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Minato and Kushina watched Kakashi's retreating form in bewildered silence. Minato had asked his girlfriend to meet them to act as a second opinion on Kakashi's depressive behaviour that morning, but he had not expected his student to be acting this bizarre. He turned to Kushina, who, by the look on her face, seemed to be mirroring his thoughts.

"Well that was… odd," she began, keeping her eyes on where Kakashi had disappeared to. "I thought you said he seemed upset?"

Minato frowned, "He still is. I took him by surprise this morning, he's just better at hiding it now."

"Really?" Kushina questioned, turning to look the blond in the eye. "Because I don't know what a lot of that was, but he seemed much closer to happy than sad."

He supposed that was fair, his student had been in a good mood for their brief lunch, apart from when he appeared to get lost in his own thoughts. He struggled to remember the last time Kakashi had openly looked that content, he had even teased him. Still, there was something not right, he was sure of it.

"Maybe he's just growing up," Kushina continued, diverting her attention back to her ramen. "You know… puberty and all. Makes kids act weird." She happily slurped her food, ignoring the flat look Minato gave her.

"This is not puberty- chew Kushina, honestly," he rolled his eyes fondly as the red-head struggled to swallow the large mouthfuls she was taking.

Kushina coughed and wiped her mouth, "You- You don't think you're overreacting just a little bit? I mean, this is Kakashi we're talking about. That kid can handle anything, I've never seen anyone like him before. He was practically born to be a shinobi."

"That's what I'm worried about, he is still just a kid," Minato sighed, running his hands through his hair. "You didn't see him this morning, he just looked…" He trailed off helplessly, not being able to find the words to describe Kakashi's dishevelled state. He was worried. He had caught Kakashi off guard, not something that happened often, at a moment where he hadn't yet closed up and put on his usual mask of indifference. And Minato didn't like what he saw.

Sensing the seriousness of her boyfriend's concern, Kushina turned to give him her full attention. "Okay. Take me through what happened, all of it."

Minato smiled in thanks before beginning, "Well it started when he was late to training this morning, and by late I mean even later than Obito. That freaked Obito out a bit, he was convinced that Kakashi had died in his sleep or been eaten by one of his ninken or something just as ridiculous," Kushina snorted. "I don't think I've ever seen him so worried for Kakashi, not that he'd admit it of course, so I said I'd go make sure he hadn't been murdered. Kakashi wasn't at his house-"

"You said earlier he was in the woods or something," Kushina interrupted and Minato nodded. "What the hell was he doing out there?"

"No idea. He was at one of the old training grounds too," the blond frowned, pausing before continuing. "I called out to him, and… he just didn't look like Kakashi, not at that moment. For a second I thought it was someone else."

"…What do you mean?" Kushina asked gently, resting a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I don't know, he just looked… distraught or something. I've never seen him look like that before, let alone look at me like that. Even the whole Sakumo situation… that was nothing like this."

Kushina rested the tip of her chopstick against her mouth in thought. She didn't know Kakashi as well as Minato did and she was sure that the stoic kid merely tolerated her, but she did feel some affection towards him. If the blond beside her was this worried about his student, despite said student being a certified genius who seemed determined to have no friends, she supposed she could do her best to help out. "I mean, he's had a pretty traumatic childhood as it is, do you think it's just all caught up to him? He doesn't seem like someone who's big on the whole 'emotions' thing, assuming that whatever is going on is mental related."

"I suppose it could be," Minato considered. "He looked like he had been crying. Although he claims now that he's got some eye problem, which appears to be true I guess."

"Oh yeah I was wondering about that… Just keep an eye on him, Minato, and if it's something terrible I'm sure he'll talk to you about it. I mean, who else would he tell besides you?"

Harsh but fair, Minato decided.

"I guess…" he conceded and turned back to his ramen, which was now cold. "Maybe whatever is bothering him will pass, it came on pretty fast so hopefully it leaves the same. I just…" Minato sighed despairingly, "I just can't forget that look on his face, it's going to haunt me for a while I think."

"Of course, you care about him," Kushina said and discreetly slid Minato's bowl over to herself, returning his deadpan look with a cheeky grin. "What? You weren't eating it. Anyway, tell me about Kakashi's face. How messed up are his teeth?"

Meanwhile, Kakashi had made it to an empty training ground without having to see anyone remotely jarring. The plan was to assess his current capabilities and get used to fighting in a significantly smaller body. Kakashi grumbled to himself as he stretched out his limbs, why had he been so damn short. Predictably, it took some time to adjust as he practiced taijutsu on a wooden dummy and barely managed to land any hits, however the main difficulty was maintaining his focus and not letting his mind wander. He couldn't for the life of him decipher his earlier thoughts, which he knew had something to do with Obito, so instead his mind took him to other places.

He thought about where his friends were right now, about how he was not the only one who had had moments in his life he wished he could change. He thought about Tenzō, who was probably either being experimented on and tortured by Orochimaru or being brainwashed in Root by Danzō. Was there anything he could realistically do to help him? He didn't know where Orochimaru's current base was and he had next to no chance in battle against the member of the sannin, likely even with the sharingan. On the other hand, Danzō always ensured that Root was air-tight and the Sandaime had frequently turned a blind eye to the scheming of his old friend. It was likely too late for him to significantly help Tenzō now. Kakashi delivered a particularly ferocious kick to the dummy, causing it to crack slightly under the pressure.

And then there was Itachi. While they had never been friends, Kakashi had held a level of respect for the young shinobi, which was momentarily broken when he took out his entire clan (save Sasuke) and then restored when he learned of the full story. Itachi couldn't have been more than four years old right now, and Kakashi found himself absolutely determined to prevent the massacre from happening. Not just for Sasuke's sake, as the boy never really recovered from the trauma, but also for Itachi himself. Who had given everything to Konoha and received nothing in return. If there's someone who really deserves a better future, it's that kid, Kakashi decided and delivered a quick succession of punches to the protesting wooden contraption.

Preventing an event that was the result of years of tension and contempt would be difficult, if it could even be done. If he remembered correctly, suspicion and distrust of the Uchiha clan had resurfaced with the Kyūbi attack the night Naruto was born. Many had felt that the Uchiha had some involvement in the attack, as the sharingan held the ability to control the tailed beasts-

Kakashi hissed and held his head as it ached, whatever key information that was torturing him had something to do with that night. The night that Minato, Kushina and many Konoha shinobi died. He could feel his subconscious screaming at him, and he knew… he knew what it meant. Maybe the reason the information wouldn't come to him was because he didn't want it to. He did not want to have to deal with the revelation and the consequences it would bring with it, it was all already too much.

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" A familiar voice interrupted his dark thoughts, and Kakashi could not help the small smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth. He turned around to find perhaps his closest friend, clad in the only item of clothing Kakashi swore he owned, posing dramatically. Maito Gai was a constant in Kakashi's life, whether it was a constant annoyance or simply a constant presence he knew he could always trust. The familiarity that he brought eased the tension and panic that was building up in Kakashi's mind, and not for the first time he was thankful for his friend's cheerful demeanour. "I challenge you to…" Gai trailed off, clearly expecting Kakashi to disappear before he could finish.

It was at this moment that Kakashi felt a wave of regret wash over him. While he and Gai had become good friends over time and Kakashi would often tease the exuberant shinobi with over the top nonchalance, he remembered how truly unkind he had been at this age. In his younger years, Kakashi had selfishly believed that none of his peers could ever have experienced more pain and hardship than him, with his early promotions, exposure to battle and the loss of his father. Looking at Gai now, whose wide grin was trembling ever so slightly at the corners you could only notice if you were specifically looking for it, Kakashi realised how stupid he had been. He had only found out much later in life what had happened to Gai's father and what he did to save his son, and considering that it must have been recent, he wasn't about to let Gai wallow in grief alone this time around.

"What about a spar?" Kakashi suggested and Gai's eyes lit up, his grin returning in full force. "I missed training this morning."

"I would be honoured to spar with you, my rival!" Gai gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up, clearly surprised yet pleased with this turn of events. "What will be the rules of this duel?"

Kakashi pondered the question. Well… he might as well consolidate his earlier training with the dummy. "Taijutsu only." Probably a death wish against Gai of all people, as he was likely the strongest taijutsu user ever. But that was adult Gai.

To his surprise, Gai hesitated briefly.

"I am afraid I cannot accept those terms," said Gai resolutely and Kakashi blinked in surprise. Why on earth would Gai refuse a taijutsu spar? "With your eye covered it would not be a fair fight!"

Ah of course, Gai probably thought he was injured (which he supposed he was) and didn't want to exploit that. He couldn't know that Kakashi had had years of practice of fighting without the use of his left eye. He smiled slightly at the fact that the jumpsuit clad shinobi hadn't even pried into why his eye was covered in the first place.

"Gai, it's no problem really. It won't affect me too much… Er…" Kakashi trailed off as he watched in disbelief as his old friend untied his own hiate-ate from his waist and retied it around his head, also covering his own left eye.

"AHA!" Gai laughed triumphantly, his hands on his hips. He looked utterly ridiculous, although Kakashi supposed that he himself didn't look too different. "Now we are equal. I can now accept your terms, Kakashi!"

Kakashi felt his heart clench at the gesture. Honestly, how had he been such an asshole to the kid in front of him in the past. Gai, of all people, did not deserve to be treated that way. He followed his old friend into the clearing and mirrored his defensive stance, his mouth twitching as he observed Gai's intense one-eyed gaze. Kakashi nodded once, and Gai announced, "Begin!"

Kakashi quickly brought his arm up to block the flying kick aimed for his chest, countering with a swift jab of his own that was similarly stopped. Twelve year old Gai was definitely not even close to the league of thirty year old Gai, but he was still pretty damn good. Kakashi flipped backwards to avoid another barrage of punches, and reached for a kunai. He sliced forward and Gai ducked in anticipation, however the weapon did not reach nearly far enough and Kakashi inwardly cursed his short arms. Unfortunately, this left him wide open for Gai to quickly grab his wrist and throw him to the far side of the training ground.

Kakashi grunted as he hit the ground and barely had a second to reorganise his bearings before he swiftly rolling aside to avoid Gai stomping on where his body had been. Okay… this was slightly more difficult than he had anticipated. Kunai still in hand, he made a swipe for Gai's legs causing him to jump to avoid it.

They traded punches and blocks as Kakashi continued to swing the kunai, and he began to notice the lack of usual pinpoint accuracy in the delivery of Gai's blows. He was slightly faster than Kakashi, even at this age, but his insistence to wear the headband was clearly hindering him. Kakashi had years to adjust to the different in depth perception and, despite his own disadvantage of not being accustomed to shorter arms and legs, he quickly gained the advantage in the spar. Before long, he found an opening and took it, delivering a strong kick to the knee before holding Gai to the ground and pointing his kunai at him unthreateningly.

Gai paused before huffing in disappointment, "…Yield," he said reluctantly. It took nearly all of Kakashi's self-control not to even let out a cough of laughter. Honestly, the green jumpsuit combined with the covered eye was a look, even for Gai. Kakashi offered him a hand and Gai took it, his bright smile returning to his face as he took off his hiate-ate and let Kakashi pull him to his feet. "You are a formidable opponent as always, Kakashi!"

"As are you," Kakashi replied with his signature eye smile, and Gai blinked furiously- whether it was in surprise or a repression of tears, he was not sure. They stood in silence for a few seconds (a feat he previously thought impossible) as Kakashi deliberated whether or not to proceed with what he was thinking. He knew that, at this age, his younger self would have despised such words… but Gai was not him, and he wasn't even sure Gai was capable of despising anything that wasn't truly evil.

"Gai…" he began hesitantly and Gai raised his rather large eyebrows in response, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Kakashi realised with a pang that Gai was simply happy that he was talking to him, ugh I hate myself. "I-I'm sorry about your father." Gai's expression dropped and he curled his shoulders forward, clearly upset. Shit… it better not have happened fucking yesterday or something, and I've gone and made it worse… But he had started this, so he should finish it. "He was a good man."

And he was. Maito Dai had faced down the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist and taken out four of them, doing so by activating the eight gates. Sacrificing his life to save that of his son's and his teammates. If that didn't make him a hero, Kakashi didn't know what did. And he wanted Gai to know that too, because he doubted that many knew what really happened or offered much kindness to the son of the man that was so often mocked. But Kakashi couldn't tell Gai that his father was a hero, because he wasn't supposed to know.

"Ah," Gai's quiet reply pulled Kakashi from his thoughts, and he looked his friend in the eye and then quickly looked away. Gai's eyes were filled with tears, and not the happy or dramatic type that he often shared with his student Rock Lee, but tears of sadness and thankfulness that made Kakashi's gut clench. "Thank you, Kakashi."

He nodded and let Gai compose himself, his gaze focused on the battered wooden dummy and not on the sniffing shinobi beside him. He waited around half a minute before Gai cleared his throat.

"Now," he started, voice shaking slightly as he moved into a ridiculous dramatic pose. "As punishment for losing our one-eyed taijutsu battle, I will run four hundred laps around the village!" Kakashi watched in amusement as Gai began retying his hiate-ate around his waist, before getting an idea.

"Wait," he said and Gai looked up at him in surprise, lines of dry tears around his eyes. Kakashi simply tapped his own headband. The jumpsuit clad shinobi blinked at him before understanding.

"Ah!" He tied the hiate-ate around his eye again and grinned at Kakashi. "I will run four hundred laps around the village… WITH ONLY ONE EYE!"

He took off, leaving a billow of dusk behind him. Kakashi let out a chuckle and looked up at the darkening sky, wondering again whether he had done the right thing in giving his condolences. He hadn't done it in the past and to his knowledge that didn't have an effect on his and Gai's relationship… but it had felt like the right thing to do. And he decided that if his first act after travelling back in time (aside from worrying Minato sick and nearly gouging out an eye) was to do something that Gai would appreciate, he was happy.

Beginning to move back towards his home, Kakashi was struck by another thought. I believe the White Fang was a hero… Obito had said that to him, once upon a time. And he believed that now, despite who said it. Both his father and Maito Dai were heroes. Kakashi decided that his next act post time travel would be to pay his respects to his father, who he remembered, when he died the first time, was unable to move on and see his mother.

Perhaps, Kakashi suddenly considered as his house came into view, the light outside nearly gone, it will be my third act. Tomorrow of course would bring morning training, which he should not miss two days in a row. This would bring an early start as he should probably be on time as to not rouse too much suspicion, or worry, from Minato.

Yes, his father could wait just a little longer.

Tomorrow would bring him the faces of his greatest heartbreak and his greatest betrayal, and he did not trust himself to not do something when faced with the two people (children, something in his mind reminded him) who were involved in the most traumatic experiences in his life. He needed to do some major meditation before he went, because Minato was obviously going to be watching him like a hawk and would psychoanalyse any slight movement or reaction.

It was becoming very clear to him that tomorrow was going to be a shit day, to say the least.

A lot of damn THINKING in these early chapters, and I apologise for that. But I need to properly establish Kakashi's mindset now so his later actions make more sense. Also, I just love Gai. He is such a pure character and one of Kishi's best creations, probably next to Kakashi himself.

Also, how unfortunate is the name Maito Dai/Might Duy. Not sure how much of a chance he had of a long life.

I promise the chapters will get longer as I get further into the story.