him from his thoughts.

"Um, 'scuse me, Hatake-san, but you should prolly get goin'," said the chuunin messenger, sighing slightly. Undoubtedly all the chuunin working in the Hokage's office had been warned about his…eccentricities.

Why are you always so punctual, kid? Ever stopped to just look at the world?

Fifteen minutes later, he was meandering into the Sandaime's office. He recognised a few jounin: Sarutobi Asuma, puffing away on a cigarette, Shirakumo Hayama, sulking in a corner, Kanden Tekuno, with whom he had once got really really drunk, playing with wire.

"Well, now that Kakashi-kun has so kindly joined us, Umino-kun can read the list of teams," said the Hokage, smiling in a way that was probably meant to be genial but came off looking diabolical.

The academy teacher, looking rather haggard, began to read.

"Team 1: sensei, Hayama Shirakumo. Students: Tobi…"

Kakashi let himself turn out the man's words. He would know when his name was called and his fate decided. Hopefully whomever they were good enough that they would make chuunin at the next exams and not bother him after.

Hah! I made chuunin! I proved you wrong, as usual!

After running through more names, mostly civilian, he came to the one Kakashi had been dreading.

"Team 7: sensei, Hatake Kakashi. Students: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and…he paused and squinted at the page, as if trying to decipher his handwriting…Uzumaki Naruto."

The Uchiha, the Uzumaki, and a civilian's daughter. Sometimes he really hated being right.

"Uzumaki Naruto managed to graduate?," asked a plain faced jounin with spiky brown bangs. "I thought he preferred pranking to studying."

"Wellll….," began the chuunin. Kakashi suddenly noticed the man's hitai-ate looked brand new. "Um, I didn't really think he would either, but he managed to pass in the end."

That was why they waited until the last minute to tell the jounin-instructors who they were teaching. (One would usually know they were going to be assigned a team a few weeks in advance though, even if nothing was officially said.) Still, though, did it have to be this early? Kakashi was so not a morning person.

Up and at 'um, son! Today's your first day at the academy!

Slowly the rest of the teams were read and everybody departed. One woman seemed almost bursting with excitement about "teaching the next generation" and "helping Konoha's future". Her perkiness made his head. He needed a drink. Or sleep. Possibly both.

He knew he was supposed to be at the academy at a quarter past eight, but he…had a reputation to maintain, you know! Hatake Kakashi, the perpetually-late ninja. That same mocking voice from earlier told him it was because he was afraid, but he pushed it away. Him! Afraid of genin!

Some hours later, after several cups of coffee, helping that poor old lady in the flat next to his carry her groceries up the stairs, and a visit to the memorial stone, he walked into the Academy. The other sensei's had all already left, of course, which wouldn't engender him to his students. Not that he minded: it meant they would become chuunin quicker to get away from him.

Sensei's sooo mean, isn't he, Kakashi-kun?

A chalkboard eraser fell on his head. He didn't bother to dodge; it make him look incompetent, after all, and newly-minted genin were always arrogant and too confident in his abilities. Even he'd been like that once, all those years ago. Besides, now he had another good reason for wearing a mask: harder to breathe in dust.

There was his team-no, no. Not his team. His team was long dead. His…students, that's what they were.

My cute little students, this is a Very Important Mission for you! I have a mission of my own, and

A flash of blond caught his eye, and there was Uzumaki Naruto, smirking. It must have been he who put the eraser on top of the door. It wasn't particularly surprising; the kid had a reputation as a prankster and a fool.

He had hoped that last part was just ignorant villagers, but seeing as even the teacher didn't think he'd pass, that was probably not the case. In this round of nature verses nurture, nurture won, for surely any son of Minato's wouldn't be so…so…he wasn't quite sure what, exactly.

I loved him like a son, you know? I'd stay and look after his, but I've got my networks to maintain

The other two children peered at him. One was Haruno Sakura, the reason for her name evident in her pink hair. He really should have asked the sensei about abilities-but it's not like he could break the space/time continuum, after all! Probably she'd be so average it hurt.

Then, Uchiha Sasuke. Nestled behind a high-collared shirt, like all Uchiha. He looked bored and faintly annoyed. His face was set into a half scowl that looked like it was his default expression.

I can tell you're not smiling, you know, cloth can't hide that

"My first impression of you guys…is that I hate you," said Hatake Kakashi.