AN: Obito is always going to be a hero to me. I loved Tobito theories before Madara showed up in the manga. Ugh. I hate the current story arc, and I want him to have died bravely protecting his friends. Also, I'm updating the warnings for character death. I forgot to put that in there, not just for Obito but for something that has to happen in later chapters.

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Sakumo tried to eat Ume's odd porridge concoction, but his stomach couldn't handle it. He moved the bland food around his bowl with his spoon. Even at the best of times Ume's food was barely palatable, but he tried to eat what was given to him out of respect.

"Are you feeling ok, Sakumo-kun?" Ume asked.

"Not so much, Grandmother. Kakashi is out there fighting somewhere, and I'm stuck in the village. I should be out there protecting Konoha, but I'm not even trusted enough to take the lowest missions on the battlefield."

She patted his hand. "Kakashi will come home, and you can be at rest. I've had a lot of bad times in my life, and they all end eventually. How long will he be gone?"

"I don't know," Sakumo said. "It could be a couple weeks or months. I'm hoping it won't be long."

"Eat at least ten bites of food," Ume said. "Then you can leave the table. That's what I used to tell my youngest when he was little. After dinner you can help me with the crossword. I can't find some of them, and it will get your mind off your problems."

"Yes, Grandmother," he said.

"When Sister gets back we can start setting up your room. When are you bringing the dogs over?"

"After we're set up," Sakumo said. "I want them to be as comfortable as possible. Mitsuko is old, and she doesn't handle changes well. I don't want her to have another seizure if we can help it."

Ume chuckled. "Old women have our difficulties. We'll look after her."

"It will be good for her to be with more people. She'll like you; I'm sure," Sakumo said.

"Dogs like me," she said. "I'll make her some cookies tonight. Tadao seems to like them."

"She has to eat dog food for her health," Sakumo said quickly. It was bad enough that he and Tadao had to keep medicine for a sour stomach on hand because of Ume's cooking. He wanted to spare Mitsuko that problem.

They finished the crossword, and he went home early. He'd come over to work, but he really wanted to be alone. Kakashi filled his mind.

It was only mid-morning, but he went to bed. He wanted to forget his son's danger for a time.

Tadao jumped on the bed. He didn't even bother to ask for permission anymore. I'm not really his master anymore, Sakumo thought. His household was getting away from him. Dogs knew when a man lost his confidence, and nin dogs required a strong will to keep them in line. If he wasn't careful Tadao might become the Alpha in their house.

"What's wrong?" Tadao asked. "I can feel how upset you are."

"I'm worried about Kakashi," Sakumo said. "It's going to be the longest time of my life until he comes home."

"I'll sleep with you if you need me to," Tadao said. "Let me go tell Mitsuko."

"I have a better idea," Sakumo said. He pulled the blankets off his bed and took them to where Mitsuko was sleeping. He made a nest of blankets by the dogs' bed and lay next to Mitsuko. He had pulled Kakashi's stuffed dog off the dresser and hidden it, tucking it under the sheets with him. He didn't care if it was silly; it made him feel better.

Mitsuko raised her head. "What's going on?" she asked groggily.

"I'm sleeping in here tonight," Sakumo said.

Tadao crawled between him and Mitsuko. Sakumo still didn't rest well because of his dreams, but their company was a comfort to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several days later Kakashi lay near his sensei, recuperating. His eye was replaced, and Obito was dead.

How did it all go so wrong? He wondered, but he knew. It was all his fault.

If I'd listened to Obito in the first place he'd still be alive, Kakashi thought.

"Can you still fight?" Minato asked.

"I have to," Kakashi said. "I can't go home now. We're almost ready for the final offensive, and I'm needed."

"I'm splitting you and Rin up," Minato said. "She'll be sent west to help with the mobile hospital, and you'll be coming with me to help take a fortified position to the north."

"Did she ask you to split us up?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," Minato said. "She's having a hard time with all this. You have to understand."

"She blames me for his death," Kakashi said.

"No. She blames herself. She thinks if she'd been stronger he wouldn't have died. She's afraid she'll get you killed too. I'm splitting you two up because I think you'll just distract each other. She told me that Obito asked you to look after her. This isn't the time for such things. She needs to be free to be a healer without leaning on you unnecessarily, and you need to be free to fight without having to worry about her."

"I promised Obito I would protect her," Kakashi said.

"She doesn't need it where she's going," Minato said. "It's not near the front lines at the moment. She's a ninja, Kakashi. She can't be protected forever, even if she is a Genin. She has to learn to protect herself without leaning on the men in her life."

They sat quietly watching Rin, who was standing nearby looking toward the bridge they'd destroyed. She'd avoided speaking to Kakashi unless necessary since Obito died.

"I really fucked up, didn't I?" Kakashi asked.

"You finished the mission," Minato said. "What happened with Obito was horrible, but people die in war. You've had comrades die before. You'll have comrades die again. It's part of the life you'll have to get used to. I grieve for him myself, but we can't let it interfere with our duty."

"I've never lost anyone like this," Kakashi said. "It's never been my fault before."

"From what Rin told me Obito pushed you out of the way. If he chose to sacrifice himself for you that's not your fault. Don't cheapen his brave deed this way."

They moved on without Rin, and Kakashi had to put his private hell aside. This isn't as bad as half of the things I did in ANBU, he thought. I'm getting soft. But he'd never cared much about any of his comrades in ANBU personally, and none of them had died while they were on missions with him. More importantly, none of them had sacrificed themselves for him.

He'd been irritated at Obito, caustic toward him, and sometimes outright hateful, but he missed him. I wish I'd done more to get to know him better. He was a true hero. He remembered Obito saying that his father was a hero. Now he understood why. In the heat of battle it was comrades that had mattered most. They hadn't been thinking of the village when they went back for Rin, and it felt right.

I'll have to talk to Dad if I get home, he thought. He needs to know how I feel. He was a hero the whole time, but I only just now understand why he saved Tsume.

They reached the attack point, and before they joined the other ninjas Minato asked him, "are you with me fully, Kakashi? I need to know."

Kakashi summoned the inner strength that had gotten him through his ANBU missions. He became Inu again – a hard, cold killer. Unlike Ibiki he could put that side of himself away and become Kakashi again. He suspected that most ninjas dealt with the horror of war this way to some extent.

"I'm ready, sensei," he said. "Let's go."

He fought well, using the Sharingan as best he could. He couldn't use it as a weapon like the Uchihas – yet. He could see chakra plainly though, and it was as if he knew where people were going to move. He could analyze their movements and be there before they even knew what he was doing.

He had to work with several Uchihas. When they finished with their mission they pulled Kakashi aside.

"How do you have a Sharingan now?" a woman with blood on her face asked. Kakashi didn't know her. He didn't know any of them. Five Uchihas surrounded him, arms crossed and judging him harshly before they even knew what had happened.

"Did you know Uchiha Obito?" Kakashi asked.

They shook their heads. He wasn't surprised. They might be related, but there were hundreds of Uchihas, and until the end Obito hadn't stood out in any way.

"He was my teammate," Kakashi said. "He died saving my life, and the last thing he did was tell the medic with me to transplant his eye. I didn't want to do it, but he insisted."

"Uchihas don't do things like that," an older man said. "No Uchiha would willingly let a Sharingan go to a non-Uchiha." Those dark eyes held more malice than Kakashi had ever seen.

"That Uchiha did," Kakashi said. "He was the kindest, most generous person I've ever known, and he's a great loss – for the village and for me."

"We'll be talking to you more when we return to Konoha," the old man said.

"My teammate was there too," Kakashi said. "She'll collaborate my story."

"We'll be speaking with her too then. If we find out you stole that eye you'll have hell to pay."

"You'll find out nothing like that," Kakashi said. "You have no right to accuse me of anything."

"We'll see," the old man said.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sakumo checked the list of the dead every day. There was always a line as soon as it was posted, and he waited until it dwindled until he took his turn. He had to watch people deal with new grief, and once an old woman turned around after looking at the list and put her head into his chest and sobbed. She probably didn't even know who she'd turned to for comfort – just another Konoha citizen. He never even saw her face clearly. She kept her head down, weighed heavily with grief.

She walked away, still crying, and Sakumo turned to the list again. Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsume – all the other people he cared for were still alive. It wasn't quite a miracle. All of his friends were insanely strong. He still looked for the names of those that had been important to him and abandoned him. It still mattered to him if they were alive or dead.

The next morning someone knocked at his door. He stood in the middle of his living room, frozen in place. This is it, he thought. Someone I loved died.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Mitsuko asked.

"No," Sakumo said. "I can't."

Tadao put his nose against Sakumo's hand. "Bad news doesn't go away. It will just get worse if you wait."

"Open up, Shithead!" he heard Jiraiya yell from outside.

He threw open the door. Jiraiya was filthy and covered with small cuts and bandages, but he was alive. "I'm so glad you're back," Sakumo said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jiraiya said. "You should go down to the hospital though. Kakashi…"

Sakumo was out the door and racing down the street at top speed before Jiraiya could even finish the sentence.

"Sakumo wait!" he heard behind him, but he didn't stop. Civilians and ninjas alike had to get out of his way as he tore through the village toward the hospital.

The hospital was a madhouse. There were too many injured ninjas incoming for them to keep up with, and he had to work hard to get to an information desk.

"My son was brought in," he said. "Can you tell me anything?"

"And you are?" the nurse behind the desk asked. He'd seen that type of look before. She must have been someone else who he'd wronged.

"You know damn well who I am! The whole village knows who I am. I don't have time for this. Where is my boy?"

"Do you mean Hatake Kakashi?" she asked. "He was brought in earlier, but I'm afraid he passed away. I'm sorry for your loss."

"What? No. It can't be." Sakumo said. He suddenly felt cold and weak.

The nurse smiled at him, her eyes bright and happy. "He had a poisoned kunai wound to the arm. It would have been minor, except that no one could reach him in time. It seems that some intell had been lost that might have saved him. It was the same way my son died."

"No," Sakumo moaned. His son had finally paid the full price for his own sins.

"Yes," she said. "They said he suffered horribly for a day and called for his father almost until he died. But of course you weren't there, were you?"

"Kashi-kun," Sakumo whispered. "I might as well have killed you."

He began to breathe in fast gasps, and his chest hurt. "What's wrong Sakumo-san?" the nurse asked. "Will you finally kill yourself and rid the village of your stench?"

He heard voices around him as if they were far away, and black spots formed in his vision. "He's hyperventilating," he heard a male voice say. "Make room for him to lie down. Try to breathe more slowly, Sakumo-san."

He couldn't slow his breathing, and he collapsed, hoping for nothing more than death.

He woke on a cot in a hallway, surrounded by other patients who weren't in critical condition. The hospital was full to bursting, and the hallway had been appropriated. Kakashi was standing over him, with a worried look on his face and his forehead protector pulled down over one eye. Jiraiya stood behind him.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked. "They told me you collapsed in the lobby. Did you really have a panic attack and faint?"

Sakumo jumped up from the cot, grabbing Kakashi roughly and pulling his son to him as tightly as he could.

"My boy," he said, "Oh, my precious boy." He held Kakashi's head against his chest with one hand and his back with the other. He never wanted to let go. "They told me you were dead."

He began to sob, unable to stop himself. He closed his eyes so he didn't have to see the judgmental looks of the people in the hallway. Kakashi tried to pull away, but Sakumo pulled him closer.

"Just let me hold you for a minute," Sakumo said.

"You might let the boy breathe," Jiraiya said.

He let Kakashi pull away slightly, but he kept a strong hold on Kakashi's arms, unwilling to release him.

"What the hell, Dad? I was injured, but I'm going to be fine. They just wanted me to come in for observation. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing now," Sakumo said. "It's been hell waiting for you to come home, and then I was told you were dead. I guess I just lost it."

"I'm going to take you home, Sakumo," Jiraiya said.

"No, we'll take him home together," Kakashi said. "Don't argue," he said to his father. "I have obligations, but I can spend some time with you first."

"Same here," Jiraiya said. "I didn't know how much of a wreck you were."

Sakumo kept glancing sideways at Kakashi on the way home. He just wanted to enjoy the sight of his living son. "You look sad," he said.

"Obito died," Kakashi said. "It's my fault, and now he's dead. Rin blames herself and now she's not on my team anymore. There is no more Team Minato."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sakumo said. "I really liked that boy."

After making sure he didn't see any Uchihas nearby Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector and showed his father the Sharingan. "I had my eye sliced through, and the last thing Obito did was to have Rin put his eye in mine."

"It's actually working?" Sakumo asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "The Uchihas are pissed. There's going to be an investigation."

Kakashi thought Sakumo's house smelled even more like dog than before. He saw the bedding by the dogs' bed.

"Dad, have you gone feral?"

Sakumo scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Maybe a little bit," he said. "I feel better sleeping with the dogs. It gets lonely around here."

"I can't move back in until I'm sure Ibiki will be ok, but I can come over more often," Kakashi said.

"No. I still think our arrangement is best. I know you love me, and that helps. Let me take care of you in one of the few ways I can. I'm still treated badly, and I don't want you caught up in that."

"I'm not going to be in town for long," Jiraiya said, "but I'll come see you as much as I can. I dare you to try to talk me out of it."

"Thank you brother," Sakumo said. "I'm moving out of here soon, but I'll make sure you have my new address."

"Me too!" Kakashi said.

"You too," Sakumo said. "I know you'll just hunt until you find me if I don't."

"You taught me to be persistent," Kakashi said.

"You might have learned a little too well," Sakumo said.

"Have either of you heard anything about Anko?" Kakashi asked. "I've been asking, but no one knows anything."

"I know she was part of planning an ambush," Jiraiya said. "I haven't heard anything else."

"I check the dead list every day," Sakumo said. "She hasn't been on it."

Jiraiya left them alone. "You two have catching up to do," he said. He grabbed Sakumo's head into the crook of his elbow and rubbed his knuckles into his head. "Try not to be such a shithead, ok?"

Jiraiya slammed the door on the way out, but Sakumo knew he wasn't angry. He was just like that. Everything he did had to be loud and noticeable.

Kakashi fiddled, something Sakumo knew meant he was about to ask him an awkward question. "Did you ever have to look for Mom on the dead list?" he asked.

"Once. It was one of the worst times in my life. Until that nurse told me you were dead I thought her death was the worst and that was the second worst. Now I have a whole new day to add to that list."

"I promised Anko things," Kakashi said. "I made her sad before I left and I want to make things better. I don't know what I'll do if I lose her and Obito. I've heard about my other friends, but not her. When she comes back I'm going to be her boyfriend again."

"If you haven't heard anything that might just mean she has a classified mission," Sakumo said. "War is chaotic. She might have just been misplaced. It does happen."

Kakashi paled. "You mean her body might have been lost?"

Fuck, Sakumo thought. I didn't mean to turn his thoughts that direction. "No. I meant she might be out there fighting without us knowing where she went. It does happen. She's probably fine. She's a strong girl."

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "She's probably fine." His voice didn't sound confident.

"Try to turn your mind to something else," Sakumo said. "When is the last time you ate? Do you want me to make something?"

"I don't have time," Kakashi said. "I have Jounin duties, and I need to check on the Morinos and make sure they're ok. I'll be back later. I did want to tell you that I understand what you did. Obito was right; you are a hero."

Tears began to roll down Sakumo's face again. He wiped them away. "I'm sorry," he said. "I guess I haven't been very stable since I came back. I'll get better."

"It's ok Dad. I don't know that I could do any better. We almost failed the mission because Obito and I went back for Rin, and it's only because Sensei showed up that we were able to finish it at all. If it weren't for Sensei I would be facing the same problem. We really needed to destroy that bridge, but all we could think about was Rin."

Sakumo stopped Kakashi on the porch and hugged him again, not caring that Kakashi squirmed uncomfortably this time. "I'm so glad you're alive," Sakumo said.

He kissed his son on the forehead.

"Dad, don't!" Kakashi said, turning bright red. "You're embarrassing me!"

"I think that's part of what parents are supposed to do," Sakumo said.

"I'll be back when I can," Kakashi said. "If anyone comes by, make sure you ask about Anko for me."

Sakumo went to visit the sisters and told them the good news. They hugged him and cried, and then they forced some unidentifiable baked good on him. It might have been fruitcake. He wasn't sure.

The neighborhood heard about Kakashi quickly, and everyone there seemed to want to congratulate Sakumo. Ume pulled out a bottle of rum. "I use this when I bake," she said. "I think this is a good occasion for it."

"I've never tasted rum in your cooking," Sakumo said.

Rei grinned, her broken yellow teeth showing prominently. "She doesn't put it in the food. She puts it in herself."

That might help explain why her cooking is so bad, Sakumo thought. He let himself get mildly drunk with the two old women.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The village was alive in an entirely new way with their ninjas returning home, and Kakashi made his way to the Morinos with a mixture of relief to be home and a heavy stone in his soul the shape of his missing teammate.

Mother Morino was waiting for him. "My baby's home!" she said, and Ashihiro chuckled behind her.

"Welcome back, boy," he said. "Ibiki sent word he'll be home in a few days. I'm glad this is almost over. We still have some clean-up and restructuring, but the worst is definitely over."

"Have you heard anything about Anko?" Kakashi asked, even though he didn't know any reason they might have. He just hoped that someone had some news.

"Ibiki sent a letter home with a comrade. He said to tell you she was working with him. Her unit and his met up after her mission, and she was part of protecting the interrogators while they worked. It wasn't planned, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard anything."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Kakashi said. He wasn't sure if Anko or The Interrogator was stronger, but even if they didn't like each other they took comradery so seriously he felt safer knowing they were together. He didn't feel the slightest sting of jealousy. Two of the people he cared about were probably safe.

"You're really taken with that girl, aren't you?" Akihiro asked.

"I can't imagine life without her," Kakashi said.

The old man laughed. "Well, I know you have adult responsibilities, but try to just be a kid for a while and enjoy being with her."

"I can't wait," Kakashi said. "I told her I could be her boyfriend again when we came back."

"That's so adorable," Mother Morino said, ruffling his hair. He patted his hair back in place, but he couldn't help but smile.

"I know you're just seven," Akihiro said, "but I think it's time we had a serious conversation later. You're young for it, but I think you might be a very – erm - active boy when you get a little older, and you need to know some things."

Kakashi had no idea what he was talking about.

"So what are you doing with the forehead protector?" Akihiro asked. "Is that some kind of new fashion?"

"I was injured," Kakashi said. "I'm using it to cover my eye."

"Oh no!" Mother said. "How bad is it? Do you need to lie down?"

"No, I'm fine," Kakashi said quickly. He didn't want to worry her. "I've been healed. My teammate Obito died, and before he went he had Rin transplant his eye. I feel like I'm carrying a part of him with me now."

"It doesn't hurt then?" Mother asked.

"A little, but it's nothing I can't handle," Kakashi said. "It gets better by the day."

"Let me see," Akihiro said.

"Er, will it bother you?" Kakashi asked Mother.

"I've seen injuries before," she said. "Don't forget who my other son is. He was always coming home with something cut or broken. He overreached himself too often."

Kakashi pulled the headband up and activated the Sharingan.

Akihiro put his finger under Kakashi's eye, pulling down slightly so more of it was visible.

"That's going to cause you problems with the Uchihas," he said.

"It already is," Kakashi said. He replaced the headband. "They're going to investigate, but Rin will back me up, and if it comes to an interrogation they won't find anything other than a very brave Uchiha doing one last thing for his teammate."

He stopped as the memory came back to him. Obito's crushed face and his broken teeth would never leave him. He could smell the blood his internal injuries had forced out of his mouth and the excrement as Obito's body voided itself in death.

"Mother, leave us alone now, please" Akihiro said.

They went to the porch, that place where they could be men together and Kakashi could learn from him.

"Are you ok boy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kakashi said, but he wasn't. He'd put bad missions behind him before, but there were a few that haunted him, and he thought this one might be the worst he'd ever had.

"You had the look just then," Akihiro said. "I know it when I see it."

"What look, sir?" Kakashi asked.

"We call it the thousand-yard-stare," Akihiro said. "Men who have seen some seriously bad things get it. It helps some people to talk about what happened."

"Obito died badly," Kakashi said. "He suffered a lot, and I just had to watch. He pushed me out of the way of a boulder and took the hit, and we couldn't do anything for him."

Kakashi touched the headband over his eye. "I don't deserve this. He should be alive. He was a better person than I could ever be."

"That's survivor's guilt," Akihiro said. "You'll have to deal with it in your own way. Try to remember that Obito wanted you to have a good life."

"Thank you sir," Kakashi said. He didn't feel like talking anymore. The memory had brought his raw feelings to the surface again. "I think I'd like to be alone," he said.

"I understand," Akihiro said. "I've lost my share of comrades. Grieve as you need to. Just know that your family will be there when you need us."

Kakashi helped Akihiro up and then sat quietly and alone on the porch, watching Konoha move around him. Even with the bustle of the returning army it seemed so peaceful after the war. It was hard to believe that this was reality, and not what he'd just come from.

I understand how Ibiki must have felt, he thought. He'd never been so affected by a mission since that little girl.

He shut that thought out sharply. One shit-storm in his life was enough for the moment.

He felt exhaustion threatening him, and he actually had to open the Heart Gate momentarily to get the energy to start working again. He had to do a mountain of paperwork, help organize the returning ninjas and see the Hokage to report personally about Obito and his Sharingan. He needed rest, but he couldn't stop until he was done.

"They Uchiha clan is already up in arms about this," Sarutobi said. "I know your character enough to believe you, but you'll have to convince them of your innocence."

"They can interrogate me themselves if they want," Kakashi said. "They can even use invasive genjutsu. I have no reason to fear what they might find. They'll probably be ashamed when they see how brave Obito was. No one thought much of him. We were all wrong."

"You might want to be careful before you agree voluntarily to let them interrogate you," Sarutobi said. "They probably won't be gentle with you. They're furious about this."

"Let them come," Kakashi said, anger rising in him. "They have no right to suspect me, and I can take whatever they can dish out."

He proceeded with the rest of his report, becoming more aware of the aches and tiredness in his body as he did. Even soldier pills and the Heart Gate couldn't hold off the need for rest and recuperation forever.

He suddenly felt all his energy fade from him, and he sat in a chair without being invited. It was something no one did in the Hokage's presence. All ninjas stood out of respect.

"Give me a minute please," Kakashi said.

"Take some time," Sarutobi said. "Do you need to lie down in the back? You look bad."

"I just need a bit of time sir," Kakashi said, but he wasn't sure he was right. He heard the weakness in his own voice, and he felt dizzy. He closed his eyes and fought to stay conscious. I can't pass out in front of the Hokage, he thought. He didn't need one more thing to be ashamed of.

He heard the scrape of the Hokage's chair, and then his arm was on Kakashi's shoulder. "Put your head between your knees," the old man said. "Breathe evenly and try to relax."

He kept a hand on Kakashi's back until he was able to sit upright again. "There's a day-bed in the room behind me," Sarutobi said. "Go lie down for at least an hour."

"I still have things to do," Kakashi said.

"What exactly is left for you to do that can't wait until tomorrow?"

Kakashi told him the rest of his duties.

"I'll have those re-assigned," Sarutobi said. "You are to rest for an hour here. Then I want you to go home, eat, and get some proper sleep. You aren't to do anything else until tomorrow."

"But…"

"No buts," the Hokage said. "These are your orders for the day, ninja. You're the one the nurses complain about the most when I visit the hospital. It's an honor to sacrifice your body for Konoha. There's no honor in doing it needlessly."

Kakashi felt mortified when the old man had to help him to the couch. "I'm sorry for what happened to you out there, but I want you to know I'm proud of you," Sarutobi said.

When Kakashi woke it was dark outside. Someone had removed most of his clothes while he slept, leaving his pants on but taking off the rest of what he was wearing. A blanket had been pulled up over his face, covering the area usually hidden by his mask.

I can't believe I slept through that, he thought.

He dressed and found the Hokage at his desk, working on paperwork.

"How long was I in there?" Kakashi asked.

"About six hours," Sarutobi said, not looking up from his work. "I contacted Akihiro and let him know you were with me so he wouldn't worry. You should listen to your old Hokage. I know what I'm talking about, don't I?"

"Yes sir," Kakashi said.

"I thought you'd be up in an hour or two," the Hokage said. "I sent for a medic-nin, and you didn't even wake up while you were being examined. She said you're exhausted and malnourished. Apparently the only way you took care of yourself was to stay hydrated. I'm changing my orders. You're to stay at home for two days. You can check the dead list if you need to, or you can visit friends briefly, but I know you well enough to know you won't take care of your body without orders."

"It's important to me that the adults don't have to carry more burdens because of me," Kakashi said. "I don't want them to think of me as just a little kid."

"No Jounin or ANBU has thought of you as just a little kid since you were about four or five," the Hokage said. "You don't have as much to prove as you think you do. Reports reached me from the battlefield about you. They said you were at the front of several battles and saved a lot of lives. I heard that you fought ferociously. You're being talked about in the village enough that no one is going to hold it against you if you can't keep up the pace. We only see the child in you when you do things like this to yourself. Adult ninjas know how to take care of their bodies better – well, most of them do anyway."

He set aside the pile of papers he'd been working on, and he pulled a new chunk off the top of the massive stack near him. "I'll send someone around in the morning to get a list of what you were going to do the next couple days. There are plenty of ninjas in better shape that can do those duties. We have non-combat ninjas and assistants for a reason."

He looked up from his paperwork. "I can put you on house arrest if I need to, but I hope you'll be mature enough to obey orders. Do I need to have an ANBU check on you occasionally, or will you behave?"

Kakashi felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment. "I'll follow orders," he said.

"I meant what I said earlier," Sarutobi said. "The whole village has been talking about the reports that come back, and you figured in a lot of them. I know how you feel about your father, and you should know that you've gone a long way toward redeeming the Hatake name. Your village and your Hokage are proud of you."

It was a bit of bright light in his day. Mother had a cold dinner waiting for him, and once he began eating he felt ravenous. She'd made soba noodles and vegetables, and he didn't think anything had ever tasted so good.

"My goodness!" she said. "You were a hungry boy!"

Despite what he'd said to the Hokage he liked that Mother just saw him as a child. No one needed to know that though.

He felt every ache as he pulled the covers over him, but he was at least at peace temporarily. He called Pakkun and arranged the blankest so his feet would be warm in the chilly room.

"I'm glad you're home again," Pakkun said. "What happened to your eye?"

"I'll explain later," Kakashi said.

He was still tired, but he had rested enough that the voices in the living room a few hours later woke him. He hoped it was one of his friends, but he heard a man he didn't recognize. He had to strain to hear the voice.

"The Hokage wanted me to check on him," he heard. "He's concerned about Kakashi's health. He almost passed out earlier."

"I'm not surprised," Akihiro said. "He has an adult mind trapped in a child's body. Mother and I will take good care of him."

"Did he eat and sleep? The Hokage specifically told me to find out. His interest in Kakashi is personal as well as professional. He thinks a lot of him. A lot of us do."

"He ate more than I've ever seen him eat," Akihiro said, "and he's asleep now. I did notice his hand was shaking when he ate, but that should get better with some down-time."

"He's on orders to stay here for the next two days unless he wants to check the dead list or visit friends," the stranger said.

"I'll make sure he follows those orders," Akihiro said. "Thank you, CAT."

So he did send an ANBU to check on me, Kakashi thought. He should have been irritated, but it was nice to think that the Hokage cared about him that much.