Pairings are vastly undecided for now but it'll mainly be slow-burn Kakashi/Genma for now, with very little romance in the beginning and majorly friendship and team bonding for now. Sorry the chapter is so short.
I edited some things about Cannon, by the way. Because Mother-Hen Genma for the win.
Genma wasn't a frontline fighter. But when he, like many other Shinobi who were selected to go fight out in the battlefield in the Fourth War he agreed. Then again, given his status as a Shinobi he didn't really have a choice. Being a Shinobi doesn't grant you any favors towards the easy life, unfortunately. But it did have its perks. If one sadistic enough could call 'killing people for a living' amount to anything in their lives. Then again, Genma has done it so much that he grew numb with the idea that killing is bad and you shouldn't do that.
He knew he was a killer for hire, an assassin, a Shinobi. But he stayed by his village loyally and he worked with his Nakama until the day he died. No one could tell him otherwise. So, he was happy. Or was he? Ever since the death of his Mentor, Mentor Minato Namikaze he did grow depressed. But depression for Genma and Kakashi Hatake meant two different things. He didn't give up, per say, as he knew of different ways to cope with his loss.
His mother and father died on the frontlines when he was young, leaving him orphaned. He took in Iruka Umino as well when the brat didn't have anyone, so it was sort of a habitual thing taking in strays. He also had a thing for picking up stray cats. But oh well. He had the money. Didn't he? Genma wasn't one to reminisce about his past life much. He much preferred to live in the present. He never got a Genin Team, like much of his other Nakama did.
But that was because he was too busy doing his job. He was guarding the Hokage with his life. He had failed once, so the stakes were high. Then, the Chuunin Exams came in, and they bamboozled Genma once again and fuck- Sarutobi was dead. Then Tsunade. He felt like he was failing. But Tsunade was there, and she was alive. She reassured him that she needed him and he had a purpose. Two times he failed, but Tsunade told him with a stern look that most drunks her age could hardly ever pass off as serious, looked him dead-in-the-eye and said "I believe you can do it".
It was enlightening. While Kakashi was still being a fucktwit and messing around with his emotions – not to say that all emotions aren't valid. But for fuck's sake, they were Shinobi. He was supposed to be a high-ranking member of their force. Even Tsunade had her own doubts of why Kakashi was made a Sensei to a Genin Team. Status or no, that was unacceptable on Sarutobi's behalf. He should've stayed in ANBU.
Back to the main problem at hand. Genma was thirty-two years old. He was single. He never considered marriage, he never settled down, he had failed several times in his career and here he was watching his Nakama die as if they were pigs to a slaughter. It was ridiculous, and he couldn't do anything. He marveled at the pure monsters that Naruto and Uchiha were, but he again, was powerless.
He should've trained more. They all should've.
No one could've prepared them for this war.
No one? Well, Kakashi was standing right next to him. He was bloody and a mess. He looked like he was about to give out any minute. Poor guy. Genma was his support. That's all he could do – was be fucking support for somebody. He hated it. Obito and Madara were winning. They were winning, and they were losing, badly.
"Kakashi, I don't think we're going to win this." Genma said after a long silence between the two.
"What are your plans then? Just give up?" Kakashi glared – the man looked like he was about to collapse in Genma's arms at any moment.
Genma bit his cheek. "I don't know." Because fuck, he didn't. He may have been a strategist but hell if he knew right now. He couldn't come up with plans all the damn time! He was only human – and he – he was panicking, wasn't he?
"Genma," Kakashi breathed suddenly, limping over to the Elite Shinobi and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do what you have to do."
Genma's eyes flickered. And he laughed. So hard, that his throat hurt. "Okay. I think I know. It's stupid – but it might work."
"I taught Naruto Uzumaki. I think I can deal." Kakashi mused, not looking at Madara, not looking at Naruto or the battlefield. Just looking at Genma.
"How much do you know Fuinijutsu?"
Kakashi arched a brow. "Not much. But give me some context and I could maybe help you."
Genma coughed on some blood and smeared it on his hand. "I need blood since I don't have ink, but I found a very interesting… Space-Time Seal while working under the Fourth. I know, it's a stretch, but – "
"Are you suggesting time travel, Genma?" Kakashi breathed, still in pain from his last several blows. Genma nodded. "Do it. It might be the only way to save us."
"I – I need both of our Chakra supplies to activate it. I can't determine when or where we'll go back in time. But when we do, we just – "Genma breathed again, feeling anxiety bubble, and Kakashi leaned up against him, pulling him close.
"Just do it. Do what you need to do. Okay? Anything – we don't have much time."
"Okay." Genma whined, he pushed the idiot away from him and sighed. He stabbed his hand with his Senbon and ignored the outright wince from Kakashi. It looked painful but he had been in so much pain for days that he had absorbed most of the impact.
Kakashi lifted his sleeve and Genma trailed his blood on Kakashi's arm, there he had Kakashi copy the seal onto Genma's own arm and he poured as much Chakra into it as possible and with a deep breath he sighed – inhale and then he screamed. Blue and white light surrounded him, a mixture of red surrounded his vision. He could only feel pain – so much pain. He couldn't even see Kakashi, whom he was holding onto moments ago, and then – fuck it. He fell into a murky darkness only seconds later.
Then, Genma woke up.