Kakashi looked at the black stone, carved from obsidian, standing for the fallen. On it was etched various names, all heroes of Konohagakure in their own right. He for an especially brave act during a battle, she for dedication beyond duty and so on. The jounin's gaze trailed on five different names.
Obito Uchiha, one of his teammates under their sensei Minato Namikaze, had died sixteen years ago on a mission on the border of Earth Country, six months before their sensei had ended the war in a single battle.
There was the characteristic shape of a fire lily next to the name, a distinction awarded for "gallant act of bravery on the battlefield". Kakashi smiled bitterly as he remembered how the Uchiha clan had fought Minato-sensei on the medal, arguing that Obito Uchiha could never have behaved so.
Never had Kakashi seen his sensei so utterly furious. He hadn't been furious against those who had killed Obito. He hadn't been furious against the armies of Earth Country. They were enemies fighting in a war and as such, there was "no need to hate them" as Kakashi remembered him say to Rin and him once.
But the thought that Obito's very family would deny his act was deserving of the most furious loathing his sensei could muster.
Kakashi sighed. Sasuke Uchiha, the last loyal Uchiha, was Obito's cousin. Just as Kakashi was indebted to Minato-sensei, he was indebted to his teammate and he wished he could have been of help to the young scion of the Uchiha clan.
But Sasuke had a deep, deep hatred in his heart and it closed him off to all who surrounded him and Kakashi had no idea how to reach out, no idea how to guide him out of the path of revenge.
If not his desire for blood, he at least understood the boy's loneliness. He suffered the same way. But how was he supposed to help someone deal with something he didn't know how to deal with himself?
And how was he supposed to get through someone who simply didn't want to listen, who couldn't consider any other path than the one they had fixed for themselves. Sasuke Uchiha needed a psychiatrist, not a jounin sensei. That was something that was known in the higher spheres of power but as always, the good of the many came before the good of the one. Konohagakure needed to appear strong and the last Uchiha, the most talented and advanced genin from his generation - which wasn't surprising when teachers had been discreetly asked to specifically focus on the boy to avoid the disastrous effects of Sasuke training himself without guidance - was an ideal poster child.
They had created a child who had a superiority complex the size of the Hokage Tower yet was as fragile as glass. Sasuke took any comparison badly and couldn't suffer not being the best at something.
And that was in addition to the fact the Uchiha heir suffered from an aggravated case of PTSD. An affliction that hadn't been seen to because sending the scion of such a prominent clan to a mind-healer was unthinkable. Konohagakure was strong and its citizen didn't suffer from the sickness of the psyche.
The eight-year-old child who had been trapped in a mind-shattering genjutsu by his own brother after witnessing the slaughter of most of his clan hadn't been sent to a psychiatrist because as long as he wasn't a drooling vegetable, all was considered alright.
The result was that Sasuke was an angry, immature child dangerously armed with the ability to breathe fire, unhealthily obsessed with power and the ways to obtain it and without care for the village - something that Kakashi would have honestly ignored if Sasuke cared for his teammates, which he absolutely didn't.
The way he was now, Sasuke was paralyzed by the murder of his clan. It was the root of his problems, a dark poison that fuelled a destructive behaviour, one that would prove fatal for the boy. The Uchiha was a mess of feelings and he needed to process them if he wanted a chance to progress. Hopefully, he would then be better off. Not good, never good, because it wasn't possible anymore but he could maybe live again.
Otherwise, Sasuke would kill himself before he got anywhere with his revenge.
His obsession also made Sasuke a flight risk. Konoha was only a mean to an end, a place where the Uchiha had no home, somewhere he would discard the second someone with a better offer would approach him, and Kakashi knew someone would eventually. It was only a matter of time.
And whose fault was it? Hiruzen Sarutobi's fault, that's who.
Well, Kakashi wouldn't allow this masquerade to continue any further. Konoha could go burn for all he cared, the village had taken enough. Sasuke needed therapy and therapy he would get. The needs of the one would outweigh the needs of the many and even if the Hokage refused to sign the necessary paper, Kakashi would be able to legitimately say he had done his duty. The only duty that mattered: the one that protected and upheld the Will of Fire.
Kakashi breathed in deeply. He knew Sasuke would resent him but he would do his best to explain to the Uchiha that it was a necessary step if he ever wanted to have a chance to seek justice for his clan. It was a necessary step if he ever wanted to achieve his potential. It was a necessary step if he wanted to not be eventually deemed too dangerous and be put down.
Kakashi once again felt satisfied with his conclusion and breathed deeply to relax his back. His eyes returned to the standing stone and stopped on a second name. He would fix team seven, one member at a time, and do what had to be done. For the good of the few, for those forgotten by this damnable village, by this so-called family, for the Will of Fire.
AN: "Meanwhile" will be small chapters featuring the characters we basically don't see anymore because of the things said and done since chapter one. Or maybe it's just me lampshading canon inconsistencies, again. Alternatively, it can be taken as a character study.
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