Disclaimer: Naruto does not in any way belong to me, it's the property of Kishimoto, etc.
resistance
02: (good) morning
Kakashi observes the village as he and Minato-sensei make their way to the gates. While this isn't the village that he is used to, before and after Pain's invasion, it doesn't look like a fake. There are buildings missing, but that's because they haven't been constructed yet; the most obvious difference is the number of faces carved in the cliffside. Only three Hokage have assumed the mantle so far, and so only three likenesses have been carved.
He studies the Shodai's face, tracing the familiar lines that he has never really looked at before. A Hokage is a figure worthy of respect, but even in his (relatively) old age, Kakashi never gave it much thought. He was half-expecting to see Madara's face there, or perhaps beside the Shodai's, but it's not. If this is the ideal world, would Madara have not wanted to become Hokage? That's what history (legend) seems to suggest, but...
(History is written by the victors.)
Kakashi pushes the thought out of his mind and focuses on Minato-sensei's back instead. All evidence seems to point to this being the village that he remembers from his youth, not something twisted to fit the ideals of certain mad Uchiha; he just doesn't know that means...
They walk up to the main gates at the same time as Rin, and seeing her face is like a punch in the gut.
Kakashi doesn't quite gasp, but his breath does hitch as he remembers putting his hand through her chest. She really wasn't (won't be- no, Kakashi can't do it again, he won't do it again) much older than this when he did it, although back then a year seemed like an eternity to him.
He knows better, now.
"Good morning sensei, Kakashi!" Rin says brightly, smiling at them.
"Good morning, Rin," Minato-sensei replies, grinning back.
"Morning," Kakashi manages, his voice cracking in an embarrassing manner.
They both look at him oddly. Kakashi is suddenly overwhelmed.
"I'll go find Obito and make him hurry up," he says, dropping his pack on the ground beside them and basically running away.
"But we're a little bit early!" Rin calls behind him. "Obito might not even be late yet!"
Ever the optimist. Kakashi pretends not to hear her as he darts away.
