Kakashi was no stranger to war.
They grew up in a warring period and if anything this war was much less traumatizing than the shinobi war they had went through. They didn't know each other well enough to be sad if the other died and so they focused on the job at hand, cutting down the enemy.
A heavy hand slammed on Kakashi's back threatening him to fall on the ground but instinct helped him stay strong,
"For a little kid you're pretty good Aye!"
An ame ninja said smiling.
"...Thanks"
Kakashi said slowly because it was obviously an insulting compliment but he was suppose to be creating good relations with the foreign ninja.
The tall robust man suddenly got a kick in the back that made him stumble forward and grunt awkwardly,
"What do you mean pretty good? The boy could kick your arse as a warm up!"
Another man in their unit. His name Kakashi remembered as Tou, he was one of the few that didn't mind working with the young kakashi and explained things thoroughly so he always understood.
"HE'S STILL A KID YA KNOW!"
"So is Master Naruto"
The space grew quiet. They were supposed to be focused having taken out another ambush they were to continue to weed out the traps but every now and then the men got lax and took time to chat. Naruto was one of the things they strayed from.
It made Kakashi unearthly curious to know exactly what Naruto had done that instilled such innate fear in every adult ninja. No one talked about him, no one wanted to be on his squad because every one of them had either seem what the blonde could do or overheard the terrors of it.
Kakashi looked away no longer a part of the conversation,
He really wanted to talk to Naruto.
"You can't save them all"
It was like a cold splash of water that chilled you to the core and Rin was shivering from it.
"SHUT UP!"
Obito yelled but truth was he was shaking too. In the third shinobi war they were stuck in the village, running to get supplies. And if not they were scouts. Their was only one time they were involved in the war front and that was during the bridge incident.
But in the shadows of the medical field was another war altogether.
They had been doing well. It had taking Obito a couple of times but he finally managed to learn mystical palm. His eyes were able to keep track of the vitals and all the intense focus had actually served as intensive training.
He had always taken medics for granted before but now dealing with the intense pressure he could no longer be naive.
A person's life was at stake.
And one of them had died.
Patients didn't just lay still as you tried to help them. They convulsed and squirmed, screaming bloody murder so that you couldn't think straight even though you were trying to help. And you wanted to blame them when mistakes happen but in your heart you knew you couldn't because you were the doctor.
Rin was trembling as she stared at the blood on her hands. Obito looked to the ground. Losing someone on the field in a mission was hard but when the fire of life was right there in the midst of your palm and you could have saved them but didn't;
The guilt was enough to eat you alive.
"People die, ninja's faster than others you live and move on."
Obito grit his teeth he was this close to punching Ruuhi in the face. The man was heartless, Rin didn't even come to terms with why the young ninja on the hospital bed has stopped breathing.
"Jeez what a bunch of Kids…."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back and Obito stormed to the man pulling him despite being injured,
"WE ARE KIDS! KIDS WHO SHOULDN'T BE FIGHTING THIS HARD! KIDS THAT SHOULD BE HOME DOING KID THINGS AND WORRYING ABOUT KID STUFF NOT HERE! KIDS SHOULD BE HERE WITNESSING…."
Obito's voice died as he looked down,
Death.
Kids shouldn't be worrying about saving dying people and killing people and saving nations, that was a grown ups job.
But when you were a ninja you sacrificed childhood and made a choice to kill or be killed, save or watch others save; kids became ninja's but no ninja was a child any longer.
"Girl"
Ruuhi spoke ignoring the glare the Uchiha was sending him as he still held his shirt,
"You can sit there and cry about it. Break down and run on home, i don't really care. Or you can pull yourself together and make sure the next one lives."
Rin heard the words but she could barely except it,
Someone had died.
Someone in her care had died,
She had killed someone.
In Konoha if she made a mistake a more effective medic would come over quickly and take over. She had heard of people that died even in the hospital but had never witnessed it.
She wanted to cry, scream, pull out her hair.
She had killed someone.
SHE HAD KILLED SOMEONE!
"I don't want you going in there with delusions…."
She heard a voice resonate in her head, so familiar.
while in your care someone may die."
Oh yea, that was Naruto. Naruto with mismatched eyes and a serious tone. She hadn't seen him in a while. She hadn't seen Minato or Kakashi for a while now that she thought about it. They were all on the front line possibly hurt trying to end this war as fast as possible.
He had predicted this. He really wasn't as young as he looked she realized. And he was stronger than he seemed if Obito's recount was true. She hadn't actually believed him or the stories because let's face it Obito often exaggerated. But seeing him a few days ago as the leaders looked to HIM for orders helped her understand.
And he knew this was going to happen.
He already warned her but could she help that after helping 10 others and watching the Ame medics admire her skills that she got a bit haughty? That she assumed nothing could go wrong? That she would save everyone?
But how could she save anyone when she just killed someone?
Clearly she wasn't as skilled as she thought. What if she made another mistake?
She couldn't
She couldn't do it.
"I don't want you going in there with delusions, while in your care someone may die.
Your job is to save as many lives as you can."
That's right.
Naruto hadn't said she was amazing or perfect, he had told her she would probably make a terrible mistake but that her job was bigger than that.
"Some people think medics have it easy"
Rin scowled,
"Well excuse me mr. expert but i beg to differ."
Naruto looked at her shocked but laughed it off looking in the distance,
"Oh i agree with you. One time some foreign ninja told my friend that… she taught him a lesson he would never forget."
Rin could see the nostalgia pass through his eyes. He liked to reference this person when he talked to her a lot.
"She was really amazing huh?"
The fierceness that he turned to her with made her jump. His blue eye searching hers for something she didn't know,
"What is the biggest mistake a medic can make?"
The question came out of thin air and she was thrown off. She could give him the textbook answer but he never liked those. He always wanted her personal opinion what she really thought…
"Losing a patient"
The sense of danger that overwhelmed her paralyzed her as the fist that she was sure was moving exceedingly fast moved in slow motion toward her face.
I'm going to die.
But it stopped before it made contact and it took her a second to breath,
"My friend would have punched you for that"
He smiled lightly like he didn't just give her a heart attack,
"The biggest mistake that a medic can make…"
He pierced her with a firm gaze,
"Is after they lose a patient, they give up."
She blinked,
After?
"Not everyone is perfect"
Naruto looked to the treeline of the training ground they were in,
"Sometimes the people we want to save we can't and the pain burdens us."
He closed his eyes and Rin wondered if he was remembering someone,
"You can hurt ya know. Cry about it, take a break, even run away sometimes…"
He smiled at the last one,
"But you have to come back. Because there maybe someone out there only you can save."
Rin felt a wave of awe rush through her at the words. And Naruto must have seen the look on her face because he smiled,
"You don't have to save everyone, but at least save someone else"
RIn took a deep breath.
Someone died but someone else was dying.
Pull yourself together
Pull yourself together
"I dare you to say something else to her i'll make sure your face will need surgery too."
She heard Obito growl in the background.
That's right she wasn't alone,
"She's a trained medic right? It's her job to keep moving!"
Obito was here,
Kakashi and Minato
"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO SHUT UP!"
And Naruto believed in her
"You'll be amazing too"
Rin blinked as the young boy rose off the ground dusting his pants,
"You're stronger than you realize, I know you'll be amazing"
"Obito"
Rin said before Obito had a chance to slam his fist into the man's face. Obito turned to his teammate his eyes widened.
Rin in an instant transformed. She was no longer shaking, looking like she was falling apart but stood tall. Her eyes were hard and a strength he had never seen before filled them,
"We don't have time for games, there are still others that need help."
She turned from him looking at the patient that she had failed and bowed her head.
"Forgive my incompetence, i won't let your death be in vain."
And with that she covered his face and moved to the next person,
"That…"
Ruuhi said catching Obito's attention,
"That is a true medic"
Obito could see the respect in the man's eyes as they looked to his,
"You better work hard boy or she'll leave you behind."
Obito could help the pride that filled him, maybe this Ruuhi guy wasn't so bad after all.
"Heh, of course she's going to be the best medic in the world, she has the future Hokage on her team i expect nothing less."
GUESS THAT REFERENCE!
