Hatake Kakashi stared at the three folders laid out on the table in front of him, then looked up skeptically at the old man seated across from him.
"Genin. You want to put me... in charge of genin," Kakashi said flatly. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the famed Third Hokage, raised an eyebrow at him.
"That is what being a jounin-sensei usually entails, yes," he replied patiently.
"You think me taking care of kids is a good idea?"
"You're Minato's student. You can pass down what he taught you," Hiruzen said. Kakashi stiffened.
"I'm not Minato-sensei. I'm a shitty person and a shittier teacher."
"Why do you think that?" Hiruzen asked him. Kakashi didn't offer an answer, but just glowered back.
"You're afraid of being on a team again. Being close with other people." Hiruzen said after a pause. It wasn't a question, more like an observation.
"I-I don't want to deal with that again. I won't-" Kakashi's breath rushed out, and he ran both hands through his silver hair. "I don't want to get close to people, only to have them ripped away again."
Hiruzen gazed at him kindly.
"You can't spend the rest of your life running from other people, Kakashi."
"Why not? It's not like I can get any more fucked up than I am now."
Hiruzen looked away, but reached down and tapped the picture on the front of one of the folders.
"He looks just like Minato," he said. "Doesn't he?"
He looked down at the pictures of the genin, one finger tracing the edges of the photos. Naruto's mischievous grin and sparkling eyes reminded him of another boy, a dark-haired kid with orange goggles and a glint in his eye. Obito…
Fuck. He really missed his teammate. He missed Obito's elbow digging into his ribs to annoy him. He missed Obito glaring at the back of his head, muttering under his breath. He missed the sound of his complaining and the sound of his laugh and his cheesy grin.
He could still feel Obito's hands grabbing him, pushing him out of the way of the falling rocks. Fuck.
"Fine," he said, struggling to get words past the sudden lump in his throat. "I'll give them the bell test. If they pass, then I'll try to teach them."
Hiruzen smiled, and put his pipe back in his mouth.