Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But when you see the number of fanfiction, I'm pretty sure that nobody really owns naruto right now.
I read a lot of fanfiction with kakashi bashing, and that hurt because I really like him, and yet I can't really defend his actions. So instead, I decided to write about how a simple decision could change his mind and habits and help him bond with his students. Fell free to use it as the start of your fanfic, and if you've already wrote something like this, sorry for having your idea after you. oh and this is my first fic, and English isn't my first language, so feel free to spit on the quality.
«And you all...Pass!» said Kakashi, smiling with his eyes.
"What? But.."started Sakura "This test,.."stopped Kakashi "Was testing your teamwork. Usually, the genin I get just follow my orders. And in some sense they're right, as a ninja who doesn't follow orders is thrash. But you decided instead to help you teammate recover, even at the risk of going back to the academy. And, in my opinion, a ninja who leave his teammates behind is worse than thrash."
"Yeah!" shouted a tied Naruto, a wide grin across the face. "So that mean that we're going to be real ninjas now? And you will train us?"
"well, about that..." Kakashi stared at him, thinking. 'I'm probably the worst teacher you could have kids. But, maybe talking about my own studies could give you a better start. After all, I had the best teacher of the village.' He looked at the three children in front of him "You're right. You're going to be real ninjas. But I want you to meet some people. People who were really important to me when I was your age"
"Like your team?" asked Sakura, "where are they?"
"Right behind you" answered the masked teacher with a sad look. He walked past them, freeing Naruto, and stopped in front of a big cube of stone.
"On this stone are written the name of the greatest ninjas in this village."
"Really?" said Naruto "Well my name's going to be here soon!" the jounin sighted "I hope it won't Naruto. Those greatest ninjas are those who died in mission, protecting the village."
A dark silence followed Kakashi's words. He sat in front of the stone, and invited his students to do the same.
He cleared his throat: "I want you to meet my team, because you remind me of them. First, this is my best friend : Obito Uchiwa." He pointed a name on the stone, and Sasuke came closer, a spark of interest in his eyes.
"He was a cousin of your father Sasuke. And he was, well, unique. The phrase about ninjas worse than thrash was his actually. And directed to me" he added, and they felt sorrow in his voice. "But if he had to be compared to one of you, it would be Naruto. Back in those days, the Uchiwa clan was respected, but not really liked. And he did all he could to change that. He was cheerful and always supporting his friends, even if he wasn't really bright."
He chuckled at the memories of his late teammate making up the dumbest excuse possible. "Obito" he added "this is Sasuke, Fugaku's son. You wouldn't like him. He and I are alike, angry about a family member, only running after more power" Sasuke's eyed widened. His teacher was like that? "But maybe, if you were here, you could help him. Help him with his sharingan, help him with his clan techniques, help him understand that hate will never give him power. You showed me that true strength came to those protecting their friends. And then you left, so I'll try to teach him that myself"
He smiled at Sasuke, who felt guilty. His brother was the one who told him about feeding his hate to become stronger. But another Uchiwa became strong enough to protect Hatake Kakashi, who was considered a prodigy. He started to think about his future. Sure, he wanted to avenge his clan. But maybe he didn't have to do it alone. He looked at his teammates and they smiled at him. They would help him. And If his brother tried to take them from him, it could give him the strength to defeat him. And, to the surprise of Sakura, he smiled back.
"Rin" said Kakashi, "this is Sakura Haruno" Sakura and her teammates turned back to the stone where their teacher was pointing an other name. "She's young, she's weak, she's unprepared, and she's in love with an Uchiwa" Sakura looked down, frowning. "But so were you" she looked up, surprised, while Kakashi went on "And yet, you saved us. Countless times. You were the best support ninja of our team, one of the best healers in the village. I have both eyes thanks to you. But I need tell those kids what they're going to do. I know you don't hate me for that. I know this was the only way to end your suffering. But you were my teammate, I swore to Obito that I would protect you, and yet I killed you."
The three genin looked at him with fear in their eyes. "I killed her because it was the only way to protect the village. Because it was the only way to end her pain. Because she was begging me to. But you have to understand kids, that the guilt of what you will have to do as ninjas, not matter the reasons behind it, will follow you on your deathbed. If you manage to have one." They stayed mute. They knew that being a ninja meant fighting and killing. They just never thought that it could apply to their friends. And now, seeing the hard look in their teacher's eyes, they understood to what extent he implied when he talked about teamwork.
"You're a team. You need to support each others, with all your strengths and weaknesses. And I'm here to cover those weaknesses, and nurture those strengths" 'Yes' he thought 'that's what you did senseï'
Kakashi felt a knew flame burning in his chest. Coming here was the right decision. Those kids were his responsibility now. His teacher's son was his responsibility. The last member of his best friend clan was his responsibility. And he would not fail any of them, and train Sakura so she could support them. But he wasn't finished.
"Senseï..." he started "I don't think I need to present Naruto to you. But I'm proud to tell you that I've been designed to teach him." Naruto looked at him with surprise "What do you mean, I know your senseï?" "Well" answered Kakashi surprised by the blond's reaction. He knew who his dad was right? That was the reason why he wanted to be hokage, right?
"You've painted his face on the mountain a few times, and he was your...father." Naruto's eyes widened along with his teammates's when he saw the name pointed by the surprised Jounin : Minato Namikaze, the Fourth.
"Naruto is the son of the fourth Hokage?" Shouted Sakura "But...but...he never told us. He doesn't have the same last name" "Uzumaki was his mother's name" replied Kakashi. He tought that the third had told Naruto. As a jounin, he spent a lot of time outside the village, but always asked about Naruto when he came back. He needed a serious talk with the chief of the village, about how much the boy didn't knew.
Naruto started crying tears of joy, then Sakura and Sasuke put their hands on his shoulders, supporting him. "It look like I'll have to tell you about him" said Kakashi, a bit embarrassed "Minato senseï was the greatest ninja the village ever knew. He save my life a lot of time. And if I need to, I will save yours" he smiled at the three kids who were now listening religiously "In the end, He taught me everything I know, and I will pass it down to you kids. Naruto, I know it's hard to understand. But while a lot say that the fourth sacrificed himself for the village, I'm sure that he mostly thought about you. He wanted you to live, to live in the village he loved and protected. And I'm sure that he's proud to see you following his steps."
Naruto started crying again, and promised to be the best Hokage. "Senseï, could you….tell me more about my parents?" "Of course. But not today. I'm your teacher now, and it's the job of the teacher to pass on his knowledge." 'And I have to thank you for that, my friends' he thought, looking at the stone.
The truth was that he had been afraid of teaching. He had picked up Obito's lateness and Minato's fondness for Jiraya's books. And he still had his bad habit of distancing himself from others since his father's death. But now, after seeing his student's reaction to his story, he felt confident. He would train them the harder he could, never favor one above the others, and protect them with his life. Because that was his duty, as a ninja of the leaf.
He grinned when he thought about Maïto Guy. Maybe he was also experiencing those 'fire of youth' after all. "Team 7! I think it's time to call it a day. But remember this day, as it was your first true steps in the life of a ninja. I'll meet you here tomorrow at 8. And don't be late, 'cause I won't be!" "Yes Senseï!". He saw the determination in their eyes. He was already proud of them. And, somewhere deeper in his mind, he was also proud of him.