A/N: I'm back! Exams are over and I feel like crap, but I'm so happy to be writing and updating again :) Kakashi is 13 here, the minimum age for ANBU.
Sakumo doesn't remember ever having been angry at Minato before. He is now.
He's seen the way Kakashi scrubs at his hand like he has OCD and how Kakashi's Chidori fizzles out beneath the onslaught of memories. But how does joining ANBU even help Kakashi? Discipline, rules, masks, orders… it's everything Kakashi had been before Kannabi. ANBU will only further isolate him from the few friends he has.
Would Yoriko have allowed this? Duty and family had always warred so strongly in her but if there's one thing Sakumo is sure of, it's that his wife would have been no less happy at this turn of events. She had been one of their best, for all the good that it did her, and now Kakashi will go down her path. Seeing his son in that familiar pale grey armour and painted ceramic mask makes old grief bleed fresh. These days, he misses Yoriko with a terrible sort of longing.
It's not that Sakumo isn't proud that Kakashi has made it into the elite squad – he will be the first to shout it on the rooftops if it doesn't break every rule regarding confidentiality – but what his son needs counselling, not a promotion. The fact that it's already three years late doesn't change anything. Kakashi isn't going to heal from his trauma and guilt by being further immersed in killing and missions and more killing.
Unless Minato's goal is to desensitise Kakashi until he can obey orders like a good little shinobi and take on more missions—
Sakumo cards his fingers through his hair in agitation. He shouldn't doubt Minato's intentions this way. Being Hokage is difficult, to say the least, and Minato is only twenty-something. The hours are long and unpredictable, and the pressure of ensuring a village's survival is not something that mere mortals can shoulder. Minato isn't even his own person anymore – he's Yondaime-sama and Hokage-sama, nameless except for his title. He belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to the greater good.
Kakashi understands that, so he pretends he's alright. It only takes some simple research on PTSD to downplay the symptoms into something milder, something that wouldn't land him with a Yamanaka. He'll be messed up but functional enough that everyone can brush it off and say, "hah, jounin are like that".
But if Minato doesn't look out for Kakashi, no one will. Not when most of the population doesn't even believe Kakashi has a heart. ANBU might fix crushed confidence but it won't heal a broken spirit.
On the surface, the ANBU headquarters looks like an inconspicuous extension of the rounded building that houses the missions desk and the Hokage's office. It is true that the ANBU administrative office – where their confidential missions are processed – is located there but in reality that small structure is only the tip of the iceberg.
The ANBU headquarters continue deep underground, carving out a space beneath the streets, stretching from the Hokage's office all way to the Hokage's residence a good kilometre away. This way, the ANBU can respond effectively to the Hokage's summons at all times.
From the ANBU administrative office, Gazelle, a petite ANBU with a green-marked mask, shows Kakashi down a spiraling stairwell. The barracks are stunning at first sight – the rooms are arranged in a circular pattern reminiscent of a panopticon, extending five levels down underground. An area-effect genjutsu maintained by intricate seals turns the ceiling into a bright blue sky complete with fluffy white clouds. The facsimile sunlight spills down to the lowest floor, illuminating the tiny figures seated along the canteen's neat rows of tables and benches.
For all the hive-like lifestyle that the architecture suggests and the distinct lack of windows, it is a relatively nice, well-ventilated space. Each ANBU is afforded a room to themselves. 'No doubt out of consideration for their screaming nightmares,' Sakumo muses morbidly.
Gazelle shows Kakashi the medical wing that is located on the lowest floor and makes it a point to emphasise the various points in Konoha that lead straight there via concealed tunnels. Next in priority is of course the equipment department, which looks more like a library than anything. It is filled with shelves upon shelves of scrolls with all sorts of things sealed into them, ranging from weapons to armour to medical kits.
At the end of the short tour, Gazelle brings Kakashi back to his room and tosses him his keys. "You will be a solo agent until either the Hokage assigns you a team or a team captain requests you. Until then, familiarise yourself with ANBU protocols. I'm not here to babysit you, so take the initiative to find someone willing to teach you the more advanced field handsigns. The weekly guard duty roster is posted at the noticeboard beside the canteen. If you have any ad hoc missions, make sure to get someone to cover for you. Any questions?" Her tone implies that there's only one correct reply to her rapid-fire briefing.
"No, Gazelle-san."
She adjusts her mask briefly. "Good." With that, she disappears with a small 'pop'.
"She's so cold." Rin looks up at Sakumo, her brows furrowed. "Will Kakashi become like that?"
"I certainly hope not," Sakumo sighs as the silver-haired jounin slips into his room, closing the door with a firm bang.
Rin winces.
A/N: Some people have commented about Obito, so I just want to clarify that Obito is truly dead-dead. That's why Sakumo had to save Kakashi after he killed Rin in Ch12. Sorry if I haven't been clear and sorry if you like Obito! The big bad will be Madara. Kakashi really doesn't need the added trauma of finding out his friend betrayed him :)
Also, in this story Kakashi's mother was an ANBU agent. Her code name is Magpie. Why? Because a shiny silver Hatake caught her eye ;)