I sadly, do own Naruto, or else I would have renamed it Kakashi!


White Fang, Lightning's Howl: The Secret of the Hatake Clan

Gift of a Lifetime

When he was sure Obito had fallen asleep, Kakashi rose up and sat down beside his sensei, looking up at the stars.

"Kakashi…" Yellow Flash murmured.

Silence.

"You heard him," the sensei said. "Because of your closeness, you hurt each other. Badly. Is this teamwork?"

"Ch." Kakashi snorted. "Closeness. I don't want to be close with any crybaby! To receive pity from a kid like him!"

The future Yondaime sighed.

"You should be easier on him – you are the wiser one. Supposedly."

"Huh."

"Didn't your father say anything about this?"

Kakashi turned away.

"He must have said something. He was a great man. A wise man. Sakumo had a favorite saying, 'What makes a shinobi is not his jutsu but love, loyalty, courage and hard work.' You must have heard it."

Kakashi nodded.

"This may make or break your mission."

It did.


Afterwards, sitting beside his teacher, watching Rin standing alone, his heart was filled with sadness. Obito's love. Rin. Arms wrapped around his knees he thought with sadness and awe about what lay in the future.

The gift of a lifetime. A gift which would remind him everyday. A scar and a gift. A Sharingan which would complete his original jutsu – the chidori.

"You should feel – feel free to feel sorrow," his sensei said softly. "A gift and a death are marked by tears."

As Kakashi hid his tears in the crook of his arm.

"I cry because I should have known," Kakashi said. "I should have listened to you. I should have listened to him."

What makes a shinobi is not his jutsu but love, loyalty, courage and hard work.

"I searched for strength with wrong intentions. I don't know how I feel about That Man anymore. But I do know that from this day onward, friends are more important to me and loyalty will be the driving force."

"Good to hear," Yellow Flash said, with a smile. "A joy comes out of this tragedy."
"But we lost a good genin." Kakashi said.

"Well, Sakumo once told me that power lies within the Hatake. A ritual which actually holds more in it than just heritage. I think you had just as much potential as an Uchiha without the Sharingan."

"It's a tool." Kakashi said. "A way for me to become stronger for Konoha."

A way for me to become stronger for Konoha.

And I have become strong, Kakashi thought as he walked down Hidden Leaf's main street, carrying his finished paperwork. But I am also stuck on a plateau. Something needs to change. But how do I go about getting stronger?

Well, Sakumo once told me that power lies within the Hatake. A ritual which actually holds more in it than just heritage.

Is there really lost secrets, lost jutsus that once belonged to my clan? After the failed mission, he had closed himself off from us – from the rest of the household. I was never able to find out if he finished his researchs.


Looking up, Tsunade smiled.

"You've been busy. Successful, Kakashi. Good. Very Good. But, of course, every shinobi needs a rest. Since I have no desire to send you on a D rank mission, I've got nothing for you as of today. Come back in a couple of days rested and I'll see what I've got for you…."

Kakashi nodded and wandered off.

Even though he kept his eyes, ears and nose peeled, he caught no feeling of Sakura. She must be out. He decided to go home to get rid of his belts, packs and satchels.

Later on, wandering around the town, he found himself in the old section. The silent ghetto of the Uchiha, the busier but silent section allotted to the Hyuuga. A few other large manors. And then the closed gates.

Between the rotting pieces of wood in the fence, Kakashi could see a group of houses on either side of a large walkway, with small plots of earth which was choked by wild flowers.

Flowers and debris littered everything in sight. And at the end of the walkway, loomed the largest house yet – the main manor. His home.