Author's Note: I know I said I was going to try to post more frequently. Well, the best laid plans and all that. Life's been happening and I've just been ridiculously busy recently. I'll keep posting chapters when I get a few minutes to actually get any writing done. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like or planned, but I'll get there!


Chapter 10

Kakashi stood a short distance from his teammates, silently fuming, as those who had successfully passed the second round of the chunin exams were congratulated and the rules for the next round explained. His team had made it through the second round - barely. He was beyond relieved to hear that the third and final round was individual one-on-one combat. They had very nearly been eliminated in the previous round due to one of his teammate's carelessness. He had walked right into a trap set by a rival team. Kakashi had been less than pleased that the other hadn't even noticed the obvious ambush. An unobservant shinobi was a dead shinobi, Kakashi had reminded him, nearly causing them to come to blows before their third teammate stepped in. At least for the final round if he failed it was on him and not due to his teammates inattention. Incompetence was the word that came to mind though he didn't say it out loud. They had made it through the second round and that was all that mattered now.

Four teams had passed the first and second rounds, twelve genin in all. Kakashi glanced around at his competition. All of them were over twice his age. None of them were rookies – they had all graduated from the Academy at least a year or more prior. That didn't faze him in the least. He was more than capable of taking on a much older and larger opponent. He knew his teammates' respective skills; no worries there, he could defeat both of them. He was unfamiliar with the rest of the genin. He would have to pay attention though he wasn't overly concerned.

They were dismissed until the third round began in two days' time. Kakashi turned and headed towards home without a word to anyone. He had no friends here. He heard a few muttered comments about him as he left. He ignored them, he was used to it by now. He would enjoy making them eat their words during the next round.

Arriving home, he let himself in and sighed as he noticed the house was quiet and empty. It looked like his father was still out on his latest mission. He'd been gone for weeks and Kakashi had hoped he'd be home in time to watch him in the chunin exams.

The third round doesn't begin for two more days. Dad could be home by then, he consoled himself as he went to get cleaned up. He made certain to clean and treat the various cuts and scrapes he was covered in. They were all minor but he'd been filthy. It wouldn't due to get eliminated because he was careless and got an infection before the final round even began. He prepared himself a light supper and sat toying with his food as much as eating it. He knew he was sulking but he couldn't help it.

He wanted so badly to be a great shinobi like his father. He had heard tales of the White Fang all his life. A powerful shinobi who had risen rapidly through the ranks, hailed as a genius and one of the greatest of his generation. His reputation as a Hidden Leaf shinobi was matched only by the likes of the legendary Sannin. Kakashi wasn't interested in renown; his father was well renown but still humble. He longed for his father to be proud of him. Kakashi knew his father was proud of him. Sakumo was free with his praise to those who deserved it. The quiet pride in his eyes even more than the words told Kakashi he spoke the truth. Yet he was dissatisfied with his own progress. It seemed everyone was completely focused on his age, not his skill. No one believed he could be a great shinobi because he was too young. It grated.

Finished with his meal. Kakashi picked up his practice sword and went into the back yard. He began running through the katas his father had taught him. He had found kenjutsu did not come as naturally to him as ninjutsu or even taijutsu. He knew he was nowhere near proficient enough to use it during the chunin exams. He hadn't even learned how to channel his chakra through a blade as his father didn't feel he was ready yet. It chaffed a bit but Kakashi idolized his father so didn't argue. The katas forced him to concentrate, not leaving room for brooding thoughts to intrude.

The sun was dropping low on the horizon when Kakashi decided to call it a night and headed back inside. It wouldn't be prudent to overdo it right before the final round. Putting the sword away, he picked up his book and buried his nose within the pages.


Kakashi was nearly bouncing with excitement as he stood in the Hokage's office along with the two other newly-minted chunin. Finally he would no longer be stuck on a genin team where both the other genin and the jonin in charge resented him. While many chunin still worked in squads, they could also take solo missions. That was what Kakashi really wanted. No more pretending not to hear the snide comments from his teammates about his age or how he was being favored because his father was the White Fang. No more being stuck doing boring and pointless 'D'-ranked missions finding lost cats or carrying shopping. He couldn't wait to be dismissed so he could go to the missions desk and get his first blissfully solo assignment.

"Kakashi, will you stay for a moment, please," the Hokage said as the others left. The boy turned back to face him, waiting patiently for the reason he had been retained. Hiruzen's eyes flickered briefly to the man who had entered as the others had exited, before leveling his gaze on the new chunin in front of his desk. "I wanted to speak to you regarding where you'll be assigned."

The boy's face lit up in anticipation. "Yes, Lord Third?"

"For the time being you'll be remaining with your current team."

Kakashi's expression went blank, his dark eyes blinking as he absorbed the meaning of the words. "My genin team?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"But… I'm a chunin now…." Kakashi heard the petulance in his voice and hated himself for it but he couldn't help it. He was supposed to get solo missions as a chunin, not be stuck on a genin team still!

"I am well aware. However, I feel that it is for the best for now."

Kakashi bit his lip to keep himself from saying something he'd likely regret. A shinobi didn't mouth off to the Hokage, no matter how unfairly they felt they were being treated. He was very aware of the steady gaze on him as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Shinobi didn't show emotion. He was a shinobi and he as not about to give anyone reason to doubt it.

"May I ask why?" he asked in a strained voice.

"You have a great deal of skill, Kakashi. Nobody questions that. However, a chunin must be capable of leading a squad on missions. Unfortunately, there are few shinobi who will accept a six-year old as their captain," Hiruzen explained, not unkindly.

So, it was his age. It was always his age. Why couldn't anyone ever seem to look past that? Was he ever going to be allowed to prove himself? At this rate, he'd make jonin and still be stuck on a genin team and wouldn't that be humiliating. Kakashi ground his teeth together as he tried not to scream at the unfairness of it all.

"I can always take solo missions," Kakashi protested. He knew he was pushing things. But he had worked so hard to get to where he was already. He hated the thought of not being able to move forward.

A hand fell on his shoulder, causing him to start involuntarily. He'd had no idea anyone else was in the room. He turned his head as he cursed his own inattention and assumption that everyone had left. Sakumo had clearly just returned; he was still carrying his pack and his tanto was strapped to his back. His expression was carefully neutral but Kakashi saw a slight softening to his face as they locked gazes. His father understood how hard this was for him. Kakashi lowered his eyes and turned back to face the Hokage fully.

"I apologize, Lord Hokage," he said, subdued. "I should not question your decisions."

The corners of the old man's eyes crinkled as he recalled a much more outspoken Hatake protesting when he felt he was being treated unfairly. Though Sakumo hadn't been quite so young as his son at the time.

"It is not forever, Kakashi," Hiruzen reminded the boy gently. "And should a mission come up to which you're suited, it will be assigned to you."

"Yes, Lord Third," Kakashi said.

Hiruzen smiled and turned his attention to the elder Hatake. "Welcome back, Sakumo. I assume your mission was a success?"

"It was. You'll have my full mission report in the morning."

"I look forward to it." It was clearly a dismissal.

"I'm proud of you, Kakashi," Sakumo said as they walked down the corridor away from the Hokage's office.

"I might as well still be a genin," Kakashi groused. "It isn't fair."

If life was fair your mother would still be alive. "We're shinobi. 'Fair' doesn't come into it."

"I know. It's just…"

"You want to do more."

"Yes! But all anyone keep saying is I'm too young!"

"Tell me, what are you supposed to learn by being on a squad?" Sakumo asked as he pushed open the main door and they stepped outside.

Kakashi frowned slightly. "We're supposed to get experience so we can take on more difficult missions."

"That is true, yes. But that's not what I asked."

Kakashi frowned slightly as he mentally replayed the question. He recalled something one of is Academy instructors had said about their post-graduation squad assignments. "Teamwork?"

"Exactly."

"So..?" Kakashi asked when it became clear his father wasn't going to volunteer anything further.

"So," Sakumo said, "While jonin – and more rarely chunin - may carry out solo missions, most are handled by teams. Three or four shinobi with a clear chain of command."

"I know all of this already. What does it have to do with anything?"

"Everything."

"Huh?" Kakashi was thoroughly confused.

Sakumo took a moment to choose his next words carefully. Kakashi was already defensive and Sakumo wanted him to listen, not dismiss what he was saying out of hand because he was upset. "You graduated from the Leaf Academy in a single year. You're also the youngest chunin the village has ever seen. Both of those are testaments to your skill. However, you are still lacking in one critical area – experience. Most chunin were genin for at least a year prior to taking the exams – often two or more years. You saw yourself that most still do not pass their first time. It's been less than a year since you graduated from the Academy. Experienced shinobi are not going to follow a captain with what amounts to no real experience."

"So, we're just back to 'wait until you're older'."

"You are already on your way but remember, there are no shortcuts if you truly want to be a great shinobi someday."

Kakashi sighed. "I know. But –" He broke off as he realized he was whining. He scowled. He wasn't looking for a shortcut, he was looking to show he was capable of more than anyone was willing to let him do.

"Besides, you heard Lord Hokage; you'll be given missions that are suitable for you as they come up."

"Yeah…" Kakashi hoped the words had been more than platitudes. He really didn't want to spend the next five or six years on this team. Having to face the rest of his squad tomorrow was going to be a nightmare. He was the only one who had passed and the others were not going to be happy about it. Maybe I'll get lucky and something - anything -will come up!


Sakumo turned the scroll he held over and over in his hands. It contained a difficult jutsu but he was fairly certain his son could handle it. At least, he hoped so. Kakashi had been unhappy to learn that despite being promoted to chunin he was still assigned to the same team he'd been on for the exams. He had been sulking for days over it, angry at what he felt was the injustice of being treated like a little kid. While Sakumo could sympathize to a certain extent, he understood the Hokage's decision. A six-year old chunin had been unheard of until now and very few older shinobi would be willing to work with him. Forget about taking orders if he was a squad leader. Kakashi was going to have to bide his time on a team until he got a bit older. That he'd been the only one of his teammates to pass had soured his disposition even further. Sakumo had gotten the scroll out in order to cheer him up, though if he couldn't perform the jutsu it would only serve to worsen his already bad mood.

"Kakashi!" he finally called, making his choice. He was the White Fang, dammit - what sort of jonin was he if he couldn't deal with a cranky child, even if he was a temperamental little genius? He got to his feet as his son appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Come outside. I have something I want to show you."

Kakashi perked up at that. Usually that meant his father was going to teach him a new technique or jutsu. He rushed to get his shoes on and followed his father out of the house.

"Do you know what this scroll is?" Sakumo asked, holding the rolled scroll up so Kakashi could see it clearly.

Kakashi shook his head. "No." He was clearly itching to find out.

"This is a summoning contract," Sakumo explained.

Kakashi's brows drew together, furrowing his forehead slightly beneath his headband. "Like Taro?" he asked, putting the pieces together.

Sakumo nodded. "Exactly."

Kakashi's eyes went wide. "You're going to teach me how to summon Taro, too?!" He couldn't hide his excitement.

"Not quite," Sakumo said with a chuckle at his enthusiasm. "Taro is my summons. While you could learn to summon him as well, I think it would be better for you to have your own summons, don't you?"

Kakashi seemed to consider that for a moment. "I guess…" he sounded somewhat disappointed. He shoved his disappointment aside. "What do I do?" He had seen his father summon Taro before, but hadn't yet learned the technique himself.

"First, you have to enter into a contract with the creature you intend to summon," Sakumo explained. "It's a blood contract." He unrolled the scroll and showed Kakashi where his own name was written in blood upon it. "Every time you want to summon, you'll need a bit of your blood in order to do so. The first few times, you may need the scroll as well to use as a focus." Kakashi nodded in understanding. "You can either bite or use a kunai to cut yourself. The kunai may be easier at first."

Kakashi pulled out a kunai. Without hesitation, sliced a shallow cut on the pad of his index finger. Nervous and excited, he wrote his name carefully and as neatly as he could on the scroll beside his father's with the blood that welled up from the small wound. He absently stuck his finger in his mouth the stop the bleeding once he had finished. Sakumo rerolled the scroll. He showed Kakashi the series of hand signs needed to perform the jutsu, making him repeat them until he was satisfied he had them down.

Biting his own thumb, Sakumo performed the proper hand signs, placed his hand on the ground, and allowed his chakra to flow through it. A moment later, Taro appeared. The dog noted the scroll and scent of Kakashi's blood.

"You're teaching the pup summoning, Sakumo? That's pretty advanced stuff. Are you sure he can handle it?"

Kakashi looked affronted at Taro's doubt in his abilities. "I can do it!" he declared stubbornly.

"Alright, then," Sakumo said. "When you finish the hand signs, you place your hand flat on a surface – in this case, the ground – and concentrate your chakra through your hand at that point. This jutsu is also dependent on the amount of chakra you use in your summoning. Too little chakra will summon a young, small creature. Or, more likely, nothing at all. More will summon a larger or more mature one. Do you remember the hand signs?"

Kakashi nodded. Sakumo handed him the scroll. Face scrunched in concentration, Kakashi squeezed his finger to make it bleed again and repeated the hand signs his father had made while holding the scroll.

"Uh oh," Taro commented as he sat beside Sakumo to watch the results. "Your pup's done it now!"

Overexcited or perhaps determined not to fail, Kakashi had channeled a lot of chakra into his summoning. A large cloud of smoke surrounded them. Sakumo could hear the sounds of excited yipping. The smoke gradually cleared. Eight tiny puppies were piled up in front of Kakashi. Sakumo blinked, his eyebrows raising in surprise. He hadn't expected Kakashi to be able to summon anything on his first try, let alone multiple creatures. Taro's mouth hung open with his tongue lolling out in his approximation of a silent laugh.

Kakashi, meanwhile, was frowning at the pile of puppies in front of him. "What the hell is this?" he asked, clearly displeased.

Taro barked out a short laugh. "What did you expect, pup?"

"A real summons!" Kakashi retorted.

Taro sobered instantly. "You just summoned eight ninken! An entire pack! And you're complaining about it?"

"They're tiny little puppies!" Kakashi groused. The puppies were busy sniffing around. They ignored Kakashi, inching towards Taro instead.

"Of course they're little puppies! You're still a puppy yourself!"

"I am not!" He turned to his father. "You said more chakra would summon a larger creature!" he said accusingly.

"It usually does," Sakumo stated slowly, wondering what had happened.

Taro snorted. "Like I told your pup, Sakumo, he's still a pup himself. He's only going to be able to summon pups. Dogs are pack animals, you know. In order for them to truly accept you, you need to become part of their pack. An adult dog won't recognize him as their alpha, no matter how skilled he is."

"What about you?"

"You weren't six years old when you first tried summoning," Taro countered. "It would be different if Kakashi was older. But since he's not…"

"I get it," Sakumo said. He hadn't considered that angle at all. But it did make sense and he had no reason to doubt Taro's word. The ninja hound picked up a puppy by the scruff of its neck and carried it to Kakashi. He deposited it in the boy's lap.

"You'll need to work with them and train together," Taro said, picking up another pup. A few minutes later, Kakashi had all eight puppies in his lap.

"How do I do that?"

"You're a bright kid. You'll figure it out. Later!" Taro disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That's helpful," Kakashi muttered sarcastically. He picked up the smallest of the pups and held it up in front of his face. It appeared to be a pug, brown with a darker brown face. "Do they even have names?"

The puppy in his hands shook its head.

"You can understand me?"

A nod.

"Can you talk?"

The head shook, ears flopping.

"That's going to make things difficult."

The pup barked.

"You'll learn to talk as you get older?"

Another bark and a nod.

"Hm. That's good to know. Do you have a name?"

Another head shake.

"Well, I guess that's first, then," Kakashi muttered. He considered for a moment, tilting his head to one side, studying the tiny puppy he held. "I'm Kakashi Hatake." His tone was solemn and serious. "For you... how about... Pakkun?"

The puppy yipped and licked his cheek. The boy giggled as the wet tongue slid across his face. "Okay, Pakkun it is." He carefully set the puppy down and picked up another. "Hm. How does Urushi sound?" He repeated the process for each puppy. "Shiba, Akino, Uhei, Guguko, Bisket, and Bull."

Sakumo watched his son interact with the summoned puppies. Not only had Kakashi managed a successful summoning on his first try, he'd summoned an entire pack. They were only puppies, true, but if Taro was to be believed that was all he could summon if a proper bond was to form. His lips curved upwards into a soft smile. While trying to be serious, Kakashi looked very much the young boy he was, surrounded by his puppies. They were stumbling around on shaky legs, sniffing at the boy and their new surroundings. Sakumo couldn't have hoped for a better result – the pack of summoned ninja hounds had successfully pulled Kakashi out of his funk. He'd take it.


"They need to return to their own home," Sakumo said a few hours later, finding Kakashi still enthralled with his puppies. Dusk was rapidly approaching.

Kakashi looked crestfallen. "Can they stay for a bit longer? Just for tonight? Please?" He looked up with pleading eyes.

Sakumo suddenly found himself under scrutiny from nine pairs of large, sad, pleading puppy eyes. What the hell!? This is not fair at all! "Alright," he caved. Kakashi never asked for much and it wouldn't hurt anything to give in this once. Kakashi was a responsible boy. "But you are responsible for cleaning it up if they mess in the house, understood? And you'll need to end the summoning in the morning. You have chores to do."

"Thanks, Dad!" Kakashi scooped three of the puppies up into his arms. The other five trotted along behind him, yipping in excitement as they raced towards the house. Sakumo shook his head and smiled ruefully. I should have borrowed Jiraiya's scroll and had him learn to summon a toad!

Sakumo knew that anyone could summon a creature so long as they had a contract with said creature. Even multiple creatures, though each one required a separate contract in order to do so and it would take quite a bit of chakra. Shinobi tended to have an affinity for the type of creatures they summoned, however. While Kakashi may well have been able to summon a toad, Sakumo had suspected his affinity – like Sakumo's own - would be for canines. He had apparently been correct in that assessment.

It wasn't surprising. Many things in the shinobi world were passed on through bloodlines. Most clans had special jutsu that only members of that clan were capable of performing. Others possessed kekkei genkai that were passed on to members of their clan. Chakra nature affinities were often passed on from parent to child. Entire clans tended to share chakra affinity as well. Kakashi had inherited Sakumo's lightning chakra nature. It would make his handling of Sakumo's chakra blade easier when he finally inherited it. Like summons, high level shinobi were capable of using more than one chakra nature. Jonin had to have mastered at least two, preferably three, before they were granted the rank. But their highest level jutsu would always be the one that matched their chakra affinity.

Kakashi spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing with the puppies. Training, he had corrected his father in an affronted tone. As if playing was beneath him. He sat very seriously in front of them as he spoke to them, telling them of the things he hoped to do with them. It cheered Sakumo to watch. If Kakashi bonded with his ninken, he would have faithful companions to aid him on his assignments. Sakumo knew from experience how useful that could be. Taro had saved his life on more than one occasion. It would take some time, he knew. The summoned dogs needed time to grow up and develop their own skills. But once they did, Kakashi would have an entire pack looking out for him.

Later that night, Sakumo stopped by Kakashi's bedroom to check on him before he turned in himself. He stood in the doorway and smiled at the sight that greeted him.

Kakashi lay buried in a literal dog pile. Only the top of his silver head was visible beneath the eight of the summoned puppies that were sprawled on top of the boy while they all slept.