Chapter 7

Genma grinned when he saw what finally confirmed the rumors of who the next Hokage would be.

The entire village had come into the streets to gather in front of the Hokage stone monument. It was packed with shinobi and civilians alike. From the most senior ANBU member to the local innkeeper, all shared the excitement.

While clapping at the announcement, the sandy-haired seventeen year old noticed Kakashi standing on the edge of the crowd, dressed and packed as if ready for a long journey. Genma looked around again for Rin, knowing she had to be nearby, and was surprised to see that she did not have anything that suggested she was going anywhere.

His mouth twitched for his missing senbon. His parents, who were also attending the ceremony, yelled at him to leave it out of his mouth out of respect for the inauguration.

Genma slowly ambled his way over to where Kakashi was standing.

"Oi, Kakashi." Genma raised his hand as if he didn't have a care in the world before returning it to his pocket. The crowd started to cheer loudly again as the new Yondaime waved and made his way over to the edge of the railing for a speech.

Kakashi turned halfway and also raised his hand in acknowledgement when he noticed his friend approaching.

There was something about Genma that Kakashi always thought admirable. The chuunin wasn't as serious in his studies and training as himself, but Kakashi now saw what it was that he liked about Genma. He had seen the older boy's integrity and dependability in action.

After the near embarrassing moment with Rin in the forest, Kakashi waited to see if anything of the incident would circulate among the chuunin/genin teams. None of it had. Genma never said a word about it to anyone else. That was when Kakashi knew he could trust Genma. He could keep things to himself without having to be asked to. Kakashi also realized that both Rin and even Obito understood the importance of knowing when to be discreet. He noticed these qualities were almost as important as how one follows the shinobi code.

Obito had taught me that. A crybaby ninja, but a chuunin nonetheless. Hadn't I overlooked that when he was alive and only concentrated on his weaknesses?

"It's just that I wish people saw more than just his flaws."

"You going somewhere?" The straw-colored hair ninja eyed Kakashi's journey backpack.

Genma's voice stopped him from completely spacing out.

The pair had never really been friends before, but since the incident involving Anko and Rin during the river sweep, Kakashi felt he could finally speak to him freely.

"I've got a mission."

"Solo?" Genma raised his eyebrows ever so slightly at the pre-adolescent standing in a disinterested posture in front of him.

This boy's voice hasn't even really changed yet, and he's out on solo missions?

Kakashi didn't reply. His eyes were watching Rin a few feet away, listening to her Sensei promising his commitment to Konoha.

Genma noted Kakashi's preoccupied attention to Rin and was going to drop the conversation, when the silver-haired jounin finally responded.

"No. Uchiha Itoshi will be accompanying me."

"Oh?" Genma took his left hand out of his pocket and pushed back the hair from his eyes. "Isn't she Obito's sister?"

The crowd roared in applause. Confetti and streamers were thrown into the air. The new Hokage had finished his speech.

Rather than trying to yell over top of the noise, Kakashi nodded. He waited until the cheering died down before he continued.

"She's also been gracious enough to teach me to use the Sharingan."

"That's very generous of her."

There was a short pause.

"Kakashi, I know Rin-san is someone you care about, so I'll look out for her while you're gone."

There were few times when Kakashi found himself stunned with the unpredictable nature of the people he thought he knew. This was one.

"Why?" he finally managed to say.

Genma shrugged. "It's nothing, really." Then he became serious. "You love her, right?"

Kakashi didn't answer, but his unabashed stare at Rin standing in the near distance, however furtive, told Genma all he needed to know.

"I figure, now that your Sensei is Hokage, he'll be pretty occupied. She can come and train with my team if she wants. That way she won't be alone as much."

"Genma-san! Ohayo!"

Genma turned to see Rin pushing her way through the crowd.

"Ohayo gosaimasu." Genma bowed slightly when she finally made it over to them. "I just found out that Kakashi-san is going on a mission."

"Yes, it's a reconnaissance type of mission, so he'll be gone for a while." She exchanged a longer than usual glance with Kakashi.

Genma, suddenly feeling like an intruder, excused himself.

"Oh, my team is probably looking for me," he said, finally removing his hand from his hair. "Good luck, Kakashi."

He started to walk away, then stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Rin-san, if you ever need a group to train with, feel free to come out. We can always use another person."

Rin nodded as she waved and watched Genma disappeared into the crowd.

Kakashi picked up his knapsack.

"Let's go."

Itoshi and Kakashi had traveled all afternoon and had made good distance. Though Kakashi wasn't tired, Itoshi sensed he had his mind on other things. Since it was becoming dark earlier now that fall was beginning, Itoshi decided to stop and make camp when they came upon a small stream.

"We're going to stop here for the night," she pronounced.

His response was half-hearted. "All right."

Itoshi eyed the subdued Kakashi. She obviously didn't know him well enough, but she could see plainly that he was distracted.

Before she could say anything about it, Kakashi stole away to collect wood for a fire. Itoshi sighed as she dropped her bag and began to setup the tents.

By the time she had finished and had gotten out a pot and ladle, Kakashi had the fire ready along with spare wood for later.

The two talked about reconnaissance plans over soup.

"At best, it will take about six months. We'll stop in on some of the ANBU camps along the way. You can receive and post mail there, as well as pick up fresh supplies and have wounds treated if needed. But we shouldn't see any action if we're careful." She laughed a little. "This will probably not be as exciting as you might think it'd be."

Kakashi made no response, only stared into the crackling fire, cup and spoon forgotten as they hung silently from his gloved hands.

Itoshi sighed, surprised at his seeming homesickness. She stood up, brushing the twigs and dirt from her legs, feeling that what he needed was to be alone.

"You're gonna take first watch tonight, right? Wake me up in about four hours."

She waited until she saw a perceptible nod before turning around wordlessly towards the tent.

Hmm. I didn't know he was that sentimental.

Once he knew Itoshi had finally settled into her tent, Kakashi sighed and leaned back against a tree. Relaxing a little, he shut his eyes.

He could almost imagine his team there, just like before - Obito clowning around and Rin trying so hard not to cry because she was laughing so hard. Sensei always encouraged their antics.

"Did you see Gai out on the training grounds doing 500 chin-ups?" Sensei asked in a sing-a-song voice. "You guys ought to take his example. He's so dedicated."

The three snorted. Sensei's humor could be so subtle sometimes that they three never knew if he meant what he said or if he was joking. But if there was one thing his three students agreed upon, it was Gai's weirdness.

"Gai-kun acts like he's on some kind of drug," Rin commented. "He brings it into everything he does. Every day he's trying to get me to have lunch with him." Rin tried not to shudder. "It's like the word 'no' isn't in his vocabulary."

"That's just Gai. You see how he goes after Kakashi." Obito glanced at his teammate. "Speaking of which, I don't know why you even bother with his challenges sometimes," he remarked through a mouthful of dinner. "Why don't you just tell him off? Isn't he annoying?"

Kakashi shrugged, chewing. "Oh, I don't know. It's kind of fun, actually."

Obito spewed out the rice in his mouth, causing Sensei to flinch ever so slightly. Rin's spoon stopped midway between her food and her mouth.

The shocked Uchiha wiped his face with the back of his hand. "You can't possibly be serious!"

Kakashi continued eating, ignoring Obito's dramatics. "I'm always serious, dummy."

Predictably, Obito exploded. "Who're you calling dummy!"

He lunged at Kakashi and the two went after each other, nearly scorching themselves in the campfire. Unfortunately, Rin had tried to grab Obito before he pounced, and managed to pull herself into the mess. And even more unfortunate was the fact that Kakashi had missed his intended target and smacked Rin in the face in the confusion.

There was a shocked silence.

Rin covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

Frightened, Obito froze, his mouth a perfectly round O.

Kakashi immediately scrambled up and went over to a huddled Rin. Sensei watched blankly from across the fire, rearranging the wood pieces that the three had kicked out.

"Rin? Rin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you…" He gently tried to pull Rin's face back to see the damage he'd done, except he only got Rin's eye peeping out from behind the cracks of her fingers.

Rin was trying not to laugh, moving her hands from her face to her mouth. She wasn't crying at all!

Obito keeled over laughing.

"He fell for it! He fell for it! Oh man, that was so great!"

Kakashi stared at them. Rin was still trying to stifle her laughter. Obito wasn't even trying. Kakashi could see tears threatening to overflow from the corners of his eyes.

He looked up at Sensei for some sort of rebuke, anything, but even Sensei was laughing a bit.

"Ah, Kakashi. Honestly…that was just too good."

Obito agreed, finally rolling over onto his back to catch his breath. A few leaves and twigs clung to his shirt. He made no move to brush them away. Instead, he put his arms underneath his head and watched the autumn night sky.

Rin had a red cheek from Kakashi's slap, but she paid it no mind. She too sat down on the blankets Sensei had laid out for them to rest on, sitting with her legs straight out and leaning on her arms, looking at her deflated silver-haired teammate.

"Heh heh…this reminds me of something you used to say, Rin," Obito remarked. "You remember?"

"Yes, that a ninja should always look underneath the underneath," she replied, smiling.

Kakashi leaned against a nearby tree, still feeling somewhat embarrassed by the small joke.

Sensei added some wood to the fire. "Underneath the underneath…that's pretty good, Rin. Where'd you get that from?" he asked.

Kakashi took in Rin's line of philosophy. 'Underneath the underneath.'

"Oh, it's one of Jiraiya-oji's one-liners." She laughed a little, remembering something. "I overheard him saying it to some scantily-clad lady when he and my family were out at a restaurant. But I thought about it, and it seemed to make some sense to me, so I kept it as one of my things to remember."

Kakashi sighed. Thinking about how he had brushed his teammates off in the past gnawed at him. How could he have been that myopic?

And now, on his first real mission away from what had come to take for granted - his Sensei and his old team – he had his moment of enlightenment regarding friendship…and love.

"Itoshi-senpai, please look out for Kakashi for me."

The older girl looked over her shoulder and flashed Rin her toothy Obito-inspired grin.

Kakashi and Rin walked together in silence. Kakashi was thinking of the night before, when they had shared their first intimate moment together. It was his first kiss, and he never dreamed about how good it felt to finally be able to love someone.

Jiraiya was waiting for them at the gate.

Kakashi reached into his back pouch and pulled out a small book. The older man's face lit up when he saw it.

"Ahh, Kakashi-kun!" He came over and ruffled the boy's silver hair affectionately. "You've brought the most important thing for your first mission, hahaha!"

"Your book was the most important thing for his first mission?"

Even Kakashi was startled at Sensei's…no, the Yondaime's sudden appearance.

"I can't believe you've given him that book already. He's fourteen, for heaven's sake."

"All the more reason to get him to learn about the other important things a man should know, right?" Jiraiya cackled.

"Geez." Sensei finally turned his attention to his departing student who was looking at him expectantly.

"I wish you luck on your mission, Kakashi." He squatted to give himself one final long look at the boy whom he felt as much for as if he were his own son. He glanced at Rin. "Rin and I will be waiting for you." Then, he was gone.

He turned to Rin, who stood awkwardly looking at the ground while wringing her hands to stop them from trembling.

Kakashi gently took her right hand in his, memorizing the feeling of warmth radiating from them. Their eyes, one set brown and shining, the other, black and wide, finally met.

There were no words said, and no tears shed.

Kakashi's hand squeezed the hand of the girl that he finally was able to trust.

Rin smiled, and Kakashi felt his heart soar.

Then he jumped into the trees, feeling that if he waited any longer, he wouldn't have the heart to leave.

Kakashi stared at his right hand, the one that had felt Rin's warmth. He could acknowledge that he missed her already, and it only had been a day.

He thought back to the previous night where after the kiss, the two lay in her small bed together, falling asleep in each other's comfort. Although the night was fairly warm and the autumn chill had not yet made its appearance, compared to the heat of last night's slumber, he felt cold and lonely.

O ooooo O oOOO OOO O oooooooooooO

Seven months passed uneventfully.

Itoshi and Kakashi had been periodically checking in at the ANBU camps scattered around the outlying sections of the Fire Country. But today, news of something amiss in Konoha reached the far and somewhat isolated northwestern camp they had stopped at.

Kakashi left Itoshi to stroll into the mail tent.

It had been awhile since they'd stopped by an ANBU camp as extensive as this one. He readily looked forward to reaching one that had mail service. He and Rin had been exchanging letters regularly with Kakashi starting it all about a week after they'd left each other. The letters were usually about a page or two long, with Rin discussing things going on in the village and Kakashi relaying non-sensitive information about his journey in the Water Country.

Distressing news from Konoha began to concern Kakashi. He listened to the chatter in the mail tent.

"They've recalled all active ANBU squads in the camps closer to Konoha," one ANBU said to another, who was busily sorting the mail. "I just got rotated out here, but it must be something big. I wish we knew! News takes time to get here."

"I heard it might be too late for those squads. You heard about the other villages in Fire? They were completely wiped out! Maybe even Hokage-sama can't stop him!"

Suddenly Kakashi felt the need to leave. Now.

Itoshi listened to the same rumors nervously, but mentally talked herself out of the possibility that Konoha was in any real danger.

The Yondaime was famed to be as powerful as the First! Nothing could possibly happen. People are just making a big deal out of nothing.

She didn't really start to feel afraid until she saw Kakashi.

In the seven months they spent on the recon mission, Kakashi endured a small growth spurt and his voice finally settled into a pleasing baritone. Life on the go erased the residual baby fat and he grew into a lean, fit young man. What amused Itoshi was the fact that puberty didn't seem to affect Kakashi; she did not see any signs of the awkwardness commonly seen in boys his age.

But the Kakashi she saw marching towards her now had a different face. It had the usual pale tone with flushed cheeks, but gone was his mask of indifference. Immediately Itoshi knew that the mission had been aborted.

By the time she had registered that thought, he had already disappeared into the forest canopy without waiting to see if she followed.

She quickly grabbed her knapsack and dashed after him.

Kakashi and Itoshi traveled non-stop for almost three days. When they finally reached outskirts of Konoha, they found no guards waiting for them at the gate. In fact, there was no gate.

Their biggest fear was realized. Konoha was in smoldering ruins.

"There are still some buildings standing," Itoshi spoke first, her voice sounding strange in the charged smoky air.

Suddenly, Itoshi remembered why Kakashi had wanted to make such haste to return.

Rin.

As if on cue, Kakashi took off, trying to remember the way to her rowhouse without some of the usual landmarks to keep his bearings. Many were still standing, but scorched beyond recognition.

Rin, where are you?

He stood at the doorstep of her rowhouse. It was still intact, seemingly untouched. But it was dark. She wasn't home.

Again he peeled away, running until his lungs hurt. To his surprise, a great deal of activity surrounded the area near the Hokage tower.

Kakashi had a sudden flash of insight.

The Tower. Sensei. Sensei would be there. Maybe he would know.

He was about to tear up the stairway up the tower when two unrecognizable chuunins blocked him from entering.

"Oi, you aren't allowed in there right now."

It took every ounce of self-control for Kakashi not to use his chidori and blast his way through.

"I used to be one of Yondaime's students," he said breathlessly, yanking down his mask so that he could breathe. "Please, I need to see him."

The other chuunin glanced at his partner dubiously.

"The Yondaime?"

"Yes, is he here? Please, I need to speak with him right away!"

The two chuunin seemed at a loss for words. Kakashi's patience began to wear.

"Kakashi..."

The silver-haired jounin froze. He recognized that voice. Slowly, he turned around.

Genma stood there, the usual calm demeanor Kakashi admired absent. His face was spotted with soot and ash making his eyes shine brightly against the darkness of his face. The chestnut-brown hair was hidden under a cloth bandana tied backwards.

"Genma!" Kakashi greeted, suddenly feeling a bit of hope in seeing a familiar face. "Tell them I need to see Hokage-sama right away!"

"Sandaime is the Hokage again, Kakashi," the older boy said quietly.

Kakashi frowned, not quite understanding.

Genma tried to wipe away some of the soot from his face, but only managed to smear it across his cheeks. "The Yondaime is dead."

Genma watched as he saw Kakashi's hands grip the rail of the stairway so tightly that the knuckles turned white.

"He died so that almost 70 percent of the village could live," he continued quietly but steadily, his voice echoing up the cavernous stairwell.

"What…what took his life?" Kakashi's hoarse voice was just above a whisper.

"The kyuubi."

"Kyuubi?"

"He managed to seal the soul of the kyuubi into the belly of a newborn child. But his life had to be given as a sacrifice. At least this is what I heard from Rin. She, Shizune, and a few other strong med-nins, even Tsunade-sama were all there, but they couldn't save him."

Although he had questions concerning the nature of the said kyuubi, the mention of Rin's name snapped Kakashi out of his stupor.

"Rin!" He grasped Genma by the shoulders. "Where is she? Where's Rin?"

Genma didn't move, only shook his head.

"Last time I saw her was about three days ago before my ANBU squad was called back here." He pointed in the general direction towardsKonoha's walls. "She joined the ANBU med team and is stationed in one of the camps now."

Kakashi slowly released him at the realization that he wouldn't be able to see her today. Genma readjusted his ANBU vest.

There was some shuffling at the bottom of the steps, and Itoshi finally appeared, out of breath.

"There you are! Don't just go running off like that," she muttered in between pants.

Genma ignored her. "Rin's parents died shortly after you left, Kakashi. I know she wrote you, but she told me she wasn't going to tell you so that you wouldn't worry about her." He looked away, feeling mildly uncomfortable at having to break his word.

Itoshi pushed her bangs out of her eyes, but managed to only plaster them to her forehead instead.

"Kakashi…"

But Kakashi didn't hear her. He turned around and started to make his way up the steps, only calmer this time, more deliberate. The two chuunin guards quietly moved out of his way. When he finally made his way to the large, heavy doors of the Hokage's office, he didn't bother to knock.

The Sandaime didn't even turn around to acknowledge the young jounin who unceremoniously barged in.The old man's attention seemed wrapped up in the bundle he held closely to his chest.

"Hatake Kakashi. I knew you would return."

Kakashi bowed low as he made his request. "Hokage-sama, please relieve me of my duties from my current mission in the Wave Country."

The leader of the Fire Country said nothing, only peered out the large window that looked out over the Hokage Monument wall.

Over the Sandaime's shoulder, Kakashi noticed what the man had beenlooking at. Only three-quarters of his Sensei's face had been carved into the mountain.

He didn't even live long enough for that to be completed.

"Tell me why you want to be relieved of your duties, Kakashi. Konoha needs you now more than ever."

"I want to join ANBU."

There was a moment of silence.

"There is a person who is precious to me right now that I need to protect."

The Sandaime finally turned around to face the Hatake boy. Kakashi started when he saw the bundle in the Hokage's arms. A baby?

"He managed to seal the soul of the kyuubi into the belly of a newborn child. But his life had to be given as a sacrifice."

Kakashi stared. Was that the newborn Genma had referred to?

"And what of Konoha?" The Hokage adjusted his hold on the baby so that it sat in the crook of his arm.

"For right now, the village is in your hands, Hokage-sama. I was too late to protect Konoha in its time of need. But I can still protect that one person left of Sensei's team who is precious to me. This person will be the one who will support me in ANBU, and in that way, I can help rebuild Konoha." The young jounin paused. "Because protecting those who are precious to you was why Sensei died and how the village survived. Konoha will rebuild just on that alone."

Sarutobi stared at Kakashi.

This is the same Hatake boy who the Yondaime both praised and despaired over? This was the same boy who wanted to forget his Father's weakness and isolate himself from the love of others?

But the newborn in his arms began to fuss, and the Sandaime dismissed Kakashi with two scrolls – one releasing him from his mission and the other approving his request to be member of ANBU. Sarutobi decided that the lad's new sense of awareness of others was a testament to his growing maturity and determined that the stimulus for the boy's sudden awakening was his team and his Sensei.

Kakashi took one final look at the Hokage and the wailing infant before rushing out of the large oak doors to his new life in ANBU.

What will become of that baby?

As the jounin trotted down the long hallway, a figure who had been leaning against the wall just around the corner of the Hokage's office stepped into view.

Jiraiya watched him until he disappeared into the stairwell.

The next day, Kakashi found himself in the sprawling ANBU headquarters, which had surprisingly survived the kyuubi's attack with little damage.

The night before, he had returned to his apartment, which to his relief was still standing. Opening his knapsack, Kakashi pulled out a small stack of paper tied together tightly with twine. He remembered he had grabbed the most recent letter from Rin before racing back to Konoha, but because of the rush, he hadn't had a chance to read it.

Dear Kakashi,

There has been unsettling rumors that a phenomenon of some kind has been destroying neighboring villages. No one seems to know what is causing such damage, not even Sensei. Jiraiya-oji has not left Konoha, and his constant presence here is worrying me.

Sensei was telling me to be prepared. He's calling the closest ANBU squads back to Konoha to fortify our village. I think I will join the ANBU mobile medical unit to help out. Sensei's worried I'll get hurt, but I can't stand just sitting here and doing nothing. Genma and Raidou have joined ANBU, and Tsunade-sama has personally recommended me to join the ANBU med team. With that kind of support, how can I refuse?

Oh, Jiraiya-oji wanted me to tell you that the second book is ready to be published. I've read the manuscript already and it's pretty good! I'll get a copy for you when it's ready and give it to you when I see you again.

Thinking of you,

Rin

Kakashi had put the letter with the others she had written. He had went to bed early that night but his sleep was fitful.

Standing there while the tailor fitted him for his new uniform, he was wondering about his new feelings of restlessness when he saw Itoshi approaching him from the far side of the main hall.

"I didn't know you were the type to go AWOL, Kakashi-kun." Despite her mild scolding, Itoshi's lips were fixed in a genuine smile.

"I'm sorry, Itoshi-senpai."

"Hey, none of that senpai stuff anymore. You're a jounin and in ANBU now, just like me. We're equals."

"You taught me a lot about the Sharingan these seven months. I don't know how to repay you."

Itoshi suddenly blushed, and looked away in spite of herself.

"Oh, it's nothing." She turned back to him when she felt that her cheeks had cooled. "My brother would have done the same thing."

She turned to walk out of the room, then stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"That tattoo looks pretty sexy on you, Kakashi. I'm sure Rin-chan will notice."

She flashed a cheeky grin, happy to see the stoic jounin pink with embarrassment.

"I'll see you around, Kakashi." Then she was gone.

Kakashi found himself rubbing his right hand absently with his left, a habit Itoshi had noticed and made mention of once when they were catching fish for dinner in the Water Country. He realized he had started doing it after he had missed the warmth from Rin's soft hand on that day they had said goodbye.

Now, the thought also brought back memories of Sensei, and they made his heart heavy. As he blew out a heavy sigh, he knew his teacher would admonish him for dwelling on negative thoughts.

"It's best to channel negativity into something positive. Then at least the future would be better than the past."

First Obito's death had opened his eyes, and now Sensei's death had opened his heart.

Kakashi pulled on his remaining glove up his arm and grabbed his knapsack.

He took one last look at the bustling ANBU compound, and then he too was gone.

Whew! Gosh, I want to thank everyone who's reading my story! I hope I can continue to keep your interests!

Sorry it took so long again! The good stuff is coming now, so hopefully I'll be ready to tackle it :D