CHAPTER 1: Beginnings
It was dark, and the forest was silent. No small animal dared move a muscle, no cricket dared chirp. The only sound was the light thud of footfalls in the trees. The reek of bloodshed hung heavy in the air, the bodies of countless fallen warriors lay strewn amongst the underbrush. Only one man remained alive, still leaking enough killing intent to keep any scavengers away from the site of the massacre.
Kakashi was covered in blood, most of it not his own, however a steady amount was leaking slowly from a gaping wound on his abdomen that would require stitches. He leapt quickly from tree to tree, each jolt from landing on another branch made him wince in pain, but the mission was far more important than his own suffering. He had to get the scroll that he had killed so many for back to the village.
Kakashi sped up as he reached the border of hi-no-kuni. The thought of returning home came with a mingled sense of joy and suffering. After the mission was over he would most likely be forced to stay in the hospital at least overnight and not go on missions for who knows how long. That meant being left alone with his thoughts, which was something that Kakashi dreaded above all else. He didn't care about the missions while he was doing them, hell, he could even block some of the most recent ones from his mind entirely, but to be left alone with his childhood…that was torture.
Once Kakashi reached Konoah he waved at the gate guards and headed straight to the Hokage's office. The secretary, seeing how bad of shape Kakashi was in, quickly waved Kakashi through the door after checking that the Hokage wasn't currently in a meeting.
"Ah Kakashi-san, I take it your mission was a success?" the Hokage said as he looked up from the rather large stack of paperwork that dominated his desk.
"Yes Hokage-sama, I was able to retrieve the scroll, and eliminate all bandits in the area. There were, however, far more ninja present than the intelligence suggested. That is why the mission took longer than expected." Kakashi spoke formally, reciting the words as if reading them from a script.
The Hokage looked over the man addressing him taking in the numerous wounds that he had suffered during the course of his mission. "You did very well Kakashi, despite how injured you are presently. I will need a written report within the next two days as well as a note stating that you have received medical attention for your wounds, I can't have one of my best ninja dying from gang-green because they refused to visit the hospital. I would also like to discuss something with you after you are in better shape, but for now you are dismissed. Please get some rest."
Kakashi bowed his head respectfully then proceeded to make his way to the hospital, dreading it so much that he even used the door out of the Hokage's office rather than some other means.
After having his injuries cleaned, stitched, wrapped, and bribing the doctor to allow him to spend the night in his own apartment rather than staying in the hospital Kakashi was more than ready for some well-deserved rest. He unlocked his door and was greeted by the darkness and +silence his apartment offered.
He flipped the light switch revealing a rather large living space considering only one man lived there. The living room was sparsely decorated, sporting only a couch, a coffee table, and a television, while the walls were lined with multiple bookshelves rather than photos of family or friends.
The living room opened into a medium sized kitchen that was only separated by a small breakfast bar. A stainless steel refrigerator took up a good deal of space, but left plenty of room for preparing meals.
Kakashi walked in and removed his shoes before stepping up onto the hardwood floor. He dropped his small backpack by the door before heading down the small hallway that led to his bedroom. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, Kakashi undressed, tossing his bloodstained and torn clothes into a trash bin in the corner of the room. he then climbed into bed clad in nothing but the bandaged his wounds were dressed with, hoping the smell of his clean sheets would override the smell of the antiseptic that the doctors had doused him with in order to clean off all of the blood that wasn't his as well as clean his wounds.
Soon after splaying his limbs in every which way and burying his nose into his pillow Kakashi fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
The next morning Kakashi woke up slowly, his senses coming back one by one. He heard birds chirping cheerfully from the flower box by his window, he felt the soft cotton sheets begging him not to leave their warmth, and when he opened his eyes he saw his ceiling fan rotating just fast enough to keep an almost unnoticeable breeze circulating throughout the room.
After contemplating the pros and cons of rolling over and sleeping for a while longer Kakashi decided that he was well past due for a peaceful shower with his favorite shampoo and some minor housekeeping.
He stretched slowly and climbed out of bed. He folded his comforter and put it aside as he began to strip the sheets from his bed. He walked out of his room sheets in hand, to a small closet in his hallway that held his washer and dryer. He tossed the sheets in and added detergent before starting the wash cycle.
Kakashi walked back to his room and grabbed a towel from one drawer and a pair of boxer briefs from the other. He then padded his way to the bathroom, placing his towel on a rack by the shower, and his underwear on the counter. He then preceded to brush his teeth, shower, and redress his wounds.
Clad in only his bandages and underwear Kakashi began to dust his entire apartment, from the kitchen to every single bookshelf, stopping only to switch his laundry from the washer to the dryer.
"well, I guess I should write that report for the Hokage now." Kakashi said aloud to no one in particular. He walked over to one of the bookshelves that housed empty scrolls and ink and pulled the supplies he needed and set them on the breakfast bar. He then prepared himself a small breakfast sandwich and proceeded to write his report. When he was done he rolled up the scroll and tied it shut before heading to the dryer to pull out his sheets. He then remade his bed and got dressed quickly before heading to the Hokage's office.
"Hello Hokage-sama, I brought the written report like you requested." Kakashi said as he handed the scroll over to the old man.
"Well that was sooner than expected. Very good. I'll read over it when I get a second. For now, I wanted to talk to you." The Hokage said simply giving Kakashi a meaningful look, "The latest batch of academy students graduated the day before yesterday, and I have chosen you to be one of the sensies."
Kakashi's visible eye widened, "But Hokage-sama, I'm only twenty years old. These kids are going to be, what, seven years younger than me, at the most. That's not really much of a gap, plus I'm not exactly good with others either, especially children. You've seen my Psyce-Eval, I can work with a team, but forming bonds is still incredibly difficult for me due to my past."
"Kakashi age is not a factor here, experience is. You have lived through one of the great shinobi wars, defended the village from the Kyuubi and been anbu since the age of fifteen. You are beyond qualified for a sensei position. As for forming bonds, there is one student that I have placed on your team that will make that fairly simple."
Kakashi looked doubtful still, but would not disregard the Hokage's judgement. "I will be accompanying you on some home visits so that you can get a feeling for what you'll be dealing with before you meet your team."
"why are you so sure that these kids will pass my test Hokage-sama? Don't only 30% of academy graduates pass the secondary tests done by the sensei?" the Hokage gave Kakashi an amused look before speaking. "Not when that team has and Uchiha and an Uzumaki on it."
TO BE CONTINUED…
SASU: hey y'all, sorry about the long wait, but I think it was worth it when it came to this chapter. I'm incredibly happy with the way it turned out, and I hope y'all like it as well :3 please follow and review, and thank you for giving me a chance and checking out my story! Sasu out.