Chapter 18

Sakumo was not in a good mood the following morning. They had been in the Village Hidden in the Valley for five days. He was sick of waiting around, especially in light of the previous day's events. His arm was sore and his face still tender and bruised. He noted that the swelling around his eye had gone down as he retied his pony-tail. It was something, he thought darkly.

Gathering Dai, he headed for Ejiri's office. Sakumo had debated bringing the other man along to sit and watch the political posturing that was about to ensue. The attack the previous day convinced him to keep the genin in sight at all times. While there had been no serious injuries, Sakumo wasn't taking chances. He was suspicious of Ejiri's claims that the perpetrators had been caught so quickly. He had his theories but until he knew for certain that the Land of Rivers wasn't about to become an enemy he wanted Dai where he could protect him.

There was no sign of Yutaka as they walked through the inn's common room. The innkeeper was usually puttering about in the mornings, sweeping the floors, wiping down the counter and tables, or just generally setting things right. Sakumo frowned slightly as the possibilities ran through his mind. It was probably benign, perhaps he had an errand to run or something elsewhere in the inn that required his attention. Sakumo made a mental note of his absence anyway.

Dai hurried to keep up as Sakumo covered the distance to Ejiri's office with long strides. His disposition had changed from the easy-going and relaxed posture Dai had become accustomed to over the past few days. There were no more hands in his pockets as he ambled along, his shoulders slouched, seemingly carefree. Now he stood upright and alert, his sharp gaze taking in everything around him. He radiated the quiet confidence of one who knew their own power and didn't need to boast of it. This was the White Fang known and feared by the other villages.

They reached the office building without incident. The door to Ejiri's office stood ajar. Without breaking his stride, Sakumo pushed the ornate doors fully open and walked through. Ejiri was sitting behind the large desk. Unlike the last time they had been in this room he was not bent over a pile of paperwork but sitting upright, clearly awaiting their arrival. Yutaka stood beside him. He was no longer dressed in the civilian clothing of an innkeeper but the uniform of a shinobi of the Hidden Valley. The leader of the shinobi who had challenged him the previous afternoon stood on the far side of the office. He held his hands up and slightly away from his body to indicate he was not a threat as he saw the corners of Sakumo's eyes tighten and his fingers twitch ever so slightly – a reflexive reaction to a perceived threat. Sakumo kept his chakra tightly under control but his posture still radiated danger.

"I suppose you want some sort of explanation," Ejiri stated as Sakumo halted before his desk, his expression once again carefully neutral, giving nothing of his thoughts away. "Yutaka is my head of security for the village."

Yutaka smiled disarmingly as Sakumo glanced at him. "I'm certain you already figured out I was not just a simple innkeeper," he said. Sakumo nodded. He had suspected as much from their first evening. Yutaka's expression turned serious again. "I'm afraid I must apologize for your little run-in with our Asahi and his team yesterday. They were under strict instructions to test you, not hurt you."

"A test," Sakumo repeated. He had already reached that conclusion. "Why?"

"To test the might of the Hidden Leaf's jonin. To see if the rumors of the prowess of the White Fang were true. I did not want unnecessary bloodshed. I knew that if cornered, you would be forced to attack aggressively. My men were ordered to disengage should it become clear that you would use deadly force against them. Holding your own while fighting purely defensively against six opponents while defending a fallen comrade is remarkable. You certainly live up to your reputation." Yutaka looked a bit uncomfortable. "Though I have some doubts as to the rest of your jonin…"

"Oh?" The single word was spoken in a deceptively mild tone.

"I took down your companion with a single blow before he had any idea I was there," Asahi said, his voice very nearly a sneer. "Becoming complacent even in your home village can be dangerous and doubly so in an unfamiliar one. Any jonin worthy of the name knows that."

"I'm a genin," Dai said quietly.

There was a full minute of startled silence, then Asahi burst out in laughter. "Are you kidding me?"

Dai flushed and stared at the floor, embarrassed that he had made the Hidden Leaf appear weak. Sakumo's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed as he pinned Ejiri and his shinobi with his glare. He was clearly angry. He was tired of whatever hidden agenda the Hidden Valley had, tired of playing their waiting game, tired of politics. He wanted to go home. "That is quite enough," he said, the menace in his voice made all the more frightening for its calm.

Asahi got his laughter under control. "Really?" he drawled, still clearly amused.

Sakumo heard the challenge in the single word. He simply pinned the other man under a flat stare. He was not in the mood for this.

"You get so upset over an insult to a genin? You disappoint me, White Fang of the Leaf." The words were spoken with bravado, but Asahi couldn't hold Sakumo's unwavering glare.

"Life's full of disappointments," Sakumo said. "You can imagine mine when we were attacked for no reason." The temperature in the room seemed to drop at the coldness in his tone. Sakumo was a patient man but he had his limits. Insulting his comrades was not something he tolerated. "If this is how the Land of Rivers treats those who have come to negotiate in good faith, perhaps the Hidden Leaf should reconsider an alliance."

"You would disobey your Hokage's orders to bring back this treaty?" Ejiri challenged.

"My duty is to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. If I determine that this treaty is not in our best interest then I will report as much to Lord Hokage along with my reasoning." He stuck his hands into his pockets as his words hung in the air. Sakumo was well aware that the Hokage would be less than pleased should he return without having secured an alliance. He was unwilling to court a nation that was willing to attack guests without cause. This time it had been a test. It had been mostly due to his own restraint and unwillingness to jeopardize the potential alliance that no one had been killed. The next time they may not be so lucky; the dull ache in his arm was a grim reminder of that. The Hidden Leaf would be better off continuing as they were rather than having untrustworthy allies watching their borders.

Ejiri met the stormy grey gaze leveled at him without flinching. Sakumo's expression was blank, allowing nothing of his thoughts to show in his expression. His posture was relaxed, almost insolent with his gloved hands in his trouser pockets and shoulders slightly slouched. Ejiri wasn't fooled into thinking Sakumo's guard was down, either physically or mentally. His eyes held anger and resolve. He was well aware he may be punished by his Hokage for failing his mission by not returning with a treaty and that was a consequence he was willing to accept.

Ejiri held Sakumo's gaze for another handful of heartbeats. Then he spoke. "The Village Hidden in the Valley agrees to your Hokage's proposal of an alliance on one condition."

"What is that?" Sakumo asked warily.

"We wish you to remain here and help train our shinobi."

"I am certain we can arrange for some shinobi to – "

"You misunderstand," Ejiri interrupted. "We don't want just anyone. We want you, the White Fang of the Hidden Leaf."

"That's impossible."

"That's our condition."

"Why? Why me, specifically?" Sakumo answered his own question. "Let me guess, you want someone with my reputation. You believe I'll help your village produce superior shinobi." He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that."

"If you refuse, then we're done here!"

Sakumo straightened, his hands dropping to his sides. "Even if I remained here it would not help you. If it was so simple a matter of having powerful shinobi teach others, don't you think the Hidden Leaf would have an army of the most powerful shinobi to walk the earth at her disposal? We have the Sannin, after all - the Legendary Three - as well as the Yellow Flash. We have the descendants of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. We have Hiruzen Sarutobi, widely regarded as one of the most powerful ninja to ever live. Not to mention numerous Clans with their secret techniques and kekkei genkai.

"There is a reason I never became a jonin leader within my own village. I can teach tactics and formations, stealth and justu. So can any other decent shinobi. What I can not teach is instinct. I cannot teach how and when to know to listen to your gut, even when your head says it's wrong. I cannot teach how to make split second decisions without consciously realizing it in the heat of battle. Those are things that are innate or learned and honed through experience.

"The Five Great Shinobi Nations are at war," Sakumo continued softly. "If I agreed to remain here to train your people, then another would be sent into that war in my place. I cannot accept that. I will not accept that. I will not remain in relative safety while my Village is at war, while my friends and comrades are dying in that war. Not when I can aid them. If you insist on it then I will request to return after the war is over. But I will not stay here until then."

There was a long moment of silence while Ejiri seemed to size up the man standing in front of him, as if weighing his resolve. Sakumo met his gaze evenly. He had meant what he said. he would not spend weeks or months here while the Hidden Leaf was still embroiled in the Third Shinobi War. It was not hubris to know that his village needed him to fight.

Finally, Ejiri spoke again. "The stories of the White Fang are true, it would seem. You are hailed as one of the most powerful shinobi of our time, renown throughout the shinobi world, your reputation known even in a village as small as ours. Yet you remain an honorable man." He gave a small smile. "I will accept what aid your village is willing to provide for training our shinobi in addition to the other terms set forth by your Hokage." He held out a scroll to Sakumo, who accepted it.

Sakumo unrolled the scroll, his eyes skimming the contents. It was already signed and bore Ejiri's mark. He looked at the other, quirking an eyebrow.

"I had to try," Ejiri said without a trace of remorse. "The prestige we could have earned by having our shinobi trained by the White Fang… Well, you understand, of course."

"Of course," Sakumo said dryly. He didn't, in actuality. He was a terrible teacher. It would be impossible for him to train another to his level unless they already possessed similar innate skills and intelligence. No matter how hard one tried, some things simply couldn't be taught. He rerolled the scroll and tucked it safely into an inner pocket of his flak jacket. "We shall return to the Hidden Leaf at once."

"Of course. We look forward to furthering our friendship with your village."

Sakumo sketched a short bow, then turned on his heel and left the office, Dai close behind. They returned to the inn and gathered their belongings. Yutaka was back behind the counter when they emerged into the common room once again.

"I hope you will not hold yesterday's events against us," he said. "The Land of Rivers is in a precarious position, situated as we are between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. We managed to avoid being drawn into the Second War. I suppose it was too much to hope that we could remain neutral in the Third." He sighed as he met Sakumo's gaze. "The Hidden Rain is a grim reminder of what happens to a small nation that gets caught in the middle of the Elemental Countries wars," he explained. "Their country was ravaged by the conflict between the Hidden Sand, Cloud, and Leaf. Once the War ended, they were abandoned and left on their own to rebuild without any help from those who had destroyed their land to begin with. I have read your Hokage's proposal. While it promises aid, I harbor doubts as to if it would be more than a token effort on your village's part."

Sakumo couldn't refute what Yutaka was saying. He had expressed as much to Dai several days prior and the Hokage when he had been assigned this mission in the first place. "What changed your mind?" he asked, certain that the other had been against an alliance at first.

"You."

Sakumo blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "I beg your pardon?"

Yutaka smiled at Sakumo's bemused expression. "You have quite the reputation, White Fang of the Hidden Leaf," he said, purposely using Sakumo's moniker. "While most stories are of your prowess and ferocity in battle there is another piece that sticks out, that sets you apart from other powerful shinobi." He paused. "It is said that you are an honorable man. I sent Asahi to test you, to see if that was true. Your first instinct was not to attack but to diffuse. Not only did you stay your hand in battle, you did not seek reparations or punishment against your attackers afterwards. I'm sure you wanted to avoid conflict in order to carry out your mission," he said with a dismissive wave of one hand. "But tell me honestly, Sakumo Hatake, would you have done any different if that weren't the case? You do not strike me as a man who holds a grudge."

Sakumo gave a small shrug. "Holding grudges takes too much effort."

Yutaka gave a soft snort of laughter. "So it does. At any rate," he continued, "I am certain you are eager to return home." He reached behind the counter and placed a parcel on it. "Emiko has packed a lunch for you both to enjoy on the road. She will be most insulted should you refuse. She is well aware that shinobi subsist on an unhealthy diet of rations and food pills."

"Give her our thanks." Sakumo accepted the parcel graciously, carefully putting the lunches into his pack before shouldering it.

Yutaka grinned. "I shall. Should you pass this way again, my inn will always have room for you. Farewell!"

Sakumo and Dai said their farewells and exited the inn. Sakumo was impatient to return to the Hidden Leaf. He knew he'd be sent back out into the War almost as soon as he returned. With luck, Kakashi would be in the Village and he could spend some time with his son before then. He had missed much of Kakashi's early years while fighting in the Second Shinobi War. Now he was forced to miss even more of his life while away in the Third. He hoped desperately that this new alliance would mean the Hidden Leaf could finally make some headway and perhaps find a way to bring this conflict to a close before his son was forced into it.

As they neared the edge of the village, he saw Asahi was loitering near the gates as they came into view. He pushed off the wall he had been leaning against as he spotted the Leaf shinobi.

"Can we help you?" Sakumo asked warily as he approached.

"I feel I should apologize. Truly, it was never anyone's intention to cause injury. Or insult." His eyes flicked to Dai momentarily. "Lord Ejiri and Master Yutaka are only trying to look out for the best interest of our people and village." He sighed. "Our village is small. We only have a few jonin level shinobi. Should one of the Elemental Countries decide to attack us, we would fight and we would hold out for a little while. But we would ultimately fall. Five of my best men and myself were barely able to hold our own against you and you were not fighting in earnest. It was… a sobering experience." After a moment, he raised his head and grinned. "I would enjoy the chance to spar the next time we meet," he said.

Sakumo managed a smile. "I look forward to it."

"Until then. Safe travels to you both."

"We'll take the road back," Sakumo said as they started down the road away from the village. It would shave an entire day off their journey and there was no longer any need to conceal their destination from prying eyes. He inhaled deeply, glad to be heading back to the Hidden Leaf. "Let's go home."

Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief as they crested a rise and the Village Hidden in the Leaves came into view. He was always glad to walk back through the gates of his home. A few minutes later they had passed through the massive gates.

"I'll go report to Lord Hokage," Sakumo said as they passed the guard station. "He'll be eager to see this." He patted his flak jacket where the treaty was tucked safely away. He bid Dai farewell and turned towards Hokage Tower.

"How did your mission go?" the Hokage asked a few minutes later as Sakumo walked into his office.

"The Hidden Valley has agreed to ally with the Hidden Leaf," Sakumo said as he handed the scroll over to the Hokage. "With some minor provisions. Mainly that we send some shinobi to help them train theirs."

Hiruzen accepted it, unrolling it and scanning the contents. "Excellent work," he said, smiling up at the other man. His smile slipped a bit. "And your impressions of Dai?"

"He handled himself well enough. As well as any other genin." He briefly recounted their journey to the Land of Rivers and the events that had occurred while there.

"I see," Hiruzen said slowly. He studied the jonin across his desk. Sakumo was an honest man. He had been asked to assess Dai and so would do so and give an accurate report. He sighed softly. "You certainly leave me in a tough spot."

"Sorry?"

"As I previously told you, it was recommended that Dai be dropped from being a shinobi. It is clear that he will never advance as a shinobi. By all accounts he can barely handle the simplest of assignments." Hiruzen rubbed a hand over his eyes. "And now you're telling me that he did just fine."

"You said that you asked me to evaluate Dai because I was the only jonin who would even consider working with him, that I wouldn't allow preconceptions to cloud my judgment." At the Hokage's nod, Sakumo continued. "Maybe the problem isn't so much Dai as it is the other shinobi. You said it yourself – others expect him to fail. He hides it beneath a cheerful exterior but he is well aware of what the shinobi of our village think of him. He lacks any ninjutsu skills and his taijutsu is simply not sufficient to make up for it so it is true he will likely never advance as a ninja. Though perhaps with a supportive team, someone who treats him as a comrade rather than a joke, he would at least be a productive genin. Perhaps he could even advance to chunin."

Hiruzen considered Sakumo's words for several moments. What Sakumo said made sense. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. Right now, in the middle of a war, they were already short-handed. There was no way to find a team suitable for the genin right now. He sighed again. Dai would have to wait.

"Thank you, Sakumo."

Sakumo nodded once. "And Dai?"

"Will remain a shinobi. There is nothing more I can do for him right now. Perhaps once the war is over…"

Sakumo understood what he was saying. The Hokage couldn't worry about one man when the entire village was embroiled in a war. Hiruzen had done what he could by sending him with Sakumo and keeping him as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf. Anything more would have to wait. At least the burden would not fall to Guy. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do.

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "In any event, you do not have time to worry about that. I have your next assignment." He unrolled a map across his desk. Sakumo moved so he could see it clearly. The borders of the Land of Fire were clearly marked along with what appeared to be notations depicting troop movements and patrol locations.

"I'm going to patrol the border?"

"Yes. I'll allow you to put your own team together. The Hidden Stone has been sending an increasing number of incursions into the Land of Fire. We need to dissuade them of continuing. Thus far it has been limited to small groups. We believe they are testing our strength, looking for weak spots along our border."

"Or it's a feint for a larger invasion, possibly from the Hidden Cloud, if they've allied."

Hiruzen nodded gravely. "That is a possibility as well. That is why I have dispatched a number of jonin teams to patrol and investigate. You leave the day after tomorrow."

"I understand. I already have a team in mind."

"Good." He paused. "There is one more thing…"

Sakumo didn't like the Hokage's sudden change in tone at all. "What is it?"

"Kakashi has been recommended for promotion to jonin."

"He can't be a jonin. He's twelve," Sakumo protested.

"As I recall, you weren't much older yourself – "

"He's a child!"

"The Hidden Leaf has already lost a great number of chunin and jonin in this conflict. I have no choice but to – "

"I will not allow you to do this simply to get another body onto the battle field!" Sakumo practically shouted. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he struggled to control their shaking – from rage and sudden terror for his son.

"Sakumo – "

"I'm his father!" Sakumo hissed. Charka crackled in the air around him, a sure sign of his fury. His voice raised again. "I will not allow it!"

Sensing the sudden surge of chakra, a pair of masked ANBU appeared beside the Hokage. He waved them away as he felt every one of his years weighing down on him. An infuriated Sakumo Hatake was not something he enjoyed dealing with on the best of days. Several years into a long and bitter war, this was not the best of days. He knew Sakumo's rage was fueled by concern for his only child. It was something Hiruzen could understand and sympathize with. However, Kakashi was a shinobi. A shinobi's duty was to their Village, no matter anyone's personal feelings on the matter.

"Sakumo," Hiruzen forced his voice to remain low and calm but firm. Sakumo was looking for a fight and he would not engage him. Dark eyes glared at him from beneath silver bangs. A lesser man would have quailed beneath that glare. Hiruzen met it calmly. "Sakumo," he repeated, "Kakashi is a shinobi. His duty – as is yours – is to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He is skilled enough and now has enough experience to become a jonin. I am taking his youth into consideration." He softened his tone slightly. "He will not be thrown out on his own or sent to the front. He will remain on Minato's team for the time being."

Their gazes remained locked for several heartbeats. Sakumo dropped his eyes first, his shoulders slumping slightly in defeat as he seemed to deflate. "Fine," he spat. Hiruzen rolled up the map and held it out. Sakumo didn't quite snatch it from him. "Is that all, Lord Third?" Sakumo ground out from between clenched teeth.

"Yes."

An ANBU materialized beside the Hokage as Sakumo stalked out of his office, slamming the door behind him hard enough to rattle the frame. "Is everything alright, Lord Hokage?" he asked.

Hiruzen sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair. He passed a weary hand over his eyes. "Yes. It's fine. Sakumo is simply worried for Kakashi's safety. As a father myself, I can certainly understand." He looked ruefully at the door that the White Fang had departed through. Sakumo tended to get quiet and still when angry. Hiruzen had forgotten that the man could get rather loud when riled. His gaze fell on the scroll that Sakumo had returned with, the treaty with the Land of Rivers. He desperately hoped it would help bring an end to the raging conflict. He was rapidly running out of options. Sakumo was right to be concerned for soon he would have no choice and would be forced to send the younger shinobi to war.

Sakumo stood in the doorway of Kakashi's bedroom, watching his son sleep. He should be in bed himself, having to leave early in the morning to lead his team to the border on what would be weeks, if not months, of patrols. He didn't move. The next time he saw his son, Kakashi would be a jonin. The Hidden Leaf was running out of shinobi to send into battle. They had lost innumerable chunin and jonin already during the course of this war. There were rumors that soon the younger shinobi would be sent into combat. Not just Kakashi's peers, many of whom were new chunin, but even the genin as well. For all the Hokage's assurances that Kakashi was to remain with Minato, should they become desperate for people he had no doubt that Kakashi would not be sent into battle. He was a jonin, even if he was barely twelve years old, Sakumo thought bitterly.

Their alliance with the Land of Rivers would help but Sakumo knew it wasn't going to be enough. The smaller nation simply didn't have enough shinobi to do much more than watch their own borders. While that allowed the Hidden Leaf to move some of their forces elsewhere, they were still woefully short on manpower.

Sakumo remained in the doorway for several minutes before finally turning away and padding silently to his own room. He forced his doubts and regrets from his mind. Kakashi was a capable shinobi, he reminded himself. And Sakumo had seen for himself that Minato Namikaze genuinely cared for his students. Even if Kakashi was a jonin, Sakumo strongly suspected the blond would do everything in his power to try to keep him safe. Kakashi liked his sensei but would often complain that he was a giant mother hen. His son's fussing had amused Sakumo at the time. Now he was grateful that the Hokage had assigned Kakashi to his team.

Laying in the dark, Sakumo desperately hoped this conflict would come to an end before his son was forced into it.