The meetings are concluded after a week and the foreign ghosts return back to their countries, only a few staying behind to plan and carry out joint missions with the Konoha ghosts.
Ameyuri bids Sakumo farewell with a friendly punch to the arm, leaving him feeling much battered and bruised. It has been a long time since he last felt this kind of post-A-class mission fatigue. For the past few days, whenever Sakumo wasn't caught up in a meeting or some kind of socialising, he was sparring with either Ameyuri, her stereotypically bloodthirsty Hoshigaki superior, or Yahiko. Sometimes they sparred two against two, and other times, it was all-out chaos against everyone and anyone, including the Suna-nin who liked to sulk behind bushes and watch.
The Hoshigaki liked to bite and Yahiko shrieked whenever the Kiri-nin lunged at him with those serrated rows of teeth, chomping at air as he swung his sword with a bright-eyed grin. Rin had laughed until she cried, while Sakumo summoned his arm-guards and quickly strapped them on.
Those moments had been fun. It wasn't something Sakumo could have imagined happening while they were all alive and he is surprised to find himself almost disappointed to see them go. Waving their visitors off with the rest of the Konoha ghosts, Sakumo hears the steady tick of the time bomb that is Snake and Kakashi making itself known again.
The villages may be at peace, but there's a silent battle about to begin within Konoha now.
Snake holds out the mission scroll to Kakashi, her lips pressed in a tight smile. "S-rank to Shimogakure."
With a solemn nod, Kakashi accepts it. This must be the mission that ROOT promised, but... "Three people?" Kakashi looks up from the unfurled scroll in surprise. "I thought..."
Snake produces another sheet of paper, unfolds it, and gives it to Kakashi. It's a simple form for discharge from service. It has been filled in with their third team-member's name and the familiar scrawl of the Hokage's signature sits at the bottom with all the finality of a judgment. "Internal management."
Kakashi's eyebrows knit. "Oh." He hands the form back to Snake, who tucks it away into her armour. "Any reason given?"
"None. It's better not to know sometimes."
"I see." There's a disturbed look on Kakashi's face as he scans through the fake mission's details and Sakumo feels the same unease thrumming through his own chest. Rin simply looks shocked.
The door clicks open and a black-haired man walks in, his face hidden behind a mask with slanted black markings. He has a lean build but he's at least a head taller than both Snake and Kakashi.
"Hawk," Snake greets, Kakashi echoing. They give no hint of what had just transpired. "Good to see you. How's your sister?"
His eyes flicker behind his mask, darting between Snake and Kakashi. "Same old. Her oldest is already getting eyebags at six from all that training."
"Poor kid," Snake chuckles, shaking her head. Curiosity makes Kakashi's eyebrows climb up his forehead.
Whereas once his captain would have wrapped an arm around Kakashi's shoulders and ruffled his hair, she contains herself to a smirk. Outside of the rare moments of privacy in Snake's office, they have been manufacturing a growing distance between themselves for the benefit of their observers in ROOT.
"You'll meet him sooner or later," she reassures. "He's an overachiever like you and you know what they say: birds of a feather flock together!"
Hawk shoots her a withering look before fixing Kakashi with an assessing gaze, one that Kakashi returns unabashedly. Finally, the other ANBU shifts, his mask tilting in a way that gives Sakumo the impression of silent laughter. "Mission scroll, please."
"Right," Kakashi mumbles in embarrassment, quickly tossing the scroll over.
Humming as he peruses the details carefully, Hawk then summarises the mission out loud. "So we'll break into the Daimyo's castle, steal his new technology-thingamajig, and get out preferably undetected." He looks up with a flash of white irises behind the eyeholes of his mask. "Three is an awful lot of people for an infiltration mission."
Snake shrugs nonchalantly. "Hound's going to graduate and become a captain soon. He needs all the experience he can get so he's coming as backup. Anyway," she adds with exaggerated cheer. "Pack for cold weather and we'll be off at dawn tomorrow."
As Kakashi and Hawk chorus affirmatives and head off to prepare, Sakumo turns to Rin with a sad smile. "It's not going to be pleasant. I'll protect him before he needs any medical attention, so stay in Konoha please, Rin. It'll put my heart at ease."
She looks up at him, her eyes twin pools of warm concern beneath knitted brows. "Alright. I understand. But remember to take care of yourself too, Sakumo-san."
"I will," he promises gratefully.
"So," Hawk says, breaking off into a loud groan as he flops onto the hotel's bed and bounces slightly. His back pops as he stretches and Kakashi rolls his eyes as Hawk groans again. It's rare to have such comforts on a mission - particularly an S class one - but they undercover as civilian travellers who can afford it. "Hound. Ever thought of what you want to be when you grow up?" The corner of his mouth quirks teasingly and the corners of his black eyes crinkle.
Sitting down on his own bed, Kakashi taps his finger against his chin, pretending to consider. Behind him, Snake bag falls to the ground with a clunk as she snatches the toilet. "Ladies first!" she shouts as the bathroom door slams. Even as Hawk sighs, the pitter-patter of a running shower starts.
"A jounin-sensei?" Kakashi announces brightly, all starry eyes and sheepish head-scratching.
Stunned, both Hawk and Sakumo gape at the young Hatake for a moment before realising Kakashi was joking. "You little shit!" Hawk shouts, hurling a glove at Kakashi's head before flopping back onto the pillows. Sakumo slumps in relief too, not because being a jounin-sensei is anything disappointing, but because it would have meant that he had misunderstood his son's personality and aspirations completely.
Kakashi makes a rude sign back but he's grinning behind his mask. "And you? An Academy sensei? Since you're so interested in helping youngsters plan their future careers."
The other ANBU laughs lowly at that, something dark flickering behind his eyes before he looks away. "I wish. Ain't much good for anything but killing after all these years in ANBU. You should get out while you can. Diversify your skills a bit."
His words are heavy in the air and Kakashi turns away, busying himself with unpacking clean clothes in order to hide his discomfort.
"Besides," Hawk continues, his voice a low murmur. "I don't like the idea of putting a kunai in children's hands."
Kakashi looks up at this, first surprise then understanding crossing his face. He stares down at his set of civilian clothing contemplatively. "My father began teaching me how to fight when I was two."
A knot of discomfort lodges itself in Sakumo's throat. He hadn't expected to be the subject of tonight's conversation; Kakashi doesn't usually talk about these things. Perhaps he feels safe because Hawk has been slated for death. It's a little messed up, but Kakashi has always been more open to the dead than to the living.
Hawk turns back to Kakashi in surprise. "That's young."
"Well I am a genius..." Kakashi jokes before sobering. With his legs bent close to his chest and his chin resting against his knees, Kakashi's grey eye clouds with memories. "He taught me where the major arteries were and how to angle the blade. He would let me try channeling chakra into the tantou, sometimes, and we would practice on dummies Henged from bundles of straw."
Sakumo shifts uncomfortably. He remembers those lessons all too clearly. It had been incredibly difficult to see Kakashi smile so innocently and look to him for approval after every diligently executed move.
It had felt like leading Kakashi into ruin.
"Tou-san always had this look. I'll always remember that look." Frowning, Kakashi fiddles with his mask. "At first, I thought it was because I wasn't good enough." Sakumo's heart sinks like a lead ball and he bites the inside of his cheek. "But, now that I think back, it was more like he wanted to be proud of me but was... afraid, or worried." Kakashi looks up and eye-smiles at Hawk. "Maybe he was thinking along the same lines as you."
Kakashi's memory is a frightening thing, but the knot of worry in Sakumo's stomach loosens slightly. "As long as Kakashi doesn't think it's his fault..."
Hawk blinks, his mouth pulling into a faint smile. "I admired your father. I'll take that as a compliment."
"I-I'm glad."
The pleased expression on Kakashi's face means more to Sakumo than he can say. Perhaps, just perhaps, somewhere along the line Kakashi has already forgiven him... Kind as his dear boy has always been.
"I think even then, he knew - subconsciously, perhaps - that he wasn't going to be there for me much longer." Kakashi regards Hawk with a gaze far too old for his age. "He may have made my childhood a little, hm, unconventional, but he was doing his best to prepare me for the life I couldn't have possibly escaped."
Kakashi is defending him, Sakumo realises. Letting his head fall back, he blinks back the sudden ache in his eyes as he draws a shaky breath. Pale strands of silver catch between his fingers when he runs a restless hand through his hair, his heart feeling full to burst. "Oh Kakashi..."
"Would you have wanted to?" Hawk asks lowly, his gaze intent. "To escape?"
"And become a missing-nin?" Surprise is plain in Kakashi's voice.
"Or a civilian, if your father managed to hide the both of you well enough."
Kakashi looks down at the flimsy, unarmoured clothes in his hands. "I think I would have been furious at my father if he tried to make me leave Konoha, then. But now...? If tou-san was still alive..." His hands tighten around the folded fabric. "I'd grab him and run."
Sakumo chokes back the strangled sound that threatens to escape and his vision blurs dangerously with tears. "Stay with me a little while longer," Kakashi's voice keeps repeating in his mind.
In the end, it's a battle that he loses when Kakashi chuckles hollowly and mutters, "Since the village didn't want him anymore, I should have stolen him all for myself."
A/N: I totally need an AU of that now. Time-travelling baby genin Kakashi catching Sakumo about to cut himself open then stopping him and dragging him far, far away from Konoha. Then they live happily ever in the mountains planting eggplants and raising about a hundred dogs. And maybe during the Third War they'll appear and save people because they're awesome and kind and love Konoha even after everything :')