Chapter 11
Rumors of another war hung heavy in the air. There was no denying the signs that were pointing toward an outbreak of hostilities. Tensions had been rising between the nations practically since the last war ended. Sakumo could feel the tension when he was out on missions near the Land of Fire's borders. Skirmishes had broken out within the smaller nations that had the misfortune of being caught between the larger, more powerful ones. The Hidden Leaf Village was quietly increasing patrols near the border and stockpiling weapons and supplies in anticipation of increasing hostilities. No one was saying it out loud yet, but the jonin and chunin of the village knew it was almost inevitable. It was only a matter of time before an incident ignited the spark that would plunge the shinobi world into war once again.
Sakumo had already fought in one war. His wife had died in that same war, just months after Kakashi had been born. He had no desire to see yet another. His gaze slid towards his son where he was practicing a new technique. Now ten years old, Kakashi had been a chunin for four years. With a bit more experience, he would be a jonin. He's too young! Sakumo's heart protested. He's still a child! Kakashi had been born during the Second Great Shinobi War. Sakumo desperately hoped that his son would not have to fight in the Third. There was nothing worse than seeing children on the battlefield in his experience. The orphans left behind when their parents were killed were bad enough. Child soldiers was nothing short of horrifying.
The Hidden Stone had been probing the Land of Fire's borders for years, intensifying their efforts in recent months, sending incursions into the smaller nations sandwiched between them. There were rumors of the Hidden Sand's economy flagging. Sakumo was enough of a realist to know both other Hidden Villages were gearing up for all-out war. The Hidden Leaf would be drawn inevitably into it if their smaller neighbors were attacked. For self-preservation if nothing else. If the small border nations fell, it left the Fire Nation's borders vulnerable.
His heart clenched as he thought of Kakashi and his peers being thrust into the battlefield. Most would be fresh genin. They would be woefully unprepared to deal with the horrors that a full-scale war would throw at them. It would be a last resort, he knew, to send the children to war. It did little to ease his fear.
Sakumo sighed softly as he learned Kakashi was being assigned to yet another squad. His son had exceptional skills as a shinobi. But his interpersonal skills were sorely lacking. Much of it was due to his age. At barely ten, he was the same age or younger than many fresh Academy graduates. However, he had graduated long ago and already been a chunin for years; he would likely make jonin soon. Older shinobi resented taking orders from one they perceived as nothing more than a child who should still be in the Academy. Which, in turn, rankled Kakashi. He didn't see what difference his age made; if he was the leader, the others should obey, not argue with him.
Though there was no denying that some of it was his personality as well. Kakashi tended to be plain spoken to the point of being blunt. Sometimes thoughtlessly so. If he disagreed with someone, he told them. When he felt something could be better, he stated it. Unfortunately, tact was not Kakashi's strong suit. Shinobi in their teens, twenties, or older, did not enjoy having a child that stood no higher than their waist telling them they were wrong or how he could do it better. Even if he was right.
As rumors of his stubborn attitude had spread, it had become harder and harder to place the boy on a team. Many, already turned off by his youth and some believing his rank had only been granted because of his status as the White Fang's son, refused to even give him a proper chance. It was frustrating all around. While nobody dared to outright refuse to work with him – at least to the Hokage or Jonin Commander's faces – they made life as difficult as possible for the boy. Who, in turn, doubled down in his determination to prove himself a better shinobi than those who felt he didn't deserve his place. Which led to him being transferred yet again. And again.
The Hokage had told him he was placing Kakashi on a team with one of Jiraiya's former students. Minato Namikaze was a young jonin in his early twenties who was easy-going and friendly, yet extremely talented in his own right as well. He had already begun making a name for himself due to the speed at which he performed transportation based jutsu. His intelligence and skill meant he'd be able to keep up with Kakashi and his easy-going nature meant he wouldn't take offence at the youth's often tactless speech. His open and friendly manner would hopefully model the balance necessary to become a good leader while still maintaining discipline in the squad. The Hokage had spoken with Minato at length about the challenges Kakashi was facing. The younger man had agreed to take the boy on. The Hokage was hopeful that they had finally found a place for Kakashi to thrive.
Sakumo hoped he was right. He was getting discouraged by the rumors he heard about Kakashi. He'd caught more than one shinobi ragging on the boy, only to jump guiltily when they realized his father had heard. Sakumo met stammering back peddling with an icy glare of his own, stammered apologies with stony silence. It was beneath shinobi to act in such a manner. You didn't have to like your teammates but you should at the very least afford them the basic respect they were due as fellow Leaf Shinobi. It had been making for some awkward trips through the village in recent months.
Sakumo knew that as Kakashi got older a great deal of the resentment over his youth would die down. With luck, he would learn some tact along the way, to further smooth the process along. Until then, all his father could do was hope for the best.
Kakashi walked away from the Hokage's office, determinedly not upset at being assigned to yet another team. The past four years had seen him bouncing from team to team, never remaining on a squad for more than a few months at a time. At least he had finally gotten a few solo missions in between hopping teams. He wished he could only carry out solo missions. But the Hokage was still adamant that he needed to be on a squad. It chaffed.
It wasn't that Kakashi didn't want to work with others. While he was perfectly content to be by himself, he wasn't opposed to teamwork. It was just that his teammates never wanted to work with him. They saw him as nothing more than an arrogant child, the son of the White Fang who couldn't possibly have made it this far on his own without his father's name. Proving he was just as skilled – if not more so – than they, only served to heighten the resentment. He couldn't win.
He headed towards the designated training field feeling low. It had been four years since he had made chunin and it felt like things would never improve. Even worse, the jonin for this new squad was a student of Jiraiya's. Kakashi knew his father and Jiraiya had grown up together and had been friends for a very long time. What would his father think when his new jonin leader asked for him to be removed from his team just like everyone else? Picturing the disappointment on his father's face, Kakashi couldn't imagine a worse assignment. He had been told that two of his former classmates from the Academy would also be on his team. As if that was supposed to make him somehow feel better. He felt as if he was not only not moving forward, but sliding backwards.
Kakashi sighed as he trudged up the hill where he could see three figures moving through what appeared to be some sort of training exercise. The sun was behind them so he couldn't make out their identities as he squinted at them. It was already midafternoon. He could have put meeting his new team off until the following morning but decided to get it over with. He might as well get all the bad news out of the way in one afternoon.
The two smaller figures – the genin, Kakashi figured – suddenly turned and headed into the woods across the field from him. Stealth exercise? He mused. Kakashi was already adept at concealing his movements. It was a basic skill taught early on in the Academy. A shinobi who couldn't move through enemy territory undetected was not a very effective one. If his new teammates hadn't even mastered that basic skill yet… This was going to be worse than he thought.
The remaining figure had turned and started walking towards him. As he approached, Kakashi estimated he was in his early twenties. He had blond hair and bright blue eyes. He stopped a few yards away and smiled. Kakashi wasn't fooled by the easy smile for a minute. He could see the way the other's gaze swept over him, assessing.
"You must be Kakashi," he said pleasantly. "I'm Minato Namikaze. I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow."
"Lord Third suggested I come over and meet my new squad," Kakashi said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
"I see. We're getting ready to wrap it up for today but come on and meet the others." If he noticed the resentment in Kakashi's voice, he gave no indication of it as he motioned him to the middle of the training field. Kakashi followed, steeling himself. He was not looking forward to this.
"Kakashi?" came a familiar voice. Kakashi turned and saw Obito bounding towards him. "You're our new teammate?"
"Yeah…" Kakashi suddenly recalled the horrifying conversation they'd had several months ago, where Obito had offered to be on his squad and had mused that Guy should be their third teammate. Oh no! No, no, no, no, no! Kakashi got along well enough with Guy, even though his constant challenges could get tiresome. But being on a team with him where he would be unable to escape his self-proclaimed eternal rival's challenges… He shuddered inwardly.
His fears were alleviated a moment later when the third member of their squad appeared.
"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" Rin asked.
"He's our new teammate!" Obito said, excitedly.
"Really?"
"It seems all of you are already acquainted," Minato cut in with another easy smile.
"We were in the Academy together," Kakashi replied.
"Well, Obito, Rin, Kakashi, that's all for today. I'll see all three of you back here tomorrow morning and we can begin working on some teamwork exercises."
"Yes, sensei," the three chorused.
"This is so cool!" Obito said, throwing an arm around Kakashi's shoulders as they headed away from the training area. "I can't believe you're on our team!"
"But, Kakashi, I thought you were a chunin," Rin said as they left the field.
"Yeah," Obito said. "What gives?"
Kakashi sighed. "Lord Third thinks I'm still too young to handle many solo missions. As if my age has a damn thing to do with anything!"
"Have any babysitting assignments recently?" Obito snickered.
Kakashi glared. It had been almost five years already! Was he ever going to live that mission down? "Shut up!"
"Babysitting?" Rin asked, confused as Obito laughed.
"Yeah, you see, when Kakashi was a genin – "
"Don't you dare!" Kakashi protested.
Obito just grinned and began recounting the tale, with way too much zeal for Kakashi's taste, as they headed back to the village. Rin laughed, but softly and not unkindly as he finished. Maybe, Kakashi thought, this assignment wouldn't be so intolerable after all.
Several weeks later, Minato watched as his team walked off the training field. Obito and Kakashi were bickering, as usual; Rin trying to mediate and keep peace between them. He sighed. They weren't bad kids, he mused. Just young. Unfortunately, Kakashi and Obito were polar opposites, often leading to conflict between them. They were friends and he knew Kakashi had been helping Obito with his ninja training, but they still had a hard time coming together as a team. He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and shook his head slightly. He would just have to keep working with them.
The Hokage had requested he take on Kakashi personally. He had explained the trouble the young chunin had experienced, his being moved from team to team, never fitting in on any of them. The constant shuffling was taking its toll on the youth, no matter how hard he tried to act indifferent and pretend it wasn't. Kakashi desperately needed stability and the Hokage was hopeful that Minato would be the one who could provide it. Kakashi was an extremely talented shinobi; he was intelligent and quick to learn and highly skilled. Minato found it exciting to watch as the boy seemed to absorb knowledge and new skills like a sponge. The White Fang was a legend in the Hidden Leaf. There was no doubt in Minato's mind that his son would one day match or even surpass him.
Speaking of…
Minato turned as the presence he'd felt waiting out of sight nearby began moving closer. As the man came into view, Minato was struck by how ordinary he appeared. Every shinobi in the Hidden Leaf knew of the White Fang. His power surpassed even that of the legendary Sannin. One almost expected a living legend to appear – well – legendary. As it was, the other was a handsome man in his early to mid-thirties with dark eyes that missed nothing. He was dressed in the standard uniform preferred by many Hidden Leaf shinobi with the single addition of a red-tipped white sleeve on his flak jacket. Unruly silver hair would have been in his eyes if not for his headband and the back was long and pulled up into a simple pony-tail that hung midway down his back. His posture was slightly slouched with his hands in the front pockets of his trousers as if he hadn't a care in the world. The resemblance between father and son was remarkable. There could be no doubt in Minato's mind who this was even if he hadn't been expecting him.
"So, you're Minato Namikaze, heralded as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf," Sakumo said as he halted a short distance away. His expression was open and his stance relaxed but Minato wasn't fooled. Sakumo's gaze was sharp and assessing. Not a single detail went unnoticed. "Kakashi's latest jonin instructor. Jiraiya speaks quite highly of you."
"Uh, thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Minato said, flushing slightly at the praise. He greatly admired his former teacher and was pleased that a man he looked up to thought highly of him. He was slightly awed by Sakumo as well. The Sannin and the White Fang were shinobi known throughout the ninja world. Training the child of such a legend was more than slightly daunting. He forced his nervousness down. "I wanted to speak with you regarding Kakashi," Minato continued cautiously.
If Sakumo noticed the younger man's nervousness, he didn't give any indication of it. "Lord Hokage filled me in on his reasons for assigning Kakashi to your squad. He was hopeful that you'll been able to get through to him where others have not." His gaze traveled to the path the genin had taken away from the training field. "Kakashi has not had an easy time settling in on a team. Teamwork does not come naturally to him. He tends to have unnaturally high expectations of his teammates and gets angry and frustrated when they do not live up to his standards. For all his skill he still has much to learn about being a shinobi. But they are things I cannot teach him; he has to learn them for himself." He gave a humorless smile at the look on Minato's face. "Do you think I do not know my own son? Kakashi is smart and talented. But he's also inflexible and stubborn to a fault at times."
"Of course you know Kakashi better than anyone. Lord Hokage has filled me in on the difficulties he has been having with fitting in on a team for any length of time. Kakashi is leagues ahead of his peers in terms of his skill and intelligence. Which is part of the problem." Minato sighed. "He does value his teammates. But he lacks the desire to work as a team. No – that's not it. Not exactly. His skills far surpass the others so he feels he can do it better on his own. Or he realizes that they can't keep up with him and doesn't want them in harm's way. Or getting in his way. It's been… difficult trying to get him to see that they would all benefit from working together rather than him trying to do everything on his own. Even if their skills aren't on his level, they can still help and support one another." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I think he's afraid of losing his teammates so he tries to take all the responsibility onto himself. I'm afraid I haven't yet been able to figure out how to get through to him." He raised his head and met Sakumo's gaze squarely. "But that doesn't mean that I won't." His tone was determined.
Sakumo could see why the Hokage had placed Kakashi with Minato. Kakashi may have just met his match with stubbornness with this young jonin. Minato Namikaze may just be able to get through to his stubborn son where so many others had failed. He chuckled softly, surprising the younger man. "It would seem that Jiraiya and Lord Hokage were on to something after all when they assigned Kakashi to you." He sobered. "However, you didn't ask me to come out here just to tell me all this."
"You're right, I didn't. I'd like to take Kakashi with me on a mission. With your permission."
"Isn't that what a jonin instructor is supposed to be doing with their team?" Sakumo asked dryly. He wished the younger man wasn't so nervous. It was disconcerting how people sometimes acted around him – as if he was some sort of living legend rather than an ordinary man. "You hardly need my permission for that."
"Yes, of course," Minato flushed. He wasn't certain how what he was about to propose was going to go over. "But I'm thinking just the two of us. On an "A" ranked mission."
Sakumo raised an eyebrow at that. "'A' ranked? Are you certain Kakashi's up for that?"
"No. Which is the entire point." Minato swallowed as Sakumo simply waited for him to explain. "Kakashi is used to being the best in his squad. He's accustomed to trying to handle things himself. I want to put him in the position his teammates are in – the ones not as skilled, who rely on their team for help and support in order to accomplish their mission."
"You want to force Kakashi in over his head," Sakumo said, pursing his lips slightly. It was an interesting idea, if unconventional. Unconventional was often the best way to deal with Kakashi and Minato seemed to have figured that out.
"I want to show him that even if he'd be overwhelmed alone, he can still contribute and support his teammates. Perhaps that will show him that the others can still help him and he doesn't have to keep trying to handle everything alone."
"I see," Sakumo said. He had reservations, of course. He was a father first and foremost and Kakashi was his only child. His instinct was to protect him at all cost. Kakashi was also a shinobi, a chunin bound to make jonin shortly. He needed to allow his son to learn, even if it meant failure along the way. He considered the blond jonin before him. Minato was the first jonin instructor Kakashi hadn't spoken of in derisive tones. The boy actually had respect for him, which alone was enough to make Sakumo take note. Jiraiya had bragged to Sakumo about his student and he'd heard the talk amongst the other jonin for himself. Minato met his gaze steadily, his blue eyes never wavering. Sakumo could see the conviction in them, the desire to help his student. "Do as you see fit," Sakumo finally relented. "Just bring my son home safely."
Minato smiled. "I will. You have my word I'll protect him."
Kakashi checked over the items he had laid out on his bed, making certain he hadn't forgotten anything before he began stowing them in his backpack. He was feeling rather smug. Minato-sensei wanted him to accompany him on an 'A'-ranked mission. He was a bit nervous. While he was secure in his own abilities, he'd never been on a high-ranked mission before. A-rank were usually reserved for experienced jonin. Kakashi was still a chunin, though he knew that he'd make jonin once he got some more experience. There weren't many better ways to prove he was ready to advance than this!
He grinned as he buckled his pack shut and checked his weapons pouch once again. He'd checked it three times already but he wanted to make absolutely certain he was well-prepared. It wouldn't do to let Minato-sensei down by not having enough weapons on hand when he needed them. Not for such an important mission. He had a stack of explosive tags, a bunch of smoke bombs, and more shuriken and kunai than he could count in a glance. He closed the pouch, making certain it was secure but he could still easily get his hand into it.
He set the pack and weapons pouch aside, easily grabbed when it was time to leave tomorrow. He was finally, finally getting a chance to show what he could do. Morning couldn't get here fast enough.
