A/N: For those who didn't know, Bakakashi combines the words baka (idiot) and Kakashi.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything to do with it.
Chapter 7: Hesitation
Over the next couple of weeks, Team Minato fell into a routine. Rin began to practice with senbon and she was slowly getting better. If she kept at it, she could become pretty good. Obito still showed up late every day, but he somehow seemed more focused and determined than usual. He also stopped bragging about the day he would get a Sharingan. In contrast, Kakashi seemed more relaxed. He offered advice to his teammates and didn't train as much as before. What the rest of the team didn't know was that Kakashi was actually doing a bit of training secretly, getting the hang of using his more advanced and complicated jutsu with his younger body. He still wanted to be late to everything, but he knew that it took time to break habits. However, it would be a shame to show up on time. He wouldn't be able to see the looks on people's faces as he gave them ridiculous excuses anymore.
Kakashi walked up to Minato and Rin on the training grounds. They looked over at him and grinned.
"Good morning, Kakashi," Rin greeted.
"Yo," Kakashi replied, raising a hand.
"Kakashi, it's nice to see you. I have some important news," Minato said.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked. He was trying to remember what he had done this day in the "first past", but it just wasn't coming to him.
"I want to tell the whole team together, so you'll have to wait until Obito gets here."
Kakashi sighed. That wouldn't be any time soon. He reached for Icha Icha Paradise to pass the time before once again realizing that he didn't have it. Kakashi told himself that the minute he was able to legally buy it, he would buy it. He might even get a copy the second it comes out using henge no jutsu to disguise himself. He would decide what to do about that when the time came.
Obito finally stumbled over to them an hour later, saying something about helping an old woman cross the street. Kakashi didn't even bother pointing out that there was no way it would take that long. Once they were all gathered around Minato, he began speaking.
"We have a new mission," Minato said, smiling. "We are to escort someone to the edge of our country, the Land of Fire. These are dangerous, war-torn times, so our job is to get them there safely."
"Yeah! A mission!" Obito shouted.
Rin scolded him. "Obito, don't get too excited. Minato-sensei just said that it was dangerous."
Kakashi remembered this mission now. They had escorted a woman named Rikka to the edge of the country, and they had run into trouble as they neared their destination. However, the fighting was a blur. Kakashi didn't remember much of it, and that was bad. The battle was the part that was the most important to know ahead of time.
"When is this mission?" Kakashi asked.
"Tomorrow," Minato replied, "so make sure to get plenty of rest and show up on time."
"That's impossible for Obito," Kakashi muttered under his breath, but Obito heard him.
"What was that, Bakakashi?!"
Rin and Minato watched in exasperation as Kakashi and Obito began to argue like they did every time they saw each other.
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Team Minato ran through the trees while escorting Rikka, who turned out to be a ninja from a minor village near the border. She had come to Konohagakure to get some medicine for her brother. However, it was too dangerous for her to journey back alone at her level, so she had requested help. Team Minato and Rikka were nearing Rikka's village when they came across some Iwa-nin. Once they were recognized as shinobi from the Hidden Leaf, fighting broke out.
Things immediately became chaotic. Minato was taking out enemy after enemy, and whispers of Konoha's Yellow Flash could be heard among the Iwa-nin. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were guarding Rikka from harm, only attacking shinobi who attacked them first. This number was increasing. Fear of Minato was driving the other ninja to seek weaker opponents. However, enemy numbers were dwindling. Minato was making quick work of them, living up to his reputation.
A sudden scream from behind him caused Kakashi to whirl around. Rin was being choked by an Iwa-nin. She kicked out and he dropped her, but it didn't faze him for long. She scrambled up and began to back away. Kakashi knew that Rin wasn't that good at close-range combat; this fight wasn't to her advantage. The enemy pulled out a sword and swung.
Kakashi tensed, ready to stop him. However, he hesitated. Which jutsu was he not supposed to know at this point in time? He already knew that the Sharingan was out of the question, since his team was around. Will attacking the Iwa-nin with an advanced jutsu give him away? His mind was blank with panic; he couldn't think. This wasn't supposed to happen. Rin hadn't been attacked by the enemy on this mission. Did Kakashi change something? Did he make the future worse? There was no time for those thoughts right now. He began to run forward, but then he realized something. Because of his hesitation—his slight hesitation—he wouldn't make it to Rin before the sword hit her.
Kakashi kept running as fast as he could, even though he knew it was futile. He forgot all about the mission and Rikka and hiding the fact that he was from the future, terror overtaking everything else as he watched the sword's descent. Only one thought ran through his mind: He had failed again. In desperation, he called out.
"Rin!"
