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


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

Retrospection

The next day, he was walking down Konoha when he bumped into Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama. Why're you back so early?"

"Naruto's – succumbed to a jounin a couple of days ago. I've brought his body back for burial."

Kakashi frowned.

"Not Naruto?"

"Well, is it suprising? You never taught him well enough."

As Jiraiya turned, he hair grew shorter.

"But then," Sakumo said, "since when were you worth living for?"

"I don't believe you," Kakashi said, he began the seals for the chidori. He could feel the change of his face and behind him loomed a large shadow. "Naruto won't die until he's Hokage. And ever since I recognized him as strong, he's found reason to live."

Sakumo blurred as if he was a defective hologram.

He remained standing there as Kakashi cut him down with his chidori. As the white-haired man lay on the ground, his face melted away, revealing Kakashi his own, looking disinterested and bland.


Kakashi woke up slowly, turning as he clawed his way out of the dream.

He didn't put much stock in superstition and only in extremities – such as Exams or wars – did he ever visit the town shrine. Dreams, he knew, sometimes helped a shinobi look beneath the beneath.

But this one….

He meditated on it for several minutes. Then he sprang up and removed himself to the nearby river for a wash. As he lathered himself up, he realized that what had held him down before had been fear and inferiority.


All my life I've lived a dull life, fearful of putting myself forward. Fearful of making big influences in other's lives. Perhaps I feel I'm not worthy enough. Well, I do make mistakes but the reason Father committed suicide was NOT because I wasn't worth it.

No.

I was worth too much. And there was his honor and his respect, which he lost – without which he was nothing.

From now on, Kakashi thought, I must promise to not beat myself up and evade public responsibility. Being laid back isn't bad – Obito taught me that – but getting stuck in a comfort zone isn't good either.


He smiled as he thought of Sakura and Naruto.


I will become stronger.

I've got work to do.