Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto Shippuden!
The Middle of Silver
Kakashi frowned.
He honestly knew how the Sandaime Hokage felt now; he still loved Sasuke as his student. Even after seeing just how low he had sunk in his revenge he still cared for his student.
The raven haired boy that wanted to fight him, a Jonin, solo right after he had graduated Academy; having deemed his teammates worthless dead weight. He blamed Sasuke for it, he somewhat didn't, but he still should've worked with his teammates.
He never favored Sasuke really, but he had to do a lot of work on him compared to the other two. He was assigned to Team 7 because he was to watch the effect the Kyuubi had on Naruto, and because Sasuke was an Uchiha after all. Sakura was probably the easiest of the three; only a little bit tempered, but the easiest of the three nonetheless.
Naruto... well... Naruto, was, Naruto. He never got a proper education at Academy, Kakashi knew, but he also knew when he had Iruka he wouldn't listen to him anyway.
Sasuke was the hardest. Sasuke's life was completely circled around killing Itachi, and nothing else. As his sensei, he had the job to get Sasuke out of it.
Sasuke was always good at things and easily mastered techniques.
But when Sasuke didn't get something that someone else could; he would get completely furious and jealous.
In most cases Kakashi wound up teaching him new jutsu to satisfy his rage.
...sometimes he was his personal pain in the ass.
Sakura; The girl that was so far in infatuation with his looks and uncaring attitude that she was determined to help him in any way possible, and the thought of helping Naruto never once came to her young mind. She would've scoffed at the idea back then.
She really was dead weight back then to Sasuke's situation.
She was dearly fascinated, like almost every other girl, with Sasuke's good looks and mysterious reputation.
So quiet and cool; he was a prodigy, skilled in everything he did, and he even was born into a prestigious clan. She was captivated by that sense of superiority that he gave off, anyone could tell, and she was blind to the real Sasuke of the Uchiha. She just saw her own, admittedly vain fantasy.
She didn't really know who the Uchiha were, she was really more focused on Sasuke then her actual skills, she was oblivious to just what a real shinobi was, she didn't know how powerful the ninja arts were, she didn't see the incredible dull glint of a thirst for vengeance that was in Sasuke's eyes, she didn't see the potential Naruto had that was a perfect rival for the Uchiha blood, she didn't see the hurt in either of their body language or their attitudes, and she didn't see the real Sasuke.
Now that he thought about it he realized it was a bit ironic.
Her goals were to get Sasuke to be her lover, but she didn't even know the real Sasuke at all then.
Even now she's just starting to realize who Sasuke was.
It was probably hard for her; she was just a normal girl really. Even if she was trained by Tsunade-sama... she was still normal.
It was normal for her to have a full family like she has, it was normal for her to be oblivious to what the world was then, it was normal to become a ninja like she has, it was normal to take on missions like she has, and it was normal to have friends like she has.
Sasuke was far from normal.
It was natural for Sasuke to think of Sakura as a worthless nuisance that he had to deal with, but it didn't mean that he had to work with her to claim the bells.
Naruto; the squirt that had a deep envy-hate spot for Sasuke. Who of course didn't return it back then.
The blonde boy that had the dream of being a Kage wanted to do the exercise on his own by charging head first. He ran right on at the bells with a right hook to back it up.
He was bull headed back then, quick to perform actions first then think second, and was freshly knew to bonds.
He didn't understand many things, he still doesn't to this day, but he was foolishly making actions a kid his age would normally never do unless they were full of themselves.
Naruto was a little bit foolish and had a slippery way of thinking back then but it wasn't enough to go charging at people he knew were dangerously stronger than him.
Problem was...
He didn't know.
Sasuke was using somewhat smart thinking when he decided that working with Naruto was a dud.
Naruto, after all, had a bit of a grudge on Sasuke, and he knew it.
Sure Kakashi knew that the black eyed boy definitely found a bit of similarity between him and Naruto, but Sasuke didn't probably think of it.
Now that he was really pondering on it he realized that maybe that connection influenced Sasuke.
Was it a cause for Sasuke to give the blonde a part of his lunch and just not to get through with it?
Maybe that was why when Naruto was going to fall down that low waterfall on one of their early missions Sasuke saved him and actually brought him back up.
Maybe that was why Sasuke didn't complain when Naruto had to use the same training field as he did.
Maybe that was why Sasuke decided to give Naruto his attention before he even knew of the potential Naruto had.
Maybe the rivalry first came into existence because of the similarity between the two boys. Both had terrible pain that could never be completely sympathized by anyone, but they could feel the sympathy for each other. They understood each other, but they couldn't understand one another completely.
That was probably why they were so close.
It was uncommon for Kakashi to really think about people's relationships with one another on a deep level, especially with the Fourth Shinobi war reaching its starting point, but seeing Sasuke the way he was for the first time was actually a tiny hidden shake up.
Although he was glad that he was now because he was gaining a better understanding of his two male students.
Team 7 had more than the original members; it had Tenzo and Sai too.
When he was out of it he was glad that someone like Tenzo would be with Naruto and Sakura when he wasn't. Tenzo had the ability of Wood styled jutsu, and he was glad that he could be there when Naruto went out of control.
The team needed Tenzo for when the Kyuubi would try to overcome Naruto. Sakura couldn't do anything when Naruto was like that, the mission he missed was proof, and he couldn't do much for Naruto. With the necklace and Tenzo's jutsu Naruto was good for awhile.
Now Sai, he was great for Team 7, and he grew a lot. Sai was Danzo's young, emotionless pawn at first. He was a bit surprised when Sai wanted to stay with Team 7 even after the mission ended, but he shouldn't have been. He realized it after he started talking to Naruto. Of course that orange-wearing ninja had an influence over Sai.
He was glad Team 7 grew. He wondered what would happen after Naruto became a chunin.
He was just thinking about it. Team 7... Him, Tenzo, Sai, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke...
Team Kakashi was definitely the legacy of Team Minato.
Sakura was a lot like Rin, and not just in their similar sense of style. Rin was a lot more passive than Sakura is, and she was less vain. Rin was calculating like Sakura, was skilled with chakra control, and was a medical ninja. Heck. They even had the same love triangle.
She always tried to help him.
Kakashi touched the part of his headband that rested above his eye.
Rin certainly succeeded in helping.
Naruto was a lot like Obito, not just in their uncanny resemblance, and in some sense their similar way in dressing in their shared favorite colors just made them even more alike. Naruto was a lot less witty and was denser than Obito was. Obito was more of a crybaby than Naruto ever was.
He had only seen Naruto cry a few times, and he couldn't help but notice how much they looked alike when they cried when he saw Naruto cry in front of him for the first time. He looked exactly like Obito.
Obito was less empathetic than the orange wearing boy was. Obito had his sympathetic moments, Kakashi definitely knew, but Naruto could always connect deeper into a person than he could. Obito was definitely more of a thinker than Naruto was, too.
Kakashi wondered if Naruto had ever worn goggles.
Though now more than ever he's noticed the similarity between himself and Sasuke.
Kakashi removed his hand from his headband.
Sasuke had the same personality he did when he was his age, but hid his anger in a more subtle way than he did. Kakashi remembered he had more of a dangerous edge to his personality then Sasuke showed and it seemed just a tiny bit less cool than the blue-favoring boy.
Sasuke was more focused on what Itachi had told him he did, and he was focused on what his father didn't do.
Kakashi squatted down and he could feel the Sharingan eye under the Konoha symbol start to well up with tears, in pity for him.
Right below him was his pupil, Uchiha Sasuke.
He noticed that he was drenched to the bone; he was surprised that Sasuke maybe drowned. His eye was crusted in blood; blood from the power caused by the person that he had held closest to's death. He was laying flat on his back on the disrupted earth. His arms were stretched out from his body in length as though he was standing and his legs were only a short distance from the other. Scratches and blisters were scattered across every visible part of his decade and a half old body. He had stains of mud mixed with blood marring over every one of them.
What he was looking at the most was a deep, black-blue bruise on his stomach. In the exact place that he had punched him.
The tear from the Sharingan eye fell from his skin. The headband that was proudly shielding it had loosened.
He wasn't in that good of appearance either.
His flak jacket was burned. His right shoulder-sleeve had completely burned off and its only proof of existence there was the burn remains on the edges. Three of the scroll-holders that were on his chest were torn off, one on his right side, and two on the other. If he were in better shape he would've been worrying if he still had his more important scrolls with him, but they probably didn't matter now.
He had lost the lower part of his pants from sharp blades and fire. His shuriken holster was gone and his back pouch was probably gone as well. One of his gloves was gone and the other was charred. The top part of his shoe was actually torn off, and he wondered if he would be able to use the shoe for long.
He was dehydrated, most likely. He had burns all along his body that were probably of the more extremely dangerous degree.
He probably had internal damage to go along with his external damage.
He couldn't see much. He couldn't see past the width of his arms and he wasn't feeling much of anything. He couldn't smell anything; even if the thin layer of clothing remaining above his nose was almost gone. His first mask had almost been completely destroyed, his second mask barely shielded his face, and he could tell a tiny bit of the left corner of his mouth was touching air.
Even if he was in bad shape; he just couldn't stop staring at his student's body.
If he hadn't been a jonin he was sure his entire body would be incapable of moving by this point, from both his injuries, and the sadness.
He reached out his right, gloveless hand, which he realized was burned black now, and touched Sasuke's chest; right in the center.
With his senses dulled he couldn't tell if he was hot or cold, or if Sasuke still had a pulse.
What if Sasuke was dead?
...Sasuke.
...dead.
Well the thought had come to his mind more than once, but he had never figured that Sasuke would go like this.
He was hoping that if Sasuke had to die it would be at his hands. If it couldn't be him he hoped it would be at Naruto's, or Sakura's.
At one point he did believe that Naruto could bring Sasuke back, but now...
He wasn't sure that Sasuke would even be there.
Another tear fell from the Sharingan eye.
He just stared at Sasuke's face.
If he hadn't ingrained the fact Sasuke would never be coming back home again into his head he might've been in physical agony. If Sasuke did die then...
Then the team- his team, the one he had the responsibility over since they were young, would've been so much like his genin team. He mourned when Sasuke left. He already mourned every day, but he started mourning even more since then.
He could've stopped Sasuke.
If he had tried harder to convince Sasuke to think about his bonds more, or if he had stayed close by instead of leaving Sasuke tied to that tree alone, or if he had hurried after Sasuke himself sooner, or-
No.
It was out of his possibilities.
Naruto had lost their battle, and he just didn't get there in time.
He looked at Sasuke's face.
He looked different when he was asleep from when he was awake.
It wasn't just the fact that his eyes were opened when he was awake, or that he was probably standing most of the time while he was awake.
It was his face.
The eyes that were full and bloodshot were lightly closed. His face's muscles were relaxed. His hair was spread across his face and he slowly moved his hand to get the bangs off of his eyelids lightly. His muscles that were always prepped on-guard probably always ready even in his sleep were completely lack.
He honestly looked peaceful, but he also looked like a beaten sixteen year old.
His legs wobbled as he couldn't bare to squat any longer. He fell to his knees and used his hands to keep himself up.
Only then did he notice the sweat trailing down his over-worked body.
He let out a groan of pain as he realized he had a long and deep feeling gash on his back.
He couldn't keep himself supported any longer and his body fell to the ground. His entire body was trembling but he couldn't help but chuckle.
Here he was, Kakashi Hatake, user of over a thousand jutsu, the man that created Lightning Cutter and could use it six times a day, reduced to a quivering mass by a cause he didn't even know.
He would be leaving the Team in good hands. Maybe Tenzo would be more active with his team as a favor for him. Maybe his team would just be reduced to Naruto and Sakura. He wondered what would happen to Sai. Sai would probably want to stay with Team 7, and he knew that his 2 students would have no objections to letting Sai.
Well he'll miss out on Sakura becoming a jonin one day. She was always good with chakra control, it was completely natural for her to become a great medic, and she was a Genjutsu type at that, if she got some of her current emotions in check it would be only a matter of time before she became a jonin. She would make the best jonin instructor out of all his students. Her team would probably be the best out of the new rookies. Well, he wouldn't get to meet them in this world.
He'd miss out on seeing Sai grow, too. Well he didn't know much about the boy at first, but he was glad to become friends with him. He was a good influence on his students and they were good for him. Naruto and Sakura both seemed to cool down a little after meeting him and he was starting to regain his human emotions because of them. He knew that Sai was going to continue being friends with them, very good friends.
Tenzo. What would he be doing? He would probably continue on being an Anbu after he finishes business with Team 7. Kakashi hoped that he would still go out to ramen with his team.
He'll also miss out on a lot of things with Naruto. He wouldn't be able to see if you could be raised to Hokage straight from Genin. Likely chances were that you couldn't, but he'll miss out on seeing Naruto's sulking/excited face as he did the Chunin exams. Maybe before he became the Hokage he would become a Jonin instructor, too. He wouldn't be as good as Sakura, but any Genin would be lucky to have a caring sensei. He just hoped that in the end they weren't ramen obsessed and that they wouldn't start to wear bright orange.
Well he'll miss out on a lot of things, but hey he had a good run. 30 years. A lot of ninja didn't get that far. But he had some things to be happy about now.
His team would still progress without him, Konoha would forever prosper, Sasuke was stopped, and he...
Maybe he could see everyone again.
Maybe he could see Obito, Rin, his Sensei, his father, the Sandaime Hokage, Asuma, Jiraiya-sama, and everyone else again. He always did want to fight his sensei, and now he wouldn't have to go to the memorial every day to feel near Obito.
Sasuke... maybe he could see him again and make up for his guilt... maybe...
Kakashi closed his eyes and hoped. Even as a Jinchuriki Naruto would be a spectacular Hokage, Sakura would become one of the best medics in history even if she had a fiery temper, even if Sasuke had taken the wrong path and even if he would cause many deaths he would still go to heaven for the good part of him.
He couldn't help but mouth his last words as he breathed his last breath in the shinobi world.
'Someday I will see everyone I care for again and we will all be smiling, together.'