Insert Naruto OST Song Here - Self explanatory ain't it?

'xxxxxxxx'-thoughts

Afternoon of Konoha

"Kakashi, I've decided to bring you on a mission with me to Kumo."

Kakashi was about to take off his mask in order to eat, but when he heard what Minato said his curiosity rose. He expected a new mission to come but not this soon. It was most likely another test for him so he decided to ask a few questions.

"Why choose me?" he asked. Now that he thought about it that was an easy question to answer.

"It's because I know your capable and I've worked with you before," Minato answered.

"Why Kumo?"

"Well we're not going inside the village itself, that would be suicide. We're just going to perform our own raid near the village and kill any Kumo nin we come across," Minato said looking at Kakashi with a stern face.

"Why don't you just go? You're strong enough to do this by yourself."

Minato smiled at his student's subtle compliment. "You overestimate my abilities Kakashi. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to take on their entire raiding force. Besides I heard they had someone who was as fast as me."

Kakashi's ears perked up that. Someone faster than his sensei. That was an impossible thought, one shared by many if not hundreds.

"Seriously? You think there's some faster than you Minato-sensei?" Obito yelled with a full mouth much to the disdain of everyone there.

"I said as fast as me not faster and please don't speak with your mouth open. You're embarrassing yourself in front of certain people," Minato said, gesturing towards Rin.

Obito's face flushed red as a tomato and the boy quickly swallowed and turned away from the group in embarrassment. ' At least he has some shame' Kakashi thought.

"So in case you need help on this mission you'll have back-up right?"

A melancholy smile appeared on Minato's face when Kakashi said that. "It's more that if I die someone can still report back."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgment and an air of sadness overcame the group. It was war time and every time they went on a mission there was a chance they wouldn't survive but from the way Minato put it, the chances of him making it back alive was lower than usual.

"Hey instead of sulking around, how about we go out and party. The sake is on me." Obito yelled trying to light up the mood.

"Nice try Obito, but your still too young to drink," Minato smiled back.

"That's true, but the moment we became shinobi we became adults" Kakashi jumped in.

"Exactly sensei!" Rin chirped.

A bead of sweat went down Minato's head and Kakashi thought they finally won until, "Look as long as I'm here none of you are drinking until you complete the journey that is puberty," Minato defended.

"I'm pretty sure I've crossed that field," Kakashi said coolly. His voice was deep, he had a mature mind, and he was pretty sure hair wasn't going to grow in anymore...unsavory places.

Minato rubbed Kakashi's head as though he was a child. "Sure you have," Minato said sarcastically.

Of course there was still the height factor.

"And besides you guys were whining like little children so you're not even mature enough," Minato stated to all three of them.

All of them, even Kakashi himself, lowered their heads in defeat.

"Your no fair sensei," Obito whined.

"Well that isn't my problem," Minato reprimanded the boy.

Now that Kakashi noticed they were saying all of this in front of the ramen stand owner. "I'm gonna guess you see things like this every day don't you?" Kakashi asked the man.

"Actually you'd be surprised at how many times I've seen this happen. My stand has been become a hot spot for all the genin teams so I get a lot of business," Teuchi replied happily.

Kakashi briefly wondered why some noodle stand got so much business, but he decided to dismiss the thought. He went back to his bantering teammates and gave out an annoyed sigh. They were making a lot of noise and it prevented him from thinking.

"So Rin, are you going to tell us about your day at the hospital?" Minato brought up.

"Hmm?" the girl let out with a small noodle hanging out her mouth. She quickly sipped it into her mouth and cleared her throat. "Oh sorry. I learned something that may be valuable to the mission you and sensei are going on." Her voice had taken a serious tone instead of the light joyful one she had earlier.

"When we received the bodies of the deceased it was strange."

"How so?" Minato asked the girl.

"Strange as in all of them came from Kumo and all signs of death came from either poison or a...gaping hole in their chest," she stated pausing before she had mentioned the gaping holes part.

Kakashi knew that although Rin loved being a medic and helping people, she sometimes couldn't handle the gruesome part of medical ninjutsu which kept her from going deeper into the art. Kakashi simply saw it as a weakness that she would have to solve by herself.

"I'm going to make a quick guess that this poison is reminiscent of the ones that Suna uses, correct?"

"Y-yeah. We ran tests and it came back that Suna uses the same compounds as the ones we found. The only difference is that it was made in such a way that those who were afflicted would suffer."

"That sounds heavy," Obito said.

"It could just be missing nin from Suna who's working on a pay role," Kakashi proposed.

"That's most likely right but just in case I need to check," Minato said standing up. He paid for his bowl and then left all three chuunin behind.

"I know I shouldn't think this, but why is that you get to go on the mission but I can't?" Obito asked Kakashi.

"It doesn't matter who goes on what mission Obito. As long as its completed it doesn't matter who did it," Kakashi reprimanded his teammate.

"Yeah but I'm just as good as you," Obito retorted.

'Keep telling yourself' Kakashi thought. He looked down at his bowl and sighed, disappointed. It was cold now and it wouldn't be as good. He stood up and paid for his meal although he didn't eat it. "Thank you," he told Teuchi.

Without giving his team a goodbye, Kakashi left the stall leaving both of them behind. He was planning on training the next day so he needed to wake up early. Who knows, maybe he'd be able to master that jutsu he was working on, the Chidori.

Obito scoffed at the white haired boy when he left. He hadn't even bothered to tell them goodbye, or even eat his food.

"Why does he have to be so rude?" Obito muttered angrily. "Man he irks me. I mean really, he doesn't have to act like that."

Rin gave her comrade a disapproving look. "You shouldn't talk about your teammate behind their back."

"How do you know he doesn't talk about how 'weak' we are behind our backs?" he said mockingly.

This was met with a stinging feeling on his right cheek. Did Rin just slap him? But why? When he looked back at her he cringed at the look she was giving him.

"How dare you. I know that Kakashi could be a jerk sometimes, but that doesn't mean he would do such a thing."

"Then why does he look down on us all the time?"

"It's not his fault!"

What did she mean it wasn't his fault? Obito was pretty damn sure Kakashi was fully aware of what he was doing and what it did to the people around him, so why?

"His mother died when he was little and his own father committed suicide. Do you honestly think that he wasn't affected?" she yelled at him.

"W-well I," Obito stuttered. In all honestly he never actually considered the fact that Kakashi lost both of his parents. At least he had family, but Kakashi had no one but himself.

Obito could only watch as Rin left the stand leaving only him to pay for her food. "I'm the worst," he said, melancholy filling his voice. He meekly ate his ramen with almost no vigor.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's one of those girls who can forgive and forget," Teuchi said reassuringly.

"You think so?" Obito asked regaining his positive demeanor.

"Nope" Teuchi replied with a joking smile.

"You like messing with people don't you?"

"No not really."

"Then wh-"

"Because I can."

The ramen stand was silent for a couple of seconds before Obito simply paid the man and left. He hoped Rin would forgive him the next time they met. Maybe he should get her some flowers as an apology. Yes! Flowers are the perfect gift and maybe at the same time he could ask her on a date. The plan was perfect!

Obito walked home with a spring in his step, happy that he might have finally mustered up the courage to ask Rin on a date tomorrow.

Morning

The next day Kakashi walked through the empty streets of Konoha, on his way towards his personal training ground. The only ones who were awake at the time were merchant's opening shop. Any other ninja were most likely resting before they were sent out to the battlefield again.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who wakes up this early," a familiar voice called out.

Kakashi simply kept walking but he decided to at least answer the person, "Good morning Rin."

The girl stopped leaning against the wall and began to walk behind the white haired boy.

"So are you going to answer my question from yesterday?" the girl asked.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. What was she talking about? He didn't remember her asking him a question at the ramen stand. "What question are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? I asked you and Obito what happened on your last mission."

Kakashi couldn't help but gulp at the girl's question. As long as Kakashi was concerned, that mission was taboo. It wasn't even a real mission, it was nothing but a genjutsu cast by Kurenai as a way of testing him. He'd rather not share what happened with anyone and he hoped the others had the same sentiment.

"Why do you need to know?" he said, with malice lacing his tone.

"I wanna what happened to give you those injuries you have on your arms," she said, disregarding the tone of his voice. "I haven't even gotten a good look at it yet, but even some beginner can realize that your arm was messed up".

Seeing it as a harmless thing to say (and to get the girl to leave him alone) Kakashi decided to answer her, "I got into a fight with Gari. He used these explosive clay birds and one was about to hit me, so I blocked it with my arms. I reinforced them with chakra, but all it did was keep them from being blown off."

"Did you even get it treated?" Rin grabbed his arm causing him to flinch. She actually began to examine it.

"Reiko treated them while I was unconscious."

"Kakashi, even you have to know that burns should be treated daily." Rin said, squeezing his arm.

The pain he felt causing him to go stiff in her grasp. No matter how much someone trained, pain will always be pain.

"You're coming with me to the hospital now!" Rin began to drag Kakashi away despite his protests of "I'm fine" or "Let me go".

"Look you're going to be treated whether you like it or not and I'd like it if you stopped acting like a child about it!" Rin yelled at him.

Dammit, for some reason she was stronger than him and Kakashi couldn't pull away from her. A substitution wouldn't work since she was holding on to him a bit too tight. "Child? Tch, says the medic nin who's afraid of dead bodies."

He appeared to have hit a nerve since she abruptly stopped. Her grip loosened on his arm and just when he thought he could escape she grabbed his arm with even more strength. "aaaahhhhhhhh" he howled in pain.

She gave him what he could only describe as the most angry glare he's ever seen, and then dragged him but with even more force than earlier.

"Your...hurting...me," Kakashi managed to let out.

She simply held on tighter and at that moment, Kakashi swore to never cross her again, lest he wished to lose a limb.

Fortunately they reached the hospital and Rin lightened her grip, much to the young boy's relief. When they walked inside, the last person Kakashi wanted to see bumped in to them.

Daylight of Konoha

Seiichi fiddled with a paper clip he found near his bed. He had to wait a day before the hospital released him because of his collapse in the Hokage's office. He couldn't tell them he knocked himself out because it was a secret and no more. If they knew about his tendency to go berserk when pushed over the edge emotionally they might do something to him.

His time in the hospital, despite how short, gave him time to reflect on his relationship with his father. The reason he hated his father was obvious, but the reason the man disliked his own son back was what troubled Seiichi. What did he do to the man that warranted his cold side?

He was the one who caused the boy's condition and because of that he would never forgive the man.

A nurse came in soon with a clipboard in hand. "Are you Seiichi Hara?" she asked.

"Yeah of course it's me."

"You're being released from the hospital today," she said frowning at the boy's rudeness.

"Finally!" he yelled in victory. He jumped from the hospital bed, ignoring the protests from the nurse to settle down. "I've been cooped up in this white hell for a day for nothing."

"I'd appreciate greatly if you didn't call my workplace a white hell," she replied smiling, but it was obvious she was angry at the boy.

Seiichi held up his hands defensively, a nervous smile on his face, "I'm so sorry for being rude. This place is heaven with its comfy beds, nice pillows, awesome food an-"

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"-and cute nurses."

The nurse's face flushed red after his compliment. She threw a plastic bag at him and left the room in a hurry, leaving Seiichi to ponder what he just said.

"I guess I'm a flirt". He looked inside the bag and smiled to find his clothes. Without wasting anytime at all he threw off the piece of cloth they called clothes and put on his own threads.

He left the hospital room and walked down the halls of Konoha's hospital. Honestly, the place was a lot better than Kumo's white house. The food here was at least edible.

He passed the nurse from earlier, but she looked away with that red face of hers. He blushed slightly, still not believing he actually said that. He really did need to think before speaking.

He sure to check himself out at the counter. Thank god being a ninja gave you adult rights, the only thing he couldn't get was sake. Damn vendors and their rights to not serve whoever they want.

Seiichi turned around and was met with a sight that surprised him. Kakashi was on the floor, in pain, while a girl had a death grip on his most likely still burned arm. It was as if today was his birthday.

"Morning Kakashi. I see that you're having a good time," Seiichi chirped.

The masked ninja tried to give Seiichi his deadliest glare, but in his weakened state it may as well of been a puppy's pout.

Wanting to take advantage of the situation even more, Seiichi pressed on, "I guess you're still hurt after Gari did a number on you. He took off running by the end of my fight, but I guess he was tired after fighting you."

The boy looked ready to pounce on Seiichi but his girlfriend was holding him back. He would have continued but the girl tried her own glare and it almost made him wet himself so he quickly left. "Bye see you later Kakashi," he spat out before running outside of the hospital. The idiot must have done something stupid to piss her off.

Hopefully the white haired ninja wouldn't die from a healing session gone wrong.

Confrontment

Kakashi sat solemnly on a hospital bed, trying to be as still as virtually possible. Rin had removed the bandages from his arms and she was now treating his arms with her medical ninjutsu. Of course she had to tell the nurses and doctors that she would handle him.

"Would you like to say something to me Kakashi?" Rin asked the boy.

She must have been talking about an apology. What did he have to apologize for? It wasn't his fault she dragged him away, or his fault that she couldn't handle corpses. If anything, she should apologize for putting him through this whole ordeal. He should have been training by now but no, he was stuck inside the hospital with an angry brunette.

"Kakashi," she muttered dangerously.

Wanting the madness to stop Kakashi simply gave in, "I'm sorry Rin."

The girl made a 180 and went from pissed scowl, to a genuine smile. "Why thank you Kakashi. We're done now," she said standing up.

"What about the bandages?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh I'm sure you can put them on yourself. You're such a great ninja after all," she replied, that smile still plastered on her face.

Kakashi would have questioned her, but he chose not to, in fear that she might keep him there longer.

"Hn."

She left the room and Kakashi let out a breath he didn't even know he'd held in. There was still time left in the day so instead of taking the front entrance, the white haired boy went out the window in order to avoid any more hassles. Hopefully he'd get there before anyone else spotted him. Unfortunately with his luck, it might happen.

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