Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter posted. I changed One. Little. Detail. a couple of chapters ago and all of a sudden I realized I now have three chapters that no longer fit into the story properly. Ooops. So I ended up completely rewriting this entire chapter four times. Ugg. I think (hope! pray!) this is the only chapter that needed to be completely rewritten so hopefully I can get start getting more of this story posted a bit more quickly. Anyway, enjoy. :)

Chapter 9

Sakumo lounged in the Jonin Standby Station, back to the door, and his long legs stretched out in front of him. He'd been back on active duty for months, the accident that had laid him up for several weeks long behind him. He was due to go off duty shortly and was simply waiting until it was time to go home, barring a last-minute emergency mission. Kakashi should be home for dinner tonight, he mused. As a genin, his son now had his own missions with his team and jonin instructor to carry out. 'D'- ranked, little more than errands around the village, much to the boy's dissatisfaction. Each time he complained, Sakumo simply reminded him that all shinobi had to start somewhere, earning him a sulky reply about how the chunin exams couldn't get here fast enough.

The next set of chunin exams was still months away but Kakashi was already counting down the days. He couldn't wait to advance in rank, allowing him to work solo rather than being required to be on a team with genin twice his age and with half his skill. Genin did not carry out solo missions, no matter their skill level. Chunin did not always carry out solo missions, either. Sakumo had decided to let Kakashi discover that for himself. His son needed to learn how to work with others whether he liked it or not.

Sakumo folded his hands behind his head as he slouched comfortably. The door behind him opened and a group of jonin walked in, chatting. The room was beginning to get more crowded with both those waiting to go on duty and those waiting to come off. He glanced at the clock mounted on the wall across from him. Not quite time, yet.

"I heard you have the White Fang's kid on your team," came a voice from behind him.

That caught Sakumo's attention. He remained still as he listened, completely unabashed at doing so. This room was not the place to have a private conversation and everyone knew it - shinobi ears were sharp and trained to listen. He was curious as to how Kakashi wasdoing. Getting anything more than 'fine' or a litany of complaints about how boring 'D'-ranks were out of his son was near impossible when he asked about his training. He hadn't wanted to go to Kakashi's sensei. He didn't want to give the impression that he was one of those overbearing parents who needed to know every detail of their child's day. He also didn't want to be told what they'd think he'd want to hear rather than the truth. Sakumo was well aware Kakashi could be challenging to work with; he didn't appreciate the sugar-coating that others sometimes put on it in order to appease him.

"Huh, the White Fang has a kid?" came a second voice. Sakumo didn't recognize either of them but that wasn't unusual. The Hidden Leaf had a large number of shinobi and jonin often carried out missions alone and for extended periods. While the ultra-elite was a small circle, it was entirely possible to not know more than a fraction of those in the regular forces.

"Yeah," said a third voice unenthusiastically. That must be Kakashi's team leader.

"Well? What's that like?" came the first voice again. "I heard from one of the Academy instructors that the kid is supposed to be a genius or something. He graduated in a single year! That's gotta be some sort of record. That makes him, what - eight, nine?"

"Six. He's six." The words were said with a sigh. Sakumo resisted the urge to turn to get a look at his son's jonin instructor. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. He wanted to hear what the man had to say.

A short burst of laughter followed by, "Damn. Six? Really? Anyway, what's it like?"

"It's a nightmare," was the tired-sounding response after a brief pause. "I'm going to ask Lord Hokage to assign him to a different team."

"What?! You have the son of one of the most famous ninja in the village on your team and you're going to ask the Hokage to reassign him after barely two months? Why?"

"Because it's not working out. He's not working with his teammates. The kid's got talent, I'll give him that, but he's barely six. His teammates are both thirteen. They don't want to work with a little kid and I can't completely blame them. It doesn't help that he's at least as skilled as they are. I spend more time breaking up fights than teaching them anything."

"So you're just going to kick the kid off the team? That's insane!"

"Why would that be?" came a dry response. "Because his father's the White Fang? Someone else wants to suck up to his dad, they can go right ahead. I need to do what's best for the team and that's getting Kakashi off of it."

It was a bit disappointing to hear his son wasn't fitting in and that his instructor wanted him off of the team. Sakumo forced himself to look at the situation objectively. The other jonin was correct; a team that couldn't work together was more dangerous to themselves than any enemy. On the other hand, shinobi were trained to work in squads and were expected to do so regardless of their personal feelings about their teammates. A part of him couldn't help but wonder why the other man wasn't focusing more on finding a way to make his squad into a cohesive unit rather than dumping the piece that didn't fit in. Sakumo pushed the thought aside. It was not his call to make, the Hokage was the one who would approve the transfer or not.

He glanced at the clock again. Finally, time to go. Rising gracefully to his feet, he heard a soft, startled gasp behind him. As he turned to make his way toward the door, he saw three sets of eyes on him, two wide with surprise and worry, one narrowed slightly. He inclined his head slightly as he passed, not pausing or stopping. Eavesdropping aside, he was staying out of Kakashi's business when it came to being a shinobi. He wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by inserting himself into things and Kakashi would only resent him for it.

"Hatake!"

Sakumo stopped and turned toward the speaker. One of the jonin, the one who had been glaring at him, strode up to him as he stood in the middle of the hall. "What can I do for you?" Sakumo asked pleasantly. His tone only seemed to anger the other man. His face darkened as his scowl deepened.

"What are you playing at?!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry?" Sakumo's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Where are you going?"

Sakumo bristled slightly at the other's tome. "Not that it's any of your concern but I'm heading home. I'm off duty."

"You're not going to see Lord Hokage?"

Ah, Sakumo realized, so that's it. I thought as much.

"No," he said out loud. "Kakashi is my son and I love him and I'm concerned about him, of course. However, short of the threat of serious injury or death, I will not get involved with his duties as a shinobi. His actions and behavior are his own and he needs to learn to handle the reality of the shinobi world. Better for him to learn now as a genin in the Village than later when lives are on the line."

The jonin stared at him for a moment, eyes searching. Then he sighed, his aggressive stance relaxing somewhat. "I see," he said slowly.

"I may not like everything that I hear but I much prefer to hear how Kakashi is really doing rather than some sugar-coated version because that's what you think I want to hear. You're his jonin leader. If you feel that he cannot work on your team, then that is between you, him, and Lord Hokage. Now if you'll excuse me, I haven't had a chance to sit down and enjoy a meal with my son recently and he should be home in time for dinner tonight." He turned and continued on his way, leaving the other jonin standing alone in the hallway.

"What's it like being a genin and getting to go on missions and stuff?" Obito asked. He walked over to the target and pulled the shuriken he'd thrown free from the wood. Only one had hit the edge the center ring but at least they'd all hit the target. He was improving with Kakashi's help. "It's gotta be so much cooler than sitting around in a classroom all day."

"Boring," Kakashi replied. "D-rank missions are nothing more than errands – finding lost cats or babysitting or walking dogs or helping some lazy noblewoman with shopping. How are we supposed to learn to be shinobi doing stuff like that?" He didn't mention that babysitting was extremely difficult when you were barely older than the child you were supposed to be babysitting for. In some cases he was even younger, much to his mortification. Apparently sitting on the brat to keep them from running off was especially frowned upon, even if they were bigger than him. It was enough to make Kakashi swear he would never have children.

"I thought you were supposed to learn to work with a team in a non-lethal setting."

"Right, because carrying some lady's shopping is a great way to develop teamwork," Kakashi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He hurled three shuriken in rapid succession. All three hit dead center.

"What are your teammates like?"

"Obnoxious."

Obito rolled his eyes. "It can't be that bad. I mean, you're all genin, right? It's not like you're still stuck in a first-year Academy class." Obito was still slightly in awe of the fact that the other boy had graduated from the Academy in just a single year. While he was still a bit jealous of Kakashi's natural talent, the resentment he'd felt about it had since faded. Once Obito had begun breaking through his walls, he found Kakashi wasn't at all the arrogant, condescending jerk he'd always thought. For all his genius, the other boy had a hard time relating to other people, so he hid behind a mask of bored indifference. Obito had forced him out of his comfort zone and discovered the other boy to be loyal and always willing to help his friends. He'd made decent progress in the past few months with his own training with Kakashi tutoring him. "Shouldn't you all know the same stuff?"

That was what Kakashi had thought. He'd been excited to graduate from the Academy, figuring he'd now have the opportunity to be partnered with others of his own skill level. Instead, he was stuck with two teenagers who treated him like a little kid, speaking down to him as if he was stupid when they bothered to speak to him at all, telling him to be quiet when he did try to say something, and lashing out at him when he proved more skilled than they were.

"Not even close. It doesn't matter, anyway," Kakashi said. "I overheard sensei muttering something about switching teams. Good riddance!" He flung a kunai at another target.

"Wait! What? Kakashi – "

"It happens. I don't care." The silver-haired boy yanked the kunai from the target.

Obito shook his head. Kakashi may be bad with people but he was a skilled shinobi. Obito could tell that in spite of his words to the contrary, Kakashi was upset with the situation. "Well," he said, trying to cheer the other up. "You just wait until the rest of us graduate! I'll be on your team. Hmm… who else...?" He pretended to consider for a moment, then grinned suddenly. He waited for Kakashi to ready another kunai. "Guy. We definitely need Guy on our team."

Kakashi's eyes went wide with horror. He liked Obito and Guy well enough but the idea of being on a team with his self-proclaimed eternal rival was nothing short of appalling. The kunai glanced off the side of the target and Obito fell to the ground laughing.

"You should see the look on your face!"

"Jerk!" Kakashi muttered, sending Obito into another fit of laughter. He shook his head and allowed a small smile. "Come on, it's getting late. I told Dad I'd be home for dinner tonight." He reached down and clasped Obito's wrist, pulling his to his feet. They collected their scattered weapons.

"Do you really think you're going to be getting a new team?" Obito asked as they left the training ground.

Kakashi shrugged. "That's what it sounded like. I'll let you know when I have time to help you again."

Obito grinned. "Alright! See ya, Kakashi!" He scampered away as they reached the main street. Kakashi turned and headed towards home.

Over the next few weeks, Kakashi trained with his new genin team. There was no love lost between him and his new teammates any more than there had been between him and his last ones. At least his new teammates reluctantly agreed that the youngest member of their squad was skilled. Skilled enough to get them through the upcoming chunin exams. Kakashi knew he needed a team in order to enter, so he bit his tongue and focused on accomplishing their almost ridiculously simple tasks.

Kakashi was alone in the house, his father had been off on a mission for the past few weeks. It was nearing noon. His team had completed their assignment early that morning and their jonin leader had decided against more training that afternoon, leaving them free for the rest of the day. Kakashi got up from where he had been sprawled on the couch reading to fix himself some lunch. He was halfway to the kitchen when the front door opened.

"Dad! You're home!"

"So are you," Sakumo stated as he dropped his pack by the door. He was covered in sweat and road dust and was glad to be home again.

"Sensei let us go early."

"I see." He toed off his sandals, leaving them in the entryway as he walked further into the house. "Let me get cleaned up then you can tell me all about what you've been up to these past few weeks while I've been gone."

"There's not much to tell," Kakashi muttered sourly.

Sakumo ruffled his hair on the way past. Kakashi continued to the kitchen to prepare lunch. They sat at the table once Sakumo had washed the weeks of road-dust off and changed into blissfully clean clothes.

"How's your new team been working out?"

"Fine," Kakashi said. "Really," he said under his father's sharp gaze. "We need each other if we're going to get through the chunin exams."

It sounded as if his teammates were merely tolerating Kakashi. Sakumo wasn't happy about that but he supposed it was a step up from the outright hostility of his last team. He kept those thoughts to himself. "You're planning on participating?" he asked instead.

"Of course! Babysitting is hardly a ninja mission!"

"Even when the kid is older and bigger than you?" Sakumo asked innocently. Kakashi glared. Of course someone would have made certain his father heard about that. He lapsed into sulky silence as they ate, pointedly ignoring his father's amused grin.

Once the table was cleared and the kitchen cleaned, Kakashi stuck his nose back into the book he was currently reading. He was almost finished with it and had a whole stack sitting in his bedroom awaiting his attention.

Closing the back cover, Kakashi headed toward the kitchen to get himself a glass of water before deciding which book to tackle next. Standing at the counter, a flash out the window caught his eye. Setting his glass aside, he climbed onto the counter to get a better look. His father was in the back yard, moving through a complicated kata. A streak of white chakra followed the path of Sakumo's tanto as he swung it. Kakashi watched for several minutes, entranced. His father's movements were graceful and fluid, powerful and deadly. Jumping down from the counter, Kakashi headed outside.

"Hey, Dad?" Kakashi said when his father completed the kata.

Sakumo lowered the sword and looked towards him. "What is it?"

"Will you teach me kenjutsu? We didn't learn it at all at the Academy and everyone I've tried to ask just tells me to come back when I'm big enough to hold a sword properly."

"Well, they are right that you're too small to use a katana or the like," he said. "You also realize that it will take time to become proficient. It isn't like learning a new ninjutsu technique. It requires constant practice to maintain your skill, much less improve." Not that he was worried about that. Kakashi had always trained hard.

"I know. I just… want to learn. Please?"

Sakumo studied his son for another moment. Kakashi was a bit subdued. Sakumo suspected the friction on his team bothered him more than he was willing to admit. It certainly wouldn't hurt to teach him kenjutsu – the more ways he had to protect himself, the better. "Alright. Wait here."

Kakashi perked up instantly. He waited obediently while Sakumo went inside and searched for a suitable practice blade for him. It was sized and weighted similarly to Sakumo's white chakra saber. Sakumo knew Kakashi would not be able to handle a long blade yet but a tanto would be manageable. Kakashi's face fell slightly when his father handed him the practice sword. Not missing the look of disappointment, Sakumo smiled and ruffled his hair.

"You need to learn the basics before anything else," he said. "Besides, this –" he indicated the tanto he carried on his back "- is my blade. I will pass it to you some day. Maybe wait until after I pass thirty, at least, huh?"

"I just wanted to learn… I mean, it looks so cool!"

Sakumo chuckled softly. "Once you get the basic techniques down I'll teach you about channeling your chakra through a blade. One step at a time."

Kakashi nodded. He understood what his father was saying and knew he was correct. That didn't mean he wasn't a bit impatient. He gave the sword a few practice swings. It was longer and heavier than he was used to. Once Kakashi had a feel for the blade, Sakumo drew his own, reinforcing basic cuts and blocks. Kakashi mirrored his movements. Satisfied that Kakashi had a grasp of the very basics, he began a simple kata, designed to reinforce them. Kakashi followed his movements. Sakumo paused after each move, checking that Kakashi's position and footing were correct before moving to the next.

They repeated the kata several times, until Sakumo was certain Kakashi had it down. He watched his son move through it a few more times, his face scrunched with concentration. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he watched. He remembered learning kenjutsu from his own father when he had only been a couple of years older than Kakashi was now. He was glad that his son wanted to learn, though he suspected that Kakashi's true strength lay in ninjutsu, like his mother. Time would tell.